‘Facebook made me witness a murder’

ONE of Facebook’s most annoying features turned into something far worse yesterday, as unsuspecting users were forced to watch grisly footage.

Source NEWS.com.au | Business http://ift.tt/1PWc12d

Instagram Moves Beyond The Square & A Few Brands Test The Waters

The visual social network enables posting in both portrait and landscape orientation, good news for marketers who use the same creative content across multiple platforms.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

Source Marketing Land - Internet Marketing News, Strategies & Tips http://ift.tt/1PBbIcn

Do you need a business license to sell things online?

Whether you're selling through a marketplace like Etsy or operating an independent website, find out if you need a business license to sell things online.

Source Business & Money - HowStuffWorks http://ift.tt/1JzECF9

Do you have to pay income tax for stuff sold on eBay?

If you're a pro at selling things online, do you have to pay income tax for stuff sold on eBay? Find out.

Source Business & Money - HowStuffWorks http://ift.tt/1JAPfvM

Do you need a business license to sell things online?

Whether you're selling through a marketplace like Etsy or operating an independent website, find out if you need a business license to sell things online.

Source Business & Money - HowStuffWorks http://ift.tt/1JzECF9

Do you have to pay income tax for stuff sold on eBay?

If you're a pro at selling things online, do you have to pay income tax for stuff sold on eBay? Find out.

Source Business & Money - HowStuffWorks http://ift.tt/1JAPfvM

McDonald's, Tyson Foods cut ties with farm after animal cruelty videos surface

McDonald's Corp and Tyson Foods both severed ties on Thursday with a Tennessee farm where workers were seen stabbing, beating and stomping on chickens in an undercover video shot by animal rights activists.

Source Business http://ift.tt/1Im3nDO

US stocks end sharply higher after afternoon surge

 U.S. stocks are closing sharply higher, giving the stock market its best day in close to four years.Stocks are rebounding from a six-day slump that was prompted by concerns about the health of the Chinese economy.The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 619 points, or 4 percent on Wednesday.The Standard & Poor's 500 index jumped 72 points, or 3.9 percent, to 1,940. That's the biggest gain for the index since November, 2011.The [...]

Source Business - poconorecord.com http://ift.tt/1Jm54VD

US stocks surge in afternoon trading, rebounding from slump

U.S. stocks surged in afternoon trading, putting the stock market on track for its biggest gain in close to four years.Stocks are rebounding from a six-day slump that was prompted by worries about the health of the Chinese economy.The three major U.S. indexes dropped six days in a row heading into Wednesday. That's the longest market slide in more than three years. The Dow had fallen about 1,900 points over that period, while the slump wiped more than $2 trillion off the value [...]

Source Business - poconorecord.com http://ift.tt/1KkPTy1

Burger King to McDonald's: Let's make a McWhopper

NEW YORK (AP) — This probably isn't what the United Nations had in mind when it established the International Day of Peace: Burger King is asking McDonald's to join forces to create a "McWhopper."In full-page newspaper ads Wednesday, Burger King says it's calling for a truce with McDonald's so that they can create a mashup of their most famous burgers — the Big Mac and the Whopper. Burger King says it wants to serve the concoction for a single day at a popup [...]

Source Business - poconorecord.com http://ift.tt/1Va8XT8

Business Briefcase: Businesses get advice on prepping for emergencies

Small Business Assn. offers disaster preparedness webinars Hurricane season is under way. Having a business continuity plan is essential to establishing a successful and resilient small business. The cost of creating a disaster preparedness plan with a recovery component is small compared to the financial losses that may occur if there's no plan in place. [...]

Source Business - poconorecord.com http://ift.tt/1Lv8Ywa

Jackson Twp. winery is growing as fast as a grape vine

The Mountain View Winery has been growing at what owner Linda Rice called a “crazy, ridiculous rate.”The Jackson Township winery, complete with two tasting rooms and a seating room for 30, is about to celebrate its six-year anniversary and has begun to outgrown its space on Effort Neola Road. To keep up with business, Rice and her husband, Randy, recently purchased 90 acres of property down the road to convert into an organic vineyard and 3,500 square-foot tasting room. [...]

Source Business - poconorecord.com http://ift.tt/1JgOdS5

Local financial planners try to calm nerves as stocks plunge

It was a teeth-gnashing day for investors.

Source Business - poconorecord.com http://ift.tt/1hXnMKe

Dow loses 588 points after plunging 1,000 points earlier in the day

U.S. stocks slumped again Monday, with the Dow Jones industrial average plunging more than 1,000 points at one point in a sell-off that sent a shiver of fear from Wall Street to Main Street.Stocks regained some of that ground as the day wore on, but the Dow Jones industrial average finished the day down 588 points. The slump — part of a global wave of selling triggered by the slowdown in China — reflected uncertainty among investors over where to put their money [...]

Source Business - poconorecord.com http://ift.tt/1KHsFOq

Cars We Remember: A quick ’66 Olds 442, Nash engine and Kaiser memories

Q: Hi, Greg! I have a 1966 Olds 442 with a rare 390925e code 400 cubic inch V-8 Rocket engine. I’ve been told only 50-55 were produced from 1966 to 1967.What I would like to know is why only a few of these engines were made and what is the difference from the standard 400? Any info you could give me would be great, and thanks for your help and I really like your columns. Greg Maxey, Kingsley, Pennsylvania.A: Greg, glad to help. First, [...]

Source Business - poconorecord.com http://ift.tt/1Jg651H

Silvio Calabi: Hyundai Santa Fe pushes further upmarket

Loiter by the back of your 2015 Santa Fe Limited — chatting with a neighbor, say — and you may hear a double beep, a click and a whirr, and you’ll have to step aside as the liftgate opens by itself. Hyundai has borrowed the Ford Escape’s automated rear hatch and upped the ante slightly: Instead of waving a foot under the bumper, to alert a sensor, just walk up to the Santa Fe with the electronic key in your pocket, and maybe a double armload of groceries. [...]

Source Business - poconorecord.com http://ift.tt/1I8iP6g

(No heading)

Wayne Bank Chief Info Office named to statewide committeeRobert J. Mancuso,, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Wayne Bank, has been appointed to the Pennsylvania Bankers Association (PA Bankers) Information Technology Committee. The committee communicates information to PA Bankers’ members about issues of cyber security, technological advancements and information management within the banking industry. Pocono [...]

Source Business - poconorecord.com http://ift.tt/1fyIAWS

Nurse establishes home health care business

Helping others is something Zorena Jagnandan has always wanted to do. After becoming a nurse and working in geriatrics, she realized she could be an even greater help to homebound people if she opened her own business. That’s how Angel Hands Home Health in Tannersville began.“We opened in the area in February. What we do is help someone at their home. We go into their homes to help out so they don’t have to go into a nursing home or assisted living facility, [...]

Source Business - poconorecord.com http://ift.tt/1JERrEo

New dance studio has TV contestant as guest teacher

“Shine Bright like a Diamond” is printed on the wall, and that’s just how Jamie Farmer wants her dancers to feel.Dancing her whole life, opening a dance studio was something that Farmer knew was her destiny. That day finally came for the Tannersville dancer when she opened Diamond Academy of Dance.Located on Route 611 in Tannersville, doors opened for summer classes for children in early July. Once September rolls around, there will be more classes offered [...]

Source Business - poconorecord.com http://ift.tt/1fyIAWQ

Short-term rental homes skipping taxes

At least 1,500 short-term rentals in the four-county area: Monroe, Carbon, Pike and Wayne Counties.

Source Business - poconorecord.com http://ift.tt/1LqZN2C

Mount Airy table revenues on a roll

Temperatures weren’t the only thing on fire in July.Mount Airy Casino Resort’s table games revenues jumped by nearly a third to $4.2 million last month. That’s 33 percent higher than a year ago, when it was at $3.1 million.The Paradise Township casino also more than doubled the state's 13.9 percent average growth rate for July table games. Revenues came in at $69.2 million last month, $8 million higher than in July 2014, when it was $61.1 million. [...]

Source Business - poconorecord.com http://ift.tt/1hypjqv

Marketing Day: Facebook Fights Video Piracy, Smartphone Report & Account Based Marketing

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.

Source Marketing Land - Internet Marketing News, Strategies & Tips http://ift.tt/1IlXPcC

Facebook Passes Milestone: 1 Billion Users In A Day

CEO Mark Zuckerberg reports that the social network was used by more than 1 billion people on Monday.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

Source Marketing Land - Internet Marketing News, Strategies & Tips http://ift.tt/1WVhU4n

Federal judge's ruling favors Caesars Entertainment

A New York federal judge on Thursday denied a legal request by Caesars Entertainment Corp. bondholders that could have sent the entire casino company into bankruptcy.

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

Nevada taxable sales rise 7.1 percent in June

Nevada's taxable retail sales rose at a healthy pace in June. Sales of tangible goods jumped to $4.45 billion statewide in the month, the Department of Taxation said Thursday. That was up 7.1 percent compared with $4.15 billion in June 2014.

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

Facebook Signals That It Will Start Cracking Down On Video Piracy

Responding to criticism of rampant "freebooting," the social network says it's testing a new system to improve its video matching technology and create a stronger barrier against pirates.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

Source Marketing Land - Internet Marketing News, Strategies & Tips http://ift.tt/1U8SPUL

Wistia Video Marketing Platform Launches Enterprise Plan For Large Scale Businesses

Starting at $300 a month, the new plan offers video analytics, unlimited hosting and integration with HubSpot, Marketo and Pardot.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

Source Marketing Land - Internet Marketing News, Strategies & Tips http://ift.tt/1NKcW6H

McCarran plans to double gates for international carriers

McCarran International Airport will double the number of gates it will have available to international air carriers by early 2017 with a $51 million project that is expected to begin by November.

Source Business http://ift.tt/1JzijQ1

How to Plan an Affordable Funeral, So Your Family Isn’t Buried in Debt

You have an emergency fund. You have a retirement fund. You’ve got health insurance, a great rate on your mortgage, and low credit card debt. When it comes to doing money right, you’re having it all.

But what happens when you’re not here anymore?

Yes. I mean death. Kicked the bucket. Bought a one-way ticket. No matter how much you try to avoid it, your time will come.

And funerals? They can be expensive. Crazy expensive. And if you don’t think about this ahead of time, your funeral costs will be crazy expensive not for you, but for your family.

Who wants to leave heir family with that kind of financial burden?

So now, while you’re in decent health and living a life you’re satisfied with, is the perfect time to think about the sendoff you’d like when that time comes.

To prepare, check out Aaron Jones’ recent post at And Then We Saved, which has the perfect title for this uncomfortable topic: Everything You Never Wanted to Know About Having an Inexpensive Funeral.

Jones isn’t trying to make you feel bad about any funeral choice. He acknowledges that different religions and cultures have different ways of saying goodbye to their loved ones.

But he also recognizes that funerals can cost $8,000 to $10,000 — or more. “Imagine, with inflation, the cost of your funeral,” he says.

“Obviously, no specific means of burial is ‘wrong’ and it’s a personal decision,” Jones assures. But the list of options he’s compiled is worth checking out.

Funeral Alternatives: More Than Just Burial or Cremation

Most of Jones’ tips involve minimizing the use of funeral homes and funeral directors, as the cost of a formal viewing or memorial service can jack up the price of your sendoff. He also notes that traditional funeral things like caskets have a huge markup.

So Jones recommends cutting out the middleman, because no one wants to be the one who has to say, “No, thank you, funeral director. The casket with the velvet lining is just too expensive.”

Consider an alternative: cremation. Not just regular cremation, which costs about $1,000-$2,000 even if you keep the urn simple. We’re talking old-fashioned funeral pyres.

Although it was the funeral of choice for ancient societies, open-air cremations aren’t exactly the norm in the U.S. — and in a lot of places, they’re illegal. But one company, the Crestone End of Life Project, offers these ceremonies for a cost of about $425, Jones says. Their range is limited to one local area in Colorado, but look for similar companies to crop up in the near future.

Crestone also offers green burials, a method that’s now offered in several states, including California, New York and Florida.

There’s no embalming, no traditional caskets — biodegradable materials are used for a more natural breakdown of each burial site. A green burial at Ramsey Creek Reserve in South Carolina costs between $550 and $3,500, but you’ll still need to work with a funeral home for transportation.

How to Have a Cheap Funeral: Plan Ahead

Deciding how you want your loved ones to celebrate your life isn’t an easy decision, or one that you should make on the fly just to save a bit of cash.

But it is something to consider now, so you can plan ahead — financially and emotionally — for whatever plan you choose to have carried out once you’re gone.

Maybe knowing there’s always a few thousand dollars in your savings account is enough for you to be comfortable with whatever others plan when the time comes.

But if you’re certain of the sendoff you want — or certain elements you don’t want — be sure to communicate those plans, either by speaking with your family or friends or by preparing instructions to be followed in your absence.

Your loved ones will probably only sign up for a wallet-friendly funeral pyre if you explicitly request it. That’s why now, when you’re in good shape, is the time to make those requests.

Hop over to And Then We Saved for the rest of Jones’ cheap funeral recommendations.

Your Turn: What kind of funeral would you choose? How much does money play into your decision?

Lisa Rowan is a writer, editor, and podcaster living in Baltimore.

The post How to Plan an Affordable Funeral, So Your Family Isn’t Buried in Debt appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

source The Penny Hoarder http://ift.tt/1En7mVP

Google Debuts New In-App Interstitial Designs For App Install And Text Ads

The new designs are available on AdMob via AdWords and DoubleClick Ad Exchange.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

Source Marketing Land - Internet Marketing News, Strategies & Tips http://ift.tt/1JmbL80

Do You Need Rental Car Insurance?

After a long, exhausting flight, it’s easy to give in to the rental car insurance pitch. But is it worth it? Photo: Peanutian

It’s a familiar scenario for anyone who has rented a car lately: You’re tired after a long flight, and it’s finally your turn at the rental car counter. The agent is pleasant until it’s time to talk insurance, when he rattles off all the dire potential consequences of declining the company’s coverage. You’re tempted to buy the insurance, get him off your back, and get on with your trip.

Hold up, though: Before you spend a mint on rental car insurance, you’ll want to see whether you’re already covered by your own personal insurance policy and credit card benefits. We’ll break down what rental car insurance covers, whether your own insurance makes it redundant, and a handful of situations where spending the extra money actually could be a smart move.

Rental Car Insurance 101

Overwhelmed by all the fine print on that contract? Do you see a lot of confusing acronyms? Here’s how to decode rental car coverage:

• Loss/collision damage waiver: The loss damage waiver, or LDW, is sometimes called the collision damage waiver, or CDW. The LDW lets you off the hook for costs if your rental car is stolen, vandalized, or damaged in a crash. This may include loss of use charges, which rental car companies charge for lost profits when they must repair a vehicle.
• Liability: Sometimes called supplemental liability insurance, or SLI, rental liability insurance covers you if you damage other vehicles or property while driving the rental car. It can also pay medical expenses for others who are hurt in a crash you caused.
• Personal accident insurance: Personal accident insurance, or PAI, covers medical costs for you and your passengers if you’re hurt in a rental-car crash.
• Personal effects coverage: Personal effects coverage, or PEC, covers you if any personal items are stolen from or damaged in your rental car.

What does rental car insurance cost?

Rental car insurance costs vary by company and coverage, but one thing’s for sure: It isn’t cheap. You may pay $10 to $30 a day for a loss damage waiver alone. If you opt for supplemental liability, add another $10 or so. Personal accident insurance and personal effects coverage could add another $5 each to your tab.

Add everything together, you could easily pay $40 a day to be fully covered by rental car insurance. Considering that you can often rent an economy car for not much more than that — and sometimes less, if you get a good deal — that kind of daily tab for rental car insurance is a tough pill to swallow.

Are You Already Covered?

Before you plunk down your hard-earned money just to stop an agent from harassing you, think twice. Rental car insurance is often — though not always — redundant if you have other common safeguards in place. Following the steps below can help you determine whether rental car insurance is actually a waste of money for you.

Step 1: Check your regular car insurance policy.

If you aren’t already an insured driver, you can skip to the next step. But if you’re like most people, you may already be covered under the policy that keeps you legally on the road in your day-to-day life. Here’s what you need to find out:

Do you have adequate liability insurance?

Just about everyone will have liability coverage, which is usually required by state law and helps pay for others’ medical costs and property damage when you’re at fault in a crash. This liability insurance typically carries over when you’re driving a rental car, so as long as you’re comfortable with the level of coverage you have, you can usually pass on supplemental liability.

Do you have comprehensive and collision coverage?

Fewer people (especially those with older cars) have comprehensive and collision coverage. Comprehensive coverage insures your car against non-driving-related calamities such as theft, fire, or vandalism. Collision coverage helps pay for damage to your car from a crash, whatever the cause. Many people drop these pricey coverages once it no longer makes sense to make major repairs to an aging, high-mileage vehicle.

If you have comprehensive and collision, you may consider declining the rental company’s loss damage waiver. However, note that there is some gray area here. One of the potential pitfalls is that the rental car company may still charge you for loss of use if you damage one of their vehicles. These fees recover money the company could have made by renting out the vehicle during the repair process. Unfortunately, this is something that is less commonly covered by insurance, and something that is worth asking about if your policy is unclear.

Step 2: Check your health insurance policy.

If you’ve got adequate health insurance, the rental company’s personal accident insurance is probably overkill. This is especially true if you also have medical payments and/or personal injury protection through your regular car insurance.

Step 3: Check your home insurance or renter’s insurance policy.

It’s always worth double-checking, but your home insurance or renter’s insurance policy should cover your belongings wherever you take them, even if they’re stolen from a rental car. That means it’s usually safe to decline the rental company’s personal effects coverage.

Just be sure to note the limits of your personal coverage, which may require extra riders for certain valuables such as expensive jewelry.

Step 4: Check your travel insurance.

If you’ve purchased travel insurance for your trip, see whether car rental collision coverage is included. This kind of coverage typically similar to what the rental company’s loss damage waiver would take care of, sometimes at a lower cost.

You’ll want to check whether the coverage is primary or secondary, however. Primary means you won’t have to involve your own car insurance company in the event of a problem. Secondary means that your own insurance company is on the hook first before the travel insurance coverage kicks in.

Step 5: Check your credit card benefits.

Some level of rental car insurance is a fringe benefit offered by many credit card companies as long as you pay for the rental with your card. If you lost the guide to card benefits that your company sent along with the card, call the company or go online to verify these benefits. If you’re looking for some particularly travel-friendly cards, check out our post on the Best Travel Credit Card for 2015.

Specific benefits will vary by company and card. You may only be covered for a certain period of time, such as 15 or 30 consecutive days, and the amount of collision damage will be capped at different amounts such as $25,000 or $50,000.

Theft and towing costs are commonly covered, but personal property and medical benefits are less common. Some companies will cover loss of use charges, while others will not. It’s common for card companies to exclude certain vehicles, such as very expensive luxury cars or full-size vans, as well as costs incurred in certain countries that are higher-risk for drivers.

Note that your credit card benefits will provide only secondary coverage. Like some kinds of travel insurance coverage, these benefits will only fill in the gaps for costs not covered by your personal car insurance. You’ll also usually have to decline the rental car company’s coverage to take advantage of any of these benefits.

When Should I Opt for Rental Car Insurance?

Though we wouldn’t recommend purchasing rental car insurance when you’re already covered, there are some common situations where this pricey add-on might make sense. Here are a few:

• You don’t have car insurance, or what you have is bare bones: If you don’t have car insurance, you have very high deductibles, or you don’t have comprehensive and collision, you’ll probably want to think about at least opting for the rental company’s loss damage waiver. If you have no car insurance at all, you’ll also need to spring for supplemental liability.
• You’re traveling for business: If you’re mixing business and pleasure and your company won’t cover rental-car insurance, talk to your own car insurance agent about whether your policy will protect you. If you’re renting a car primarily for business, your personal car insurance may not cover you at all.
• You’re driving a rental car abroad: Chances are your car insurance won’t cover you most places outside the U.S. While your credit card may still offer some protection, you’ll want to make sure that the country where you’re traveling isn’t specifically excluded from benefits. You’ll often be out of luck in many popular destinations, including Italy, Ireland, and Australia.
• You’re worried about a rental-car incident affecting your personal insurance rates: It’s one of the most frustrating parts of insurance: File a claim, and your rates could go up. The same holds true if your claim involves a rental car, but in this case, you don’t need to worry if you buy the rental car insurance.
• You want peace of mind at any cost: For some, the knowledge that they don’t need to worry may be enough to sign on the dotted line for rental car insurance, regardless of the coverage they may already have. If worrying about your rental car will otherwise cast a cloud over your trip, by all means — get the insurance.

Do Your Homework Before You Travel

Moral of the story? You may already be covered, but never assume. Rental car companies make a substantial chunk of change on their insurance policies. That means agents have a big incentive to pressure you at the rental counter — and you’re much more likely to cave if you’re still unsure what coverage your own insurance and credit card benefits provide.

For related insurance advice, check out some of these past posts:

• Best Travel Insurance for 2015
• Best Car Insurance Companies of 2015
• Best Home Insurance for 2015
• Best Renters Insurance for 2015

The post Do You Need Rental Car Insurance? appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

Source The Simple Dollar The Simple Dollar http://ift.tt/1KnDXvH

Walmart to stop selling semiautomatic rifles

Walmart said Wednesday that it will stop selling military-style semiautomatic rifles, including AR-15s.

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

Use This New App From McDonald’s to Get Free Food and Other Deals

Do you love chowing down on the occasional Big Mac, Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese, or maybe even a McDonald’s Apple Pie?

If so, we have good news for you! McDonald’s has launched a new mobile app, and one of its best perks is helping you save on your next fast-food indulgence. You can even get some menu items for free, and everyone loves free food!

Whether you’re a regular McDonald’s customer or just hit up the drive-thru occasionally with the kids, you’ll want to make it part of your McDonald’s routine to check out this new app for opportunities to save.

How to Get the New McDonald’s Mobile App

How do you get the app? It’s easy: McDonald’s new app is available for free from the Apple store and the Google Play store.

All you need to do is download the app onto your smartphone, set up your account, activate your location… and you’ll be good to go! You must be at least 13 years old to use the app and access the deals.

Where and When Does the McDonald’s App Come Out?

Once you download the app and enter your location, you might learn deals aren’t yet available in your area. But no worries — it’s coming soon! McDonald’s is rolling out the app across the country little by little.

If you live in San Diego or New York City, you can already find great deals. The app was unveiled in those locations last week, so there’s no need to wait to get started.

If you live anywhere else around the United States, you won’t have to wait long. The roll-out will continue over the next few weeks, so the app will be available nationwide by the end of September, according to McDonald’s website.

While each region or store will have its own deals available, the company will also offer nationwide deals, so you’ll have plenty of ways to save. And they give you reason to check back regularly, because new deals will be released every week.

How to Use the McDonald’s App

Once you have the app downloaded, your account set up, and your location indicated, you’ll be ready to get some great deals, including free menu items.

Be sure to add your location, because the app is customized to provide local and national deals to each customer. You wouldn’t want to miss out on local deals while hearing about the ones available 1,000 miles away!

Once you’ve located a deal you’re interested in, all you have to do is select the offer you’d like to use, click “redeem” on the app, and scan your phone when you place your order.

The app also includes a few other perks. In addition to helping you find McDonald’s stores near you, it shows the amenities of each restaurant, including which ones have a Play Place for the kiddos to burn off some energy, where you can grab your meal via a drive-thru, and which locations have free Wifi if you need to get some work done.

How the App Can Help You Make Healthier Choices

Trying to shed a few pounds? You can even glean nutrition information from the app that will help you make healthier purchases.

For example, it will tell you that a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese has 780 calories and 45 grams of fat (whoa!), but a Grilled Ranch Snack Wrap only has 290 calories and 13 grams of fat. Which one would you go for?

Knowing the nutrition information for each menu item can go a long way toward helping you figure out the healthiest way to indulge in your craving for fast food.

What Free Food Can You Get?

Now that you know where to get the app and how to use it, let’s dive into the good stuff. What free food can you get your hands on with this new app?

First up is a free sandwich from the regular or breakfast menu, available to the first 8 million people who download the app.

McDonald’s allows only one free sandwich per person, so don’t bother re-downloading the app multiple times to get extras. You also can’t transfer the deal to anyone else, so be sure to show up in person to get your free item.

We’re just starting to get a sense for local deals, since the app has only rolled out in a few cities.

In San Diego, you can buy one Big Mac and get the second one free. Other Southern California deals so far have included free sandwiches, “buy one get one free” breakfast sandwiches, $1 off premium burgers, saving $4 on orders over $20, and a free Happy Meal with the purchase of select salads.

While some deals require purchases, such as getting a free dessert along with another purchase, others simply offer free items you can enjoy. Who would pass that up?

Other promotions will include free breakfast sandwiches, desserts, Happy Meals and other menu items, according to Business Insider.

If you’re a frequent coffee drinker, you’ll be excited to hear about deals to help you get your caffeine fix. Since McDonald’s new app includes a loyalty program, every sixth McCafe beverage will be free. All you have to do is use the loyalty program app when ordering your McCafes drinks.

Remember, these deals vary around the country, so your best bet is to add your location to the app to find out what great deals you can get locally. And check back frequently since the deals are scheduled to change weekly!

Your Turn: Have you tried the new McDonald’s app? What deals did you discover?

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

 

The post Use This New App From McDonald’s to Get Free Food and Other Deals appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

source The Penny Hoarder http://ift.tt/1MQO8Ji

IDC: Smartphone Growth Slows, Apple Watch Now #2 Wearable After Fitbit

China’s stock market crash has inserted fear and doubt into the global economy over the past week. A faltering Chinese market could also have a major impact on hardware devices sales, especially smartphones. Independent of this immediate crisis, however, IDC has been predicting slowing China...

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

Source Marketing Land - Internet Marketing News, Strategies & Tips http://ift.tt/1KQxRjk

Burger King’s Call For A One-Day Truce With McDonald’s Is Rebuffed

McDonald's is losing the social media burger war after declining Burger King's McWhopper olive branch.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

Source Marketing Land - Internet Marketing News, Strategies & Tips http://ift.tt/1JyBmK9

12 Ways Homeowners Can Avoid Home Improvement Rip-Offs

Steer clear of contractors who solicit their services at your door or ask for a hefty payment before doing any work.

Source U.S. News - Money http://ift.tt/1NJICcg

Major automakers face lawsuit over deadly 'defect' in keyless ignition cars

Lawyers have filed a class action lawsuit against most major automakers over what attorneys call a deadly "defect" in keyless ignition systems.

Source Business http://ift.tt/1KngM4o

5 Steps to Turn That Interview Into a Job Offer

How to make the most of this important meeting.

Source U.S. News - Money http://ift.tt/1IkAwQb

What to Do If Your House Has Mold (Or You Think It Does)

Do nothing and become a cautionary tale.


Source U.S. News - Money http://ift.tt/1hhwmTy

BuzzFeed Strikes First Global Agency Deal With WPP’s GroupM

The non-exclusive partnership will give WPP agencies access to data, creative teams and preferential media pricing.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

Source Marketing Land - Internet Marketing News, Strategies & Tips http://ift.tt/1hhw4vZ

5 Steps to Maintain Financial Security in Retirement

Here’s how to quell your retirement fears so you can sleep better at night.

Source U.S. News - Money http://ift.tt/1fI4t5V

8 Fun, Unusual Freelance Careers You Probably Haven’t Considered

When you hear the term “freelance,” what careers come to mind? Chances are it’s something like a writer, editor, journalist, web designer or social media manager.

But if you’re not interested in content marketing, can you still start a business as a freelancer?

Definitely.

If you’re dead set on living the freelance lifestyle but aren’t quite sure what services you’ll offer, consider these unusual freelance careers. One of them may just be the opportunity you’re looking for.

1. Calligrapher

So maybe you don’t want to be a content writer, but if you have excellent handwriting skills and a set of calligraphy tools, you can address envelopes and make $2 to $5 a pop just for being a talented calligraphy writer!

It doesn’t sound like a lot, but book a wedding with 100 guests, and you could rake in $200 or more for hand-written invites.

Launch your own website selling your services, or offer calligraphy on sites like Etsy. For example, Margo Dittmer gets creative with her calligraphy services and sells custom wedding certificates for $175 each on Etsy.

2. Date Concierge

If you’ve thought about being a freelance event planner but don’t want to plan big events like weddings, get your foot in the door with couples who haven’t thought of marriage yet.

As a date concierge, you plan the dates couples don’t have time to plan themselves, including everything from developing the date idea to booking the restaurant reservations and car rental.

Freelance date concierge Brenndon Knox charges $12.50 per hour for his services, but depending on your clientele, you could easily charge more.

Who knows? Your clients may hear wedding bells thanks to you, and if you’re into it, they might ask you to plan their wedding, too!

3. Fabric Reseller

Maybe you’ve toyed with the idea of starting your own clothing alteration business, but if that doesn’t seem right and you still love fabric, consider becoming a fabric reseller.

You’ll have to visit fabric sales or buy wholesale fabrics and then assemble small quantities of fabric into appropriate packages. There’s a decent demand for these types of fabric bundles in the quilting, scrapbooking and craft market. Check out some of these packages on Etsy for inspiration.

4. Virtual Recruiter

Do you have the skills and connections to find the right employees or freelancers for jobs? Why not become a virtual recruiter?

As a freelance recruiter, your services may include things like:

• Posting jobs
• Screening resumes
• Handling preliminary interviews
• Negotiating salaries

If you wanted to expand your services, you could work the other way around and consult with jobseekers to help find the perfect career opportunities for them.

Dorothy Rawlinson works successfully in this industry and reports most virtual recruiters are paid on a commission basis.

5. Coupon Book Organizer

If you love gathering coupons and saving money, why not turn it into a lucrative business? This low-cost service business can actually prove to be a lot of fun.

Collect coupons from local businesses, compile them into coupon booklets and sell them to people throughout your community.

6. PowerPoint Presentation Designer

If you have a knack for designing awesome PowerPoint presentations, turn your talent into a money-maker.

Freelancer Magda Maslowska designs custom presentations and infographics for businesses and keynote speakers who don’t have the time or skills to do it themselves. If you have an eye for great presentations, why not launch a business of your own doing the same thing?

7. Children’s Book Illustrator

Love drawing or designing cute images with Adobe Illustrator? You could make money illustrating children’s books. The type of illustrating you can do and the amount you can make varies immensely.

The good news is that self-publishing is on the rise. Self-published books will make up an estimated 50% of ebook sales by 2020, and children’s book authors are turning to freelance illustrators to help their stories come alive, so now is a great time to start your illustrating business.

8. Genealogist

Love putting together puzzling family trees? People will pay you so they don’t have to do it on their own.

Anthony Adolph is a professional freelance genealogist who charges between £50 and £500 per request. If you’ve been a hobby genealogist for any amount of time, you could easily charge these rates with the right knowledge base.

As these options show, freelance careers aren’t limited to the writing or marketing industries.

Your Turn: What type of freelance career are you thinking about launching?

Lisa Stein owns FreelanceMom.com and is a college business professor and a mom to two growing daughters.  Lisa is dedicated to playing a part in helping women and moms run businesses they love, help support themselves and their families, and create flexible lifestyles.

The post 8 Fun, Unusual Freelance Careers You Probably Haven’t Considered appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

source The Penny Hoarder http://ift.tt/1Jycdz6

Why You Can’t Time the Market: Thoughts on Investing in Stocks

Unless you have a time machine handy, there’s no way to time the stock market. Photo: William Warby

Marcus wrote in with a great reader mailbag question that really couldn’t be answered in brief, so I expanded my answer into a post. Here’s what Marcus had to say:

There seems to be a consensus right now that the stock market is near a high point and is going to drop in the future and yet you suggest not selling stocks right now. Why not? Aren’t you supposed to buy low and sell high?

The stock market has been on an upward trend and has been quite bumpy as of late, with some big one-day drops and some recoveries in between those drops. The reason for that is simple – some people think it’s time to sell and are selling, while others see the drop in prices after the result of that sale and think that it’s time to buy and are thus buying.

In both cases, we’re talking about huge financial institutions that play on the day-to-day changes in the market in order to make money. For a company with, say, $500 billion in managed assets, a 0.1% change in the market means $500 million dollars. There’s a huge amount of money at stake for those people.

However, those people have little to do with what average investors ought to be doing in their day to day lives, for several reasons.

First, for most investors, a small change in the stock market isn’t going to add up to a lot of money. Let’s say you have $100,000 invested in the stock market. A 0.1% change is only $100. That amount of money is not going to make you or break you.

Second, brokerage fees on buying and selling will eat up a lot of whatever you gained. Let’s say you’re with a brokerage that charges you $10 for every “buy” or “sell” you order, and let’s say your stock is split up among 10 different companies. If you choose to sell it all, that’s ten “sell” orders, which at $10 a pop is going to eat up the $100 you might have lost in a 0.1% drop.

A combination of brokerage fees and a low overall balance means that most ordinary people can’t afford to buy and sell very frequently in a normal investment account. If you buy and sell very much at all, your gains are going to be completely devoured and any losses are going to be amplified. It is a losing game, period.

The large investors get around this because large investors avoid those brokerage fees — they actually have people on the floor of the stock exchange. A brokerage fee essentially means that you’re paying for someone who has a seat on the floor of the stock exchange to execute that trade for you. Those big investors don’t have to worry about those fees for each trade – they’ve already got their people on the floor and those people are usually salaried, so they can buy and sell as they wish.

In other words, in a normal, taxable account, unless you have all of your money tied up in just one or two investments and are extremely skilled at guessing the peak of the market, you’re not going to make money by timing the market.

Now, has the peak already passed? Or is it yet to come? Will the stock market be higher than it is now in five years? You can’t answer those questions and neither can I. No one can.

A much better approach is to let the money sit in the investment until you need it, letting it ride the ups and downs of the market.

Why Buying and Selling Doesn’t Work: An Example

Let me give you a very specific example, with numbers from the past several years. I’m going to use points that are near but not exactly at market highs and lows for this example, because no one is going to be able to accurately nail the highs and lows.

Let’s say someone had $10,000 to invest on January 1, 1998. You decide it’s a great time to invest – this is the period of “irrational exuberance,” right? You buy into an S&P index fund, which sits at 963.36 per share. So you wind up with 10.37 shares (remember, there’s a $10 brokerage fee, so you’re only actually buying with $9,990). We’re going to assume for convenience sake that each year you’re in the stock market, you’ll earn $200 in dividends, to keep it easy.

Okay, you stay in until January 1, 2002, earning $800 in dividends along the way, where the stock market has now spooked you. It’s going to go down – way down, you think. It’s already off of the record highs it set earlier, so now it’s at 1,140.21. You sell your 10.37 shares and pay the $10 brokerage fee. This leaves you with $11,813.98.

You sit on that until January 1, 2005, where you’ve now read the tea leaves and you believe the stock market is going to shoot up in the coming years. You watched it bottom out in 2002, struggle to come back to life, and then start chugging along in 2004, so you believe the bad part is over. You buy back in with your $11,813.98, and the S&P 500 is at 1181.41, so you’re able to buy 9.99 shares in the S&P 500 after your $10 brokerage fee.

You sit on that until January 1, 2009, where you’ve witnessed a huge downturn in the market and you want out. You earned $800 in dividends over the last four years. You decide to sell your 9.99 shares, but the S&P 500 is at 865.58, so you earn $8,637.14 on the sale. You sit out for a year.

On January 1, 2010, you decide to buy back in because the bad times are over. The S&P 500 is at 1,123.58, so your $8,637.14 buys you 7.68 shares in the S&P 500. You just sit on that up until August 21, 2015, earning $1,200 in dividends (I’ll count the full year for 2015 there). The S&P 500 is at 1,970.97, meaning your investment is worth $15,137.04. You also made $2,800 in dividends along the way on your initial $10,000, so that $10,000 turned into $17,937.04. Good, right?

Now, what happens if you just buy in on January 1, 1998 and just leave it there? You buy 10.37 shares on that date. Then, over each of the next 18 years, you earn $200 in dividends, totaling $3,600 in dividends. Your 10.37 shares are now worth $1,970.97 apiece, so your investment is worth $20,438.96. Your $10,000 turned into $24,038.96.

In other words, if you just sat there and didn’t even look at your investment for 18 years, you made way more money than someone trying to time the market. It’s not even close.

Why? Well, for one, the person timing the market is never going to hit the exact bottom or the exact top. Often, the beginnings of a stock market turnaround in either direction look like normal volatility. It isn’t until a big slide or a big jump is in full effect that it becomes clear. Because of that, you’re not actually buying at the low or selling at the high.

If you do try to perfect your guesses, you’re going to just end up buying and selling a lot more often. You’ll probably eventually hit the exact top and the exact bottom, but you’ll be doing a lot of poor buys and sells near those dates and each of those actions will cost you brokerage fees. It’s not going to work out for you, in other words.

That leads us into the second problem – the brokerage fees. Here, the brokerage fees ended up costing about 0.01 shares on each trade, shaved off the top. Each time you bought, you ended up paying a brokerage fee, which meant you got a little less in terms of shares than what you paid for. Each time you sold, you paid a brokerage fee, which meant you got $10 less back than you paid for.

Another problem is that whenever you’re not in the market, you miss out on dividends. Even if stocks are dropping, the companies still pay out dividends at around, say, 2% per year, which means that if you look straight at the current sticker value of the S&P 500, you’re missing out on the money you’ll make by just sitting around and earning dividends.

Yet another problem with buying and selling is that if you do it too often, the gains you earn won’t be long-term capital gains. When you sell stocks, you want anything you gain to be a long-term capital gain so that you pay a lower rate in taxes.

What about retirement accounts? The only thing a retirement account helps with is the tax issue. When you sell within a retirement account, it doesn’t matter in terms of taxes – all that matters is what comes out of the accounts when you actually make withdrawals in retirement.

Having said that, everything else above remains true with retirement accounts – you’re still facing brokerage fees, missing out on dividends, and being inaccurate about hitting the tops and bottoms of the market.

That’s the problem with trying to hit the market. As you do it, you’re facing brokerage fees which cost you on every single buy or sell, you miss out on dividends while you’re out of the market, you’re not perfectly accurate as to the tops and bottoms of the market, and you’re probably not doing much good with your money when it’s not in the stock market. Those add up to a fool’s game, in my opinion, for the casual investor (meaning me and you) when trying to time the market when buying and selling stocks.

What You Should Do Instead

So, what’s the alternative strategy here?

My strategy is simple. I only invest in the stock market if I have a long-term goal, meaning more than 10 years down the road from when I put the money in. I invest that money in index funds and then sit on them until I need to sell them off. I don’t care what the market does today or tomorrow or next month. It can go up 20% or down 40% – I’ll just ride it out until I actually need the money.

So, let’s break this down into bits.

Why only long-term investing? As I pointed out in the above example, the stock market is very volatile. Note that “volatile” is the word I chose, not “risky” or anything else. Volatile simply means that over the course of a day or even a year or two, the behavior of the stock market can be really erratic. It can go way up or way down over that short period in time based on all kinds of human behaviors – short-term panic, short-term exuberance, and so on.

However, over the longer period, cooler heads prevail and things settle down. What happens over time is that stocks have always and, for the foreseeable future, will always go up over the long term – and by long term I mean more than a decade at least. Stocks will retain value because the companies that issue them pay out dividends, which means that if nothing else, you can just sit on them and earn some income without doing anything else. Stocks will grow in value because companies that are healthy usually slowly increase their dividends over time as the value of that company grows. A healthy company grows in value because, over time, there is a constant growth in good ideas and worker productivity all over the world.

So, in the end, as long as there is a constant growth in good ideas and worker productivity and economies remain generally stable, the stock market is a good long-term investment. I view such investments as more of an investment in capitalism than anything else.

Why index funds? One of the challenges of investing in the stock market is knowing what to invest in, however. The stock market is made up of the stocks of a lot of different companies, some good, some bad. Some big companies might shrivel over the years, while others grow up. It’s hard for individual investors to gauge which companies are going to remain healthy over the course of a long-term investment.

Remember, for example, that a decade ago, Facebook was nonexistent and Apple and Google were comparatively tiny, just to name three companies. On the other hand, it only took a couple of years for Enron, which was one of the biggest companies in the country, to go from enormous to completely out of business.

Index funds solve that exact problem. Index funds essentially allow you to buy a sliver of the stocks of a lot of companies at once. Some simply include a bit of every publicly traded stock in the United States.

What does that mean? It means that some companies will boom – and you’ll be on board for every one of them. A few will go bust, and you’ll ride that elevator, too. Many others will be strong and stable and grow steadily over the long haul, and you’ll ride those as well.

Not only that, index funds are very, very cheap. They often have minimal fees to buy them, especially if you shop around, and they usually come with very minimal management fees, too.

All of our investment money is in index funds for those reasons.

Why “buy and hold”? It should be pretty clear from the above example why I prefer to buy and hold an investment rather than buying and selling and buying and selling an investment.

Buying and holding means that you’re not paying brokerage fees on all those transactions. Buying and holding means that you never miss out on even a little bit of a stock market upswing. It also means that you really don’t have to worry about your investments on a daily basis – they’re just fine without your active interference.

Each week, I stick some money into our investments. All of that money is just going to sit there until we need it.

‘But the Bumpy Stock Market Is Scary!?’

The biggest reason people are tempted to sell when the stock market dips is because, frankly, it’s scary. It’s hard to see the stock market have a few hard days and you see 10% of your investments just vanish in a week. Over the course of a few months in 2008, people saw 40% of their investments vanish. That’s really, really hard for some people to swallow.

The problem with that perspective is that it just ignores why you’re invested in the stock market in the first place.

First of all, you should only invest in the stock market if you have a long-term goal. If you don’t know what your goal is, don’t put money in the stock market. It’s a bad place to put money that you may want in a year or even in five years. Don’t.

Once you do that, your money is on a journey not too different than driving along a curvy country road. That road is going to get you to your destination, but it’s going to curve on the journey. Sometimes, that road is going to curve in a direction you don’t like.

Selling your stock in the midst of a downturn is kind of like stopping your car when the country road curves away from your destination for a little while, or deciding to try to take your car off the road and drive straight in the direction of your destination. Both are really foolish ideas that might feel good in the moment because you’ve exerted some “control,” but in both cases will cause you to actually take longer to get to your destination.

Stay on the road. You know it’s going to curve away from your destination sometimes. You know your investment is going to drop in value. But, at the same time, you know the road is going to curve back toward your destination. You know your investment is going to rebound.

One last thing: The media loves to hype market fluctuations as if they’re big news, but the truth is that they’re ordinary events. Just like the economy goes up and down over time, the stock market does the same thing. It’s all cyclical, it’s all normal. The media reports on this stuff because it’s something to breathlessly talk about, even though it’s as normal as the changing of the seasons. Don’t waste your time listening to their hype and getting yourself all worked up.

• Related: And the Stock Market Outlook Is… Who Cares?!

Final Thoughts

I’m going to give you one final secret, the one way to make market timing actually work. It’s a powerful secret, so be careful with this knowledge.

The one way to actually make money with market timing is to use a time machine.

Do you have a time machine? No? Then market timing isn’t worth it.

You can’t guess day to day where the peaks and valleys of the market are, and if you miss it by much, you’re going to cut enormously into any advantage you might get from market timing. Add into that the fact that you’ll be paying brokerage fees and you’re devoting a lot of time to study, and the disadvantage grows.

The much better approach is to do things passively. Only invest in stocks if you have a goal that’s more than a decade in the future. Buy a broad based index fund (like the Vanguard Total Stock Market Fund) and reinvest the dividends. Then ignore it until you actually need the money. The market will go up. The market will go down. It doesn’t matter.

It’s simple and it works. Good luck.

The post Why You Can’t Time the Market: Thoughts on Investing in Stocks appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

Source The Simple Dollar The Simple Dollar http://ift.tt/1KQbiv2

Don't Overlook the Big City for Your Retirement Home

Not everyone wants to live in a suburban retirement community. Find out why you may want to spend your golden years in the big city.

Source U.S. News - Money http://ift.tt/1Uf1e3A

Just Having A Mobile-Friendly Site Isn’t Enough To Ensure It Shows In Search

If you think having a mobile-friendly site is all you need for mobile SEO, think again. Columnist Bryson Meunier explains how businesses can go beyond just being mobile-friendly.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

Source Marketing Land - Internet Marketing News, Strategies & Tips http://ift.tt/1fI1B9h

How to Save Money in September

This shopping guide for the season will help you score the best deals.

Source U.S. News - Money http://ift.tt/1EmpoHZ

Account-Based Marketing: Back To Basics

Worried that your advertising isn't working or that your website is weak? Then it's time to start using account-based marketing, advises columnist Peter Isaacson. He lays out three key components to get you started with ABM.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

Source Marketing Land - Internet Marketing News, Strategies & Tips http://ift.tt/1Ik7Ruz

Think Outside the Box by Buying 'Open Box'

Save some green by purchasing refurbished goods and those that have already been opened.

Source U.S. News - Money http://ift.tt/1WUpzQC

How to Invest in Bond Funds During a Bear Market

Bonds could be a safe haven for investors looking for stability, but you have to know the basics.

Source U.S. News - Money http://ift.tt/1LyaVIf

Why Buying Expensive Clothes for Kids Is Dumb

Children outgrow shirts and shoes before they get any real use. 

Source U.S. News - Money http://ift.tt/1KmS0l5

Twitter B2B Top-Dog Targeting: Thursday’s Psychographic Hot House

Ever had a product or service to promote to the C-Suite within a large corporation and wish you could reach the CEO, CFO, CMO, or all of the above? In last week’s post, we showed you how to target the C-Suite on Facebook, Nail B2B Authority Targeting: Psychographic Targeting Hot House. In this...

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

Source Marketing Land - Internet Marketing News, Strategies & Tips http://ift.tt/1Jl7DFv