Still Growing in Popularity – Goals Update #17
Whew! It seems like every week is crazier than the last, and this past week has certainly been no different. I traveled to New York on a business trip a week and a half ago, and since then my article, “9 Things the Rich Do That the Poor Do Not” was picked up by Business Insider, and then because of it’s popularity was set up as a featured article on their site! All in all, that article had over 191,000 views and…
21 Things I Always Get From the Dollar Tree
Over the course of my adulthood, I have slowly discovered the amazingness of the dollar store. An item that typically costs $4 or $5 at another retail establishment might only cost $1 at the dollar store. After a few of these purchases, the savings could really add up! So why not just put a list together of the things we should be purchasing from the dollar store?Before I dive into my list of 21 things I always get from the Dollar Tree, I want to make a very important note. All dollar stores are not created equal. In addition to the Dollar Tree, you might…
Top 5 Reasons People Go Bankrupt And How to Avoid It
Many people struggle with managing their money. Sometimes, there just isn’t enough to go around. In fact, over 900,000 Americans filed for bankruptcy in 2014. You might think that those who file for bankruptcy are irresponsible spenders. That’s certainly some , but in reality many people are not excessive over-spenders. They’re simply unable to respond to unfortunate events.According to a 2010 study, the top 5 reasons why people file for bankruptcy are:Medical expenses (42{0e584ec94eaa64d073763ee1dc286a1f4d0f941424b1448bbfd01af7d90f9475})Job loss …
How to Become a Freelance Writer in 30 Days or Less (and Make $4,000 a Month)
I don’t often focus on the fact that I’m a freelance business writer, but that’s how I started my entrepreneurial career. I’ve since leveraged that into a business that brings in more money than my accounting day job used to. If you’re thinking of diving into the freelance writing space, or have recently started down that path, this is without a doubt a viable way to make a full-time living. Since learning how to become …
How to Be More Productive: The Best Tools for Creative Freelancers
After spending several years as a self-employed solopreneur myself, and working with a team of 3-4 people, we’ve tested out lots of different tools and apps to help streamline our business process. This has helped us learn how to be more productive as well as earn more money in less time. From managing our financial goals, to working with clients, to balancing everything on the go, our desire is to work smarter not harder. Likewise, your big goals probably include growing your online business, building a bigger and…
How to Budget With Irregular Income When You’re Self-Employed
I was recently a featured guest on the weekly Money Crashers Tweetchat (#mcchat), where the topic was all about Budgeting With Irregular Income. I regularly get questions related to this subject in my inbox, and on all my social media accounts. It’s something we all deal with as freelancers and business owners. It’s tough to balance finding new work, getting paid, and figuring out where your money should be spent. The worst part about having irregular income is that you never know …
Make Tax Season Less Painful: 5 Things to Reduce Stress
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of E*TRADE for IZEA. As always opinions are 100{0e584ec94eaa64d073763ee1dc286a1f4d0f941424b1448bbfd01af7d90f9475} mine and never influenced by any brand. Tax season is a topic we love to hate. Nothing feels worse than working hard all year long only to end up with several hours of tax prep, followed by a large tax bill. As business owners our taxes aren’t quite as simple as they used to be when we were employees with a W-2 from our jobs. Our business and knowledge of success continues to grow and because of this we’ve become investors too (even if we’re in the beginning stages). We see the importance of investing in…
Quarterly Income Report: How I Made $17,655 From Blogging (Q1)
At the beginning of 2015 I made a decision to focus less on client work and more on turning my blog into a sustainable business. After months of dealing with inconsistent income and taking on a bit of business debt, I decided I needed to take back control of my income by leveraging this blog. Mind you that I didn’t say “pimp out this blog” which is what a lot of freelancers do in order to make a living online. I’ve carefully crafted this platform over the …
What Happens if You Miss the Tax Return Deadline?
This post is part of the TaxACT #BeatTheDeadline blog tour which shares tips on how to make tax time a smooth and easy process before the April 15 deadline. TaxACT provides the tools and guidance to help you confidently file taxes easy and fast. Do your own taxes today at TaxACT. You got this. The tax return deadline is quickly approaching, so if you haven’t filed your taxes yet, you still have a bit of time (but not much!). I’m basically reminding myself of this because I still haven’t filed my taxes yet. Gasp! I know right?! The main reason I haven’t filed yet isn’t for…
How to Quit Your Job Without Burning Bridges
This post is from new Careful Cents contributor Kayla, who owns the blog ShoeaholicNoMore. Over the next six months she’s sharing journey to quitting her job and taking the leap into self-employment. Resigning from my very secure, but very boring, full-time job is something I’ve been thinking about constantly for the past few months, ever since I started freelancing online in July 2014. But before I talk about how to quit your job with grace and not burn bridges, let me back up a little bit and introduce myself. I’m Kayla, a full-time credit analyst at an agricultural lender in rural Kansas, a part-…
How to Choose the Best Business Checking Account as a Freelancer
As a self-employed freelancer, most of my financial business is done online or with mobile apps. But choosing the best business checking account can be daunting. Plus, you want to make sure you don’t spend extra money on fees. I’ve seen the benefits of technology and how going digital makes me more productive and streamlines my life. Oddly enough though, many consumers and small business owners (about half) still bank at traditional banks! It’s time you embrace technology and the benefits it offers, by finding the best business checking account. Some solopreneurs …
How to Find Affordable Health Insurance When You’re Self-Employed
So you missed the health insurance deadline and had to pay a penalty on your tax return? Don’t worry, you still have options — some of which are actually affordable. If you’re like me, you are probably procrastinating on applying for health insurance because you just don’t think you can afford the $400+ premiums per month. (Depending on your state and whether or not you’re single or married, your premium may be more or …
Is this the NEW way to build an email list? Survey says…
…YES. If you want to create – and sell – online courses, you NEED an email list. And for the last decade, building an email list usually went something like this… You would send people to an optin page. Maybe you’d offer them an ebook, or a free download, or something like that. And it worked. But there may be a NEW way to build an email list… Is This The NEW Way …
5 Ways to Outshine your Competitors
Competition is a reality in today’s tough economic climate. No matter what type of business you are in you are sure to be facing some hefty competition. How do you stand out in the pack? How do you get noticed in an overcrowded marketplace? How do you outshine your competitors? Make a Brilliant First Impression If you manage to snag a meeting with a potential client, make it count. You may only get one go at impressing them. Treat a potential new client with the care and respect required to win them over. First impressions count for a lot…
Turn Your Trash to Cold Hard Cash
The world will turn to one giant trash bin if we don’t help save it. Some people doesn’t care about the world they live in and just throw bits and pieces in the streets which eventually clogs the drainage systems and we will have flooding in any parts of the world. Well, I’m sure you’ve all seen that on the news recently. So, how can you/we help? Have you heard of the brilliant idea of selling your trash into…
Getting Information for Online Payday Lending
A payday loan or cash advance is a short term loan for a small amount that is paid back by your next pay period. This type of loan is used for an emergency because of not having extra money or a savings account. Some people are hesitant to get online payday lending because of fees and the short amount time to pay back the loan. However, they are beneficial when not getting more than you can afford to pay back. This type of loan is also convenient because you can apply online from the privacy of your home. Cash advances are …
Disney Theme Party at Affordable Prices
It is my kid’s birthday next month and I’m all excited about hosting a Disney theme party. And to be precise Alice in Wonderland as my daughter totally loves it! I believe it is surely going to be a great hit with the kids and other guests. I’m not worried as my favorite Disney Store is sure to come to my rescue. I simple love this store because of the extensive product range that includes characters, products, clothing range for girls, boys and kids and home décor too! I ordered the right dress and a few theme home …
Overview About Stock Market Experts
Given all that’s happened to financial markets in the past few years, it’s no wonder some people are a little skittish about the security of their investments. However, investing in the stock market is one of the surest ways to help your money grow and plan for the future, if you educate yourself beforehand and go into it with a plan. You investment plan is a guide to where you want to be financially at designated periods of your life. Ideally, the time to start planning your retirement is when you first enter the job market; the closer you get to retirement age, the harder …
Looking for Cheap Mother of the Bride Dresses?
Wedding bells are nearing for your beloved only daughter and stress in finding that perfect dress for you is slowly creeping in. Of course, as the mother of the bride, you want to look your very best. You’ve searched high and low, even asked friends for designs that will compliment the bride’s gown, but to no avail. Those that you saw which closely resembles either doesn’t suit your taste or the price is too expensive. You don’t have to match the bridal gown, you just have to look, well, the beautiful mother of the bride Have you tried searching online? There are tons of elegant, glamorous and cheap mother of …
Manulife Philippines: Significant Rise in Benefit Payouts in 2013
More clients enjoy the benefits of Manulife Philippines insurance policies Manulife Philippines posted a significant rise in benefit payouts in 2013, allowing more clients to enjoy the benefits of their insurance policies than in the previous year. Maturity benefit payments amounted to PhP 807 million or a growth of 38 per cent in 2013, lifted by the growth of education and pension benefits paid out. Those receiving pension and education payments increased by 20 per cent in 2013 over 2012. “The rise in our benefit payout figures points to our secured position of financial strength, and more importantly reinforces our cherished reputation of reliably delivering on our obligations to our policyholders for over 100 years,” said Ryan Charland, President and Chief Executive Officer, Manulife…
How To Make Money from Affiliate Marketing
One of the ways to earn money online is via Affiliate Marketing. It may not be as easy as you think, but armed with great effort and knowledge, you can earn a lot from this. We all know that nothing is ever easy when it comes to making money in the internet, but hey, I’m earning top dollars from being an affiliate and so could you! If you don’t know what affiliate marketing is, it is a way to start selling something online without coming up with it yourself. Someone has made…
Practical Gifts for Grandparents’ Day
Every year and on the first Sunday of September, we celebrate the National Grandparents’ Day along with many other countries, of course in their own timezones. It has been a tradition for many decades now honoring especially our grandpa and grandma and all those elderly in nursing and retirement homes. It’s a very special day for our grandparents, a way to thank them in helping raise and shape us into what we have become today and now, it’s our children’s turn. If…
Chalene Johnson, AskPat 300 and This Week’s Upcoming Webinars!
Happy Monday everyone! Today is a recovery day for me before I get back into the thick of things tomorrow, so I just have a few quick updates and announcements for you here in this post. Recovery from What? Well – over the weekend I had the pleasure and honor of speaking at the Smart Success Seminar, a 3-day event put on by Chalene Johnson and her husband Bret. It. Was. AWESOME! Chalene is a huge authority in the fitness space who is doing much more than that now. She’s…
SPI 153: Systematizing – Pat and Mindy Talk AskPat and Our Productive Workflow
The Smart Passive Income Podcast has been nominated for a Top Business Podcast Award! Please help the show by visiting PodcastAwards.com and find Smart Passive Income in the Business Category to cast your vote! You can vote daily through March 24th, and if you’d love to be reminded to vote each day, sign up at iVoteForPat.com and I’ll send you a quick reminder email. That list will be deleted after March 24th. Thank you for your support, and enjoy today’s episode! Back in Episode 138, I had a blast introducing you to the amazing people of Team Flynn. I got a ton of responses about one team member in particular: Mindy Holahan. Mindy…