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Money

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Are You Prepared for the Holidays?

As the holidays draw closer each year, do you feel like you make the preparations needed to get the most out of them?

While the holidays can be stressful at times, the goal should be to prepare for them as much as possible. When you do, odds are you will get more enjoyment out of them.

That said are you prepared when the holidays come calling to your world the next time around?

Get the Most Fun from the Holiday Season

In getting the most fun out of the holidays, here are a few things to think about:

  1. Have you made your plans already? – It is important in trying to enjoy the holidays as much as possible to plan accordingly. That said waiting until the last minute to make plans can lead to stress and more. So, take time weeks ahead of when the holidays officially kick off to see what it is you’d like to do. As an example, do you think a Disneyland Christmas would be a fun thing to do? If so, do not wait until the last moment to get tickets and more. By doing your research in advance, you can get info on tickets, accommodations if needed and more. Making plans for any holiday events no matter how big or small can make things better fall into place.
  2. Not letting money get in way – From travel and attending events to buying gifts and more, you could run up a big bill. With that thought in mind, think about working off a holiday budget if necessary. Doing this will lessen what you spend. It can also cut down on any worries you may have of running up a big credit card bill. A holiday budget should also focus more on spending cash and not the plastic. While you may well need a credit card for some things you buy, do not make a habit out of it. Using cash tends to make one spend less. That way you do not feel the pain when your credit card bill comes due.
  3. Putting stress in the rear-view mirror- Also make it a priority to not let stress get the better of you. That is in preparing and experiencing the holidays. Unfortunately, too many individuals do in fact let stress get the better of them. When this occurs, it can take all the fun out of the holiday season. So, think about what triggers your stress reactions and do your best to avoid them. Also be sure if you have any holiday travel plans to get as much work or school done before leaving. You do not want to be on your laptop dealing with work or studies. This would be when you’re supposed to be on holiday vacation having fun.
  4. Lean on past experiences – If you’ve had past pre-planning that worked, consider trying it again. This can be planning trips, getting your holiday tree, buying gifts and more. Sticking to a routine that has worked for you can make this holiday season as enjoyable.

In planning for the holidays this time around, will you be satisfied with the outcomes?

Business/Investment

3 Keys to Better Money Management in Your Life

When you take a moment to think about it, how good of a job would you say you do in managing money?

In the event you could do better with money management, are you willing to put in the time and effort to do it?

By being a better spender and saver, you have a brighter financial outlook now and down the road.

So, what will it take for you to be better with money?

Don’t Let Finances Stress You Out

In your efforts to better handle money, here are three keys to think about:

  1. Finding deals – It stands to reason that you will do better with money when you find deals along the way. That said are you coming up with discounts and keeping more of your hard-earned dollars? If not, now would be a good time to change this. Say for example you enjoy going to visit theme parks. The last thing you want to do is overspend on such excursions. When you want to get Disneyland tickets or tickets to other attractions, do some research. Find out whether you can save through Disneyland, relevant third-party sites or both. Also look to see if your status in life can help you save some dollars. Such examples would be that you are a senior citizen, in or have served in the military and more. Finding deals goes a long way in helping you to avoid overspending.
  2. Avoiding major debt – One of the worst things you can do when it comes to your finances is overspending. So, make it a point to not let debt get the better of you. One of the worst ways to pile up debt is through one or more credit cards. If you have a credit card or cards, the hope is you have been paying off the monthly balance. Failing to do this can lead to monthly interest fees. Before you know it, those fees are eating into your wallet. If you have sizable credit card debt, be sure to pay more than the monthly minimum due. You also may look to transfer a balance if you can find a provider with a better rate than what you have now.
  3. Planning for the future – Depending on your age and where you are at in life, you may or may not be closing in on retirement. In the event you are closer to retirement these days, you hopefully have put away money towards it. Failing to do so can leave you in some financial peril when you stop working on a full-time basis. If you are younger, make sure you have one eye on the future. Starting to save at an early age in life is key to better money management. Even if getting later in life, it is never too late to save up. Some savings is better than none at all when you stop and think about it.

As you look to better money management, the hope is you are making many more good decisions than bad ones.

Business/Investment

3 Ways to Better Your Finances

In taking some time out to assess your financial situation, is it thumbs up or down when you look at things?

If your money management skills need to improve, do you have any thoughts on how to go about doing this?

By being good with money, you can get more out of life. It also means having a little less stress to deal with when money is in play.

So, what needs to happen for you to better your finances?

Do You Oftentimes Find Discounts?

As you look to get a better handle on your finances, here are three ways to go about it:

1. Tracking down discounts – One of the ways to improve your outlook is to track down discounts. As an example, if theme parks are part of your fun, you want to save money when visiting them. So, going online and securing discounts on Disneyland tickets is worth it. You can visit the Disneyland website and also any relevant third-party sites. That would be those offering savings on such tickets. At the end of the day no matter the product or service you want, securing discounts is to your benefit.

2. Avoid running up debt – It is also a good idea to avoid running up notable debt. The debt tends to be credit cards for many consumers. If you are not paying off your balance each month, you run the risk of accruing interest fees as time goes by. When that happens, you are in essence throwing money out the window. Now, who wants to do such a thing? Be smart and spend what you can afford to. If you do have a sizable credit card balance now, look to pay it down sooner than later. You might also consider seeking a balance transfer. That would be with another bank where you will get better rates moving ahead. Finally, do your best to use cash more often when having to buy things. Consumers generally tend to spend less when using cash instead of the plastic. You may feel a little more pain using cash, but know it is the smart thing to do so you can avoid major credit card debt.

3. See if lifestyle changes are needed– Have you taken time to see if what you do is costing you too much money all too often? As an example, paying too much in rent can be setting you back. So, it may mean it is time to look around for a better apartment, condo or house deal where you pay rent. The same is true for what you pay in utilities, groceries and many other things you need to make a go of it. You might also look to put a budget in place if you do not have one now. Keep in mind there is nothing wrong with working off of a budget. Do not look at it as some sort of failure. 

As you try to come up with ways to better finances, the hope is you will keep more of your money moving ahead.

In the event you do not, you could be looking at some tough financial times ahead.

Could You Be a Smarter Consumer?

How good of a consumer would you say you tend to be?

If you could do a better job in shopping, finding deals and more, are you willing to put some more time and effort into it?

By doing so, you could find you locating more of the products and services you want while saving money.

Where Can You Improve Your Shopping Needs?

In doing more to improve your consumer skills, here are some pointers to help you along the way:

  1. Go online often – One of the best ways to increase odds of improving your shopping would be leaning on the web. That said have a purpose when going online. This is so you are not wasting time going from one website or one Google search to another. For example, if into video gaming or looking to get in, you may be searching for equipment, games to play and more. So, take the time to target exactly what it is you want and need. If looking for a headset, know what the top brands and options tend to be. You can research the best PS5 headsets and others of interest. By doing so, odds are you will come up with what you want. From headsets to chairs, consoles and more, know what you will need and where best to locate such items. With so many brands online both with websites and social media, it is all but impossible not to find a company.
  2. Work within a budget – Unless money is of no concern to you, it is wise to work within a budget. Doing so allows you to not be blowing through money left and right. Take the time monthly to sit down and go over what bills you have to deal with, what incoming money is likely to be and so on. At the end of the day, you should be able to come up with a bottom line of how much you can afford to spend. Depending on your life, it may not be all that uncommon for the months to look a little bit different each time out. That is because not all bills come due on a monthly basis. Also, what money you make through work could vary from time to time. The goal is to be as accurate as possible so you are not way off in figuring out your finances.
  3. Sign up for deals – Last, do you take the time to sign up for deals with your favorite brands? If not doing so, now would be a good time to change that pattern of behavior. Being on lists with your favorite brands can open the doors to savings. Those brands you like and use often can send you alerts to when they have savings available. Get such alerts in a simple email or text. Once you have the info, you can target when to shop with a specific brand.

When it comes to saving more money, making shopping less of a hassle and more, take the time to be a smart consumer.

In being a smart consumer, your wallet will thank you at the end of the day.

Entertainment

How to Make Money From Online Sports Betting Sites Without Betting

The online sports betting business is a big market right now. People love sports and they like to win easy money. But online sports betting isn’t always about winning easy money. It’s also about losing hard-earned wagers.

But what if I told you that you could make money from online sports betting without placing a single bet? Is that even possible? Yes, it is. Let me show you three different ways you can do that below.

Refer a Friend

The easiest way to earn money from online sports betting sites without placing a bet is through referrals. This means that if you refer a friend to signing up with the online sports betting site and your friend subsequently makes a specific deposit to his account, you will be awarded cash credits.

Bovada has a 200% match bonus up to $100 if you refer a friend. And it allows you to refer as many friends as possible so you can earn unlimited bonuses. As an added perk, Bovada will give you an additional $25 if your friend’s first deposit is via Bitcoin.

Join Contests

Contests are available in most of the top online sports betting sites. These contests can either be paid or free. For free contests, the site does not require you to pay a participation fee but instead, they require you to have a previous deposit balance to your account or a bet related to the event of the contest.

For example, the online sports betting site SportsBetting.ag had a $5,400 Super Bowl Predictor contest before Super Bowl LIV last February. The contest was a 20-item questionnaire related to the Super Bowl. The contestants with the highest number of correct answers received cash prizes which were credited to their accounts.

At the end of the contest, 30 winners were awarded cash credits. The first-place winner received $1,000 while those who ranked in 26th through 30th place earned $50 each. That’s not too bad for a free game, huh?

Use Affiliate Programs

There are tons of online sports betting sites worldwide and each of them directly compete with one another. To help them beat the competition, these betting sites reward people who bring value players to their sites.

This reward system is called the affiliate program, where an independent website promotes the online sports betting site using a link. If a player signs up using the link and makes subsequent deposits to his account, the betting site will give you commission for it.

The sports betting site BetOnline has an affiliate program. It’s free to join for qualified websites and if the players you bring in are capable of producing a specific net revenue for that online sports betting site, you’ll receive a percentage of that as your commission.

Business/Investment

Must Read: 7 ways to break away from the paycheck to paycheck cycle

Many of us have become accustomed to living from pay check to pay check; however, there are millions of people who have broken free from the rut and you can too. Living pay check to pay check means you’re one pay check from living without electricity, gas, a home and a car. It’s a worst-case scenario that could happen if you don’t improve your financial situation. Here are 10 ways to break free and increase your income stream.

Recognising you have a problem and dealing with it: The first step to getting out of the rut is recognising you’re stuck in a cycle of your own creation. Go online and read through the experiences of individuals who were in a similar situation but turned their life around. It offers insight on what you’re doing wrong and a few ways to change.

Live below your means: Review your credit card statements, bank statements and receipts. What are you spending every month? Can you cut back on miscellaneous expenses such as eating out and partying with friends? Compare your expenses with your income; if your outgoings are more than your income then it’s time to cut back.

Don’t shop for the sake of it: When you go out with friends, it’s tempting to buy a dress or an item you didn’t plan for during an impromptu shopping trip. Shopping for fun is a costly action. The best option is to stay away if you know your friends always end up in a store when you hang out.

Stop using credit cards and get out of debt: You won’t get your finances in order until you’re out of debt. Debt eats into your monthly pay check, leaving you with little for anything else. You also need to stop using your credit card while you’re paying off your debt. Avoid taking out any loans while you’re at it.

Spend Wisely: When making purchases, try to find the best deals, keep track of all your spending with virtual financial assistants as well as using cashback sites.

Make savings automatic: Planning to save after your expenses mean you will never save. Whether you’re saving for retirement or emergency funds, the money should come first before your spending. Savings should be automatically deducted from your checking account or ask your bank to deduct the funds to your 401 (k) plan automatically.

Increase your income: Another way to cut back on expenses is to increase your income. Get a part-time job or a freelance work online. Sell off household items you don’t need. All the extra income should go towards paying off your debt and you could quit your second job when you’ve finished paying off your debt.

Conclusion

Don’t rely on regular bonuses to cover your living expenses. Instead use it to speed up your debt payment or increase your emergency fund. The emergency fund is how to get out of the cycle of living from pay check to pay check in the long-term. Set a budget that caters to your expenses, insurance premiums, loan and car payments.

Business/Investment

Saving options for retirement-living the American dream in your silver age

When you are in your twenties or even early thirties, retirement seems a world away. You sometimes have a difficult time planning your next holiday, not what you will do 30-40 years from now. Without proper preparation, your bohemian dreams of sipping cocktails on a tropical beach or seeing the world with your partner could quickly turn into spending time around your back-yard.

The options for retirement plans consist of four choices, which you can sometimes combine to get more consistent savings. The first option is a 401(k) plan which is offered by the employer. This can be supplemented with a Roth 401(k). For additional savings or if you are self-employed, you could opt-in for a traditional IRA, to which you can add a Roth IRA.

Understanding the Roth advantages

This name comes from Senator William Roth Jr. who supported the Taxpayer Relief Act in 1997. By this bill, people can choose to supplement their pension savings with a certain amount, currently up to $5500/ (or $6500 for those over 50 years old) from money that has already been taxed once. This means that once you hit the retirement age, you can get money from your Roth account without paying additional taxes on them in the future.

Roth savings are an excellent option for young people since they have no control over the tax levels in the next decades. The upper cap on the income of $118,000 for singles and $184,000 for married couples also suggests that this option is for those with average earnings, but who can plan. Deductibility of the contributions also depends on the marital status and the filing status of the applicant. AAA Credit Guide offers a detailed description of the Roth IRA including tips and tricks.

401(k) or IRA?

The first myth that needs to be debunked is that this is not a choice, you can have both. The 401(k) plan is offered by your employer and comes with the promise that they will match your contribution to the pension fund up to a certain percentage of your salary, no mere than $17,000/year. Not choosing such a plan is like leaving free money on the table.  These funds are deposited into the retirement account before taxes; you will pay those when you use them.

The IRA (Individual Retirement Agreement) is a plan that you can sign up at any broker and contributions are deductible to lower your taxable income. People who are not in a traditional employment situation can only contribute to this kind of plan.

Putting it all together

If this all seems complicated, you could check out this flowchart to help you make a better decision. The key takeaways are: if your employer offers a traditional 401(k) (pre-tax) be sure to contribute to it and eventually ask about the option to get also a Roth 401(k) (after-tax). In the case of self-employed or those who still want more security, there is always the option of an IRA, either traditional (pre-tax) or Roth, depending on the income levels.

Business/Investment

Binary Options Trading for Beginners

Binary options trading is slowly getting popular among people who want to earn more. If you’re thinking about getting in on the game, here are a few things you need to know.

Binary Options

In coding, binary means that a value is either 1 or 0. In trading, the concept isn’t that far off. You either gain or lose money based on a “yes” or “no” proposition. If the proposition is true, i.e. if the answer is “yes”, then you earn money. If it is false, i.e. if the answer is “no”, then you lose money. Based on your earnings and the initial price you pay, you can determine how much you actually gain or lose.

Binary Options Trading

To give you a clearer idea of how binary options trading works, here is an example:

The proposition is this: “Will the price of gold be higher than $1,000 at midnight?” If you believe that the price will increase, you can buy the binary option. Otherwise, you sell it.

For this example, let’s say that you buy the binary option. Let’s put your initial offer (or the price you pay to buy the binary option) at $40. If the price of gold exceeds $1,000 at midnight, you get $100 and earn $60. If the price of gold doesn’t exceed $1,000 at midnight, you earn $0 and lose $40, which is your initial offer.

Now, let’s consider selling the binary option. If you don’t believe that the price of gold will exceed $1000 at midnight, you can sell the binary option at, say, an initial bid of $37. (The initial bid is typically lower than the initial offer. In other words, you risk more money if you buy than if you sell.) When midnight comes and the price of gold doesn’t exceed $1,000, you get $100 and earn $63. On the contrary, you earn $0 and lose $37, which is your initial bid.

Binary Options Trading Tips

If you want to try your luck at binary trading, here are some binary options trading tips to help you get started:

1. Don’t put all your money in binary trading.

Binary options trading can be exciting, especially for a beginner. But with any type of trading, binary options come with risks that you should take into consideration when putting in money. After all, you don’t want to drain your savings, right? So before you start trading, decide on how much of your money you’re willing to lose just in case the worst happens. Once you start earning, you can make your “trading money pool” bigger.

2. Being wise is better than being quick.

Because binary options trading is time-sensitive, you may feel pressured to bid as soon as you can. However, it is important to stay smart about the bids you enter. Prioritize “wise trading” over “quick trading” so you have a higher chance of earning money.

3. Keep your emotions in check.

Yes, binary options trading is exciting, especially when you start winning. But don’t let your emotions get the best of you. Know when to step out of the game before you start losing big money.

Business/Investment

Plan Your Trades Wisely

Any new venture requires research and planning. Trading is no exception, but unfortunately, many people jump in unprepared so that their trades are little more than gambles. If you want to become a successful trader, you must have a trading plan. Not only will it help you understand when to place trades, it will tell you know when to exit a trade, manage your risk and help you keep emotion out of your trading. It is important to invest time into researching and developing a plan that will work for you before you begin. Trial the plan, analyze its successes and failures and modify it as necessary and you will be more likely to have success in the future.

Set Your Goals

Before you can create a trading plan, you must set your goals. Take a piece of paper and pen and write them down to make them more concrete. You need to take into account your personality and your trading style in order to be able to set realistic and workable goals. Assess your strengths and weaknesses and how they will impact your trading. Include timeframes when setting your goals so that you have daily, weekly, monthly, bi-annual and annual goals. All of this is the first step to planning your actual trades.

Plan Entry, Stop and Profit Targets

By planning when you will enter a trade and when you will exit a trade, you avoid trading by emotion. Knowing when to exit a trade is just as important as understanding the signals of when to enter the trade. Exiting in time helps you manage your bankroll and will allow you to come back to trade another day. Setting these points forces you to plan a logical strategy and helps you stick to your strategy when you are trading.

Decide on Risk:Reward Ratios

You must plan your risk:reward ratio once you have already set your entry, stop and profit targets. The higher the ratio, the more reward you will have compared to risk and therefore, the more appealing the trade will be. A ratio of around 1:1.5 would look good. As part of this, you need to work out your risk in terms of how much of your capital you can risk on any one trade or in any one day. The amount will depend on your personal risk tolerance, but is typically between 1% and 5% of your total capital.

Keep Records

Keep records of everything. Of your plans, of your analysis, of your risk levels and targets, of your trading records and of your charts. These records allow you to go back and analyze the success or failure of your trade. From this, you can sit and tweak your plan, improving it as you go.

Conclusion

The key to trading successfully is planning your trades wisely. This will be different for each person as goals and personality vary between people. However, planning, recording and modifying your plans are the key to becoming a successful trader.

Business/Investment, Real Estate, Travel

The Best Cities to Invest In Real Estate in America

If you are looking to invest in real estate, then you should consider cities which are on the upturn so that you can have the largest return on investment possible. There are some cities that are in ruin, yet millennials run to them for cheap housing. If you weigh all the data, it will be easy to see that some of these unconventional picks are worth your attention.

Bozeman, Montana

You probably didn’t expect a city from Montana to be topping a “best of list” unless it was for “Best Cities to Go to Montana State University” but there is a method to this madness. Bozeman, historically, has been a small, working class city. The local university brings in a quarter of the town’s population every year but there have been others coming to the city for the past few years. It seems that the way Montana’s tax system is structured has created a haven for startup technology companies who can’t compete in Silicon Valley. These companies are moving to Montana instead and picking off the fresh engineering students from the university. The city is becoming more affluent and many fly fishers from the northeast are starting to buy up real estate.

Detroit, Michigan

Another unconventional pick, yes, but Detroit is one of the best cities to invest in real estate in America lately. A few years ago the city was bankrupt and there are hardly any jobs. However, there are a bunch of jobs starting to open up just 30 minutes north of the city and many millennials are moving to Detroit for dirt cheap housing. Neither the native locals nor the millennials can afford to purchase real estate which is what makes Detroit a sleeper hit.

Dallas, Texas

Cost of living in Dallas is poised to become one of the highest in the nation of the course of the next few years. Advising that figure is 6.2% three-year populace development, 3.9% employment increases a year ago and 9% yearly home cost picks up. Homes in Dallas are additionally underestimated; notable midpoints compared to adjacent city’s cost of living make Dallas a sure thing.

Seattle, Washington

The weed trade has turned Seattle into the crowned jewel of the Pacific Northwest. In the past year, prices have raised 12% and there is no end in sight. Restaurants in the city are doing so well, in fact, that they have done away with tipping waitstaff and restaurateurs are now paying them an overly rate. The population of the city is booming and more companies are moving to, what could be, the hottest city in America right now.

Those are four picks that probably were not expected for most real estate hounds, but the reality of the situation is that America is bouncing back. There were so many cities which were devastated back in the 2008 recession that are starting to do very well as a result of intelligent policy making. While other cities in America fall deeper into debt, the ones cited on this list are becoming major metropolitan hotspots.