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Strategic Options for Emergency Expenses

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It’s easy to say you should save money for emergencies. It’s even a really great plan, but it isn’t always possible. However, when you have the emergency situation under control saving as little as $10 a month can go a long way to preparing you for the next emergency. But what if you need the money right away?

Savings in Hidden Places

You may already have savings that you haven’t even thought about. There are several financial products you may have which you can tap into. If you have a life insurance policy, you may be able to withdraw a portion of the accumulated cash value of the policy. The amount which is available will depend on the policy size and the length of time you have been making payments towards the policy.

Other options include retirement accounts, private IRAs, and even college savings plans like the 529. If you have ever put money into any of these types of accounts you can probably withdraw at least a portion of the money. This should really only be considered as a last result, however, because it will almost certainly result in a tax penalty.

Installment Loans and Credit Cards

If you don’t have access to any type of savings but you do have a job, you may want to consider an installment loan. These are smaller loans that are available more quickly than a traditional loan and they are available to people who don’t have perfect credit. In the past, many people only had the option of a payday loan but these have a bad reputation for making financial difficulties worse.

Financial lending companies realized this and created small installment loans to give consumers a better option. If this is something you’d like to consider, get more info about the types of products and eligibility requirements in order to make a truly informed decision.

Another option may be to secure a credit card. This is a solution that requires a bit more forethought. You will need to obtain a credit card and then keep it set aside only for emergency use. The only problem is, most credit cards take several weeks to arrive in the mail which may be longer than you have in a true financial emergency. If you need money immediately the installment loan may be a better option.

Leverage the Gig Economy

The gig economy presents a fantastic opportunity for those who find themselves in need of emergency funds. If you have a special skill or reliable transportation you are well on your way to having the ability to make money quickly if the need arises.

There is always a high demand for people who are able to tutor students. If you have experience in a subject field and access to a computer, it is likely you can make some extra cash tutoring in your area of expertise. There are a large number of websites which are devoted entirely to helping students find tutors. Some of these offer direct employment and will take more time to begin earning money. Other sites offer the ability to complete the exchange between two individuals. Using free video conferencing and electronic payment methods such as Stripe or PayPal will allow you to begin tutoring foreign students in English almost immediately.

Writing is another career which allows people the freedom to take only the work they want and be paid upon completion. There are many companies who keep a pool of writers on hand to complete work as it comes in, signing up for one of these is an excellent way to establish yourself and have access to emergency funds. Alternatively, there are bidding sites that allow people who have a writing project to find freelance writers for single assignments.

If you don’t feel comfortable teaching or writing or even working online, there are plenty of gig opportunities that can be completed in person. Uber and other ride services allows almost anyone to turn their reliable mode of transportation into a money-making taxi. Other services allow individuals to deliver food, groceries, and complete other tasks for immediate payment.

When you need money quickly for an emergency it is always reassuring to have some hiding in savings. When that isn’t an option securing and installment loan or relying on a credit card are good options. Alternatively, having a fallback gig that brings money in quickly may also work. Ideally, you will cultivate a combination of methods so you have multiple options in an emergency.

The Long Haul: 5 Tips for Honoring Loyal, Long-Time Employees

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You can’t put a price tag on the value that long-time employees provide to your business. They’ve been with you through it all: the good, the bad and the ugly. You’ve celebrated birthdays together, hit countless deadlines and maybe even relied on each other to make it through networking events.

How can you honor these loyal team members and show them that you truly appreciate the years of work they’ve put in helping you sustain and grow your business? Handing them a card on their “jobiversary” seems a little understated. After all, as Glassdoor points out, these employees have proven their loyalty, flexibility and understanding of your company over time.

Here are five tips for expressing your appreciation for your valued veteran employees. 

Give Earnest Thanks

There’s no substitute for looking someone in the eye and sincerely telling them that you appreciate them. However, you can make your point even more powerful if you bring up specific examples.

Before you pull an employee into your office to thank them (perhaps on a work anniversary or another milestone), collect positive feedback from their colleagues. Think about situations where they’ve proven to be an irreplaceable part of the team. This way, when you deliver your high praise, you’ll be demonstrating to them that you notice their strengths and contributions.

Don’t forget to mention a few traits or actions outside of daily job requirements, too. Does this employee take the time to bake treats and bring them in for the team? Does he or she step up to mentor new employees and interns without anyone asking? Have they organized an important event (like a luncheon, gala or party) on top of their everyday duties? Point it out. 

Make Your Appreciation Heard

In addition to taking the time to say thanks one-on-one, you can get the whole office involved. While you would never want to embarrass or patronize any employees, you still want to let them know that you’re not alone in appreciating them—the whole team does, too.

Thoughtful group activities like a collaborative card, desk decorating or a special blog post on your company website can help long-term employees feel outwardly proud about their contributions. 

Let’s Do Lunch

Everybody loves lunch. Let your employee of honor pick the place occasionally. It’s the perfect setting for a mix of friendly chit chat and discussing the company in earnest. Not only will you get to know the person better as an individual, but you may even pick up some valuable pointers on how you can keep improving your company’s culture and workflow, according to Spark Hire. And of course, pick up the tab at the end of the meal.

A Well-Deserved Bonus

Feeling valued is about a combination of words and actions. While you can never buy your way to having a supportive company culture, you can put your money where your mouth is and offer bonuses to stellar, long-term employees.

This monetary reward can be in the form of an incremental raise, a one-time bonus or a non-cash gift, and should be separate from their typical yearly raise. In fact, one of the greatest ways to appreciate your employees is to make sure their benefits package is competitive to start with. There’s no one-time gift that can replace benefits like health insurance, workers compensation, paid time off and more. 

Offer Privileges

If your company isn’t quite in the position to offer financial rewards, there are still many ways you can thank your steadfast employees. After all, they’ve stood by you for years!

Here are a few employee perks that won’t bust your budget:

– Flexible hours

– Extra days off

– Longer lunches

– Health and wellness enrichment

– Healthy food and snacks

– Team volunteer outings

As important as it is to honor loyal employees with special displays, one of the best things you can do for them is foster a positive company culture year-round complete with benefits, privileges and honest feedback.

Two Things You Should Only Buy Online

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Shopping online has now become the preferred way to shop for many parts of the world. Some products however, lend themselves better to shopping online. Here are two that take ideal advantage of the online benefits.

Hampers / Gift Baskets

In the world of corporate gift giving, the more thoughtful the gift, the better your chances of getting your contract renewed. This may be an exaggeration but what is true is that corporate gift-gifting is expected and beloved.  So businesses have to fit it into their schedules and budgets around holidays and special occasions. Many have learned that shopping for their hampers online provides some amazing benefits. Here are a few.

Saves Time – Everyone’s busy these days so having an ability to order something so great as an amazing hamper from the comfort of your desk without having to go through the hassle of driving somewhere, having to park, get there before closing time, and then potentially having to wrestle with other shoppers for whatever is left (especially during the holiday season), is more than welcome. And the ordering time to select and order a hamper online is usually less than ten minutes.

Choice – Wherever you retail shop will be limited by the selection they have on the floor or some limited custom ordering. When you shop online however there are endless combination you can put together. These can include hard to locate or unique items. You can find the style or theme you want or create it when shopping online.

Saves Money – Shopping for Hampers online allows you to comparison shop and decide exactly where you will buy. No need to run around town when you can do this form the privacy of your home or office. Also when shopping at an online hamper company like the Hamper Emporium reviews about the company’s products allows you to not make a bad purchase.

Meat

Meat is becoming a very popular online product and with good reason. As people begin to discover they can get the types, cut and quality delivered right to their homes and sometimes for prices lower than their neighborhood butcher many find it hard to show any other way. Here and some of the benefits of shopping for meat online.

The Widest Range of Meats – When you buy meat online you will have a much wider range of produce compared to the typical supermarket. Online retailers in addition to always having the type of meat you want in stock also have game meats, such as pheasant, rabbit, turkey, duck, and goose. And many of their meats come already seasoned so you only have toss them into the oven.

Only High Quality Meat – Online butchers stock only the best quality meat and seafood. These shops carefully source their products from the best suppliers and the best part is, they always have what you want in stock.

The Meat is Fresher – When you buy meat from a supermarket it goes from the butcher’s warehouse to the supermarket’s warehouse to the supermarket where it sits for days before you buy it. When you buy meat online, it goes from the butcher to your home. So the meat will always be fresher when you purchase it online.

How to Make Money From Photography

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There are lots of different hobbies which people have managed to turn into a successful career and one which we are going to take a look at today is photography. It is pretty rare that you will find anyone working in the field of professional photography who does not love what they do, something that cannot be said for many professions out there.

One person that I know who is a professional photographer and a photography fanboy is my buddy Joshua Manocherian, I have envied him for years as he has made his way through the photography world, doing what he loves and making a decent salary along the way. Let’s take a look then at just some of the ways that people can make a living from their love of photography.

Weddings and Events

There is a lot of money in wedding and event photography and people are will to part with quite a chunk of cash to have their special moments captured. Wedding photography in particular is something that many photographers will specialize in and it is a great business because there are always people getting married. When it comes to events, businesses fro example love to have their big days captured and again, are willing to pay top dollar for a professional photographer to spend the day at their event, capturing great moments.

Teaching

There are many photographers who are making a good living from inspiring others and teaching amateurs how to take better photographs. This can be done in a number of ways, some like to give classes in person and charge by the hour, others will give classes across the internet for a fee and some will upload tutorial videos to video sites like YouTube. Those who use a video sharing site can make excellent money from advertising revenues should there videos rack up a high number of views.

Selling Photos

The real money for any professional photographer is in the selling of their photos to newspapers and magazines. There are indeed many photographers who have a great skill in a particular field of photography, nature, sport, people etc. who have struck up great relationships with a variety of magazines and used this to make a great amount of money from regularly selling shots to them. Publications much prefer to pay for freelance photographers rather than hiring their own full time and this gives many the chance to make a great income from selling their snaps.

Blogging

Blogs present many with the opportunity to make great money from advertising once they are receiving plenty of traffic to their site. It is always recommended that a blog should be about a niche topic and photography certainly ticks that box. Photography sites that seek to build a community, show off excellent photographs and include tutorials or guides can become very popular indeed. Blog owners can use this popularity to sell products, make money from affiliates or even earn money from renting out ad space on the website.

Starting Out on the Right Road: Teaching your Kids to Be Savvy with Money

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Is your teenager already showing signs of money irresponsibility? Maybe you should have taught them about finances when they were little kids. Don’t worry, though. Money experts say it’s not too late to teach your kids how to build a budget. In the interest of happy families and easier money management, we’re pleased to present the following advice about how and when to teach youngsters ways to be savvy with their cash.

Age-appropriate money lessons

There are perfect ages to teach your kids certain concepts about cash. Between the ages of two and three is a great time to begin giving toddlers a rudimentary explanation about money. A senior research scientist at Yale, Dorothy Singer, says that very young kids are not quite ready to grasp the value of money but can learn the names of coins. Start with a fun identification game. Supervise kids as they trace around coins of different denominations. Color in the shapes and talk about the name of each coin. Explain how a dime, although smaller than a nickel, is worth more. They won’t get the idea of “worth” until they’re somewhat older, but it’s a good place to start. Set up a “store” in the game room and let kids exchange play money for empty cereal boxes and other grocery items, says Parents magazine.

Youngsters aged four and five are ready to handle a bit more money information. Let them use child-safe scissors to clip coupons before grocery shopping day. Six- and seven-year-olds may be old enough to receive a small weekly allowance. Open a bank savings account in their name, and teach your child the joy of tucking away some money every week. Spend some, share some, and save a little extra for a special future purchase.

Save for a reasonable goal

When your child wants a new toy, let them save money toward the purchase and offer to meet them halfway. Choosing a goal that can be attained within a few weeks sets your kid up for success. Say your child has a $10 toy in mind. If they save half of a $2 weekly allowance, they can amass their half of the price in five weeks. Match their five, buy the toy and let your child feel proud that they made a financial goal and reached it. This small act may improve your kid’s money management skills for the rest of their life, say money pros at Forbes magazine.

Set a good example

If your own money skills have been lax, don’t hesitate to consult with a credit counselor who may help you get back on the right track. Check here to learn more about credit card consolidation and other savvy ways to put your money life back together.

Kids who learn how to handle money at a young age tend to be smarter consumers as adults. Show your little ones how to spend, save, and share.

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We left our home in Sydney, Australia many moons ago in May 2012 and, other than a brief stint back in Perth for Christmas and a wedding in early 2014, we have been travelling the world nomadically ever since, running a business from our laptops and we’re here to show you how to do it!