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#also like I get student loans are expensive and hard to control depending on what you want to do but also
raeathnos · 2 years
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enrichedacademy · 2 years
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Financial Mistakes to Avoid in Today's Economy
You don’t need much of a financial education to understand that 2022 has been nothing but bad news for most Canadians and our financial future may not improve anytime soon. Our stock portfolios are worth a lot less, everything we buy costs more, and interest rates are making our mortgages and other loans a lot more expensive. More than ever it is time to tread carefully and avoid any financial mistakes, so we gathered up the top five missteps you definitely want to steer clear of for the rest of this year and beyond!
1. Not having any system to track your expenses. “I don’t know where my money goes” is a common refrain as prices continue to rise. However, given the number of mobile applications, web programs and other online tools available to simplify this task (or just use a pencil!), there isn’t any excuse. Regardless of how much income you have coming in, monitoring and controlling expenses is critical as plenty of high-earning-now-bankrupt athletes and actors have proven.
2. Not understanding your loan agreements. It is shocking to see how many people fail to understand the terms and conditions before entering into potentially life-changing contracts like a mortgage or student loan. Don’t assume it will be easy to pay off student loans after you graduate and (hopefully) land a well-paying job.  Student loans do not have a particularly low interest rate and you might be unpleasantly surprised by the amount of your monthly payment post-graduation, and how many years you will be paying!
Mortgages can be complicated, but that’s no excuse and a good mortgage broker will take the time to answer all of your questions. Trigger rates have recently been in the news and are a good example of people not understanding what they signed.
3. Not saving and investing. As higher prices and interest rates suck up more of our disposable cash, something has to give, and putting a little bit of money away each month may be on the chopping block. If you need the money for essentials like food or rent, then you have no choice but be honest with yourself on what is essential! Once you break the saving habit it’s hard to get it back and saving is not really a discretionary expense unless you have an alternative plan to fund your retirement? Catching up on savings might be possible when things get better, but that could be years and the earlier you start, the more your savings are going to grow.
4. Paying too much in investment fees. Not investing at all is a fatal mistake, but unknowingly paying exorbitant fees on your investments is also a critical error. Canada has some of the highest investment fees in the developed world and it isn’t easy to determine the fees built into your investments and how much your advisor is charging you for their services. Mutual funds are notorious for high, built-in MER fees (management expense ratio) that often exceed 2% annually and can rob tens of thousands of dollars over the years from your retirement fund. Make sure to fully investigate the fees you are paying on your investments and ensure they are justified by the returns. You may also want to consider a fee-based financial planner rather than a commission-based financial advisor. There are a few factors to consider, and it depends on the size of your portfolio, but fee-based advisors have a strong fiduciary duty to grow your wealth and not just sell you financial products.
5. Investing before paying off debt. The question of whether it’s better to invest any “extra” cash or pay down debt needs a re-think given recent economic changes. In 2021, mortgages and lines of credit could be had for around 2% and most stock indexes reported double-digit gains. Paying down debt with money you could have invested in the markets was not the best option.  
A year later, borrowing rates have doubled in many cases (mortgages for example) and financial markets are wobbly at best, with many deep into the red year to date. These aren't the only factors to consider, and you need to do the math for your situation, but the case for paying down debt is getting stronger by the day.
As financial educators we are very biased, but Enriched Academy truly believes that improving your own financial literacy is the best defense for avoiding financial mistakes, regardless of how many advisors you may have. Not only will you feel more comfortable with what your advisor is doing on your behalf, you will also be able to make your own informed decisions when you want to be in control.
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chrishoughton · 2 years
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Any advice for someone in their 20s?
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Your 20s! The gif above is from the 20s, get it?????
For me, my 20s were mostly spent working. I was trying to get better at my craft while also learning how to make money. I got married young and my wife and I took some big risks with our careers. Your 20s is a GREAT time to move. Move anywhere, try it out. It'll never be easier and the risks will never be lower. Same with your career- your 20s is a great time to be a mover and shaker. When is a good time to leave your job? When you've stopped learning.
Your 20s is definitely a great time to experiment but make no mistake, it's not free time. Eventually your 30s will roll around and while I'm very much enjoying my 30s, it's very different from my 20s. Your 30s is like the day after a big party. How you feel is very dependent on how you spent your time at the party. I'm relieved that I worked as hard as I did in my 20s. Here are some things I did in my 20s that really helped me:
-Learn about finances. How to invest, budget, and how to manipulate your income/expenses. Control your money or risk letting your money control you! Learn about retirement and start saving a little, even if it's only $50/month bc maybe you've got a bunch of debt you need to pay off. Which is why it's good to focus on...
-Pay off your debt. It's much easier said than done but what really helped us pay off our massive student loans early in our careers was to look at the debt like a puzzle. There are only two ways to make money: increase your income or decrease your expenses. Tackle the principal. Interest is your enemy.
-Look at your job through this lens: every good job provides at least one of these things: money, experience/training, or upward mobility. If your current job doesn't fulfill any of these categories, then it's time to look for another job. And again, it's much easier to switch jobs (or careers!) in your 20s.
-Write down your goals. It sounds cliche, but where do you want to be in 10 years? Those 10 years will pass regardless, so might as well plan for it. How do you want to spend your limited time here on earth? What are you passionate and curious about? Having a goal helps inform the decisions you'll make along the path to get to that goal. Break your goal down into smaller, more obtainable steps.
- Prioritize your health. Try to establish decent eating/sleeping habits. Try to move a bit each day and break a sweat a few times a week. You only get one body and most likely, you want it to last a good while.
-Protect your mind and attitude. Surround yourself with people who will champion you and your crazy goals. Avoid negative people who will project their fears and failures onto you. Keep your motivation up and know that you are a BAMF!!
Most importantly, take a breath and know that while your 20s are an important time, it's not the end all be all. We're all on different paths in life and the differences in these paths become more apparent as you age. Don't compare yourself to anyone else, only your prior self. Reach for your own potential, not someone else's.
P.S. I remember reading "The Defining Decade" in my 20s and it was a helpful read on this subject.
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iamschnazzleberry · 4 years
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Need to put my thoughts about the future somewhere. Read if you want, this is mostly for me.
It’s the end of June. I’m supposed to be at camp right now. I’m feelin’ wicked campsick this year. It’s the first year in a really long time that I’m home for the whole summer. Other than treatment 3 years ago and my “gap years” in 2008 and 2012, I’ve been at camp every summer for the past 14 years.
I have a big adult job now and, even if camp wasn’t closed, they most likely wouldn’t be okay with me just taking 3 months off to be in the forest. I really do love my job and I think it’s important work. It’s stable, it pays well, it has good benefits. By all means, it’s very impressive. But this isn’t what I want to keep doing forever.
Even though I fucking love working at camp, I also feel incredibly guilty when I go because I just drop everything and leave for 3 months and I feel like I’m just abandoning Cory. He doesn’t deserve that. I get so fucked up inside when I start thinking about moving away for camp and figuring out how to work with Cory’s job. It’ll be easier to move to a new place now that his department has gone completely remote, but I have to decide on whether I want to keep my current job, go full time at my current camp job, find work at a different camp and work there, or get a stable non-camp job that I’m good at.
If I keep my current job, we’d have to stay in the Bay Area but I’d still have this big fancy job. I could talk to my supervisor about going completely remote but I’m a pretty low level employee and I doubt they’d say yes.
If I want to keep working at Family Camp, I’d be making us upend everything and move 3 hours away just to accommodate my own wants. Plus it’s so hard to find reliable high-speed internet around there which would SEVERELY impact Cory’s work.
If we decide to move somewhere else, I could look for a camp around there where I could work. I know it wouldn’t be hard for me to find a camp position given my experience and qualifications. The big issue with working at camp is the salary. If it was just me, I would love to just live at camp making a camp employee’s salary. Free room and board, free food. But it’s not just me. It’s me and Cory and Winnie. It’s my family. I don’t know which, if any, camps would provide those same benefits for all of us. (Well, obviously not for Winnie since he’s, y’know, a cat). We’ve got bills. We’ve got groceries and clothes and medical expenses we need to cover. It’s just not realistic for us to only depend on Cory’s income for everything. 
I think the most likely option is to find a place we want to move and find work around there. Job hunting is a bitch and, even with my experience in different fields, it’s even harder without a bachelor’s degree. I don’t even have an Associate’s degree. Hell, I don’t even have a certificate. Granted, I got my current job without one but I can’t help feeling like that was just a fluke. I want to have a good job with good benefits. I want to be able to be on my own without having to depend on my parents for anything. I feel like I have that with my current job but I don’t know how much longer I can stand living in Silicon Valley. The cost of living here is just a fucking nightmare and it’s almost impossible for me to save any money when so much of it is just going to rent and utilities and internet. 
On top of all this, we’re tired of renting so Cory wants to buy a house. I’m excited for that, but neither of us wants a house in the Bay Area. At least not in Silicon Valley.
I guess my big big main top ultimate goal is to be able to completely cut off contact with my family without any worry of them being able to hunt me down or whatever. I’m basically there right now except for the fact that I live so close to them. I’ve got my own income, insurance, phone service. I just need to get control of my student loans from my mom. That’s the one financial tie I still have to her. Once I get that done, I’m home free to go wherever I want. 
This is just so much to think about. I’d talk to a therapist about it, but I can’t fucking afford that.
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First step to Financial Freedom
What is money for you? Hey guys, I am Atharva just a normal guy like everyone else who is trying to make a small change in this world by helping people understand money, and make their perspective about money fall in place, and make my audience “financially literate”. Before you go any further I want you to ask yourself “What is money for you..?” is it an escape, satisfaction, a guarantee, an excuse. Whatever your answer maybe it is going to be your reason to work for it, so it is better if you choose a wise answer  justifying your efforts to work for the piece of paper. After realizing this, you might be in a dilemma about the system and how it all works; you got to put in all your time earning money, sad isn’t it, well this is how we are taught in schools by our parents and other people we meet. Now you might be wondering how to get out of this situation, that’s what this blog is about, making my audience financially literate is the motive behind me writing blogs, now this is the change that i want to make in the society, it a small one but yet it could make a very big difference.
What is financial literacy?
This term is very ambiguous and can have many meanings, you have to choose what it is supposed to mean for you and also how you are willing to use this knowledge in your life to be achieve financial freedom. Achieving financial freedom is a step by step process, which will require more or less focus depending on your financial goal. For starters, let’s learn how to manage your personal finances.
“The number one problem in today’s generation and economy is the lack of financial literacy.” Alan Greenspan, economist.
What is financial freedom?
Financial freedom is having enough assets to be able to afford the lifestyle we want to live, financial freedom comes after taking small steps in managing your finances, building assets, managing buying patterns, indulging yourself in learning to invest, cutting down credits and a lot of steps that you will learn ahead.
Steps to Financial freedom –
Step 1 – Start of by paying your debts. The first thing to do if you want to have a financial freedom, then you should start by paying off your debts, and in debts you should rank your debts by certain criteria which includes - 1. Good Debts- debts which will eventually grow in value and provide a return in the future. These include student loans, home loans, the loans or debts taken for purchase of assets.
2. Bad Debts- debts which will not grow or provide or provide a return in the future. These include purchase of depreciating assets (cars, bikes), purchase of liabilities.
Always start by paying off the debt with the highest interest rate, as it will grow faster creating a fatter hole in your pockets and making you fall deeper into the debt you already are, so it is logical to pay off the debts with the highest interest rates. Also be careful that you don’t take any loans unless it is very important.
  “The man who never has money enough to pay his debts has too much of something else.” James Lendall Basford
Step 2- Start prioritizing things and make a budget.
No one else better than you will understand what you want, so you should have your priorities straight about what you want to spend money on or how you want to spend money. Majority of us sacrifice our long term goals to enjoy the weekend getting drunk and this one weekend becomes a habit. Prioritizing things will make you think twice before you go all in on a plan, as you will have a sense of self control keeping you from spending your bucks on these stupid short term satisfaction. Cut off all the unwanted things that you tend to consume, like the 5$ bucks coffee at Starbucks, or the cab you ride instead of taking the public transport, the phone you just financed and many other things. The problem with today’s world is we buy stuff to impress people we hate and even they don’t give a shit about you, because even they are busy doing this. Prioritizing things will lead you to cutting of unnecessary stuff, as spending on useless stuff will burn a hole in your pocket.
“If you buy things you don't need, you will soon sell things you need.”
Warren Buffet, Billionaire investor
Step 3- Save and invest.
Yes, there is no better way to be financially free than save and invest, if you have successfully followed the above steps, it is no longer going to be hard for you to save your money, by cutting down unnecessary expenses and saving money for the stuff you really need.
Investing is also easy for everyone, as there are many instruments and applications made available to you for investing money. This should not be a concern, but the real concern is “How greedy are you?”, the more greedy you get, the more you are bound to loose, this statement is very sad but also very much true.
“Money is usually attracted not pursued” 
Jim Rohn 
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URGENT Life insurance MONEY question?
URGENT Life insurance MONEY question?
I am 18 and in a year my boyfriend and I plan to move to brooklyn. My father passed away when I was 12. I have 4 Guadians and they control the money I received from his life insurance. They set up that I don t recieve the money until I m 21. If I can prove I have an apartment and job can I recieve the money when I m 19 ?
BEST ANSWER: Try this site where you can compare free quotes :cheapinsurancequotes1.info
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I am 18 and in a year my boyfriend and I plan to move to brooklyn. My father passed away when I was 12. I have 4 Guadians and they control the money I received from his life insurance. They set up that I don t recieve the money until I m 21. If I can prove I have an apartment and job can I recieve the money when I m 19 ?
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I am 18 and in a year my boyfriend and I plan to move to brooklyn. My father passed away when I was 12. I have 4 Guadians and they control the money I received from his life insurance. They set up that I don t recieve the money until I m 21. If I can prove I have an apartment and job can I recieve the money when I m 19 ?
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moneyintrend · 3 years
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10 best side hustles for college students
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It's almost time for the new college school year, and with rising college expenses comes the perennial issue of finding work to help pay for your education without using student loans.
Jobs are hard to come by nowadays, especially when you have a busy schedule with school and assignments. Finding work online is one of the finest solutions. Working online was once a curiosity, but it is now becoming more mainstream. One thing to keep in mind is that internet jobs are not like normal employment. Many of the better ones aren't even jobs.
Here are some popular online careers and possibilities for college students.
1. Survey Junkie
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I've always been wary of recommending survey sites since so many are scams, but Survey Junkie stands out as a legitimate contender. Unlike many other survey sites, they pay quickly and have over 7 million users, so they must be doing something well. You won't become rich doing surveys, but it's one of the easiest methods to earn money from home. Get the app now! Android or iOS
2. I-Say
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I was hesitant to include this because it isn't a job, but it is a legitimate method to earn money. This one's for you if you want to get paid to take surveys on your phone. It beats working at a fast food place in college. Take surveys, get points, and cash out for PayPal or other prizes with Ipsos i-Say. It's a wonderful site and a nice user experience.  It's free to test them out if you join up here first.
Try I-Say!
3. Airbnb
Have you considered renting out your house while you're away? You may even list your dorm room. I read of a student who got his for $85 a night!
You may list it by night, week, or month. Airbnb provides a $1,000,000 guarantee against guest-caused property damage. They also offer a visitor rating system so you can decide whether or not to accept a guest.
More facts in the video below:
We Made $7,000-$10,000/Mo. Hosting on AirBnB | Our Tips for Successful AirBnB Hosting - YouTube
4. Lyft driver
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Okay, so it's not really "online," but it's an app, so I counted it. You've undoubtedly used a Lyft by now, but have you considered driving for Lyft?
Up to $20/hour driving, You can make over $20/hour in some cities while having complete control over your schedule. What better job for a college student?
Lyft is the 21st-century taxi. In the app, you just pick up and drop off passengers, and you are immediately compensated. Cool, huh? Click the button below to learn more or start.
5. Swagbucks
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This is a free service that allows you to earn cash, gift cards, and other incentives. They pay for completing basic activities (like reviewing a website), trading in old video games or books, and even playing games on their site.
I've used them for months and received many payments, so I can vouch for their legitimacy. While they won't make you rich, they beat working for minimal money in a college kitchen.
Download an app
6. Boom Gift
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Get paid by downloading mobile applications, Boom gift is a new software that collects anonymous phone usage statistics and pays you $5 to install it. Then $5 each month if you leave it installed!
Simply click the icon to download the app and be paid by PayPal or Amazon gift card! Get the app now!
7. Blogger
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An in-depth look at how one blogger turned his hobby into a full-time career. This works best if you already have a blog or have the time to develop one. You may start earning money from your blog after it has a few thousand monthly visits.
You may monetize your blog with ready-made advertising and affiliate schemes. Google Adsense is a complete advertising package - all you need to do is join up, insert the ad code into your site, and you're done. It's the easiest method to monetize a blog (get my book free here).
Use a program like CJ Affiliate for affiliate sales. You can select from a list of advertisements and goods. Pick the most relevant ones for your blog and you'll have another passive revenue stream.
So many of the finest online money making opportunities entail self-employment? Embrace it, especially if you're at college. After school, the entrepreneurial skills you get from running your own online business may assist you in ways you may not realize. It may even be your life's work!
8. Doordash 
Drive (or bike) for up to $25/hour, food delivery software Doordash lets you work on your own time. You work when you wish and deliver meals from restaurants to consumers.
Over 200,000 individuals are doing this, so it must be working for some. You may make up to $25/hr depending on your city, plus you can ride your bike! Learn more about DoorDash 
9. Online Selling at Thrift Stores
Do you like a good deal? Doing so may pay off financially. Most people know about Ebay, but there are other internet marketplaces.
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And here's one that worked for me:
Download the BookScouter App on your phone to start generating money with this concept. This software allows you to scan the ISBN of any book and it shows you the rates that 30+ websites are ready to pay for that particular book. You can go to a thrift store or garage sale and buy books for 25 or 50 cents, sell them for a few bucks, and you have a basic company and some pizza money. Above is an image of the app and what bookshops are prepared to pay.
See this brief tutorial for more:
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR THRIFTING TO RESELL | POSHMARK EBAY DEPOP ETSY - YouTube
10. Testing websites
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Many major corporations want input on their website's usability.  Here comes, Get paid to answer questions about websites, explaining what is excellent or poor, confusing or clear, etc.
You must be 18+ to be approved into the program, but the rewards are substantial! They now pay $10-$15 each test, which takes around 20 minutes.
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badger auto insurance
BEST ANSWER: Try this site where you can compare quotes from different companies :help-insure.net
badger auto insurance
badger auto insurance policies. The cheapest companies for good student drivers are all in Oregon, Ohio, and California. This helps drivers with a high school diploma or below. For those who want to protect their vehicle, here are the cheapest insurers we found. For graduates and self-proclaimed ‘snowbirds’ who drive for a living, these insurers offer the cheapest rates in most states. A driver’s grade score can impact the car insurance rates they pay. For drivers with bad credit and a clean driving history, the cheapest auto insurance companies we found are: A driver’s can vary based on driving history and the type of vehicle they drive. Auto insurance quotes will reveal which insurer is the cheapest. In addition to individual driver needs and history, driving violations can impact the price of car insurance you get. Insurers want to know that you’re likely to get below the average cost of car insurance in Oregon. However, Oregon’s rates are higher than the national average. badger auto insurance rates are not as high as some of the states that spend less than 50 dollars a month. However, you can still be fined $500 for the first offense and $2,500 for subsequent violations. There are other penalties you may have to pay, too. According to , Massachusetts has one of the highest percentage of uninsured drivers. This could be due to the fact that Massachusetts doesn’t require collision and comprehensive coverage, which you may find helpful when you’re deciding whether or not you want to sign up for this kind of insurance. If you find yourself in the market for car insurance, the first thing you should think of are your driving record. For example, do you usually get a raise? If not, then it’s worthwhile to do some research into what you can to find the best car insurance company for your current situation. There are a couple of ways to go about finding the car insurance company that represents the cheapest car insurance for you. Some companies will offer. badger auto insurance is, as a matter of fact. It’s not just the type of insurance, but a lot of different things that are covered by the same policy. The car insurance coverage you might see on your car insurance quotes is generally based on the same factors, like your claim location, driver’s age and credit history, and your personal information. In the past, you wouldn’t find it hard to find cheap car insurance quotes online.  But that no longer is the case. Just because car insurance is cheaper doesn’t mean it is free.  For example, you don’t have to pay for the same company twice. Every auto insurance company will give you the same coverage options, but the options that are best for you will be different. For example, many insurance companies offer different auto insurance coverage limits than some, or that gives you a choice of policies. To save costs, it’s important to compare rates from multiple companies when buying.
Insuring Wisconsin Rapids & All of Wisconsin
Insuring Wisconsin Rapids & All of Wisconsin Rapids All of Wisconsin Rapids All of Wisconsin All of Wisconsin Rapids All of Wisconsin State Farm All of Illinois All of Illinois State Farm All of Illinois State Farm All of Illinois State Farm Free Auto All of Iowa All of Iowa State Farm All of Iowa State Farm State Farm All of Iowa State Farm State Farm All of Iowa State Farm State Farm State Farm All of Iowa State Farm All of Iowa State Farm State Farm State Farm all of Iowa State Farm $1,000,000 $500,000$500,000$750,000$1,500,000$1,500,000$1,200,000$1,500,000$2,500,000$2,500,000$3,500,000$3,200,000$3,300,000$4,500,000$4,400,000$5,200,000$4,800,000$5,200,000$6,200,000$7,600,.
Insurance
Insurance is still available to individuals who are not covered by health insurance. The term “maintained” is the title to this article. In any case, I would say that I would recommend not calling your state’s insurance commissioner. Share this post: What about insurance professionals? You have the ability to set your state’s insurer to work for you. There is no law in the US that requires health care professionals to take on a large salary as their work is to provide the services that are required by the law. In some cases, a medical professional may want to be compensated at low rates compared to employees. In fact, there are insurance companies in California who want to reward people who pay the insurance company premiums at least slightly more than they should. The average American can purchase a , , $1,500,000 of life insurance. To assess what the annual premiums are, I used my own personal data, updated 2014 . I then calculated.
Our Insurance Company Directory
Our Insurance Company Directory for Oklahoma. We are proud to work with a wide range of companies. Our insurance services are free and we have very few restrictions as to how your insurance coverage can be customized. As an independent life insurance broker, we do not always have a choice in one which is best for you. That is why we have a range of life insurance companies to choose from. It is important to understand the different terms to determine how best to use. If you are ready to start, please give us a call or send us an email. We are truly independent of any one insurance company and we will look for the best policy for your needs. In most cases, you have a few different options. In most cases, the term for a life insurance policy is permanent. If you have a child, this may be a good option for you, as life insurance will protect them from the time they become adults, and even from . The term insurance plan is just one more thing we can consider for you. If.
Specializing In Erie Insurance
Specializing In Erie Insurance Services Creating trust in Erie Auto Insurance for their local customers Being a leader in insuring auto owners with Erie Insurance, Erie Insurance Services will be there throughout the entire year when they want to please the customers. This includes auto owners to enjoy easy to access tools and online reports you can use to compare Erie cars in every section of your insurance needs. Finding quality auto insurance can be a challenge for any driver. Insurers view new drivers as risky and act quickly on risk, knowing drivers will be involved in accidents and out-of-control. That’s why Insurify ranked the best car insurance companies in the state of Florida. We then discounted the average cost on average for the following types of drivers: Here are the cheapest rates we found for our sample driver in Florida. This is one of the.
Request a Find an Insurance Agent Quote
Request a Find an Insurance Agent Quote In order to receive a quote, you must input your phone number and provide an estimate. If your cost estimate for a car is less than your estimate for a similar car, you may also want to look into buying more than the final amount. The amount of coverage you need depends on the car and your location and may vary between insurance providers. The first thing you should consider to determine how much coverage you would need is your monthly bill. Your car s value is likely going to be significantly higher, so you re going to be able to afford this amount if you have a similar car. Another consideration you should consider is the value of your car. If you have a newer or more expensive car, consider buying some coverage in case you have a loan. If you only need liability insurance, your lender may require you to purchase uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. If you have the proper insurance coverage and want to make sure you can trust your car, here are some things to consider when you choose.
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talabib · 4 years
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Take The Fear Out Of Finance.
Money can be a pretty scary topic when you’re a broke 20-year-old fresh out of college or a thirty-something just trying to get by in a big, expensive city. Paying your bills every month is hard enough, so how on earth are you supposed to find extra cash for an emergency fund, let alone a nest egg large enough to see you through retirement? 
Well, like all kinds of big undertakings in life, the journey from financial zero to financial hero starts with just one step. This can be as small as automatically saving $10 from your paycheck every month or moving your banking online to benefit from a better interest rate. 
Many people in their 20s and early 30s find money stressful, confusing, and scary – and it’s holding them back. 
After a night on the town, Erin and her friend Lizzie sobered up over coffee. Like many millennials drawn to New York, Lizzie came to the Big Apple to pursue a creative career. But she’d found herself trapped in a boring corporate job. 
Erin asked Lizzie why she didn’t just quit. After all, she was 23, debt-free, and single – wasn’t this the perfect time to work crappy waitressing or nannying jobs while she pursued her true calling?
“I don’t know,” Lizzie replied. “Money just really stresses me out!” She never looked at her bank account and always just hoped there was enough cash to make it to the end of the month. Quitting her job would mean managing her money, which she’d never learned how to do.
Lizzie was a smart young woman who came from a well-off family. But if a savvy professional like her couldn’t manage her money, how were other people her age coping? It’s a question Erin couldn’t help asking herself. And it wasn’t long before she realized that Lizzie’s experience is pretty common among millennials.
Getting a handle on your finances is often the difference between a life of fulfillment and a life of frustration. If you don’t manage your money properly, you could end up working to pay the rent but being unable to afford the kids – or pets – you really want. It might even mean skipping out on every exciting experience on your bucket list, or else splurging on those experiences now, only to find yourself living from paycheck to paycheck for the rest of your life.
Yes, getting a handle on your finances is a serious business. It’s no wonder the anxiety about money can be crippling. So, how do you break out of this anxiety trap, or – better yet – avoid it entirely? 
Improving your relationship with money doesn’t require complex formulas. All it takes is a series of small steps that, together, add up to one big change.
Changing your relationship with money begins with finding hidden roadblocks. 
Money management isn’t rocket science. Sticking to a budget and saving for a rainy day is, after all, a pretty straightforward notion. Why, then, is it so hard to do? 
Well, just as “eat less” and “exercise more” are commonsense advice, this doesn’t automatically lead to good decisions when it comes to being healthy. That’s because compulsive behavior isn’t rational – there’s almost always a more deeply rooted issue involved. The only way to change is to unearth the reasons why you overindulge.
Your relationship with money started years before you took out your student loan or got a credit card. So, to change your compulsive behavior, you have to go back to your childhood – the time when the patterns holding you back were first established.
It all began to take shape when you realized how your parents or caregivers related to money. Maybe they were open about the family’s finances, or perhaps they treated money as taboo and talked about it in hushed tones. Maybe you were food-insecure, or perhaps you were embarrassed by your family’s wealth. Whatever your childhood was like, there’s a good chance you can trace your current hang-ups with money back to these formative experiences.
Discovering these roadblocks is the first step on the road to financial freedom. To get you started on the journey, answer the following questions as honestly as possible. You’ll need to write these down as you’ll be looking back over your answers.
What’s your first memory of money, and how does that memory make you feel? How did you get the money you spent growing up – did you deliver newspapers, for example, or did you have an allowance? What kinds of things did you buy? How did your parents or caregivers talk about money? What are your financial concerns today?
Now review your answers and consider what they say about your money mentality. Do you worry about money running out, or forever being in debt? If so, your mind-set is probably one of fear. If you’re still spending money like you did as a kid, you may be trapped in a cycle of helplessness. 
There are two basic approaches to budgeting: the cash diet and tracking every last penny. 
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution to taking control of your money. As we’ve seen, different people have different attitudes and hang-ups, and these can be traced back to their unique childhood experiences.
It’s no wonder, then, that one method will suit some people better than others. Take budgeting as an example. How you go about planning your monthly spend depends on what you hope to achieve. 
Let’s start with the cash diet. As the name suggests, this method means you’ll be switching as many of your financial transactions as possible from plastic to cash. Why would you choose this old-school approach in the digital age? Well, there are two good reasons.
First, research shows that you spend less when you pay with notes and coins rather than swiping a card. Second, it’s a whole lot cheaper. When you pay cash, you don’t have to worry about credit card charges, interest payments, or that dreaded monthly bill.
Making the transition to cash-only can be tricky, but it doesn’t have to be hard. Start by dividing your monthly budget into weekly installments. This will help you keep track of your expenses, and means you don’t have to stuff a month’s worth of cash into your desk drawer. It’s also a good idea to have a buffer of, say, $100 – just in case you get dinged by a bill you’d forgotten about halfway through the month.
Another budgeting method is the track every penny system. The idea here is to record every single transaction in a spreadsheet – with columns for the date, the item purchased, and the total cost – down to the very last cent. It might sound extreme, but it’s a great option if you’re the kind of person who wonders where on earth all your money went at the end of the month.
Recording your expenses like this allows you to find previously hidden patterns. This, in turn, means you can redirect your money in better ways. Abby, for example, discovered that she was spending close to $100 on bottled water from Starbucks every month. So she spent $10 on a refillable water bottle instead and freed up a whopping $90 a month for other things.
Realistic budgeting percentages can help you meet your long-term financial goals while staying on top of your monthly bills. 
Generally speaking, your money pays for one of three things: fixed costs like rent, financial goals like saving for a house, and flexible spending on day-to-day living. In an ideal world, you’d give 50 percent of your net income to the first category, 20 percent to the second, and 30 percent to the third.
If you’re a millennial living in a major city, this might sound pretty unrealistic. Your rent alone probably claims half your salary – even before you think about utilities, loan repayments, or subway tickets.
That doesn’t mean that budgeting by percentages isn’t useful. It just means you need to work your way slowly toward the ideal.
Think of these ideal percentages as a goal for when you’re earning enough for them to be realistic. For now, you can adjust them to your unique situation and re-evaluate them as things change.
No matter what your circumstances are, your percentages should be reasonable. In other words, you shouldn’t allocate 40 percent of your budget to fixed costs, 55 percent to flexible spending, and only 5 percent to long-term financial goals.
Take the following fictional example. Dwight lives in New York City and earns $45,000 a year. After taxes and contributions to his retirement fund, he’s left with $31,800, or $2,650 a month. 
Dwight needs $1,350 to cover rent, utility bills, and transportation costs. Throw in another $250 a month for student loan repayments, and Dwight spends $1,600 – or around 60 percent of his net income – on fixed costs.
That leaves just over $1,000. Ideally, Dwight should be putting 20 percent of his income toward his financial goals, which would mean saving $500 a month. But that wouldn’t leave him with enough to get by in an expensive city like New York. Dwight’s solution? He saves $200 a month, which leaves $850 – or 30 percent of his net income – for things like food. 
This is a temporary fix. When he gets his next raise, Dwight can keep his fixed expenses and flexible spending at their current levels and save the extra money for his financial goals. This will change his percentages and better align them with the ideal.
You can get a better interest rate on your savings if you switch to an online bank.
The way banks display your account balance suggests that the money is just sitting there, patiently waiting for you to spend it. This makes intuitive sense. It’s your money, after all – where else would it be but in your account? 
In reality, the money you deposit in your account is used to make loans to other customers, and this allows banks to make huge profits. In return, the bank offers you interest in the form of an annual percentage yield, or APY.
Typically, this might be as low as 0.01 percent, meaning you get one penny per year for every $100 in your account. When the bank loans money, though, it charges closer to $3 for every hundred dollars it lends. That’s a big difference, and it’s high time you started getting a better deal.
Chances are, you didn’t choose your bank based on the APY. Instead, it was probably about convenience – maybe your parents used the same bank, or maybe you just picked one close to your home. But APY should be a dealbreaker.
If you keep $2,000 in an account with a tiny APY, you’re looking at a return of just 20 cents at the end of the year. In most cities, that doesn’t even buy you two minutes of drying time in a laundromat. The same amount of money in an account with an APY of one percent, by contrast, yields $20. Granted, that’s not exactly a fortune, but it definitely stacks up a lot faster than 20 cents! 
So, where do you find a bank offering that kind of APY? In a word: online.
Internet-only banks usually offer much better APYs than their brick-and-mortar competitors because they’re cheaper to operate. They don’t have to buy land, construct branch offices, or pay property taxes. This means they can pass these savings onto customers in the form of better interest rates.
To find the bank that’s right for you, just Google “highest-interest savings account.” Before switching, however, make sure you read up on the bank’s fees and what other customers have to say about its services. The last thing you want to do is leave a bad bank for one that’s even worse.
Credit cards are a great financial tool as long as you clear your debts every month. 
Credit cards are an easy way to blow through your cash. Not only do you lose track of what you’re spending, but you also face a pile of bills with massive interest payments at the end of every month. 
That’s a pretty good reason to avoid credit cards altogether, right? Not quite.
While the cash-only approach can help you get a handle on your finances and spare you extra bills, using a credit card helps build your credit score, which will come in handy if you want to borrow money to, say, buy a house one day.
The best way to benefit from credit cards without exposing yourself to the risks is to follow one simple rule: never charge more than you can afford to pay off in full and make sure you pay the full balance every single month.
In theory, a credit card is a bit like a one-month loan. The credit card company gives you a piece of plastic that you can use to make purchases up to an agreed monthly limit. You buy what you need and, at the end of the month, the credit card company sends you a bill. 
But the bill you receive contains two numbers. The first number tells you the total amount that you owe. The second number is the minimum due amount. This is the smallest amount you can pay without defaulting, and it means that the rest of your debt rolls over into the next month. 
At this point, you have two choices. Pay the total amount and you’re all square – the credit card company can’t charge you if you don’t owe anything. Pay the minimum due amount, on the other hand, and they charge you with interest. This can be 20 percent per year or higher, and often comes with special clauses that allow the credit card company to increase the rates even further if you miss a payment. 
This is a cleverly designed trap, and it lures millions of credit card users into spending more than they can afford. The result? A ruined credit score and spiraling debts that become harder to pay with every passing month.
Saving money prevents you from falling into a debt trap.
What’s the single most effective change you can make when it comes to your financial behavior? Ask a personal finance expert that question, and you’ll likely hear these words: “Pay yourself first.” 
The phrase means that the first thing you should do with your paycheck is put a chunk of it into savings, rather than wait until the end of the month to see if there’s anything left. 
Now, if you’re a securely employed, mid-career forty-something, this isn’t too much of an ask. But if you’re a cash-strapped millennial who feels lucky just to break even, paying yourself first is pretty hard. Still, there’s one compelling reason you should do it anyway.
Life is unpredictable – you never know what might happen next. This is why it’s so important to protect yourself against the worst, which is exactly what you’re doing by saving money.
When you hit a streak of bad luck, and everything starts breaking down, you have two options. You can either dip into your savings to pay for that unexpected bill, or you can use a credit card. 
The first option is painful – no one really wants to use their rainy-day fund, after all. But the second option is much worse. Maxing out your credit card to cover an emergency means you’ll be paying interest on debts rather than saving for the future. This leaves you even more exposed the next time something goes wrong.
So, how do you pay yourself first to avoid this debt trap? The easiest way is to start small. Skip out on one $10 craft cocktail or a couple of $5 coffees per paycheck, and put that money into a savings account instead. It’s not a lot, but that’s kind of the point. If you adapt to small and easy changes, the new habit will stick.
Once you’ve learned to live with ten fewer dollars each month, you can start making bigger changes. Raise the amount you save to $20, $50, or even $100. You can make this process even simpler by speaking to your HR department and having your company wire this money into your savings account each payday. If that’s not an option, have your bank set up an automatic transfer. That way, you don’t have to think about it at all.
Your current financial situation dictates the size of your emergency fund. 
It doesn’t matter if it’s a student loan, consumer debt, or a mix of the two – when you’re in debt, you’re almost certain to get hit by an unexpected bill at one point or another. And if you’re poorly prepared for one financial crisis, you’ll be even more exposed to the next one. 
That’s why it’s so important to have an emergency fund to see you through to the next paycheck. It means you can avoid credit card debt and go right back to saving when things pick up again.
How much should you save to beat bad luck? Well, the short answer is “it depends.”  Classic financial wisdom states that your emergency fund should cover six months of living expenses. If you’re a debt-burdened, underemployed millennial, however, that might be out of your reach. In that case, aim for a minimum of $1,000 to keep you afloat in a pinch, bearing in mind that this is for one person. If other people or pets rely on you, up this by at least $500 per dependent.
If you’re debt-free or your debt is manageable, by contrast, you should be able to act on the advice and save enough to cover six months of basic living expenses. Just add up your monthly spend on essentials like rent, bills, and groceries and multiply this by six – that’s your target. 
Finally, if you’re a freelancer, you’ll need to save enough to cover nine months of living expenses. Not only is everything more expensive when you’re your own boss, but you’re also working with income that changes every month. That’s stressful enough at the best of times, so it makes sense to give your emergency savings some extra padding.
Ideally, your emergency fund should be cash in a bank account with an APY of at least 1 percent, not tied up in investments or stocks. That’s because having an emergency fund doesn’t just give you a financial cushion – it also gives you peace of mind. The last thing you want is to be running around selling stocks to access your money when you’re stressed out about other things!
And there you have it – a series of simple tricks that, together, will help you get a handle on your money and transform your financial life!
Lots of millennials find money stressful, and that’s holding them back. If you don’t have a handle on your finances, you’re unlikely to be saving for the future, and that means you’re headed straight into the debt trap. But you don’t have to live paycheck to paycheck. Learn to budget by percentages and use your credit card the right way, and you’ll be off to a great start. Throw in online banking and an emergency fund to see you through hard times, and you’ll be well on your way to financial freedom. 
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gameb-diary-sh · 4 years
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19.11.2020
/ / Goodlife technology
These are so called serious games, which is a new term for me. And for these at Goodlife technology they used kinect as controls. It was explained that with kinect the first games for it were underperforming. Inaccuracy was an issue, but looking at the code it was very interesting and had a lot of possibilities. The thing they did was a game called glider and the concept was not something that was done by others during that time. Also in the area of these games (rehabilitation), there really wasn’t any back then.
People who survive a serious stroke don’t recover back to the perfectly same state as before and the rehabilitation needs motivation. Your skills depending on severity of the stroke can deteriorate greatly and it makes recovering hard, I see why that journey would need more fun in it and it’s really fascinating how games can make that possible.
I found it interesting that the game itself wasn’t something you’d expect, it’s a glider game where you collect coins! Not something like do this move and try this position for points, but actually fun looking game.
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In these sort of games it’s important to not punish the player, but reward them for doing things right or well. Because again, the process of healing isn’t usually an easy one so the player shouldn’t become frustrated, but also not bored by being rewarded too easily.
Difficulty apparently with this glider game was calibrating movements to the player as it had to be good for all kinds of people and their capabilities. This is something I haven’t considered much before, it was good to learn that just moving your upper body sideways was enough movement to somewhat play the game. And the fact that it was easy to start the game too, you could stand in front of it and raise your hand to start the game. This is such a new view to me as I’m more familiar with learning games. I've heard of memory games for elderly at my previous job, but I never considered this further, but I was interested in the idea of these since. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmRJj8MjezU&feature=emb_title)
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It really makes sense how playing this kind of game lets you train your mobility and accuracy that you’ve lost. It needs to be easy to use, easy to access (public place in hospital etc.), no keyboards or mouse for access, depending on use should also record only the specific user on their own turn (Bracelet used for starting at the hospital he talked about in the end).
Another game was goodlife trainer.
A game for physical therapists with kinect. The therapists don’t usually get to see their clients from multiple angles and perspectives, certainly not from the bird’s view/top. Again something I have not thought of before! It’s very cool that you could inspect your client and their movements this way, in ways that were not possible or easy before. 
Usability is an usual challenge with these it seems, since you need a computer that’s decent to run these. However forcing the user to use keyboard and mouse in the situation where they interact with their client, is changing their usual behavior so you should consider what would feel more natural, in this case it was a phone. Also the fact that it’s easy for the inspector to see what the patient is doing wrong, but not so easy for the patient if they have no indicators to see. So you have to keep in mind to make it an easy experience for both of the parties.
With glider the win was that the users weren’t also really thinking that they were playing a video game! They knew their relatives play them or something, but they didn’t feel like glider was a video game. As someone who plays a lot of video games, this feels like something that really takes some time to get used to, so that you reach this kind of result. I feel like I’d very easily start thinking from too much of a regular video game kind of view, it would take some practice and thought process to create a rehabilitation game. This was such a good presentation, because I’ve had interest in games and learning, mostly considering language as I’m very familiar with those apps. Those usually fail at creating the feel of a game at all, it’s a lot of repeating words in a fancy interface, so it becomes a chore like regularly studying very fast. Or if some manage to make the repeating somewhat interesting, the actual benefit towards learning isn’t that good. You can repeat 500 words, but as the app gives you no sentences or usable context for them, your knowledge becomes rather useless. I knew rehab games exist in some form, but you don’t hear much talk about them. Ended up writing quite much of the points down that I want to keep in mind... 
Note: In the game industry the customers decide will you live.. Or die :) For these games there was a lot of doing wrong and doing many different tries. More on rehab with games (there seems to be a lot of research, less content for someone who wants to just familiarize yourself with the subject through articles which is a shame, these definitely could be more known to everyone): https://www.nrtimes.co.uk/a-game-changer-in-rehab-exercise/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4839901/ (survey on what patients look for in these games)
/ /  Running your own indie & crossplatform publications
I’ve actually stumbled upon Kukouri before searching for nearby game companies, so this was not the first time I’ve heard of them. I was surprised to hear pixel worlds has 5+ million downloads. It was nice to see what kind of game it was a bit closer. The way they keep the content for the game constant, always having something new, keeps it fresh and engaging to the players. This reminds me of how games I’ve been playing the longest offer similar service and updates to the players. 
Then onto the subject of running your own indie. You usually do need more than one person for these games and dedication is needed to keep everything together. Varied skills are important since the teams are smaller and also due to the size, it’s more important to get along with the team. 
To remember: Bad chemistry and different goals will really hurt you in the long run so it’s important to keep this in mind right from the start and aim for people who are on the same page. Also have someone who makes the big decisions at the end of the day.  (This I can agree on! I’ve been working without such a person at a job and it would’ve really helped if there was someone keeping the ropes on their hands in a consistent way. It can really result in unnecessary confusion and slow down the process.)
I feel like without knowing what this takes, it’s easy to dream that you just start and that’s it. It was informative to hear that yes, there is finances and these are resources what you could need. Enough money to survive for 12 months is probably something I wouldn’t have thought at first as I have zero knowledge on this subject, so you really need to have this planned a year ahead. -> Different loans and grants there are: Starttiraha, ELY-keskus, Business Finland for example. Then there is Venture Capital (Harder to get) and Angels (Much smaller in Finland, so harder to get also). On the other points like outsourcing to pay bills and publishers I decided to look for some extra information: https://www.consultancellc.com/outsource-bill-payment/ https://blackshellmedia.com/2017/07/23/7-companies-every-game-developer-should-work-with/ https://blog.getsocial.im/indie-vs-game-publisher-whats-better-for-your-game/
Compared to mobile publishing for PC (steam) is much more traditional and not as expensive. For mobile the marketing takes a lot of money. “The mobile gaming landscape is constantly changing year-on-year and so is advertising“: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-05-12-growing-apps-through-user-acquisition (On subject of UA on mobile) -> Day to day operations and bureaucracy take time!  -> Revenues are paid with delay up to 180 days. Store cuts and taxes. Another thing to remember is that something always goes wrong. You need to be prepared for that and ready to deal with it. It might mean delays of several months. Planning and doing your homework will be a matter of life and death, so don’t be lazy with this. Without forgetting the importance of networking.  There is a lot of new information for myself so it’s a bit difficult to have my own thoughts on this matter. Especially since it has never been a plan of mine to start my own indie. However, I think it’s very important to know this even if you’d join as an employee only, so you understand how indies operate and are formed. The part about getting along with the team is very important in this case, so it is a big thing to keep in mind when applying for an indie company. They might already know each other and have a group that gets along, you have to be willing to communicate and get to know people so you’ll get along as well as possible. These are articles I went through on the side, because I feel like I need to do some reading on the subject: https://www.polygon.com/2014/7/31/5949433/the-cost-of-a-game-studio Hades is indie I’ve played recently and took part in the early access as well and I really enjoyed the experience: https://www.pcgamer.com/a-journey-through-early-access-helped-make-hades-a-masterpiece/ On the subject of forming a solid team: https://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/forming-solid-indie-game-development-team/
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rimavenhwblog-blog · 4 years
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How might we design a personalized budgeting site/app for people?
Interview Questions:
Do you follow a budget? Do you use any apps or tools to follow it?
How helpful are these tools or apps you may use in regards to helping you stick to your budget? In other words, how has your spending differed since using these tools/apps? If you don't use anything to help you budget, how do you usually keep yourself from spending too much?
For a budgeting tool, how comfortable are you with the idea of integrating your bank accounts, credit lines and income figures? Does it sound more convenient or more like an invasion of privacy?
How involved would you want a tool to become in limiting your spending money? For some examples, would you like it to be limited to strictly giving you figures on how much you spend on what? Would you like it to give you a strict plan for spending? Would you want it to lock your accounts if it notices patterns that could be deemed as irresponsible spending? Would you want to set the bar for "irresponsible" yourself or would you like for it to be more guided by an accountant?
What features might you want to see in a budgeting tool/app that has not been mentioned?
Danish:
Sure don't
I just tell myself that if I “don’t know” whether or not I can afford something means I can't so I don't buy it
For a third party thing, fairly uncomfortable if it’s new, comfortable enough if it’s established 
I would want it super involved; prefer to have it be moderated by an accountant if I’m reaching out to use an app or tool
The ability to allow me to use my money for investments so it can make me more money
Paul:
No
Staying inside my apartment
Depending on the security of the platform, otherwise it makes me feel less safe
I wouldn't want it to constrain me in case of a emergency, the last thing I want would be to have to get on the phone with my bank
N/A
Andrew:
Not currently. I set aside a certain amount of my paycheck for savings, but I don't have a specific budget.
Since I don't use anything to help me budget, I keep from spending too much by constantly monitoring my bank account to make sure I don't spend more than I have in my checking account. This way I don't have to touch my savings.
I'm comfortable with the idea of integrating my accounts. I've already done so with apps like Venmo. 
I would want it to be able to give me guidelines to help me control my spending, but I definitely wouldn't want it to be able to restrict my spending. I feel like I have more self-control than that. I also personally wouldn't desire to have an accountant.
I would love to see a feature that incorporates automatic savings, so that I can be putting away money on a regular basis.
Kaitlyn:
Yes, and no apps 
I meticulously write things down 
Invasion of privacy for me. Not a fan of tools like that.
guided by an accountant, someone whom i can speak to would make me feel more comfortable 
personal consultant
Jalen:
Because I'm a student and make all my money over the summer and from loans, I don't exactly have a budget. I get paid in a few big chunks and have to make it last. So, at the beginning of the year I figure out how much money I think I'll spend and stick basically to that amount per week.
I used to use Mint, but I don't anymore. Again, because I don't have an income, it was just kind of depressing to watch the money go out every week.
I feel pretty comfortable integrating my bank account and stuff. Mint seemed to have pretty good security. And maybe this is a bad reason, but so many other websites have my information that this doesn't feel much worse.
I don't think I'd want an app to lock me out of my money. There are all kinds of reasons I could spend an "irresponsible" amount of money, whether for a one-time big treat or for an emergency. But it might be nice for it to have suggestions on how much to spend vs. save. I'm never sure what the recommendation is on that, and it could help me feel less guilty every time I spend money.
I think I would just want the app to be easy to adjust if I had a change in income or rent or something. That would be especially helpful as a student who works only seasonally.
John:
I check my monthly bank statements to try and figure out what my monthly recurring bills are. After that, I type out a Google Document that has that, along with what days they are on, and write that out.
It is helpful to just have a file that I can pull up via my computer or cell phone. My spending has fared pretty well. I think my issue is just what to do with the excess money.
I am very comfortable with integrating my bank account into an app.
I would love that. I would want it to give me a strict plan for spending and even lock my account if I was being irresponsible. I would like for an accountant to also determine what was responsible and irresponsible.
I think the main feature I would want to see in a budgeting tool/app would be a daily allowance that, if not spent, gets pulled over to the next day for what I can spend.
James:
No I don’t 
I have a guaranteed paycheck so money can kind of slip through my fingers and I really need to stop thinking like that. 
To be honest, with that much information I’d be paranoid. Would have to have some damn good security.
I’d like an app to warn me, but not block. Strict plan would be solid. I’d like to set the standards myself because I can be honest with myself. A lot of the time I just need someone or something to tell me “hey, maybe don’t” 
It would be cool to get statistics as to how your budgeting and saving has improved with things like either percentages or graphs.
Ryan:
I don’t follow a budget. I have an automated excel file that I keep around that helps me get an overview of what my income and expenses are on a monthly basis.
Very helpful. Since I started using an automated excel file, I’ve found that my spending has drastically reduced. I have an automated graph that tracks my net worth, so it has been very encouraging to see it go up as time passes.
Fairly comfortable. I lean more towards the convenience over privacy
I would want a tool that is more suggestive than limiting.
A visual graph denoting important aspects of my budget would be useful. As a consumer, I may not know what those specific aspects are or could be.
Rachel:
Very loosely. I do not have strict limits for each category of spending, but I do somewhat limit what I allow myself to spend on “extra things” so that I guarantee that I have money for recurring bills and groceries. When I get paid, I transfer a set amount of money to my savings so that if I were to need extra money or money to pay bills because I overspent, I have money to cover it. I do not use a budgeting app, but I do use an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of my recurring bills and how much I spend each month and total for the year on those bills.
I do my best to spend money on the important categories first. For example, while I may choose to grab fast food right before going grocery shopping, I make an effort to finish all my grocery shopping for the next two weeks (I am paid biweekly) before I choose to eat at another restaurant, go shopping for clothes, hang with a friend etc. Around the end of a month, I take a look at when my next paycheck is and how much my recurring bills will cost. If I have just enough money to pay my bills and no extra, then I curb my spending in other categories to avoid taking money from my allotted money for my bills category.
I am not comfortable with combining in one app all of the above information. My concern would be security. With all the information readily available in one location, the app would need to have security to prevent hacking. I prefer to have my information spread through different apps because each app can then focus on providing the best experience for the one task it is designed to perform.
I wouldn’t want a tool that limits my spending. I don’t think artificial intelligence can discern and distinguish between what is “irresponsible” spending and “necessary spending,” especially in case of emergencies or if I choose to help a friend by buying items they need, I don’t want an app that will prevent me from spending just because it goes slightly over the strict limit set. If I were to give permission to an app to control my budget, I would want as many settings options as can be thought of to allow for me to customize what my budget looks like week to week and account for life’s unpredictable spending needs.
I think it could be helpful to have an app that doesn’t limit spending but tracks spending on particular categories as set by the user. It would provide data to understand better where spending occurs rather than an app/tool only telling when you have reached a limit in a category of spending.
Michaela:
I don’t but I absolutely should
I’m very underpaid so spending too much usually isn’t my issue. It’s not having enough to pay bills in the first place.
Honestly, I would love an app that shows me everything in one place. Being spread out over multiple apps stresses me out.
I would love to see different plans presented by the app after it studies my spending habits and pay stubs. I think having the freedom to choose one of those plans would be great, too. However, locking my account would be out of the question. I need some control.
I would love to get a monthly statement in regards to what I’m spending my money on and how much those things cost. I would also like it to be uncluttered and well organized. Managing money is hard enough. I wouldn’t want a cluttered app to overload my brain anymore than it is when it comes to money!
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jobbmaroc · 5 years
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12 Personal Finance Tips That Will Change Your Life
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Good financial habits are hard to develop and harder to stay. Sometimes, it feels overwhelming once you realize that managing your finances may be a lot quite having the ability to regulate your expenses or maintaining a gentle stream of income. Personal Finance compiles everything that directs your financial life to utmost stability and peace – paying down your debt, saving for the longer term, budgeting and everything else that's somehow associated with money.
This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.
While it'd sound boring to formulate a budget or cultivate a frugal lifestyle, it'll be worthwhile once you begin noticing small positive impacts on your financial journey. Below are a number of the foremost effective personal finance tips which will cause you to feel rich in your financial journey and can get your finances in order:
1. Track your net worth- Your net worth determines your overall financial standing and provides you the right picture of your financial stability. Keep track of your net worth – the difference between your assets and your liabilities. While your net worth could be negative at the beginning of your career due to the debt component, your ultimate goal should be to extend your assets and pay off your liabilities. More internet worth, better financial stability.
2. Set a workable household budget- Budget is an estimation of your income and expenses over a specified period of your time, say every week or a month. Have a household budget in situ to stay your expenses in restraint and to form sure that you simply save a minimum of a particular amount monthly to assist support your future needs. Your budget shouldn’t be too rigid to follow but should be workable enough to incorporate all of your necessary expenses like groceries, utilities, etc. Having a budget is merely effective if you follow it abreast of a daily basis and make changes when needed.
3. Cultivate a frugal lifestyle- Cultivating a frugal lifestyle shouldn't be misunderstood as living cheap. A frugal lifestyle is anything that helps you economize by making small changes in your spending habits. Here are a number of the foremost effective frugal living tips which will assist you to economize in no time:
Pay your bills on time to avoid any late fees. Use discount coupons and avail cash backs while shopping online. Control Impulse spending and avoid pocket money on belongings you don’t need. Wait for products to travel on sale than having to pay a full price for them. Prefer eating a home-cooked meal over eating out. Resort to the choice of effective meal getting to economize on groceries. If your schedule doesn’t allow you adequate time to plan your meals, a $5 hotel plan is often the last word solution to your problem. they need to make meal planning simple on behalf of me and I’m not leaving them anytime soon.
4. Set Specific financial goals- Have specific financial goals in situ for the longer term. Have an image in mind on where you'd wish to see yourself 5 years from now, 10 years from now, 20 years from now and 30 years from now. once you know your financial priorities, your personal finance journey gets much easier. So once you know that paying off your student loan and automobile loan are some things that you simply would like to realize five years from now, you'll be ready to adjust your finances accordingly. Also, your financial goals might need a revision every now then with changes in your financial situation.
5. Retirement Planning- How you manage your finances in your 20s and 30s is what determines how your life would be post-retirement. people that are ready to retire after 40 are usually those who are managing their finances during a smarter way right from the start of their careers. everyone dreams to measure a financially comfortable life post-retirement which makes it necessary to try to complicated retirement planning. you ought to be ready to save enough amount of cash to supply for your basic needs in your 60s without having to depend upon anyone else for an equivalent.
6. Keep track of your finances- once I first visited the college, wont to be"> I used to be completely used to the habit of keeping track of where my money was going. Every penny spent would be taken note of and cross-checked at the top of the month. My Mom wont to call me a paranoid for being concerned about little expenses but this habit helped me learn the art of cash management. Keeping track of your finances can go an extended way in stabilizing your financial life by creating a way of self-awareness concerning your finances. Your bills, unplanned expenses and proportion of income that goes into each component of your budget should be tracked by you to assist you to retain your finances in restraint.
7. Write off your debt- Debt repayment should be your favorite priority when it involves setting your financial goals. You might, of course, got to make sure small sacrifices in your debt repayment journey but what comes out of it might be worthwhile.
8. Have an Emergency Fund- Life is filled with uncertainties and it’s on us to be prepared for love or money that life might throw at us. does one have an idea in situ for the unforeseen circumstances which will arise in the future? How long are you able to feed your family if you suddenly happen to lose your job? what proportion are you ready if a shutdown were to occur within the company you’re working for? Well, that’s not me being pessimistic. But everyone wants to possess themselves and their family secured at any cost which is why having an emergency fund should be one among your topmost priorities.
9. Start Investing Today- Investment is one of the simplest ways to form money from money. Now, investment is that the word that's known to scare people thanks to the associated risk factor but many folks fail to understand that multiple investment options are safer and carry lower risk than stocks. land, Fixed deposit schemes, high-yield bank account are a couple of options where your money sits safely. At an equivalent time, it’s always in your best interest to possess an entire knowledge of the investments that you simply are getting to make.
10. Have a Side Hustle to form Money– Having a side hustle helps you earn some extra bucks while keeping your day job. Although it’s easier said than done I’m sure it’s not difficult to possess a side hustle since all folks possess some unique skills that go underutilized. With the arrival of the internet, I do know people that are easily making a couple of hundred dollars in their spare time by managing the social media pages for brands. Writers and creatives can easily sell their services online, people with basic educational knowledge can tutor others in their spare time and people with some knowledge of the online can become virtual assistants.
11. Create a savings plan and stick with it- You don’t get to be making thousands of dollars a month to be ready to but your future needs. With a correct savings plan and a touch of motivation to stay thereto is all you would like to save lots of some money. Every time you get your paycheck, put aside a particular amount as your fixed savings and spend the remainder of it towards your expenses. Always list savings as a hard and fast item in your savings plan and don’t use it for love or money else. Keep a record of your expenses and see where you'll save extra money.
12. Spend time on your financial education- Basic financial education may be a must to be ready to manage your finances adequately. You don’t require a knowledgeable degree when it involves acquiring basic financial knowledge. a daily reading habit to stay yourself updated with the happenings within the financial world is all you would like to spice up your financial literacy.
Personal Finances may be a subject that will never be avoided when it comes right down to financial security. Invest in yourself to be ready to earn extra money and discuss your finances together with your spouse as it’s always good to possess a special opinion on how you ought to set about handling your finances. nobody can know your financial needs better than you and therefore the onus is on you to create up your financial security.
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aspergersissues · 7 years
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In need of help/advice
I'm posting this here because it's disability/autism related. I'm in desperate need of help with this. If you can't help in some way, reblogging this to get it to someone who can, that would be awesome. Even just offering me some advice or first hand experience with this would be wonderful. I don't know what to do about this. I screwed up my right hand about ten years ago. Just over seven years ago, I went back to college because I had to quit my career as a musician since my hand wouldn't work anymore and I couldn't continue to play any of my instruments. Once I was in school, I figured out what I wanted to do with my life again. I was going to get my PhD in biology and teach college. I was going to use my aspie super power (talking non-stop about stuff I'm interested in) to teach others about biology- one of my favorite topics. I was turning a weakness into a strength and working toward something that would be good for others, too. I would be contributing to society again, instead of just collecting disability benefits. Everything was going great until I moved to New York to start my graduate degree. The school I moved up here to attend doesn't believe in the ADA and won't honor accommodations. I've actually been told that my requested accommodations would cheapen the value of their degrees. Without accommodations, I can't continue my education. After spending my savings of $10k to move here, I couldn't afford to move again to another college somewhere else. I had to try and stick it out. I fought hard, like the hardest I've ever fought for anything. After three years, I only have 20 credit hours toward my degree and most of them are courses I already took at previous colleges that this one made me retake (which includes Bio 1!!). I have $70,000 in student loans from this college alone. In the spring, I transferred to a local community college (who does follow the ADA) and decided to spend two semesters working on a second AS degree to make myself easier to hire (hopefully). I have no idea where to go next, though, as I just had another career plan yanked away from me. When I went to get loans/grants/etc for the final semester this fall, I found out that I no longer qualify for any. By the time I found out, it was too late to apply for scholarships. I tried, but none came through. I won't get to finish my second degree, now, despite only needing 15 credit hours which I was already signed up for this fall. The lack of courses this fall means my student loan grace period is about to run out. I have to start paying them back. My disability income is only $750 a month, though. Any amount is going to hurt badly. So I need to try to find a job with the degree I have and try to start working again. This comes with its own problem. I am on Medicare/Medicaid. It's VERY important that I have this insurance. My medications that I take are $800 a month without insurance. With my current insurance, they are $5 a month. Also, between all the specialists I see, I have a doctor visit or two every two months. Those currently cost me nothing, but would be $300 a visit for the one I know the costs for if I had no insurance. Two of the medications I take daily have withdrawal symptoms that could kill me if I stopped taking them suddenly. These are also the two most expensive drugs I take. When I start working, I lose my Medicare/Medicaid right away. Because of this, I have to find a job that has good health insurance and I need that coverage to start immediately. I also need to ensure that it's a job I won't lose for any reason. If I do, it takes a year to get back on Medicare and Medicaid. I don't have a good track record with non-music jobs. I either end up at a place that doesn't want to deal with an autistic employee who has to do things just a little bit different (despite doing them the same quality and quantity as everyone else if not better) and I get fired, I get bullied by coworkers or bosses and end up quitting after I can't take it anymore, or the office politics pushes me into a corner I can't get out of leading to one of the other two outcomes. These have happened at almost every job I've ever had outside of music. Sometimes it takes a month. Sometimes it takes a year. It always happens, though. If I start working and it doesn't work out, I could die. If I don't start working and have to continue living on my disability minus student loan payments, I could end up homeless. Each scenario is horrific. Worst of all, after losing two careers, I don't even know what to do with my life, now. It was hard enough to find a second passion that was compatible with my autism and hand problems, but another? I just don't know. I've been having panic attacks almost every day for two months, now. I'm also stuck in a deep, deep depression. I can barely function right now. I'm sure the friends I've managed to spend any time with have noticed I've been super off, lately. I'm spending so much energy not collapsing into the fetal position and sobbing that my more pronounced autistic symptoms are sticking out in ways that they normally don't. My normal lack of a filter on what I say has gone away completely and I have no control at all most of the time. Just... what do I do? Where the fuck do I go from here? I've got a wonderful partner that I love very much and who has supported me through all this, but I just feel like she's losing patience for having to completely support me financially for so long, now. If things fell apart, I don't know if she'd stay with me. God, that's probably my biggest fear. She's everything to me and all I do is for her in a lot of ways. Even if she wouldn't toss me aside, I don't know if I could live with myself being completely dependent on her any longer. I want to contribute to our lives the way she's done for me. How do I stop this awful rollercoaster I'm on? I just want some fucking stability in my life again. I want to know what success feels like, again. And I don't want to be afraid anymore.
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creditmonkey · 5 years
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How to Manage Student Loan Debt Successfully (From the Start)
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For many college students, it’s tempting to ignore their student loan debt until the payments come due. If you’re not careful, though, that approach can set you up for years of difficulty and attempts to catch up.  To manage student loan debt successfully, it’s important to start before you even request financial aid. With few high schools offering financial literacy and colleges and universities providing little to no student loan counseling, taking the time to learn how to use student debt wisely is essential. 
How to approach student loan debt from the beginning
In the last five years, the cost of higher education tuition in the U.S. alone has increased by 8.3%, and the total cost to attend school has outpaced inflation by 112% during that same time, according to a recent survey by Self Lender.  While there’s nothing college students can do about rising education costs, it’s a good idea to think about ways you can approach and consider using student loan debt from the start.  To qualify for federal student loans, you need to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). It’s through this form that your school’s financial aid office determines what type of student loans — for undergraduates, it’s specifically whether or not the federal government will subsidize your interest while you’re in school — and how much you qualify for. But just because you’re eligible for a certain amount based on their calculations, it doesn’t mean you have to accept it all. Here are some things to do to make sure you don’t borrow more than you need. Create a budget It can be hard to know what you’re going to spend over the next term, but getting a basic idea can help you determine how much money you need to pay for tuition, supplies, room and board and other necessary living expenses. While you want to limit your student loan debt, avoid restricting yourself so much that you’re skipping meals or struggling to make rent. Also, consider adding a buffer of at least a few hundred dollars in case of an emergency. Apply for scholarships Your school may offer various scholarships and grants to students who apply based on academic merit or other achievements. Whether or not you qualify for any of them, it’s important to maximize the amount of free money you can get your hands on. Websites like Scholarships.com and Fastweb have databases with millions of scholarship opportunities from private companies and organizations. While you may not be eligible for all of them, there may be enough you do qualify for that you can reduce how much you need to borrow. “Make sure you fill out the FAFSA to ensure you’re considered for grants and scholarships that can lower your education costs,” says Kat Tretina, a certified student loan counselor. Take on a job Getting a job in college may not sound like any student’s idea of fun, especially if you have a full course load and a budding social life. But even if you only work part-time, the money you earn can add up over the years you’re in school, saving you potentially thousands of dollars in student loan debt. If you go this route, just be sure you have a plan for using the money you earn wisely. There’s nothing wrong with having fun, but it’s also a good idea to set aside a good amount to help pay your education expenses.
How to shop for student loans
There are two types of student loans: federal and private. The former describes loans provided by the U.S. Department of Education, and the latter describes loans originated by private lenders, such as banks, credit unions and other financial institutions. For undergraduate students, federal loans are virtually always the best choice. Not only do they charge relatively low interest rates, but they also don’t require a credit check to get approved and they provide access to certain benefits, including income-driven repayment plans and loan forgiveness programs.  For graduate students and parents looking to help their kids, it may be wise to compare what the Department of Education has to offer. Not only do graduate and parent loans have higher interest rates, but they also charge relatively high loan fees. Someone who’s more established financially may not need income-driven repayment options or loan forgiveness after their master’s degree. If you’re considering private student loans, be sure to compare at least three to five lenders, including the Department of Education. There’s no single loan out there that’s best for everyone, but the right research can help you find the best fit for your situation.
Should I borrow more to finish college or work and stay debt-free?
A bachelor’s degree can be a valuable asset, depending on the direction you want your career to take, but it’s not always necessary. If you’re already feeling overwhelmed with student debt, you may be considering whether to quit and avoid making things worse.  The decision may be worth considering if you have a clear path back to college or you plan to attend an inexpensive vocational school instead. But if you already have student loan debt, those payments will come due six months after you leave school, and if the job you take on doesn’t pay well, your monthly student loan payments could make it difficult to get by.  Also, dropping out could make it difficult to get a job in some industries. So depending on where you want to start in your career, it may be better to stay in school, even if you’ll be on the hook for more debt by the time you graduate.
How to create a repayment plan after graduation
After you graduate from school (or drop below half-time), your monthly student loan payments typically come due after a six-month grace period. Avoid waiting until that period ends, however, to start making a plan.  “If you don’t have a plan for managing and repaying your loans in place, your debt can quickly spiral out of control,” says Tretina. “Interest rates can cause your loan balance to grow by thousands of dollars, and it can take 10, 15, and even 20 years to pay them off.” Determine their affordability As soon as you finish school, log into your online account with your servicer to see what your monthly payments are going to be. Then take a look at what your monthly income will be from your new job to determine whether the payments will be affordable.  If you think you’ll have a tough time and you have federal loans, consider applying for one of the four income-driven repayment plans available. Each of these plans bases your monthly payment on a percentage of your discretionary income, which is determined by your annual income and the poverty guideline for your state and family size.  In addition to lowering your monthly payment, these plans also stretch out your repayment period from the standard 10-year plan to up to 25 years. While this can make your payments more affordable, you will end up paying more in interest in the long run. Decide if paying them off early is right for you In general, it feels better to have no monthly payments at all than to have something you’re obligated to pay over time. But in certain circumstances, it may be worth making just the minimum payments: You have low interest rates: If you have federal undergraduate loans, your interest rate may be low enough that you’d make more money investing than you would save by paying down your loans faster.You’re working toward forgiveness: If you’re in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF) or working toward another loan forgiveness or loan repayment assistance program, it may not make sense to pay more than you have to. You can’t afford it: Accelerating your debt repayment may sound appealing, but if you’re living paycheck to paycheck, it can create a lot more anxiety than anything else.  Only you know what’s best for you. So take a look at your financial situation and your other goals to decide what’s the best course of action.  If you do believe that paying down your debt faster is the best option, try to focus your extra payments on the loans with the lowest balance or the highest interest rate first — depending on whether you want to eliminate smaller debts first or save a little more money on interest.  Once you’ve paid off the first loan, roll the payments you were making on it into the next loan until it’s paid off, and so forth. This method gives your repayment a snowball effect and can help you eliminate your debt much faster than originally planned. Consider refinancing Refinancing student loans involves paying off your current ones with a new loan from a private lender. In some cases, refinancing can help you score a lower interest rate or get more flexibility with your repayment terms and monthly payment.  That said, you typically need a strong income and credit history — or a cosigner with both — to qualify. And even if you do get approved, there’s no guarantee you’ll get an interest rate lower than what you’re currently paying.  Finally, private lenders don’t offer the same benefits as the Department of Education, so refinancing would eliminate your access to income-driven repayment plans, loan forgiveness programs, generous forbearance and deferment policies and more.  As you consider whether refinancing is right for you, think about both the benefits and drawbacks, as well as your own situation, to determine the best path forward. Avoid ignoring your student loans If you’re really struggling with making your student loan payments, it might be tempting to stop paying them altogether. With other types of loans, it’s possible to include the debt in a bankruptcy or to negotiate a settlement for less than what you owe.  But that’s not how it works with student loans. If you default on federal loans, for instance, your payment comes due immediately, and you may also be on the hook for collection charges, which can add up to 25% more than the amount you owe.  “They can garnish your wages, seize your tax refund, and even take some of your Social Security benefits,” says Tretina. And while it’s possible to settle your student loan debt, the options don’t provide a lot in terms of savings.  It’s technically possible to include federal and private student loans in a bankruptcy, but it’s extremely difficult and very few cases are approved. Finally, missing payments or defaulting on student loan debt can wreck your credit, making it difficult to get approved for financing in the future, among other things.  As such, ignoring your student loans will create a lot more problems than solutions.  “Contact your lender if you can’t afford your payments,” Tretina says. “You may be eligible for loan deferment or forbearance, where you can temporarily postpone making payments while you get back on your feet.”
Work on building your credit
Regardless of how you choose to manage your student loan debt, it’s important to focus on building your credit history. Not only will a strong credit history make it easier to get approved for other types of credit at favorable rates, but it can also help you with your student loan debt. For example, if you have private loans with a cosigner, you may be able to request that your lender release the cosigner, making you the only borrower on your loans — just keep in mind that not all private lenders allow this. Also, building an excellent credit history can potentially help you score a refinance loan without the help of a cosigner, potentially saving you money on interest. In addition to paying your student loans on time, which can help you establish a positive payment history, look for other ways to build credit, such as a secured credit card or a credit builder loan. As you open credit accounts, use them responsibly and pay your bills on time, your credit history will improve and open up even more opportunities in your future. Read the full article
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fnewstoday · 5 years
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What Is A Credit Builder Loan And How To Obtain The Proper One?
What Is A Credit Builder Loan? Such loans greatly give a possibility to people to "construct" their own credit. Often, they have been called a "backwards" loans. Why so? Let's take a closer look below.   The principle of the credit builder loan operation The principle is that client needs to "gather" the required sum at the expense of a monthly fee. It is not hard to guess that he cannot use his money before finishing the process. You must give everything in full, then the finances will be completely at your disposal. You will have a so-called "creditor" bank account for needed operations. This may seem like a disadvantage when it is impossible to receive funds immediately, as in a regular loan. Though, the builder loan perfectly disciplines and makes it possible to make better own credit history so that in the future creditors will quickly give you any credit. After all, the fact that you responsibly put the necessary amount on the account every month (without receiving anything in return) shows you as a serious person. Such behavior favorably affects not only on credit builder loan, but also, for example, on choice of a credit card or better credit conditions.   Qualification Unlike other types of loans, a good rating is not needed to take this loan. Usually, creditors do not particularly focus on this, because they do not consider this a high risk. The main criterion is timely payment. If a person does not pay or is late with the payment - this is completely his problem, and does not touch the lender in any way. Of course, applications are considered in any case, each creditor has his own requirements, but getting a builder loan is not difficult. For example, a big plus - you do not need to provide an income statement.   Terms and Conditions It all depends on the specific lender, he sets his conditions and you discuss the sum of the loan. Conditions, like the amount of money, can vary, but usually lenders can offer an amount to $1500, the period may be from one to two years. We advise you to discuss all details with creditor in order to avoid problems during paying and building a loan. Although the sum depends on interest, total sum of funds and period, it is fixed and remains unchanged for the monthly payment. That's why you can plan and control the construction of your loan.   The principle of interest in the loan Now let's look at the topic of interest in this type of loan. They are existed in every monthly payment and have to be paid off. Percentages will also go in parallel to the bank account, but comparatively less than those ones. The quantity of interest is almost the same for all types of loans. The interest comes from the entire loan amount, and you must extinguish them before the end of the term. From this we can conclude that in any case, you overpay, means, the given sum is higher than the sum received as a result. Do not be in a hurry to be indignant, this is the price for making better your credit history.   So is it better to take a credit builder loan? Definitely it worth it, if client does not have any credit history or you have a bad rating. Creditors will give this loan without any problems, as based on its conditions, they do not see a great risk for themselves. You are essentially financing your future loan. Also, the credit builder loan has to be a great choice, if you have had problems with the card in the past, you have debts on it, and you don’t want to open another one. Consider that improving credit history is not a quick action, as it will improve during the course of your loan. Means, it is formed throughout the payment time, and only on your monthly payments will be clear what kind of builder you are. Nevertheless, you can watch for a slow increase in the rating over the period after the first payment, if this is important to you.
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the-credit-builder-loan-has-to-be-a-great-choice   Places to get the loan In fact, there are two variants of how you can get it: Credit associations These are federal and local associations, as well as local banks. If you are already a member, you can simply log in to your account. If not, directly contact technical support for more information and know whether do they give such loan at all. Federal alliances may have their own special conditions for admission to their "ranks", for example, only state employees, but they have a small interest rate. Some credit unions may offer membership fees. It is usually small. Or you can do a good job and agree to their offer of charity, again for a small price. In any case, this is a good way to improve your annual interest rate. Internet banking, or online lenders Nowadays we can do a lot of things without leaving home. Likewise, here - at your service online banks or communication with creditors. Both provide online credit service. Scheme of the loan Whenever you decide to take the credit builder loan, it is better to do this few steps: The first step would be to read the information carefully about where to take this type of loan and what conditions the lender is offering. The second is joining credit associations. If at your request, or of some other reason, you have chosen this option, you should be aware that you must first join the union. Third - just apply for a loan and wait for approving. Keep track of your rating and points if you "work on" your credit history. It is enough to make timely payments and for your creditor to have contact with the main agencies, in order to notice the accumulation of points, and as a result, a growth in the rating. Usually after one or two months after the monthly payment, you can see the collecting of points in a certain sum. Indeed, in this type of loan, these points are very important and they have a great effect on you, your history and your possible loans in the future.   Are there other ways to create a loan? Builder loan is very important if you want to continue to open serious loans like mortgage or to buy a car. We can say that credit builder loan is like your “business card”, showing that you are punctual and always close the loan as it should be. After all, everyone knows that if a client has a zero or low credit rating, then most likely he will not be given a loan. Conversely, customers with a high rating usually have the privilege of lowering interest rates. The better the credit history, the lower the loan rates in the future. If you are bad at all with a rating or have not yet decided on a builder loan, then you can open a loan using credit cards. Actions with cards are simple - you make a monthly payment on schedule to keep the sum on the balance and not to “earn” an increase in interest in the loan. If you are trying to fix the balance, then try to make at least the minimum payment. If you cannot resist, so as not to withdraw money, it is better to choose other options instead of a card. Because you can easily get into debt and earn big interest, and eventually pay even more. Let's see what types of cards are available for you: Secured Such a card is partially similar to the builder loan: it is also some kind of reverse deposit. Payment sum will be the same as the limit on the card. Due to the customers with low ratings, limits are usually low. Retail Often, the so-called retail cards (store) to get much easier than others. It is claimed quickly and without problems, and if other credit cards are not yet available to you, retail is a good option for creating a loan. If the limit on such cards, as a rule, is even lower, then the percentages are vice versa. Therefore, it’s better not to joke with a retail card and pay monthly payments in advance to avoid debts and a big minus on the card. Other types In principle, cards are a great way to open a loan, and issuers provide an extensive selection of those for customers. No matter what your rating is, you can always choose a suitable card for yourself. Customer authorization If suddenly for some reason you can not get a card (for example, you are not in the country), there is an option to connect a parent or family member. If he already has a card of the desired issuer, you can get a loan "through" him. You can follow the loan from your page, and your “friend” will see the same thing on his page. And you both will have the same reports. If you just "knocked" 18 It is clear that when you are just eighteen years old, you have neither a credit history nor a rating. Therefore, at first with the choice of cards will be tight. But do not be in a hurry to get upset, because there are at least three options for how to get a loan at your age: - get a "teenager" card (if you approach by years) - have a common card with the parent - obtain a credit builder loan to build credit There may be a problem with obtaining a card on your own due to the law of 2009, which prohibits making cards to persons under the age of twenty-one. Before the adoption of this law, many issuers could be met on campuses of colleges and other places where young people gathered which offered to open cards for free. Now many issuers, even if you have a guarantor, may not give you a card. Secured card for 18 years is available for teens too, but it requires a mandatory investment at the beginning. Usually this is a considerable amount of up to $500. If you are a student and have a student loan, remember that credit points will not be credited as long as you pay monthly payments. Usually they are credited for a while after graduation. Afterword Remember, whichever option you choose to construct credit, none of them cancel responsibility. The main thing is always pay what you need, and most importantly, on time. Do not hurry, consider your situation: do I need a loan, can I repay or build it, what conditions are right for me, and so on. And then everything will work out. Read the full article
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paumeranian · 5 years
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Interview #9
Nurse interview 20/03/19
This interview was done via Instagram call as again due to time restrictions and transportation issues, I had to improvise. I interviewed my friend who is a nurse at Waitakere Hospital and luckily he’d brought his girlfriend along to the interview as she is a nurse also. This not only allowed me to have insights to compare and cluster, but turns out that it got them to know each other more too. The biggest thing that I got out of it was how patients think nurses just give prescription and that’s it. They don’t realise that a nurse’s job requires prioritising at the expense of patient’s time and feelings. They get burnt out a lot as it is a physically and mentally demanding job. Getting compliments from co-workers, bosses and patients help boost their morale and motivate them to keep doing their job and do it better.
Why did you pursue a career in nursing?
Jay
I’ve always wanted to be a doctor so I told myself to take nursing as my pre-med so when I get lazy and tired of studying I’ll still get a job
I also wanted to work overseas and I know how much nursing was in demand during those times and I reckon even today
I came from a family background of high morbidity because of some illness so I wanna make a difference and help
Kaye
I did pre-med but I didn’t like how you didn’t have much patient interaction, like Jay I thought that nursing would make a good stepping stone and I always felt that nurses would always make good doctors in the end
My mum is a nurse, she’s a go-to person in our family
I’m loving it and still doing it right now
I’ve been a nurse for 8 years
Jay
12 years for me
Do you both still have that end goal of becoming a doctor?
Jay
We want to but it’s not a priority at the moment
If someone’s gonna fund us
Kaye
It’s another 6 years of study
And 35k student loan
Can you tell me about how you feel at the end of each shift?
Kaye
We both work in ED it’s different, it also depends on what role I’m doing
I’m working part-time as a clinical coach
I orientate new grads and generally feel fulfilled that I did something
But when I’m not coaching I feel burnt out, when it’s short-staffed I feel like I didn’t do enough but most of the time it’s fulfilling
Jay
Been doing this job for more than a decade so everyday is different, can be mediocre like go to work, do routine stuff
As an ED nurse you never know what to expect
Generally the big problem would be man power and staffing issues
If it’s busy, you don’t have control over how many people come, you feel burnt out and even if you cry for help sometimes it’s not addressed
It’s reality though
Little things like getting compliments/commendations from patients and colleagues, it boosts your morale and makes your career not just a career but also your passion
Rewarding - something money can’t buy
Can you give me an example of a compliment you get?
Kaye
Some patients ask “Do you wanna marry me?”
Jay
Patient:
approached me, cried and was super thankful that I helped save her husband’s life - resuscitation but we have to control our emotions
never show emotions
Doctor
I received an email from my manager saying I did a good job
Patient’s ex who had multiple injuries, saying I made a difference in that patient’s life
Been following her, she’s now advocate for women’s rights
Kaye
Sometimes people are difficult but they’d randomly come up to us and give us a hug, makes us think “oh what? They were just rude to us before” but it’s really nice
Compliments from your manager: since it’s always busy sometimes you feel under appreciated but sometimes they give us coffee, chocolate, pizza
How does it make you feel getting these compliments?
Jay
It makes us want to do our jobs better, continue to help save people’s lives
What’s your favourite aspect of your job?
Kaye
Knowing that you’ll come out of work each day that you made a difference in someone’s live
Jay
For me it’s my manager, she’s the best manager I’ve ever had in my entire life
You never leave your job, you leave your boss
Do you think it makes a huge difference in the quality of work you do?
Jay
Absolutely, you feel appreciated and it’s the job satisfaction
My uni thesis was about job satisfaction of nurses in correlation with their turnover rates
It’s a fact that employees who are more appreciated tend to find it really difficult to leave their job
But people who are undervalued it’s easy for them to drop a job, no matter how many benefits you get - you’re gonna burn out at some point
I know that you guys handle a lot of patients at the same time. Can you tell me how you handle the stress of the job?
Kaye
Good workmates, friends outside work and keeping yourself fit and healthy
Good, healthy body and mind will help you cope with stress
Order: 1. Keep yourself healthy, you can’t look after others without keeping yourself well - mental and physical health, good social circle
Jay
Number one: prayers
I get strength from my faith and from praying
Number two: physical health, looking after yourself
Number three: Colleagues, I’ve always believed that it’s not about the workload but your workmates
If you’re not with the right people, it’s a mission to get through the job, makes it more difficult
How do you deal with difficult workmates?
Jay
She kills them with kindness but with me I just be myself
Joke around them, not pleasing them but
I’m enjoying myself, having fun doing my job
Compared to them, they’ll stress and are not happy doing the job
Kaye
Be nicer, if you have a difficult workmate and treat them nicer than you would then they’ll eventually give into your kindness
How do you deal with a patient who isn’t satisfied with your care?
Jay
You can only do so much, there will be rainy days, it will not always be a bountiful day
For both of us, we work with good passion and compassion
Compassion, commitment and competence - three C’s
If you give these to your patients you can’t go wrong cause no matter how hard you try you can’t please everyone
How do you deal with them face to face?
Jay
We have to be professional
We see them as someone who needs help
They’re in the hospital because something’s wrong and they need help
That’s the difference of our profession to others
For some people they can retaliate
But if we do anything like shout back, we’re in the wrong, and will be reprimanded at the expense of our lives and safety
Kaye
I ask them why they’re upset, what’s the matter
They say “my mum is unwell, the waiting time is too long, been calling the bell but no one’s answering”
Diffuse situation but if it doesn’t work I ask if there’s anything from our perspective we can do to make it easier
And if that’s not enough I’ll ask them if they want another nurse or if they want to speak to the manager
If they get violent then we have security guards
Jay
They just want someone to hear them out that’s it
It’s A LOT of listening
How does it make you feel?
Jay
Numb sometimes, KAYE agrees
You can’t give your all to one patient cause you have to save some [energy] for the next one
That’s the difference with us, some nurses might answer differently but as an ED nurse it can be exhausting
Some nurses become robots, ticking the box but not filling in the patient’s needs
Patients just want to be communicated to as humanely as possible, they wanna be treated like HUMANS
Like you can do all these tests, but have you REALLY TALKED to them?
They wanna be heard
Most of them have social issues
In general, do you think patients feel comfortable opening up to you?
Jay
In my experience, yes.
One example would be domestic violence, I get a lot of disclosures as we do family and social assessments as part of our jobs
It’s not easy to ask thought
I get multiple disclosures
They open up to me and I don’t know why *snickers*
Have you ever stopped them if you think it’s too much?
Jay
Yeah I just let them, but it takes our time, we have to tend to other clients
They get really comfortable that they can use that against us
It’s unfair to others to be super close to some patients
You have to be professional and neutral
Kaye
But be compassionate and kind at the same time. So it’s hard.
What’s one thing you feel anyone who isn’t a nurse doesn’t understand about your job?
Kaye
The amount of dedication and mind preparation it takes before coming to work
You don’t know what to expect, and they always expect the best out of you
You can’t make mistakes, it’s someone’s LIFE
Jay
You need to deal with behaviour and social issues as well as safety
People would just think our job is easy - you give medication that’s it
It’s not just that. Most of the time our morale is at stake
What does morale mean to you? - Psycho social wellbeing, your mental capacity in relation to behavioural capacity, interpersonal relationships
How important is it to you to build a relationship with a patient for the time that you’re caring for them as well as gain their trust?
Jay
Assessment: patient’s trust and rapport, breaking the barrier between you and the patient. If the patient trusts you, you can get more of the assessment and get what you’re looking for.
Diagnosis
Planning
Intervention
Evaluation
Kaye
Assessment is where you get subjective data
If they’re closed off they won’t give you much of their history = would limit the diagnosis, won’t be able to treat them as properly as you would if someone was open to you
I think it’s very important
Right from the beginning, introduce yourself, make them feel comfortable and safe
At the end of the day you’re being professional
Look after your patient as if you’re looking after your own family
Reflection: Man these are good questions
Jay
Did you write these questions? They’re clever, you poured your heart out I see
What’s the hardest part about being a nurse?
Jay
Lack of appreciation
Kaye
You can’t save everyone
I had a case recently, I was the only nurse in the area having 3 other rooms to look after
One room has someone giving birth, the other is dying and the third one has a sick child
Delegate and prioritise
Sensitivity with death but you can only do so much… the reality of it
Do you think being a nurse affects how you get treated as a patient?
Jay
I had chest pains, went to emergency
I wanna know what’s wrong with me cause it felt heavy
Went there, laid down, got connected to the monitor to get “lines”
It’s annoying as a nurse looking after someone who is also in a medical profession
Technical difficulties with the interview
Since we were talking via video chat, I had to think of a way to record the whole interview and I thought I would use my sister’s phone, stand it up to capture the screen on my phone to record both the video and audio of it all. Just over halfway through the interview, she ran out of storage so I resorted to screen recording through my own phone which ended up recording the video but completely left the audio out which I was told could be for call privacy purposes. So I had to try and recall what I can and took notes. 
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