Why are we still paying to use a card?

AS CASH becomes obsolete and we’re racing towards paying for everything on a smartphone, we can’t help but wonder why fees and minimum spends still exist.

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

News anchor sues over toy that looks like her

A FOX News anchor claims “emotional damage” over a hamster toy that was named after her — and sues its creator for $7 million.

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

How Subliminal Messages Work

Are subliminal messages a real thing or just a hoax? Learn all about subliminal messages at HowStuffWorks.

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How Subliminal Messages Work

Are subliminal messages a real thing or just a hoax? Learn all about subliminal messages at HowStuffWorks.

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

FTC Settles With Gaming Network Accused Of Failing To Disclose Paid Endorsements

US agency fires another warning shot against lack of social media disclosures by settling complaint that Machinima paid gamers up to $30,000 to upload video endorsements of the Microsoft Xbox One console.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

Source Marketing Land - Internet Marketing News, Strategies & Tips http://ift.tt/1Q9O5s9

Star Wars toys to draw record sales

MOVE over Elsa and Anna, the lightsabers have arrived. Retailers are prepping for a sales frenzy with new Star Wars merchandise hitting shelves tomorrow.

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

Lyft looking at smaller Las Vegas presence than Uber with 2,500 cars

The ride-hailing company Lyft will only be a fraction of the size of its rival Uber when it opens for business in Nevada, requesting a maximum of 2,500 cars for licensing its first two years of operation compared with the unlimited number sought by Uber.

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

‘It’s propaganda. It’s hate’

THE CEO of Israeli beverage maker SodaStream has blasted the boycott movement, accusing them of spreading lies and anti-Semitism.

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

Downtown events center shows its versatility

It's not exactly the downtown arena or stadium that Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman had in mind and it sometimes gets overshadowed by the Strip's new outdoor festival sites such as Rock in Rio.

Source Business http://ift.tt/1fW40NM

Expandable Native Gmail Ads Now Available To All In AdWords

Google has announced the roll out of native Gmail ads to all AdWords advertisers. The ads, which appear at the top of the Promotions tab in personal Gmail inboxes, have been in beta since 2013 and formerly referred to as Gmail sponsored promotions ads. To get started using native Gmail ads in...

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

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Nevadans to see premium increases in 2016 health insurance rates

The Nevada Division of Insurance said Wednesday that it has approved 2016 health insurance rates for individual and small-group coverage.

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

Marketing Day: All-Time Most Popular iOS Apps, LinkedIn Updates Messaging & Twitter Ads Expansion

Here’s our recap of what happened in online marketing today, as reported on Marketing Land and other places across the web. From Marketing Land: Ranking All-Time iOS Apps: Facebook Most Downloaded, Pandora Top Grossing App Annie released a report that presents the most downloaded iPhone and...

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

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Death of off-duty Texas officer investigated as homicide

The death of an off-duty officer in Texas is being treated as a homicide, police said Tuesday.

Source Business http://ift.tt/1Jzj7Fi

Work starts on $175M expansion of Station Casinos Indian resort

A long-planned hotel expansion to Station Casinos' Indian gaming property in Northern California began Wednesday.

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

17 Companies That Offer Free Shipping With No Minimum Order

We’ve all been there: You finally find an item you’ve been looking for online, and it’s on sale for $5!

You add it to your cart, go to check out — and realize you have to pay $8 for shipping. It’s not such a good deal anymore.

Here’s another common scenario: You add everything you need to your cart, and the total comes to $25. The site offers free shipping — but only on orders over $50.

Shipping costs often double or even triple the price you pay for small orders — eliminating the savings of shopping online. But if you know where to look, you can get thousands of items shipped for free.

These 17 companies offer free shipping with no minimum purchase. Some of them ship worldwide for free, while others only ship free within the continental U.S. Some also offer free shipping to your local store.

1. Nordstrom

Nordstrom is known for its high-end products, but it offers free U.S. shipping to soften the blow — including Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.

If that’s not enough, it also offers free returns!

2. Dell

If you’re in the market for a new laptop, you can get free U.S. shipping to any of the 48 contiguous states. Your order will arrive within three to five days, and you won’t spend a penny extra.

Dell also offers a price match guarantee to make sure you get the most bang for your buck.

3. AT&T

AT&T offers free express shipping on all orders, which normally costs $14.95. Accessory-only orders get free priority shipping, and AT&T will even pay for the return shipping if you choose to send an item back.

4. Verizon

If you prefer Verizon for your mobile needs, you’re in luck! It offers free 2-day shipping in the U.S., though only to the contiguous states. If your order contains only accessories, you can get free ground shipping.

If you prefer, Verizon also offers free shipping to your local store, even in Hawaii (sorry, Alaskans; you’re still out of luck here).

5. Target

If you have a Target REDcard, you’re in for a treat!

In addition to saving 5% off your order, you qualify for free U.S. shipping. Alaska and Hawaii are included, and Target also ships to APO/FPO addresses.

6. Crate & Barrel

Longing for a new addition to your kitchen? Crate & Barrel boasts a wide range of products that all ship free.

As long as you’re in the contiguous U.S., you can snag this deal. Make sure your cart only contains eligible items, or else you’ll have to fork over the shipping cost.

7. Ray-Ban

What’s cooler than a pair of slick shades? Free U.S. shipping from Ray-Ban!

Alaska and Hawaii are included, and orders usually arrive within two to three days. If you want to send an item back, you can return it for free.

8. Baublebar

When is a $10 necklace not a $10 necklace? You guessed it: when you have to pay shipping.

Enter Baublebar. This jewelry hub offers sitewide free U.S. shipping. With every package, it includes a prepaid USPS label for easy returns.

9. Zappos

From shoes to handbags, Zappos has a wonderful selection of clothing and accessories, and everything ships free. This includes Alaska, Hawaii and U.S. territories.

Zappos uses USPS Priority Mail to make sure your order gets to your doorstep in four to five days.

10. JanSport

Returning to school shortly and need a new backpack? JanSport has free U.S. shipping for a limited time.

Until 11:59 p.m. PT on November 5, you’ll get free standard shipping and free returns on every order. That’s plenty of time to grab some new gear for school.

11. Sweetwater

If you’re a musician who regularly buys gear, consider buying from Sweetwater. The highly reputable site offers free U.S. shipping on thousands of items.

While APO and FPO addresses qualify, Alaska and Hawaii don’t. Most of the company’s orders ship the same day, so you’ll get your new equipment at lightning speed.

12. Amoeba Music

Need another reason to buy that record you’ve been eyeballing? Free U.S. shipping from Amoeba should do the trick. It offers cost-free USPS media mail shipping for all music and movie formats.

While orders can take 5 to 21 days to arrive, the wait is worth it.

13. Molton Brown

Molton Brown’s wide selection of cruelty-free bath and body products is even cooler because of the free U.S shipping. If you’re in the contiguous states, you’ll receive your order within three to seven days.

Bonus: You’ll get a free 1-ounce sample with every order and a complimentary gift box if you’re buying for someone else.

14. AbeBooks

AbeBooks has a humongous selection of books at unbelievably low prices, and thousands of them qualify for free shipping.

The best part? You can search for books that will ship for free specifically to your corner of the world. The site allows you to search for free shipping to the U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia, and they even have a worldwide option.

15. Staples

Staples has a great in-store selection, but its online selection is even better. If you see something you like, you can have it shipped to your local store at no extra cost. However, oversized items like furniture may not qualify.

16. Ace Hardware

Ace offers a wonderful ship-to-store option for tons of items. Your order will arrive at your local store in one to seven days, and you’ll receive an email confirmation when it’s ready.

Ace will even ship to Alaska and Hawaii, though it will take a little longer. Your local store will hold your orders for five days, so there’s no rush to pick them up.

17. Guitar Center

If you have a Guitar Center store nearby, you can buy online and have your order shipped there for free. It also offers free in-store returns with immediate credit. Certain orders like clearance items and oversized products don’t apply.

Your Turn: Did we miss any of your favorite free shipping options? Share them in the comments so other readers can benefit!

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

Ian Chandler is a freelance writer based in Ohio, currently studying English at Kent State University.

The post 17 Companies That Offer Free Shipping With No Minimum Order appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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How to be Financially Confident and Own Your Money Like a Boss

When you’re struggling with money, financial confidence is usually nowhere in sight.

This could very easily lead to spiraling out of control and getting yourself into a worse position with your money.

How can you gain some financial confidence even when you’re not sure how you’re going to be able to pay your next bill? I’ll show you.

Perhaps your situation isn’t so dire, but you’d like to build some wealth. You’re tired of the mundane and you want to thrive, baby!

Whatever your situation, you can gain financial confidence by following three principles. Soon, you’ll find some financial stability.

The Three Principles of Financial Confidence

In order to build up some financial confidence you must pay close attention to applying the following principles to your life. Neglect one, and you’re done.

1. Commit to achieving your goals.

If you’re going to do anything you must commit to it. You’re probably not going to pay off your debt in one week – you have to commit to the long-term goal. Most – if not all – financial goals are achieved over the course of months and years. A quick fix is seldom effective.

Also, you must commit for a specific time period – 21 days is a great amount of time to put a habit into place, but don’t stop there. This could apply to anyone getting out of debt, getting their savings in order, or learning about personal finance.

Another way that you could apply this principle is to getting in shape; say, committing to a 21-day workout program especially if you’ve never worked out before. Try getting into shape with an accountability partner – like your spouse!

My wife and I made a commitment that we were going to pay off all of our debt before I was deployed to Iraq. I had existing credit card debt and some other debt that I acquired right before I left – one of which included LASIK surgery. Each time I got paid we would take as much as we could and apply it to our debt, but the key was that we were committed until we had paid every last penny.

Eric Rosenberg at PersonalProfitability.com thought paying off debt was a worthwhile goal for him, too:

When I started grad school, I knew I had to commit to stay on top of my personal finances, or I would end up in a world of trouble. Two years later, I had paid off the entire cost of my $90,000 MBA and was on the road to success. If I had not made a commitment to myself to get debt free, it would never have happened so quickly.

Eric shows how it pays off (literally) to commit to your goals as early as possible. It was much better for him to pay off his debt early in his grad program than to wait and let it accrue interest.

Natalie Bacon at TheFinanceGirl.com also shared a story with me regarding her commitment to pay off debt:

My commitment to financial success has led me to leave my career as a corporate attorney and make massive strides with my student loan debt (starting at $206k and now at $125k). Having the courage to believe in financial freedom and make sacrifices when my peers are spending wildly has been challenging. While it hasn’t been easy, it’s been worth it. And coincidentally, the process through which I’m achieving financial success has turned into a personal growth journey that I wouldn’t have otherwise had. And for that, I am forever thankful.

Natalie shows how commitment and courage go hand in hand. They led her to make the leap from her career as a corporate attorney to be able to pursue other ambitions that helped her pay off debt. Way to go Natalie!

Speaking of courage . . . .

2. Build up some courage.

Once you commit, you start to build up courage in the process. Courage doesn’t always come before you start your commitment, it builds as you step out in faith.

Courage, like commitment, can also be very scary and often doesn’t feel fun because you might not feel like you’re making any progress.

If you think of it in terms of working out, courage is the burn you feel when you’re pushing yourself to the max. The burn doesn’t feel good and you might not see results the next day, but there is progress being made.

When we were paying off our debt, I could remember feeling like I was making good money while I was deployed, but we didn’t really have a lot to show for it. This was largely in part to the fact that a lot of our money was being applied toward all our debt.

To be able to make it through the courage stage, you have to have some sort of measurable goal so that progress can be tracked. Tracking your progress will deepen your commitment as you begin to acquire capabilities leading to success.

3. Acquire capabilities leading to success.

When you start committing and sticking to your financial goals while building up courage, you’ll soon start to see and acquire capabilities.

If you’re working out, this is the stage when you might start seeing definition in areas of your body that you’ve never seen before. If you’re tracking your credit score or trying to get your credit in order, you might see a few points of improvement on your score.

For us, it was finally seeing our debt totals dwindle down until we eventually paid one card off. That was huge for us. Paying off debt – like losing weight – sometimes feels impossible. But once we had that first card paid off it truly felt like a debt snowball and we paid off the rest of our debt relatively shortly after that.

You see, as you start committing to achieving your financial goals and build up some courage, opportunities to acquire new capabilities will fall at your feet. For example, as we paid off our debt, we had more control over what we could do with our income which resulted in us being able to put money toward our other financial goals – a capability we wouldn’t have had otherwise.

It’s also important to identify your capabilities so that you can build your financial confidence. Are you good at numbers? Perhaps crunch the numbers of your budget for your family every month. Are you good at shopping? Enhance your shopping skills by learning to select more frugal options at the store.

Grayson Bell at DebtRoundup.com explained how he used his ability to think outside the box to reach his financial goals:

My capability to think outside of the box has helped me not only pay off my consumer debt, but change my financial life. I never settle for status quo. I learn new skills to make myself better and more marketable as an employee and business owner. These provide opportunities, which enrich my financial confidence.

Grayson brings me to my next point . . . .

Confidence is the Reward for Hard Work

The result of committing to achieving your goals, building up some courage, and acquiring capabilities leading to success is that you begin to feel confident. There’s a new pep in your step. You’re on top of the world, and nobody can stop you!

There’s nothing like putting on an old pair of jeans that you couldn’t fit into a year ago but now fits like a charm.

For us, not having the stress of paying our credit card bill anymore was huge. That allowed us to shift our monthly income into finally acquiring a meaningful emergency fund. Prior to being deployed, I don’t think we had $500 to our name!

You see, confidence isn’t something you have to have before you start achieving your financial goals. Confidence is built over time through gaining knowledge and experience. Don’t put the cart before the horse – confidence is one of the last goals you’ll achieve on the road to financial freedom.

Aja McClahanan at PrinciplesofIncrease.com agrees educating yourself is important – but so is taking action:

I feel like we (hubby and I) are inching up the financial confidence ladder as we educate ourselves and take more risks. We especially like crazy, dumb, impossible goals – we made debt-free in 2013 (got a home with no mortgage) and are looking to retire in less than five years. We’ve gained confidence by doing things – getting out of debt, saving up and investing in a non-retirement brokerage, and testing business ideas for residual income. The first time you get a nice gain in your portfolio or something like a big pay out from a Facebook ad, you know that you can scale and do things on a level that will help you reach your goal. That’s financial confidence: setting goals, believing in them, then acting on them!

You’re going to need to commit and build up some courage to continue to take action. But first, you must commit to learning about finance if you want to get anywhere worthwhile.

Jackie Lam at Cheapsters.com agrees that doing the hard work of learning about finance will lead to confidence:

I think being resourceful really helps with financial confidence: from reading materials on financial literacy to coming up with ways to generate different streams of income.

Debt freedom expert Jackie Beck at TheDebtMyth.com agrees with Jackie about the importance of learning about finance to gain financial confidence:

No one is born knowing how to make the kinds of financial decisions that will ensure a bright future. My commitment to learning, dipping my toes in, and adjusting when necessary while staying focused on my goals helped me reach financial confidence. Once you do start to succeed and move toward your goals, your confidence improves even more. Of course there will be failures and setbacks along the way, but using those as learning experiences is critical.

It’s through a commitment to financial education that anyone can be financially confident – see a recurring theme here? It’s persistence that wins the day.

Barbara Friedberg at BarbaraFriedbergPersonalFinance.com agrees that confidence follows persistence during difficult times:

Persistence and discipline are my life mottos. Regarding financial confidence, investing regularly through thick and thin has allowed me to see the fruits of my lifelong priority of saving and investing over spending. Practice smart money behaviors, forget about what others do, wealth and confidence will follow.

Notice that Barbara agrees that smart money behaviors come before confidence. You don’t have to have confidence to make smart choices. Remember that confidence is the reward for hard work.

You Can Gain Financial Confidence Over Time

You might be thinking to yourself, “I’ve never had confidence. I’m not so sure I can gain it over time.” That’s a normal thing to say for someone who has no confidence.

But you see, it’s not true. You can gain confidence over time.

Derek Halpern at SocialTriggers.com explained in a blog post how he wasn’t always confident:

What’s the secret to becoming confident in any social situation? About 10 years ago, when I was just starting college, I would have said, “there is no secret. You either have it or you don’t.”

And I would have been DEAD WRONG.

You see, back then, I had almost zero confidence.

But today I’m thinking about getting “unstoppable” tattooed on my forehead.

You can learn exactly how he obtained confidence over time by watching his video. Essentially, he explains that by acting confident, you can actually become confident. It’s not just true in social situations, it’s true in any situation.

Don’t be confident enough to make uneducated financial choices. But do act confident enough to dive in and learn.

Social psychologist Amy Cuddy is mentioned in Derek Halpern’s video, and for good reason. She gave a fantastic TED talk showing how power posing can actually make you feel more confident. That’s right, body language can actually change your confidence.

You probably already knew that confidence can affect body language. This is, from what I’ve observed, the default mode of operation. Say for example that you are presented with a financial challenge. You’re not sure of the solution, and finding the solution seems like an insurmountable task. What happens? Perhaps you droop down in your seat. Maybe you put your head in your hands. You start closing in on yourself.

What you probably didn’t know is that you can hack your body language to make you feel differently about the situation. Let’s say you’re presented with the same financial problem. Then, you remember to strike a power pose. You stand, put your hands on your hips, and start feeling like you can conquer the world. Believe it or not, this really does work.

So, next time you are presented with a financial challenge and you don’t feel confident, act confident and you just might find true confidence lifting you out of the fog.

If You Fall Down, Get Back Up

You will discover a few roadblocks along your journey to financial confidence. For example, you might find yourself occasionally spending more than you make, forgetting to enter transactions in your budget, or losing money to a bad investment – don’t give up.

If you fall down, get back up.

Marc and Angel Chernoff at MarcAndAngel.com explained in a blog post that you should learn how to be okay even when you’re wrong or fail:

You don’t have to always be right, you just have to not be too worried about being wrong.

Just like occasional failures, being wrong from time to time is inevitable. People who take the position of always being right aren’t confident, they’re cocky. They think they know everything and they want you to know it too. Ironically, their need to always be right imprisons them from being able to learn from their mistakes.

To build true confidence, you have to not mind being wrong. You have to take a stand, and then admit it if and when you realize your standpoint is wrong. It’s a process of trial and error that helps you discover what is right. And finding out what is right is a lot more important than always being right.

Bottom line: When you’re wrong, admit it and be secure enough to back down graciously, adjust and carry on.

There’s an irony to gaining confidence: some types of confidence are subject to experience. When you’re wrong about something or fail at something, don’t lose confidence in yourself; instead, lose confidence in your particular belief or your particular method.

Valerie Rind at ValerieRind.com talks about how you can rebuild even if you’ve lost it all:

When you lose it all, you have nowhere to go but up. Rebuilding my finances and confidence led to an unexpected consequence: new careers in personal finance and writing.

Teresa Mears at Living on the Cheap (Facebook Page) adds to what Valerie said:

Valerie Rind said part of what I wanted to say: In life, there are certain financial setbacks that are beyond your control, and no amount of confidence or preparation will save you from losing substantial assets and sometimes everything. But knowing what to do can help you rebuild your life and assets.

One huge financial setback is divorce. But even that couldn’t slow Ashley Gainer at AshleyGainer.com down:

It’s not every day that our grit really gets tested, but mine did when I was eight months pregnant and my then-husband wanted a divorce. My commitment to being an at-home mom didn’t waver, so I decided to cut the budget down to absolute bare bones and do freelance work to keep the lights on. I lived on (often much) less than $2,000/month for the next three years. During that time, I learned the value of unwavering commitment — in my case, commitment to being at home with my son, to staying out of debt no matter what, and to letting go of expectations and being open to creative solutions. I also learned why people sing the praises of cash budgets! Now that I’m in a better place financially, I feel financial confidence like I’ve never felt before. I might not be the most savvy money manager, but I know that I make good decisions, I’ve got what it takes to meet my goals, and I can take care of my family — no matter what. Having that confidence makes every other decision easier.

Commit. Find courage. Aquire capabilities. Over time, as you learn to pick yourself up and dust yourself off, you’ll gain financial confidence over time and realize the reward of your hard work.

Some Confidence Leads to More Confidence

There’s another benefit to gaining a little confidence: it leads to even more confidence.

Do you think I jumped into everything I’m doing now all at the same time? No way! I had to gain the confidence to put myself out there. For me, it all started with the National Guard. Serving overseas was a great confidence booster. But even when I got home, I needed to take things step by step.

I didn’t start with my own financial firm – I worked for another. Over time, I learned the ropes and gained the confidence in my abilities to step out on my own and start my own business.

And do you think I had the knowledge and expertise to start a blog all on my own? No way! I hired help and grew over time. Today, GoodFinancialCents.com has grown because my confidence has grown. Without growing my confidence, there’s no way I would have put my thoughts out into the world.

You see, there’s a momentum that can occur as you gain some confidence. Don’t think you have to have a truckload of confidence in the beginning. Who does?

Instead, seek out even just a little confidence. Try something new. Take a few educated risks. Don’t worry if things get a little messy, just do something!

If you’re afraid of criticism because you’re trying to do something very few people do (like pay off debt or invest for retirement), remember these words:

To avoid criticism say nothing, do nothing, be nothing. – Aristotle

There are always going to be haters. Trust me, as soon as you start trying to do well with your finances, haters will come out of the woodwork and try to bring you down.

Over time, I learned how to silence my haters. The people who are trying to bring you down are just jealous of your awesomeness. Instead of letting unkind words bring you down, let them motivate you to try something new.

Instead of throwing your budget out the window, lean into it and keep going – even if you make a mistake.

Instead of waiting to invest until you’re a few years older, why not get your feet wet and invest now?

Instead of working at a job you hate, why not take a few of the necessary steps to move into a job you love?

As you take these little steps, you’ll gain some confidence. And over time, that confidence will grow into more confidence. Really, the sky is the limit.

You can be financially confident. You just have to set your mind to it. Learn as much as you can, take some risks, and find success. Go do it!

A variation of this post initially appeared on Forbes.

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Ranking “All-Time” iOS Apps: Facebook Most Downloaded, Pandora Top Grossing

App Annie released a report that presents the most downloaded iPhone and iPad apps and games “of all time.” The company also ranks the apps that have generated the most global revenue to date. These lists are based on App Annie proprietary data. I’m sure the lists are consistent...

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

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Wall Street Volatility Ongoing Despite Positive Signs

The volatility is continuing on Wall Street as concerns over China's economy remain.

Source CBN.com - Finance http://ift.tt/1EyEUQD

A Retirement Tax Trick You May Not Know About

Whether it’s a gift to your local church or a nonprofit environmental group, setting up a charitable remainder trust can help lower your tax bill in retirement. Photo: Steven Depolo

In my recent post I highlighted the looming problem that taxes will create for many investors when they retire due to the bulk of retirement assets being held in tax-deferred accounts. In that post I provided one potential solution for the tax-deferred problem: converting a portion of your portfolio to tax-free money via a Roth IRA conversion.

That solution is not viable for all investors. In this post I provide a second solution for reducing taxes and effectively increasing your retirement income. Here we will discuss the benefits of charitable trusts. There are several different types of charitable trusts, so I will limit this discussion to charitable remainder unitrusts (also known as CRUTs).

Charitable Trusts Aren’t Just for the Upper Class

Before I get into the details of what a CRUT is and how it works, I want to clear up the misconception that charitable trusts are only for the ultra-wealthy. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

You can typically create a charitable trust for $2,000 or less in legal fees and it offers middle-class investors the opportunity to save tens of thousands of dollars in income taxes, as we will see in our example later on. I would say a $2,000 outlay that saves you tens of thousands of dollars is a pretty darn good return on investment.

Plus, for middle-class investors, it’s a waste of tax savings to leave money to charity in your will rather than setting up a charitable trust while you are alive. Why you ask?

Leaving Money to Charity in Your Will Is a Waste of Tax Savings for Most Investors

When I give presentations and I ask the audience who plans to give some money to a charity or nonprofit when they pass away, typically half the people in the room raise their hand. Nonprofits these days run the gamut from your local church to organizations fighting cancer to groups preserving wildlife habitat and so on.

The problem is, most of these people plan to donate the money via a bequest in their will. Why is that a problem?

Because for most people, a donation in your will doesn’t offer any benefit to you, whereas if you set up the donation via a charitable trust while you are alive, you receive an immediate tax deduction to use against your income taxes.

When you donate money in your will, your estate, not you (since you’re dead), gets the tax deduction to offset any estate taxes that are due. However, your estate likely doesn’t need the tax deduction.

For example, in 2015 you can pass along over $5.4 million (over $10.8 million for a married couple) before any estate taxes are due. I don’t have the statistics in front of me, but I would guess that $10.8 million for a married couple takes care of the vast majority of estates in the United States.

So, if you want to leave some money to a good cause, doesn’t it also make sense to benefit yourself if you have the option? When you set up a charitable trust, you receive an immediate deduction to use against your income taxes while you are alive.

And you need this tax deduction. As I highlighted in my previous post, middle-class investors are facing federal and state income tax bills that could drain 25% or more of their 401(k), traditional IRA, and other tax-deferred retirement accounts, and they don’t even realize it.

So What Is a CRUT and How Does It Benefit Me?

A charitable remainder unitrust (CRUT) is a type of charitable trust that has existed in the tax code for decades. CRUTs allow you to reduce your income taxes during retirement, thereby helping you to maximize your retirement income.

Here’s how they are structured: You, the donor, designate a portion of your retirement savings that you want to transfer into the charitable trust. You are then required to receive income back from the trust for the rest of your life. (That sounds like a good deal, right?)

When you pass away, whatever is left in the trust at that time goes to the nonprofit (or nonprofits) you designated in the trust to receive the money.

The amount of annual income you receive from the trust each year must be between 5% and 50% of the trust assets. You select the percentage at the time of the trust formation.

Based on your age when you set up the trust and the income percentage you elect to receive each year, you receive, while you are alive, an immediate deduction to use against your income taxes. Let’s take a look at an example.

Suppose you’re 65 years old and put $200,000 into a CRUT. Further suppose you chose to take 6% of the trust value as income back to yourself each year.

On the initial trust value, that would be $12,000 in income to yourself. Based on your age (65) and the income percentage you chose (6% of annual trust value), the IRS actuarial tables dictate that you would receive an income tax deduction of approximately $77,000 on the $200,000 you put into the trust!

You can then use the income tax deduction to help you and your family in a couple of different ways. You could use it to offset taxable income from your tax-deferred accounts. Or you can also use the tax savings to put money into tax-free vehicles for your children (this gets into highly advanced planning topics beyond the scope of this post).

The important point is you get a significant income tax deduction that greatly aids your retirement financial planning, and, at the same time, you’re contributing to a cause that you’re passionate about.

Additional Details and FAQs About Charitable Remainder Trusts

CRUTs definitely fall into the category of advanced financial and estate planning, so you will need to work with tax and legal professionals who have experience with them. If the trust does not get set up correctly, then it will lose its tax advantages under the code.

The following are some further details and frequently asked questions about CRUTs:

Will the annual income I receive from the trust be the same each year? No. The income from a CRUT is based on a fixed percentage of the annual value of the trust, not a fixed dollar amount. (You choose the percentage, between 5% and 50%, at the time of formation, as discussed above.) Since the value of the trust will fluctuate from year to year, that means the value of your income will change each year too. Charitable remainder annuity trusts (CRATs, not discussed in this post) provide for a fixed dollar amount of income each year, regardless of the value of the trust.

This question also brings up a couple other important points:

• Since you’re required to determine the value of the assets in the CRUT each year in order to calculate how much income you receive, it is a good idea to contribute assets with easily ascertainable values, such as publicly traded securities. Otherwise you will be spending inordinate amounts of money every year obtaining qualified appraisals of the assets.
• Although you can technically choose up to 50% of the trust value as income back to yourself under the IRS rules, in reality this is not practical. Your tax deduction would essentially be zero since the actuarial prediction is that you would be virtually certain to drain the trust before you pass away. (Most people choose between 5% and 8% each year since that range typically provides a good balance between the income they want back and the tax deduction they will receive.)
• You also must choose an income percentage in a range such that the combination of your age and the income result in an actuarial prediction that at least 10% of the trust value will go to the charity.

Can I designate more than one charity to receive the remaining money when I die? Yes, multiple charities can be designated in the trust.

When must I choose which charities receive the money when I die? You must choose the charities at the time you form the trust. Note also that charitable trusts are irrevocable in nature. Unlike revocable trusts, once you set up the trust you cannot change your mind.

How is the income I receive from the trust taxed? It depends on the taxable nature of the assets put into the trust. In other words, if you contributed a tax-deferred traditional IRA into the trust, then it still gets taxed as ordinary income to you as you receive it from the trust each year, just as it would be if you hadn’t created the trust. However, a CRUT does allow you to defer and spread out taxable gains.

Although I have primarily focused on funding CRUTs with tax-deferred accounts, they are also often funded with taxable accounts to spread out taxable gains due to the tax-deferred nature of the CRUT itself. Here’s an example.

Suppose you bought Apple stock several years ago in a taxable account for $10,000 and due to the company’s explosive growth the stock is now worth $100,000. You would like to sell and diversify out of this holding now, but you also don’t want to realize the $90,000 of taxable gains all at once.

If you contribute this stock into the CRUT, you can immediately sell it and purchase new holdings, but you don’t pay all the tax now. The taxable gain is tracked inside the trust and you pay it in small doses as the gain is distributed to you as income each year in smaller chunks.

What if I don’t need such a large tax deduction this year? The tax deduction carries forward into future years. The rules on deductions and carryforwards are complex. This is definitely an area where your tax advisor will need to help you navigate through it.

If I’m married, can the CRUT be created to pay income to us until both of us die? Yes, but the tax deduction will be reduced since the actuarial prediction is that the value of the trust will be reduced more before it goes to the charity.

At what age does it make sense to set up a CRUT? Probably when you are at least 60 — for a couple of reasons. One is that once you create the CRUT you are required to take income from it. Since retirement accounts are often used to fund the CRUT, you don’t want to mistakenly turn on distributions before you want them or before you can legally take them without penalties. Second, the older you are the higher the tax deduction you will receive for forming the trust.

Once I set up a CRUT can I contribute more to it? Yes, you can make additional contributions into the CRUT at later dates.

Tim Van Pelt is a financial advisor and registered investment advisor representative of Steele Capital Management, Inc. The views expressed in this article are solely his and do not necessarily reflect the views of Steele Capital or its management. Mr. Van Pelt specializes in advanced financial planning techniques to help clients advantageously utilize the tax and estate planning code along with smart portfolio planning to maximize retirement income. He helps his clients assemble financial plans that properly fit together with their retirement planning, tax planning and estate planning. You can reach him at tjvanpelt@gmail.com or (608) 577-9877. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, tax, legal or accounting advice. You should consult your own tax, legal and accounting advisors before engaging in any transaction.

The post A Retirement Tax Trick You May Not Know About appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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Can You Get Paid to Tweet, Even if You’re Not a Celebrity?

If you’re creative, you can definitely make money with your Twitter account.

For example, I’ve sold my books by tweeting about them. I’ve used tweets to drive traffic to my websites, which make money in various ways. As part of an overall social media marketing plan, Twitter can be a valuable tool. But can you simply get paid to tweet?

On a recent list of 103 ways to make money at home, I included tweeting for cash. And Kim Kardashian made $10,000 per tweet as early as 2009, according to some reports.

But most of us are not celebrities. Can the average Twitter user build up a following and get paid to tweet about products and services?

Now, it’s my job to investigate and write about ways to make money, but I also like to try them out. And I happen to have 11,000 Twitter followers, so I wondered if I could make money tweeting. Here’s what I discovered…

Can You Get Paid to Tweet?

I Googled “paid to tweet” and found PaidPerTweet.

One featured tweeter, comedian George Lopez, earns $2,000 per tweet and has three million followers, according to the site. However, his twitter account shows he actually has 2.03 million followers, and I didn’t see anything that looked like a sponsored tweet. PaidPerTweet provides no information on how often any of the featured tweeters actually get paid.

When I clicked the link that said “Become Verified,” I was prompted to sign in to my PayPal account and saw a charge of $2.99 per month. I didn’t continue. Instead, I went back to the website and clicked “register.” Getting verified is apparently optional.

I entered a username and password, unsure if this was supposed to be my Twitter username or password (my entries were not). There wasn’t any explanation for the sign-up process.

I eventually noticed a link that said “Twitter Accounts” and clicked that, which brought up a screen where I could add a Twitter account. I was prompted to sign in to Twitter, but noticed this message:

This application will be able to:

Read Tweets from your timeline.

See who you follow, and follow new people.

Update your profile.

Post Tweets for you.

Will not be able to:

Access your direct messages.

See your Twitter password.

Update my profile? Follow new people? I didn’t feel comfortable with that, although to be fair the page also said, “You can revoke access to any application at any time from the Applications tab of your Settings page.”

Next, I went to SponsoredTweets. I couldn’t see much beyond a giant sign-up prompt. I clicked “Sign Up,” and chose “Creator” (the other option is “Advertiser”). I signed up and got the same information as before. Apparently, you have to allow these companies to follow people and alter your profile. I refused.

Back on PaidPerTweet, I logged in and checked every link I saw, trying to figure out how much the company takes from each tweet payment you earn. The answer may be there, but the company clearly doesn’t want to make it easy to find.

Finally, I dropped my plan to try out one of these platforms. I don’t understand why they’d need to mess with my profile or follow people without my approval, and it’s not worth pursuing when the potential earnings are unclear.

Who Actually Makes Money on Twitter?

Social media strategist Branden Hampton told The Next Web he makes a living selling tweets.

Asked if it’s possible to earn a six-figure income each year, he answered “No, you can make six figures a quarter.” But he personally manages 24 Twitter accounts with more than 11 million followers, and his company, Influential Media Group, handles accounts with tens of millions more.

If you want to try to emulate his success, read the interview and check out one of his biggest hits on Twitter, The Notebook. It started out small, so maybe there is hope for those of us with mere thousands of followers.

Most of the people making big money for tweets are Hollywood celebrities and sports stars. For example, opendorse estimates basketball player Karl-Anthony Towns, who plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves and has 100,000 Twitter followers, should get around $430 per tweet.

LeBron James has 22 million Twitter followers, and Elite Daily says he earns $126,000 per tweet!

I did the math. That’s $0.00573 per follower, which would make my 11,000 followers worth $63 per tweet — if I was as famous as LeBron James.

I’ll tweet for a tenth of that. Any takers? I won’t hold my breath.

Can the Average Tweeter Make Money?

There’s more than one list of celebrities who get paid big money to tweet. And a good Internet marketer might know how to build followers and sell tweets.

But I searched far and wide for evidence that ordinary Twitter users can make more than a few dollars with sponsored tweets, and I came up mostly empty.

For example, I Googled “I made money tweeting” (using quotation marks), figuring someone would have written about their experience online. There were five results, all there only because someone wrote something like “I wish I made money tweeting,” or “if I made money tweeting.” I tried dozens of other searches with similar results.

You would think that of the thousands of regular Twitter users who have presumably signed up for one of the many “pay per tweet” platforms, some would have written about their success. I couldn’t find any examples.

I’m hoping for comments below telling me I’m a terrible investigative reporter. I want to be wrong. Hey, I want $6 per tweet — I’ll tweet all day!

But if you are going to challenge my skepticism, please be specific. Tell us how many followers you have, how much you make per tweet and how much you made last month.

A Story to Give You Hope

I did find a story of a high school student making $500 per day on Twitter in 2012. His name is Jon King, and he didn’t get paid per tweet.

Instead, he promoted affiliate products, making money from commissions when followers clicked through and bought something. He built six parody accounts, like Condescending Wonka (@willlllywonka), and they averaged 150,000 followers each.

So keep that Twitter account open, even if you can’t sell a single tweet. You can promote affiliate products, and use it as part of a social media marketing plan if you someday have something of your own to promote. And who knows, maybe you can sell a tweet or two.

Your Turn: Have you or has anyone you know made more than $50 per month by getting paid to tweet?

Steve Gillman is the author of “101 Weird Ways to Make Money” and creator of EveryWayToMakeMoney.com. He’s been a repo-man, walking stick carver, search engine evaluator, house flipper, tram driver, process server, mock juror, and roulette croupier, but of more than 100 ways he has made money, writing is his favorite (so far).

The post Can You Get Paid to Tweet, Even if You’re Not a Celebrity? appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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What to say when your co-worker asks what you think about Clinton.

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Personal Finance 101: What the HELOC Is a Home Equity Line of Credit?

Many homeowners use a home equity line of credit to finance big remodeling projects, like installing a new bathroom — but you’re not required to use the funds on your house. Photo: Cheryl Marland

Need access to a lot of cash at an interest rate much lower than credit cards? Do you still want the flexibility to take only as much as you need, when you need it? A home equity line of credit, or HELOC, can deliver these advantages.

Of course, a HELOC also has disadvantages — we’ll cover those, too. We’ll also discuss other HELOC basics, including where and how to get them, why you’d use them, the differences between HELOCs and traditional home equity loans, rates, and fees.

What Is a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC)?

A HELOC functions much like a credit card. You have a set credit limit that you can borrow against — or not — when you want as long as you have credit available, typically via a card or checkbook. So if you need $1,000 for a small home project now, $3,000 in a few months, and $5,000 at the end of the year, a HELOC can give you that flexibility.

HELOCs typically have low interest rates because your home equity is collateral, drastically reducing the bank’s risk. Note that your interest rate will typically be variable, meaning it fluctuates with the market. Interest is tax-deductible up to $100,000 no matter what you use the HELOC for, or $1 million if the money is used exclusively for home improvements.

Why Would I Use a HELOC?

You can use the money from a HELOC for anything, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you should. Projects that will raise your home’s value are the best use for a HELOC. These would absolutely include any necessary improvements — say, a new roof or water heater — and, to a lesser extent, updates that will recoup most of their value, such as a kitchen remodel.

• Related: What Common Home Repairs Cost, and How to Budget for Them

Debt consolidation is another popular use for a HELOC. While paying off debt with a HELOC is understandably appealing, it’s also risky. Though you’ll be left with one monthly payment that is likely much less than the total of all your previous payments (especially if you opt to make interest-only payments, as your HELOC will initially allow), remember that you still owe the same total in the end. You also must be willing to change your old habits. That means not racking up more debt because you suddenly have breathing room in your budget again — especially because with a HELOC, your house is on the line if you don’t pay.

Some people also use a HELOC as an emergency fund. After all, it’s easy to access a large amount if you need it, so why not? Well, if you can afford to pay back the funds relatively quickly and only use the money for a true emergency, it can work. However, saving up your own money for an emergency fund is vastly preferable. You don’t want to pay interest for years just because you needed funds in a pinch, and you certainly don’t want to lose your home because of it.

While tempting, it’s best not to tap a HELOC for big discretionary purchases like a vacation or a shiny new boat. Save up the old-fashioned way so you won’t still be paying for that boat once it’s a rusted-out heap in your backyard, or even worse, lose your home because you can no longer afford it.

How Is the Amount of My HELOC Determined?

Banks determine the limit on your home equity line of credit by using two crucial numbers: the value of your home and the amount of any loans you’ve already made against it.

Let’s look at an example. Say your home is worth $300,000. Lenders will typically take 80% of this value (in this case, $240,000) and then subtract the value of any outstanding home loans. So if you owe $150,000 on your primary mortgage, the bank will subtract that from $240,000. That means you may be offered a HELOC with a credit line of $90,000.

Why don’t lenders use 100% of your home’s value when they’re figuring out how much to lend? That’s because they typically want to keep your loan-to-value ratio, or LTV, at no more than 80%. LTV is simply the loans you have on your house divided by its value. In the example above, you add both loans, $150,000 and $90,000, to get $240,000. Divide by $300,000 and you get 0.8, or 80%.

The higher your LTV, the more at risk you are of defaulting on your home loans. In the event you do default, the lender also wants some equity remaining to help cover the cost of foreclosing on and reselling your home.

How Do I Repay the Money I Use From My HELOC?

HELOCs typically have two payment-related time frames to note. The first, called the draw period, usually lasts for five or 10 years. This is the time when you can borrow whatever you need from your HELOC. During this time, you’ll usually only be required to pay the interest on the money you borrow.

The second period, called the repayment period, typically lasts 10 to 20 years after your draw period. During the repayment period, you can no longer borrow from your HELOC. Instead of making interest-only payments, you’ll have to pay back both the principal and interest on whatever outstanding amount you borrowed.

How Are HELOC Rates Determined?

As I mentioned above, most HELOCs have a variable interest rate that fluctuates based on the market. Your rate will typically be a set margin plus an index such as the prime rate, and when that rate goes up or down, your HELOC rate will, too.

While the amount of equity you have in your home will help determine how much you can borrow; the initial rate you’re offered will depend on other factors. Chief among them are your credit score — the higher the better — and your debt-to-income ratio, or DTI. Lenders typically want to see DTI at 40% or below, which means you spend no more than 40% of your monthly income paying down debt.

Two types of interest-rate caps can protect you when you have a HELOC. The first, called a lifetime cap, is required by law and simply sets a ceiling for your interest rate during the time you have the HELOC. The second, called a periodic cap, limits the amount your interest rate can rise each time it’s adjusted.

What Kind of Fees Can I Expect on a HELOC?

Read the fine print, because a range of fees can come into play. I’ll discuss some of the most common below.

• Annual fee: Sometimes called a membership fee or maintenance fee, you’ll pay this every year simply to retain access to your home equity line of credit, even if you haven’t used it. Up to $75 is common.
• Application fee: Some lenders will charge you simply to apply for a HELOC. This fee may help defray the cost of a home appraisal, obtaining a credit report, or other loan processing.
• Cancellation fee: Your lender may charge up to $500 if you want to cancel your HELOC because you’ve refinanced or sold your home.
• Closing fees: Substantial closing costs are less common for HELOCs than traditional home equity loans, which often include fees related to title searches, attorney costs, document preparation, and other related costs. Many HELOCs advertise no closing costs; make sure yours is one of them.
• Inactivity fee: Your lender may charge $100 or so if you don’t use your HELOC for a certain period of time, such as once in a year.
• Transaction fee: A fee may apply whenever you take money from your HELOC.

Remember that fees are negotiable and different lenders will charge different fees. If you think a fee is unfair, or better yet, you know a competitor isn’t charging a similar fee, ask for it to be removed. For instance, MyFICO recommends at least asking for the removal of annual fees, inactivity fees, cancellation fees, and any closing costs. If your lender refuses, you can then decide whether it’s worth it to take your business elsewhere.

How Is a HELOC Different From a Traditional Home Equity Loan?

If you’re considering a HELOC, chances are you’ve also looked into traditional home equity loans. Though both products use your home equity as collateral, the similarities mostly end there. Here’s a quick glance at the major differences between a HELOC and a home equity loan:

	HELOC	Home equity loan
Payout	As much as you need up to your credit limit, whenever you need it, during draw period	One lump sum immediately after being approved
Interest rate	Variable (fluctuating rate index plus fixed margin)	Fixed for life of loan
Repayment	Interest only during draw period, principal and interest during repayment period	Fixed payments of principal and interest for life of loan
Closing costs	Usually minimal	Similar to primary mortgage

 

Make sure you fully consider whether a home equity loan might be a better choice for you before committing to a HELOC. For instance, if you just need money to pay for one large project, the lump sum might be a better fit, and you won’t have the temptation of more cash for years after you really need it. And if you’re risk-averse, you may appreciate knowing what you’re getting into with a home equity loan’s fixed rate and payments, which are easier to budget for.

What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of a HELOC?

Still on the fence about whether a HELOC is a good move for you? We’ve alluded to some of the pros and cons of a home equity line of credit throughout this article, but here are the main points to consider in one spot:

Advantages

• Flexibility: Maybe you’re embarking on a big, long-term home renovation and your costs will be ongoing. A HELOC lets you use the money you need when you need it.
• Low rate: Using your home as collateral means your HELOC will have a lower interest rate than other types of credit or loans. And since you’re accepting some risk in the form of a variable interest rate, your initial rate is going to be lower than that of a fixed-rate home equity loan.
• Interest-only payments: Not only will you have a low rate, but you’ll only need to pay the interest on your HELOC during your draw period, lessening the impact on your budget.
• Tax benefits: Uncle Sam will let you deduct HELOC interest from your taxes. If you use your HELOC only for home improvements, you can deduct up to a whopping $1 million in interest. If you use it for other purposes, you can still deduct up to $100,000.

Disadvantages

• Harder to budget for payments: A HELOC’s variable interest rate means you won’t be paying the same thing month after month.
• Interest rates could rise: In a year or two, your tempting introductory rate will be a distant memory. And depending on what the market does, HELOC rates could continue to climb.
• You need the discipline to plan ahead: While interest-only payments may feel like a pro during the draw period, you need to plan for the repayment period, too. That’s when you must start paying back the principal on your HELOC, too, which means a massive jump in payments. Failing to budget for this substantial change has left many homeowners in serious financial distress.
• Lots of fees: Depending on your lender, using (or not using) your HELOC may come with a lot of fees that you wouldn’t face using some other forms of credit. These can add up, particularly if you only borrow small amounts.
• Your house is on the line: If something happens that threatens your ability to repay — for instance, you lose your job or have an expensive medical emergency — you risk far more than your credit score. You could lose your house if you fall behind on HELOC payments.

Where Do I Look for the Best HELOC Rates?

You can find a HELOC on offer at just about any bank or credit union, but consider using an online search tool such as LendingTree to begin comparing HELOC rates. Answering a few questions about your home’s value, your outstanding home loans, and what you want to borrow will leave you with several personalized offers. You may find a good fit among them, but if not, you still have a valuable starting point for a wider search.

Wherever you search, make sure you keep the following strategies in mind as you decide on a HELOC:

• Shop around. Love your bank? Great. But they may not offer the lowest HELOC rates. If you find a better deal, maybe they’ll beat it to keep you — but maybe not. Don’t forget about credit unions, too, since lower overhead can lead to savings.
• Get your finances in shape first. If you have the luxury of a lot of time to shop for a HELOC, raise your credit score and pay down any unnecessary debt before applying. Even though a HELOC is secured by your house, your current financial situation is still at play.
• Compare fees. They can add up. Remember that you may not be able to negotiate your interest rate, but fees are fair game. You shouldn’t have to pay, for instance, if you don’t want to use your HELOC every year, if you want to pay back the money you’ve used early, or if you need to cancel the line of credit.
• Watch for the teaser. If that low interest rate seems too good to be true, make sure you know whether it’s a teaser — that is, an introductory interest rate that will go up after a year or so.

For more advice on tapping your home equity, see The Simple Dollar’s previous articles on HELOCs and home equity loans:

• Best Home Equity Loan Rates in 2015
• Best Home Improvement Loans
• Need a Home Equity Loan? Answer 3 Questions First
• How to Use a Line of Credit to Your Advantage

The post Personal Finance 101: What the HELOC Is a Home Equity Line of Credit? appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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Google Could See Big Lift In TrueView Adoption: Folds Video Ad Campaigns Into Main AdWords UI

In a major update, advertisers will be able to manage and report on their YouTube video ads alongside other AdWords campaign types.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

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How Making Meals in Advance Saves Time and Money: Make-Ahead Lasagna

Earlier this week, I spent about an hour preparing four pans of lasagna at the same time, with the intent of eating one pan as a family dinner and freezing the other three for future use.

I’ve often talked about making meals in advance and how it saves both time and money, so I thought it was time to show you a real-world example of how I did this. The images in this article aren’t perfect food photography; rather, they’re real images from my kitchen of how a real person can easily do things like this.

So, let’s get started.

Why Make Meals in Advance?

For some, spending time on a project like this seems like a waste of time. Why would you spend a ton of time making batch meals like this? Why not just buy frozen meals or go out for supper if you wanted convenience?

There are a bunch of reasons for this.

First, making meals in advance saves time overall. When you prepare a bunch of meals in advance, you’re able to combine many of the preparation steps.

For example, if you were to prepare four pans of lasagna at different times, you would have to boil noodles at four different times. That means heating up four separate batches of water and cleaning the pot you used to boil the noodles four separate times. Doing them all at once means one boil – it’ll take a bit longer for the water to boil for this one larger pot, but it’s far, far less than doing it four different times.

Plus, there’s only one pot to wash afterward instead of four. There’s only one cleanup – sure it might be a hair bigger than the cleanup after preparing just one pan of lasagna, but it’s way shorter than cleaning up four times after four pans of lasagna. There’s only one cutting board to clean, after all, instead of four separate times cleaning that cutting board.

Second, it also shifts your time from less intense moments where you have some free time to more intense moments when you can really use some extra time. I don’t know what your life is like, but my evenings are often really busy. It can be pretty tricky to get a meal on the table while balancing things like community volunteering, Sarah’s work schedule, taekwondo practice, soccer practice, music lessons, social events, and other things.

By preparing meals in advance during a time where there isn’t a demand on your time – like a lazy weekend afternoon – you save greatly on meal prep time on a busier weeknight. Now that I have these pans of lasagna in the freezer, all I have to do is pull one out the night before I want to cook it, then pop it in the oven about 45 minutes before we need to eat. There’s no mess, no prep – it’s easy. That makes hectic evenings a lot more tolerable.

Third, it saves money by allowing you to take advantage of bulk purchases and sale prices. As I’ll show below, cooking four pans of lasagna at once enabled me to take advantage of some bulk prices, which dropped the cost of ingredients per pan of lasagna. I was also able to really take advantage of specific sale prices at the grocery store, as I had a good reason for buying things like several jars of pasta sauce at once. Not only that, if I plan in advance, I can buy these bulk things whenever they go on sale, not just when I’m about to make the meals.

Finally, it makes for better meals because you have full control over the ingredients. With the below recipe, I was able to use a lot of fresh ingredients and had full control over the other ingredients I included. I got to decide for myself what “shortcuts” to take and what deserved spending extra time on. I got to choose how healthy my various ingredients were, too. I also got to choose whether I used “expensive” items or name brand ones.

Here’s how it all came together.

The Basic Recipe: Vegetarian Spinach Lasagna

The basic recipe I used was a simple vegetarian spinach lasagna that my family absolutely loves. It’s really, really simple in its basic form.

3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (or other shredded cheese mix)
3 to 4 cups chopped spinach
1 1/2 cups pasta sauce (with grilled or sauteed vegetables added if available)
12 cooked lasagna noodles

That’s it. I just make 12 layers in the pan by alternating these ingredients. I start with 1/2 cup of the sauce, put in a layer of noodles (three of them), top that with a cup or so of the chopped spinach, and put a cup of mozzarella cheese spread on top of that. I then just repeat those same layers twice.

I do this all in a 9″ by 13″ baking pan that I’ve pre-coated with a bit of olive oil. If the noodles are warm, then I just bake it in the oven at 400 F for 30 minutes, covered for the first 10 minutes. If the noodles are cold – meaning if I stored it in the refrigerator for a while after making it or I thawed it in the refrigerator – I bake it at 400 F for 45 minutes or until it’s plenty warm in the middle.

The time investment comes from things like chopping the spinach if you’re using fresh spinach (you can use a similar quantity of frozen spinach instead if you squeeze out the liquid), cooking extra vegetables for the sauce, cooking the noodles, and actually making the layers in the pan.

If you’d prefer a non-vegetarian lasagna, you can simply cook half a pound of ground beef and add it to the sauce.

Quadrupling the Recipe

It’s simple – just quadruple all of it.

12 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (or other shredded cheese mix)
12 to 16 cups chopped spinach
6 cups pasta sauce (with grilled or sauteed vegetables added if available)
36 cooked lasagna noodles

You’ll also need a bit of olive oil for coating the pans, as well as four 9″ by 12″ or 9″ by 13″ pans for storing these delicious meals.

Extra Pans?

That’s right – part of this plan involves using four 9″ by 13″ pans. Most people don’t have that many 9″ by 13″ pans lying around and it’s an expense to go out there and buy such pans. So, what’s the solution?

For us, we tried – and quite liked – Glad OvenWare pans. These come in a 9″ by 12″ size, which works just fine for this purpose. They come with a cover to keep them sealed in the freezer. They easily go from the freezer to the refrigerator to the oven with no problems whatsoever. They stack really well, meaning you can have several in your cupboard and they won’t take up much room. They’re reusable – we’ve used them multiple times without any wear or problems yet – and, best of all, they’re really inexpensive.

I was able to buy several of these on sale and also used a coupon, so I paid a little under $2 per pan. You can get them at any time on Amazon for $3.25 per pan.

Given that they can be reused many times, they definitely trump using temporary aluminum pans. Given their low cost and the fact that they come with a cover, they might arguably trump better pans, too, as those cost several times more than these Glad OvenWare pans.

The Process

I simply put four pans out on the table – one of our Pyrex 9″ by 13″ baking pans from the cupboard along with three of the Glad OvenWare pans described above. I sat all of the ingredients around the pans – the chopped spinach, the sauce with the roasted vegetables added, the cheese, and the noodles – and just began to layer each pan, starting with a coating of olive oil on each.

I put a few teaspoons of sauce into the bottom of each pan (adding up to roughly half a cup) and spread it around. I followed that with a layer of noodles in each (three are enough to make a layer), then a layer of spinach in each (about a cup), then a layer of cheese in each (about a cup). This is the most efficient way of making multiple pans, as you only worry about one ingredient at a time. You’re just putting that ingredient in four pans at once.

After that, I just repeated the whole layering process twice. Half a cup of sauce, spread around, three noodles, a cup of chopped spinach, and a cup of shredded cheese.

I then covered the Pyrex pan and put it in the refrigerator until dinner, then put the covers on the Glad OvenWare pans and put them in the freezer, each with a small masking tape label that indicated what it was (vegetarian lasagna) and the date I made it.

In the evening, I cooked the Pyrex pan of lasagna at 350 F for 40 minutes. I uncovered it at the 20-minute mark.

Cooking Frozen Lasagna Pans

For the frozen pans, when I decide to use them, I’ll pull a pan out of the freezer the day before and put it in the refrigerator. It’ll stay in there overnight and through the next day, slowly thawing. The next evening, I’ll put it in the oven at 350 F for 45 minutes, removing the cover at the 25-minute mark.

I’ll check the middle when it is “finished” to make sure it is hot all the way through and, if not, I’ll cook it a while longer (this depends more on the temperature of your refrigerator than anything else).

This is so easy. The only thing you have to do in the evening is preheat the oven and toss the lasagna in there and you have a great home-cooked meal – not a prepackaged meal, but one you prepared yourself.

Final Thoughts

Cooking meals in batches like this takes a lot of extra work, don’t get me wrong. You’re going to spend longer cooking four pans of lasagna than you would cooking just one pan. However, you won’t spend four times as long. According to my experience, it’ll take roughly twice as long as it does to make a single pan.

That means that you’re literally eliminating the prep time for two pans of lasagna by doing it this way. Believe it or not, this method is an extensive time saver.

It also saves quite a bit of money because of the bulk buys – my back-of-the-envelope math says that bulk buying saved us about $3 per pan using this method.

All in all, if you happen to have a free weekend afternoon, making meals in advance like this one is a great way to use that afternoon to save yourself some money and also save yourself time in the long run. Yes, it takes planning, and it can mean that you’re investing two or three hours that afternoon on bulk meals, but when it’s done, you’re going to have a number of very quick weeknight meals, saving you time when you need it most.

Good luck!

The post How Making Meals in Advance Saves Time and Money: Make-Ahead Lasagna appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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How to Earn $60/Hour Working From Home as a Bookkeeper

Interested in becoming a bookkeeper? Learn how at learntobeabookkeeper.com.

Does earning $60 an hour sound appealing? How about the freedom to work remotely while helping others succeed?

Those are the perks of working as a bookkeeper, says Ben Robinson, a certified public accountant and business owner who teaches others to become virtual bookkeepers.

And no, you don’t have to have a CPA to be successful in this business. In fact, all you really need are decent computer skills and a passion for helping business owners tackle real-world problems.

It’s a great opportunity for moms who want to work part time, Millennials who are just out of college, and anyone who wants to bring in real money while working from home.

We talked to Robinson about what it takes to become a virtual bookkeeper, as well as tips and advice for making this career track work for you.

Ben, can you share a little about your background? What’s your bookkeeping experience?

I’ve been a CPA since 1999. From 2001 until early 2015, I owned two accounting firms.

One of my main focuses within those firms was helping business owners take care of their bookkeeping. A lot of — actually most — business owners struggle with keeping accurate and up-to-date bookkeeping records.

I knew I needed a team of great bookkeepers to get the work done. What I soon discovered is that great bookkeepers are hard to find. And, when I did find a great bookkeeper who owned their own business, they were buried with clients and had a waiting list of business owners who wanted their books done.

Not being one to accept defeat, I set out to train my own great bookkeeping staff. For over 10 years, I developed a program that helped raise up great bookkeepers. Matching these business owners to great bookkeepers is something I really enjoy doing.

After I sold my firm in January 2015, I decided my life’s business purpose was to help train and equip an army of 10,000 great bookkeepers who want to own their own business and — more importantly — determine the path they will take in life.

Do you have to have a CPA to be a bookkeeper?

The short answer: NO!

In fact, none of the great bookkeepers I have trained have even been accountants, much less Certified Public Accountants.

The work an accountant or CPA performs and the work a bookkeeper performs have some overlap. If I were given the choice of training a CPA or someone with no experience to become a great bookkeeper, I’d choose the inexperienced candidate any day.

But this inexperienced person does need to have certain personal characteristics to set themselves up for success as a great bookkeeper.

What characteristics and skills are you referring to?

Compared to a CPA, bookkeepers are more transaction-oriented and more often in contact with clients on a day-to-day basis. Bookkeepers are more involved with the granular details of the business, whereas CPAs are typically more involved in the strategy.

To be a great bookkeeper, you need real-world skills. If you go through a traditional bookkeeping course, you’ll probably learn a lot of theory. That’s important to understand, but there’s no practical application.

For example, when I went to school and got my degree in accounting, I thought “Yes! I can conquer the world.” But my first day working as a CPA was a real shock — I could figure out earnings per share, but I couldn’t do simple tasks that business owners need, like reconciling a bank account. The best bookkeepers can navigate those real-world problems for the business owners they work with.

You also need to have decent computer skills. Since all the work you perform as a virtual bookkeeper is done in a virtual environment, you must know how to communicate effectively and efficiently through technology, and feel comfortable using those tools.

What are the benefits of doing this kind of work?

Goodness, where do I begin?

My favorite benefit is the freedom a bookkeeping business affords. As a virtual bookkeeper business owner, you have the freedom to choose where you work, when you work and with whom you work.

Think about the power of being in control of these three factors in your professional life! The impact is tremendous and liberating.

My second favorite benefit is the income potential. As a great bookkeeper, you command great rates. Business owners value the service you provide and are willing to pay you for this value because of the results you help them achieve.

The third benefit is that bookkeeping is always in demand. All businesses are required to maintain bookkeeping records, which means there are always people and companies hiring for these positions.

You mentioned income potential. What’s the going rate for bookkeeping services?

The average full-time bookkeeper earns about $40,000 per year, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports. However, that is as an employee in a typical work setting. As a freelancer or contractor, you can actually earn a higher hourly rate while working fewer hours.

I teach my bookkeepers that they should target at least $60 per hour as their goal. You must know how to provide true value to clients — that real-world problem-solving we talked about — to command this kind of income.

What tools do quality bookkeepers use nowadays?

At the heart of a virtual bookkeeper’s toolbox is accounting software. For example, the one we often recommend is Xero.com. We also encourage our students to use Quickbooks Online. These tools take care of the vast majority of tasks you need to perform great work as a bookkeeper.

Other tools are basic and probably already available to you, such as a computer and a high-speed internet connection.

Say I wanted to start a bookkeeping business. What would my startup costs be?

This is one of the best aspects of a bookkeeping business: low startup costs.

You can start your bookkeeping business for less than $1,500, assuming you have a decent computer and basic office supplies.

The biggest part of the investment, both start-up and ongoing, is in yourself: learning! It’s in developing your own skills and becoming a real craftsman at the art of bookkeeping.

As your bookkeeping business grows, you’ll need to continue to invest in new technology and supplies. Again, however, you must continue to reinvest in your own learning never being satisfied with where you are in your learning.

This is the mark of a real professional. I’ve been doing this for more than 16 years and I spend — at a minimum — 40 hours per year learning new skills and improving existing ones.

Your Turn: Do you have any questions for Ben on how to become a bookkeeper?

Interested in becoming a bookkeeper? Learn how at learntobeabookkeeper.com.

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

Maryann Akinboyewa is the Assistant PR Coordinator at Taylor Media.

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