Money Management

Sam’s Club has three great TVs that have earned top marks. But how do the prices on these models compare to Costco and other competitors? Read on to find out. 

If you’re in the market for a new TV but don’t want to drain your bank account, Sam’s Club could be a good place to purchase one.

Sam’s Club offers a wide variety of different TVs at various price points. These include budget-friendly models that won’t leave you with a large credit card bill, as well as costly luxury models that are sure to enhance your viewing experience.

To help get you started, check out three of the top-rated TVs that Sam’s Club currently has on offer.

1. SAMSUNG 65″ Class QN850-Series Neo QLED 8K Smart TV — QN65QN850CFXZA

The SAMSUNG 65″ Class QN850 is the top-rated television at Sam’s Club, earning a perfect five stars among the five reviewers. Sellers describe top-notch sound quality and a picture so realistic it was like “looking through a window.”

The TV, priced at $2,997.99 with a special $300 off promotion available as of July 2023, comes with 8K HDR for the clearest picture imaginable. It’s also ultra-slim and comes with a handy solar-cell remote.

Buyers interested in this TV should make sure they shop around for the best price, though. The Samsung website is offering a 2022 version of the same model for $2,399.99 and the Costco website lists it for $999.97, although it’s out of stock at Costco.

2. Hisense 55″ Class A65H Ultra High Definition 4K Google Smart TV — 55A65H Series

The Hisense A65H also received a perfect five-star rating from Sam’s Club shoppers, this time with four reviews. One viewer said the TV “far exceeded my expectation,” and others praised its exceptional price and Dolby vision.

This television is a bargain at just $269.88 from Sam’s Club — especially as that price includes a three-year warranty. Viewers are sure to appreciate both the 4K resolution and the aforementioned Dolby vision which results in sharper colors and crisper details. You’ll also benefit from having Google TV and Chromecast built right in so you can easily access your streaming services or even stream directly from your devices.

The price is almost identical to a similar Costco Hisense 55″ Class — A65K Series television, and quite a bit cheaper than a similar model from Best Buy that is priced at $349.99, so you can pick this one up at your next Sam’s visit and feel confident you paid a fair price.

3. SAMSUNG 77″ Class S90 Series OLED 4K Smart TV — QN77S90CDFXZA

Another Samsung model makes the list of top-rated TVs at Sam’s Club, with the 77″ SAMSUNG S90 series TV receiving 21 five-star ratings and a single four-star rating.

Viewers praised the graphics on this model, describing them as “beautiful and very lively.” This isn’t a surprise as the television is “Pantone Validated,” which means that experts at Pantone validated the color to ensure the images on the screen were true to life.

If you want to enjoy all this TV has to offer, including OLED Technology and 4K upscaling, you will pay a hefty price of $3,197.99 at Sam’s Club. This is just a tiny bit less than Costco’s price of $3,199.99. Sam’s is offering a five-year protection plan included with the TV. Costco is offering just three years of protection, but it’s also throwing in free mounting.

These are some of the top-rated TVs out there, so be sure to check them out. But, whatever TV you buy, be sure to compare prices and check ratings to find the best product at a price that’s right for you.

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We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Christy Bieber has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Best Buy, and Costco Wholesale. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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If you spent more than you expected to on Prime Day, you’re probably not alone. Read on for ways to shrink your Prime Day credit card balance before it becomes a problem. 

Amazon Prime Day took place on July 11 and 12 this year. If you took advantage of the online retail giant’s mega sale, you’re in good company. And if you’re now staring at an overwhelming credit card balance, you’re also most likely in good company.

The average household spent $144.58 during Prime Day, according to market research firm Numerator. But if your total Prime Day tab was a lot higher than that, then you may be regretting your decision to make all of those purchases.

If that’s the case, don’t stress too much just yet. You may be able to attack your credit card balance so it’s paid off quickly, sparing you the cost of accrued interest. Here are a few things you can do to tackle that Prime Day debt.

1. Cut your spending daily and apply that savings to your debt

There may be things you spend money on regularly, whether it’s takeout meals or yoga classes. If you don’t want your Prime Day debt to linger, skip some, or all, of those luxuries in the coming weeks.

In fact, one thing you may want to do is commit to skipping one purchase a day for the rest of the month. It could be a $3 coffee or a $15 streaming service you hold off on renewing. By the time your credit card bill comes due, you may end up in a position to cover it after all.

2. Redeem your credit card points

If you have a bunch of credit card rewards points banked, now may be a good time to redeem them for cash back or a statement credit that allows you to whittle down your balance. You may have been saving up those points for other things, like holiday travel, but if you’re facing the possibility of debt and future interest charges, then it really doesn’t pay to wait.

3. Pick up a side gig

You may not be thrilled with the idea of having to hold down a second job on a long-term basis. But if you want to shed your Prime Day debt in short order, get a side hustle you do on a temporary basis.

There are many gigs you can sign up for that don’t require a long-term commitment. Driving for a ride-hailing service, for example, is something you can do for a couple of weeks and then decide that you’re done with it.

And there may be other gigs, like data entry, that allow you to accept temporary assignments and then peace out with no hard feelings. Spend a little time exploring your options to find the right fit.

Events like Prime Day can easily lead to overspending, so if you overdid it, try not to beat yourself up. It’s hard to say no to great deals when they’re presented as a one-time thing, and some of the purchases you made on Prime Day may have been necessities.

At the same time, it does pay to do what you can to shed that debt quickly. The sooner it’s done with, the sooner you can really enjoy your Prime Day purchases without guilt.

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We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Maurie Backman has positions in Amazon.com. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon.com. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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Hiring an employee is a major milestone for many businesses. Read on for five questions to ask to help you decide if you’re ready to hire help. 

When you are running a small business by yourself, there may come a time when you decide you need to bring in some help. After all, there’s only so much of your time to go around. If you want to increase your profits and grow your business bank account balance, you may need some additional hands.

You don’t want to jump into hiring a staff member, though, so be sure to ask yourself these four questions to determine if you are really ready to bring an employee on board.

1. Is your business doing well enough to cover the costs of someone else’s salary?

Your company is going to have to pay any employee you bring on board. And this will mean less money going into the company’s coffers — and less profit available for you to pay yourself a salary or distributions.

You’ll want to make sure your company is going to be profitable enough to cover added salary costs you’re taking on. If you don’t have enough business as it is, and hiring a new worker isn’t likely to fix that, then you may want to wait until you have more customers before bringing a new employee on board.

2. Will bringing on a new employee allow you to scale up and earn more revenue?

Ideally, the employee you are hiring will add enough value to cover the cost of what you’re paying them (including benefits). Otherwise, bringing them on board would be a net negative. So, consider exactly what an employee will add to your organization. If you’ll be able to take on more clients or sell more products, adding staff may well be worth your while.

3. Do you have clearly defined goals for the worker you’ll bring in?

You should also consider why you’re bringing someone in and what you hope to accomplish by doing so. You need to be ready to delegate responsibility and have a clear job description — both to ensure you hire the right person and to make certain that whomever you bring on is going to add value to your organization.

4. Are you ready to deal with the tax compliance issues associated with employing someone?

As an employer, you are required to comply with certain tax regulations. You’ll need to pay a portion of your employee’s Social Security and Medicare taxes, for example, and you will also need to withhold income taxes from your employee’s paychecks and send in payments regularly to the IRS.

In most cases, you will need to hire a payroll service to help you take care of these obligations. That’s an added expense, and some additional hassle you have to deal with, so you’ll want to be sure you’re ready for these obligations before you move forward with hiring.

5. Do you understand the legal requirements of having an employee?

Finally, you need to know the legal rules for employing a worker. For example, you will likely need to purchase workers’ compensation insurance. You’ll also need to comply with minimum wage laws, workplace safety laws, and other regulations designed to protect your new staff member’s rights on the job.

Hopefully, the answers to these five questions will help you make the right choice about whether to hire. If you decide to move forward, remember to take your time so you can ensure you find a staff member who is a great fit for your small business.

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We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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The widespread use of AI in the workforce has the potential to impact 300 million jobs and improve global productivity. Find out the top industries that will be affected. 

AI automation is no longer just a buzzword; it is transforming industries and impacting jobs. Artificial intelligence has already changed the way we live and work, from personal digital assistants to self-driving cars. But how exactly will AI automation impact the workforce? According to a report by Goldman Sachs, up to 300 million jobs could be impacted in the next decade. Here are the top industries to feel the change.

2 out of 3 jobs could be automated by AI

The report shows that around 66% of occupations in the United States face the possibility of being automated to some extent by AI. What’s more, within this group of vulnerable occupations, a significant portion of their responsibilities — anywhere from 25% to 50% — could be replaced by AI technology.

This means a considerable portion of work could experience labor savings through AI implementation. The potential impact of AI on labor productivity in the future is contingent upon two crucial factors: its advancement rate and the rate at which individuals and businesses embrace it.

Industries most impacted

Artificial intelligence (AI) enables efficient automation of repetitive tasks and enables prompt responses. This liberates humans to focus on complex tasks that demand creativity and emotional intelligence, fostering opportunities for growth and innovation.

For example, AI-powered chatbots can help augment customer service at financial institutions. They can help answer questions and offer assistance in real-time, making recommendations on investments, budgets, and more. Additionally, AI-enabled platforms can learn from a user’s financial history and patterns, detecting potential fraud to help protect bank accounts and more.

The industries that will be the most affected by AI-driven automation are “office and administrative support” and “legal.” The former will likely be the most impacted at 46%, with common tasks such as data entry, scheduling meetings, and document management being taken over by AI automation.

The legal industry is a close second, with AI expected to automate legal processes like document review and contract analysis. AI could even be used to anticipate court case outcomes.

Industries that heavily rely on manual labor, such as construction and extraction, and jobs requiring installation, maintenance, or repair will remain largely unaffected.

According to Goldman Sachs, the potential impact of AI automation on the global job market could be significant. Under a hypothetical aggressive scenario, up to 300 million jobs could be affected.

The widespread use of generative AI technology in the workforce has the potential to greatly improve global productivity. This is because a significant portion of jobs can be automated resulting in increased output. These workers will likely utilize some of their newly available time to be more productive. This could lead to a 7% increase in annual global GDP, equivalent to an astounding $7 trillion.

AI automation is transforming our world and will continue to impact the workforce in the coming years. While this transformation could result in job losses and the need for reskilling and upskilling, it could also create new job opportunities and change the nature of existing ones. It’s important for individuals, organizations, and governments to prepare for this transformation by investing in education and training programs, developing new job opportunities, and implementing policies that support workers through this transition. With the right strategies in place, we can harness the power of AI automation to create a more efficient, productive, and equitable workforce.

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We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Goldman Sachs Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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If you’re buying something expensive, you should pay with a credit card. Check out five big reasons why, including fraud and purchase protections. 

When you make an expensive purchase, there’s one particular payment method you should always use: a credit card.

Of course, you should do this only if you can pay off the balance in full before the billing cycle ends so you don’t get stuck paying high interest charges on your costly purchase. But as long as you’re able to pay off the card balance out of your bank account before accruing interest, there are five big reasons why a credit card is the best payment method for anything expensive.

1. Credit cards can help you fight fraud

Credit cards provide you with strong protections against fraud. If a merchant doesn’t send you a product that you purchased, or sends you something that is different from what you ordered, you can dispute the charges.

You’ll need to reach out to your card issuer to let it know of the issue, such as an undelivered item or a disappointing product or service. You may also need to provide documentation. The card issuer will launch an investigation, ask the seller for details, and ultimately take action.

If the card issuer is convinced you were defrauded by the merchant in some way, it will institute a chargeback and reverse the transaction. You will be able to recover the money you paid. That’s a huge benefit that virtually no other payment method can provide you.

2. Many cards come with purchase protection

Purchase protection, or damage protection, is a common credit card perk and also provides solid justification for always charging expensive purchases.

Depending on the card, purchase protection may offer you protection if the item you bought is lost, damaged, or stolen. You could potentially be eligible for tens of thousands of dollars in coverage for the expensive purchases you’ve made. This means if you drop that brand new tablet or your new watch is stolen, your card issuer could be there to help you recover your funds.

3. Return protection is another common cardholder benefit

Another big benefit that some cards offer comes in the form of return protection. Basically, if you need to return an item and the merchant won’t take it back, your return protection could reimburse you.

This protection could last for months after purchase and entitle you to hundreds or even thousands of dollars in reimbursement, depending on the card.

4. You may become eligible for an extended warranty

If the expensive item you are buying comes with a manufacturer’s warranty, your card may extend that coverage period. Sometimes, you’ll get an additional year or two of coverage.

If your item breaks after a short period — which is far too common once warranties are up — your card will be there for you.

5. You can earn rewards on your purchase

Finally, you can get rewarded for your expensive purchase, which could help defray some of the cost. Say, for example, you have a card offering 5% cash back and you charge an expensive $1,000 item on it. You’d get back $50 just for using the card to buy it.

For all of these reasons, charging expensive purchases is a no-brainer. If you’re buying something big, use your credit card — and then pay it off in full so interest charges don’t negate the advantages that using a card can offer.

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We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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There are plenty of poor money decisions that hold you back in life. Learn what financial advisor Ramit Sethi calls one of the worst and how to fix it. 

Everybody makes their fair share of financial mistakes. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, but it’s definitely something you want to avoid whenever possible. If you can learn from other people’s money mistakes, as well as recognize and fix your own, you’re going to be a lot better off.

Ramit Sethi is a popular source of money advice. Lots of people talk about their finances with him, including on his podcast and his TV show, How to Get Rich on Netflix. When Sethi recently spoke with Men’s Health, he was asked what’s always a bad idea when it comes to money. He pointed out what he calls “one of the worst money decisions,” and it’s a big one.

Here’s one of the worst money decisions

Ramit Sethi says that “It’s always a bad idea to ignore your money.” He also mentioned a couple of common examples:

Having credit card debtNot investing because you’re waiting for someday in the future

Now, Sethi seems to be referring to not being aware of what’s going on with your money and what you can do with it. So, to go into more detail with his quick example, having credit card debt doesn’t always mean you’re ignoring your money. If you’ve made a plan to pay back your credit card debt, then you could have a good handle on the situation.

But if you have no idea how long your debt will take to pay back, or how much it will cost you in interest charges, that’s a problem. You’ll most likely pay much more interest and be in debt far longer than you would’ve if you put together a repayment plan.

There are all kinds of reasons why some people stick their heads in the sand when it comes to their finances. Debt can be stressful, so you might prefer to avoid thinking about it as much as possible while you just make your minimum payments. Figuring out how to manage your money and invest it can feel complicated and even overwhelming, so saying “I’ll do it later” may be the easiest option.

Even though ignoring your finances is often what feels most comfortable, it can also keep you stuck in neutral. After all, you can’t figure out how to get better with money if it’s out of sight, out of mind.

How to get control of your money

If you’ve been ignoring your money, the best way to break the habit is to go over your current financial situation, including any stressful parts. That means your income, debts, and how much your biggest expenses (like your home, car, and food) cost.

Next, come up with one or two actionable steps you can take to improve your finances. Everyone’s situation is different, so this will vary from person to person. But here are a few examples that could help you come up with ideas:

If you have any high-interest debt, such as credit card debit, prioritize paying it off. Use a credit card payoff calculator to see how long it will take with the monthly payments you’re making. Look for ways to increase your monthly payment amount to get out of debt faster and with less interest.If you aren’t investing yet, start investing 5% to 10% of your income. For the best results, do this automatically through a 401(k) or automatic investments through a brokerage account. If you’re already investing, see if you can raise the amount you invest by 1% to 2% of your income.If you don’t have much or any emergency savings, set aside money for that every month. Once again, you’ll likely get the best results by making this automatic. Set up automatic transfers from your checking account to your emergency fund.

Keep in mind that being more aware of your money doesn’t mean it needs to take up a ton of your time. In fact, it’s better if it doesn’t. That’s why it can be a good idea to take time-saving measures where you can, such as automating your investments and savings account contributions. It’s not about how much time you spend on your finances, but about knowing what’s going on and how you can continually improve them.

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In fact, this card is so good that our experts even use it personally. Click here to read our full review for free and apply in just 2 minutes.

Read our free review

We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.Lyle Daly has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Netflix. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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