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When your mortgage payment comes due every month, it may look like a single bill. But in reality, you’re likely paying four separate things: principal, interest, taxes, and insurance. PITI is an acronym that bundles these four elements together. But in order to better understand where, exactly, your monthly mortgage money is going, we’re going to take PITI apart and explain each element for you.

Understanding PITI

As discussed above, PITI is the acronym for the four basic components of a monthly mortgage payment. PITI includes:

•  Mortgage principal (the amount you borrowed from the bank)

•  Mortgage interest (the amount the bank charges you for the loan)

•Property taxes (levied by the local government)

•  Homeowners insurance (which covers the cost of repairing or replacing your home under certain covered circumstances)

Importance in Mortgage Payments

Together, these amounts add up to your total monthly mortgage payment — though that amount is not the same as your total monthly home expenses, which also include things like utilities and maintenance. (More on that below.)

Breaking down your PITI and calculating each separate component helps you better understand where your money is going each month. During the home-buying process, it helps you narrow your home search to those that are actually affordable on your budget. And later, knowing what does PITI stand for and what numbers comprise the components of your PITI will help you if you need to request a mortgage interest deduction on your taxes.

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Breaking Down PITI Components

Principal and interest are paid to your mortgage lender, and include both the money you borrowed and the money the bank is charging you for the service of offering the loan. Keep in mind that the amount of principal versus interest will change over the lifetime of the loan in a process known as amortization. To get a full picture of how that works, try out a mortgage calculator that includes an amortization chart.

Meanwhile, your property taxes and homeowners insurance will likely flow into an escrow account, where funds will be used to pay those bills as they come due. Property taxes are almost always included in your mortgage payment, and if you owe money on your home, you will be required to carry homeowners insurance. (Even if you don’t, buying a policy is a good idea. After all, if you’re like many Americans, your home is likely the single most valuable asset in your portfolio.)

Finally, there are also other components that may be part of your monthly mortgage payment — though not part of your PITI. These include extras like PMI (private mortgage insurance) or HOA fees. Not every home purchase will come with these payments, but if you make a down payment of less than 20%, some sort of mortgage insurance is usually inevitable.

Recommended: Property Tax and Your Mortgage: Everything You Need to Know

How PITI Affects Home Affordability

PITI in real estate affects home affordability in a pretty straightforward way: Knowing your PITI ahead of time helps you ensure you’re making an offer on a house that’s truly within your budget. Knowing the cost of a home is one thing, but knowing how much the mortgage will actually take out of your account each month is another. One important rule of thumb: Most lenders prefer that your PITI is less than or equal to 28% of your gross (pre-tax) monthly income.

Fortunately, there are some things you can do to lower your interest rate — which lowers your overall PITI. By keeping your debt-to-income ratio (DTI) low and maintaining a good credit score, you can help ensure you get the lowest interest rates possible, which may expand your home-buying power by qualifying you for a lower rate, no matter the purchase price.

Calculating Your PITI

These days, the easiest way to calculate your PITI is by using an online mortgage calculator with taxes. You’ll need to estimate the home’s annual property taxes based on records kept by your county, and add the insurance premium quoted to you into the mix.

Keep in mind, however, that PITI can (and likely will) change over time as both tax rates and your insurance premiums change each year. Although a fixed-rate mortgage keeps your “PI” static, the “T” and “I” may change your overall monthly mortgage payment over the course of its term. To ensure long-term affordability, consider how increases in each of these categories might work with your budget.

PITI vs. Non-PITI Expenses

As discussed above, PITI doesn’t cover the whole range of homeownership expenses. Along with additional extras like homeowners association (HOA) fees and mortgage insurance, owning a home also means paying monthly utilities as well as any regular repair and maintenance costs.

Those costs can add up, especially if you’re not expecting them. One common rule of thumb is to set aside 1% of your home’s value for repairs each year, with exact figures depending on where you live. (In other words, in some expensive states, like Hawaii, California, and New York, repair costs may be even higher.)

Strategies to Manage and Reduce PITI

Keeping your PITI low keeps your housing expenses low, and while some parts of your mortgage may seem set in stone, others are more negotiable.

For example, did you know that you can challenge property tax assessments (that determine the amount of “T” in your PITI)? Once your home is valuated, if you disagree with the findings, you may reach out to your county or local governance to challenge them. Doing so may lower your taxable property value. (Be warned, however, that if the current valuation does not include recent renovations or, say, a new outbuilding, the taxable value could actually rise.)

Additionally, shopping around for insurance can go a long way toward lowering the second “I” in your PITI. Different insurance companies have different proprietary algorithms and therefore different rates for similar coverage. Additionally, you can play with how much coverage you buy — but use caution before skimping on protecting your home.

Finally, if you already have a home mortgage loan but your creditworthiness profile has substantially improved (and market interest rates are lower than they were when you took out the loan in the first place), refinancing may serve to substantially lower the “P” and initial “I” in your PITI. Remember, though, that you’ll pay closing costs again, so factor in that expense before deciding this is the right financial move for your situation.

Recommended: What Is a Home Inspection

The Takeaway

The acronym PITI describes the four most basic elements of a monthly mortgage payment — but they’re far from the only costs associated with homeownership. Still, understanding PITI can help you find a home that’s within a reasonable purchase price range in the short term — and taking strategic steps to reduce your PITI can help you keep your costs low for years to come.

Looking for an affordable option for a home mortgage loan? SoFi can help: We offer low down payments (as little as 3% – 5%*) with our competitive and flexible home mortgage loans. Plus, applying is extra convenient: It’s online, with access to one-on-one help.

SoFi Mortgages: simple, smart, and so affordable.

FAQ

How does PITI change over the life of the loan?

If you have a fixed-rate mortgage, your principal and interest payments will always amount to the same total — though the ratio of how much of those funds go toward interest versus principal will shift over the lifetime of the loan in a process known as amortization. Your property tax rate and insurance rate may change over time based on the valuation of your home, changes in the local tax code, and insurance premium changes (or a change in insurers). Thus, your monthly housing cost could shift, and even increase, over time, even if the loan is fixed-rate.

Can I pay property taxes and insurance separately from my mortgage?

In most cases, property taxes and homeowners insurance are paid together with the mortgage, and the funds go into an escrow account where they pay their respective bills as they come due. However, it is possible to secure an escrow waiver from your home lender, which would allow you to pay these expenses separately.

How does PITI affect my ability to qualify for a mortgage?

Lenders calculate your PITI before approving your mortgage application — and if your PITI is too high, you might not get approved. Generally speaking, lenders like to see your PITI equal to or less than 28% of your gross monthly income, though some lenders may approve you if your PITI is slightly higher.

What happens if I can’t afford the full PITI payment?

If your financial circumstances change and you can no longer afford to pay your mortgage, your first move should be to contact your lender. They may be able to negotiate or offer a mortgage assistance service. Talking to a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development foreclosure avoidance counselor could also help — but simply allowing your loan to fall into default could lead to home foreclosure.

Photo Credits: iStock/

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Terms, conditions, and state restrictions apply. Not all products are available in all states. See SoFi.com/eligibility for more information.

*SoFi requires Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) for conforming home loans with a loan-to-value (LTV) ratio greater than 80%. As little as 3% down payments are for qualifying first-time homebuyers only. 5% minimum applies to other borrowers. Other loan types may require different fees or insurance (e.g., VA funding fee, FHA Mortgage Insurance Premiums, etc.). Loan requirements may vary depending on your down payment amount, and minimum down payment varies by loan type.

Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.

Third-Party Brand Mentions: No brands, products, or companies mentioned are affiliated with SoFi, nor do they endorse or sponsor this article. Third-party trademarks referenced herein are property of their respective owners.

External Websites: The information and analysis provided through hyperlinks to third-party websites, while believed to be accurate, cannot be guaranteed by SoFi. Links are provided for informational purposes and should not be viewed as an endorsement.

Tax Information: This article provides general background information only and is not intended to serve as legal or tax advice or as a substitute for legal counsel. You should consult your own attorney and/or tax advisor if you have a question requiring legal or tax advice.

SOHL-Q424-002

Source: sofi.com

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Vice President Kamala Harris is pledging to increase the housing supply and make it more affordable, especially for first-time home buyers.

She’s preaching to the choir of voters who rank housing affordability as a top-three issue in the election — about 25%, according to the results of a survey by Ipsos and Redfin, released on Oct. 15. Unsurprisingly, more renters (31.6%) rank housing affordability as a priority issue compared to already existing homeowners (17.1%).

The current housing affordability crisis is the result of the construction industry’s sluggish return to form following the 2007-2008 housing collapse and the basic laws of supply and demand. As is, there isn’t enough housing available for the number of buyers: The housing deficit grew to 4.5 million in 2022 up from 4.3 million in 2021, according to Zillow, a real estate website.

Housing shortages push up prices and keep them high. When a lack of available housing is combined with years of persistently elevated mortgage rates, it becomes even harder for would-be first-time homebuyers to break into the market.

Then, as fewer people trade renting for home ownership, it puts pressure on the rental market, keeping those prices high, too. As a result, shelter, which includes both home buying and renting, has remained the greatest factor in core inflation growth for years.

The only way to effectively combat a lack of affordable homes is by building more housing. Harris’ housing plans are ambitious — and possibly unrealistic, experts say.

Build new housing

Harris has outlined policies aimed at creating 3 million new housing units over the next four years — a 50% increase over the current rate of home building, according to the nonprofit Urban Institute.

In an Aug. 21 Washington Post editorial, Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody’s Analytics, and Jim Parrott, a housing expert at the Urban Institute, called her plans “the most aggressive supply-side push since the national investment in housing that followed World War II.”

To achieve her end goal, Harris wants to provide several tax incentives to kickstart construction:

  • A new Neighborhood Homes Tax Credit to construct or rehabilitate 400,000 homes in lower income communities. The homes must be owner-occupied. The incentive would operate similarly to the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) in that states would receive an allocation of credits for specific projects based on local need.  

  • A tax cut for builders that construct affordable starter homes. 

  • A $40 billion innovation fund to incentivize state and local governments, as well as private developers and homebuilders, to find new strategies to expand the housing supply, primarily through regulatory reform and cutting red tape. 

  • Open up certain federal lands for new housing developments. Her campaign has not specified which federal lands.

An analysis of Harris’ proposal by the Urban Institute says Harris’ plans to increase new housing are not out of line with historic standards. But 50% growth is still a daunting task, and would rely on a number of factors outside a president’s direct control. “What she’s proposed will probably only go sort of halfway or part of the way in achieving that, because achieving a 50% increase in housing production is gigantic,” says Yonah Freemark, a principal research associate in the Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy Center at the Urban Institute and the research director of the Land Use Lab at Urban.

Other observers see the 50% target as unrealistic. “For anyone who has any knowledge of commercial real estate and the housing industry, that seems like an unachievable number,” says Brian Connolly, assistant professor of business law at the University of Michigan. “But good for her for trying to get there.”

“What she’s proposed will probably only go sort of halfway or part of the way in achieving that, because achieving a 50% increase in housing production is gigantic.”

Yonah Freemark, research associate, Urban Institute

However, her proposals could help spur more construction even if they don’t reach the target, says Connolly. He adds that if the government supports homebuilding through new tax incentives that make it more profitable to build new housing and attract skilled labor, then it could make a meaningful impact on the housing supply.

Harris would need Congress to enact much of what she pledges to do. Of the innovation fund, for example, Connolly says, “She couldn’t just sort of pluck $40 billion out of thin air to deliver to the local government; that would be something that would presumably require congressional authorization.”

What there is bipartisan appetite in Congress for, says Freemark, is reducing regulatory restraints on construction. He says there may also be support for expanding the Low Income Housing Tax Credit, which goes toward acquiring, rehabilitating or constructing rental housing for lower-income households. The Democratic National Committee includes expanding LIHTC in its platform.

Make home buying more affordable

A cornerstone of Harris’ housing plans aims to make home ownership — the most traditional vehicle for wealth-building in America — more accessible to first-time buyers. She pledges to provide up to $25,000 in down payment assistance for first-time home buyers and an unspecified, greater amount of assistance for first-generation homebuyers.

Starter-home buyers could use the help since those homes are much more expensive than they were before the pandemic — 51.1% higher than August 2019, according to a Redfin report released on Sept. 30. But there is one recent positive sign for buyers: Starter homes are less expensive now than a year ago for the first time since August 2020. Homebuyers currently need to earn $76,995 annually to afford a home at the median price of $250,000.

There are already places in the U.S. that provide down payment assistance, so Harris’ proposal isn’t new per se, but its size and scope is, says Freemark. “I think that it has the potential to be quite impactful in terms of expanding access to home-purchasing for a large segment of the population that currently, simply, doesn’t have the ability to assemble enough funds,” he adds.

But when it comes to how assistance is delivered, the devil is in the details. “It will take a lot of thought and, potentially, some experimentation on the part of agencies and others that would be implementing this strategy,” Freemark adds. “Also, this is a potentially very expensive program, so I’m not sure I’ve heard broad enough support in Congress.”

It’s much easier to increase demand than it is to increase supply, says Ed Pinto, a senior fellow and co-director of the AEI Housing Center at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, and Harris’ down payment assistance plan would serve to add buyers to what is now a strong seller’s market. “Unless that were to change, any efforts along the lines of demand increases would lead to substantial increases in prices,” says Pinto.

Connolly agrees. “If we’re not building those housing units and we’re providing people with $25,000 in credits to go out and buy within a stock of housing that is not sufficient, that’s going to result in bidding up housing prices,” he says.

Still, providing credits to first-time homebuyers could be something that both sides of the aisle support, says Connolly. “I tend to be a little more of an optimist about the bipartisan nature of this problem,” he says.

Make rent more affordable

About two-thirds of all homes are owned by the people who live in them, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The other third are occupied by renters and Harris has plans to make their lives less expensive, too. The natural outcome to her plan to make home ownership more accessible would be freed-up rental housing. But she also wants to target corporate landlords in two ways:

  • End rental price-fixing practices by landlords of large multi-family units that raise rents based on algorithms. She is calling on Congress to pass the Preventing the Algorithmic Facilitation of Rental Housing Cartels Act. 

  • Remove tax benefits for large corporate landlords that own single-family rental homes. She is calling on Congress to pass the Stop Predatory Investing Act. 

Freemark says that generally, there hasn’t been much support from Republicans in Congress to fund housing affordability policies for renters. If Democrats gained control in both houses, then there is some potential to expand funding for those purposes, he says.

But there has been some bipartisan interest in stopping large private investors from purchasing a large share of homes in communities throughout the country, says Freemark. “Getting that policy right is not obvious,” he says. “Just because you don’t like private investors doesn’t mean they’re not playing an important role in the overall housing market. And, you know, you’re playing with a very large industry when you start talking about sort of critiquing the ownership of large corporations. So I don’t know. I’m a little skeptical”

Meanwhile, Connolly isn’t so sure that focusing on price-fixing will be impactful in alleviating high rent prices. “I’m a bit skeptical that, you know, going after representing algorithms is really going to result in decreases in rent or slowed appreciation of rent,” he says. “But to the extent that there’s any impact on the rental market at the margins, that might be possible.”

Cut red tape

Experts agree that reducing regulatory burdens to building new housing is necessary and has bipartisan support. Both candidates have, at least, nodded to that need — Republicans in their party platform and Harris with her $40 billion innovation fund.

“Republicans tend to be more pro-business; they tend to provide tax breaks to businesses,” says Connolly. “And Democrats want to see more housing supply and housing affordability. So that looks like a good way to kind of, you know, marry those two sides of the aisle.”

Still, authority over housing regulations is concentrated at the local level, so there may be limits to what Congress can achieve on the issue.

Open up federal lands for housing

In the past former President Donald Trump has floated a vision of 10 “freedom cities” on undeveloped federal lands (his utopian vision for these cities also includes flying cars). Harris has also said she supports opening up federal lands to build housing, but hasn’t provided details.

The Federal Government is the largest landholder in the country (the Bureau of Land Management, or BLM, manages one in every 10 acres in the U.S.) so there’s an inventory of possible land available for development. But there’s a key difficulty with the proposal, says Freemark: “A lot of federal land is not land you would want to build housing on.”

Connolly agrees: “When you look at the map of U.S. federal lands, a lot of them are in very lightly populated areas across the western U.S. where there’s not going to be any demand for housing. There may be federal properties that are underutilized in larger cities that would be appropriate places to build housing … but at this point, I think that proposal, you know, from both sides of the aisle is really unclear in terms of its scope and where that would occur.”

The majority of government-owned land is in the West, and there is precedent for opening it to home building. In July, the Bureau of Land Management announced actions that it said would create thousands of affordable housing units on federal land in Nevada.

Pinto is optimistic about the possibilities. “In areas where there’s plenty of land, you could build an entirely new city,” he says. “Let’s take Utah … the federal government owns [the majority] of land in Utah. Half of that land we’ll call ‘Smokey the Bear’ — national parks, national forests, national monuments, things like that. The other half is just owned by the Bureau of Land Management.”

Trump’s deportation plans could stymie construction

Housing hasn’t been the focus of Trump’s campaign, but the cornerstone promise of his campaign — deportation of millions of undocumented immigrants — could have a direct impact on the housing market.

Trump has claimed that his deportation plans would free up housing, but experts say it would actually worsen the housing crisis since the construction workforce is largely reliant on immigrant labor.

Immigration has not been at the root of the U.S. housing crisis, says Connolly. “To the extent that you have migrants who are, generally speaking, low income or very low income people entering into the market … they’re facing much more dire circumstances than people who are trying to buy their first home or something like that,” he says.

But what Trump’s deportation plans could do is exacerbate a shortage of construction workers.

“I would suspect it is causing some concern for home builders and people in the building industry, because immigrant labor has long been a source of labor for the building industry and not just immigrants from Central and South America, but going back across really our entire history,” says Connolly. “Think of Italian bricklayers, Irish laborers in the 1800s and early 1900s. We have always relied on immigrant labor for work in our building industry. And yeah, the idea that we’re going to go deport a bunch of immigrants, you know, particularly in a time period when we need to be building housing is particularly bad policy.”

Freemark says, “Trump deporting millions of people would be horribly destructive for the housing market. It would make it very difficult to build homes throughout much of the country and it would increase the cost of homes.”

NerdWallet’s 2024 election deep dives

What would the Trump economy look like? Find out where former President Donald Trump stands on economic issues like battling inflation, medical debt, jobs, health care, housing, child care, small businesses and more.

How Trump and Harris aim to address your health care When it comes to health care, the candidates have been light on the details. Harris has focused on things like lowering prescription drug prices; expanding Medicare care coverage; and restoring federal abortion rights. Trump says he supports IVF coverage, but wants to leave abortion to the states. He also said that he has only a “concept” of a plan to replace the Affordable Care Act.

Smart Money’s 2024 Presidential Election Series

Hosts Sean Pyles and Anna Helhoski discuss the grand economic promises made by presidential candidates and the intricate realities of presidential influence on the economy to help you understand the real effects on your daily finances.

(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images News via Getty Images)

Source: nerdwallet.com

Apache is functioning normally

Like most U.S. airlines, Delta charges passengers to check a bag when they travel on domestic itineraries. The first bag is $35, and must be no more than 50 lbs.

A second bag costs $45 and follows the same Delta baggage weight policy. This fee also applies on flights to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. Other international itineraries receive one free checked bag per passenger.

The Delta baggage calculator can give you the exact requirements for your trip. It analyzes all the factors into your destination, eligible waivers and number of passengers to alert you to the amount you would owe for standard or overweight bags.

How to pay

You can pay for a checked bag during the check-in process for your flight online or at the airport by using a kiosk with either in cash or in miles. Remember that most domestic Delta airports are now “cashless,” and you may need a credit or debit card.

Checked bag restrictions

Overweight/excess bag fees are determined by the number of bags, the size of the bag and the weight of the bag. Here is what you can expect to pay for bags that exceed these limits:

  • 51-70 lbs: $100.

  • 71-100 lbs: $200.

  • Over 100 lbs: Not permitted.

  • Third checked bag: $150.

  • Fourth-10th checked bag: $200 each.

  • Oversized bag exceeding 63-80 inches in length/width/height: $200.

  • Oversized bag exceeding 80 inches in length/width/height: Not permitted.

Travelers can pay extra to check as many as 10 bags per person on most domestic Delta or Delta Shuttle flights (Delta Shuttle flights are the airline’s air shuttle service in the Northeastern U.S.). Up to four bags may be checked on Delta Connection carrier flights, the regional airlines that operate under Delta.

It’s important to note that Delta may limit the number of excess bags it carries on some flights if not everyone is allowed to check the standard two pieces. They would be on a standby basis and may travel on the next available flight.

Here are some key exceptions to the Delta luggage weight limits:

  • When flying to/from Key West, Florida, all passengers are only permitted one checked bag.

  • Excess baggage weight is not permitted on Delta Connection flights.

  • Military travelers on orders can check as many as five bags (up to 100 lbs each) for free. When traveling for personal reasons, they can check two bags (up to 50 lbs each) for free with proper military identification. If traveling in Premium Select, they can check three bags (up to 50 lbs each), and if in first class or Delta One, three bags (up to 70 lbs each).

How to avoid Delta baggage weight fees

There are several ways to avoid paying Delta bag fees.

Flying internationally

When flying all other international flights, most Delta passengers can check their first bag for free, no matter their cabin, status or fare. Basic economy passengers do not earn this benefit. Additional weight and size limitations for international flights include:

  • 51-70 lbs: $100.

  • 71-100 lbs: $200.

  • Over 70 lbs: not permitted on flights to Europe/United Arab Emirates/North Africa/South Africa.

  • Over 100 lbs: not permitted on all other flights.

Restrictions on number of bags and size of bags vary depending on the destination country.

Elite status

One of the many perks of SkyMiles Medallion status is being able to check bags for free. This benefit also applies to up to eight companions traveling with the Medallion member on the same reservation.

  • SkyMiles Silver Medallion: One free checked bag up to 70 lbs on domestic flights and 50 lbs on international flights.

  • SkyMiles Gold Medallion: Two free checked bags up to 70 lbs on domestic flights and 50 lbs on international flights.

  • SkyMiles Platinum and Diamond Medallion: Three free checked bags up to 70 lbs on domestic flights and 50 lbs on international flights.

  • Any SkyMiles Medallion member in Premium Select: Three free checked bags up to 70 lbs on domestic flights and 50 lbs on international flights.

  • Any SkyMiles Medallion member in first class or Delta One: Three free checked bags up to 70 lbs on all flights.

Premium cabin

In addition to more space and additional food and beverage options, those traveling in premium cabins receive extra bag perks, too (no matter what their elite status tier).

  • Delta Premium Select: One free checked bag up to 50 lbs.

  • First, business and Delta One: Two free checked bags up to 70 lbs.

Credit cards

The real value sinks in if traveling with others because they can check one bag for free, too. Up to eight additional companions on the same reservation as the cardholder can check one bag for free.

The only bummer about this benefit is that this perk does not apply when departing from Paris Charles de Gaulle or Amsterdam.

These are the eligible cards with this benefit:

At $35 per bag (per way), that’s a savings of $630 if you travel as a group of nine. That can really take the sting out of paying an annual fee for any of Delta’s credit cards. Frequent flyers can actually come out ahead when you consider the perks of several Delta cards, like SkyClub access with the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card(annual fee: $650; see rates and fees ).

If you do not have a Delta co-branded credit card, but still want to save cash, there are other workarounds, too. Many cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express and Chase Sapphire Reserve® , come with travel credits tied to the card.

When spending money with Delta, bag fees would be refunded up to a certain amount. American Express requires that you designate Delta as your preferred airline at the beginning of the year. You would receive up to $200 back. Chase offers up to $300 with no specified airline requirement. Terms apply.

Top cards for Delta flyers

Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card

Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card

Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card

Annual fee

$0 intro for the first year, then $150

Earning rates

• 2 miles per $1 on purchases made directly with Delta and at U.S. supermarkets and restaurants (including takeout and delivery in the U.S.).

• 1 mile per $1 on all other eligible purchases.

Terms apply.

• 3 miles per $1 on eligible purchases made directly with Delta and on hotel purchases.

• 2 miles per $1 at U.S. supermarkets and restaurants (including takeout and delivery in the U.S.).

• 1 mile per $1 on all other eligible purchases.

Terms apply.

• 3 miles per $1 on eligible purchases made directly with Delta.

• 1 mile per $1 on other eligible purchases.

Terms apply.

Other benefits

• First checked bag free.

• Priority boarding.

• No foreign transaction fees.

Terms apply.

• Companion certificate (main cabin).

• First checked bag free.

• Priority boarding.

• No foreign transaction fees.

Terms apply.

• Airport lounge access.

• Companion certificate (first class, Delta Comfort+ or main cabin).

• Credit for application fee for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry

• First checked bag free.

• Priority boarding.

• No foreign transaction fees.

Terms apply.

Learn more

Carry-on bag restrictions

The bag you bring on board should follow a combined length, width and height limit of 45 linear inches with the size restrictions also being 22 inches long, 14 inches wide and 9 inches tall. There are sizers at the check-in and gate areas for travelers to measure their luggage; this includes handles and wheels. Interestingly, there is no weight limit for carry-on bags as long as they follow these size metrics.

If you are flying from Beijing or Shanghai, however, Delta will require the carry-on to be 22 lbs or less.

Delta makes exceptions for musical instruments, strollers, car seats and nursing mother accessories. There are no size limits for these items although they must be able to securely fit in the cabin.

To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, see this page.
To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, see this page.
To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card, see this page.
To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card, see this page.
To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, see this page.
To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card, see this page.

How to maximize your rewards

Source: nerdwallet.com

Apache is functioning normally

Update 10/22/24: During the Q3 earnings call they stated:

We have already achieved our plan of refreshing 40 products globally this year, and we expect to do several more by year end.

I think it’s likely that the Business Platinum will be refreshed soon. Some reddit users found a new design image for the Business Platinum card, but as far as I know that is a placeholder but the html does show ‘<div role=”img” class=”dls-card-lg dls-card-tilt” style=”background-image:url(/content/dam/amex/us/credit-cards/features-benefits/Q32024-New-Card-Art/SBSPropLend’.

Original post: During the American Express earnings call today American Express’ CFO Christophe Le Caillec announced that they plan to complete 40 card refreshes globally this year.

In 2024, we expect to exit the year with some further momentum compared to the current growth supported by continued product innovation and our focus on premium value propositions. We currently have plans to refresh around 40 products globally next year.

Previously American Express has stated that it wants to refresh charge cards every 3-4 years. The last time the Platinum & Gold card had a major overhaul was 3-4 years ago I think we can expect those cards to be refreshed. This lines up with the Dell/Adobe and Indeed credits having a 2024 end date.

Source: doctorofcredit.com

Apache is functioning normally

Do you want to learn how to get paid to shop? It’s possible! Many companies and apps now give you ways to get paid for shopping that you might already do. You can make extra cash by grocery shopping, buying clothes, or even just browsing stores. These opportunities range from being a personal shopper to…

Do you want to learn how to get paid to shop? It’s possible! Many companies and apps now give you ways to get paid for shopping that you might already do.

You can make extra cash by grocery shopping, buying clothes, or even just browsing stores. These opportunities range from being a personal shopper to taking surveys about products you buy. Some options let you shop for yourself, while others involve shopping for other people. It’s a fun way to earn money doing something you enjoy.

Over the years, I’ve found that there are so many ways to make money while shopping, and it’s been a great side hustle for me. From getting paid to shop for others to earning cash back on my own purchases, it’s an easy and enjoyable way to bring in extra income.

How To Get Paid To Shop

Below are the best ways to get paid to shop.

1. Personal shopper

Personal shoppers help people buy things. They pick out clothes, gifts, and other items for clients, so this can be a fun way to get paid for shopping.

To become a personal shopper, you need good taste and people skills. You should enjoy fashion and keeping up with trends.

Many personal shoppers work in person in retail stores, but you can also get paid to shop online for others. They help customers find outfits and accessories. Some work for wealthy clients, buying everything from groceries to designer clothes.

You can start by getting a job at a department store and looking for positions in personal shopping or styling. Another option is to work for yourself and you can find clients through word-of-mouth or online platforms.

When I was younger, I had a friend who was a personal shopper for a family. My friend mainly did their grocery shopping and ran errands, but would occasionally buy gifts for when the family was attending a birthday party or a wedding.

2. BestMark

I’ve done a lot of mystery shopping over the years, and it’s been a fun way to earn extra money while doing something I already enjoy. Whether it’s evaluating a store’s customer service, trying out new products, or going to a restaurant, it’s pretty easy work.

BestMark is a top mystery shopping company that’s been around since 1986.

As a BestMark shopper, you’ll visit stores, restaurants, and other businesses. You’ll act like a regular customer and evaluate your experience, and this might include checking product quality, service speed, and staff friendliness.

After your visit, you’ll fill out a detailed report online. BestMark gives you a list to help you understand what to look for during your shop.

The pay for BestMark shops varies, but you can tend to earn between $10 and $20 per task. For most assignments, you will get your meal or whatever you buy reimbursed. They usually give you a limit on what you can spend or they specifically tell you what to buy.

Recommended reading: 9 Best Mystery Shopping Companies To Work For

3. Swagbucks

Swagbucks is a popular website that pays you to shop online, and it’s free to join and easy to use.

I’ve been using Swagbucks for almost 10 years now, and I think it’s pretty easy to earn points.

To get paid to shop with Swagbucks, there are two main ways to earn points:

  • Earn cash back when shopping online. For example, right now you can get up to 8% cash back when shopping at Macy’s, up to 4% when shopping on Amazon, up to 10% when shopping at Best Buy, and more.
  • Earn points (SB) by submitting your shopping receipts. You can submit any receipt that you have from the last 14 days – both in-store and online receipts. You can then earn points. For example, you can get 50 points for any loaf of bread that you buy, 50 points for any bananas, 900 points for diapers, and more.

When you’ve collected enough SB, you can trade them for gift cards. You can pick from lots of popular stores. If you prefer cash, you can get money sent to your PayPal account instead.

I’ve redeemed over 100 gift cards from Swagbucks over the years, and I love how easy this rewards site is to use.

If you join Swagbucks through my referral link, you will receive a $10 bonus.

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Swagbucks is a site where you can earn points for answering surveys, shopping online, watching videos, using coupons, and more. You can use your points for gift cards and cash.

4. Rakuten

Rakuten is a popular way to earn cash back when you shop online. It’s free to use and super easy to get started.

I have used Rakuten for years and it’s an easy way to get cash back for the online shopping that you already do. In fact, I just used it on a hotel booking, and I received 2% back, which adds up quickly for a hotel!

You just sign up for an account on Rakuten’s website or app. Then when you want to buy something, go through Rakuten first. They’ll send you to the store’s site to shop like normal.

After you make a purchase, Rakuten adds cash back to your account. The amount varies by store, but it’s often 1% to 10% of what you spend. Some stores even pay you 20% or more during special sales.

You can get paid by check or PayPal. Rakuten sends out payments every 3 months and you need at least $5 in your account to get paid.

So, why does Rakuten give you this cash back? Rakuten makes money by getting a commission from stores when you buy stuff. They share part of that commission with you as cash back.

Please click here to sign up for Rakuten. Plus, you can get a $30 bonus when you spend $30 if you join right now (at the time of this writing; please double-check the current offer).

5. Stitch Fix stylist

Want to get paid to shop for others? Becoming a Stitch Fix stylist might be perfect for you. This job lets you work from home and help people look their best.

Stitch Fix hires stylists for women’s, men’s, and kids’ styling. They even train you, so you can start with no experience.

As a Stitch Fix stylist, you’ll pick out clothes for customers based on their likes and needs. You’ll use a computer to see what items are available and choose the best ones for each person.

6. Instacart shopper

Becoming an Instacart shopper is a way to make money grocery shopping on your own schedule.

As an Instacart shopper, you’ll pick up and deliver groceries to customers. Instacart has full-service shoppers, where you shop and deliver groceries, as well as in-store shoppers, where you only shop in-store but don’t deliver (someone else picks up the items and delivers).

To start, you need to be at least 18 years old. You’ll also need a smartphone to use the Instacart app as this app tells you what to buy at the grocery store and where to deliver it.

Instacart gives you a payment card to use at stores. You’ll get this card about a week after signing up. You use it to pay for the groceries you’re buying for customers.

Recommended reading: Instacart Shopper Review: How much do Instacart Shoppers earn?

7. Shopkick

Shopkick is a free app that lets you earn rewards for shopping. You can get points called “kicks” for different activities. These include scanning products in stores and uploading receipts.

You don’t even need to buy anything to earn kicks. Just walking into certain stores can give you points. The app works with many popular retailers like Target and CVS.

As you collect kicks, you can trade them for gift cards.

To start, just download the Shopkick app on your phone. Then link your credit or debit cards to your account, because this lets you earn kicks automatically when you shop at partner stores.

8. Ibotta

Ibotta is a free app where you can earn cash back on your everyday purchases. It works for both online and in-store shopping at many popular retailers.

To get started, download the Ibotta app on your phone. Before you shop, browse the app for “offers” at your favorite stores. You’ll see cash back deals on specific items or entire purchases.

When shopping in stores, buy the items with offers (of course, make sure these are items that you actually want to buy because the item is not free, it is simply more like getting a discount). Then, take a picture of your receipt with the app when you are done. Ibotta will match your purchases to the offers and add cash back to your account.

For online shopping, start your purchase through the Ibotta app or website. Shop as usual, and you’ll automatically earn cash back on qualifying items.

Ibotta works with many big stores like Walmart, Target, and Kroger.

Once you reach $20 in your account, you can cash out via PayPal or choose a gift card. It’s a simple way to make your shopping more rewarding.

This app is available for both Android and iOS (iPhone).

You can sign up for Ibotta here.

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Ibotta is an app where you can get cash back and earn free gift cards. Simply submit your receipts on your everyday purchases with your phone.

9. Ath Power Consulting

Ath Power Consulting is a company where you can get paid to do mystery shopping. They have a huge network of over 600,000 shoppers across North America.

Ath Power does more than 10,000 mystery shops each month. They work with many well-known brands and companies around the world.

Ath Power mystery shoppers shop in person for companies, and then share their thoughts about the products and services they try. Companies can then use this information to improve what they sell to customers.

10. IntelliShop

IntelliShop is a company that hires for mystery shopping jobs. You can sign up to become a secret shopper and get paid to visit stores.

Most tasks pay between $5 and $20. They usually take less than 15 minutes in the store, and then after your visit, you’ll need to fill out a report.

IntelliShop has jobs in stores, online, and over the phone.

As a mystery shopper for any of the mystery shopping companies on this list, please remember to keep any receipts or business cards from your visit. You’ll need these to prove you completed the task and get paid.

Recommended reading: How To Become A Mystery Shopper

11. Care.com

Care.com is a site where you can earn money by helping others with tasks like grocery shopping. You can sign up as a helper on their platform to find local gigs.

The site connects you with people who need assistance, such as parents and seniors. You might help with grocery shopping, cooking, or other errands.

As a helper on Care.com, you can set your own rates. Some helpers charge between $15 and $25 per hour. The amount that you decide you want to get paid may vary based on your experience and the tasks you do.

You may be able to find enough gigs to make this a full-time career, or you can also do this part-time in your spare time.

12. Capital One Shopping

Capital One Shopping is a free tool that can help you save money when you shop online. It’s a browser extension and mobile app that works in the background while you browse.

When you’re ready to check out, Capital One Shopping searches for coupon codes automatically and it tries to apply them to your order to get you the best deal.

The tool also compares prices across different websites. This can help you find the lowest price for items you want to buy.

You can earn rewards called Shopping Credits when you make purchases through Capital One Shopping. These credits can be redeemed for gift cards to popular stores.

While you won’t get paid directly to shop, you can save money and earn rewards. This can add up to significant savings over time and even free gift cards.

I recently received a $71 gift card for simply using the Capital One Shopping browser extension, which was super easy to get.

You can learn more at Capital One Shopping Review: Is It Worth It?

13. Fetch Rewards

Fetch Rewards is a free app that lets you earn points for shopping. You can get points by scanning any receipt or shopping online through the app.

I use Fetch Rewards for nearly all of my grocery shopping receipts. What I like about Fetch is that you don’t need to clip coupons or look for special offers. You just buy products and scan your receipts when you are done. It takes less than one minute to scan your receipt and earn points, so it is very easy.

Fetch gives you points for every receipt you upload. You can earn extra points by buying specific brands or products. The app has special offers where you can earn extra points, such as for buying a specific brand of cheese.

You can turn your points into gift cards from many stores and restaurants. Some options include Amazon, Target, and Starbucks.

You can sign up for Fetch Rewards here. 

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With this app, you can scan your grocery receipts (from any grocery store or wholesale club, any time) and earn free gift cards. It is free to sign up and easy to use.

14. Uber Eats

With Uber Eats, you can make money by delivering food.

To get started, you’ll need to create an account and fill out some forms. Once approved, you can begin accepting delivery requests through the Uber app.

Uber Eats drivers can earn around $15 to $26 per hour on average. Your earnings can vary based on factors like your location, how busy it is, and the amount that you earn in tips.

You will want a reliable vehicle and a valid driver’s license, of course, for this side gig.

Recommended reading: 14 Ways To Make Money Driving

15. DoorDash

DoorDash is another way to get paid for delivering food.

DoorDash pays Dashers weekly through direct deposit. If you need money faster, DoorDash offers a Fast Pay option. This lets you cash out your earnings right away for a small fee.

Remember, you’re responsible for your own expenses like gas and car maintenance. It’s a good idea to track these costs to see how much you’re really earning.

16. Taskrabbit

Taskrabbit is an app that lets you make money by doing odd jobs for people in your area. You can pick tasks that fit your skills and schedule.

Some popular jobs on Taskrabbit include cleaning houses, assembling furniture, and running errands (such as shopping for others).

Taskrabbit gives you the flexibility to choose when and how much you work, as well as the type of work that you want to do.

17. Walmart personal shopper

You can get paid to shop as a Walmart personal shopper. This job lets you pick out items for customers who order online.

You’ve probably seen Walmart personal shoppers when you’ve been in Walmart. They work for Walmart and typically have a uniform and a very large basket where they collect items for different orders.

Walmart personal shoppers earn about $15 per hour on average.

Most personal shoppers work full-time or nearly full-time, between 32 to 40 hours a week.

As a personal shopper, you’ll walk around the store and find items customers want. You’ll need to be quick and careful to pick the right products.

Frequently Asked Questions

Getting paid to shop can be a fun way to earn extra money. There are different methods like using apps, shopping for others, and being a mystery shopper. Here are answers to common questions about how to get paid to shop.

How to get paid to go shopping?

You can get paid to shop by using cash back apps, becoming a personal shopper, or doing mystery shopping. Cash back apps give you money back on purchases. Personal shoppers buy things for busy people. Mystery shoppers check stores and fill out shopping assignments on their customer experience.

What are the top apps that pay you for shopping?

Some popular apps that pay you for shopping are:

  • Rakuten: Gives cash back on online purchases
  • Ibotta: Pays rebates on groceries and other items
  • Shopkick: Rewards you for scanning items in stores
  • Fetch Rewards: Gives points for uploading grocery receipts

These apps are free to use and can help you save money on things you already buy.

How can I earn cash by doing grocery shopping for others?

You can earn cash by grocery shopping for others through apps like Instacart or Shipt. Sign up as a shopper, get orders from customers, and deliver their groceries. You’ll get paid for each order you complete.

How much money do people usually make by delivering groceries?

The amount of money you can make by delivering groceries varies. Most shoppers make between $10 and $25 per hour, and your pay depends on factors like the number of orders you complete, the size of the orders, tips from customers, and time of day and demand.

Is being a secret shopper a good side hustle?

Secret shopping can be a good side hustle. It lets you earn money while shopping and dining out, but it’s not a full-time job. I have done a lot of mystery shopping assignments over the years.

What ways to get paid to shop on Amazon are there?

You can get paid to shop on Amazon in a few ways:

  1. Use cash back sites like Rakuten when shopping on Amazon
  2. Join Amazon’s Vine program to review products
  3. Sell items on Amazon as a third-party seller
  4. Sign up for the Amazon Associates Program to earn from product links

These methods can help you save money or earn extra cash while shopping on Amazon.

Best Ways To Get Paid To Shop – Summary

I hope you enjoyed my article on how to get paid to shop.

Getting paid to shop is a fun and easy way to make extra money while doing things you already like. I have been getting paid to shop for over 10 years now, and I have done almost everything on this list. While I’ve not earned a full-time income doing anything on this list, I have earned side income and plenty of free gift cards over the years.

You can use cash back apps or become a personal shopper to earn cash. You can make money buying groceries, clothes, or even taking surveys about your shopping habits.

Mystery shopping is another way to earn money by pretending to be a regular customer and reporting your feedback on your experience. Companies like BestMark and IntelliShop pay for this. Apps like Swagbucks and Fetch Rewards make it easy to earn by scanning receipts or shopping online.

Whether you want a side hustle or just want to save money, getting paid to shop is a fun way to make more money.

What is your favorite way to get paid to shop?

Recommended reading:

Source: makingsenseofcents.com

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A trade credit is a business-to-business (B2B) transaction where one business is able to procure goods or services from the other without immediately paying for them. It’s called a trade credit because when a seller allows a buyer to pay for goods or services at a later date, they are extending credit to the buyer.

Trade credit can be a great tool for a small business that can free up cash flow and grow a company’s assets. However, there are some drawbacks, including a short financing window and potentially high interest if you need to extend that window.

Here’s what every small business needs to know about trade credit.

Key Points

•  Trade credit is a short-term financing arrangement where a supplier allows a business to purchase goods or services and pay at a later date, typically within 30 to 120 days.

•  It helps businesses maintain cash flow by deferring payments, allowing them to use available funds for other operational needs.

•  Trade credit generally does not carry interest if paid within the agreed-upon terms, making it a cost-effective financing option.

•  Strong trade credit terms can enhance relationships with suppliers, encouraging future collaborations.

•  Delayed payments may result in penalties or strained relationships with suppliers.

How Does Trade Credit Work?

Trade credit is a formal name for a common agreement between two companies where one company is able to purchase goods from the other without paying any cash until an agreed upon date. You can think of trade credit the same way as 0% financing, but with shorter terms. Sometimes trade credit is also referred to as vendor financing.

Sellers that grant their customers trade credit generally give them anywhere between 30 and 120 days to pay for the goods or services they received on credit. The range, however, can be higher or lower depending on the industry and individual seller.

Often, the seller will offer the buyer a discount if they settle their account earlier than the balance due date. If they do offer a discount, the terms of the trade credit sale are usually written in specific format. For example, if the seller offers a 5% discount if the invoice is paid within 20 days, but is willing to give the buyer a maximum of 45 days to pay the invoice, that agreement would be written as:

5/20, net 45.

If the buyer is unable to pay their invoice within the set time period (which is 45 days in the above example), the vendor will typically charge interest. If that happens, trade credit is no longer an interest-free form of financing.

Recommended: 15 Types of Business Loans to Consider

Common Terms

Common terms used in trade credit include:

•  Net terms: This specifies the number of days the buyer has to pay the invoice, such as “Net 30” or “Net 60,” meaning payment is due within 30 or 60 days.

•  Discount terms: Offers a discount for early payment, like “2/10, Net 30,” meaning a 2% discount is available if paid within 10 days.

•  Credit limit: The maximum amount a supplier allows a buyer to purchase on credit at one time.

•  Invoice: A detailed bill issued by the supplier outlining goods or services provided and the payment due.

•  Grace period: The extra time allowed beyond the due date to settle the account without incurring penalties.

Types of Trade Credit

The three main types of trade credit include:

1.   Open Account: The most common form, where the supplier delivers goods or services and the buyer agrees to pay by a specified date, usually 30 to 120 days later.

2.   Promissory Note: A formal written agreement where the buyer promises to pay the supplier by a certain date, often used when open accounts are not available.

3.   Trade Acceptance: The buyer signs a formal agreement accepting the supplier’s terms and acknowledging their obligation to pay at a future date. Trade acceptance is sometimes used for larger or international transactions.

Who Uses Trade Credit?

Business trade credit is very common in the B2B ecosystem. Businesses that use trade credit include:

•  Accountants/bookkeepers

•  Advertising/marketing agencies

•  Construction/landscaping companies

•  Food suppliers

•  Restaurants

•  Manufacturers

•  Wholesalers

•  Retailers

•  Cleaning services

Pros and Cons of Trade Credit

Pros and Cons of Trade Credit for Buyers

Pros of trade credit for buyers include:

•  Frees up cash: Because payment is not due until later, trade credits improve the cash flow of businesses, enabling them to sell goods they acquired without having to pay for those goods until a future date. It can be a good option for companies expanding into a new market or that have seasonal peaks and dips.

•  Possible discount: Depending on the trade credit agreement, if the buyer pays the invoice within a certain amount of time, they may receive a discount on the goods or services they purchase.

•  0% interest: The cost of capital can be a burden on some small businesses. If the buyer can settle the invoice within the agreed upon time frame, there is no interest charged on this type of financing.

Cons of buyers using trade credit include:

•  Short payment period: The length of the trade credit payment term varies, but they are often 120 days or less, which is shorter than most types of small business loans. For a growing small business, this may not be enough time. Companies that need a longer repayment period may want to look into other types of debt instruments.

•  It’s easy to over-commit: With discounts and wholesale prices, it can be tempting to buy too much of a particular good. Not only does this create excess inventory, but it also creates a bigger debt obligation.

•  Possible penalties for late payments: Depending on the trade credit agreement, there may be negative consequences for late payments, such as interest or a fine. In addition, the company might report your late payment to the credit bureaus, which could damage your business’s credit score.

Recommended: Getting a Cash Flow Loan for Your Small Business

Pros and Cons of Trade Credit for Sellers

Pros of using trade credit for sellers include:

•  Beat out competitors: Companies offering trade credit may be able to gain an advantage over industry peers that don’t offer trade credit. Because it can be difficult for some small businesses to get a bank loan, they may seek out suppliers offering trade credit.

•  Develop a strong relationship with clients: Offering trade credit increases customer satisfaction, which can lead to customer loyalty and repeat business.

•  Increase sales: Trade credits are still sales even if payment is delayed. Trade credit can also encourage customers to purchase in higher volumes, since there is no cost to the financing. Therefore, a trade credit can provide the opportunity for growth and expansion.

Cons of trade credit for sellers include:

•  Delayed revenue: If your business has plenty of cash, this may not be an issue. However, if budgets are tight, delayed revenue could make it difficult to cover your operating costs.

•  Risk of buyer default: Sometimes customers are unable to pay their debts. Depending on the trade credit agreement, there may be little to nothing the seller can do other than sell the debt to a collection agency at a fraction of the cost of the goods provided.

•  Less profit with early payment discounts: If the seller offers a discount for early payment, they will earn less on the sale than they otherwise would.

Recommended: Understanding Business Liabilities

Trade Credit Accounting

Trade credit needs to be accounted for by both buyers and sellers. The process, however, will vary depending on the company’s accounting method — specifically, whether they use accrual vs cash accounting.

With accrual accounting (which is used by all public companies), revenue and expenses are recorded at the moment of transaction, not when money actually changes hands. With cash accounting, on the other hand, a business records transactions at the time of making payments.

A seller who offers trade credits and uses accrual accounting can face some complexities if the buyer ends up paying early and getting a discount or defaulting (and never paying). In this case, the amount received doesn’t match their account receivables and the difference becomes an account receivable write-off, or liability that must get expensed.

Trade Credit Instruments

Typically, the only formal document used for trade credit agreements is the invoice, which is sent with the goods, and that the customer signs as evidence that the goods have been received. If the seller doubts the buyer’s ability to pay in the allotted time, there are credit instruments they can use to guarantee payment.

Promissory Note

A promissory note, or IOU, is a legal document where the borrower agrees to pay the lender a certain amount by a set date. While it’s usually used for repaying borrowed money, it can also be used to pay for goods or services.

Commercial Draft

One hitch with a promissory note is that it is typically signed after delivery of the goods. If a seller wants to get a credit commitment from a buyer before the goods are delivered, they may want to use a commercial draft.

A commercial draft typically specifies what amount needs to be paid by what date. It is then sent to the buyer’s bank along with the shipping invoices. The bank then asks the buyer to sign the draft before turning over the invoices. After that, the goods are shipped to the buyer.

Banker’s Acceptance

In some cases, a seller might go even further than a commercial draft and require that the bank pay for the goods and then collect the money from the customer. If the bank agrees to do this, they must put it in writing — which is called a banker’s acceptance. It means that the banker accepts responsibility for payment.

Trade Credit Trends

Trade credit is widely used worldwide. In fact, the World Trade Organization estimates that 80% to 90% of all world trade relies on trade credit in some capacity. It’s so widespread that it’s given rise to a type of financing called accounts receivable financing (also known as invoice financing).

With invoice financing, a company that offers trade credit can get a loan based on their outstanding invoices, effectively enabling them to get paid early. When they receive payments from their customers, they give that money (plus a fee) to the financing company.

Recommended: Understanding Business Liabilities

The Takeaway

Trade credit in business is very common and occurs when one company purchases goods or services from another company but doesn’t pay until a later date.

Essentially an interest-free loan, trade credit can be particularly rewarding for young businesses or seasonal businesses that may find themselves occasionally strapped for cash. A key drawback of trade credit, however, is that the buyer is generally expected to pay the invoice relatively quickly, sometimes within a month or two. For many small businesses, that may not be enough time, and they might be better served by getting a small business loan.

If you’re seeking financing for your business, SoFi can help. On SoFi’s marketplace, you can shop top providers today to access the capital you need. Find a personalized business financing option today in minutes.

With SoFi’s marketplace, it’s fast and easy to search for your small business financing options.

FAQ

What is an example of trade credit?

Let’s say a restaurant offers kobe beef on its menu and gets its beef from a food supplier in Japan. The supplier offers them a 5/30, net 60 trade. This means that the restaurant has 60 days to pay for a shipment of beef. If they pay the invoice within 30 days, however, they will receive a 5% discount on the purchase price.

Are there any benefits to trade credit?

Yes, benefits of trade credit include interest-free financing for buyers, improves cash flow for buyers, increases sales volumes for sellers, and it builds strong relationships and customer loyalty for sellers.

When do businesses typically use trade credit?

Businesses use trade credit either when they do not have the capital on hand to make a purchase or they need to temporarily free up cash for other expenses. Trade credit is also a good option for young businesses that may not qualify for other forms of business financing.

Photo credit: iStock/Hiraman

SoFi’s marketplace is owned and operated by SoFi Lending Corp. See SoFi Lending Corp. licensing information below. Advertising Disclosures: SoFi receives compensation in the event you obtain a loan through SoFi’s marketplace. This affects whether a product or service is featured on this site and could affect the order of presentation. SoFi does not include all products and services in the market. All rates, terms, and conditions vary by provider.


Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.

Third-Party Brand Mentions: No brands, products, or companies mentioned are affiliated with SoFi, nor do they endorse or sponsor this article. Third-party trademarks referenced herein are property of their respective owners.

Disclaimer: Many factors affect your credit scores and the interest rates you may receive. SoFi is not a Credit Repair Organization as defined under federal or state law, including the Credit Repair Organizations Act. SoFi does not provide “credit repair” services or advice or assistance regarding “rebuilding” or “improving” your credit record, credit history, or credit rating. For details, see the FTC’s website .

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Source: sofi.com

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Welcome to NerdWallet’s Smart Money podcast, where we answer your real-world money questions. In this episode:

Explore how the 2024 presidential candidates’ tax plans could impact your finances and what to know before voting.

What tax proposals are the 2024 presidential candidates making, and how might these policies affect your finances? What should you know before voting on tax issues? Hosts Sean Pyles and Anna Helhoski discuss the key differences in the candidates’ tax plans and how to make informed decisions to protect your financial future. They begin with a discussion of the importance of tax policy, with tips and tricks on understanding credits and deductions, how taxes fund government services, and the long-term effects of tax laws on your paycheck.

Then, Anna talks to Amy Hanaeur, the executive director of the left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, to discuss the candidates’ specific tax proposals. They discuss proposals to cut corporate taxes, extend expiring tax cuts, provide child tax credits, and eliminate taxes on Social Security benefits.

Check out this episode on your favorite podcast platform, including:

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Episode transcript

This transcript was generated from podcast audio by an AI tool.

Sean Pyles:

Taxes. Nobody likes them, but it’s how we pay for government, from local police and fire departments to the folks at the national level who make our currency and on and on. So what’s a fair and effective tax structure? That’s an argument democracies have been having since the Greeks came up with the system of government, and it’s an argument that we’re still having in earnest in the 2024 presidential campaign.

Amy Hanaeur:

Two-thirds of the cost of making those individual tax cuts permanent would go to the richest fifth of Americans. So to the richest 20% of Americans. So just for a sense of what that would cost, in 2026 alone, that would cost more than $280 billion.

Sean Pyles:

Welcome to NerdWallet’s Smart Money podcast. I’m Sean Pyles.

Anna Helhoski:

And I’m Anna Helhoski.

Sean Pyles:

This is episode three of our Nerdy deep dive into presidential policy and personal finance. And today, Anna, it’s so exciting. We’re going to talk tax policy.

Anna Helhoski:

Wait, wait, don’t everybody leave yet. This is really important stuff. It has a huge effect on your bottom line, so you should know what the two presidential candidates are proposing to do with your tax dollars and then vote accordingly.

Sean Pyles:

Sometimes it’s hard to figure out exactly what this or that tax policy will do to your paycheck. There are proposals for credits and deductions and write-offs, and it can pretty quickly induce your brain to go on zombie status. But even just the broad strokes are important to understand, so we’re going to go through some of that today.

Anna Helhoski:

And remember, Sean alluded to this at the top of the show. Taxes pay for just about every government service you use. Every time you drive on a highway, every time you call 911. Every time you jangle cash in your pocket. Every time you pay for college with a federal student loan.

Sean Pyles:

Every time you get a letter delivered by the USPS. Every time you go to a national park. Every time your grandparents get a Social Security check. Every time you find yourself in a court of law. And every time you realize that national security is pretty important. All of that is the government at work and it’s funded by the money that comes out of your paycheck.

Anna Helhoski:

Is some government spending ridiculous? Yup. Some of my own spending is ridiculous, by the way, but I digress. You can argue over the size of government. A famous Republican anti-tax lobbyist named Grover Norquist once said his goal was to “reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub.” But it’s hard to imagine how anything would get paid for if there weren’t taxes, including all those other campaign promises that candidates are making.

Sean Pyles:

Right. How would anything get done if it weren’t for, you know… government? But as we’ve been saying throughout this series, the most important part of all of this is that you are an educated voter. That you understand how the presidential candidates’ tax policies could affect you.

Anna Helhoski:

And then take that knowledge to the ballot box and vote your conscience. Or for a lot of us, take that knowledge to the mailbox after you’ve filled in your ballot at home.

Sean Pyles:

I’ve got to say I really love voting from the comfort of my couch, usually in my pajamas. As we’ve noted previously, we want to say at the outset that we are not here to take sides or fan the flames of an already contentious political season. Our goal here is the same goal that we always have at NerdWallet: to help you, our listeners, make smart informed decisions about the stuff that impacts your finances. Sometimes that means choosing the right credit card for your needs. Other times, that means voting for the candidate who you believe will help you achieve your life and financial goals. All right. Well, we want to hear what you think too, listeners. To share your thoughts around the election and your personal finances, leave us a voicemail or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373. That’s 901-730-N-E-R-D, or email a voice memo to [email protected]. So, Anna, who is helping us sort through tax policy today?

Anna Helhoski:

Today, we’re speaking with Amy Hanaeur. She’s the executive director of the left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. Amy Hanaeur, thank you so much for joining us.

Amy Hanaeur:

Thanks for having me.

Anna Helhoski:

Unsurprisingly, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have introduced some pretty different tax plans. So to kick off our discussion, I’m hoping you can give an overview of what stands out most to you in these plans.

Amy Hanaeur:

I would say there’s a pretty dramatic difference between Vice President Harris’s tax proposals and former President Trump’s tax proposals. It’s one of the biggest policy differences between these candidates.

Vice President Harris has plans to raise revenue from wealthy people and corporations. She’s also a little more concrete about her plans for the child tax credit, which helps middle-class families with children and other families with children. Trump has kind of a history of slashing taxes in ways that largely redound to wealthy people and corporations. He has also put forth some middle-class tax cuts. Those also will go to the wealthiest as well as to middle-class families. So I think his proposals all in all are more expensive and can make it a little harder to pay for the things that are spending priorities for either party.

Anna Helhoski:

Harris has come out with a number of tax breaks, including up to $50,000 for new small businesses, a $25,000 housing tax credit for first-time home buyers, and an increased child tax credit that includes $6,000 for new parents. Would these be effective policies and walk us through their feasibility?

Amy Hanaeur:

I would say that the $6,000 newborn child tax credit along with her proposal to restore the expanded child tax credits for older children that took place during the pandemic are very proven, very effective policies. And we know that the expanded child tax credit cut poverty almost in half. We know that it helped lots and lots of middle-class families. And we know that even at a time when unemployment was sky high, those child tax credits kept the economy moving and kept a lot of families solvent. And the new expanded $6,000 that she’s proposing for newborns is really important because that first year is so important developmentally for children, and so for families to have a little bit more resources in that first year, I think, makes a lot of sense.

The other two things that you asked about I think are a little more marginal in their effect and maybe not the very best approaches. The tax break, the $50,000 for new businesses is a little complicated because a lot of new businesses don’t actually earn enough to pay taxes. And so they would probably stretch that until when they are profitable, and then they would reduce their taxes once they are profitable further down the road. We just don’t think that that makes as much sense as some other approaches. The tax credit for new home buyers is an interesting idea. I think the Vice President is pairing that with some activities on the supply side to make sure that there’s more housing. But I think that those supply-side activities are a crucial part of that because if you just give a tax credit to new home buyers, it could end up driving up the cost of housing. I don’t think it’s the most important or the strongest part of her tax proposals.

Anna Helhoski:

And we need to have more housing supply in order to have more first-time home buyers.

Amy Hanaeur:

Anna Helhoski:

I want to shift over to Trump. He certainly wants to extend the 2017 tax cuts made under his administration, and he said he plans to lower the corporate tax rate even further. Can you remind us what was in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and what is set to expire next year? I know it was a complex law, but if you could give us the highlights.

Amy Hanaeur:

The 2017 tax law really cut the corporate rate from 35% to 21%, and the result of that was that corporate tax payments plummeted, and a lot of huge profitable corporations continued to pay far below the statutory rate. So the rate was 21%, but actually, lots and lots of corporations pay much, much less than that. Our research shows, and the research of a lot of other scholars shows that these kinds of cuts increase income and racial inequality. They also… This is kind of important. They send a massive windfall like 40 cents of every dollar to foreign investors because foreign investors own 40% of corporate stocks. That is just not a very well-targeted proposal, and it would really cost us a lot in revenue, which could reduce the ability of either party to execute on their spending priorities.

Anna Helhoski:

Has the former president said he wants all of those tax cuts renewed? Are there any proposed changes or is it just an extension?

Amy Hanaeur:

The corporate tax rate that I was just talking about is actually permanent, the cut that they already made. But as you said, he’s proposing further cuts to that corporate rate. So that’s a new proposal. That’s not an extension. The part that they made temporary were the individual components of the 2017 tax law, and they did that because it cost too much and it wasn’t possible to pass it with the policy mechanism that they were trying to use at the time because they were trying to do it with only one party’s support. In order to get it below the overall cost limit that is imposed on Congress, they made the individual tax cuts temporary. Former President Trump has said that he wants to extend all of the individual tax cuts that were in that 2017 law.

Anna Helhoski:

What has Harris said about that tax legislation?

Amy Hanaeur:

Well, she has said that with all of her tax cuts, there would not be a situation in which somebody earning less than $400,000 pays more. She has said that for the individual tax cuts, she wants to extend them for those earning less than $400,000 but phase them out over $400,000. I can say a little more about what the 2017 law did distributionally.

Anna Helhoski:

Amy Hanaeur:

If that’s helpful.

Anna Helhoski:

Absolutely.

Amy Hanaeur:

That law as a whole did deliver really large tax cuts to those in the top 1%, and that’s kind of a narrow sliver. I’m talking there about people with income over $800,000 a year. These cuts are the part that expire in 2025, but the Trump campaign wants to make them permanent. Two-thirds of the cost of making those individual tax cuts permanent would go to the richest fifth of Americans, so to the richest 20% of Americans. So just for a sense of what that would cost, in 2026 alone, that will cost more than $280 billion. It really does start to cut into revenue.

Anna Helhoski:

Have you seen any shifts in where Trump’s tax policy proposals are now versus when he was president?

Amy Hanaeur:

I would say that he’s kind of looking to just intensify his previous approach. Now, he’s floated some other things and his vice-presidential candidate has floated some other things, but in terms of concrete things on paper, it’s a little bit more of the same. He talked about, for example, repealing the tax on Social Security benefits. It would lower taxes for US households, I think, by an average of about $550 per household. But it would come with a big price because it would reduce Social Security and Medicare revenues by about $1.5 trillion over the next decade.

Anna Helhoski:

I want to talk specifically about Trump’s tariff proposal. He wants to do a 10% to 20% across-the-board tariff on all imports and up to 60% for goods from China. He has also suggested replacing personal income taxes with these new tariffs. Amy, how do tariffs on foreign countries and taxes for Americans intertwine?

Amy Hanaeur:

This is a sort of surprising proposal because it’s a real departure from the traditional way that Republicans have approached this issue. And frankly, a departure from how Democrats have approached this issue in recent years as well. Most economists absolutely agree that tariffs fall on consumers, but there can be reasons why advocates for particular industries, sometimes the owners, sometimes the workers, may want them at different times for particular economic development reasons or retaliatory reasons if they think that another country has appropriated a technology or industry that we had previously dominated in. I think what’s really challenging about the Trump proposal is that it is so across-the-board, and also that he hasn’t been very clear about exactly what he would do. So at some times, he has talked about 10% across-the-board tariffs. At other times, he has talked about 20% across-the-board tariffs. That’s a pretty big difference. And then he’s talked about, as you said, the additional 60% on China. An economist named Kim Clausing estimated 20% across-the-board tariffs would cost the typical household $2,600 a year. It’s a substantial hit to families and it manifests itself much in the way that inflation does. It would just be basically every product that every household buys would end up costing more.

Anna Helhoski:

Now, the Biden administration has largely kept the tariffs that Trump imposed during his previous term. What has Harris said about that and her view in general on tariffs?

Amy Hanaeur:

I’m not sure that she has said that much. I think that this is a part of the Biden administration policy that they are perhaps somewhat quiet about. I think it’s challenging to repeal those tariffs for political reasons. But I think from a policy perspective, it’s just important to note that they do fall on households. They’re not as large as those 20% across the board and 60% on China tariffs that the former president is putting forth. So they don’t have the same kind of impact, but it is kind of universally accepted that those kinds of tariffs do fall on consumers in terms of increasing prices.

Anna Helhoski:

More of our interview in a moment. Stay with us. Amy, real quick, I just want to turn back to Social Security for a second. Trump had said that he wants to get rid of the tax on Social Security. What would be the impact of that on the average American? What would that mean for their paychecks right now and for the prospect of them having Social Security when they reach retirement age?

Amy Hanaeur:

The Tax Policy Center did an analysis of this proposal and found that it would lower taxes for US households by an average of $550 a year. But at a big, big cost because it would end up reducing revenues in Social Security and Medicare by about $1.5 trillion with a T over the next decade. This would end up driving both programs into insolvency much faster, and so it would end up resulting in sharply reduced benefits for tens of millions of recipients. And the Tax Policy Center has not yet estimated, I don’t believe, the exact nature of those benefit reductions, but we know that Social Security is just one of our most important social programs, pulls a huge number of people out of poverty. The elderly used to be the poorest population age group in the United States, and after Social Security was put in place, they became the least likely to be poor among American households. So it’s really a huge part of our social safety net and just a huge part of our society.

Anna Helhoski:

Now, Trump and Harris don’t agree on very much, but one place where there is overlap is that both candidates have proposed to lift the tax on tips. Can you explain that for us and what it would mean for the average American, both those who receive tips and those who pay them?

Amy Hanaeur:

Getting rid of taxes on tips is probably more about politics than about creating a great public policy. First of all, a very small share of the workforce receives all of its income from tips. And so it would be kind of flawed because do we really think that a waitress who earns a very modest salary and a teacher’s aide or a teacher or a nurse’s aide who earns a really modest salary, do we really think that the waitress should pay a lower tax rate than a teacher or teacher’s aide or nurse’s aide who earns the same amount? And that would be the effect of this policy. It would also really encourage shifting some compensation to tips. So high-paid professionals could ask that their fees instead be structured as tips.

Now, Vice President Harris does have a check in place for her proposal that kind of gets at that because she has suggested ways that it could be targeted toward those earning under $75,000 a year. That certainly makes a big difference in terms of the possibility for gamesmanship by very wealthy earners. But fundamentally, we just think there are better ways at getting at helping low-wage workers who receive tips. Namely, we could get rid of the tipped wage. We could say that every worker deserves a minimum wage. The sub-wage for tipped workers is $2.13 an hour at the federal level. So we’re talking about a ridiculously low wage in 2024.

Anna Helhoski:

It seems like either candidate will struggle to bring forth most of these proposals if there’s not enough support in Congress. Either Harris’s or Trump’s proposals, what do you see there being congressional support for? And is there anything that Harris or Trump could do unilaterally?

Amy Hanaeur:

Obviously, a lot depends on the composition of Congress. So if either side gets a trifecta, if we have Republicans taking both Houses and the presidency, I would expect that former President Trump would be able to again cut taxes on billionaires and again cut taxes on corporations. I don’t think his Social Security proposals would go through under any party because Social Security is sort of famously the third rail of American politics, and it really does disrupt our social structures to think about reducing the funding available to pay for Social Security.

For Vice President Harris, if she were to get a trifecta, I think she would probably succeed in getting some of those revenue raisers. I could see her getting through the extensions of the individual tax cuts for those earning less than $400,000 but getting rid of them for those earning more. And in the perhaps most likely situation where we have divided government, I think a lot of this would be up for debate, and I think we’d end up seeing some mishmash of these two approaches.

Anna Helhoski:

Amy, what have we not seen Kamala Harris or Donald Trump weigh in on that you think is an oversight?

Amy Hanaeur:

There are pieces that are in Kamala Harris’s written proposals that don’t get a lot of attention. And one of the big ones is something very obscure called stepped-up basis. Sometimes people call it buy, borrow, and die. That basically says that for very wealthy people, if they acquire stocks or other assets that really grow in value over the time that they own those assets, that if they pass those on to heirs without selling them first, nobody ever pays taxes on the difference in value. So that’s always something that I think should get more attention. But it’s complicated to explain. As you can see with my efforts to explain it, it’s just complicated. And it’s easier to say, “We’re going to raise the corporate tax rate or we’re going to lower the corporate tax rate.” I think that’s something that could get more attention.

Anna Helhoski:

Is there anything else you want to call out about Harris or Trump’s tax plans?

Amy Hanaeur:

I would just say the big picture is: The Harris approach raises more revenue. It raises it primarily from the wealthiest and corporations. The Trump approach puts us deeper in debt and gives a lot more away to wealthy people and corporations. And both of them, I think, have some proposals that would help middle-class families on the tax side.

Anna Helhoski:

All right. Amy Hanaeur, thank you again for talking with me today.

Amy Hanaeur:

Yeah, thank you so much.

Anna Helhoski:

Sean, I want to emphasize one thing before we wrap up, and that’s how much authority the Executive Branch has to change taxes. The president does technically have the power to tax, but they generally don’t exercise that. What they do is press Congress to pass policies that they want. What we don’t know right now is what campaign promises will have bipartisan appeal once we have both a new administration and a new congressional makeup.

Sean Pyles:

You know, Anna, tax is a funny thing, where you make one change in one area and it can have drastic, sometimes unintended ripple effects in other areas. Two examples that come to mind are how Harris providing a tax credit for first-time home buyers could drive up home prices, and how Trump’s tax cuts exacerbated racial and wealth inequality. And these examples underscore how complicated and confusing tax policy can be. But it’s really, really important for all of us to engage with this since a number of components of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 will sunset in 2025. So we have a unique opportunity right now to reshape taxes and our votes will have a hand in that.

Anna Helhoski:

And one thing that Amy Hanaeur didn’t delve too deeply into is the no tax on tips policy that both Trump and Harris are endorsing. But fortunately, listeners, we did go into no tax on tips in a previous episode. So have a listen to our August 21st episode on that topic, which we’ll also link to in today’s show notes.

Sean Pyles:

Anna, tell us what’s coming up in the fourth and final episode of the series.

Anna Helhoski:

Sean, we’re going to talk about two specific areas of policy that affect a large swath of voters: student loans and healthcare.

Eliza Haverstock:

The fate of the repayment plan is now largely in the hands of the courts. However, the president can influence the situation by directing the Justice Department how to proceed with appeals. Harris would likely continue to vigorously defend the SAVE plan in court. Meanwhile, Trump is not likely to defend SAVE.

Anna Helhoski:

For now, that’s all we have for this episode. Do you have a money question of your own? Turn to the Nerds and call or text us your questions at (901) 730-6373. That’s (901) 730-N-E-R-D. You can also email us at [email protected]. And remember, you can follow the show on your favorite podcast app, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and iHeartRadio to automatically download new episodes.

Sean Pyles:

This episode was produced by Tess Vigeland and Anna. I helped with editing. Rick VanderKnyff and Amanda Derengowski helped with fact-checking. Megan Maurer mixed our audio. And a big thank you to NerdWallet’s editors for all their help.

Anna Helhoski:

And here’s our brief disclaimer. We are not financial or investment advisors. This nerdy info is provided for general educational and entertainment purposes and may not apply to your specific circumstances.

Sean Pyles:

And with that said, until next time, turn to the Nerds.

Source: nerdwallet.com

Apache is functioning normally

All college students are required to declare a major, but what about a minor? This is a question many students find themselves asking halfway through their college curriculum.

Knowing about what a minor is, what it entails, and if it’s something that can bolster your career can help determine if it’s really right for you.

Keep reading to learn more about what a college minor is, how it differs from a major, and the pros and cons that come with it.

Defining a College Minor

A college minor, sometimes referred to as a “mini major,” is a group of courses you take in a certain discipline. Minors in college can complement your chosen college major or be totally unrelated.

While most colleges don’t require a student to declare a minor, some do. Schools may have a definitive criteria about your choice of minor. For instance, you may not be able to pursue a minor in the same department as your major.

For the most part a college minor is voluntary, and a student may not feel it’s important enough to take on the additional coursework in addition to their main area of study. Instead, they may want to have complete freedom to use those class credits for electives that may not be as labor intensive.

Differences Between a Major and Minor

Your major is the main area of specialty that determines the type of bachelor’s degree you’ll earn. It’s the field of study you’ve chosen based on your professional aspirations. One way to think of it is that your major is your primary job and your minor is more of a side gig.

When you’re finally awarded your college diploma, it will be for your major, not your minor. That’s because a college minor is typically considered optional and not a requirement for your core curriculum. Even if your school is one that does require you to choose a minor, it won’t be reflected on your degree unless your school is one with an exception to that rule. However, it will most likely be included in your college transcript.

Another key distinction between a college major and a minor is the amount of coursework you have to complete and how much it counts toward your final credits. Depending on your school, a major will make up one-third to one-half of the school’s credits needed to graduate, which is typically 120 credits for a four-year program.

In general, a college major will require you to complete at least 10 courses compared to five to seven classes for a minor. A minor typically requires anywhere between 16 and 30 credits.

Recommended: Credit Hours: What Are They & Why They Matter

Benefits of Pursuing a College Minor

There are many upsides to tacking on a college minor. If you’re wondering whether or not it’s worth pursuing, consider these pros:

Explore Complementary Interests

A college minor related to your major allows you to expand your expertise in that related field. For instance, if you’re a biology major and decide to minor in chemistry, you’re already familiar with the basics of science and look at things from a scientific perspective. There are similar analytical skills you can apply.

But even if your minor is in a different area, there are still ways it can positively impact your major. An example is if you’re majoring in political science, you may want to minor in public speaking, which can be helpful if you have any ambitions to run for elected office.

You may even find your minor is more exciting and decide to change your major to that area of interest, or decide to combine the two disciplines and pursue a double major.

However, before making any big changes, it’s a good idea to talk to your academic advisor. Depending on when you decide to do a change-up, it could add extra time toward getting your degree. This can translate into additional costs and more student debt.

Develop Secondary Skill Sets

Regardless of whether your minor directly corresponds to your major, you’re acquiring and polishing both hard and soft skills. Those more technical hard skills can be directly applied to the type of work your career requires. Soft skills, on the other hand, are more of a social and interpersonal nature. Both are important to employers and offer skills they want their prospective employees to have under their belt.

Enhance Marketability and Job Prospects

Homing in on a subject offers you the opportunity to develop more of an in-depth knowledge and expertise. A minor shows your well-roundedness, flexibility, and the ability to wear other hats. For example, a marketing major who minored in communications can be an asset in the areas of advertising, journalism, and public relations.

A complementary minor can also give you a more solid base and deeper understanding of some issues you may deal with in your occupation. If a nursing major chooses to minor in psychology, it can help them better understand patient behavior.

Overall, a minor shows a level of seriousness and willingness to challenge oneself. These are qualities that can go a long way and put you at an advantage when applying for your first job out of school, graduate school, or even for a college internship.

Recommended: 6 Ways to Save Money for Grad School

Popular College Minor Options

There are certain college minors that attract more students than others. Here are some popular ones:

STEM Minors

STEM, which stands for science, technology, engineering, and math, consists of natural, physical, and life sciences; computers; electronics and other types of tech; all kinds of engineering; mathematics; and areas that rely on the principles of math. Examples of STEM minors include computer science, kinesiology or exercise science, civil engineering, and statistics.

Deciding on a STEM subject for your minor can give you a leg up in the job market. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, job opportunities in the STEM field are expected to grow 7% by 2032, compared to 2% for all occupations.

Business Minors

With a business minor, you can take classes in accounting, marketing, human resources, and e-commerce. Choosing business as a minor allows you to learn the fundamentals of business, which can be extremely valuable and practical out in the real world.

Knowing more about how business is conducted and becoming more savvy about finance benefits you both professionally and personally. Career-wise, it can come in handy if you’re applying for a job that may require a deeper understanding of certain business practices. In your own life, you may even get a better handle on your own financial situation when it comes to managing private student loans and staying on top of how to pay for college.

Recommended: 4 Student Loan Repayment Options and How to Choose the Right One for You

Liberal Arts Minors

Liberal arts is a field with a broad range of disciplines, including creative arts, social sciences, humanities, and more. People who decide to minor in liberal arts may choose sub-studies in English, psychology, sociology, anthropology, philosophy, or communication.

For someone with a very demanding major, a liberal arts minor can offer a less taxing curriculum. Instead of being geared toward technical skills, liberal arts classes give students an opportunity to focus on critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and verbal and written communication skills.

Language and Cultural Minors

Minors specializing in different aspects of cultural heritage and language can expose a student to different world views, beliefs, and practices.

A foreign language minor allows you the ability to become bilingual or multilingual, which is a huge asset in the workforce where there’s an increasing demand for people who speak other languages. You may want to expand on your high school language classes or minor in a completely new one.

A language minor may also be one in linguistics, which is the study of language structure, including phonetics, syntax, semantics, and the history of how language has changed over time. Students may also find there’s an option at their college to minor in American Sign Language.

Cultural studies minors are designed to study all types of cultures, their histories, and perspectives. These can include groups based on class, gender, ethnicity, race, religion, and geographical location. Classes in popular culture, women’s studies, world religions, and African-American or Asian studies are some examples of cultural studies minors.

Choosing a Complementary College Minor

Picking a minor in general adds extra knowledge and allows you to build more expertise in another subject. Minoring in a complementary course of study, however, shows you’re serious about exploring an area that closely aligns with your major.

Regardless of whether your minor directly corresponds to your major, you’ve decided to use a portion of your credits toward another group of required classes, and that indicates a commendable level of focus and commitment.

Potential Drawbacks of a College Minor

There are some cons that can come with declaring a minor. For one, a minor can take up a lot of time, so you’ll want to make sure it’s an area you’re genuinely curious about and have a real interest in. Consider the amount of work you’ll have to do, such as writing papers, studying, and taking exams. These additional classes could end up adding unnecessary stress to your major’s workload.

A minor could also end up costing you more money, especially if you declare a minor late in the game. You may not be able to get all the necessary classes before graduation, which means you may have to extend your education by a semester or more.

The Takeaway

A minor is, in most cases, an optional supplementary course of study that can broaden your knowledge, expand your skill set, and open up more career options after graduation. Having a college minor can also make your undergrad studies a lot more fun, especially if it’s a topic where you have a strong personal interest.

Ways to finance your minor include cash savings, scholarships, grants, and both federal and private student loans.

If you’ve exhausted all federal student aid options, no-fee private student loans from SoFi can help you pay for school. The online application process is easy, and you can see rates and terms in just minutes. Repayment plans are flexible, so you can find an option that works for your financial plan and budget.

Cover up to 100% of school-certified costs including tuition, books, supplies, room and board, and transportation with a private student loan from SoFi.

FAQ

What’s the difference between a minor and concentration?

A minor can be a secondary course of study in any area, while a concentration is a sub-group of structured classes that directly relate to your major. For example, if you’re an English major, your concentration may be in creative writing, made up of poetry, fiction, nonfiction prose, and dramatic writing classes.

Do minors appear on your diploma or transcript?

Minors will appear on your transcript, but the mass majority of colleges and universities don’t include it on your diploma. The standard practice is to list only the student’s major on their bachelor’s degree.

How late in your college career can you add a minor?

Most colleges ask students to choose their major by the end of sophomore year or beginning of their junior year, which can also be an ideal time to choose a minor. You could declare it before you start your senior year, but it’s important to consider the fact you’ll have to cram all of that minor’s classes into one year’s time. This could impact your graduation date if you need to carry your studies over to another semester in order to fulfill your minor’s requirements.

Do minors impact financial aid eligibility?

It depends. Federal financial aid rules mandate only courses required for your major and degree program are eligible. However, classes required for a minor may be eligible for financial aid if they also satisfy major, core, or elective requirements for your degree. Otherwise, financial aid will be reconfigured or removed to reflect eligibility based on qualifying courses.

Photo credit: iStock/Drazen Zigic

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Apache is functioning normally

Accounts payable are bills and other short-term debts that a business needs to pay. It includes all of a company’s current liabilities (due within one year), making it a key component of small business accounting.

Understanding accounts payable and having a dependable accounts payable system is essential to running a successful small business. Here’s what you need to know.

Key Points

•   Accounts payable (AP) represent a company’s short-term obligations to suppliers for goods or services received but not yet paid for.

•   AP appears under current liabilities on the balance sheet.

•   Examples of accounts payable could include licensing costs, leasing costs, subscription services, and installment payment plans.

•   The four steps of the accounts payable process include capturing the invoice, approving the invoice, payment authorization, and payment execution.

•   Investors and lenders may look at accounts payable when deciding whether to invest in your company or approve you for a small business loan.

What Is Accounts Payable (AP)?

When a business buys goods or services from a vendor or supplier on credit that needs to be paid back in the near term, the accounting entry is known as “accounts payable.” On a balance sheet, accounts payable appears under current liabilities.

Accounts payable differs from a loan payable in that accounts payable does not charge interest (unless payment is late) and is typically based on goods or services acquired. Loan payables, such as balances on various kinds of small business loans, generally charge interest and are based on the prior receipt of a sum of cash from a lender.

In a company, the term “accounts payable” is also used as the name of the department responsible for handling vendor invoices and bills — from recording them in the general ledger to making payments to suppliers and other third parties.

Recommended: Guide to Vendor Financing

Is Accounts Payable an Asset or Liability?

In small business accounting, accounts payable is a liability since it is money owed to vendors and creditors. The account grows larger when more money is owed to vendors. When accounts payable increases, a business will typically have more cash on hand because of the delay in paying amounts owed. This typically results in a temporary increase in liquidity.

The short-term debt in accounts payable can help keep cash on hand to pay for other items, but eventually creditors will require payment.

Accounts payable differs from business expenses in that accounts payable is shown on a business’s balance sheet, whereas business expenses are shown on the income statement.

Recommended: Small Business Balance Sheets with Examples

How Accounts Payable Works

When a business purchases goods or services from a supplier on credit, also known as trade credit, payment isn’t made immediately. Typically, it will be due within 30 or 60 days, sometimes longer.

Here’s how it works:

A business will send the supplier a purchase order. The supplier will then provide the goods or services the business purchased, along with an invoice requesting payment by a certain date. The person or department responsible for accounts payable will verify the invoice against the purchase order and ensure the goods or services were received before issuing payment to their vendors.

If amounts owed to suppliers and other third parties are not paid within the agreed terms, late payments or defaults can result.

The sum of all outstanding payments owed by a business to third parties is recorded as the balance of accounts payable on the company’s balance sheet. Any increase or decrease in accounts payable from one accounting period to another will appear on the cash flow statement.

Recommended: How to Calculate Cash Flow

4 Steps of the Accounts Payable Process

Managing business finances is one of the most important aspects of running a small business. The accounts payable process has four key steps. Going through this defined process helps avoid errors and missing a payment deadline to a vendor.

1. Invoice Capture

The accounts payable process generally begins when a supplier or third party submits an invoice to the accounts payable department. After receiving the invoice, the accounts payable clerk will verify the invoice is valid and not a duplicate, code the invoice to the general ledger, and, depending on the company’s process, conduct a two-way match (in which invoices are matched to purchase orders) or a three-way match (in which invoices are matched to purchase orders and receiving information).

2. Invoice Approval

Once all the data is entered, an invoice must be approved. This involves an individual from the accounts payable department routing the invoice to the appropriate person (or people) in the company to get the necessary approval(s).

3. Payment Authorization

After an invoice is approved, the accounts payable clerk may need to get authorization to make a payment. The authorization will typically include the payment amount, method of payment, and date the payment will be made.

4. Payment Execution

Once payment is authorized, the invoice can be paid. Payment should be processed before or on the bill’s due date and may be done by check, electronic bank-to-bank payment, or credit card. Once the invoice is paid, it can be closed out in the accounting system.

Recommended: Debt-to-EBITDA Ratio Explained

Internal Controls and Audits

Internal controls are standardized operating procedures used by companies in their accounts payable process to reduce the risk that a business will pay a fraudulent or inaccurate invoice, pay a vendor invoice twice, and/or fail to pay an invoice on time.

These controls often include:

•  Purchase order approval

•  Invoice approval

•  Two-way matching (in which invoices are matched to purchase orders) or three-way matching (in which invoices are matched to purchase orders and receiving information)

•  Auditing for duplicates (which involves checking files manually or with an accounts payable automation platform to make sure duplicate payments aren’t made)

Accounts Payable Examples

Generally, any items bought on short-term credit fall under the accounts payable umbrella. This includes:

•  Licensing costs

•  Leasing costs

•  Subcontractor bills

•  Amounts owed for raw materials and fuel

•  Products and equipment received but not paid for

•  Subscription services

•  Installment payment plans

Accounts Payable vs Accounts Receivable

Accounts receivable is basically the opposite of accounts payable. While accounts payable is the money a company owes to suppliers and vendors, accounts receivable is the money that is owed to the company, generally by its customers. If two companies make a transaction on credit, one records it to accounts payable, while the other records it to accounts receivable.

Here’s a side-by-side comparison of accounts payable vs accounts receivable:

Accounts Payable Accounts Receivable
Money you owe to a vendor or other third party Money owed to you from customers
Recorded as a current liability on the balance sheet Recorded as a current asset on the balance sheet

When a business owner needs an influx of cash, accounts receivable financing is a type of financing that enables them to receive early payment on outstanding invoices. The owner must then repay the money (plus a fee) to the financing company when they receive payment from their customers.

Recommended: GAAP Explained

Trade Payables and Accounts Payables

Though they sound similar, trade payables are actually slightly different from accounts payables.

Trade payables are amounts a company owes its vendors for inventory-related goods, such as business supplies or materials that are part of the company’s inventory. Accounts payables, on the other hand, includes trade payables, as well as all other short-term debts.

The Takeaway

Accounts payable is a current liability on a company’s balance sheet. It includes all of the short-term credits extended to a business by vendors and creditors for goods or services rendered but not yet paid for. Accounts payable also refers to the department or person in a firm that records and handles purchases and payments.

Lenders and potential investors will often look at a company’s accounts payable, as well as their accounts receivable, to gauge the financial health of a business. Mismanagement on either side of the equation can have a negative impact on your business’s ability to get credit or get approved for a small business loan, and could also put your business at risk.

If you’re seeking financing for your business, SoFi can help. On SoFi’s marketplace, you can shop top providers today to access the capital you need. Find a personalized business financing option today in minutes.

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FAQ

What are examples of accounts payables?

Any good or service that is purchased by the company on short-term credit should be listed as accounts payable on the balance sheet. Some examples include:

•  Leased vehicles

•  Subcontractor services

•  Equipment

•  Materials

•  Business supplies

•  Subscription services

What is the purpose of accounts payable?

The purpose of accounts payable is to accurately track what’s owed to vendors and suppliers and to ensure that payments are properly approved and processed. Having accurate accounts payable information is essential to producing an accurate balance sheet.

What is accounts payable reconciliation?

Accounts payable reconciliation is a process in which the accounts payable department verifies that the detailed total of all accounts payable outstanding matches the payables account balance stated in the general ledger. This is done to ensure that the amount of accounts payable reported in the balance sheet is accurate.

Photo credit: iStock/Panuwat Dangsungnoen

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