Topshop is on its way to Myer

MYER is set to nab a 25 per cent stake in Brit fashion brand Topshop’s Australian franchise, to bring up-to-the-minute and cutting edge design to its stores.

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ArtPop seeks Pocono artists for billboard showing

Did you ever wonder what happens to unused billboard space? About 10 years ago, ArtPop founder, Wendy Hickey, a sales rep for Adams Outdoor Advertising came up with an idea  — "Why not put art on unused billboard space and create a gallery for travelers on the road?"Hickey was a board member of the Pocono Arts Council when she began a small pilot project in the Poconos before being transferred to Adams Outdoor in Michigan. Fast forward ten years and Hickey, now living [...]

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Manufacturer ordered to pay $256,513 in back wages

A conveyor belt manufacturer in Las Vegas has to pay $256,513 in back wages to 17 workers after a U.S. Labor Department investigation.

Source Business http://ift.tt/1Euhig5

7-Eleven reacts to ‘half-pay scam’

THE explosive wage theft allegations against Australia’s biggest convenience store have prompted 7-Eleven to pay out ‘struggling’ franchisees.

Source NEWS.com.au | Business http://ift.tt/1UoauT2

Google+ Still Kicking: Collections Now Available In The iOS App

Collections, which gives Google+ users the ability to create topic-based streams, now has a home on Apple devices.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

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Why Woolies is a basket case

THERE’S a simple reason why Woolworths is having such a hard time at the moment. It involves baskets, and anger, and shame.

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British Airways plans three more London-Las Vegas flights

British Airways will expand its Las Vegas presence early next year with three additional seasonal flights between London's Heathrow International Airport and McCarran International Airport.

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Get a glimpse of Las Vegas penthouse living — PHOTOS

When it comes to some of the most luxurious real estate in Las Vegas, you need to look up … way up. That's where lofty penthouses are found.

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Marketing Day: MTV VMAs Set Twitter Record, Android Wear Now Compatible With iPhone & Holiday Insights

Here's our recap of what happened in online marketing today, as reported on Marketing Land and other places across the web.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

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New fleets, technology driving aviation over next decade

Breakthroughs will drive the aviation market in the next 10 years for the nation's airlines — and the competition is on for discovering that next breakthrough.

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New cocktail lounge to open at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas

The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas and newly formed Clique Hospitality, founded by former Light Group CEO Andy Masi, are partnering on a new cocktail lounge called Clique to open this winter at The Cosmopolitan.

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An Easy Trick for Saving 10% Every Time You Buy Gas

Planning on heading to the beach this Labor Day? Or maybe you’re grabbing the kids for a camping trip or joining some friends for a weekend away?

Whatever your plans, it likely involves a road trip, which means you’re looking for ways to save big on gas.

EBay is offering some great deals in their Gift Card Storefront, including a Conoco card that will make fueling up for your next road trip 10% cheaper.

The $100 fuel card is now on sale for just $90. That means you get $10 worth of free gas for every card you purchase.

Gas prices have been hovering in the $2.52-2.70 range nationwide over the last few weeks, according to Gas Buddy. With the average new car getting more than 24 miles per gallon, this $10 freebie will help you cover about 100 miles for free.

Just think where could that take you!

Use These Gift Cards to Get Cheap Gas and More

If you’re planning to drive to your favorite lake, park or family getaway for Labor Day weekend, you could grab this discount card in time for the holiday getaway. Keep in mind shipping typically takes about four days.

While we don’t know how long this cheap gas deal will last last, we’ll do our best to update this post when we hear the cards are gone.

And guess what! This great Conoco card deal isn’t the only discount card on sale.

Check out these other gift card savings available on the eBay Gift Card Storefront:

• To save on the latest fashions, snag a $60 card to The Limited card for only $50.

• Enjoy a weekend away in a discount hotel room with a $100 Choice Hotels card for only $90.

• Stock up on camping gear at Cabela’s with a $50 card for $40.

• Skip the cooking and head over to California Pizza Kitchen with a $50 card for just $40.

• And then stop by Fuddrucker’s for dessert; a $25 card is just $20.

• Stop by CVS and save with a $100 card for $90. While you’re at it, try deal-stacking with some of our other CVS savings techniques, too.

Looking for more ways to save on gas? We’ve got you covered.

Your Turn: What other hacks have you discovered for finding cheap gas?

Kristen Pope is a freelance writer and editor in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

The post An Easy Trick for Saving 10% Every Time You Buy Gas appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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Slot machines are tighter but casino revenue isn't much higher

Apparently, slot machine players were onto something. The games have gotten tighter.

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MTV VMAs Set Record For Most Tweeted U.S. TV Show (Excluding Sports)

Awards show draws 21.4 million tweets, only 4 million fewer than than the 2015 Super Bowl.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

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Personal Finance 101: What Is a Certificate of Deposit?

What does ‘laddering’ CDs mean, anyway? We explain that strategy and more. Photo: van Ort

If you’re looking for a place to stash your money for a longer period of time than a regular checking or savings account, you may have investigated a certificate of deposit, or CD. This article will break down everything you need to know about CDs, including pros and cons, the best CD rates and investment strategies, and alternative places to park your cash.

What Is a Certificate of Deposit?

A CD is a low-risk investment product sold by banks, credit unions, and brokerages. Your deposit is insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. up to $250,000.

Unlike a savings account, when you put your money into a CD, you’re typically agreeing not to touch it for a certain period of time, called a term. You can get a CD with all sorts of terms, but they are commonly as short as three months or as long as five years. In most cases, if you need your money before your term is up, you’ll have to pay a penalty. The penalty varies from bank to bank, but a fee equal to three to six months’ interest is common for a one-year CD, reports Bankrate.

While your money is in the CD, it earns interest. This is denoted as annual percentage yield, or APY. You’ll know the APY before you put your money in the CD. Generally, your CD rates will hinge on how much you are willing to invest and how long you’re willing to keep your hands off it. Larger amounts and longer terms mean you’ll earn more interest, which is taxable.

Types of CDs

There are several varieties. Be sure to investigate all of them, since a lesser-known CD might be a better fit for your financial situation:

• Traditional CD: This is the simplest, most straightforward CD. Put your money in for a fixed time period for a fixed interest rate, such as one year. Don’t touch it for that period, and when your term is up, you’ll get your deposit back plus interest. If you have to dip into your money before your term is up, you could face a penalty.
• Variable-rate CD: Instead of a fixed interest rate, a variable-rate CD offers an interest rate that will adjust in concert with certain rate indexes (this will vary from bank to bank). So you assume a bit more risk here: If rates go up, you could earn more on your deposit than with a traditional CD; if rates go down, the opposite would be true.
• Bump-up CD: A bump-up CD gives you a chance to “bump up” to a new, better interest rate if your bank raises rates on CDs similar to yours during a certain time frame. You can usually only do this once, or possibly twice during a longer term.
• Liquid/no-penalty CD: If you’re a commitment-phobe, a liquid or no-penalty CD lets you take your cash, plus interest earned, and run before your term is up. However, you’ll probably earn a lower interest rate for this convenience.
• Callable CD: Get a callable CD and your bank will pay you a higher interest rate, but the catch is they can “recall” it before the term is over — typically when rates have fallen far below the one you nabbed when you got the CD. You’ll get your deposit back and any interest earned until that point.
• Jumbo CD: A jumbo CD is basically just a CD that requires a large minimum deposit, like $100,000, and pays a higher interest rate in return.
• IRA CD: An IRA CD is simply a CD that you invest in as part of an individual retirement account, which is a tax-advantaged account where you stash your money. The IRA can have several kinds of and assets — not just CDs. Though very low-risk, CDs probably aren’t the best way to grow money in a retirement account because the return will be very low.

Pros and Cons of CDs

Now that you know some of the basics, are you wondering whether a CD is for you? Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of CDs to help you decide:

Pros

• Low risk: If you want to take baby steps into the world of investing, a CD could be a good first step. You’re guaranteed to get your deposit back, plus the specified APY, which you know in advance.
• Ease of use: You can easily open a CD yourself, without the assistance of a financial adviser. Additionally, with most CDs, you can “set it and forget it”: That is, once you’ve opened your CD and put your money in, you don’t have to do much else.
• Higher interest rates (at most traditional banks): Traditionally, CD rates are higher than savings account rates to entice you to part with your money for the specified term. This is still mostly true when it comes to brick-and-mortar banks and credit unions. However, it might not be the case when you factor in some high-yield savings accounts online, which I’ll return to later in this article.

Cons

• Low liquidity: Since you’ll face a penalty fee if you need to take money out of your CD before your term is up, it’s not the best place to put any money that you need ready access to, such as an emergency fund.
• Lower interest rates (compared to other investments): While some CD rates may be higher than certain savings account rates, you’re not going to earn anything approaching what you could earn with more aggressive, higher-risk investments.

What Are the Best CD Rates Today?

CDs aren’t known for their high yields. As is par for the course in the world of investing, the lower your risk, the lower your return. According to a national rate survey by Bankrate, a one-year CD was averaging 0.27% APY in mid-August 2015, while a five-year CD was averaging 0.86%. In comparison, savings accounts were averaging 0.09%.

Of course, you can do better than the national average by doing a little research — even without a massive opening deposit. If you can part with your money for only one year, Synchrony Bank is offering 1.25% APY on one-year CDs with a minimum deposit of $2,000. Got another year? Synchrony will bump your APY to 1.45% for a two-year CD with the same minimum deposit. Sallie Mae is also offering 1.25% APY on one-year CDs with a slightly larger minimum deposit, $2,500.

If you can keep your hands off your money for five years, EverBank is offering 2.25% APY with a minimum deposit of $1,500. Ally Bank is offering 2.0% APY without any minimum opening deposit. Discover Bank is offering 2.3% APY on its 10-year CDs.

You can continue to look around by using our CD search tool below. Simply input your desired term and minimum deposit to find some of the best CD rates available.

How Can I Maximize My CD Interest Rates?

While CD rates are low, there are a few investment strategies you can use to boost your return, with the added bonus of creating more chances to access your money penalty-free.

CD Laddering

Laddering, the most popular CD investing strategy, helps you enjoy a higher interest rate while maintaining access to at least some of your cash — making a CD ladder a candidate for part of your emergency fund. You divide your investment into equal portions and put each portion into a CD with a different term. Once the CD with the shortest term matures, you reinvest it in a longer-term, higher-rate CD. You keep doing that once each CD matures so that eventually every CD will have a higher rate, with one maturing every year.

Let’s look at an example: You have $15,000 to invest. You divide it into five $3,000 chunks, and put each $3,000 into CDs with terms of one, two, three, four, and five years. Once your one-year CD matures, you take your deposit and interest and put it in a five-year CD. You do the same once the two-year CD matures, and so on. After five years, all of your CDs have five-year terms and a more favorable interest rate, but you’ll still be able to access part of your cash since one will mature every year.

CD Barbells and Bullets

CD barbells and bullets require a bit more awareness of the interest-rate climate to be as effective as possible.

With a CD barbell, you invest in a short-term and a long-term CD at the same time. Once the short-term CD matures, you have the flexibility of deciding what to do with the money — for instance, hold on to it, or reinvest it in another short- or long-term CD, depending on interest rate trends — while knowing the other portion of your money is earning a higher interest rate in the longer-term CD.

With a CD bullet, you aim to have several different CDs mature at once. This is best if you’re betting interest rates will rise, or you’re saving for a particular purpose and won’t need the money until after the CDs mature. For example, maybe you want to invest some of your money in a five-year CD now, and then in two years, some in a three-year CD, and then in two more years, a couple of one-year CDs. All of these CDs mature at the same time, but you still had access to at least a portion of your money until the last year.

Alternatives to CDs

If you’re not quite sold on CDs, there are some other low-risk alternatives that might be a better fit — some more liquid than CDs, and some less so.

High-Yield Savings Accounts

A high-yield savings account offers a beefier interest rate than the paltry national savings account average, which is 0.09% in August 2015, according to Bankrate. Online, you can find high-yield savings accounts offering 1.0% APY or more. That beats the national average for a one-year CD, 0.27% APY, by a mile. And it’s not much lower than the one-year high-yield CDs we mentioned above.

Perhaps the bigger advantage with high-yield savings accounts, however, is that you’ll still be able to access your money when you need it. That makes these accounts a better pick for any money you need to be able to withdraw quickly and penalty-free, such as an emergency fund.

Of course, if you opt for a high-yield CD online or open one with a higher balance or longer term, a CD can still beat these accounts when it comes to APY. Savings accounts also offer a bit less certainty when it comes to interest since the rate can fluctuate with the market — good or bad. On the other hand, a traditional CD will have a fixed rate for its entire term.

Money Market Accounts

For bank customers, a money market account, or MMA, is very similar to a high-yield savings account. Whichever way you go, you’ll have the same access to your cash. The major difference is on the bank’s end — it can put your balance in low-risk investments such as CDs and bonds instead of simply using it for loans.

You may need a larger opening deposit for an MMA than a savings account ($1,000 is common), but this depends on the bank. Interest rates will be higher for MMAs than savings accounts at brick-and-mortar banks, but the difference compared with high-yield savings accounts online is negligible.

Bottom line: Both an MMA and a high-yield savings account, particularly online, can provide a more liquid alternative to a CD without a huge interest-rate hit. And they’re still FDIC-insured, unlike more sophisticated investments.

U.S. Savings Bonds

Series I

Series I U.S. savings bonds are an interesting alternative to longer-term CDs. You can buy them directly from the government in any amount from $25 up to $10,000. They are slightly less liquid than CDs because you aren’t allowed to redeem them for at least a year after purchase, and even then you will pay a penalty of three months’ interest if you haven’t had the bond for at least five years. They don’t fully mature for 30 years. But they do have some tax benefits: You don’t have to pay state or local taxes on this investment.

In August 2015, these bonds were earning 0.00% interest. Yep, that’s a big fat goose egg. But before you write off savings bonds, consider this: The government also sets an inflation rate for bonds. This rate, which will change every six months, ensures that you never lose money due to inflation. Even in periods of deflation (like right now) the bond’s composite rate (the combined fixed interest rate and inflation rate) is never allowed to go below 0.00%.

For now, CDs are a better bet interest-wise, but if inflation starts to rise sharply, that might not always be the case, especially if you can invest for a long time.

Series EE

On the surface, a Series EE savings bond is a lot like Series I: You get the same tax benefits and can buy them in the same values. They mature in the same time frame, you can’t redeem them for at least a year, and you pay the same interest penalty during the first five years.

Unlike Series I bonds, EE bonds are currently paying a fixed interest rate of 0.30%. Still nothing to write home about, but if you can hold on to your EE bond for 20 years, it will double in value — so if you put away $5,000, after 20 years, suddenly you’ll have $10,000.

Of course, only you can decide whether you’re willing to part with your money for that long. You could always buy a five-year CD, then reinvest the money depending on what interest rates are doing. In general, very low interest rates like today’s make EE bonds a better deal — but they’re also unlikely to stay so low for the next two decades.

Treasury Bills, Bonds, and Notes

You can buy a variety of securities directly from the government, and since Uncle Sam backs these investments, your risk is negligible. Like the savings bonds above, you’ll also pay no state or local taxes on them. There is no penalty for selling before they mature, though commissions may apply if you use a broker.

• Treasury bills are for the short term — they range from four weeks to one year. You buy them in multiples of $100, but at a discount. When the term is over, you receive face value. One-year Treasury bills have netted roughly 0.3% to 0.4% in August 2015 — for now, you can do better with a one-year CD, as long as you’re willing to shop around.
• Treasury notes can be bought for two-, three-, five-, seven-, and 10-year terms, also in multiples of $100. Interest is paid semi-annually. Two-year notes have recently yielded roughly 0.67% to 0.74%. At the other end of the spectrum, 10-year notes have yielded 2.14% to 2.28%. Right now, there are five-year CDs that are competitive with those 10-year rates with the added bonus of locking up your money for only half the time.
• Treasury bonds are longer-term investments that mature in 30 years. They are also sold in multiples of $100 with interest paid semi-annually. Recently, yields have hovered just under 3%, beating five-year CDs — but you’ll need to lock your money up for a lot longer.

Overall, CDs still look like the better bet right now. But that could change as the overall rate climate changes, too — so stay tuned.

Shop Around for the Best CDs

It should be clear by now that you won’t get rich off a certificate of deposit, but you can still manage a decent interest rate by shopping around. A quick search online reveals several CDs yielding several times the national average, so remember that you don’t need to settle for whatever paltry APY your bank may be offering. You can start your search with the rate tool below.

Want more advice on CDs? Check out some of our past articles:

• How to Find the Best CD Rates in 2015
• Lock in Your Savings? Don’t Do It
• Understanding CD Rates
• Creating a CD Ladder for Your Savings to Earn a Better, Safe Return

The post Personal Finance 101: What Is a Certificate of Deposit? appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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Wearables Game Changer: Android Wear Now Compatible With iPhone

Google just changed the rules for wearables. It has introduced Android Wear for iOS. The caveat is that right now it’s only available for one smartwatch, the LG Urbane. However, Google said, “All future Android Wear watches, including those from Huawei, Asus and Motorola, will also...

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

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20 Fun Jobs and Side Gigs for Animal Lovers

Every time you see a friend’s dog, do you rush over to pet it and play a round of fetch? Do you always carry pet treats in your pocket, just in case you make a new friend?

If so, consider ways to make a living working with animals. It’s a growing field; jobs are expected to grow 15% between 2012 and 2022, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Whether you’re a fan of furry, scaly or feathered creatures, here are a few jobs where you’ll get paid to work with animals.

1. Veterinarian

Tending to the health care needs of people’s pets is serious business.

You’ll need to earn a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from an accredited veterinary college, which costs an average of $46,352 a year for out-of-state students and $22,448 for in-state students, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.

You can specialize in working with small or large animals, and your days could be filled with anything from performing complicated surgical procedures to simple checkups.

Potential earnings: $84,460 per year

2. Veterinary Assistant

If you’d love to work in a veterinary clinic or hospital but the idea of spending years in school and shelling out for a pricy graduate education deters you, consider working as a veterinary assistant.

In this role, you’ll care for animals and assist with procedures in animal clinics or hospital settings.

Potential earnings: $23,130 per year

3. Zookeeper

Working as a zookeeper is a common childhood goal. Why not make it a reality?

Kristen Farley-Rambo has this dream job. She works at the Philadelphia Zoo as a gorilla keeper, caring for five Western lowland gorillas. She prepares their food, gives them medication when necessary and helps train them.

Potential earnings: $107,000 per year

4. Pet Store Employee

Working in a pet store is a great way to interact with animals on a daily basis, both the ones in the store and the ones that come in with customers.

You’ll recommend products, stock shelves and work a cash register in addition to caring for thes store’s animals. You’ll need to be in good shape, since moving heavy bags of dog food will almost certainly be part of the gig.

Potential earnings: $23,000 to $49,000 per year

5. Doggie Daycare Staff Member

When pet owners head to work or leave town, many drop off their beloved pets at a doggie daycare to let them get some exercise, interact with other animals and have fun with caring staff members.

Working at a doggie daycare is an active job where you’ll run around with dozens of pets, play endless rounds of fetch, clean up after them, feed them and administer medication when necessary.

Potential earnings: $20,000 per year

6. Horseback Riding Teacher

Horseback riding is a great way for kids and adults to interact with horses. If you’re a skilled equestrian, why not teach others about your passion?

Teaching riding is a great way to earn some cash, share your skills and maybe even get a free or low-cost place to board horses, if you have any, or ride horses in your free time.

Potential earnings: $65,000 per year

7. Pooper Scooper

Not every dog owner has the time, patience or stomach to clean up after his beloved pooch.

That’s why some enterprising dog lovers cash in by running their own poop-scooping businesses. Typically, scoopers will set regular appointments with clients and come by a couple times a week to make their backyards pristine.

Potential earnings: $45 per hour

8. Animal Control Officer

Abandoned, sick and stray animals need compassionate individuals to work with them as animal control officers. It’s a great way to serve your community and help care for pets in tough situations.

Potential earnings: $34,370 per year

9. Animal Shelter Technician

When animals make their way to shelters, they’re often scared and sometimes sick. Shelter technicians care for, feed and clean them, and provide exercise and attention when they can.

If you love animals and want to help them feel as secure as possible during difficult times, this could be the job for you.

Potential earnings: $29,000 per year

10. Animal Trainer

If you have that Cesar Millan touch, consider becoming an animal trainer. While this isn’t a job you can just jump into, ask around to see if you can intern with a local trainer or find an animal training class.

You could even specialize in certain types of animals, like these cat behaviorists.

Potential earnings: $32,400 per year

11. Pet Sitter

Earn up to $100 per night caring for pets while their owners are out of town. Some pet owners will want you to spend the night with their animals, while others will be fine with check-ins a couple times a day.

Expect to earn the bulk of your cash during times when people typically travel out of town, such as during weekends, holidays and summer. Make sure you have proper insurance and bonding since you’ll be working in people’s homes.

Potential earnings: $100 per night or $35 per hour

12. Dog Walker

Get some exercise and spend time with dogs as a dog walker. Consider your experience and each dog’s personality before walking more than one animal at a time, and make sure to bring lots of poop-scooping bags!

Potential earnings: $8 to $20 per hour

13. Veterinary Receptionist

If you love animals but don’t like medical procedures, why not work as a receptionist in a veterinary clinic or hospital?

You’ll greet pets and owners, schedule appointments, and make sure everything’s running smoothly, and you probably won’t have to see much blood.

Potential earnings: $28,000 per year

14. Animal Rights Advocate

If you relish speaking out about your passions, consider working as an animal rights advocate. Organizations like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) hire for a variety of positions involving standing up for the rights of animals.

Potential earnings: $35,000 per year

15. Zoologist or Wildlife Biologist

Wild animals are fascinating, and zoologists and wildlife biologists spend their days learning more about them. These jobs involve studying how wildlife interacts with its environment, as well as studying animals’ physical characteristics and behavior.

You’ll need a bachelor’s or master’s degree in a related field, like biology or zoology.

Potential earnings: $57,710 per year

16. Pet Groomer

Spend your days up close and personal with pets, making sure they look their best. Pet groomers typically earn an hourly salary, tips and a commission.

Potential earnings: $49,000 per year

17. Animal Welfare Lawyer

Animal rights nonprofits hire lawyers to file lawsuits against animal abusers, according to the Animal Legal Defense Fund. You’ll need a law degree to break into this career.

Potential earnings: $50,000 per year

18. Animal-Assisted Therapist

Interacting with animals can help people with health issues keep their spirits up and give them something to look forward to.

Hospitals, nursing homes and assisted-living facilities often work with individuals who specialize in animal-assisted therapy to help their residents have positive interactions with animals on a regular basis.

Potential earnings: $60,000 per year

19. Pet Massage Therapist

Who wouldn’t want to get paid to pet dogs and cats? If you’re a pet massage therapist, you can.

The National Board of Certification for Animal Acupressure and Massage provides resources and links to certification programs so you can become certified.

Potential earnings: $50 per hour

20. Pet Photographer

Get paid to take candids and portraits of people’s fur babies as a pet photographer.

You’ll need your own camera and lighting equipment if you’re planning indoor shoots, but you’ll get to spend your days interacting with animals and capturing picture-perfect moments of the utmost cuteness.

Potential earnings: $175 per photo shoot

Your Turn: Do you work with animals in another way? Share your job in the comments!

Kristen Pope is a freelance writer and editor in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

The post 20 Fun Jobs and Side Gigs for Animal Lovers appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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Cars We Remember: Should IndyCar racing should be shut down?

Q: Hi, Greg, I’m wondering if you saw the recent article that appeared, calling for IndyCar Racing to be shut down for good. The writer wrote it after Justin Wilson’s recent passing, and mentioned in his story many others racers that were killed or maimed in IndyCar. I didn’t recognize this writer’s name, but it was an Associated Press article and was all over the Internet. Of course, I disagree and would like to know your feelings on IndyCar open [...]

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10 Ways to Make Extra Money in Retirement

Retirees can try these strategies to bring in some additional income.

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Silvio Calabi: Meet the Dodge (rumble, rumble) Hellcat!

Real power has gotten not only plentiful but cheap. Back in the Dark Age of the car — the 1970s, when we were rudely confronted by gas shortages and tailpipe emissions — even Corvettes and Porsches could barely summon up 200 horsepower. Today there are VWs beetling around with 300 horses under their hoods, and million-dollar road cars with a thousand horsepower emerge from factories in France, Italy, England, Germany, the U.S., Sweden and even Denmark. Inevitably, the power- [...]

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8 Stores to Shop for Easy Labor Day Savings

These discounts will tempt you to stock up on items that you might not even need. 

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Portfolio Exam: A $1.75 Million Portfolio Weighed Down by Fees

When the market begins to fall, the problems of portfolios with unsuitable risk levels becomes apparent.


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4 Ways Marketers Can Rip A Page From The Sales Playbook To Be More Effective

Sales and marketing don't have to be at odds with one another. Columnist Steve Olenski discusses what marketing teams can learn from sales to benefit the whole organization.

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How To Banish Bad Bots From Your Site Analytics

One study estimates that bots account for 56% of website traffic -- and it's likely their influence is skewing your analytics. Columnist Ben Goodsell outlines the threat and explains how to mitigate it.

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Take Control of Your 6 Biggest Retirement Expenses

You will be able to live well with less income if you minimize these costs.

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Love Shooting GoPro Videos? How to Get Paid for It

If you indulge in any extreme sports, no doubt you’ve seen someone with a GoPro strapped to their helmet or chest — or you’ve been that person filming your adventures skiing, surfing, mountain biking, performing daredevil stunts and even swimming with sharks.

Until recently, you probably just used your footage to impress your friends online. However, if you make high-quality videos, GoPro could help you cash in on your clips.

While you could already make money from your videos by creating a YouTube channel, GoPro’s new online content licensing portal helps you sell your footage to companies that want to use it in their marketing campaigns.

How Does GoPro Licensing Work?

Through the new system, you’ll be able to license your videos and images for use in advertisements, news stories and entertainment.

“The high-end offering is all about inspiring creative professionals to use beautiful imagery, incredible stories, and rich data created by GoPro and GoPro creators,” according to a post on GoPro’s blog.

The goal is to make it easier for advertising firms and news outlets to license videos from their creators while complying with copyrights and other rules. It also makes it easier for people with great videos to share them with potential buyers — and earn back the price of their GoPros.

How to Sign Up for GoPro Licensing

For now, you’ll have to apply to be considered for GoPro Licensing, though you can join a waiting list to be notified when the company starts accepting more video creators, reports the BBC.

To be accepted, you’ll need to make high-quality videos. Some of the 600 videos on the site at launch are even 4K ultra-high definition.

Potential Licensing Earnings

GoPro hasn’t released details on how much content creators will earn when their videos are licensed, according to Engadget.

But since GoPro’s charging at least $1,000 for a six-month license, according to Adweek, it’s likely worth your while to try and get some of your best footage on the site. So make sure you’re ready to showcase your best work.

How to Make Cool GoPro Videos

While you’re waiting to be approved for GoPro Licensing, why not brush up on your filmmaking skills? Forbes analyzed GoPro videos to see what makes a good viral video.

For example, the popular “GoPro: Lions – The New Endangered Species” shows a man wrestling and cuddling with lions. It has more than 28 million views and 91,500 shares!

Why does this video continue to be so popular?

It Pulls at Your Heartstrings

You can see the intense emotional connection between the man and the lions — it brings up “strong psychological responses of exhilaration, knowledge, awe and warmth,” says Forbes’ Mark Fidelman.

And these strong emotions make viewers more likely to share the video, since they want their friends to have those positive feelings, too.

It’s Part of a Larger Content Strategy

If the video was a one-off, it would be more easily forgotten. But since GoPro releases a steady stream of videos, “each new release will encourage sharing of recent releases and eke more value from the available content,” says Fidelman.

The lesson: While you’re waiting for your application to reach the top of the waitlist, plan a series of related videos to encourage companies to license more of your footage.

Your Turn: Will you try licensing your GoPro videos through the new portal?

Kristen Pope is a freelance writer and editor in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

The post Love Shooting GoPro Videos? How to Get Paid for It appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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Questions About Tuna, Bicycles, Cruises, Cruel Coworkers and More!

What’s inside? Here are the questions answered in today’s reader mailbag, boiled down to five word summaries. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question.
1. Investing and taxes
2. Ethics and class action lawsuits
3. First adult bicycle
4. Cheap versus frugal
5. Disney Cruise suggestions
6. The value of staying put
7. Going back to school
8. Poisonous coworker
9. Unsure where money is going
10. Finding specific free online classes
11. Learning the names of clients
12. Reading philosophy

When I think back on the times that I was happiest in the last year, I’ve come to realize that the list of “happy moments” doesn’t match up well at all with the things that seem to make me happiest as I’m doing them.

Most of the things that still bring joy today are social things. They’re creative things. They’re family things.

The things that seemingly bring me happiness in the moment are consumption things, like watching a movie or tasting a delicious home brew.

Those things just don’t cross over onto the list of things that bring lasting happiness.

The home brew thing is a good example. I love making my own beer at home – it’s a hobby of mine. In the moment, I really enjoy tasting that beer. Yet, when I look back, the thing I remember the most and the thing that makes me feel good is the process of making it, usually with the aid of my wife and sometimes with the aid of friends and other family members. I’m making something and doing it socially.

Think back. What from the last year has brought you happiness that you can still feel? Does that joy come from something you bought or something you consumed? Or is it from the effort you put out or from the relationships you’ve cultivated.

Seems to me that there’s a recipe for happiness in there somewhere.

Q1: Investing and taxes

I’m at the point where I’m interested in starting to invest a little in something like Vanguard index fund, but I can’t find anywhere what this would mean for tax time. Are there separate taxes to pay on investments come April 15, if my whole goal is to just put money in and leave it alone?
– Juliette

It depends on how you invest.

If you invest using a normal, taxable investment account and then do not sell or “cash out” your investments before the end of the year, the only thing you will owe taxes on are any dividends that you might have earned (you can think of dividends as being much like interest in a savings account – you’ll earn a little if you just let your money sit there). You’ll probably earn about 2% of the account balance a year if you’re in a broad-based index fund, and then you’ll owe taxes on that amount. On an investment of, say, $1,000, you would probably owe somewhere around $4 in taxes on it at the end of the year. If you chose to reinvest your dividends – which is probably what you should do – that $4 would have to come out of your pocket. If you just collected your dividends, you could use part of them to pay the taxes.

If you sell your investments before the end of the year and “cash out” of this normal, taxable investment account, you’ll also owe taxes on any of your gains. If you invested $1,000 and it went up to $1,050 in value by the time you sold it, you’d owe taxes on $50 worth of income. Since you bought and sold so quickly, it would probably be taxed as normal income (you get a better tax rate if you’re selling an investment you’ve held for a while).

However, if you want to avoid this entirely, you can invest in a tax-advantaged account, like a Roth IRA (which has advantages for retirement savings) or a 529 (which has advantages for educational spending). Money put into these accounts don’t generate any tax bill at the end of the year, as dividends earned stay in the account (you still have to report the account activity, but you don’t owe any money). You may owe taxes when you finally do withdraw, but if you follow the rules of each account, you probably won’t even owe taxes then.

In other words, provided you don’t withdraw the money before the end of the year, you won’t have much of a tax bill at all no matter what you do with it.

Q2: Ethics and class action lawsuits

I don’t know if you heard about this but there was this class action lawsuit against Starkist and if you bought tuna from Starkist between 2009 and 2014 you are due to receive some tuna coupons. http://ift.tt/1Lwe77a .

Anyway the reason I’m writing is what do you think about this. My brother who I don’t believe has ever bought a can of tuna filled out the claim on this class action suit. I asked him if he ever bought tuna and he just laughed about it.

I hate it when people scam the system like that.
– Neal

I included this question for two reasons. One, if you bought Starkist tuna anywhere between 2009 and 2014, you should probably check out that website. They’re going to send out vouchers to reimburse people for tuna purchased in that timeframe. This lawsuit was due to Starkist deliberately underfilling their cans during those years, meaning if you bought a 5 ounce can, for example, you were getting substantially less than 5 ounces of tuna.

The second part of Neal’s email deals with the ethics of his brother – and it’s pretty obvious that his brother has some seriously questionable ethics. This lawsuit is meant to compensate people who paid for tuna and got less than they paid for, not to be a bonanza for anyone who wants coupons.

Beyond that, the claim does state that, by submitting it, you’re stating under penalty of perjury that you did buy tuna during that time frame. For me, at least, I’m pretty sure I could actually produce a receipt if needed, but they’re not requiring that.

There’s not really too much that could be done here. If you wanted to go the extra length to report your brother as potentially committing perjury, you could, but it’s honestly probably not worth the time and money for Starkist to go after your brother even if you did report it.

Don’t be a jerk. If you bought tuna in that timeframe, by all means fill out a claim. If you didn’t… then that means you weren’t harmed by the underfilled tuna cans, so don’t fill one out.

Q3: First adult bicycle

I am 31 years old and haven’t owned or really used a bicycle since I was about 15. I am thinking of buying one now that I live about 2 miles from where I work and there is a grocery store literally across the street. The weather is nice 11 1/2 months out of the year too.

Catch is, I don’t know what to buy. If I read the advice articles online, they give all kinds of expensive suggestions and I know I’ll pay a lot if I go to a bike store. What’s the best “entry level” way to get into this? I realize I’ll probably upgrade if I get into biking, but I want an inexpensive one to test the waters.
– Colin

If I were you, I’d buy a used bike. I’d start by looking on Craigslist, but you may still end up going to a bicycle shop. Keep in mind that you’re looking for a commuter bike, as that’s the style that will fit your needs the best.

When buying a used bike, there are a few things worth looking for. I wouldn’t buy any bike with visible rust on it, as that’s a sign that the frame may be weakening and will be more trouble than it’s worth. Look at the wheels carefully for any signs of unevenness or previous bends in the tire – is it flat? Are there any dent-like spots? If it passes those two quick tests, take it for a quick ride. Make sure that it brakes well – does it stop you without completely throwing you off of the bike? (Obviously, there are many things you can look for, but they’re more trivial for a first time bicycle buyer.)

Assuming you are carrying a bag back and forth to work, I’d strongly encourage you to get a bike rack for it to which you can easily attach a bag.

Q4: Cheap versus frugal

Why is “cheap” considered bad and “frugal” considered good even when they mean the same thing?
– Ainsley

They don’t mean the same thing, that’s why.

“Cheap” means that your primary consideration in the things that you do is how much you have to spend. A “cheap” person will buy a junk kitchen knife for $8 rather than spending a little more on one that will actually cut vegetables for more than a year.

“Frugal” means that cost is just one of the largest considerations in a purchase. It means that you’re trying to seek out the purchase that provides the most value to you for the dollar. A “frugal” person will do some research into kitchen knives and look for the one that provides the best “bang for the buck,” as it’s a tool that will be re-used quite often.

Another example: a “cheap” person, when given a list of items ranked by Consumer Reports, will look immediately for the least expensive item. A “frugal” person, seeing the same list, will look for the one that Consumer Reports marked as a “Best Buy” and consider that one, too.

They’re not the same thing, not at all.

Q5: Disney Cruise suggestions

My parents told us recently that they wanted to pay for our family to go on a Disney Cruise next summer. We have a six year old and a four year old (who will be seven and five next summer) and we have never taken them on any sort of trip other than a camping trip.

My parents are paying for all of the big expenses – the flight and the cruise itself – but the incidental expenses and things are up to us. So we have started saving.

We think we will have about $1,200 saved by the time of our cruise.

We are looking for tips on how to maximize that money. We have read a lot of articles about cruises but they all seem to be about saving money on the flight and the cruise itself.

Do you have any strategies that help with the incidental costs of cruises especially Disney Cruises?
– Charlize

One, arrange your own transportation from the airport to the cruise terminal and back, unless your parents are covering this. This can cost as much as $100 each way. Use public transportation if you possibly can.

Two, if you plan on drinking alcohol on board, take your own. Pack a bottle of wine or two into your bag so that you’re paying lower prices than the prices on board.

The vast majority of things on board are included with the price of the cruise, so take advantage of that. Get on board as soon as you can (and eat there) and get off as late as you can (and get a last meal before you leave).

My guess is that with the cost of the cruise and the flight already covered, you should be fine with that level of savings for the trip, provided you don’t buy mountains of souvenirs or demand many, many gigabytes of data on the ship.

Q6: The value of staying put

I really liked your article about not worrying about stock market volatility and looking at it solely as a long term investment. The one thing I don’t think you emphasized enough is that it saves so much time and energy if you just don’t worry or think about it and trust your strategy. Only sell when it comes time to need the money and don’t worry or even think about it. You save so much time and energy doing that compared to watching the market every day.
– James

Absolutely!

Honestly, I rarely look at the stock market. I don’t even think about it most days, even when it’s jumping up and down like a high jumper on a pogo stick. It’s just not relevant to my day to day life.

I don’t spend much time at all thinking about my investments. They’re all automatic, and they’re just sitting there for the day long down the road when I need to use them. (If I were to suddenly die, they pass to my wife or to my kids or to a charity, and I’m fine with all of those things.)

Thus, I don’t spend time on it, and I don’t spend worry on it. I spend my worry on other things in life, like whether my kids are getting a good education.

Q7: Going back to school

How exactly does an adult go about going back to school? I got a job directly out of high school and have worked there for twelve years. I got good grades in school but didn’t see the point of more schooling but now I do. I’ve read some websites about college admissions but I really don’t know where to start.
– Tanner

Your best bet is to contact the admissions office at some of the schools you’re interested in and discuss your situation with them. They’ll give you some clear advice.

However, my biggest suggestion for you is to take some courses at a local community college first, preferably one that has credits that transfer to other universities. This will serve a lot of purposes. It will save you a ton of money. It will get you back in the swing of classroom learning. It will also give you time to figure out what you need to do.

Remember, a four year university degree is expensive. If you can take steps now to trim that cost while also earning a few credits and figuring out a smart game plan, you should do so.

Q8: Poisonous coworker

How do you handle a poisonous coworker? One of the other people in my office spends all of her time badmouthing almost everyone and delivering withering reports about everyone to the boss. She doesn’t seem to do much work herself either. It’s really hard to trust her or even be around her and she just adds a bad tone to the whole office.
– Amanda

I was once in this situation with a coworker. She worked in an office with myself and one other fellow. She did very little work, but she did her best to try to seem like we were undermining what little work she was producing. In truth, neither one of us had any idea what she was even working on, as she spent as much time as possible away from her desk and didn’t communicate with us much at all.

What solved our problem is that we had a big meeting where we all had to present our work and she literally had nothing functional to present. The others in attendance at the meeting were stunned. Luckily, my other office mate and I were competent and had plenty of material to present. This turned out to be her last week on the job.

My suggestion? Give her lots of rope to hang herself. Encourage the boss to give her situations like this where she can either sink or swim, and also put her on the spot sometimes.

Q9: Unsure where money is going

I am trying to figure out where all of my money is going. I bring home about $2650 a month.

Right now I have these fixed expenses:
Rent $585
Internet/cable $65
Electricity $180
Bus pass $20
Credit card payment $250
Student loan payment $350

This leaves me $1,200 a month just for food and entertainment. I don’t eat real extravagantly and mostly at home. But at the end of the month I have nothing. Help!
– Dana

My guess is that you have a ton of little money leaks throughout the month as you spend your money on food, entertainment, and other incidental expenses.

One thing you can do is simply go though your credit card and bank statements, transaction by transaction, and group them up. Was this expense for food? Was this expense for entertainment? Then, total those categories up. I’m willing to bet that their combined total is somewhere around $1,200 each month.

If you’re struggling with that kind of spending and you have outstanding credit card debt, it’s time to take a break from credit cards. Cut up your card and live out of your checking account only for a while. Make ends meet with just the cash you have. Then, bump it up a notch – start making bigger credit card payments each month and leave less in checking for these kinds of expenses.

Q10: Finding specific free online classes

What’s the best way to find specific online classes? Is there a central place to find them or do you just have to Google?
– Mark

Google is probably your best tool here, but there are a few central clearinghouses for most online courses if you’re okay with doing some browsing through class lists.

The two best central clearinghouses for free online college classes are edX and Coursera. You can probably find a class close to what you’re looking for using those two sources.

If you can’t find a course on your subject at those places, then you should probably turn to Google. Many universities do offer online materials and lectures for all kinds of classes, but many don’t participate in those two clearinghouses. So, just use a well-formed Google search regarding your topic. “online course bioinformatics,” for example, or “online course world war I.” You get the idea.

Q11: Learning the names of clients

After spending several years primarily as a software engineer, my boss has decided that I have “people skills” and has moved me into a position that’s perhaps 30% sales. My job primarily is to touch base with a big list of clients and find out what their needs are regarding our products.

Mostly, I use the phone and email for this, but several times a year I visit various companies and meet with teams of people. Over time, I’d like to be able to know those core people by name, but my memory for that kind of thing is terrible.

Do you have any suggestions for learning the names of clients and associating them with their faces?
– Billy

Back when this was a part of my career, I used electronic flash cards for this. I would collect the business cards of people and then look for pictures of them online, then I had a website that I made myself where I could see pictures of people and then after a few seconds their name would appear. (I actually had forgotten about this and just remembered it when I read your email.)

Anki is a free software package that does this type of thing for you these days.

Another strategy for learning that person’s name on the fly is to spend time when you’re not directly conversing with people or don’t need to invest your full attention simply running through the names of people in the room. Look around the room from person to person and try to come up with their name. Then loop back through everyone. Try to remember people based on their distinct features – that always helps me.

Q12: Reading philosophy

Congratulations on your study of philosophy! It is a wonderful subject to study not so much because of what you learn but because it forces you to think hard about core elements of what it means to be human.

Having read many of your posts over the last several months, I have a few books to suggest. I would recommend that you read Letters from a Stoic by Seneca, because many of the things you write about are right in line with a stoic philosophy. You should also read The Art of Happiness by Epicurus.

But more than anything else, you should read a big collection of Emerson. I would suggest starting with the huge Library of America volume of his essays. I think you would find much to agree with and think about in his writings.
– Carl

Thank you so much for your suggestions, Carl. I am familiar with the stoics in a limited way and with Epicurus in an even more limited way, so those are definitely books to add to my reading list.

However, you are spot on in figuring out my love for Emerson. He is perhaps my favorite writer of all time, and I even wrote a three part series of articles for The Simple Dollar discussing just his essay Self-Reliance, which is one of the most powerful things I’ve ever read. Here’s part one, part two, and part three of that series. It is such a powerful essay and one that echoes strongly through the challenges of modern life.

I have largely been using Bertrand Russell’s A History of Western Philosophy as a guide through all of these things. It’s a good guide, but Russell seems pretty opinionated in places. It also doesn’t cover Eastern philosophy much at all, which makes sense given the name.

There is so much good stuff to read out there.

Got any questions? The best way to ask is to follow me on Facebook and ask questions directly there. I’ll attempt to answer them in a future mailbag (which, by way of full disclosure, may also get re-posted on other websites that pick up my blog). However, I do receive many, many questions per week, so I may not necessarily be able to answer yours.

The post Questions About Tuna, Bicycles, Cruises, Cruel Coworkers and More! appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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Headache Or Opportunity? The Profusion Of Marketing Data

As the marketing industry continues to shift, marketers need to connect the data dots and learn how to integrate their martech and adtech, advises columnist Scott Vaughan.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

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Is This the Time to Look for Bargains in Energy?

Continued weakness in oil prices and increasing reserves make oil an interesting play.

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The 8 Stages of a Winning Job Search

How to successfully land a job, from assessing your value to interviewing to negotiating salary.

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How to Improve Your Finances After Retirement

There are several ways you can give your finances a much-needed boost after leaving your job.

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8 Inaugural Trips Down Wall Street

Some investors first bet on fast food; others on sandwich startups. But they all followed hunches and hopes.

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3 Steps To Better Holiday Insights With Cohort Analysis

If you're not making use of cohort analysis, the pending holidays may be reason enough to jump on board. Columnist Jordan Elkind tells you how to get started.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

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The Do's and Don'ts of Labor Day Shopping

Here's how to take advantage of the holiday weekend to score the best deals.

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How to Deal With a Co-Worker Who Won’t Stop Talking

Five steps to broaching the topic in an effective, polite way.

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What small business needs to succeed

THE founder of the online gift store Red Balloon, Naomi Simson, has urged big business to do more for small business to help them thrive.

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From a Raw Food Blogger to a Six Figure Digital Strategist

Would you be willing to quit your job on Wall Street to start an online business? That’s exactly what Nathalie Lussier did with Real Foods Witch, which receives over 750,000 visitors a year. With this success, readers and clients were asking her how she did it … which lead to where she is today. Nathalie […]

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3 Brilliant Ways to Make Extra Money When the Pope Visits This Fall

The Pope is coming to America, and it’s kind of a big deal.

With stops in New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. this fall, Pope madness is reaching new heights. Catholics aren’t the only ones lining up to hear the spiritual leader speak –- Pope Francis is a must-see for many who work in faith studies, social services and the humanities.

And madness isn’t an exaggeration. These three cities have been prepping for Pope Francis’ first U.S. visit for months. From reduced transit schedules to office closures to rules about whether you can bring bottles of water inside the Pope’s security cordon, the pontiff’s visit is causing a commotion — and big business for the cities involved.

Want to flex your entrepreneurial muscles when the Pope is in town?

Here are three ways to make a little spare cash off the Pope’s visit to one of these cities. Whether you feel like you need to say 10 Hail Marys afterward is up to you.

1. Rent Out Your Home

Hotels near Pope appearances are filling up fast, and many remaining rooms have steep price tags: We’re talking $350-$650 per night in Philadelphia, for example, during the Pope’s visit the weekend of September 25.

If you live downtown near the Pope’s public appearance locations, plan a weekend getaway and offer your entire home to paying guests while you’re gone.

If you’re not already renting your place through AirBnB, it’s the perfect time to sign up. Near where Pope Francis will say mass on Philly’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway, hosts have listed their apartments at $617 a night for a one-bedroom, $449 for a private room in a rowhome, and even $2,500 per night for a two-bedroom rowhome.

Philadelphia has announced all the opportunities to see the Pope, but his public appearances in New York and Washington, D.C. aren’t yet finalized. Private rooms near the Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, where the Pope will be hanging out in Washington, are listed for about $75 per night for private rooms and around $120 per night for entire homes.

One English basement apartment goes for $93 per night regularly, but jumps up to $150 when the Pope is in town around September 22. One studio nearby has a price tag of $4,500 per night, but you’re not allowed to use the kitchen.

Even if you’re further away from the action, you can still make money renting your spare room. Here’s an extra moneymaker: Live near a suburban transit station that’ll be busy during the visit? Consider renting your parking spot for an additional $10-20 per day. You could even charge extra to shuttle people to the transit station and back.

2. Sell Your Transit Tickets — Maybe

Train and subway tickets are hot commodities while the Pope is in town.

Philadelphia’s transit authority, SEPTA, had major trouble figuring out how to sell special transit passes for its Pope-packed weekend. Those planning to take regional rail into the city were required to sign up for a transit pass lottery — and although there are supposedly 20,000 transit passes left for purchase, there are plenty listed on eBay and Craigslist.

Though these hawked rail passes have hefty price tags, it doesn’t look like too many people are buying. A few Papal passes have sold in the $20 to $30 range on eBay, and there are hundreds of tickets available on Craigslist with prices ranging from $20 to $150.

When Philly resident Chris Orion heard about the ticket lottery hubbub, he entered — and was one of the thousands selected to purchase passes.

“I decided to post [a Craigslist] ad to see if I could garner interest in the few days before the deadline” to purchase tickets, he said. When he started to see more ads for tickets crop up on Craigslist, he lowered his prices dramatically, hoping to make even a few bucks on each potential ticket. “But still no bites.”

“As far as demand later,” Orion speculated, “I suppose there will be an increase as the event draws closer. But after seeing the surplus of tickets, and the tons of Craigslist ads, I didn’t want to be bothered.”

New York and Washington haven’t announced special transit restrictions during the Pope’s visit, but residents should pay attention for opportunities in the coming weeks.

Does the subway station always have long lines for the farecard machines? Load up a couple of round-trip passes and plant yourself near the station on high-traffic days. If you make a few extra bucks on top of the people watching, it could be a good day.

3. Crank Out Some Pope Swag

Got an eye for design? Now is the time to start making Pope memorabilia. Screenprint those “Pope Frankie Says Relax” shirts and trucker caps.

Have a two-pronged sales strategy, including online sales and local face time, to maximize on your sales.

But if your idea for Pope Francis memorabilia requires outside help — like that of a manufacturer — you may be out of time. Debby Fireman started working on The Pope Toaster, a regular toaster with interchangeable inserts that brand the Pope’s image on your toast, shortly after the Pope’s visit was announced.

“The crumb of the idea began in January,” Fireman, a Philadelphia native, said. “From there I partnered with a manufacturer, developed the brand and design for the product packaging, website and all the complementary social media sites. By mid-May the product was ready.”

She launched her e-commerce site in late July, and recently listed the $69.95 toaster on Amazon.

Etsy seller Matt, who runs Bucks County Buttons from just outside Philadelphia, didn’t need as much lead time to design and sell Pope Francis-themed pinback buttons. The design, which features the word “Pope” arranged like Philly’s famous LOVE statue above the visit date, comes in two sizes with prices ranging from $1.50 to $2.25 each.

“It’s been my best-selling button this month,” said Matt, which is about how long he’s had his Pope button on Etsy. “Most of the sales have been from around the local area.”

While Matt had additional ideas for button designs, he said he would need more hours in a day to produce them and fill orders after his regular 9-to-5 job and duties as dad.

He’s still considering the best way to sell his Pope buttons in person during the weekend of Pope Francis’ visit.

“I am not really sure if I want to attempt to try to get into the city,” he said, “but I was thinking about setting up a stand with the Pope buttons at some of the bigger train stations during the Pope’s visit and seeing what happens.”

Your Turn: Are you going to try to profit off Pope Francis’ visit?

Disclosure: We have a serious Taco Bell addiction around here. The affiliate links in this post help us order off the dollar menu. Thanks for your support!

Lisa Rowan is a writer, editor, and podcaster living in Washington, D.C.

The post 3 Brilliant Ways to Make Extra Money When the Pope Visits This Fall appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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Australia’s favourite electronics store revealed

WHEN you can get everything online, customers need a good reason to shop in store. And there’s one thing that turns us away more than anything else.

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Experts seek solutions in sharing airspace between airliners, drones

The unmanned aerial system test facility in New York is working on sense-and-avoid technology that could help commercial airliners detect and avoid drones that invade their airspace.

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The dark truth about your cat food

NESTLE is facing a class action over allegations it uses slave labour and human trafficking to produce its popular Fancy Feast cat food.

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Fed Up With Verizon and AT&T? Try One of These Cheap Cell Phone Plans Instead

Photo: Robert Scoble

Are you starting to despise your Verizon Wireless cellphone bill? If so, you’re probably not alone.

According to CBS News, the average Verizon phone bill surged to a level never seen before late last year – $148 per customer, per month. In case you don’t want to do the math, that’s a whopping of $1,776 per year. Further, all of the other big carriers – Sprint, AT&T, and T-Mobile – had average bills of $120 per month or more last year.

Even worse, many of the “big carriers” are now asking you to pay $20 or more per month to lease a phone, which might just be the worst idea on planet Earth. (Here’s a thought: If you have to lease your cell phone, it’s too dang expensive. Am I right?)

11 Cheap Cell Phone Plans You Should Consider

If you’re hoping to get out from under your pricey cell phone and data plan, I have good news. More than a few disruptive technologies and new business models have emerged among existing cell phone providers and new companies, and some of them are offering great cell and data service for a fraction of the cost.

Even better, some of the most popular cut-rate plans will let you bring your own phone or purchase an unlocked phone that will work on their network. If you’re ready to break free of your pricey cell phone and data plan, here are a few discount carriers to consider:

Ting

Because of its flexible pricing schedule, Ting tends to attract the type of customer who only wants to pay for the minutes and data they use. To offer fair pricing based on actual usage, they place all of their services into pricing buckets and allow consumers to move freely through them each month as their needs change.

For example, keeping a device activated costs $6 per month, 1–100 minutes costs $3 per month, 1-100 text messages costs $3 per month, and 1-100 megabytes of data costs $3 per month. However, as you move up and start using more data or minutes, the pricing moves up another tier. For example, 101-500 minutes costs $9 per month and 101-500 megabytes of data costs $12 per month.

This pricing schedule means you never pay for more than you’ll use, which can truly benefit those who just need a phone for emergencies. Plus, no contracts and no commitments.

• Network details: Ting uses the Sprint network.
• Average bill: $26 per month
• Average annual savings over Verizon: $1,464
• Pros: No contracts; only pay for what you use
• Cons: Sprint network may not work in your area; pay more for heavy use

Republic Wireless

Republic Wireless harnesses the power of free Wi-Fi to offer inexpensive phone plans for its users. And as of earlier this year, they have also started “paying customers back” for their unused data in the form of a statement credit. With their new “refund plan” customers are getting unlimited texts and data over Wi-Fi, plus unlimited talk and text through the cell phone plan, plus data – and all for around $14.82 per month.

Base plans before refunding start at $10 per month, and wifi only base plans start at only $5 per month. Another perk Republic Wireless offers – no contracts! The main drawback that comes with these plans is the fact that you can’t bring your own phone, and only a handful of phones are available.

• Network details: Republic Wireless uses the Sprint network.
• Average bill: less than $25 per month
• Average annual savings over Verizon: $1,476
• Pros: No contracts; refunds for data you don’t use
• Cons: Sprint network may not work in your area; must purchase a Republic Wireless phone

Cricket Wireless

Although it started with humble beginnings, Cricket Wireless is now a key player among low-cost, no-contract mobile providers. Owned by AT&T, Cricket Mobile utilizes its parent’s network, but with cheaper plans and offerings.

They offer a wide range of prepaid plans that start at just $25 per month for unlimited talk and text. Meanwhile, unlimited talk and text plans with 2.5 GB of data start at around $35 per month. With Cricket Wireless, you can also save $5 per month by enrolling in auto-pay. Plus you can bring your own phone, provided it is already compatible with the AT&T network.

• Network details: Cricket uses the AT&T network
• Average bill: $25 and up
• Average annual savings over Verizon: $1,476
• Pros: No contracts; cheap unlimited plans; bring your own phone
• Cons: AT&T dead areas with no service; reported subpar customer service

Virgin Mobile

Virgin Mobile is another discount provider with a wide range of pay-as-you-go plans available for cost-conscious consumers. Plans with unlimited texts, unlimited Wi-Fi data, and up to 300 minutes of talk start at just $20 per month, while a plan with unlimited data, talk, and text, plus international calling runs just $55 per month. All Virgin Mobile plans are also contract-free, which means you can switch between plans or shop around for another provider at any time.

• Network details: Virgin Mobile uses the Sprint network
• Average bill: $35 per month
• Average annual savings over Verizon: $1,356
• Pros: No contracts; unlimited plans
• Cons: Must purchase a Virgin Mobile phone, although inexpensive phone options start at around $20

Boost Mobile

Boost Mobile is another low-cost provider offering no contract plans that operate on the Sprint network. Unlimited talk and text plans start at just $35 per month, and the most expensive plan Boost Mobile offers includes 10 GB of data plus unlimited talk and text for only $55 per month.

Although you can’t bring your own phone, offerings include a wide range of Android devices plus super affordable basic options from makers like Samsung, Kyocera, Motorola, and LG. In addition to its monthly unlimited plans, Boost Mobile also offers daily unlimited plans with no contract for as little as $2 per day.

• Network details: Boost Mobile uses the Sprint network
• Average bill: $35 per month
• Average annual savings over Verizon: $1,356
• Pros: No contracts; unlimited monthly and even daily plans
• Cons: Must purchase a Boost Mobile phone, although inexpensive options start at around $20

GIV Mobile

GIV Mobile is the first discount, no-contract phone service dedicated to giving 8% of a customer’s monthly plan amount (starting at $20/month) to a nonprofit charity of the customer’s choice. Utilizing T-Mobile’s 4G LTE network, GIV Mobile’s five affordable, unlimited, no-contract plans allow users to have fast and reliable connections from nearly anywhere in the U.S.

In addition to great mobile service, GIV Mobile collaborates with charities to create a community that is dedicated to giving back. With GIV mobile, you can even bring your own phone provided it is compatible with the T-Mobile network.

• Network details: GIV mobile uses the T-Mobile network
• Average bill: $30 per month
• Average annual savings over Verizon: $1,416
• Pros: GIV Mobile donates some of its proceeds to charity; no contract; you can bring your own phone
• Cons: No high-data plans available; phones can be expensive to purchase or return

Straight Talk Wireless

Straight Talk Wireless is a no-contract, discount provider that offers phones and plans through local Wal-Mart stores and online. Plans with unlimited talk and text plus 5GB of high-speed data cost just $45 per month, and Straight Talk will even let you bring your own phone. Free phones are offered with some monthly plan options, however. In addition to cell phones, Straight Talk also offers mobile hot spots and discount home phones.

• Network details: Straight Talk uses the T-Mobile,Verizon, and Sprint networks
• Average bill: $45 per month
• Average annual savings over Verizon: $1,236
• Pros: Bring your own phone; no contracts
• Cons: Reports of awful customer service online; few plan options to choose from

Scratch Wireless

Scratch Wireless offers no-contract plans plus plans that are entirely free for Wi-Fi use only. Outside of the free use on Wi-Fi, you’ll have to pay for your voice minutes. Unlimited talk plans start at just $2 per day each, or you can buy bulk plans with minutes and/or texts starting at around $6.99 for 100 voice minutes.

On the free Wi-Fi-only plan, you can also buy “passes” that hook you up to cell service for $1.99 per use. Meanwhile, texting on Scratch Wireless is always free – whether you’re on Wi-Fi or not.

• Network details: Scratch Wireless operates on the Sprint network
• Average monthly bill: less than $10 per month
• Average annual savings over Verizon: $1,676
• Pros: Free to use on Wi-Fi; cheap plans and one-time-use passes available
• Cons: Only one phone to choose from

GoSmart Mobile

With GoSmart Mobile, you can enjoy unlimited talk, texts, plus 1 GB of 4G Web browsing and unlimited 4G LTE Facebook access for $30 per month. Other plans with more data are available, however; the top-tier plan costs $45 per month but includes 10GB of data and Web browsing.

If you don’t need access to the Internet, unlimited talk and text plans start at just $25 per month. Added features include voicemail, call waiting, caller ID, free 411 calls, and mobile hotspot/tethering.

• Network details: GoSmart uses the T-Mobile network
• Average monthly bill: $35
• Average annual savings over Verizon: $1,356
• Pros: No contract; low-cost plans; bring your own phone
• Cons: No online account management; slow customer service reported on message boards

Consumer Cellular

As a provider geared toward senior citizens, Consumer Cellular offers no-contract, “no-frills” plans that start at just $10 per month. Cellular minutes and data/text plans are billed separately, which allows you to pick and choose which services – and how much of them – you want to pay for.

A plan with 250 minutes plus 30 MB of web data and 300 text messages, for example, would cost just $17.50 per month. If you’re worried about coverage on the AT&T network, you’ll also benefit from a 30-day money back guarantee.

• Network details: Consumer Cellular uses the AT&T network
• Average monthly bill: $50 per month
• Average annual savings over Verizon: $1,176
• Pros: Pay-as-you-go; no contract plans; a la carte pricing; you can bring your own phone
• Cons: Expensive data plans and add-ons

FreedomPoP

FreedomPop says it offers up to 200 voice minutes, 500 text messages, and up to 500 MB of data per month absolutely free with no gimmicks, no hassles, and no contracts.

If you need more, you can also pay for more. For example, a plan with unlimited talk and text plus 500 MB of data costs just $6.67 per month. You can bring your own phone to FreedomPOP if you want, or you can choose from one of their new or refurbished devices starting at $39.99.

• Network details: FreedomPop uses the Sprint network
• Average monthly bill: Less than $10 per month
• Average annual savings over Verizon: $1,676
• Pros: Free plans available for infrequent phone users; you can bring your own phone
• Cons: Reports of “gotcha” pricing after free usage and bad customer service on message boards

The Bottom Line

While all of these plans seem amazing, it’s important to read through all of the fine print and check out some reviews before making the switch. While you may be saving money, you’ll usually have to give something up – whether that’s excellent customer service, unlimited service, coverage area, or phone options. While some sacrifices may be worth it, others – like spotty service in your home area – may not.

Still, if paying more than $100 per month for cell phone service irks you, it might be time to at least consider your options. While switching plans and providers can be a hassle, the savings could very well be worth it. Imagine what you could do with an extra $80, $90, or even $100 per month!

What low-cost cell provider do you use? Have you had good or bad experiences with any of these options?

The post Fed Up With Verizon and AT&T? Try One of These Cheap Cell Phone Plans Instead appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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