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uniquequotesonlife · 5 years ago

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12 Simple Money Management Tips You Can Start Today

12 Simple Money Management Tips You Can Start Today

Tina Russell/The Penny Hoarder Some of the links in this post are from our sponsors. We provide you with accurate, reliable information. Learn more about how we make money and select our advertising partners. You know your finances could use some serious TLC, but you’ve been putting it off… and off… and off. When you finally do sit down to think about it, you immediately become overwhelmed. When it comes to money management, finding a place to start can be difficult. Which goal do you attack first? Before we get into it, keep in mind that reaching your financial goals is a journey. To tackle big goals, you have to start small. What Does Good Money Management Look Like? For starters, good money management isn’t one size fits all. Your personal finance management should look however it needs to. Just make sure you’re reaching your goals and effectively addressing the financial challenges in your life. What do you need to account for to achieve long-term financial success? Here are the basics: A budget that accommodates your lifestyle.A debt-repayment strategy.Savings goals that include growing your emergency fund and planning for retirement. It always helps to have a little money in the bank. Get great ideas about how to build your savings delivered straight to your inbox in The Penny Hoarder Daily. Email

13 Tips to Develop Good Money Management Habits

Ready to improve your financial situation? Here are some of the best tips you need to get your finances under control and work toward a healthier financial future. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || ).push({}); 1. Find an Easy Way to Manage Your Money

Sharon Steinmann/The Penny Hoarder What are your financial goals? Maybe you want to beef up payments toward your student loan debt, or you’re trying to improve your financial situation by tracking your spending. Whatever the reason, you’re on the right track. Budgeting is an integral part of managing your personal finances. Consider one of these methods: The Envelope System: This cash-based budgeting system works well for overspenders. It helps you cut excess spending on debit and credit cards, because this method calls for withdrawing cash and placing it into pre-labeled envelopes for your variable expenses (like groceries and clothing).The 50/20/30 Method: If you can pay all your bills with 50% of your income, try this method. You apply 50% of your income to living expenses, 20% toward savings and debt reduction, and 30% to personal spending (e.g. vacations, dining out, personal shopping). This allows you to have fun and save at the same time. For those who spend a majority of their income on living expenses, try the similarly organized 60/20/20 budget instead. The Zero-Based Budget: This strict system is great for accounting for all of your income. You budget for your expenses and bills, and assign any extra money to goals. It’s also good for people trying to pay off debt as fast as possible, and beneficial for those living paycheck to paycheck. 2. Boost Your Income Passively

Heather Comparetto/The Penny Hoarder How many streams of income do you have? Don’t fret if it solely comes from your job. When you and your money are ready, consider what we like to call lazy investing. Here’s an option: If you’ve ever wanted to try real-estate investing without playing landlord, a company called Fundrise will do all the heavy lifting for you. Through the Fundrise Starter Portfolio, your money will be split into two portfolios that support private real estate around the United States. This isn’t an obscure investment. You can see exactly which properties are included in your portfolios — like a set of townhomes in Snoqualmie, Washington, or an apartment building in Charlotte, North Carolina. In addition to four rental properties, Christopher and Meghan Miller have invested in a diversified portfolio of real estate projects across the country — from Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles — through Fundrise’s automated investment experience. “I don’t have to manage them; I don’t have to do the work to improve the properties; I don’t have to find tenants, evict tenants,” Christopher says. They follow the progress of each project they’ve invested money into through Fundrise, and Christopher receives automatic payments directly into his checking account. But remember: Investments come with risk. While Fundrise has paid distributions every quarter since at least Q2 2016, dividend and principal payments are never guaranteed. You’ll pay a 0.85% annual asset management fee and a 0.15% annual investment advisory fee. 3. Track Your Bills to Avoid Overpaying for Basic Necessities

valentinrussanov/Getty Images If you really want to get the best price on car insurance, experts say you should be shopping twice a year. OK, we can hear you laughing from here. Who has time to do all that? But seriously, insurance companies take a lot of factors into consideration, and they change all the time. Ipso facto — you’re paying too much. Thankfully, a free website called The Zebra will do the shopping for you — in just two minutes. All you have to do is enter basic information about your car and driving history, then The Zebra compares prices from more than 100 companies to find you the best price. The Zebra says it saves its users up to $670 a year. If you find a policy you like, you can sign up online instantly. Who’s laughing now? (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || ).push({}); 4. Put Your Purchases in Perspective

Johnny Greig/Getty Images In 2017, we wrote about Melissa Palmer, a stay-at-home mom who lives off $36,000 a year with her husband Cole and four kids. She shared a number of smart budgeting tricks, but here’s one that stuck with us: “One summer, when we lived in Tucson, Cole worked for $10 an hour splitting firewood… outside in the 110-degree summer heat. It was absolutely dreadful work for him. When I would pass a Starbucks and want to stop and get a latte, I'd think, ‘That's half an hour of Cole splitting firewood outside.’” To get your spending in check, look at your purchases through a different lens. Small purchases add up quickly, and that money might be better spent on necessities. 5. Take 10 Minutes to Secure Your Family’s Future

Carmen Mandato/ The Penny Hoarder You probably don’t want to think about what will happen to your spouse or family after you die — but have you ever wondered how it would affect them financially to lose you (and your income)? So you don’t have to worry about it, you could consider a basic life insurance policy, which can be useful if you have loved ones who rely on your income — a significant other, a child or even a relative you help out financially. A company like Policygenius offers you an easy way to compare and buy life insurance. Unlike traditional providers, this online-only platform provides an easy way to apply, and it offers instant quotes from top carriers online to help you make a quicker decision. To get your quotes, you’ll just enter some info about yourself and your health online. Once you choose a life insurance company, you can apply right online, and a Policygenius rep will give you a quick call to ask a few follow-up questions. 6. Boost Your Credit Score to Reduce Interest on Your Loans

anyaberkut/Getty Images A really easy way to work on your credit score is to get a free “credit report card” from Credit Sesame. Credit Sesame is like your favorite teacher from high school — without the pop quizzes. It gives you a free credit score, plus lays out your credit history so you can see exactly how much money you owe and to whom. It even tells you your monthly payments and interest rates, as well as which debts (if any) are in collections. James Cooper, a motivational speaker, raised his credit score 277 points using Credit Sesame. Now he talks to high school students about the importance of having good credit and uses what he’s learned through Credit Sesame as a blueprint for his lessons. “We want to touch the Z Generation,” Cooper says “We’re not in the business of fixing credit. We want to get to you before you have to fix your credit.” Like Cooper, 60% of Credit Sesame members see an increase in their credit score; 50% see at least a 10-point increase, and 20% see at least a 50-point increase after 180 days.* 7. Let This Company Help You Pay off Debt Faster

Tina Russell / The Penny Hoarder Do you know how much debt you have? What about the interest you’re paying on top of it? A lot of us are being crushed by credit card interest rates north of 20%. If you’re in that boat, consolidation and refinancing might be worth a look. A good resource is Fiona, a search engine for financial services, which can help match you with the right personal loan to meet your needs. Fiona will show you all the lenders willing to help you pay off your credit card debt and eliminate the headache of paying bills by allowing you to make one payment each month. If your credit score is at least 620, you can borrow up to $100,000 (no collateral needed) and compare interest rates, which start at 3.84%. Checking rates won’t hurt your credit score. The idea is to secure a loan at a lower interest rate, potentially helping you save thousands. Take, for example, Katherine, who faced $12,000 in credit-card debt. Holding her back? The 15.24% interest rate. By refinancing with a 5%-interest, seven-year personal loan, she saved $12,000 in interest. If she’d kept on the same road, she would have paid something like $14,000 in interest alone over 25 years. Yikes. 8. Freeze Your Credit Cards

Tina Russell/The Penny Hoarder Managing credit cards is tough. Even though you know better, it’s easy to see this extra cash flow as an opportunity to spend more than you need to. To help you save money, try freezing your credit cards. Literally — in the freezer they’ll go. Pro Tip If you tend to make impulsive credit card purchases, stick your card in a Ziploc bag, submerge it in a canister of water and slide it into the freezer. When you’re tempted to spend, you’ll have to wait for the card to thaw, requiring you to think through your spending decision. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || ).push({}); 9. Get Serious About Paying off Your Student Loans

Marco_Piunti/Getty Images If you recently graduated or will soon be graduating from college, you probably have student loans looming ominously on the horizon. The best thing you could possibly do for yourself? Learn everything you can about paying them off, and make a plan to stay on top of them when repayment time hits you like a ton of bricks. Set your student loan repayment journey up for success: Know what you owe, understand what “deferment” means, figure out how to lower your interest rate and learn how to make a little extra money so you can pay down your loans more quickly.Related:This is What You Need to Know Before You Take Out a Private Student Loan And when you hit that point we all hit — that “will this be the rest of my life?!” point — let yourself be inspired by Jeremy Jacobs, an engineer who paid off his $35,000 student loan balance in five years. 10. Build an Emergency Fund

Heather Comparetto/The Penny Hoarder Tires give out, pipes burst, paychecks come and go, kids get sick… you get the point. If you don’t already have a savings account for emergencies only, we recommend one. It’s a simple way to save money so you have some when you need it the most. One of our favorite ways to save is with Aspiration. It offers online-only accounts with no fees*, no minimum balance and no minimum monthly deposit for its spending account. Plus, its savings account offers 2.00% APY! The spending account comes with a debit card that earns 0.5% cash back on all your purchases, plus free ATMs, so you can easily access your money when you need it. You can transfer between accounts easily and make payments as needed with an Aspiration debit card, via Apple Pay or through Venmo. With no monthly fee and a minimum deposit of just $1 per month, this is an attractive option for an emergency fund. Not sure how to start an emergency fund? Here are a few ways to build it: Set a savings goal. Whether it’s weekly or monthly, having a goal will help you stay focused, and you’ll get in the habit of squirreling money away. Got a large bonus at work? Or maybe you received a tax refund. When you have extra money, prioritize stashing the extra cash to give your emergency fund a boost.Start a side hustle! Save the extra money you make from your side gig to grow your savings faster.Use your budget to identify areas where you can make some cuts. Take the extra money and… yup! Emergency fund. 11. Get the Most out of Your 401(k)

Drazen_/Getty Images If you haven’t already, enroll in your company’s 401(k) plan ASAP, so you can start growing your retirement account. And yes, it fits in your budget! As much as you want to be prepared for present-day responsibilities, the last thing you want is to leave old(er), future-you with bills, bills, bills and more bills. If your employer sponsors a 401(k) plan, you should have access to people who can answer questions in your best interest — a.k.a. HR. And you’re going to have questions, because, well… 401(k)s are tricky. To get the most out of your plan, here are some important questions to ask to ensure you’re putting your retirement savings in the best possible hands: Does your employer match?Where is your money invested?Can you rollover from your existing 401(k)?What fees are you paying?What can you do if your plan sucks? 12. Save a Percentage of Your Salary

Carmen Mandato/ The Penny Hoarder The rule of thumb for saving is that “at least 20% of your income should go towards savings,” personal finance journalist Paula Pant wrote for The Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association. “More is fine; less is not advised.” If we’re being real, the experts doling out this advice don’t know your salary, how much your bills are or what circumstances prevent you from saving chunks of money each time you get paid. However, it’s still helpful to keep this information in your back pocket. Pant broke this question down by savings goals: Retirement: Aim for saving 10% to15%. If your company matches your contribution, even better — you’re only on the hook for half. Emergency fund: No percentage here, but ideally, your fund should be able to cover three to nine months of your living expenses. To set a goal, calculate your monthly spend, then decide how much you’d need to cover your fixed bills for a few months. Wish list: Need a new car? Pant says to jot down the target and deadline, then divide that by the number of months you have left to save, and the result is how much you should put away each month. Be patient with yourself as you prioritize goals and figure out a system that works for you. Need to extend some timelines? Do it. Gotta pause a goal or two to focus on another one? Do what you have to, and be kind to yourself as you do it. You may not be able to save 20% right off the bat, so try starting with 5% or 10% to get your cash flowing. 13. Give Your Money the Cold Shoulder

Aileen Perilla/The Penny Hoarder (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || ).push({}); One way to recalibrate your spending habits is to participate in a spending freeze. Here’s how: Pick a month — or year, even.Former Penny Hoarder Jamie Cattanach chose November in hopes of taming her holiday spending.Don’t spend money on nonessentials during the freeze.Definitely still pay rent and utilities — all those responsible grown-up bills — but don’t spend anything on entertainment, clothing or dining out. Sure, it’ll be difficult. You’ll face temptations. But Cattanach finished the challenge and saved at least $600 in one month.Credit Sesame does not guarantee any of these results, and some may even see a decrease in their credit score. Any score improvement is the result of many factors, including paying bills on time, keeping credit balances low, avoiding unnecessary inquiries, appropriate financial planning and developing better credit habits. Watch the most watched youtube video ever https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJQP7kiw5Fk source Read the full article

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jayemdoubleyou · 8 years ago

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My First Dolphin Rescue: January 25, 2017

I woke up at 4:00AM with 5-6 hours of sleep. I left FAU at 5:00AM exactly with my friend, and roommate, Kaitlin. We met up with our boss, Elizabeth Titcomb, about 20 minutes away from school so we could all drive together to FAU's Harbor Branch campus. It was an hour and a half drive, and we stopped for breakfast on the way. The sun still hadn't come up yet, but the moon was so beautiful. We got to Harbor Branch's research and rescue boat marina just as the sun was rising around 7:00AM. I was surprised to see people from multiple organizations, all coming together to save one baby dolphin. Harbor Branch's photo ID and rescue teams, SeaWorld rescue, SeaWorld Hubbs, Clearwater Aquarium, Georgia Marine Aquarium, FWC, and maybe others were all there. We split up into our separate groups and all had assigned areas of where to start looking for our troubled calf. The people on my boat were Kaitlin, Elizabeth, a grad student named Rachel, and Marilyn, the founder of the photo ID research/nicest person ever. It was a foggy morning, and we couldn't see more than 40 feet around us as we made our way down Indian River Lagoon. The water was like glass and the sun was rising through the fog as we slowly drifted south. Eventually the fog cleared and we made it to our starting point. The three students were assigned different parts of the center console boat to stand at on the lookout for dolphins. Elizabeth took the camera as our photographer at the bow, and Marilyn was the driver. After about 30 minutes of looking the first group was spotted. Elizabeth took photos and identified the dolphins, seeing if the mom, Reel, and her injured baby were present. We saw so many dolphins, some even played with us around the boat. A few more groups joined the party, we ended up finding Reel and her calf, and confirmed the baby had line wrapped around its pectoral fin and body. We called in for back up and all the other boats came, but kept their distance. SeaWorld rescue boat and our boat were the two mains boats in the rescue. We were in charge of ID and tracking, and everyone else would do the work on the dolphins. Although we found the dolphins, we couldn't just jump in right away. We had to make sure they were separated from a group and in shallow enough water for rescuers to stand. Reel and her calf liked the deep waters and were very popular. They kept finding new groups of dolphins to hang out with, which made tracking them very difficult. We ended up spending about 6 hours just trying to keep track of her and her baby, and trying to find shallow water to push them in to. Elizabeth and Marilyn said that was the longest amount of time they had spent tracking a dolphin, partially because it can be so difficult. Thankfully the weather was perfect and our team was awesome. Throughout the day we had to deal with tourists, boaters, and disrespectful tour guides on the water getting in our way. FWC had an officer following us to keep them away, but he was kind of slacking. At one point we had to yell at the dolphin watch tour guide for getting way too close, but he claimed he wasn't doing anything wrong. We also had to deal with no bathroom breaks, which meant we had to lean off of the boat to pee or just hold it for 10 hours. The sun was also intense and my face got very burnt. At some times it was freezing, but if you sat directly in the sun for 5 minutes you'd start sweating. Everything was worth it though. Once Reel and her calf finally found some shallow water, SeaWorld made their move. They dropped the end of the net into the water and sped around the two dolphins creating a large circle. The dolphins hit it and it was confirmed that we had the right dolphins, and that they were definitely inside the net. The other rescue boats made their way closer and people started getting to work. Rescuers from every boat got in the water and wrapped the dolphins in the net right next to each other. They weren't calm, and Reel wouldn't give up. The baby's lines had been wrapped around its pectoral fin and body, and left some wounds, which were treated with antibiotics. There was also evidence that the line had also been around its mouth and other pectoral fin. If the line hadn't been removed, as it grew, it would have developed internal issues, swimming issues, and probably wouldn't have survived. My heart broke when I heard the mom and baby communicating as they were both very scared. They had no idea that we were only helping them until the end. It was a rough release; some people almost got slapped in the face with their huge strong tails, but other than that they made it out together. Our boat tracked them a little longer to make sure they were together and healthy. When all the boats made it back to the marina we did a debriefing. The guy in charge of Georgia and JP from SeaWorld spoke about what happened, why, and how to improve. JP also recognized the work of our boat, as no rescue would have happened if it wasn't for us. Everyone applauded for us as I tried not to cry. JP also came up to Kaitlin and I afterwards and said we did a very good job and he hoped to see us next time. Elizabeth also wants us out on the boat more often, but we have to work out some things with our professors. The drive back was quite; we were all exhausted. The sun was setting, which meant we literally spent all day rescuing the baby dolphin. I can't think of any better way to spend my days.

#marine biology #marine conservation #marine rescue #animal rescue #dolphin rescue #dolphins

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williamlwolf89 · 4 years ago

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18 Writing Tips That’ll Actually Make You a Better Writer (2020)

If you search Google for writing tips, you’ll find a lot of big promises.

Here’s the truth:

There’s no magical writing tip, trick, strategy, or hack capable of turning a bad writer into a good one.

But if want to learn how to write better, if you’re looking up your writing game a level or two, a few good writing tips and tricks (combined with hard work) can help make it happen.

Here are eighteen such tips:

1. Find Your Unique Voice

Serious question:

If we all listen to the same experts and we all follow the same writing advice, how is it possible for anyone to stand out from the crowd?

The trap many writers, especially young writers, fall into is they believe if they mimic a popular blogger or writer, they’ll be popular too.

Imitation is indeed the sincerest form of flattery, but it’s a no-win proposition. Even if you succeed, you’ll be indistinguishable from all the other parrots out there.

There’s only one you. You have unique DNA. Your hopes, thoughts, and dreams are unique. Even the face you make when you accidentally walk into a spider web is unique.

Want to stand out?

Develop your own writing style. When you sit down to write, tap into what makes you… well, you.

Learn More: In my guest appearance on the Biz Mavens’ podcast, I discuss the importance of finding your unique voice and offer three writing exercises to help you find it.

2. Edit Like Crazy

Many first drafts are clumsy, sloppy, and difficult to read. This is true for most writers — even experienced, well-known ones.

So what separates great writing from the nondescript?

Editing.

The hard part isn’t over once your first draft is complete; on the contrary, it’s only beginning.

To take your work to the next level, you need to spend just as much time editing your words as you do creating them.

It’s ruthless work. It’s kind of boring. But it’s vital.

Learn More: Proofreading: 7 Editing Tips That’ll Make You a Better Writer in 2020 will show you the editing secrets popular bloggers and writers don’t want you to know. And if you need some tools to help you, Grammarly and the Hemingway App are two good grammar checker options.

3. Supercharge Your Subheads

Most readers stick around for fewer than 15 seconds.

Heck, most will stick around for fewer than 5 seconds.

Why? Because readers are experts at scanning. They’ll click your headline, quickly scan your content, and — in only a few seconds — decide whether to stay or go.

Writing a great introduction is one way to convince readers to stick.

Another?

Write masterful subheads that create curiosity, hook your readers, and keep them on the page long enough to realize your content is worth reading.

Learn More: In The Ultimate Guide to Writing Irresistible Subheads, Gary Korisko shares the four ingredients of a killer subhead.

4. Write Like Superman (Or That Guy You Know Who Types Really Fast)

Whether you’re blogging, crafting short stories, working on a creative writing assignment for your high school English class, or writing the backstory for what you hope will be a bestselling non-fiction novel; most of us are limited in the amount of time we have available to write.

So, if you want more time to write every day, you only have three options:

Say goodbye to your family and lock yourself in a room;

Invent a time machine;

Learn how to write faster.

Your spouse and children won’t like the first option, and the second option requires plutonium.

But the third option? That’s doable.

Learn More: Want some actionable tactics to boost your writing speed and up your word count? Check out Linda Formichelli’s How to Write Faster: 10 Crafty Ways to Hit 1,000 Words Per Hour.

5. Craft Irresistible Headlines

Smart Blogger’s CEO, Jon Morrow, recommends spending at least 20% of your time on the headline for your content.

That isn’t a typo.

If you spend 10 to 20 hours writing an article, 2 to 4 of those hours should be spent writing and re-writing the headline.

Why so many?

Because if your headline sucks, no one is going to give your content a chance.

In short:

Headlines are important. Practice writing them so you get really, really freakin’ good at them.

It’s a writing habit that’ll pay off again and again.

Learn More: In How to Write a Blog Post in 2020: The Ultimate Guide, Liz Longacre goes over the 8 rules for crafting amazing headlines. And in 10 Ways to Exploit Human Nature and Write Amazingly Appealing Headlines Robert van Tongeren shares tips for writing irresistibly-clickable headlines.

6. Avoid Filler Words

Too many writers dilute their writing with weak, empty words that bring nothing to the table.

Worse?

They silently erode your reader’s attention — one flabby word at a time.

Spot these words and eliminate them from your writing.

Learn More: In 298 Filler Words & Phrases That Rob Your Writing of Its Power, Shane Authur shows you how to tone and trim your prose.

7. Write with Rhythm

You know short sentences and short paragraphs are your friends.

But that doesn’t mean every sentence and paragraph you write should be short.

Too many short paragraphs in a row and your writing will bore your readers. Too many long paragraphs in a row and you’ll overwhelm them.

So, mix things up.

Let the rhythm of your words dictate when each paragraph begins, and you’ll strike up the perfect balance between short paragraphs and long.

Learn More: In How to Write a Paragraph in 2020 (Yes, the Rules Have Changed), Mike Blankenship looks at why variation is important and offers a few rules of thumb to follow.

8. Kick Writer’s Block in the Buttocks

When you’ve been staring at a blank page for what feels like hours, writer’s block can seem insurmountable.

It’s not.

Savvy writers have a collection of tried-and-true techniques to bust out whenever writer’s block starts to rear its ugly head — techniques ranging from turning off social media to asking Alexa to play “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by The Proclaimers.

If you want to be a better writer, find a writer’s block technique or two that works for you.

Learn More: Henneke Duistermaat has 27 refreshingly-original writer’s block techniques you can try. Pick a few favorites, and don’t be afraid to break glass in case of emergency.

9. Make Your Words Burst to Life in Readers’ Minds

If you aren’t using power words or sensory language in your writing, you’re missing out.

Smart writers and copywriters use power words to give their content extra punch, personality, and pizzazz. And great writers from Shakespeare to Stephen King use sensory words evoking sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell to paint strong scenes in the minds of their readers.

Both types of words are effective and super simple to use.

If you’re tired of lifeless words sitting on a page, try sprinkling power and sensory words throughout your content.

Learn More: Check out 600+ Power Words That Pack a Punch and Convert like Crazy and 581 Sensory Words to Take Your Writing from Bland to Brilliant. Besides being the definitive guides on their topics, they each offer huge, bookmarkable lists you can reference again and again.

10. Be Funny

Some writers won’t like this, but…

Your content can’t simply teach — it needs to entertain too.

Or, to put it bluntly:

If you don’t entertain while you inform, your audience will find a writer who does.

Thankfully, there are numerous ways you can make your content more interesting and entertaining.

The easiest way (and my favorite)? Sprinkle in a little humor.

Learn More: Marc Ensign’s How to Captivate Your Audience with Humor (Even If You Don’t Think You’re Funny) will show you how to be funny (without looking like you’re trying to be funny).

11. Write with Clarity

It doesn’t matter how amazing, profound, or revolutionary your ideas are, if you can’t express them in a clear, coherent way, you might as well have written them in an ancient language no one understands.

Ask yourself this question:

Could I explain my content to someone in one sentence?

If the answer is no, your work is probably too complex. It’s time to simplify.

Learn More: In 20 Rules for Writing So Crystal Clear Even Your Dumbest Relative Will Understand, Smart Blogger’s COO, Glen Long, shares his best tips for writing with clarity.

12. Master Transitional Words and Phrases

Do you want to keep your readers glued to your content?

Want your posts to be so effortless to read people can’t help but absorb every word as they glide down the page?

Experienced writers are meticulous about making each sentence flow seamlessly into the next, and they use transitional phrases to help make it happen.

If you want people to read your writing, from beginning to end, you need to do the same.

Learn More: Smart Blogger’s How to Use Transitional Words and Phrases to Make Your Writing Flow (with Examples) breaks down transitional phrases and how to use them to give audiences a smooth reading experience.

13. Learn SEO (Like a Boss)

Whether you write for yourself or as a hired hand, being able to create content that ranks on Google is a valuable skill.

(In fact, if you’re a freelance writer, companies and agencies will happily pay you extra for this skill.)

Consistently ranking on Google doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when you understand the basics of SEO — keyword research, user intent, UX signals, etc. — and purposefully create content with SEO in mind.

If you already know the basics of SEO, you have a leg up on the competition.

And if you don’t know the basics, you need to learn them.

The sooner, the better.

Learn More: Brian Dean of Backlinko has a thorough SEO resource list you should read. And if you’re a total beginner, my friends over at Ahrefs have a newbie-friendly SEO guide.

14. Sleep With Your Readers

Remember when I said subheads should create curiosity? This is a good example.

What keeps your audience awake at night? What has them tossing and turning at 2 o’clock in the morning?

Answer this question and then write about it.

Follow this one writing tip and you could (almost) ignore the rest.

Learn More: “Sleeping with readers” is one of the metaphor examples Jon used in his epic article, Copyblogger Editor Admits to Sleeping with Readers and Recommends You Do the Same. For more insight into why knowing what’s keeping your readers up at night is so important, give it a read.

15. Keep an Obsessively Detailed Log Book

Record details of your writing sessions in a notebook. After a few weeks, look for patterns.

Are you more effective writing in the mornings? Afternoons? Evenings? Do your get more writing accomplished after your first cup of coffee or your fourth?

Find the method in your madness and use it become a better writer.

16. Just Open the Darn Document (Then Keep Going)

Oftentimes, getting started is the hardest part about writing. So, start small. Just open the Google Doc or Microsoft Word document. Then write your first sentence.

Momentum will take it from there.

17. Throw Linear Writing Out the Window

Remember the movie Memento (aka That movie from Christopher Nolan that told its story in reverse)?

youtube

If you’re stuck, try writing your piece of content in a non-linear order.

Don’t start at the beginning of your post. Start in the middle. Or the end. Start with your last subhead. Or your seventh.

In short, mix up your writing process.

18. Challenge Yourself to Write in Weird Places

Having a designated writing space (especially when you’re working from home) is important.

However, writing in different places from time to time can spark creativity.

Give it a try.

Learn More: For a deeper look into the 4 unusual writing tips we just discussed (plus 6 more), check out 10 Unique Writing Tips You Absolutely Won’t Have Heard Anywhere Else Before from Ali Luke.

Now It’s Time to Put These Writing Tips Into Practice

Most who read this post will smile, nod their head in agreement, and implement precisely zero of these writing tips.

But not you.

You know knowledge that’s not put into practice is wasted. That’s why you’ve already picked out a few favorites, and it’s why you can’t wait to start writing.

On their own, even the best writing tip is incapable of catapulting you to superstardom. But each of them, little by little, will help you hone your writing skills.

So, are you ready to be a better writer? Ready to take what you know about the craft of writing and turn it up to 11? Ready to go from a good fiction writer (or blogger, or freelancer, etc.) to a great one?

Then it’s time to get to work.

Let’s do this thing.

The post 18 Writing Tips That’ll Actually Make You a Better Writer (2020) appeared first on Smart Blogger.

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jamesgeiiger · 6 years ago

Text

Financial Samurai 2018 Year In Review: Almost A Fantastic Year

Although 2018 ended on a down note with the stock market selling off, I feel good about how things unfolded. I’ll take the ratio of three good quarters to one bad quarter any year.

Believe it or not, my theme for 2018 was: back to early retirement life. I pushed myself to the point of burnout in 2017. But the funny thing about hard work is that it’s over. I only remember bits and pieces of how difficult 2017 was.

At year-end, it’s easy to forget our accomplishments and our failures. With this post, I’m excited to relive the good and the bad in the following categories: Finances, Family, Health, Business, and Odds & Ends.

This post is like a 4-for-1 special. It needs to be thorough so I can prove to my son his old man wasn’t a deadbeat when he inevitably starts rebelling or when I’m no longer here to defend myself.

2018 Year In Review

Finances – 2.5 Out Of 5 Stars

At the beginning of the year, I predicted we’d see a slowdown in coastal city real estate, a 10-year bond yield under 3%, and a stock market that would have one last hurrah with a 10% return. I was almost three for three with the stock market up ~8% in September. Too bad it gave up all its gains and then a whole lot! At least I got more defensive starting in March.

My net worth is roughly made up of:

30% in stocks/bonds = -3%. After writing Your Risk Tolerance Is An Illusion in the Spring, I reduced my stock allocation in my House Sale Fund to roughly 52% from 70%. As bonds began to outperform stocks coupled with further profit taking, my end allocation is roughly 40% stocks / 60% bonds. Owning a bunch of equity structured notes in my other main fund has helped minimize volatility. But clearly I wasn’t defensive enough and should have taken more profits during the summer.

My House Sale Fund portfolio was up around 13% at one point until I gave all the gains up in the 4th quarter. Right now, it’s holding onto a tenuous 5.4% gain, after the huge rally on Dec 26. Overall, my public investment portfolio is slightly down, which violates my rule of never losing money post retirement. I plan to update this performance daily due to the volatility.

I’m disappointed with my public investment performance. This goes to show that no matter how concerned you are about an asset class or the economy, greed can override logic.

Here’s a good chart that shows how the Vanguard Long-Term Bond Fund has outperformed the S&P 500 since 1999. The next time I start feeling greedy, I need to remind myself that slow and steady wins the race, especially if you’ve already passed the finish line.

6% in cash/CDs = +2.3%. Thanks to rising short-term rates, you can now get around 2% in a money market and 2.5% in a 12-month CD. It’s wonderful to earn something from our risk-free investments now. Cash and short-term CDs have been 10%+ outperformers against the S&P 500. Hopefully, folks will no longer badger me about the risks of underperforming inflation when the real risk is losing absolute dollar value. Unfortunately, I should have had closer to 15% of my net worth in cash and CDs.

30% in real estate = -5%. The online estimates say my real estate holdings have gone up ~6% YoY, but I doubt it now that the stock market has sold off so aggressively from the peak. Online price estimates and public data are always lagging estimates. Prices did continue to go up until about January 2018, but began falling for the remainder of the year. The chart below shows data months before the 4Q2018 stock market correction. Therefore, I’ve manually inputted -5% from +6% for a 11% swing.

Even though my real estate holdings are down, I thankfully feel no stress compared to my stock holdings, which is one of the reasons why I prefer real estate over stocks. One rental property has no mortgage since 2015, my primary residence is providing utility every day by sheltering my family, and my vacation property is generating a positive cash flow. I can’t wait to bring my boy up to Lake Tahoe to touch his first snow in March!

It’s unfortunate that I reinvested $600,000 of the $1,800,000 proceeds from my house sale into the stock market. I should have just stayed super conservative. But I suspect the best I could get now for the house is $2,600,000 today versus the $2,740,000 sale price in 2017. My house was on a busy street next to the busiest street in all of San Francisco. Fringe location properties, even in a good neighborhood, tend to underperform during a market softening.

8% in alternative investments = +5%. My alternative investments in venture debt and real estate crowdfunding seem to be doing well, to the tune of a 11% – 20% IRR. But these figures are probably too aggressive as well, so I’ve assigned a +5% performance instead. REITs and rental property have outperformed all year as rents are stickier than stocks. I remember back in 2009, my rents stayed flat because by the time the lease was over a year later, the recession was over.

25% in my online business = 0% – 150%. My business is the trickiest to value. Revenue and profits are up 20%+ YoY. Therefore, one might conclude that its value should also be up by 20%+. However, valuations have probably compressed since the stock market sell-off. The good thing is that a peer site with about 35% less traffic sold for 2X the value I assigned for my business in my net worth calculations. Therefore, there’s a possibility my site could be worth 2X – 2.5X my assigned value if we normalize for traffic.

From an estate planning perspective, I want my business to be valued as low as possible. It’s the same way you want your house to be valued as low as possible to pay less property tax. To prepare for hard times, I’ve kept my business at 0% growth in my net worth calculation.

Net Worth Growth

Here’s my 2018 net worth progression chart according to Personal Capital. The chart is a little chunky because of cash recognition delays. But overall, it was doing pretty well until the end of the year.

2018 Net Worth = +6.5%

The main reasons why my net worth is up ~6.5% in 2018 are business cash flow and aggressive savings. I continue to save over 70% of my after-tax income. If I didn’t aggressively save, my net worth would have been flat. As my net worth has grown, it’s harder to move the needle as much.

6.5% is OK, but at one point I was up ~11%. Hence, it feels a little disappointing. 10% YoY growth has always been my minimum net worth growth target since graduating from college. Despite the disappointment, I’m glad my net worth didn’t go in reverse.

If you’re feeling bummed out, it helps to look at how far your net worth has come over the past five or 10 years. When I left work in 2012, I was comfortable with what I had. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have left. Having another six years of growth, excluding 2018, has really been a blessing post early retirement.

The key is to not lose all your gains to a bear market.

Related: Recommended Net Worth Allocation By Age Or Work Experience

Family & Fatherhood – 4.7 Stars

I could not have tried harder to be a great stay at home dad. I only have one shot, so I did everything to educate myself about parenthood. I also spent as much time as possible with my son as a stay at home dad.

My greatest moments of joy all year came from seeing my son’s milestones. He started waddling with help at around 11 months and slowly started to walk unassisted at 12 – 13 months. By 18 months he was able to count to 30, say all letters of the alphabet, and identify eight different colors.

His favorite words and phrases at 20 months old are “hot dog, ketchup, yum, yum, yum” “double wide garage door,” “walk with daddy,” “knock knock,” “verde,” “voila,” and “da hai bao (big seal in Mandarin).” He’s also just begun to sing a couple lullabies, one in Japanese and one in French. We try to talk to him in multiple languages as supposedly that helps brain development. He’s hilarious and full of determination. Oh boy is he determined.

When I’m not working on Financial Samurai or managing our investments, I pretend I’m a pre-school teacher and occupational therapist. Because he has a vision issue, I’ve been helping him track objects, work on his depth perception, and hand-eye coordination. So far he can walk up stairs no problem, but he still needs assistance going down stairs.

Now we’re focusing more on his fine motor skills, like drawing, holding a pencil, brushing his teeth, playing piano keys, and using scissors. The duties are never-ending, but it’s been a blessing to care for him every day and watch him grow.

He is a determined boy

My greatest sorrows have also all come from my son. Between 11 – 15 months old he would fall frequently or accidentally bonk his head on something hard or sharp. I felt his pain each time and admonished myself for not doing a better job protecting him.

As a result of his accidents, I ended up padding everywhere around the house and padding every wall and table corner. Interior design be damned! Thank goodness we live in a modest size house. The padding has saved him from injury numerous times, including on Christmas, when he stumbled on a package and hit his head on our coffee leg corner which was padded, hooray!

It turns out that toddlers between 12 – 19 months fall about 17X an hour on average according to one study of 120 toddlers. Only until about age 4 do most toddlers fully master their walking and running skills. That made me feel a little better, but it still made me so sad whenever he hurt himself. Taking him for a walk with a harness has helped tremendously. I’m teaching him to look both ways before crossing the street.

It’s also interesting it takes up to 24 months before a toddler’s fontanel closes. Therefore, we as parents might as well be as diligent as possible in trying to protect his head before his skull gets to full strength. So much about parenthood the first several years is about survival – from preventing suffocation while sleeping to making sure they don’t walk off a ledge.

The better our boy sleeps and the more he is able to communicate his desires, the more rewarding parenthood has become. Because he is so strong-willed, his temper tantrums are also quite a challenge.

One of my concerns is that he will hurt himself during these temper tantrums by banging his head on something hard or arching his back and hurting himself on the floor. Doctors say temper tantrums peak by around 24 months, subside, and then rise again at around 36 months. Here’s where I need to demonstrate maximum patience as a parent for the next 18 months.

Before my son was born, there was never any whining or crying around the house. But once he arrived, I have heard crying and whining every day, multiple times a day for 20 months in a row. Unfortunately, there is no logical reasoning with a young boy, except to use a technique called “caveman speak” while voicing what we think he wants to calm him down. Adjusting to this new scenario has been hard.

It’s also difficult to write, record a podcast, or mentally relax when there is so much noise. Being able to more easily find a quiet space is one of the benefits of upgrading to a larger house. As a result of needing to find quiet time, I often had to wake up between 4am – 5am to get things done. But I’m proud to say I’ve never lost my temper around my boy.

I’ve still got to improve my patience with my wife and not let business stress or stock market stress hurt our relationship. We operate at different paces, and I need to do a better job slowing down. The whole point of financial independence is to be free from money stress to live your best life.

Given my wife is a full-time mom and absolutely does more of the caregiving, the pressure is on me to make sure our finances never go in reverse. As the stock market melted down in 4Q2018, my stress level definitely increased.

Our goal is to both stay full-time parents for at least our son’s first two years of life and ideally try to be full-time parents for five years before he attends kindergarten. Fatherhood is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.

Related: How To Survive The Pressures Of Being A Sole Income Providing Parent

Health & Fitness – 3.2 Stars

I’m the same weight as I was in 2017, which is OK. But I gained 5 lbs in 2017, which was not OK. I need to get down to 162 lbs from 170 lbs. At least I exercised 3X a week on average plus took light walks with my son 5X a week on average. Given my goal is to live until 75, or whenever my son can establish himself and find a life partner, it’s important for me to stay in mental and physical shape.

Luckily, I’ve had no serious injuries or medical mishaps this year. I did catch some flu-like virus that knocked me out for 1.5 days in October, but that was it. We did have our first emergency room visit for my son at 5am because he seemed to have come down with a similar virus I had a month later. We also went to an after-hour care facility for some inflammation. Luckily, things got better after 24 hours.

At 41, I still haven’t sprouted any grey hairs, which is a surprise since I first got several grey hairs at 33, the year before I left my day job. The only reason I can imagine for this phenomenon is that not working a full-time job is less stressful. It’s one thing to say how much better life is after achieving financial independence. It’s another thing for the body to show us.

My most fun physical addition has been joining a softball meetup group that plays every Saturday it doesn’t rain. I must have played over 30 games in 2018. Ah, now I remember sustaining a left knee bone contusion that hurt for six months. My personal highlight was drafting and captaining a 4th of July softball tournament and winning. Curiously, it was one of my most satisfying life moments!

Finally, I found out in December I wasn’t getting bumped down to 4.5 in USTA tennis from 5.0. I did poorly in 5.0 league at the beginning of the year and was hoping to get bumped down after three seasons. When I didn’t, I appealed and got denied.

5.0 level tennis is brutally tough. From an ego perspective, it does feel good to be in the top 1% of all tennis levels. Other players give you respect as you puff out your chest and start thinking you’re the shiznits. But after you start repeatedly getting beaten by players younger than you, it starts to get demoralizing! Therefore, I always try to make fun of myself to others by saying the computers must have malfunctioned to keep me at 5.0.

Business – 4.8 Stars

I could not have tried harder to build Financial Samurai either. Here are some of the accomplishments:

Published three posts a week on average

Published three pages a week on average

Published one newsletter a week on average

Improved my short-form writing skills with the newsletter

Produced over 40 podcasts

Did several podcast interviews on other platforms

Launched the Financial Samurai Forum with 1,300 members thanks to my wife who set everything up over a year

Got mentioned in Business Insider, CNBC, MarketWatch, MSN, Apple News, Forbes, and Yahoo

Updated How To Engineer Your Layoff with a new forward for 2019

Increased overall traffic by 20% YoY, with 50% YoY traffic growth between August 11 – December 27

The 50% YoY traffic surge since August 11 seems like an anomaly. It’s like suddenly turning into a speedboat after being a cruise ship. But traffic has been elevated for almost four months so far, with December being the highest traffic all year. For years, December has always been a quiet month due to the holidays. Perhaps the traffic increase is due to a combination of more production, search algorithm changes by Google, and content syndication.

Overall, I’m just really happy there’s been a correlation with effort and reward. That’s all I’ve ever wanted, hence part of the reason why I left work in 2012. Every year since the birth of Financial Samurai in 2009, Financial Samurai has drastically outperformed the S&P 500 and the San Francisco real estate market. As a result, blogging has surpassed real estate as my favorite asset class to build wealth.

For poops and giggles, here’s another net worth chart if I manually input a business value based on recent comparable sales. The 30% spike is nice, but is also dangerous because it brings a false sense of complacency. It’s best to stay motivated as the economy softens. Just know that creating next level wealth is all about owning growth equity over the long term.

Net worth including market value of business = +30% YoY

Life’s Odds & Ends – 4 Stars

In May, I helped coach my high school boys varsity tennis team to the Northern California Sectional championship. This was the first championship in the school’s entire 40+ year history. This victory was particularly sweet because we had come so close my first year in 2017 only to lose in the finals to a school 3X our size. This was another incredible life moment that had nothing to do with money. I only got paid $3,500 for 3.5 months of work. The relationships I developed with some of the parents were a nice bonus.

My dad came to visit three times and my mom twice. My mother-in-law also visited twice and my father-in-law once. It is always great to see them, and I hope they continue to visit us more often. My dream has always been to have three generations spend as much time together as possible. Unfortunately or fortunately, all our grandparents want to remain independent and live in their respective cities. It’s hard to change the older you get, which is why I’ve been trying so hard to move to Hawaii.

I further strengthened a couple friendships. This is huge because as a stay-at-home dad, it’s often hard to make new friends or deepen friendships. There are simply less social events to attend e.g. happy hour. I love having a good buddy to shoot the shit with. I also developed a new in-person relationship with an FS reader, who also so happens to also be a professional athlete on my favorite team. Pretty neat!

I did some decent home maintenance projects this year: caulked the top of our living room window sill to prevent leaks, varnished all our wood planter boxes, rooted the upstairs sink that was clogging, re-roofed the leaking light well, maintained the yard, and fixed a leaky faucet at my rental. Man, I forgot about all this stuff until my wife reminded me. Thank goodness I sold the other rental.

Finally, we finalized our will and revocable living trust. My wife also led the charge getting us through this cumbersome and complicated process. There were so many documents to gather and questions to ask the estate planning lawyer that she estimates the whole process took her about 40 hours. But after we finally signed all the documents on December 20, I felt a huge sense of relief that I could die knowing that my wife and son wouldn’t have to go through probate court.

2018: 3.8 Out Of 5 Stars

Although I didn’t decide to take it easy per my 2018 goal, I have no regrets staying consistent with Financial Samurai. I don’t think I’ll ever change my work ethic until my body starts breaking down. The joy of writing is so tangible because it is an identifiable product that can be eternally consumed.

It’s been hard to accept no longer making a positive return on my public investments after nine years of up, up, up. I’ve got to do a much better job at not letting financial loss negatively affect my mood and my relationship with my wife. Not taking unnecessary risk will help.

During downturns, I envy those in professions that have nothing to do with the stock market. For example, when I asked my estate planning lawyer about what she thought about the stock market collapse in December, she said she had no idea because she outsources all her financial planning to someone else. What a blessing.

I also have zero regrets being a stay at home dad all year. Yes, the days were long and there were many moments of frustration, but just hearing his squeals of joy made full-time fatherhood worthwhile. All I want to do is squeeze and kiss him 100X a day! I’m so thankful my wife has been an amazing mother and partner all year.

Family and Financial Samurai are my two great loves. Everything else comes in a distant second. There was a point where we thought we’d never have a child. So we say a prayer of thanks every evening. Financial Samurai has been a part of me since the bottom of the last financial crisis in 2009. It’s like an old friend that has stuck with me in the worst of times.

The key is to not let my two loves collide, but to let them be synergistic. My family gives me motivation to write, while Financial Samurai is a creative outlet that helps ensure we remain stay-at-home-parents until we decide otherwise.

There’s always a silver lining to a downturn too.

For Financial Samurai, it’s increased traffic as more people are paying attention to their finances. Book sales on how to negotiate a severance are also increasing as savvy employees are trying to get ahead of the layoff curve. Finally, our passive income has also increased due to higher interests rates and my shift towards higher yielding assets like cash, bonds, and CDs.

For family life, it’s being less tempted to go back to work because the return on effort has declined. When all is in shambles, why bother dealing with a commute, company politics, difficult clients, and a declining company stock price.

I hope if my boy one day reads this article that’ll he’ll be proud of his dad. Although 2018 wasn’t a fantastic year, it was filled with many positive milestones.

I’ll be sharing my 2019 outlook and goals next. In the meantime, I’d love to hear some of your hits and misses for 2018!

Related: The Best Financial Samurai Posts For 2018

https://www.financialsamurai.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Financial-Samurai-2018-year-in-review.m4a

The post Financial Samurai 2018 Year In Review: Almost A Fantastic Year appeared first on Financial Samurai.

Financial Samurai 2018 Year In Review: Almost A Fantastic Year published first on https://worldwideinvestforum.tumblr.com/

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samuelfields · 6 years ago

Text

Financial Samurai 2018 Year In Review: Almost A Fantastic Year

Although 2018 ended on a down note with the stock market selling off, I feel good about how things unfolded. I’ll take the ratio of three good quarters to one bad quarter any year.

2018 Year In Review

Finances – 3 Out Of 5 Stars

My net worth is roughly made up of:

30% in stocks/bonds = -2%. After writing Your Risk Tolerance Is An Illusion in the Spring, I reduced my stock allocation in my House Sale Fund to roughly 52% from 70%. As bonds began to outperform stocks coupled with further profit taking, my end allocation is roughly 40% stocks / 60% bonds. Owning a bunch of equity structured notes in my other main fund has helped minimize volatility. But clearly I wasn’t defensive enough and should have taken more profits during the summer.

I’m disappointed with my public investment performance. This goes to show that no matter how concerned you are about an asset class or the economy, greed can override logic.

Net Worth Growth

2018 Net Worth = +6.5%

The key is to not lose all your gains to a bear market.

Related: Recommended Net Worth Allocation By Age Or Work Experience

Family & Fatherhood – 4.7 Stars

He is a determined boy

It’s also interesting it takes up to 24 months before a toddler’s fontanel closes. Therefore, we as parents might as well be as diligent as possible in trying to protect his head before his skull gets to full strength. So much about about parenthood the first several years is about survival – from preventing suffocation while sleeping to making sure they don’t walk off a ledge.

The better our boy sleeps and the more he is able to communicate his desires, the more rewarding parenthood has become. Because he is so strong-willed, his temper tantrums are also quite a challenge.

Related: How To Survive The Pressures Of Being A Sole Income Providing Parent

Health & Fitness – 3.2 Stars

At 41, I still haven’t sprouted any grey hairs, which is a surprise since I first got several grey hairs at 33, the year before I left my day job. The only reason I can imagine for this phenomena is that not working a full-time job is less stressful. It’s one thing to say how much better life is after achieving financial independence. It’s another thing for the body to show us.

Business – 4.8 Stars

I could not have tried harder to build Financial Samurai either. Here are some of the accomplishments:

Published three posts a week on average

Published three pages a week on average

Published one newsletter a week on average

Improved my short-form writing skills with the newsletter

Produced over 40 podcasts

Did several podcast interviews on other platforms

Launched the Financial Samurai Forum with 1,300 members thanks to my wife who set everything up over a year

Got mentioned in Business Insider, CNBC, MarketWatch, MSN, Apple News, Forbes, and Yahoo

Updated How To Engineer Your Layoff with a new forward for 2019

Increased overall traffic by 20% YoY, with 50% YoY traffic growth between August 11 – December 27

Net worth including market value of business = +30% YoY

Life’s Odds & Ends – 4 Stars

2018: 3.8 Out Of 5 Stars

Family and Financial Samurai are my two great loves. Everything comes a distant second. There was a point where we thought we’d never have a child. So we say a prayer of thanks every evening. Financial Samurai has been a part of me since the bottom of the last financial crisis in 2009. It’s like an old friend that has stuck with me in the worst of times.

There’s always a silver lining to a downturn too.

I hope if my boy one day reads this article that’ll he’ll be proud of his dad. Although 2018 wasn’t a fantastic year, it was filled with many positive milestones.

I’ll be sharing my 2019 outlook and goals next. In the meantime, I’d love to hear some of your hits and misses for 2018!

Related: The Best Financial Samurai Posts For 2018

https://www.financialsamurai.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Financial-Samurai-2018-year-in-review.m4a

The post Financial Samurai 2018 Year In Review: Almost A Fantastic Year appeared first on Financial Samurai.

from Finance https://www.financialsamurai.com/financial-samurai-2018-year-in-review/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

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mcjoelcain · 6 years ago

Text

Financial Samurai 2018 Year In Review: Almost A Fantastic Year

Although 2018 ended on a down note with the stock market selling off, I feel good about how things unfolded. I’ll take the ratio of three good quarters to one bad quarter any year.

2018 Year In Review

Finances – 3 Out Of 5 Stars

My net worth is roughly made up of:

30% in stocks/bonds = -1.5%. After writing Your Risk Tolerance Is An Illusion in the Spring, I reduced my stock allocation in my House Sale Fund to roughly 52% from 70%. As bonds began to outperform stocks coupled with further profit taking, my end allocation is roughly 40% stocks / 60% bonds. Owning a bunch of equity structured notes in my other main fund has helped minimize volatility. But clearly I wasn’t defensive enough and should have taken more profits during the summer.

My House Sale Fund portfolio was up around 13% at one point until I gave all the gains up in the 4th quarter. Right now, it’s holding onto a tenuous 0.6% gain, excluding the huge rally on Dec 26. Overall, my public investment portfolio is slightly down, which violates my rule of never losing money post retirement.

House Sale Fund Portfolio went from +13% to just +0.6%

I’m disappointed with my public investment portfolio performance. This goes to show that no matter how concerned you are about an asset class or the economy, greed can override logic.

Net Worth Growth

2018 Net Worth = +6.5%

The key is to not lose all your gains to a bear market.

Related: Recommended Net Worth Allocation By Age Or Work Experience

Family & Fatherhood – 4.7 Stars

He is a determined boy

It’s also interesting it takes up to 24 months before a toddler’s fontanel closes. Therefore, we as parents might as well be as diligent as possible in trying to protect his head before his skull gets to full strength. So much about about parenthood the first several years is about survival – from preventing suffocation while sleeping to making sure they don’t walk off a ledge.

The better our boy sleeps and the more he is able to communicate his desires, the more rewarding parenthood has become. Because he is so strong-willed, his temper tantrums are also quite a challenge.

Related: How To Survive The Pressures Of Being A Sole Income Providing Parent

Health & Fitness – 3.2 Stars

At 41, I still haven’t sprouted any grey hairs, which is a surprise since I first got several grey hairs at 33, the year before I left my day job. The only reason I can imagine for this phenomena is that not working a full-time job is less stressful. It’s one thing to say how much better life is after achieving financial independence. It’s another thing for the body to show us.

Business – 4.8 Stars

I could not have tried harder to build Financial Samurai either. Here are some of the accomplishments:

Published three posts a week on average

Published three pages a week on average

Published one newsletter a week on average

Improved my short-form writing skills with the newsletter

Produced over 50 podcasts

Did several podcast interviews on other platforms

Launched the Financial Samurai Forum with 1,300 members thanks to my wife who set everything up over a year

Got mentioned in Business Insider, CNBC, MarketWatch, MSN, Apple News, Forbes, and Yahoo

Updated How To Engineer Your Layoff with a new forward

Increased overall traffic by 20% YoY, with 50% YoY traffic growth between August 11 – December 27

Net worth including market value of business = +30% YoY

Life’s Odds & Ends – 4 Stars

2018: 3.8 Out Of 5 Stars

There’s always a silver lining to a downturn too.

I hope if my boy one day reads this article that’ll he’ll be proud of his dad. Although 2018 wasn’t a fantastic year, it was filled with many positive milestones.

I’ll be sharing my 2019 outlook and goals next. In the meantime, I’d love to hear some of your hits and misses for 2018!

Related: The Best Financial Samurai Posts For 2018

https://www.financialsamurai.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Financial-Samurai-2018-year-in-review.m4a

The post Financial Samurai 2018 Year In Review: Almost A Fantastic Year appeared first on Financial Samurai.

from Money https://www.financialsamurai.com/financial-samurai-2018-year-in-review/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

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virtualhavenmag-blog · 7 years ago

Text

Pit People Review - Another Hit From Behemoth

With hilarious dialogue, addicting gameplay, and hundreds of creative quests, Pit People is most certainly a success, living up to the standards set by Castle Crashers and BattleBlock Theatre.

Pit People is the latest release from indie developer Behemoth, tackling the strategy genre with their signature style. The company’s move from a 2.5D action game to a side-scrolling puzzle game to a top down strategy game shows they are willing to try new things with every release.

Story & Characters

In Pit People, players take control of Horatio, a man seeking to get his child back from a giant space bear. Horatio travels around the world fighting, looting, and capturing enemies in an attempt to strengthen his squad and save his son. The base story isn’t all that important, but the dialogue and situations that unfold are incredibly charming.

Once again, Will Stamper shines as the narrator in another Behemoth game, and is as hilarious as he was in BattleBlock Theatre. The bizarre conversations between him and the characters are hysterical, especially the way regular folk speak gibberish. It’s amusing to see the narrator do something awful to Horatio and then witness Horatio angrily respond with a string of made up words. This is even funnier considering that there is occasional coherency in these words, as certain things don’t sound like gibberish and sound slightly similar to English.

There are also a lot of small jokes in the world, characters, and dialogue. The game is mostly successful at making jokes anywhere it can, but it occasionally falters. The common poop jokes for instance were never very amusing.

Gameplay

Players travel around a modestly sized overworld and take bizarre quests from bizarre individuals. Either that or you can accept the story missions back at the hub and go along with the main content. No matter which route you go, these quests are incredibly creative, fun, and engaging. The most intriguing aspect of the game is that even the side missions feel as thought out as the main ones. The story quests do have a bit more style, but the alternative ones are just as well made.

When it comes to the actual combat, the player commands their characters to move to specific spots on the map. If they’re next to multiple enemies, they will randomly decide who they’re attacking.

For example, if you move Horatio to a spot where four enemies surround him, he will randomly choose which one to attack. This can be problematic, but it adds a layer of strategy because it forces you to move to spots where your character won’t be surrounded, allowing them to focus on a single individual at a time. This is also the case with bows and cannons, as it’ll randomly select people to shoot within range. Thankfully, the range on these characters is so unpredictable that you can usually move them into certain spots to target specific enemies.

Thankfully, the game gets even better with a friend. Certain titles only allow you to play portions with someone else, but all of Pit People is accessible with a friend. Not only that, but it’s balanced well for co-op. The game doesn’t get too easy or too hard during multiplayer, which mainly has to do with the level design. Sometimes, players focus on specific tasks that have them on different sides of the screen. Other times, both will be work together to take down a fearsome boss.

Customization & Leveling

When a battle is over, the player earns gold, armor, and weapons. This is where the game allows a lot of personal choice in how you build your character, as certain weapons have wildly different effects. For example, I’m personally addicted to an ice mortar that freezes enemies from a long range. It’s very different from any of the other ranged weapons, and possesses high utility for intense battles.

This customization system works incredibly well, especially when you add the many different enemies you can capture. Towards the end of a battle, you can capture the final enemy and put them in your squad. From pixies to spidaurs and giant cyclopes, any new member changes how the game plays entirely.

Putting a swordsman with high damage output on top of a spidaur with high defense creates a destructive nightmare. You can go even further with these additions by adding swift kobolds, regenerating zombies, unicorn snipers and more. The character customization and team member diversity creates a dynamic that makes Pit People feel fresh from the slightest change.

However, the big problem is that there’s not much incentive to keep any of your characters. Even if you get attached to a specific character, there aren’t any skill points or unlockable abilities to make characters feel unique. Everything about each character is too broad, as the customization solely relies on equipment anyone can equip, and this is even worse considering there’s a level up system.

This level system provides slight bonuses but doesn’t matter as much as it could. It would’ve been great to be able to choose how to build character’s stats or customize minor abilities. Having the game choose where those stat bonuses go isn’t any fun. Even then, leveling up is a great lifesaver in combat. If a team member is about to die, they can instantly heal to max HP upon reaching a new level. This mechanic saved many lives throughout my playthrough.

Overworld, Marquette, & Misc.

Unfortunately, the overworld is annoying to travel through. The obnoxious gas always blocks your view, making it genuinely uncomfortable to see. The world is also gridded, which seems visually contradicted by the smooth animations of the moving cart and walking enemies. It also makes shooting awkward when you’re auto-locked to a certain grid point and the enemy is moving normally throughout the grid. Additionally, the coins that you can find on your travels feel pointless, as they don’t provide enough incentive to collect.

When it comes to the Marquette, there’s not much there. You can purchase new party members for a large sum of money—which is not worth it—and you can buy a randomly assigned item on display. Aside from that, there’s the shop which allows you to only purchase practical items like a revive potion and a campfire, which heals all party members in the overworld.

Overall, the currency system could have a lot more to it. The only reasonable thing to purchase are these practical items which are dirt cheap, almost always causing the player to have a lot more money than they should. Similar to the level up issue, it would be interesting if additional abilities or special skins could be purchased. Pit People simply needs an additional incentive to spend money.

Throughout my first three hours or so, I used a keyboard and mouse to play. However, this became extremely obnoxious considering some of the controls. It was difficult to precisely select characters with a mouse wheel, as it would often go to the incorrect one. Not only that, but moving the cart felt robotic and hard to control. These are small issues, but it was enough to make me switch to a controller.

As the name suggests, you can also fight in The Pit. This is a combat oriented arena where you can battle other players or take on a tournament against NPCs. Fighting other players is a ton of fun, and going through the tournament provides many rewards for the victors. Even then, it’s pretty strange that The Pit isn’t as significant as the game title would suggest. It’s not a problem, just interesting to think about.

Visuals & Sound

Pit People takes on a classic Behemoth visual style with goofy humor embedded in its art and silly designs for its characters and world. This works very well for the most part, as certain hats and weapons are genuinely hilarious.

There’s nothing more amusing than using a trash can as a shield, throwing letter blocks at enemies, and attacking people with a stick of meat. The player can also travel to a giant toilet town, adopt a poop mascot, and give their cupcake medic a soldier’s cap. There’s nothing serious about the way the title is designed, and it’s a relief.

When it comes to its soundtrack, Behemoth impresses again with more bizarrely styled tracks. Some of the music seems genuinely experimental, using random sounds to put together a piece. Even with these tracks, the songs themselves sound great, creating intense, hilarious, or weird atmospheres when appropriate.

Verdict

Pit People is amusing, addicting, and an absolute blast to play. It’s a strategy game full of content, with the studio’s twisted humor embedded in everything. Thanks to incredibly diverse quests, hundreds of customizable options, and incredibly funny dialogue, Pit People is another hit from Behemoth.

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Score

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Good Bad Hilarious Dialogue Annoying Overworld Creative Quests Bland Leveling System Fun Capture System Keyboard and Mouse All Content Accessible With a Friend Underdeveloped Marquette Addicting Gameplay Great Soundtrack Quirky Visuals

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- 8/10 -

#Strategy #action #Comedy #Castle Crashers #BattleBlock #Pit People #Behemoth

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uniquequotesonlife · 5 years ago

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12 Simple Money Management Tips You Can Start Today

13 Tips to Develop Good Money Management Habits

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uniquequotesonlife · 5 years ago

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12 Simple Money Management Tips You Can Start Today

13 Tips to Develop Good Money Management Habits

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uniquequotesonlife · 5 years ago

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12 Simple Money Management Tips You Can Start Today

13 Tips to Develop Good Money Management Habits

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uniquequotesonlife · 5 years ago

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12 Simple Money Management Tips You Can Start Today

13 Tips to Develop Good Money Management Habits

Ready to improve your financial situation? Here are some of the best tips you need to get your finances under control and work toward a healthier financial future. 1. Find an Easy Way to Manage Your Money

Aileen Perilla/The Penny Hoarder One way to recalibrate your spending habits is to participate in a spending freeze. Here’s how: Pick a month — or year, even.Former Penny Hoarder Jamie Cattanach chose November in hopes of taming her holiday spending.Don’t spend money on nonessentials during the freeze.Definitely still pay rent and utilities — all those responsible grown-up bills — but don’t spend anything on entertainment, clothing or dining out. Sure, it’ll be difficult. You’ll face temptations. But Cattanach finished the challenge and saved at least $600 in one month.Credit Sesame does not guarantee any of these results, and some may even see a decrease in their credit score. Any score improvement is the result of many factors, including paying bills on time, keeping credit balances low, avoiding unnecessary inquiries, appropriate financial planning and developing better credit habits. source Read the full article

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uniquequotesonlife · 5 years ago

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12 Simple Money Management Tips You Can Start Today

13 Tips to Develop Good Money Management Habits

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