Personal finance

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Nearly half a million people have been approved for federal student loan forgiveness under a one-time waiver program geared towards borrowers working in public service jobs. Processing is continuing. Many more borrowers may ultimately qualify, even while another Biden administration initiatives — the one-time mass student debt relief plan — remains blocked by federal courts . Student Loan Forgiveness Under PSLF Waiver Accelerates Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) is a federal student loan forgiveness program that can eliminate the federal student loan debt for borrowers who commit to public service careers. After 120 “qualifying payments” (equivalent to 10 years) while working for approved nonprofit or government employers, borrowers can receive a complete discharge of their federal student debt. Historically, PSLF has been a troubled program since its creation in 2007. PSLF has had complicated … [Read more...] about 453,000 Borrowers Approved For Student Loan Forgiveness Under Waiver As Processing Continues

Inflation concerns among small business owners remained at record highs this quarter, according to a quarterly poll conducted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and MetLife released on Wednesday. The first quarter of 2023 was the fifth in a row where inflation was considered the biggest challenge for small business owners, according to the Small Business Index. A record high of 54% reported that, which is a 31-point increase from Q4 2021. “This quarter, small businesses’ concerns over inflation are soaring and their view of the broader economy is darkening, though they still report that their own businesses are in good health,” said Tom Sullivan, Vice President of Small Business Policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. In San Francisco, minimum wage increases are based on the yearly rise in the Consumer Price Index every July 1. “That means my rate jumps from $16.99 to $18.07 or 6.36%,” said Hrag Kalebijan, owner of Henry’s House of Coffee, according to the Index. “The … [Read more...] about Inflation Continues To Plague Small Businesses For Fifth Consecutive Quarter: REPORT

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Partner of Eventus Advisory Group , LLC., helping companies meet their CFO, Finance and Accounting needs with fractional teams. Focusing on your strengths is such a time-honored strategy it is close to being a platitude. However, it is very tempting as an executive to ignore this wisdom for immediate expediency. One of the most dangerous phrases an executive, or entrepreneur, can utter is “I can do that quicker.” Yes, you probably can, but is it the right thing for you to do? If you focus on improving your weaknesses versus playing to your strengths, you risk being average. You can always hire out to compensate for your weaknesses. But what happens if you are better at multiple things than your current team or even those you can hire? Classical Economics Endorses Playing To Your Strengths: Comparative Advantage Over 200 years ago, economist David Ricardo created the concept of comparative advantage . His … [Read more...] about The Coefficient Of Skill: Why Executives Need To Play To Their Strength

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Jason R. Escamilla, founder and CIO of ImpactAdvisor LLC in San Francisco, has seen it all before. It was nearly 30 years ago when he initially tried Socially Responsible Investing (“SRI”), the predecessor of ESG. And he was cool with it. Until everything changed. “ESG/SRI used to be about selectivity and choice,” says Escamilla. “I first got involved with SRI/ESG investing in the 90s. For decades, it was about selectivity and choice or preferences—primarily among institutional investors/clients. Funny thing happened on the way to going mainstream. ESG became the bully. The divestment movements ushered in powerful attention and support from the ‘non-investment class’ only a few years ago: students. Large pools of investment capital: university endowments adopted the cause. I still remember three years ago when CNBC’s Jim Cramer recommended permanently disinvesting from fossil fuels based on this force.” As a professional … [Read more...] about The Curious Dilemma Of ESG Investing And Your Retirement