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President Donald Trump's attempt to browbeat Denmark into parting with Greenland has revived worries that foreign investors could start dumping U.S. assets — particularly bonds — in retaliation.
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After two years of a red-hot market, it's time real estate and mortgage professionals get ready for what could be a slowdown in their business.
Earlier this summer housing prices were on fire. Now there is talk of a "housing recession." Due in part to higher mortgage rates and more people vacationing this summer, U.S. existing home sales fell in July for the sixth straight month, the longest streak of declines in more than eight years.
SEE MORE Is Your Job Burning You Out?
One of my clients in the Midwest put his home up for sale recently and has had no interested buyers - none. A few months ago, we were certain it would sell in days. The plan was to sell the house and pay off their construction loan on their new home before it converted to a permanent mortgage. Now, that plan may need to change.
Several mortgage companies have already let go thousands of employees, and one company, Sprout Mortgage, based in East Meadow, N.Y., shut down in early July. Real estate brokerage companies, such as Compass and Redfin, have also slashed their workforce.
Real estate is cyclical, and while sales will not totally dry up, anyone tied to the industry should get their finances in order now in case the current downturn lasts another several months.
Here are a few moves to consider:
Build an Emergency Fund Twice as Big as a Salaried Worker's
No one wants to get caught borrowing money to pay their bills. While putting away enough money in a savings or money market account to cover six months of expenses is normal, it's best to plan for a longer period if you work in a cyclical industry.
Consider keeping six to 12 months of r
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There's no way to sugarcoat this: Small and midsize businesses should be scared to death about the consequences of the Inflation Reduction Act. Unless they provide goods and services to the green energy industry, the law's unforeseen consequences could increase their operating expenses in two ways. Here's what to expect — and how to prepare.
SEE MORE Audit-Proof Your Small Business
The Inflation Reduction Act is essentially a climate change law with some health care benefits. While the new legislation doesn't include any direct tax increases on small and midsize businesses, some of its provisions have the potential to raise costs for these companies significantly.
First Reason Why Cost of Business Could Be Going Up
For one, your chances of being audited may be going up. The new bill substantially expands the Internal Revenue Service's budget: More than half of the $80 billion increase in the IRS budget over 10 years will be used to beef up enforcement through new technology and new hires. That means more audits for companies that are the least able to financially manage them. I worry for businesses that gross $5 million or less since they usually don't have excess funds to pay a lawyer $50,000 to fight the IRS if their matter proceeds to court.
In a letter to the Senate, the agency's commissioner said, "These resources are absolutely not about increasing audit scrutiny on small businesses or middle-income Americans." Even so, with the hire of new auditors, it's likely that people with little or
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