Financial Schools Reviews

What’s inside? Here are the questions answered in today’s reader mailbag, boiled down to five word summaries. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question. 1. Stock broker help 2. Handling large private party transactions 3. Building a cottage 4. Is deferrment a good idea? 5. Unrealistic investing advice 6. Staying motivated while self-employed 7. Will housing market ever improve? 8. Putting away 10% for retirement 9. Co-owning cars 10. Recommended reading

Camping is a big part of our summer activities. We’ve camped twice this summer (once in a state park, once on private land) and intend to camp again late this summer (probably again in a state park).

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On the latest investigation list are 50-Lan coffee chain stores, CoCo tea chain stores, SiHaiYouLong fried dumpling chain stores, Taiyi Milk King near the National Taiwan University, Huhang Soybean Milk Store opposite the Shangdao Temple on the Zhongxiao East Road, as well as stores located in famous scenic attractions in Kenting National Park, Pingtung County, among others.

Originally, those cafeterias, fruit stores, and snack shops are exempt from issuing trading invoices even if their monthly revenue surpasses NT$200,000. But since April this year, MOF has become less lenient to operators of such stores, and has ordered tax administrations island-wide to collect business taxes from the stores as long as they meet one of five criteria set by the Department of Taxation under the ministry.

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– With utilities output rebounding in June after showing a substantial decrease in the previous month, the Federal Reserve released a report Friday morning showing a modest increase in U.S. industrial production for the month.

The report showed that industrial production rose by 0.2 percent in June after edging down by a revised 0.1 percent in May. Economists had expected production to climb by 0.2 percent compared to the 0.1 percent increase originally reported for the previous month.

The modest increase in industrial production in June was largely due to a 0 .9 percent increase in utilities output, which came after a 2.0 percent drop in May.

An increase in mining output also contributed to the industrial production growth, with mining output rising by 0.5 percent in June following a 0.7 percent increase in May.

Meanwhile, the report showed that manufacturing output was unchanged in June compared to a downwardly revised 0.1 percent increase in May.

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Understanding Commercial Real Estate Lending Guidelines

A key component in making an underwriting evaluation is the debt coverage ratio (DCR). The DCR is defined as the monthly debt compared to the net monthly income of the investment property in question. Using a DCR of 1:1.10 a lender is saying that they are looking for a $1.10 in net income for each $1.00 mortgage payment. Typically they will determine the DCR ratio based on monthly figures, the monthly mortgage payment compared to the monthly net income. The higher the DCR ratio is the more conservative the lender. Most lenders will never go below a 1:1 ratio (a dollar of debt payment per dollar of income generated).

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Though employment is still sluggish, other economic indicators have consumers feeling better about the economy in general and their finances in particular, and as a result, many Americans are now using their credit cards more often than they did in the past, and carrying more debt as well, according to a report from Forbes Magazine. A number of reports from the federal government and analyst firms indicate that several circumstances have led consumers to use their credit cards more actively.

One of the primary reasons for this may be that repeated drops in instances of charge offs and delinquencies prompted lenders to lower both standards for credit card lending and interest rates on these accounts, the report said.

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