Category Archives: Money

Money

Making Money in Retirement

Whatever the reason for ceasing to work, it is a huge step into the unknown for most of us. The lack of contact with the public or your work colleagues can lead to a rather lonely existence. Those who have lots of hobbies and pastimes are likely to be least affected. For some, the “raison d’etre” of their life has come to an end, and it is imperative that they find a substitute. Many retire without thinking of the future or do not have a plan of action. In this underrated area, some sort of counseling or advice would be helpful before finishing work. There are schemes available but unfortunately they are only pursued by a small minority.

In our modern society, wives or partners often work, which can be a two-edged sword. It can easily add to the loneliness of being left at home, but of course can provide financial security for many.

In order to find a job or start a business, which for the majority will mean self-employment, it is necessary to consider the choice in terms of the 21st century, a difficult task for many older persons. We live in an age of instant communication and high technology, an age where the microchip influences everything we do, and many forms of employment are based around a computer. Consequently, those who used one in their work are at an advantage over the others, who must learn these skills to compete on equal terms.

The employment ideas fall into 2 broad categories:

1.Using your existing knowledge and experience.

Write a book using your know-how. This would be a long term plan, and very interesting, but it can be sometimes difficult to find a publisher.

Try private coaching and tuition in your subject or a related topic. This is a rapidly growing sector which can be well paid. After the necessary registration, start up costs can be minimal.

Work as a home handyman or carry out garden maintenance, by making use of your acquired DIY and gardening skills to work for others. You will need a vehicle, and tools and equipment to start.

Start a business using one of your hobbies as a base. Good examples of this would be music or floristry.

For the less adventurous, there are companies here in the UK who prefer to employ older people and it may be worth looking around for one of these.

2.Start afresh with new business and learning curve.

Try Bed and Breakfast. If your home is large enough to absorb the visitors this is a good cash generator with reasonable start up costs. It is necessary to check with your local authority for any permits or required certification.

Run a selling business, such as on eBay. There is certainly plenty of advice on this subject on the internet. As with all online opportunities there is a learning curve, as well as having to be competent on a personal computer.

Start your own on-line business. It would be difficult to start entirely from scratch, but there are plenty that you can become part of, or an agent for. Computer skills, plenty of research, and patience are 3 of the qualities that are needed. The chances of making a lot of money in a short time are very rare despite the advertising of most business opportunities.

Desktop publishing is ideal for retirees with the necessary computer skills. Marketing skills must be acquired to gain new business.

Above all one must be positive. It’s not a chore to learn new skills and methods and one should think of it rather as an exciting opportunity to broaden ones knowledge and relish the challenge.

Geoff Oswald is an internet marketer based in the UK. To learn more about Geoff Oswald and his business follow the links.

Money

Saving Money on Clocks

If you want to buy a new clock for your home, there are a lot of things you need to consider. Of course the color and style are very important, because they need to match the entire look of the room you are redecorating. However, you also need to consider the price of the clock you are purchasing. If you are on a limited budget, it doesn’t make sense to look at clocks that cost several hundred dollars. You will want to save as much money as possible on your purchase, so it’s important to shop wisely when you are buying a new clock. Follow these tips and you’ll be able to save money on your next clock purchase.

Watch for Sales

Many stores have sales on weekends and holidays, or for other special occasions. If you watch your local newspapers, you may find ad circulars and the like that show what deals are available. Some stores may feature their selection of clocks during a special sale, or they may offer special coupons to help you save a specific dollar amount or percentage off of your purchase. This can be a great way to save money on your new clock.

Use Coupons

Many stores distribute coupons that are good for as much as 50% off of a purchase. Some of the coupons are good for a dollar amount, such as $ 10 off of a purchase of $ 50 or more. These coupons can be ideal tools for saving on a new clock. Make sure you are aware of any coupon restrictions or expiration dates so that you do not get stuck paying full price for a clock.

Shop Online

Shopping online has become very popular in the past decade. Many Web sites offer discounts on merchandise ranging from clothing to home decor items. There are several ways you can save money on a clock when you are shopping online. One is to find the best discounts by browsing several Web sites and looking for the lowest prices. Another way to save money by shopping online is to look for deals on free shipping or other special promotions. You may be able to get a lot of merchandise without paying any shipping costs or you may get free merchandise once you have purchased a specific dollar amount. You can buy your clock at the same time you buy other home decor items and save a bundle.

Jim Konerko has a great article on choosing decorative wall clocks, plus many other great articles, at his fine Wall Clocks website.

Money

Make Money in a Down Economy

Times are tough but people are still buying. As long as there is money to spend there will be people spending that money. No matter where you are in your finances right now there are ways to make money even during tough times.

Tips to Make Money

1. Make money with the extras that you have. Grow a garden and sell the extras at the Farmer’s Market. Divide the plants in your flower garden and sell the extras. Rent out space in your vegetable garden for others that desire to grow their own veggies but have either no space to plant or not time or desire to prepare a space.

2. Have a yard sale or go to an auction and sell all of those things that you don’t need, use or truly love. Maybe you get all the money that you want from the item and maybe you only get a bit of it. But some of something is a lot more than all of nothing.

3. Use what you have. Open your garden or yard for receptions or parties or photo shoots. People are always looking for some place a little unusual to host events.

4. Do what you are good at or those things that you enjoy. Not everyone can organize a closet or clean a home from top to bottom. Some people don’t have the knowledge of how to complete the task and some people don’t have the desire. Both of these categories will pay someone else to do those jobs that they can’t or won’t do.

5. Rent your extra space. Everyone is downsizing and some people are looking for a space to store extra belongings or looking for rooms to rent. If you have an area that might fit these needs then consider looking for someone to rent the extra space that you have. Be sure to have a contract so that both parties will be protected.

The best way to make money during anytime is to think outside of the box. Either find a need that isn’t currently being met and meet it or else find a better way to meet the needs that are already being met. Times may be tough, but you can still make money in this down economy without having to have money to get started.

Get more tips for saving money and creating a budget at http://www.bestfamilyfinance.com You can also find more information about Kathryn Lang, a freelance writer sharing tips, suggestions and stories about family finances and life, at http://www.kathrynlang.com

Money

Riches – More Than Money

Becoming rich is often singularly and synonymously perceived as attaining monetary wealth. This is an incredibly misguided and incomplete way of thinking. Riches means becoming rich in all aspects of your life: socially, intellectually, physically, spiritually, and yes, financially too. You cannot consider yourself truly rich until you fulfill each of the five aspects of your life. Adding to the number of zeros on your salary will be meaningless if you neglect or damage the other important areas of your life.

Everyone has bills to pay. It would be foolish to disregard any realities associated with money, and there is nothing wrong with wanting to improve your bottom line and to seek a measure of material wealth. This does not make you a bad person. The danger is when you become so obsessed with material things that you steam roll over every other aspect of your life. Having a balanced life that includes a combination of wealth, in all other areas, will give you a level of satisfaction and fulfillment for which money alone can never substitute.

Money, taken by itself, will only serve to amplify your personality as it currently exists. If you are a good person, then adding more money to the equation will make you capable of doing that much more good. If, on the other hand, you have sinister or unseemly motives, this will unfortunately only increase your ability to inflict more harm to yourself or possibly others. If you have not addressed any underlying issues in your life, then having more money will only compound the problem. You have to focus on the heart of what is causing your discontentment or unhappiness, in totality, and not just concentrate on the money. Having more money won’t make any internal issues miraculously disappear. You must work to improve all areas of your life.

Spirituality is often regarded as synonymous with finding your purpose in life, but does not require that you exclusively focus on a purpose from a spiritual perspective. At the same time, it does not mean that you necessarily want to ignore it altogether either. However, finding your purpose is fundamental for achieving true riches. Everyone is unique, and, when it comes to spiritual beliefs, this is especially true. I am not here to endorse any one particular way of satisfying the spiritual nature of human beings, but when you are finding your purpose in life, remaining true to your spiritual beliefs is essential if you are to lead the most fulfilling life.

Speaking of purpose, incorporating the social aspect of it must also be taken into consideration. All of the aspects work together in helping you discover your true calling. You want to be sure that your social requirements are being met. You are the driving force behind what you get out of life, but don’t discard friends and family to help round out your experience and help you to enjoy the lighter side of life. Having a rich social life is an important part of a rich life .

You also want to make sure that you are nourishing your mind along the way. As all progress originates in the mind, it’s absolutely essential that you feed your mind. We all have room to grow, and, if you become too complacent, no matter how successful you have become, you are in danger of falling backward. The intellectual aspect of your wealth, a wealth of knowledge, is extremely important.

Your health is the final piece of the fulfillment puzzle. You want to work hard and be focused on what you are doing, but maintaining a healthy lifestyle will help keep you going. When you feel as though you don’t have the time to exercise, and you are stressed to the limit, even though you least feel like exercising, this is the time when you need it most. Make sure you make time to exercise. Eating healthy foods will provide the nourishment to help keep you going and stave off sickness and prevent chronic ailments. You have to take care of yourself.

Again, there is nothing wrong with wanting to have money. Achieving financial independence is a worthy goal, but in order to have a complete and fulfilling life, you want to make sure that you give due consideration to each of the five aspects and to how they relate to each other. Becoming rich in one’s life means much more than just having more money.

Jan Peter Aursnes is the author of the book “Unlock Your Future: The Key to a Fulfilling Life,” a business coach, consultant and owner of Quantum Leaps Consulting, LLC. With a degree in management sciences from the University of Manchester, England, Jan Peter has 27 years experience in the corporate world. He also worked for the International Red Cross as a delegate in the Republic of Georgia.

Money

Make Money Flipping Homes

There is a certain amount of skill involved with knowing how to make money flipping homes. There are things you can do with a home that will increase its value significantly and there are others that will end up costing you some or all of your profit. The key to making money is knowing just where to tip the scale and which exact things you should do. Flipping homes has been exploited way too much and the people who are exploiting it are keeping a secret about what really makes a profit for you.

We are entering into a time when investors are running for the hills. They are selling out and buying gold. It makes me laugh to think about it. All those people who followed the gurus like blind sheep, trying to flip homes even though they had no real knowledge about it. Now they are losing millions and starting to shy away from what will be the best home investment period of our era. For those who are smart and are making the time and effort to learn good strategies for creating value, you will have the opportunity to make very good money flipping all of these homes that they are abandoning.

There have been rumors that the housing industry is stabilizing. What that means for you, is prepare to make money. I’m not just talking about waiting and anticipating it. I mean really prepare. Do some studying and research about historical successful investors and proven methods for increasing the value of the homes you are planning to flip. There are people who will make money flipping homes simply by buying and selling during the uptrend. However, if you discover the best way to increase a homes value for little money, you can very possibly compound your earning potential faster than you thought possible.

There is no question that the time is right for anyone interested in making money in the current real estate market. If you educate yourself, you can learn how to make money flipping homes

Money

3 Mindsets of Making Money

Today more than ever, even in this economy, there are many ways to make money. The problem with most people, about 97%, is they are caught up with the old school methods of making money. Go get a job, that’s how you make money. Well because that is all most of us were taught, that is the only path most of us know how to follow. There are wage earner jobs for people who take what ever they can get and there are corporate jobs for people who have trained themselves for a more rewarding job. Each is a way to your dreams in life or so we think.

We are told to work hard and save as much as we can so we can retire one day and enjoy the Rest of our life. Well that is a bunch of hype! That road will lead most to nothing in there lives except struggling and frustration. The first group of people are on a slow road to that independence if they ever reach it at all and the second group, the corp. workers, are on a faster road to that point but usually are so stressed and over worked by the time retirement comes they are worn out and realize the best years of their life have passed them by. All that hard work over the years just so I can do nothing and wonder what I am going to do now.

Then there is a group of people who have opened up their eyes and brains and have taken a look at a way to put leverage into the way they make money. They have discovered the most powerful leverage there is which is the internet. With the technology of today and the internet people are jumping on a jet plane to getting to the good life in a fraction of the time.

With the internet you can leverage how you create income much faster than ever before. The trick is learning how it all works and how you can get it working for you. If you have a desire to find the fast tract to financial independence, you will find it in internet marketing. With some simple training and some guidance you to can learn how to develop a skill many are learning to create the income and lifestyle of their dreams. I would like to show you the possibilities that are waiting for you or anybody if your desire is to find a simpler way of making money and getting to those dreams in life that you want. If you want a look at a jet plane to freedom in your life then visit me at the website below and learn what others are learning to change their lives for the better.

Think Abundance,

Doug Cox

This was written by Doug Cox, business owner for 35 years and internet marketeing consultant. If your ready to take your business to the next level, watch the free video at: http://www.Wealthleveraging.com/1.html
Doug Cox
dcox45@cox.net

Money

Pest Control – Save Time and Money

Do insects think your home is a great place to make their own? Do you have visitors in your kitchen or bathroom that you wish you didn’t? If you have noticed bugs in your home or yard, it might be time to take care of them. You have several choices when it comes to getting rid of them. You can hope they go away on their own and just ignore the problem or you can call a pest control and have them come out or you can do the job yourself and save yourself some time and money in the process.

Pest control for your home or yard does not have to be a difficult thing to take care of. The pest control market has many great products that are available for purchase so that you can do the job yourself. Figuring out what kinds of bugs exactly are invading your home is the hardest part, so you can get the most effective product for them. Luckily, the internet is a great resource for figuring out which bugs are which. You can purchase the product you need and start getting rid of them as soon as you figure it out.

Saving yourself time is a wonderful benefit of taking care of your pest control problem on your own. When you schedule an appointment with a pest control company you are at the mercy of their employees and their schedule. You can take care of the problem on your time and you don’t have to wait for an appointment when you do it yourself. Having to wait can just make the problem worse, plus you don’t want bugs in your home for longer than they have to be.

Saving yourself money is another benefit of doing your own pest control. If you hire a pest control company to come out to your home, they charge you for the initial visit plus they usually want you to sign a monthly service contract. This can get very expensive and in many cases is not necessary. Not everyone needs service on a monthly basis and over time the monthly cost can really add up. In order to save money, look around for the products you need at the best prices you can find.

Unfortunately, pest control is a big part of taking care of your home. You want your home and yard to be clean and free of insects, and taking care of the problem yourself can save you time and money and give you pride in taking care of your home. The choice to do the job yourself or hire a company is all yours.

Lisa Hosman works with Pest Pro Joe, experts in do it yourself pest control. They can help you identify the bugs you have and tell you what products will effectively get rid of them. Purchase the products online and receive them at your house. To learn more information please visit http://www.pestprojoe.com/ or call 1-888-737-8238.

Money

Household Money Saving Tips

How many of you are struggling to manage your household on only one income or a very low budget? We could all do with ways and means on how to save money on household bills and have some money left over at the end of each month, to either pay off debt, save or invest, or blow on a treat for ourselves.

Before we can start to save money we need to draw up a detailed budget, listing our income and all of our our outgoings – this is key to managing your household budget. Try and be as accurate as possible and include even the smallest of items. If you are left with a minus figure then you need to dig deeper and see what areas you may be able to cut back in.

Key areas to cut back in are food, entertainment, clothing and utilities but there are other places too. How many times do you draw money from an ATM for example? Some banks waive fees on other bank´s customers drawing from their ATMs but a lot don´t. These charges can soon mount up. If you have several outstanding debts, try and consolidate them and getter a better deal on the monthly payments.

Ways to save money in the home are to turn your thermostats down a notch, turn off lights if you are not in that room, stop leaving electrical goods on standby, utilise your oven and cook several things at once, check that your loft area is fully insulated as well, take showers instead of baths.

Also limit the use of your car. Try walking to places if at all feasible. This will get you healthy as well. If you do need to use the car try and do several jobs on one journey. Try checking out some of the deals on public transport and see how they compare to the price of using your car.  These are just a few money saving tips to help you manage your budget.

Try and make these practices routine in your everyday living so that you automatically start thinking all the time of cost cutting and you will start to notice that managing your budget becomes easier in a relatively short space of time.

I run my own catering business in Spain and have found my business drop off a lot due to the economical crisis the world is experiencing. I have had to adopt a frugal lifestyle simply because I do not have the same income as I used to.

Money

Save Money on Electricity Part I

If you have ever asked yourself, “how can I save money on electricity costs,” you are not alone. We are all dependent on electricity for not only our basic needs (cooking, cleaning, lights, heat) but also for those things that add to our standard of lining (TV, computers, video games, microwave, etc.) As sources for oil and natural gas dry up (and they will…we just don’t know when), electricity will play an even larger part of our lives. We will likely find ourselves driving electric cars, which will require recharging at home.

Saving money on electrical costs is not just a case of using it less often. Sure, you could let your hair dry by itself rather than use the hair dryer, but if you really want to use the hair dryer this is more of a sacrifice than savings. To really save money, you need to figure out how to do the same stuff, but for less money! To start with, it makes sense to stop paying for power that isn’t being used for any purpose at all! Here are a few basic ideas, with the idea of eliminating waste:

Don’t leave things turned on when you aren’t using them. This includes lights, of course, so simply turning them off when you leave the room makes sense (yes, even fluorescent lights — they don’t draw that much current when being turned on, so don’t fall for that myth that you’ll save money by keeping them on). You can install light switches that activate only when there is someone in the room, which will make a huge difference. Bathrooms and hallways are perfect for this.
Lights aren’t the only thing that can be turned off. Coffee pot warmers don’t need to stay on! You can nuke your coffee in the microwave for a few seconds, rather than leave the burner on for hours at a time. You’ll use less electricity and have better tasting coffee. Televisions, radios, ceiling fans all get left on for hours at a time even when no one is there. Some devices have built-in timers that automatically turn themselves off after a certain amount of time. Use them and save money!
Beware vampires! There are many devices that continue to draw electricity even when they are turned off. In some cases this is to allow the device to be ready to use more quickly. For instance, televisions keep the tube “warm” so it can display a picture more quickly after being turned on. How valuable is that extra few seconds? Is it worth paying for hours of wasted electricity? At the very least these devices should be unplugged when you go away for any length of time. If you aren’t sure which devices draw power even when turned off, ask yourself what gets affected by power outages. Anything that needs reprogramming, or has a longer than normal delay after being turned on is almost certainly drawing power even when turned off.
Computers and all their peripherals are a major drain on electricity. True, turning off your computer requires a lengthy boot-up time when you turn it back on, but if you are going out for several hours, or going to bed for the night, it makes no sense at all to have the computer left on. For shorter away-time, at least turn off the monitor or use the power-saving features that come with most computers. Also, printers and other devices should be turned on only when you need to use them — unless printing a page within seconds is a life and death situation. Lastly, routers and other networking devices don’t need to stay on all the time. If the computers are all turned off, then these devices should be turned off as well. Since most of them don’t have power switches, they should be plugged into a power bar that can turn them all off at once.

Most of these money-saving ideas are pretty obvious, and you have almost certainly heard them all before. But ask yourself: are you actually doing all of them? Probably not, but you should be and here’s why: it is the easiest method of saving money on electricity. If you aren’t willing to do these simple things, then you aren’t likely to take advantage of any of the others that I will be presenting in my upcoming articles either. And that just means you’ll continue to pay through the nose for electricity that you aren’t even using.

You can look for my other articles on this topic by clicking on my author profile. Also, links will be provided on my blog on homemade energy. Check it out for even more tips.

Erik Christensen

Money

Time is Money – Part 1

Stock options have been on the investment scene for many years now but still, few people understand them. I remember as far back as 30 years ago, I used to watch The Stock Market Observer on Channel 26 in Chicago. In this show, many sophisticated stock brokers would come on to give their market outlook, stock recommendations and answer client questions. Whenever someone would question the expert about options, the answer would almost always be the same…

“STOCK OPTIONS ARE TOO RISKY. STAY AWAY!”

The truth is, it was something new to them and outside of their comfort zone. Rather than learn something new or admit that they had limited knowledge about the subject, they tried to scare people away. But 30 years later, options are still an important part of today’s marketplace. If you want to make money consistently in the investment world, then you need to understand options!

The Basics

The first thing you need to know is that options are a RIGHT. The buyer of an option has the right, and not the obligation, to buy or sell an underlying investment such as a stock, a future, even a house!, sometime in the future. The seller of the option has an OBLIGATION to deliver the underlying investment. For this obligation, the option seller is paid a sum of money that we will call PREMIUM.

There are two basic types of options. One is a CALL OPTION. The call option gives the buyer the RIGHT to buy a stock (or other underlying instrument) for a certain price at a certain time in the future. The other is a PUT OPTION. This gives the buyer the right to sell a stock at a set price by a certain time in the future. If you believe the price of a stock is going to go up, you would buy a CALL OPTION. If you believe the price of a stock is going to go down, you would buy a PUT OPTION.

Strike Price

The strike price is a critical part of the option. It is the price that the future transaction will take place at. For example, if you, as a call buyer, purchase a $ 50 option, you will have the right to buy the stock at $ 50 per share. It doesn’t matter what the current price of the stock is, you have the right to buy the stock at $ 50. If the stock is now at $ 75 a share, you can exercise the option to buy at $ 50 and immediately sell the stock in the open market at $ 75 and receive $ 25 back. If the stock however is at $ 40, there would be no point to buy the stock at $ 50. You would be better off to go to the open market to buy at $ 40. You can see that the $ 50 option probably would not have much value.

If you were a Put buyer though and purchased the $ 50 put, if the stock were at $ 40, you could exercise the put, sell the stock at $ 50 and buy it back in the open market for $ 40, receiving $ 10. If the stock price were at $ 75, there would be little value for the option.

Volatility Can Increase the Option Price

What if the stock price has been known to go up and down more than $ 10 in a week? Well, even if the stock were at $ 40 and you were the call buyer of a $ 50 call, you can see that there is a possibility that should the stock move by 10 points two weeks in a row, you could make money! The same goes for the put buyer. If you bought the $ 50 put and the stock is now at 40, it could drop to 30 or perhaps go up to 50. The more volatile the stock is, the more expensive the option price will be. Hopefully, you can see why.

TIME IS MONEY

Besides the strike price, and it’s relation to the current stock price, and volatility, a key factor in option pricing is TIME. All options expire at a certain date in the future. For stock options, that day is usually the third Friday of the option month. If you watch stocks regularly, you might see extra action around a stock price as the date approaches the third Friday of the month. Buyers and sellers might be unusually active at this time. You might see the price of the stock be moving towards a strike price number, such as $ 50, and vacillating around that number. Option expiration activities are often the driving force.

If you want to learn how to make money every month, you need to understand options.

If you want to learn how to make easy money, subscribe to Time Is Money so that you don’t miss any posts. You will certainly learn how to make money every month by learning my techniques. Be sure to also read my daily blog at my Asset Design Center.com. I post several times a day and discuss what is happening in the markets. If you want to know what I am doing and when I am doing it, be sure to sign up for my market newsletter at the Asset Design Center blog. Only subscribers know what I do, when I do it.