Coyote Springs owners say they’re ready to build a new city in the desert

A court settlement clears the way for construction to resume at the massive housing development 55 miles northeast of Las Vegas. At full build-out, Coyote Springs would be twice the size of Summerlin.

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Subway has some big problems

AN FBI raid on the home of “Subway Guy” Jared Fogle isn’t the biggest crisis facing the huge sandwich chain.

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Cars We Remember: One of a kind Granatelli-owned ‘Avanti Cadillac’ resurfaces

Q: Hello, Greg! I recently purchased a 1964 Avanti with a 429 V-8 Cadillac engine. The exterior color is gold and it has gold Recaro seats. I am led to believe it was owned by Joe Granatelli and am in the process of restoring the car. I would like restore the Avanti the exact same way Joe Granatelli built, owned and drove the car. Please let me know if you can provide any further information. I think it’s a really neat car as I already own a 63 Avanti R1, white [...]

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Nevada to get $1.7 million from JPMorgan Chase settlement

Nevada will receive $1.7 million as its share of a national settlement with JPMorgan Chase over debt collection practices, Attorney General Adam Laxalt said Wednesday.

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GM recalls 200K Hummers after fire burns 3 people

General Motors Co is recalling nearly 200,000 older model Hummer SUVs, mainly in the United States, to fix problems that have led to three people being burned, the company said on Wednesday.

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7 Class-Action Settlements: Does Chase Bank Owe You Money?

If you’re looking for a little extra cash, have you considered submitting claims for open class-action settlements? It typically takes just a few minutes to file a claim, and if your claim is approved, you could get free money, products and other benefits. Who doesn’t love free stuff?

In June, I wrote about eight class-action settlements whose deadlines are approaching soon. If you shopped at Target, BevMo or Walgreens, you may be eligible to join. Some of them are still accepting claims, so see if you qualify! This month, I’m back to let you know about seven more popular settlements.

1. Kettle Brand Chips

Did you purchase Kettle brand chips that were marked as “natural,” “non-GMO,” “nothing artificial,” “reduced fat” or something similar? If so, you could be entitled to a payment of up to $20 from a class-action settlement!

Unless you submit a claim for more than 10 products, you don’t even need to submit proof of purchase. If you have proof of purchase, though, you can claim benefits for up to 20 eligible Kettle brand products. The deadline to file a claim is August 1, 2015. Here’s where you can learn more.

2. Arm & Hammer “Natural” Deodorant

Many companies have been accused of capitalizing on consumers’ growing health-consciousness by falsely advertising products as “natural,” even when they contain artificial or synthetic ingredients. Church & Dwight Co. recently agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging it misled consumers by including the terms “Natural Deodorant” and “Natural Protection” on its Arm & Hammer Essentials deodorant, even though not all of the ingredients were natural.

If you purchased Arm & Hammer Essentials deodorant with the allegedly misleading label, you may be able to submit a claim for a $4 refund for each unit you purchased. The deadline to file a claim is September 2, 2015. Here’s where you can get more information.

3. PlayStation Network Data Breach

If you had a Sony PlayStation Network, Qriocity or Sony Online Entertainment account prior to May 15, 2011, you may have been affected by an unauthorized attack on some of Sony’s network platforms.

Sony has agreed to settle the data breach class-action lawsuit, and is offering a variety of benefits to eligible Class Members. Some of the benefits include virtual currency, free subscriptions, PS3 games or themes, or up to $2,500 reimbursement for theft-related charges. The deadline to file a claim is September 4, 2015. Here’s where you can learn more.

4. Ocwen, Assurant Force-Placed Insurance

Were you charged by Ocwen Loan Servicing LLC under a hazard, flood, flood-gap or wind insurance policy between January 1, 2008 and January 23, 2015? If so, you could be eligible for a cash payment or account credit from a class-action settlement.

Mortgage lender Ocwen and insurance giant Assurant Inc. have agreed to pay $140 million to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging they charged homeowners inflated premiums for insurance policies that were forced on the properties. The deadline to file a claim is September 9, 2015. Do you qualify? Find out here.

5. Chase Bank TCPA

Did you receive an automated call or text from Chase Bank on your cell phone that was either a collection call or was intended for someone else? If you received the call or text between July 1, 2008 and December 1, 2013, you may qualify for a cash payment from a class-action settlement.

Class Members who submit timely and valid claims will be eligible to receive up to $40 from the class-action settlement; however, that amount could increase depending on how many claims are filed. The claim filing deadline has been extended until September 10, 2015. Here’s where you can get more information.

6. Lenovo Ultrabook

If you own a Lenovo Ultrabook computer, you may be able to claim $100 in cash or a $250 certificate you can redeem for products on the Lenovo website.

The Lenovo settlement resolves a class-action lawsuit alleging the Ultrabook computers had a design defect that affected their ability to connect to Wi-Fi. Lenovo has also agreed to reimburse consumers for out-of-pocket expenses they incurred when trying to fix the connectivity issue. The deadline to file a claim is September 11, 2015. Here’s where you can learn more.

7. Transpacific Airlines

Have you traveled between the United States and Asia, Australia, New Zealand or the Pacific Island since January 1, 2000? If so, you could be eligible to receive a cash payment.

Several airlines have agreed to settle class-action lawsuits that accused them of conspiring to fix the prices of airline tickets for travel between the United States and Asia/Oceania. The deadline to file a claim is September 19, 2015. Here’s where you can find more information.

Your Turn: Are you going to file a claim for any of these settlements?

Anne Bucher is the Managing Editor of TopClassActions.com.

The post 7 Class-Action Settlements: Does Chase Bank Owe You Money? appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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Celtra Releases New Video Ad Formats To Transform TV Ads For Mobile Viewing

Audi's debut of short form vertical ad format said to outperform all key metrics.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

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Pinterest Launches First Third-Party Integrations With Polyvore & IFTTT

Pinterest promises more such connections with websites and apps in the coming months.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

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Dynatrace Launches “Customer Experience Cockpit” To Measure Digital Performance & User Satisfaction

Company says it's offering a "first of its kind" platform to help businesses understand customer experience across multiple channels.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

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Nevada regulators recommend Dan Lee for a gaming license

Full House Resorts CEO Dan Lee was given a tentative Nevada gaming license, seven months after he led a takeover of the Las Vegas-based casino company.

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Nevada gaming regulators tentatively approve Golden Gaming-Lakes Entertainment merger

The $341 million merger of slot machine route giant Golden Gaming with casino operator Lakes Entertainment was tentatively approved Wednesday.

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NYSE halts trading on technical issue; other exchanges open

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Stock Exchange stopped trading in the late morning Wednesday because of a technical problem, though NYSE-listed shares continued to trade on other exchanges such as the Nasdaq. The exchange said on its official Twitter feed that the issue was internal and not related to a breach of its systems.The Dow Jones industrial average and other indexes were trading at about where they were before the NYSE technical problem occurred in the late morning. Major [...]

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Facebook Dumps “Likes” In New CPC Calculation To Focus On Performance Outcomes

New formula won't take engagement actions into account when defining CPC.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

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100 Weird College Scholarships: Wacky Ways to Win Money for School

If you need help paying for school, there are plenty of college scholarships out there. In fact, we’ve already covered 100 of them. But we’re all about the unusual and out-of-the-ordinary here, so we wanted to dig deeper. And in doing so, we discovered some pretty… unique  opportunities you might have missed in your more traditional searches.

Some of these scholarships reward you for thinking outside the box, some reward you for falling into ridiculously narrow categories, others are just plain strange. All of them are worth checking out.

So if you’re on the hunt for funds to help you pay for college, take a look at these 100 weird scholarships — they’re strange, wacky and oddly specific.

Creative Scholarships

Book learning isn’t everything — flex your creative muscles for these scholarships.

1. Zombie Apocalypse Scholarship

Come up with the best survival plan should a zombie apocalypse hit your high school or college, and you could win $2,000.

Deadline: October 31, 2015

2. Duck Brand Duct Tape “Stuck at Prom” Scholarship Contest

Make your prom attire (by yourself, or with your date) entirely out of duct tape and you could win $500 to $5,000. Creations will be judged on “workmanship, originality, use of colors, accessories” and, of course, use of Duck Brand duct tape.

Deadline: Annually on May 23

3. Make It With Wool Competition

Make a garment from 100% wool or a wool blend and model it in a photo for a chance to advance to the National Competition, where scholarship awards range from $1,000 to $2,000. (Note: There is an entry fee of $12.)

No deadline is mentioned on the website. For more information, send your question along with a self-addressed, stamped envelope to:

National Make It With Wool Competition
Mary Roediger
PO Box 123
Albany, OH 45710
740-591-5149
wool@sewtruedesigns.com

4. Beans for Brains Scholarship

For knitters in particular, Jimmy Beans Wool gives five scholarships each year in the amount of $3,200 apiece.

This year’s deadline has passed, so check back later for the next year’s deadline.

5. Wholesale Halloween Costumes Scholarship

Several times a year, WholesaleHalloweenCostumes.com runs a $500 scholarship contest based on a specific assignment. The current assignment — to create a meme using a product image from their site — ends August 12, 2015.

Deadline: Varies (check back each month for new contests).

6. Ursinus College Creative Writing Award

Live in JD Salinger’s dorm room for your first year and get a $32,000 scholarship renewable all four years of school. Winners demonstrate a Holden Caulfield “it” factor — namely, “an unusual perspective… quirky brilliance… a voice not necessarily the kind that can be measured by conventional standards.”

This year’s deadline has passed, so check back later for the next year’s deadline.

7. David Letterman Telecommunications Scholarship

The late-night funny man established this award at his alma mater, Ball State University, for “average” students who may not have earned academic gold stars but display noteworthy creativity in a project in the telecommunications vein (film, audio, video, graphics, etc.). Winner receives $10,000, second-place gets $5,000 and third-place gets $3,333.

This year’s deadline has passed, so check back later for the next year’s deadline.

8. Fifth Month Scholarship

Earn $1,500 by writing a letter to the number five. Yep, you read that right: writing a letter to the number five. Doesn’t get much weirder than that.

This year’s deadline has passed, so check back later for the next year’s deadline.

9. Flavor of the Month Scholarship

Describe what ice cream flavor you would be, and why, for a shot at this $1,500 award.

Deadline: July 31, 2015

10. Superpower Scholarship

Win $2,500 if you have the best answer to the question, “Which superhero or villain would you want to change places with for a day and why?”

Deadline: March 31, 2016

11. Make Me Laugh Scholarship

Class clowns, jokers and anyone with a funny story (real or made up) to tell: You’ve got a shot at $1,500 simply for sharing. Whatever makes the sponsor LOL the hardest is the winner.

Deadline: August 31, 2015

12. I Have a Dream Scholarship

Bizarre dreams, daydreams, dreams for your future… Write the best essay on any kind of dream, and it could net you $1,500.

Deadline: January 31, 2016

13. Sweet and Simple Scholarship

“Big things come in small packages” is the theme of this essay contest, which asks you to write a piece describing a seemingly small gift or gesture that left a lasting impact on you. The winner gets $1,500.

Deadline: February 29, 2016

14. Shout It Out Scholarship

The question: “If you could say one thing to the entire world at once, what would it be and why?” Say it best in 250 words or less, and you can win $1,500.

Deadline: September 30, 2015

15. Junior Duck Stamp Program

This art contest sponsored by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service awards scholarships ranging from $200 to $1,000 for creating a duck stamp design that adheres to a rather extensive list of criteria, including: Ducks must be shown in their natural habitat, feather colors must be appropriate to the season in which they are depicted, and duck featured must be on their roster of eligible species. (Don’t you even think of drawing a mute swan!)

This year’s deadline has passed, so check back later for the next year’s deadline.

16. Jif’s Most Creative Sandwich Contest

Want to get a jumpstart on your kid’s college fund? If they’re between the ages of 6 and 12 and can make coolest sandwich using Jif peanut butter, they could win a $25,000 college fund. (Runners-up each receive a $2,500 college fund).

This year’s deadline has passed, so check back later for the next year’s deadline.

17. 10 Things You Love About You Scholarship

Boasting about your extracurricular activities and GPA on scholarship applications can get boring. How about, instead, you simply list out the 10 things that make you awesome? There are no rules on what you can list, so put on your creativity cap and start bragging.

Deadline: March 31, 2016

18. Create-A-Greeting-Card Scholarship

Ever picked up a Hallmark card and thought, “I could do better”? Then sharpen your colored pencils, pick up your camera or fire up your graphic design software and submit your best design for a chance to win $10,000 for yourself (and $1,000 for your school).

This year’s deadline has passed, so check back later for the next year’s deadline.

19. The Penny Hoarder’s “Frugal Student Contest”

We offer a scholarship worth $2,000 to the student with the best essay on an interesting or unique thing they’ve done to make or save extra money. Let’s hear your stories!

Deadline: December 31, 2015

Demographically Based Scholarships

Get money just for being born with one of these traits.

20. Little People of America Scholarships

This nonprofit, which supports those with dwarfism, offers scholarships ranging from $250 to $1,000+ to members diagnosed with dwarfism and their families. (Preference is given to LPA members and their families, but non-members with dwarfism can also qualify.)

Deadline: Annually on April 22.

21. Talls International Club Scholarship

If you’re “vertically gifted” and a member of TCI, you can apply for this $1,000 scholarship. You must be at least 5’10” (if you’re female) or 6’2” (if you’re male), under the age of 19 and entering your first year of college.

The deadline for the Fall 2015 scholarship has passed, so check back later for the next deadline.

22. C.A.T.S. Tall Club Scholarship

If you’re a tall graduating high school senior living in the Phoenix Metropolitan area, you can also win $250 from the Central Arizona Tall Society. See your local high school’s guidance department for information on application process and deadlines, which are provided directly to Phoenix Metropolitan area high schools.

23. Scholarships for Twins and Multiples

Plenty of schools and organizations offer scholarships for twins and other “multiples,” whether they attend the same school or go their own separate ways. Check out two great lists of opportunities here and here.

24. Frederick and Mary F. Beckley Left-Handed Scholarship

Sophomores, juniors and seniors at Juniata College in Huntingdon, PA have a chance at $1,000 to $1,500 if they can demonstrate academic success, financial need and the fact that they’re left-handed.

Deadline is not mentioned on school’s website. Contact John Wall at wallj@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3132 for more information.

25. ScholarshipRed

High school juniors or seniors who are natural redheads (or strawberry blonds) can earn $500 by submitting a photo of themselves from childhood and present-day and “creating something that represents what it means to be Redhead.”

This year’s deadline has passed, so check back later for the next year’s deadline.

26. Respshop College Scholarship

If you or someone you love has a sleep disorder, you can win $1,500 (or one of four $500 runners-up awards) for writing an essay about how it affects your life, their life and/or how CPAP therapy has helped.

Deadline: January 31, 2016

Hobby- and Interest-Related Scholarships

Convert that secret (or not-so-secret) passion of yours into some serious cash.

27. STARFLEET Academy Scholarships

Attention, Trekkies: Every year, STARFLEET (a fan club run by The International Star Trek Fan Association, Inc.) offers scholarships to students in five areas: engineering; medical/veterinarian; business/languages studies/education; arts and misc. Winners receive $1,000.

Deadline: Annually in June

28. Vegetarian Resource Group Scholarship

Graduating high school seniors who are passionate about vegetarianism and have worked to promote it in their schools and communities can win $5,000 to $10,000. Submissions will be judged on “having shown compassion, courage and a strong commitment to promoting a peaceful world through a vegetarian diet/lifestyle.”

Deadline: February 20, 2016

29. National Beef Ambassador Program

The NBAP believes “today’s youth are bombarded with anti-beef messages,” so they’re out to create “passionate advocates for the beef community.” Students ages 16 to 20 can compete to demonstrate their passion for beef in the NBAP’s national public speaking competition, and Senior Division winners are eligible to receive a scholarship of $1,000 (for first place), $750 (for second place) or $500 (for third place).

The competition will be held September 25-26, 2015 in Denver, CO. To learn more, contact your local CattleWomen’s association or the NBAP Manager at 303-850-3440 or sbohnenkamp@ancw.org.

30. AANR Foundation Scholarship

If you have an AANR (American Association for Nude Recreation) affiliation or have had an AANR “experience” (we’ll let you decide what that constitutes), you can apply for a scholarship of around $1,000. Winners may be eligible for future fund renewal.

Deadline: Annually on May 31

31. ARRL Foundation Scholarships

If you have an amateur radio license, there’s a plethora of scholarships available to you. Check out the full listing here for further details.

32. Student Services Rodeo Scholarship

This is just one of the rodeo-related scholarships available at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, TX. (And in general — check out some others below.) Award amount varies for this and other scholarships; check out this page for the full listing.

33. MSU Rodeo Club Scholarships

Members of Michigan State’s Rodeo Club can earn anywhere from $250 to an undisclosed amount covering travel, lodging and tuition depending on their status with the club (non-rider, National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association team member, etc.).

Deadlines vary based on scholarship type.

34. San Angelo Stock Show & Rodeo Scholarship

Participants in the above event who are a) residents of Texas and b) planning to attend a Texas college or vocational school are eligible for $1,000 in renewable funds.

Deadline: Annually on April 1

35. Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Scholarships

More for the Texas cattle-wranglin’ folk. There’s a host of scholarships available here, with awards ranging from $9,000 (over two years) to $18,000 (over four years).

Deadlines vary by scholarship.

36. United States Bowling Congress Earl Anthony Memorial Scholarship

Five USBC Youth members each year have the chance to win $5,000 apiece from this scholarship in honor of legendary pro bowler Earl Anthony.

Deadline: December 1, 2015

37. Billy Weilu Scholarship

This scholarship awards $1,000 to an amateur bowler “who combines outstanding bowling talents with academic excellence.”

Deadline: Annually on June 15

38. USA Boxing Scholarships

Active USA Boxing members have several scholarships to choose from, including the Gene Rabbitt Scholarship (for female athletes) and the Michael Nunnally Scholarship (for athletes pursuing a degree in Elementary or Secondary Education). Amounts are not disclosed on the USA Boxing website.

Deadline: Annually on July 15

39. Easton/NFAA Scholarship

If Katniss Everdeen got you interested in archery and you’re a member of the National Field Archery Association (NFAA) or NAA/USA Archery, you could win a scholarship ranging from $100 to $20,000.

Deadline: Annually on December 31

40. United States Chess Federation Scholarships

Schools in various states offer scholarships for chess champions. You can check out the full list here.

41. National Marbles Tournament Scholarships

“Mibsters,” if you win this marble shooting tournament, there’s more than national honors up for grabs. The “King and Queen of Marbles” each get a $2,000 scholarship, and the boy and girl named best in sportsmanship each get $1,000. We say “boy and girl” because entrants must be between the ages of 8 and 14.

The 2015 tournament has passed, so check back later for the dates of the 2016 tournament.

42. Chick Evans Caddie Scholarship

It pays to be a caddie! Sponsored by the Western Golf Association, this scholarship covers full tuition plus room and board, preferably at one of the 14 universities across the U.S. that have an Evans Scholarship Chapter House.

Deadline: September 30, 2015

43. Chick and Sophie Marie Major Memorial Duck Calling Contest

Graduating high school seniors who they can muster up a good old-fashioned duck call have a shot at $2,000 (for first place), $1,000 (for second place), $750 (for third place) or $500 (for fourth place). Quack, quack!

Deadline: November 28, 2015

44. Harness Tracks of America Scholarship Fund

Harness track racing is where the jockey steers from a little cart pulled behind the horse, and if you’re involved in it (or have a parent involved in it), you’re eligible for a scholarship ranging from $1,500 to $5,000. Giddyup!

Deadline: July 10, 2015

45. American Quarter Horse Association Scholarship

Youth AQHA members have quite a few scholarship options to apply to — and by quite a few, we mean pages’ and pages’ worth. Check out this list, with awards ranging from $500 to a whopping $35,000.

Deadline: Annually on December 1

46. Pokemon World Championship Scholarship

And your parents used to scold you for all the time you spent playing! Compete in the 2015 Pokemon World Championship from August 21-23, 2015 in Boston, MA for a chance to win a share of the $500,000 in scholarships up for grabs.

Qualify for your chance to make it to the World Championship by competing in tournaments here.

Industry- or Career-Specific Scholarships

If you (or your family) are involved in an unusual industry, there could be money in it for you.

47. National Potato Council Scholarship

Grad students “conducting research for the benefit of the potato industry” can win $10,000 to support their studies.

This year’s deadline has passed, so check back later for the next year’s deadline.

48. Asparagus Club Scholarship

Full-time college juniors, seniors and grad students pursuing a degree leading to a career in the grocery industry can win one of 10 of these awards. Scholarships offer $2,000 per semester for a max of four consecutive semesters.

Deadline: Annually on April 30

49. Michigan Llama Association Scholarship

If you or your parents are members of the MLA, you may be eligible for one of two $1,000 scholarships, which are renewable up to three times. Members of the Michigan alpaca community, don’t fret: you can also become an MLA member.

Deadline: Annually on May 1

50. Sheep Heritage Foundation Memorial Scholarship

Grad students involved in “sheep and/or wool research” (animal science, agriculture economics, veterinary medicine, etc.) can earn $2,500 towards their studies.

This year’s deadline has passed, so check back later for the next year’s deadline.

51. National Dairy Shrine Scholarships

Llamas and sheep not your thing? How about cows? NDS offers a plethora of scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $3,000 to students majoring in the dairy industry or other agriculture-related fields.

Annual application window is March 1 to April 15.

52. Berrien Fragos Thorn Arts Scholarship for Migrant Farmworkers

If you’re a migrant farmworker who dreams of developing your talents as an artist (in disciplines ranging from visual art to poetry to crafts), you could receive a grant up to $2,500. You must be at least 16 and do not need to be enrolled in school to apply.

Deadline: Annually on June 1 and November 1

53. American Society for Enology and Viticulture Scholarship

Whether you’re interested in becoming a winemaker or a vineyard manager, the ASEV has funds you could qualify for. (Award amounts vary per year and are not predetermined.)

Deadline: Annually on March 1

54. Parapsychological Association Research Endowment

Calling all Egon Spenglers and Fox Mulders: if you’re studying parapsychological phenomena (telepathy, clairvoyance, psychokinesis, etc.), you can apply for this $2,000 to $5,000 endowment.

This year’s deadline has passed, so check back later for the next year’s deadline.

55. Eileen J. Garrett Scholarship

This parapsychology award gives $3,000 to an undergrad or grad student studying anything from telepathy to near-death experiences to reincarnation.

Deadline: Annually on July 15

56. The Gilbert Roller Fund Parapsychological Phenomena Research Scholarship

If you’re interested in spooky phenomena on a larger scale, this scholarship supports research  “into macroscopic psychokinetic phenomena such as those reported in sitter-groups, séances, and poltergeist activity, and/or theoretical approaches to help explain the nature of such large-scale effects.” One or more winners may be selected, with the total grant(s) given per year not to exceed $10,000. You’ll receive 90% of your award upfront and 10% once you’ve reported back on the results of your investigation.

This year’s deadline has passed, so check back later for the next year’s deadline.

57. Marian Madison Gypsy Lore Society Young Scholar’s Prize in Romani Studies

If you’ve ever watched TLC’s My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, you know who Romanies and Travelers are — but do you know enough to write a scholarly paper suitable to be published in the journal Romani Studies? If so, you could win a $500 award and publication in said journal.

Deadline: October 30, 2015

58. Mycology Society of America

If your studies focus on fungi, the MSA offers a number of awards. Check out the full listing here.

Deadlines vary by scholarship.

59. Rolex Scholarship

Nope, it’s not for watchmaking — this one’s for students interested in a career “in an underwater-related discipline” (diving, research, tourism, photography, etc.). Awards are given in three regions — North America, Europe and Australia — and the North American award is worth $25,000.

Deadline: December 31, 2015

60. Robert J. Marriott Scholarship

If fishery management — “cold or warm waters, fresh water or salt” — is your calling, the International Federation of Fly Fishers has $500 that could have your name on it. You’ll need to get yourself nominated, though, so start your campaigning now.

Deadline for nominations: Annually on April 1

61. Union Internationale de la Marionnette – USA Scholarship

This scholarship provides $1,000 for UNIMA-USA members “to study with a recognized puppetry professional or professional program outside of the United States, or to attend an international puppetry festival.”

Deadline: December 1, 2015

62. Southeastern Turfgrass Conference Scholarship

If you’re studying a branch of turf management (Commercial Turf Management, Golf Turf Management, etc.) at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, GA and you’re entering your sophomore year, you could win some money for it.

Deadline and award amount are not disclosed on school’s website. Contact ABAC at 1-800-733-3653 for more information.

63. Concrete Industry Management Scholarships

If you’re planning on attending Middle Tennessee State University to study Concrete Industry Management, you’ve got a plethora of potential scholarships to apply for. Check out this page for deadlines and details for each.

64. American Welding Society Scholarships

AWS offers several scholarships to students interested in pursuing a career in welding. Check out their page for deadlines and details for each.

65. American Fence Association Scholarships

If you’re studying for (or your parents currently have) a career in the “fence, deck, railing and perimeter security industry,” you can apply for funds from the AFA. (The amount and number of awards each year depends on funding.)

This year’s deadline has passed, so check back later for the next year’s deadline.

66. Northern Tier Hardwood Association Scholarship

How’s this one for specific: The NTHA is offering two $500 scholarships to students majoring in forest management, forest products “or a closely related field” who also happen to have graduated from or lived in one of a handful of counties in Pennsylvania. We’re guessing the competition’s not terribly stiff for this one.

Deadline: June 1, 2015

67. National Opera Association Scholarly Paper Competition

Like to write about opera? Don’t really care about opera, but like the sound of $500 toward your educational expenses? Then try your hand at this essay contest, which is open to anyone who submits an essay of no more than 3,000 words on “an operatic subject” (history of the genre, critical theory, analysis of stagecraft or costuming, etc.).

Deadline: October 1, 2015

68. National Gay Pilots Association Scholarships

If you’ve earned your private pilot certificate and are actively involved in supporting the LGBT community (regardless of how you identify your personal sexual orientation), you could win anywhere from $3,000 (standard scholarship) to $6,000 (for “one truly exceptional candidate”).

This year’s deadline has passed, so check back later for the next year’s deadline.

69. Ludo Frevel Crystallography Scholarship Award

Grad students pursuing research in the field of crystallography (if you don’t know what that means, you’re not one of them) can win $2,500 towards their studies if they and their research show promise.

Deadline: Annually on October 21

70. Society of Vacuum Coaters Foundation Scholarship

This scholarship can be used for tuition, room and board and “travel to appropriate conferences” for students studying vacuum coating technology at an accredited institution. The SVC usually gives three or more scholarships each year, but it reserves the right to determine the amounts and types of awards based on factors like available funds and quality of applications submitted.

Deadline: December 1, 2015

71. ITSA Scholarship

Students pursuing a postgraduate degree in “thermal spray processes (plasma, flame, arc, HVOF) or materials” can apply for this $2,000 from the International Thermal Spray Association. Up to three awards may be awarded per year.

Annual application window is May 1 to July 15.

72. NACE Foundation Scholarships

Students studying for a career in the corrosion industry have a shot at several scholarships and can win more than one (up to a total of $10,000 per student in any given year).

Annual application window is September 1 to January 1.

73. North American Cartographic Information Society Competitions

Yep, cartography still exists, and cartography students can win $500 in the NACIS’s Student Map and Poster Competition or Dynamic Map Competition.

Deadline: September 11, 2015

74. Alice Madden Barton Cosmetology School Scholarship

Sponsored by Great Clips but usable at any cosmetology or barbering school, the scholarships awarded each year by this program varies in amount and number (and is not disclosed on the site).

Deadline: Annually on June 30 and December 31

75. American Board of Funeral Service Education National Scholarship

If you’re enrolled in funeral service or mortuary science programs, you could earn $500 to $2,500.

Deadline: Annually on March 1 and September 1

76. TAPPI Scholarships

Our world may be going more and more digital, but there’s still a need for paper. The Technological Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry supports students preparing for careers in these industries by offering several scholarships, including the William L. Cullison Scholarship (worth up to $4,000 a year) and Technical Division scholarships (worth $1,000 – $4,000).

Deadlines: Annually on May 1 (for Cullison Scholarship) and on February 15 (for Technical Division scholarships)

77. American Association of Candy Technologists’ John Kitt Memorial Scholarship

College sophomores, junior and seniors with an interest in “confectionary technology” (the most delicious kind of technology) may apply for this $5,000 scholarship, which is awarded in two $2,500 installments — one for each semester of the school year.

Deadline: April 1, 2016

Company-Centric Scholarships

Why pay for a market research study or ad company consultation when you can ask students to talk up your company for free, and you only have to pay one of them?

78. Ortho Scholar Scholarships

Orthodontists need answers to real-world problems like how to get more patient referrals, positive online reviews and social media exposure — and they’re willing to pay you to help them. Ortho Scholar will give you $1,000 (partially funded by orthodontic practices across the U.S.) if you can come up with the best solution to these problems — regardless of your major.

Deadline: Annually on March 31

79. STS Travel “I Have a Plan!” Scholarship

Student travel company STS Travel wants to know how they can better reach today’s college student. Create a YouTube video of no longer than five minutes that outlines your marketing plan for them and you could win a $1,000 scholarship.

Deadline: November 20, 2015

80. “Why Buy Custom Furniture?” Scholarship

We’re not sure if they’re trying to conduct market research or get ad campaign ideas, but whatever the motive, online marketplace CustomMade.com will award a $1,000 scholarship to the student who composes the best essay answering the question, “Why buy custom furniture?”

Deadline: December 15, 2015

81. “Why Buy Custom Jewelry?” Scholarship

Same as the above, but this time the question centers around custom jewelry.

Deadline: December 15, 2015

82. GoodCall Scholarship

A company that provides data to help people make life decisions wants to know one important decision you made in your life, and what sort of information you relied on to reach that decision. Best answer gets $2,500.

Deadline: December 31, 2015

83. The “Branson Show Inspired” Scholarship

If you’ve seen a performance in Branson, MO (or can “research and use your creativity” to imagine you have), BransonShowTickets.com has $1,000 up for grabs for the person who writes the best essay titled, “How (*Enter Your Show*) Inspired Me to Realize My Dreams.”

Deadline: Annually on October 15

84. Brilliance Scholarship

Designers, artists and girls who’ve been dreaming about their weddings since they were five: Think you’ve got what it takes to create a standout diamond ring? Then enter this contest sponsored by an online diamond jewelry retailer. Best design wins $1,5000.

Deadline: August 1, 2015

85. The SweatBlock “Social Confidence” Scholarship

Don’t be embarrassed by excessive perspiration… write an essay about it and you could get $2,000.

Deadline: Annually on July 15

86. CoffeeForLess.com “Hit the Books” Scholarship

Write an essay on the importance of education in your life (bonus points for “finding a creative way to include your passion for coffee within your essay without losing sight of the primary topic”) and you could win $500 to put towards books and other educational materials.

Deadline: Annually on January 31 and September 30

87. New Look Laser Tattoo Removal Scholarship

The New Look Laser Tattoo Removal clinic in Houston, TX awards $1,000 twice a year for the best essay posted on a website, blog or online forum about “the societal impact of laser tattoo removal.” Oh, and you have to link to their clinic’s website and mention their tattoo removal guide in the essay. So basically, it’s a really well-paid sponsored post. (But hey, $1,000 is still $1,000.)

Deadline: Annually on June 30 and November 30

Scholarships for Doing Something or Knowing Something Unique

Stand up, stand out and make money.

88. DoSomething.org Scholarships

DoSomething.org offer campaigns throughout the year that challenge you to make the world a better place, and for each one you complete, you’re entered to win scholarships that range from $3,000 to $10,000. Completing any campaign also earns you an entry towards their Seasonal Scholarships worth $10,000.

Deadlines: Vary by campaign; check site for details and new campaigns posted regularly.

89. Thumb Wars Scholarship

One of DoSomething.org’s current campaigns, this one requires you to sign up for two free pairs of “Thumb Socks” — one for you, and one for a friend (with whom you’re expected to share some information on the dangers of texting and driving). You’ll be entered to win a $10,000 scholarship, but at the minimum, you’ll have some cool attire for thumb wrestling competitions.

Deadline: August 31, 2015

90. Backseat Advisor Scholarship

Also sponsored by DoSomething.org, this campaign asks you to send texts to three friends on the dangers of texting and driving (you can choose “fun, dramatic or factual” texts). Do so and you have a chance to win $5,000.

Deadline: August 31, 2015

91. Hiram College Hal Reichle Scholarship

Generosity, volunteerism and community involvement are at the heart of this scholarship, which is sponsored by a “world-wide secret society” encouraging everyone to “embrace all humanity” with the virtues of “compassion, creativity, persistence and sacrifice.”

In keeping with the theme of secrecy and random acts of kindness, there is no application for this scholarship; Hiram College juniors are nominated for it via an involved selection process. The amount of the award is unknown, and in years where they don’t find a fitting recipient, they don’t give out an award.

92. College Completer Scholarship

DeVry University wants to help out those looking to complete their bachelor’s or associate’s degree (at DeVry, of course), and it’s offering this merit-based scholarship of $18,000 to transfer students looking to do so.

Deadline: July 6, 2015

93. Debt.com Scholarship for Aggressive Scholarships Applicants

Persistence pays off. Send Debt.com confirmation of every scholarship you’ve applied to (whether you received it or not) and an essay about who you are and what your application experience has been like, and you could win $500.

Scholarships will be awarded every quarter. This quarter’s deadline has passed, so check back shortly for next quarter’s deadline.

94. Common Knowledge Scholarships

This one’s for the trivia buffs. If you’re well-versed in everything from books to movies to academic subjects, you can win anywhere from $250 to $2,500. You can win a total of $5,000 from taking more than one quiz, and parents can even compete on behalf of their kids (but they have their own special quizzes to keep things fair).

Quizzes currently run from August through December.

95. American Fire Sprinkler Association Scholarships

What’s cooler than an open-book test? An open-book test that earns you a chance to win a scholarship. Simply read an essay on fire sprinklers, then answer a short multiple-choice questionnaire about it (you can reference the essay as you answer). Each correct answer earns you a chance to win one of 10 $2,000 scholarships.

This year’s deadline has passed, so check back later for the next year’s deadline.

Just Plain Strange

’Nuff said.

96. Zolp Scholarship

How’s this for specific: To qualify for this scholarship, you must attend Loyola University Chicago, be a baptised or confirmed Catholic and have the legal last name Zolp. Scholarship amounts “will vary depending upon fund availability and the number of eligible recipients.” Given the strict requirements for this one, we’re guessing there aren’t many eligible recipients (and there are likely plenty of funds available as a result).

Deadline: Applicant must be admitted to Loyola University Chicago by February 1, 2016.

97. John Gatling Grant Program

Not a Zolp? If you’re a first-time undergraduate student applying to North Carolina State University and you were born with the last name Gatling (or Gatlin, though no other spelling is allowed), you’re eligible for this scholarship, the amount of which varies each year depending on funding.

Deadline: You must apply to NC State by January 15, complete the FAFSA by March 1 and be accepted by NC state no later than March 30 of the year in which you need the scholarship.

98. “No Essay” Scholarship

It doesn’t get much easier than this. Enter your basic information and you’re eligible for a $2,000 scholarship selected by random drawing. Scholarships are awarded once a month and you can enter every month for a new chance.

99. Gertrude J. Deppen Scholarship Fund

Have you lived a life of relative leisure? Have you abstained from illegal substances while other kids were out partying? Are you a couch potato? Then have we got a scholarship for you!

This Bucknell University award is for students who have lived in Mount Carmel, PA for 10 years, are graduates of Mount Carmel Public High School and “who are not habitual users of tobacco, intoxicating liquor, and narcotics, and who do not participate in strenuous athletic contests.” Oddly specific, but when you’re funding a scholarship, I suppose you get to choose whatever requirements you like.

Deadline and award amount are not mentioned on school’s website. Contact Bucknell’s Financial Aid Office at 570-577-1331 for more information.

100. Alice Mcarver Ratchford Scholarship

What if you’re a female student living a relatively simple life? This University of North Carolina, Greensboro award is for female undergrads who live on campus, don’t own a car and are currently single (and agree to remain single for the duration of the scholarship). They also must have no other scholarships in conjunction with this one.

Deadline and award amount are not mentioned on school’s website. Contact UNCG’s Financial Aid Office at 336-334-5702 for more information.

Your Turn: Would you apply for any of these unusual scholarships? Which one(s)?

Kelly Gurnett is a freelance blogger, writer and editor who runs the blog Cordelia Calls It Quits, where she documents her attempts to rid her life of the things that don’t matter and focus more on the things that do. Follow her on Twitter @CordeliaCallsIt.

The post 100 Weird College Scholarships: Wacky Ways to Win Money for School appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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NYSE suspends trading of all securities over technical problems

The NYSE Group, which includes the New York Stock Exchange, has suspended trading in all securities due to technical difficulties, the unit of Intercontinental Exchange Inc said on Wednesday.

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12 Habits to Help You Take Control of Your Credit

Improving your credit history starts with on-time payments.

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Twitter Introduces Video App Ads, Bidding Based On Actions & Installs

Twitter announced several additions to its app install advertising tool kit today. Advertisers will be able to promote apps within video ads and optimize bidding for installs and actions. Here’s how Twitter described the new bidding features, to be rolled out globally in the coming months, in...

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

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Carnegie Mellon Study Finds Gender Discrimination In Ads Shown On Google

A recent study by Carnegie Mellon University, initially conceived to test how online user behaviors and interaction with Google’s Ad Settings would impact ads displayed, found potential gender discrimination in terms of employment ads shown to men and women. According to the study  (embedded...

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12 Ways To Mine Your Own Mind For Content Ideas

Got writer's block? Not sure what to do for your next blog post? Columnist Stoney deGeyter discusses his simple yet effective tactics for repurposing content.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

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Summer Budget 2015: Second hand annuity market delayed

Rachel Lacey

nestegg.JPG

Frustrated annuity holders wishing to sell their income will have to put their plans on hold.

Frustrated annuity holders wishing to sell their income will have to put their plans on hold.

Summer Budget 2015: Second hand annuity market delayed

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Frustrated annuity holders wishing to sell their income will have to put their plans on hold. In the March 2015 Budget, George Osborne announced that all retirees should be able to take advantage of the new pension freedoms and launched a consultation into the creation of a second hand annuity market. From April 2016 he said that some five million existing policyholders should be able to sell their lifelong income for a cash lump sum. However, following that consultation, the government now says it needs to delay the launch until 2017 to ensure policyholders are given enough support in making their decision. It will now publish its plans for a secondary annuity market in the autumn as part of the Finance Bill 2016. Andrew Tully, pensions technical director, Retirement Advantage, said: "There continues to be significant customer risk from the idea of creating a second-hand annuity market. "The issues are complex so it is right to take stock and provide an appropriate timeframe to consult before the creation of a secondary market. We need to ensure consumers are protected from making poor value decisions, given they could lose 30% or more of their potential income because of costs and upfront tax." The Association of British Insurers – which represents annuity providers – was also grateful for the delay. Huw Evans, director general for the ABI said: "The new timetable announced today is a very welcome move and follows strong representations from the industry that the previous timetable was too quick. Providers want the reforms to the secondary annuity market to work for customers and it is right more time is allowed to get the right structures and regulation in place before going ahead."

Summer Budget 2015: Live

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Summer Budget 2015: George Osborne's best quotes

Laura Whitcombe

Osborne.jpg

During his 9,847-word long summer Budget speech, chancellor George Osborne was heckled, harried, taunted and mocked by half of the house, while the other half cheered and screamed their appreciation. Plus ca change.

During his 9,847-word long summer Budget speech, chancellor George Osborne was heckled, harried, taunted and mocked by half of the house, while the other half cheered and screamed their appreciation. Plus ca change.

Summer Budget 2015: George Osborne's best quotes

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During his 9,847-word long summer Budget speech, chancellor George Osborne was heckled, harried, taunted and mocked by half of the house, while the other half cheered and screamed their appreciation. Plus ca change. The speech may have been far shorter than the record for a Budget speech – given by William Gladstone in 1853 and lasting four hours and forty-five minutes – but it was long enough for deputy speaker Lindsay Hoyle to have the time to issue several stern rebukes to a rowdy House of Commons Here, we've pulled out the best quotes from the chancellor's speech, so you can see exactly what got MPs in the House so hot under the collar. • "The British economy I report on today is fundamentally stronger than it was five years ago." • "We're growing faster than any other major advanced economy. Our businesses have created two million more jobs. Living standards are rising strongly. Our long-term economic plan is working." • "You only have to look at the crisis unfolding in Greece as I speak, to realise that if a country's not in control of its borrowing, the borrowing takes control of the country." • "This is a Budget for working people, that sets out a plan for Britain for the next five years, [building towards] a higher wage, lower tax, lower welfare country." • "The greatest mistake this country could make is to believe all our problems have been solved. • "This is a one-nation government that does the best thing for the economy and the right thing for the country." • "This is a big Budget for a country with big ambitions." • "Many difficult but necessary decisions are required to save money and this will be done with moderation but determination." • "This is a one nation government that does the best thing for the economy and the right thing for the country." • "Britain back in the black, and in its strongest position for almost half a century." • "Without sound public finances there is no economic security for working people." • "Those who suffer when governments run unsustainable deficits are not the richest but the poorest." • "In normal economic times governments should run an overall budget surplus, so our country is better prepared for whatever storms lie ahead. In short we should always fix the roof while the sun is shining." • "The richest are paying a greater share of tax than they were at the start of the last parliament. And more than that, we are continuing to devote a greater share of state support to the most vulnerable. As I said they would – those with the broadest shoulders are bearing the greatest burden. • "We are all in this together." • "We inherited a system where bankers boasted of paying lower tax rates than their cleaners, and some multinationals shifted all their profits offshore. We've stopped these blatant abuses that were allowed to flourish, and many others." • "We're going to add tough new penalties… and name and shame serial users of failed tax avoidance schemes. These people should have nowhere to hide." • "It is not fair that people who are born in the UK to parents who are domiciled here, can later in life claim to be non-doms and live here. It is not fair that non-doms with residential property here in the UK can put it in an offshore company and avoid inheritance tax. From now on they will pay the same tax as everyone else." • "We're supporting the incredibly courageous members of our Special Forces who are injured and, in the 75th Anniversary of the Victoria Cross and George Cross Association, quadrupling the annual annuity we pay to those who demonstrated the highest valour and who I had the honour of meeting yesterday." • "We have to move Britain from a low-wage, high-tax, high-welfare society to a higher-wage, lower-tax, lower-welfare economy." • "The best route out of poverty is work." • "Since the crash, average earnings have risen by 11%, but most benefits have risen by 21%. To correct that, we will legislate to freeze working age benefits for four years." • "The Budget today puts security first. The economic security of a country that lives within its means. The financial security of lower taxes and a new National Living Wage. The national security of a Britain that defends itself and its values." • "One purpose. One policy. One nation."

Summer Budget 2015: Live

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Summer Budget 2015: Tax credits to be limited to two children

Hannah Nemeth

family.jpg

State support provided to families through tax credits will now be limited to two children, which means that any further children born after April 2017 won’t be eligible for support.

State support provided to families through tax credits will now be limited to two children, which means that any further children born after April 2017 won’t be eligible for support.

The only exception is if further children are the result of twins, triplets or other multiple births.

Summer Budget 2015: Tax credits to be limited to two children

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State support provided to families through tax credits will now be limited to two children, which means that any further children born after April 2017 won’t be eligible for support. The only exception is if further children are the result of twins, triplets or other multiple births. Those who already have large families and receive tax credits won’t be affected by the new rules. In addition, those starting a family after April 2017 will no longer be eligible for the Family Element in tax credits. The equivalent in Universal Credit (the successor to tax credits), known as the first child premium, will also not be available for new claimants after April 2017. The Chancellor pointed out that on top of Child Benefit for every child (which will continue to be paid at the same level for all children), an out-of-work family with five children can currently claim more than £14,000 a year in tax credits alone. Osborne said: "It’s important to support families, but it’s also important to be fair to the many working families who don’t see their budgets rise by anything like that when they have more children." Those in receipt of tax credits should therefore face the same financial choices about having children as those supporting themselves solely through work, he explained. He added that the aim is to protect existing families on the lowest incomes while favouring support to working families through the tax system and earnings growth, rather than the benefit system. To that end, the chancellor also annnounced a new National Living Wage to help boost the finances of low-income families. But welfare campaigners were angered by the announcement. Alison Garnham, chief executive of the Child Poverty Action Group, said: “The welcome move on a higher minimum wage cannot disguise the truth that this is a budget that damages the economic security of working families, and takes us further down the road to being a two-nation economy, with higher child poverty for millions and lower taxes for the better off. "We have long called for a genuine living wage, but no single wage level can take account of family size, so families which appear to gain under this proposal may end up worse off overall if cuts to child benefit, child tax credits and working tax credits go ahead. It’s vital that any savings the government makes through higher wages are re-invested to help families with children.” Mike O’Connor, chief executive of StepChange Debt Charity, added: “Action on low pay is much needed as years of stagnant wages and rising living costs have left millions of households living on a financial knife edge. However, cuts to the safety net risk leaving those people who fall into debt more vulnerable to deep and entrenched financial difficulties. “Most people who fall into debt do so as a result of sudden changes in circumstance such as job loss, reduced hours and illness. When people suffer these life events they need the right kind of support to help them get back on their feet. For many people, credit has become their ‘distress safety net’.”

Summer Budget 2015: Live

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Summer Budget 2015: Pensions tax relief slashed for higher earners

Rachel Lacey

pensionoptions.jpg

Higher earners are paying for increases to the inheritance tax (IHT) allowance through a reduction to the tax relief they receive on pensions contributions.

Higher earners are paying for increases to the inheritance tax (IHT) allowance through a reduction to the tax relief they receive on pensions contributions.

The move will hit savers earning more than £150,000 a year who will see their annual allowance of £40,000 gradually fall as their income increases.

Summer Budget 2015: Pensions tax relief slashed for higher earners

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Higher earners are paying for increases to the inheritance tax (IHT) allowance through a reduction to the tax relief they receive on pensions contributions. The move will hit savers earning more than £150,000 a year who will see their annual allowance of £40,000 gradually fall as their income increases. At £160,000, the allowance will fall to £35,000, then gradually decrease to £25,000 at £180,000 and just £10,000 for those earning £210,000 or more. Stewart Hastie, pensions partner at KPMG, said: "The reforms will create headaches for employees, employers and pension schemes. By design, individuals going above the Annual Allowance are effectively being taxed twice. But under the proposals, a significant number of impacted individuals are unlikely to know what their Annual Allowance is until it is too late to do anything about it." He also said that employers would need to review the benefits offered to higher earners as the value of pensions decreases. According to KPMG a senior NHS Consultant earning £150,000 will suffer the equivalent of a 10% pay cut as a result of today’s announcement. Nigel Green, chief executive and founder of the deVere group described the move as a "cap on aspiration". He added: "How can this measure incentivise people to work hard and save to secure their own financial future? Targeting pension tax relief is nothing short of a cap on aspiration to do better, to save more. It is another example of how politicians of all parties seemingly believe that pensions are an easy and convenient target to bolster government coffers as and when they need to." In its election manifesto the government announced that it would cut pensions tax relief for higher earners to fund the increase of the inheritance tax allowance to £1 million for married couples wishing to pass on the family home.

Summer Budget 2015: Live

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Summer Budget 2015: Pensions tax relief set for overhaul

Rachel Lacey

pension.jpg

George Osborne has announced the publication of a Green Paper, inviting the industry to consult on a radical overhaul of tax relief on pensions.

George Osborne has announced the publication of a Green Paper, inviting the industry to consult on a radical overhaul of tax relief on pensions.

In an expansion of the pension freedoms announced in the 2014 Budget, the Chancellor said that pensions could potentially be overhauled to look more like Individual Savings Accounts (Isas).

Summer Budget 2015: Pensions tax relief set for overhaul

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George Osborne has announced the publication of a Green Paper, inviting the industry to consult on a radical overhaul of tax relief on pensions. In an expansion of the pension freedoms announced in the 2014 Budget, the Chancellor said that pensions could potentially be overhauled to look more like Individual Savings Accounts (Isas). It means pension contributions could be paid from taxed income – but with no tax paid when savings are cashed in. In return, tax relief would no longer be offered on contributions. In the foreword to the paper – titled ‘Strengthening the incentive to save: a consultation on pensions tax relief’ – George Osborne said: "With increased longevity and the changing nature of pension provision, the government needs to make sure that the system incentivises more people to take responsibility for their pension saving so that they are able to meet their aspirations in retirement. "If people are to take responsibility for their retirement, it is important that the support on offer from the government is simple and transparent, and that complexity does not undermine the incentive for individuals to save." But Andrew Pennie, marketing director for Intelligent Pensions, said any change to pensions tax relief would do little to encourage people to save. "At a time of increasing life expectancy and a general inadequacy in individual pension savings, it is imperative we encourage people to save as much as they can into their pension. Any disturbance to pensions tax risks putting employers and employees off pension saving. Quite simply we cannot take that risk. The stakes are far too high," he said. John Fox, managing director of Liberty SIPP, was more positive, stating: "There's no place for the faint-hearted in the pensions industry these days. The Green Paper will scare the life out of many traditional pension providers, but innovation, change and empowering people to save in the way that suits them best, are key to defusing the pensions time bomb. "To say the government has shaken up the pensions industry would be a massive understatement." The government has stressed that any change would be subject to full consultation and has acknowledged that although an Isa-style savings vehicle could help people better understand pensions, it may be that no change is deemed necessary. Andrew Tully, pensions technical director at Retirement Advantage, commented: "This is a very broad consultation which is asking for views on a wide-range of options. However, it is a big deal that could fundamentally change how people save for their retirement in the future. A move to an Isa-style system would come with many complexities, as existing pension savings would need to be ring-fenced. It is also far from clear how a defined benefit scheme could be converted to an Isa-style system."

Summer Budget 2015: Live

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From Beginner to Pro: A Complete Guide to Tripling Your Email Conversion Rate

You’re building your email list, right?

If you’re not, you need to start today. 

Email is by far the most effective marketing channel we have today. Capterra found that the average return on $1 spent on email marketing is $44.25. Nothing else comes even close. 

Think about it: email gives you the ability to reach your current and potential customers whenever you want. An incredible 91% of people check email at least once a day. 

Having a list gives you more influence over your subscribers’ behavior and allows you to drive page views, sales, reviews, or anything else you’d like. 

Here’s the thing though: it’s not a secret anymore. More and more people and companies recognize the power of email and are gathering email addresses of their customers more aggressively. 

Buy something from a major retail store, and they’ll likely ask you for your email address. 

Regalix reported that 48% of the marketers they surveyed believe that investment in email marketing will only grow in 2015 and beyond. 

In addition, two-thirds of companies are already combining email marketing with other marketing strategies such as content marketing and social media marketing. 

All this competition is making it harder to earn the email addresses of your average Internet browser. Reports of email opt-in rates dropping across the board are increasingly common, and we will see hard data on it soon. 

Nonetheless, I firmly believe you can outperform the average, which consists of all sorts of poorly run businesses. 

In this article, I’m going to show you how to:

• determine what your audience values
• ask for email addresses in the right way
• use tools to quickly gather email addresses from visitors
• determine the optimal places to ask for email addresses

Throughout this post, I’m going to be pointing out dated and ineffective techniques so that you can develop a strategy that works. 

Learn what your audience craves

Back when email was first created, you could just ask for emails, and people would happily give them to you. 

But as I said, inboxes are getting more and more crowded. People will get 204 emails per day in 2015, and it’s projected to increase by about 3% in each subsequent year. 

This has led everyone to become more cautious about handing out their email address. If you want your audience to give you their email addresses and then engage with the emails you send, they have to do it happily and voluntarily. 

How do you get them to do that? Offer them something they want.

The concept of a lead magnet isn’t new. Give your audience a free e-book or a white report in exchange for their contact information.

What is relatively new, however, is creating a lead magnet the right way. Too many businesses blindly make the first lead magnet that comes to mind thinking that it doesn’t make a difference. But it does. 

The biggest difference between websites that get a 20% opt-in rate (although that’s rare) and those that get 3% or less is how targeted their lead magnets are. 

Create something that your visitors crave, and they’ll practically be forced to give you their emails. Create something that only some of your visitors want, or only want a little bit, and you’ll be left almost empty-handed.

I want you to create content and lead magnets that your readers will love, so I’m going to show you three different methods to determine what they crave the most. 

Method 1: Validate that your audience is interested in a topic

If you have a blog that gets consistent traffic, this will be extremely easy. 

If you want to see what your audience is most interested in, simply look at the number of times they’ve viewed each article. Additionally, you can look at the number of comments and social shares generated by the articles. 

Create a spreadsheet with all your top posts and their traffic stats over a reasonable period (at least three months).

Sort by traffic, and you will see the topics that your specific audience cares about the most.

Then, you can create an offer around those topics. You can use this offer as a content upgrade, or you can promote it around your website. 

Here are a couple of examples:

• Article: “22 Gmail Plugins That All Content Marketers Need to Know About”
• Offer: Get the exact templates I use to reach out to influencers 

• Article: “How to Make Custom Images for Your Blog Posts Without Hiring a Designer”
• Offer: A private list of 10 designers who will create custom images for $5 per image 

Method 2: See what your competitors are offering

If you have a new site or one with few posts and low traffic levels, you can’t use Method 1. What you can do, however, is look at your competitors. 

Your most visible competitors have likely been blogging for years. You can take advantage of their experience by seeing what their audience likes the most.

Start by identifying 5-10 competitors. 

Add these to a blank spreadsheet. Next to each competitor, create a column for their main lead magnet and 5 more columns for their 5 most popular posts.

To find the main lead magnet, visit the blog (usually the Home page), and look for a highlighted area:

Record the title and a short description (optional) in your spreadsheet.

Next, we need the most popular posts. Some bloggers will include a “Popular Posts” widget in the sidebar. Personally, I don’t trust it because it can be manipulated (and often is). 

Instead, use BuzzSumo (a free account will do) to find the most shared posts. Enter your competitor’s URL into the content explorer, and sort by total shares. 

Record the headlines of the top 5 posts into your spreadsheet: 

Here’s what your sheet should look like. Keep going until you’ve filled it in.

This spreadsheet has a few extremely practical applications.

First, it tells us what lead magnet each blogger has found to convert the best—at least for now (further testing could prove otherwise). 

If you were starting a blog in this space and had the background to write a short e-book titled How to Get Your First 10,000 Subscribers, you can be confident that it would convert well based on the Social Triggers’ lead magnet.

The second application is just as useful in my opinion. One danger of simply creating a lead magnet along the same lines as the existing ones is that you could be perceived as a copycat. 

In scenario, if I’m a blogger looking for traffic and subscriber advice and come across both your site and Social Triggers, I’m probably not signing up for both. I’ll pick the one that looks most credible, which is the one on an established authority site. 

Now go back to your spreadsheet. 

You have a list of posts that resonate with the readers of your niche. Categorize all the posts to reveal the most popular general topics:

With the limited selection of posts in my spreadsheet, I identified 4 categories:

• Writing better (4 posts)
• Learning why blogs succeed (2)
• Selling online (2)
• Increasing traffic and subscribers (2) 

Now, look at the top categories that you just identified, and look at the lead magnets offered by your competitors. Find the gap. 

It’s clear from my very limited analysis that bloggers currently care a lot about writing better. This makes sense given the shift towards higher quality content. 

Boost Blog Traffic’s Headline Hacks is about writing great headlines, but you could focus your offer on a different area of writing. You could base a lead magnet on those popular posts you recorded in that category. 

For example:

• The 20 Words All Successful Bloggers Use in Their Writing
• 51 Essential Time-Saving Resources for Any Blogger
• Free e-book: The Simple Way I Write 1,000-Word High Quality Posts in an Hour 

Don’t just create another lead magnet

The biggest mistake marketers make when creating lead magnets is that they make offers that are too vague. 

You must create a useful offer that solves one specific problem in your reader’s life. 

Otherwise, you won’t make a lasting impression on your new subscriber. They’ll throw out your freebie once they go through it, and there’s a good chance they’ll unsubscribe the first chance they get. 

But if you do make a great first impression and deliver something that makes a difference in their life in the short term, they won’t forget you.

Your lead magnet can be in any format. It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that it:

• is about something your reader cares about,
• delivers massive value (high quality), and
• accomplishes (at least) one specific thing in your subscriber’s life.

To make things crystal clear, let’s look at some examples. 

Example 1: E-books

While e-books can be great lead magnets, they can also be terrible. They don’t need to be long, but they need to address a specific topic. Too often, e-books are filled with fluff for the sake of filling pages. 

That being said, a good e-book allows you to dive into a fairly complex issue in a way that a checklist or worksheet can’t.

Michael Hyatt offers a free e-book with a very specific claim: take 10 hours off your work week. This is a great topic because you’ll see the results almost immediately.

In addition, he’s a best-selling author and a successful person, which he highlights just before he offers the book. It’s always a good idea to establish credibility to help reduce friction.

Example 2: Free Courses

I love using free courses as a giveaway. Not only do you get your subscriber to continuously refer to your material and get more familiar with you, but you also get them into the habit of reading your emails. 

One other advantage of giving away a course is that subscribers usually perceive courses to be more valuable, so they take them more seriously. 

I give away a course on Quick Sprout in the sidebar. 

It solves one problem—getting more traffic—by showing you how to double your traffic. Note that I made a specific claim—“double your traffic”—which gives my subscribers a way to measure their progress.

Also note that I value the course at $300. Most subscribers find this to be a reasonable amount for the value I give away in the course. 

Putting that number on the opt-in form makes the future readers more likely to subscribe. Wouldn’t you want to pay for a $300 course with an email address, which costs you nothing?

Example 3: Lists

If you’re an expert in some field, you can use your expertise to deliver massive value without spending a lot of time on an offer.

On BloggerJet, Tim Soulo offers a list of his personal top 15 tools for getting traffic and subscribers from Twitter.

A list is easy to write as long as you know what should go into it. Since Tim has a ton of experience with Twitter marketing, this probably took him an hour or two to put together. 

There are two great things about a list like this.

First, everyone loves tools. They make life easier and often produce more reliable results than tasks done manually. 

Second, if a subscriber uses just one tool on that list, they are going to think of Tim every time they use it. It’s great for building your personal brand and getting high email open rates in the future. 

Example 4: Free Trial

What if you don’t run a blog-based business? Don’t worry—lead magnets can still work well for you. 

Any company with a product, particularly a scalable one such as software, instantly has something of value to offer: a free trial. 

Not only will this increase your initial sign-up rates but it will also increase your conversion rates down the line because people don’t like losing things they already have. 

When you express interest in Groove, for example, you don’t even have to provide any credit card information. All they ask is for your contact information in exchange for a 30-day trial.

How to ask for email addresses in 2015

If you walked into your favorite clothing store and a sales person ran up to you screaming and waving the store’s latest deal in your face, you’d run away. The offer is important, but so is the way you present it.

The truth about pop-ups

Pop-ups are an amazing way to increase your email sign-up rate, but they can also easily piss off your visitors if you’re not careful.

The average pop-up conversion rate is 1.66%. That’s pretty good for an average. If your blog has a low to medium amount traffic, you should be able to achieve at least double that number after some optimization.

Look at how using pop-ups affected email opt-ins on a cooking blog:

Can you spot when they were first introduced?

But you might be scared that pop-ups will make your visitors instantly hit the back button on their browsers. You don’t need to be. 

Some blogs find that pop-ups don’t change their bounce rate or the average time spent reading a post. 

What that says is that when implemented correctly, pop-ups aren’t annoying enough to scare away interested readers. They may scare away people who didn’t really want to read anyway, but that’s not a big loss. 

The question then becomes: how do you use pop-ups correctly? 

It comes down to 3 factors. 

Factor #1: Time until pop-up is displayed

Some readers, even if they’re loyal fans, will immediately close the window if they see a pop-up right away. 

One test found that the optimal time to show a pop-up was at 10 seconds after the page loaded:

These are the results that you would expect. If you get surprised the second you walk in the store, you leave.

But you must test this on your own site. The guys at Authority Hacker found a different result. A test revealed that the optimal time for a pop-up on their site was right as the page loaded.

That being said, at the time of this writing, their pop-up appears to load about 12 seconds after the page is loaded. Perhaps they had an insufficient sample size for the first test. 

Either way, the main takeaway is to always test what’s best for your business. 

Another option that can work great is to display the pop-up only when someone is about to close the page or tab in their browser. This is called exit-intent technology, and it is usually a premium feature of pop-up software. 

XeroShoes used exit-intent activated pop-ups and were able to increase their overall opt-in rate by 2.5%.

 

Factor #2: Frequency

If you really want to scare away your readers, show them the same pop-up every time they load a new page. 

With all pop-up software, you can set a cookie for a certain length of time. As long as a visitor doesn’t clear their cookies, they won’t see another pop-up on your site for that length of time. If you set it for at least a week, you should be fine. 

Factor #3: Ease of closing

This is arguably the most important factor. If you make it difficult to close the pop-up, people will abandon your site in droves. 

It’s not always on purpose, but any pop-up with only a small hard-to-see “x” will be hard to close. It’s mainly because readers can’t find the button. 

Even worse, some pop-ups have no obvious close button at all, only a hard-to-read link.

Not only are these links hard to close on desktops and laptops, but they are often nearly impossible to close on mobile devices. If your blog has a large mobile audience, double-check how your pop-up shows up on mobile devices.

A safer alternative: Slide-in forms

If you’re really against pop-ups, which I do understand, you can still harness a lot of their power with slide-in offers. 

Once you scroll down a certain amount, a nifty little pop-up in the bottom right corner slides in displaying whatever text or links you choose. They only take up a fraction of the screen and don’t interfere with reading the post. However, because they move, they still draw attention based on pattern interruption. 

The best example of these are on HubSpot blog posts.

When HubSpot first tested these slide-in forms against their standard static form at the bottom of each post, they found that the slide-in forms increased their conversions by 27%.

But be careful: these can also be a pain on mobile devices, so check them too. I’ve seen a few comments by HubSpot readers who’ve had problems with them:

Designing a high-converting opt-in form

Regardless of whether you’re designing a static opt-in form or a pop-up of some kind, you have to apply the same principles if you want to create an opt-in that converts well.

In general, you have to consider three essentials factors: your offer, your headline, and your call to action (CTA).

Factor #1: A valuable offer

There’s a reason that this was the first point we looked at in this article. You need something that your readers will care about enough to give their email addresses for.

Factor #2: A clear headline

This is simple but important. This is not a typical headline where you might incorporate clickbait tactics. Clearly state the title of your lead magnet, possibly preceded by “Download”, “Get a copy of”, or a similar phrase. 

Factor #3: A first person CTA

First, you need a CTA. Once your visitor inputs their email address into the text form, tell them what to do to get their freebie. 

To boost your conversion rate, write your CTA in the first person. 

Content Verve tested the first person versus second person CTAs and found that the first person CTA attracted 25% and 90% increases in clicks in two different tests.

Try to write your button CTA in terms of the benefit your offer will provide. For example:

• “Yes, I want more traffic”
• “Show me how to get more subscribers”
• “Give me your secrets”

On Social Triggers, Derek Halpern swaps the traditional close “x” for an entire close button. Instead of hiding it, he uses first person CTAs for both the yes and no buttons.

Notice that in order to close the pop-up, you have to read “I reject the free e-book”, which sounds silly if you say it to yourself. This is just the latest test in a series, but I suspect it’s performing quite well.

The most effective email collecting tools

If you want to use a static opt-in form, you’ll need to have a developer design it, or you can modify templates provided by your email marketing provider (Aweber, MailChimp, etc.). 

But the most effective email collecting tools by far, as we’ve seen, are pop-ups. To implement them on your site, you will need to use a specific tool designed for this purpose. 

To cover all price ranges, I’ve chosen three options that work with WordPress. Be aware that as the price goes down, the amount of work you have to do typically goes up, and the tools become less convenient.

Option 1: Hello Bar

Hello Bar offers a lot of features to capture more emails.

Cost: The free plan covers most features. 

The pop-ups that this product makes are very simple and minimalistic. That being said, they’re fairly attractive and non-intrusive.

The neat thing about this tool is that I use it on my blogs. It’s how I was able to grow them to over 100,000 subscribers.

Option 2: OptinMonster

Created by Syed Balkhi and Thomas Griffin, OptinMonster is an affordable mid-range pop-up tool option. 

Cost: Minimum $49/year (about $4/month) for basic features.

You can quickly create a pop-up using any of the several templates available. In addition, you can also do A/B testing, which is a great feature. This feature is included in the basic plan (typically in advanced plans in other tools).

Option 3: LeadPages

It’s one of the most comprehensive email collection tools out there. 

Cost: Minimum $25/month for basic features. 

LeadPages software is very well designed, but it costs a lot more than other pop-up options because you’re paying for other features as well.

Originally, LeadPages existed to help you create high-converting landing pages. They only expanded to pop-up technology once they saw the need for it.

If you go with the basic plan (you can’t just get the pop-up tool on its own), you also get unlimited landing pages. If you have many domains or regularly create landing pages, it’s a solid option.

The best places to ask for email addresses

There’s one last piece of the puzzle missing: where to ask for your readers’ email addresses.

The traditional way is the sidebar. You don’t need a sign-up form in the sidebar. Most forms placed there will get a subscription rate of about 0.4%. Even a well done sidebar form only converts at about 1%. 

I’m not saying you can’t have one, just be aware that it isn’t really necessary and will only make up a small fraction of your signups. 

1. The Home page

A large portion of your traffic will end up on your Home page. Most of that traffic will come from other parts of your website, which means that the visitors were interested in exploring it further. 

These readers can be converted very easily with a “feature box.” A feature box is simply a large area near the top of your homepage that stands out and clearly asks for a reader to opt in.

2. In blog posts

Most of the traffic a website gets is to individual blog posts. So, it makes sense to ask for email addresses there.

The problem with sidebar forms is that they are often ignored. But content isn’t.

If you make your offer somewhere within the content, it will get seen more often and convert higher. 

The first place to start is after your post. If someone reads it to the end, they are clearly interested in what you have to say. This makes it the perfect time to offer them something more, whether it’s more content or some sort of bonus.

But you don’t necessarily have to wait that long to ask for a signup. You can configure your pop-up to show up after a certain amount of time, or you can simply use a link in the content to trigger your pop-up manually:

This way, you can mention your bonus when it’s most appropriate.

3. The About page

Look at your site analytics. The About page often gets a significant amount of traffic. 

Like with the Home page, anyone who navigates to your About page usually likes what they’ve read. They’re just looking for some more background on you and the site to make sure you’re credible. 

This is a great time to ask for their email address. In fact, often you don’t even need to offer anything other than your content and expertise in order to get high conversion rates.

The secret to exploding your conversion rates

One word: relevance.

When we came up with lead magnet ideas in the first section of this article, we looked at the topics that were most popular with your readers. That’s because the more popular a topic was, the relevant it was to your readers’ issues. 

But what if you could achieve that level of relevance for every post?

This is the principle behind content upgrades and the reason why they can achieve conversion rates of 20% or more on certain posts. 

You create a highly relevant offer for the topic discussed in your post and then offer it somewhere in the post as well as at the end.

For example, I could create either of the following upgrades for this post:

• “See the exact conversion rates of all existing and past Quick Sprout opt-in forms”
• “Free video: Walkthrough of the exact layout I use to get 10%+ opt-in rates”

Those are just hypothetical examples, but wouldn’t you want to give me your email address at this point for either of those (assuming I don’t already have it)?

The upside is an increase in your conversion rates. The downside is that you need to spend more time creating your lead magnets. 

If you create simple content upgrades, they won’t provide much value. They won’t be as effective at keeping you in your subscribers’ minds as targeted content upgrades would, possibly leading to lower email engagement later on. 

If you really want to maximize your conversion rates, you’ll have to spend a decent amount of time creating content upgrades for each post. If you’re putting in 10 or so hours into creating each post anyway, spending another one or two hours for a lot of extra subscribers is worth it. 

One compromise is to create a few different comprehensive lead magnets (e.g., a free course) on the two to four most popular topics that you’ll be writing about often. That way, you’ll always have a relevant offer without having to create a new one every time. You’ll still get great conversion rates, but they’ll be a bit lower than if you had a specific offer for each post.

Derek Halpern has caught on to this strategy and developed three comprehensive lead magnets on different topics that he can promote when appropriate.

Finally, you can always combine the two strategies. There are no fixed rules on what you can offer.

Conclusion

Optimizing your email opt-in rate is not easy—I never said it would be. 

But those of you who take the concepts and strategies in this article to heart—and apply them—will get rewarded. 

If your blog gets 10,000 visitors a month, even a modest 2% increase in your email opt-in rate would be an extra 200 subscribers a month, or 2,400 a year. 

If you treat your list right, that could easily be worth over $10,000.

That should really be the only incentive you need to spend a few hours evaluating your current set up and improving it. 

Remember to use your judgement. Always consider how your audience might react to any specific tactic you implement, and test! Find what works on your site using the guidelines I’ve given you in this article. 

One last thing: I’d appreciate it if you left me a comment below, letting me know what your current email opt-in rate is. Then come back in a few weeks after you’ve implemented this advice to let me know how much it’s increased.

Source Quick Sprout http://ift.tt/1MeNLGp