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President Trump says the government will distribute checks to Americans from tariff revenue. Here's what that could mean.
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Whether you travel often or just take the occasional vacation, a travel rewards credit card can be an excellent companion. With every purchase, you can use a good travel card to collect points or miles that are redeemable for flights, hotels or other travel bookings. And many travel cards come with extra benefits, too, from free entry into airport lounges to statement credits toward application fees for TSA PreCheck and other programs that expedite security screening at the airport.
Take a look at our picks of the best travel rewards credit cards. If you'd rather have a card that offers cash-back rewards, see The Best Cash-Back Credit Cards.
For each card (except premium travel cards), we've calculated a typical annual rebate based on spending patterns in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey and assuming $25,000 spent on the card annually. For cards that do not waive their annual fee the first year, we've subtracted the annual fee from the cash value of the annual rebate. Except where noted, these cards don't charge a foreign-transaction fee.
Best Travel Rewards Credit Cards: No Annual Fee
With these cards, reap points or miles without paying an annual fee.
Chase Freedom Unlimited Visa
Website: www.chase.com Interest rate: 0% for 15 months, then 17.24% to 25.99%
Annual fee: None
Sign-up bonus: $200 back if you spend $500 in the first three months; 5% back on gas station purchases for the first $6,000 spent in the first year
Typical annual rebate: 45,277 points, worth $453
Chase Freedom Unlimited is a compelling no-fee option for domestic travelers who are willing to book tr
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About 145 million American adults say that they own or have owned cryptocurrency. Statistically, that's more than half of your co-workers, neighbors and friends.
It's also about the number of Americans who own stocks.
Even though it's not regulated by a government agency, cryptocurrency is becoming mainstream. However, President Biden recently signed an executive order to address cryptocurrency risks with a whole-of-government approach that could make cryptocurrency even more attractive to investors as well as traditional banks and credit unions.
SEE MORE Crypto Has Been Through the Wringer in 2022: What Now?
For the near term though, cryptocurrency remains a volatile, speculative asset that will likely continue its gut-wrenching booms and busts. That's not to say that cryptocurrency doesn't belong in a well-diversified portfolio, but I recommend that my clients first educate themselves about cryptocurrency before deciding whether or not to invest.
As Warren Buffet said about investing in cryptocurrency: "I get into enough trouble with the things I think I know something about. Why in the world should I take a long or short position in something I don't know about?"
Here are some important concepts to get comfortable with.
How Cryptocurrency Works: The Basics
Say you order a new set of patio furniture online. A credit card company or p
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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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