If you’re self-employed and a parent, you can qualify for a number of additional tax deductions and other benefits. Most of the benefits derive from deductions and tax credits on your income tax. Deductible expenses include healthcare, childcare, and education—but as a parent, you could also qualify for special benefits. you can also save on
Investing
The management buyout of a small green energy and technology group has put one of the world’s biggest private equity firms, Carlyle, on a collision course with the family of Japan’s most notorious activist investor. The impending clash comes as some analysts predict that, after decades of docile investors and a near-total absence of hostile
Boris Johnson will on Sunday outline plans for families to see each other at Christmas alongside a tougher three-tiered regional coronavirus strategy for England, which will come into effect after the national lockdown ends on December 2. Cabinet ministers are expected to discuss and sign off on the Covid Winter Plan on Sunday, and Mr
A new report by the Federal Reserve has put into question whether life insurance companies in the U.S. have enough cash to pay claims amid the coronavirus pandemic. The main concern is that in a low interest rate environment, insurers are investing in assets with less liquidity. An inability to cope with a sudden rush of
Game Stop store in New York City. Michael Brochstein | LightRocket | Getty Images The shift away from brick-and-mortar retailers in favor of online shopping has hurt GameStop over the past decade, pushing the company’s stock down nearly 40% in that time period. But Ryan Cohen, the former CEO of Chewy, thinks the maligned video-fame
Africa’s biggest economy has sunk into its second recession in less than five years, battered by the oil price crash brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. As Nigeria’s crude oil production fell to a four-year low, gross domestic product contracted by 3.6 per cent in the three months through September, after shrinking by 6.1 per cent
Three-Fifths, by John Vercher, Pushkin/Vertigo, RRP£12.99, 248 pages Excoriating and mesmeric, Vercher’s remarkable debut addresses issues of race in America but scrupulously avoids “woke” tendentiousness. Mixed-raced Bobby Saraceno has been nervously passing as white, but an encounter with a friend released from prison (and now a white supremacist) leads both men into violent territory. Complex,
U.S. equity markets closed out the week with all three major indexes in the red. The U.S. logged another daily record for coronavirus cases Thursday with 187,833 and reported record hospitalizations for the 10th day in a row. This article is an excerpt from our free The Market Sum newsletter. Sign up here to receive it in
Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the US presidential election result suffered significant setbacks on Friday after Georgia officially certified Joe Biden’s win and top Republican lawmakers in Michigan dismissed the idea they would throw the state to the president. The developments were the latest blows to Mr Trump’s unprecedented and long-shot effort to retain power
Something strange happened when I arrived to taste the 2019s at Meursault’s most famous wine cellar, that of Domaine des Comtes Lafon. Dominique Lafon had to go searching for a spittoon. Normally at this time of year it would be overflowing, but 2020 has seen a distinct shortage of tasters in Burgundy. Sorting out my Côte
Diversification is a familiar term to most investors. In the most general sense, it can be summed up with the phrase: “Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.” While that sentiment certainly captures the essence of the issue, it provides little guidance on the practical implications that diversification plays as part of an
Steven Mnuchin, the US Treasury secretary, battled accusations on Friday that he had made America more vulnerable to a financial crisis after breaking with the Federal Reserve and refusing to renew some of its crisis lending facilities. The move by Mr Mnuchin, in defiance of the central bank’s wishes for a full extension of its
Chancellor Rishi Sunak will set out plans next week for a new National Infrastructure Bank to channel billions of pounds into capital projects as part of the UK government’s “levelling-up agenda”, according to government officials. The Treasury believes that the new institution, to be based in northern England, can play a key role in helping
For building retirement savings, 401(k) savings plans have become one of the better deals. Traditional 401(k)s allow you to save pre-tax dollars right out of your paychecks to build a retirement nest egg. The Roth 401(k) has been added to many workplace plans; it allows you to build savings that you can withdraw tax-free in retirement
Here’s the most important news, trends and analysis that investors need to start their trading day: 1. Investors assess vaccine news against Covid-19 case spikes Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Source: NYSE U.S. stock futures pointed to a mixed open Friday, in an investor sentiment tug-of-war between more encouraging
Britain’s energy regulator is eyeing a £21 annual increase in electricity and gas bills for 11m households to offset suppliers’ bad debts caused by the pandemic, raising the price cap for customers on the most expensive tariffs. Ofgem’s move comes as many companies in the energy sector face losses because of the economic downturn caused
Brussels has said that progress was made in this week’s Brexit trade talks before they were disrupted by a member of the EU’s negotiating team testing positive for Covid-19, with time running out to get a deal over the line. Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, said on Friday that “after difficult weeks
Everybody wants a lower tax bill. One way to accomplish that might be to live in a state with no income tax. As of 2020, seven states—Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming—levy no state income tax. Two others, New Hampshire and Tennessee, don’t tax earned wages. They do currently tax investment income
On a bright Sunday in mid-October, I ran 26.2 miles around New York City on my own. After eight months without training plans, group runs or shorter races, I was so convinced I wouldn’t finish my virtual marathon that I told almost no one I was attempting it. I went on to record one of
Liberty Media’s John Malone Michael Kovac | Getty Images Liberty Media Chairman John Malone said hard assets look attractive as the unprecedented coronavirus stimulus is poised to lead to a depreciation in currencies. “We’ve survived this [pandemic] because of enormous fiscal and monetary stimulus,” Malone said in an interview that aired Thursday with CNBC’s David Faber. “And
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging Americans not to travel for the forthcoming Thanksgiving holiday, with officials warning they are “alarmed” about the recent rise in coronavirus cases, hospitalisations and deaths. The public health body released new guidance recommending against all travel for the holiday next week. New York City will
A fiduciary duty exists in law when a person or entity places trust, confidence, and reliance on another to exercise discretion or expertise in acting on behalf of the client. The fiduciary must knowingly accept that trust and confidence. In the U.S. legal system, a fiduciary duty describes a relationship between two parties that obligates
Donald Trump’s legal advisers, including Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, vowed on Thursday to file more lawsuits challenging the results of the presidential vote while dismissing calls that they support their claims that Democrats stole the election. The threat of more legal action came at a press conference in Washington, where Mr
John Malone chairman of Liberty Media Michael Kovac | Getty Images | Vanity Fair) Liberty Media Chairman John Malone told CNBC that Amazon, Apple or Roku could dominate in the crowded streaming space given their ability to scale globally. “I think these global platforms will be enormously powerful,” Malone said in an interview that aired Thursday with
The European Council president has warned that the EU faces serious obstacles to approving a €1.8tn budget package after Hungary and Poland vowed to veto the measures over concerns on conditions attached to the funding. Charles Michel told a news conference on Thursday that the EU would start intensive negotiations to resolve the impasse as
Investors and analysts use a wide range of technical indicators to assess the relative risk associated with a given stock. Optimal risk management involves being able to assess an investment’s risk and profitability potential from all angles, including its performance relative to that of the broader market. Consistent underperformance may be an indicator of limited growth potential
Another 742,000 Americans filed for first-time unemployment benefits last week, as the number of claims increased for the first time in five weeks while the US grapples with a record rise in coronavirus cases. Weekly jobless claims increased by 31,000, alongside a rise of 23,863 in claims for federal pandemic unemployment assistance, the US labour
In Memory Of: Designing Contemporary Memorials, by Spencer Bailey, Phaidon, RRP£49.95, 240 pages Just as the memorials of one age are being picked apart, protested and torn down, we seem ourselves to be living in a golden age of memorial construction. From the Holocaust to slavery and terrorism dozens of designers are working with ways
Certificates of deposit (CDs) and bonds are both considered safe-haven investments. Both offer only modest returns but carry little or no risk of principal loss. They are much like interest-paying loans, with the investor acting as the lender. Many investors choose these options as a slightly better-paying alternative to a traditional savings account. However, they
Amazon is laying off dozens of R&D and manufacturing staff working on its much-anticipated delivery drone project, as the company turns to outside help to get its heavily delayed ambitions off the ground. In recent weeks the company reached tentative deals with two external manufacturers to build component parts of its long-awaited drone, billed as