Zara slammed over banning shopper

GLOBAL fashion giant Zara is no stranger to controversy, with a security guard’s treatment of a Muslim woman prompting a huge backlash.

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Ad guru joins Myer board

MYER has taken a leaf out of the Qantas book, appointing a senior player in the advertising industry to its board.

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Business Briefcase: Pocono Pines Realtor gets top honor

Barker of Realty Executives named PMAR's Realtor of the Year Denise Barker of Realty Executives Pocono Pines has been honored by the Pocono Mountains Association of Realtors with the Realtor of the Year Award. The award was presented to Barker at the PMAR Installation of Officers reception held  recently at the Stroudsmoor Inn. Receiving Realtor [...]

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Who Knew These 9 Stores Had Black Friday Deals?! Here’s Where to Look…

When you think of Black Friday, you undoubtedly think of stores like Walmart and Best Buy. But plenty of other physical and online national retailers offer great deals on Black Friday, too.

Here are 9 retailers with Black Friday deals you probably haven’t considered:

1. Drugstores

Need to stock up on essentials? Chain drugstores have killer sales on Black Friday.

Judging from last year’s ads, you’ll find plenty of buy one, get one (BOGO) offers on everything from candles to vitamins.

Popular options: CVS – Walgreens – Rite Aid – Drugstore.com

2. Wine Stores

Whether or not you’re an oenophile, you’ll probably go through more wine than usual during the holiday season.

If your local store isn’t offering any specials, check online. In past years, the biggest wine websites have offered as much as 20% off your total purchase.

Popular options: Astor Wines – Total Wine – Club W

3. Craft Stores

Want be creative while saving money? Try making your holiday decorations or gifts this year.

Grab supplies while the prices are low (sometimes 50-75% off!) — and don’t forget to use coupons, which are almost always available.

Popular options: Jo-Ann Fabric & Craft – Michaels – A.C. Moore

4. Bookstores

Books are the perfect gift for yourself or loved ones. They’re affordable, educational, easy-to-wrap and provide hours of free entertainment.

Please try your local bookseller first. If you don’t have one or it’s not offering discounts, check online. Depending on the title, you might be able to get 20% off the publisher’s price.

Popular options: Half Price Books – Powell’s Books – Better World Books

5. Discount Stores and Sites

Just because a store is cheap year-round, doesn’t mean it can’t get cheaper on Black Friday. In years past, you could find household supplies and other necessities for just a few bucks.

Online deal sites also offer steep discounts on services and products around the country.

Popular options: Dollar General – Big Lots – Groupon – Living Social

6. Museums

Don’t want to shop on Black Friday? You can still score great deals.

Many museums have discounted admission on Black Friday, an awesome family activity. Some even offer reduced prices on memberships — so you can enjoy the savings all year long.

To see what’s available near you, check the websites of your favorite museums.

7. Subscription Retailers

Want a gift that keeps on giving? Order a subscription to a magazine, newspaper or one of those monthly boxes everyone raves about (at up to 20% off!).

In past years, even the Wall Street Journal and New York Times have gotten in on the Black Friday action.

Popular options: New York Times – GlossyBox – Love With Food

8. Pet Stores

Don’t forget about your furry family members this holiday season! Pets are expensive, so stock up on supplies while prices are cheap.

Last year, pet stores offered 50% discounts on essentials like treats, kitty litter and beds.

Popular options: PetSmart – Petco – Barkbox

9. Hobby Stores

Have a unique hobby? Whether it’s home brewing or stamp collecting, it’s a good idea to check specialty stores — locally or online.

Last year, model railroad store Walther’s offered 10% off all orders, plus free shipping on purchases over $75.

To find deals, Google your hobby plus “Black Friday.”

Whatever you’re looking for this Black Friday, remember to think outside the big box — we bet you’ll find some exceptional deals!

Your Turn: Which unconventional Black Friday stores did we forget?

Disclosure: We appreciate you letting us include affiliate links in this post. It helps keep the beer fridge stocked in the Penny Hoarder break room.

Susan Shain, senior writer for The Penny Hoarder, is always seeking adventure on a budget. Visit her blog at susanshain.com, or say hi on Twitter @susan_shain.

This post originally appeared on our special Black Friday site.

The post Who Knew These 9 Stores Had Black Friday Deals?! Here’s Where to Look… appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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12 Terms Every Investor Needs to Know

If you're going to score on Wall Street, you'll need to know these phrases and labels.

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Identity Theft Basics

The holidays are coming, and chances are good that your credit card will get a workout. As you fork over your payment information to yet another retailer, it’s worth asking: Have I done all I can to cut my risk of identity theft?

If you’re not sure if you can answer that question affirmatively, or if you’re simply unclear about the risks identity theft really poses, read on.

We’ll cover the basics of identity theft, including what types are most common, the potential impact, and how you can reduce your chances of having personal information stolen. We’ll also discuss whether it’s worth it to fork over the cash for identity-theft and credit-monitoring services, and what you should do if you suspect you’ve already been a victim.

What Is Identity Theft?

Any time someone uses your personal information without your knowledge, it’s identity theft. They could be stealing a wide range of data for a variety of purposes:

• Financial information such as your credit card number and bank account numbers is a common target. Identity thieves can sell this information online to others for a tidy profit.
• Basic personal information including your name, address, birthday, and Social Security number can help an identity thief apply for loans, bank accounts, and credit cards in your name. It can also ease the process of using your financial data to make fraudulent purchases. Some thieves may even use your data to apply for jobs, rent an apartment, or file fraudulent tax returns.
• Insurance data and medical records can help an identity thief get expensive medical care in your name, leaving you on the hook for the bill.
• Your child’s personal information is especially attractive to thieves because children don’t use their own Social Security numbers very frequently until adulthood.

In 2015, identity theft has been a particularly notable crime because of several high-profile data breaches. Target, eBay, Anthem, Home Depot, and JPMorgan all suffered massive breaches in the past year that left hundreds of millions of customers vulnerable.

Tax-related fraud is exploding, too, and was No. 1 on the list of identity theft complaints made to the Federal Trade Commission in 2014.

What kind of identity theft should I worry about most?

By a wide margin, the most common kind of identity theft in 2014 was misuse of a credit card or bank account, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). This problem affected a staggering 86% percent of identity theft victims.

In contrast, only about 4% of victims had more complex cases where their personal information was stolen in an attempt to open new accounts or commit other fraud.

Though no one should discount the threat of identity theft, this news should help you breathe a little easier. That’s because credit-card and bank account misuse is typically the easiest kind of identity theft to remedy.

You can fairly easily get a new card or account, and your financial liability is often limited. While the BJS says two-thirds of identity theft victims reported a direct financial loss, only 14% actually had to pay anything out of pocket. Moreover, 54% of victims of this kind of identity theft were able to resolve problems in no more than a day, according to the BJS.

Here’s why the impact of this crime is often blunted:

• Federal law limits your liability for any unauthorized credit card transactions to $50, and you won’t have to pay anything if you report a card or card number stolen before it’s used.
• If your debit card or ATM card number is used without your authorization, the rules aren’t as favorable. While you’re not liable for anything over $50 within a couple of days, you could pay up to $500 if more than two days pass between the time you learn of a loss or theft and the time you report it. Wait more than 60 days, and you’re liable for everything.
• If you notice unauthorized charges in your bank account, contact your bank’s fraud department as soon as possible to dispute them. You may need to sign an affidavit as part of the bank’s investigation, but you’ll likely get your money back.

The scarier, worst-case-scenario identity theft occurs when someone uses a broad range of your personal information to apply for new accounts, or when you’re a victim of multiple kinds of identity theft — again, usually when someone has your name, birth date, and Social Security number — for more than one fraudulent activity.

It takes longer to resolve these cases: Only 36% of new-account fraud victims could resolve the incident in less than a day, according to the BJS. Just shy of 10% of victims had to spend more than a month cleaning up the mess.

What’s more, the longer the incident dragged on, the more likely they were to “experience problems with work and personal relationships and severe emotional distress.” And victims in these complex cases were subject to deeper out-of-pocket financial losses, too.

You might be worried about the other financial and legal problems identity theft can cause. For instance, it could impact your credit score, leading to higher interest rates and a tougher time being approved for new accounts. Maybe debt collectors will come knocking.

Victims of more serious identity-theft cases suffered these problems at a rate of 13% to 14%, the BJS reports, but that drops to just 2% to 3% for victims of simple account misuse.

Identity Theft Protection: What Should I Do to Safeguard My Data?

Identity theft remains is a real problem. Statistically, however, your risk of extreme financial loss remains relatively small.

How, then, do you protect yourself from identity theft without going overboard? Here are some common-sense measures you can take:

• Shop smart online. Don’t use a shared public computer or an unsecured public WiFi connection for online shopping and banking: You never know who’s watching.
• Make sure your home network is secure. Protect your network with the highest level of security your router allows, such as WPA2 encryption. Set up a firewall and invest in some security software to scan for malware and viruses.
• Be vigilant with PINs, passwords, and other digital verification methods. Use different passwords and PINs across accounts, and make sure they contain letters, numbers, and symbols so they aren’t easy to guess. Enable your phone’s auto-lock feature, and see whether you can reset your phone remotely if it’s lost or stolen.
• Check your accounts for suspicious activity regularly. While the majority of identity-theft victims were alerted by their bank or credit card company that something was amiss, you can’t rely on a fraud alert to catch everything. Request your free credit report every year via annualcreditreport.com and check it carefully for any signs of fraud.
• Speaking of alerts, sign up for them. Your bank can automatically alert you of a wide range of transactions, including purchases over a certain amount, ATM withdrawals, and international transactions. These can be your first tip-off that something’s amiss.
• Shred paper documents with personal data. It certainly sounds old-school in this digital age, but one of the most common ways an enterprising thief can swipe sensitive information is right out of your garbage bin. Be sure to shred any papers with personal data before trashing them.
• Don’t give out any personal information in response to unsolicited requests. No, an out-of-the-blue email from an African prince is not going to make you rich. No, you shouldn’t fork over your personal information to claim a prize in a drawing you never entered. And no, your bank will not ask you to verify your Social Security number and account information over email. Be very skeptical of any unsolicited requests for information, even from sources that appear legitimate — it’s easy for scammers to pose as your bank or some other trusted institution.

What about paid identity-theft and credit-monitoring services?

Services such as LifeLock promise to swiftly detect identity theft, alert you, and help guide you as you repair the situation.

We’ve reviewed the major credit-monitoring and identity-theft protection services, and you can see our recommendations in The Best Credit Monitoring Service for 2015. But note that while we think those services are the best in the industry, we don’t think most people need to invest in one of them.

Why? There are several reasons:

• These services cannot actually “protect” you from identity theft: All they can do is monitor your credit reports, bank accounts, public records, and other sources to alert you after the fact.
• In the majority of identity theft cases, your financial losses aren’t that great: As we mentioned above, only 14% of identity-theft victims suffered any out-of-pocket financial losses — and half of those who did lost less than $99. In contrast, you’ll spend a minimum of $10 a month, or $120 a year, for the least expensive plan with most credit monitoring services. The price doubles or triples for more fully-featured plans.
• You probably don’t need identity theft insurance. A big selling point of these services is that they offer up to $1 million in identity theft insurance. But as Consumer Reports notes, you’re often already protected by federal law or your own homeowners or renters insurance.
• You can remedy most cases of identity theft yourself: One feature of identity-theft and credit-monitoring services is an expert who helps you remedy the identity theft once it’s occurred. Again, for the vast majority of victims, there’s no need to pay for something you can do easily enough by yourself. According to the BJS, more than half of victims could resolve their cases in a day or less.
• You’ll have to be vigilant about free trials: While most services have a free trial, you’ll be charged automatically if you don’t cancel within a specified period. Always read the fine print.

Services such as LifeLock are probably worthwhile in the most severe identity-theft cases, but remember that only 4% of cases could be classified as such, according to the BJS.

Since there’s no way to predict whether you’ll be among that unlucky minority, you can probably forgo these services — unless the peace of mind is worth a premium.

I’m Already a Victim of Identity Theft — What Should I Do?

If you suspect a case of identity theft, take a deep breath: Chances are good that you’ll be able to resolve things relatively quickly and painlessly. Follow the steps below to start making things right.

1. Notify your bank or credit card company

If you think a credit card or bank account number has been stolen, call your financial institution as soon as possible and talk to their fraud department.

You’ll probably have to flag all unauthorized charges so they can be reversed, and the bank or credit card company may open an investigation and require you to sign an affidavit. If you get a new account or credit card number, make sure you switch over any affected automatic payments.

2. Put a fraud alert — and maybe a freeze — on your credit report

Contact one of the major credit bureaus (Equifax, Transunion, and Experian) to place a fraud alert on your credit report — they will automatically notify the other two. This alert lasts 90 days and requires any potential creditors to verify your identity before extending credit.

If you’re a victim in a more serious case of identity theft, you may also be able to freeze your credit so that access is severely restricted — just note that you’ll have to lift it to allow any legitimate creditors access to your information.

3. Alert the authorities

First, file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission here. Print and save the affidavit that your complaint generates. Then, file a police report. Send proof of both the FTC complaint and police report to the three major credit bureaus if you’d like to extend your fraud alert from its initial 90 days to seven years.

Keep the documents in a safe place in case any company seeks proof that your identity was stolen before reversing fraudulent charges.

4. Tackle any other fraudulent accounts

If unauthorized accounts were opened in your name, contact the fraud departments of each business. Ask them to close the accounts.

You may have to send your FTC affidavit and police report, or fill out a special form. Request proof that the account has been closed due to fraud and keep it for your records.

5. Continue to monitor your credit report

Once you have an FTC complaint and police report, the credit bureaus must honor your request to remove fraudulent information. You can still dispute fraudulent information without these documents, but the bureaus aren’t required to remove it, according to the FTC.

For more complex cases of identity theft, including tax fraud, child identity theft, and medical identity theft, follow the recommendations outlined at the FTC’s IdentityTheft.gov site.

When Thinking About Identity Theft, Perspective Is Key

Alarming statistics about identity theft are a dime a dozen. So are frightening stories about criminals who can drain your bank account, obtain a mortgage, or leave you on the hook for felonies you haven’t committed.

While serious cases of identity theft happen every day, you’re far more likely to find a funky charge on an existing account, and you probably won’t have to pay much, if anything — or spend more than a day — to remedy the situation.

If you are truly concerned, you can look into credit and identity theft monitoring services such as LifeLock, but beware of their limitations, discussed above.

To learn more, check out some of The Simple Dollar’s past articles on identity theft:

• The Unregulated World of Identity Theft ‘Insurance’
• Simple Steps to Avoid Identity Theft
• It’s Never Too Soon to Protect Your Child’s Credit

The post Identity Theft Basics appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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What Do You Think: Is It Worth Paying Kids for Good Report Cards?

Want to cause an uproar at the grownup table this Thanksgiving? Looking for a way to rile up other parents?

Casually bring up whether or not to pay kids for good grades. People tend to have pretty strong feelings about slipping Junior a few bucks for each A on his report card.

But, let’s start off by acknowledging that paying kids for good grades can actually work.

A 2012 study from “Freakonomics” researcher Steven D. Levitt and colleagues found that students did better on tests when promised money or trophies for good grades.

However, there’s more to the equation than Sally getting an A on her next math test. You want her to do well in school, but also develop self-motivation to work hard and a desire to learn.

There’s a long-standing fear that paying your child for good grades erodes the development of those important traits.

So what’s a parent to do? Let’s look into reasoning from both sides.

The Pros of Paying for Good Report Cards

First, let’s get inside the mind of a parent who has a checkbook and isn’t afraid to use it.

Grades are Important

Students who perform better in school generally do better going forward. So parents will take any opportunity to improve their student’s grades.

“The simple truth is: that money is a carrot dangling before them,” writes cash-paying parent and co-founder of AskTheMoneyCoach.com Lynette Khalfani-Cox.

“Actually, it’s more like a lingering incentive, hovering in the back of their minds when they might be tempted to slack off or to coast a bit toward the end of a class,” Khalfani-Cox adds.

This is How the World Works

Some parents argue this isn’t the first time children will be paid to do things they don’t want to do. That’s how jobs work — and they’re going to be working for most of their adult lives.

“I don’t see a problem with offering an incentive at the end of a grading period,” Erika Douglass wrote on the TODAY Mom’s Facebook page. “It’s actually very similar to adult life in the career market. At the end of an evaluation period, there is an incentive to earning high marks; a promotion, a raise.”

Welcome to the real world, kids.

Financial Incentives Increase Motivation

Levitt, the “Freakonomics” researcher, says his own parents’ offers of money for grades boosted his academic performance.

“One thing is certain: since my only sources of income were those grade-related bribes and the money I could win off my friends playing poker, I tried a lot harder in high school than I would have without the cash incentives,” he says.

And he ended up writing a best-selling book, so he seems to have turned out OK.

Getting Good Grades Gives Students a Taste of Success

“The excitement and adrenaline of success are addictive, and if you get to experience it, whatever the motivation, you’re inclined to seek it again,” writes mother-of-four Demetria Gallegos, who rewards her children with outings and shopping trips, rather than cash.

“I see my incentives as helping orient my daughters toward success,” she writes.

The Cons of Paying Kids for Good Report Cards

However, some parents hold tight to the other side of the argument. Here’s why:

Kids Don’t Always Care About Money

So what then?

“One argument against this line of thinking is that kids do not understand the importance of earning money and often don’t really need their own money,” says Matt Breed, who writes about college and education.

“If the money does not matter to them, the grades won’t matter,” Breed says.

Being Paid for Grades Decreases Desire to Learn

“It has short-term gain, but long-term pain,” says educational psychologist Michele Borba. “That love of learning goes out, and instead what the child loves is cash and not the subject of the learning.”

Outside Incentives Take Away From Internal Work Ethic

Remember Gallegos, the mother who rewards her children with non-cash incentives? Well, her husband, John, is firmly against student bribes.

“They must value education,” he says. “Giving them bribes is corrupting that value. They’re going to live their whole lives and you’re not going to be around to bribe them.”

With strong arguments on both sides, it’s not exactly an open-and-shut case.

Like most things in life, this one boils down to following your gut.

“What works for some families just doesn’t make any sense for others,” writes “Make Your Kid a Money Genius” author Beth Kobliner. “Beyond that, your decision may boil down to knowing your own kid.”

Your turn: Do you pay your kids for grades? Did your parents pay you for yours? (And did it work?) Let us know in the comments!

Lyndsee Simpson is a freelance writer and editor in Washington, D.C. Her parents never paid her for her grades and she’s still mad about it.

The post What Do You Think: Is It Worth Paying Kids for Good Report Cards? appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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5 Estate Planning Strategies to Keep Your Money in the Family

The inheritance you leave could still be eaten away by taxes and expenses. Here are five strategies to avoid that.


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FSA vs. HSA: How to Make the Best Choice During Open Enrollment

These accounts can help you pay for health care costs while keeping your tax situation healthy.

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5 Black Friday Myths, Busted. Here’s the Truth About the Biggest Shopping Day of the Year

Did you know the name Black Friday has nothing to do with retailer profits? Or that the day may not actually be the busiest shopping day of the year?

Since I was a kid, Black Friday shopping has just been a regular part of the holiday season. I never questioned its origins or its domination of retail shopping deals.

Apparently, I should have.

As I dug into the history of Black Friday, I busted those and a few other common myths about the shopping pseudo-holiday.

Read on — and let us know which of these caught you by surprise!

1. The “Black” in “Black Friday” Comes from an Accounting Term

I’ve heard this one for years: “Black Friday” comes from the the phrase “in the black,” used in accounting to refer to the black ink indicating retailers are finally turning a profit.

False.

It’s true that many retailers turn their only profits in the fourth quarter — some even run at a loss the rest of the year. But this isn’t what coined the popular name for the day after Thanksgiving.

In fact, the term originated as a negative one, and we believe it started in Philadelphia.

Various sources offer different dates of origin, but it looks like “Black Friday” was popular in Philly by the 1970s. It was the day shoppers overwhelmed the city and caused all kinds of headaches for local police.

As retailers raked in profits, Black Friday spelled doomsday for store employees, city officials and others who worked extra hard to guide the nation through the frenzy.

By the 1990s, the term started catching on around the country, and our best explanation for the accounting story is media spin. The dark connotation of the term was not in the best interest of retailers.

2. Black Friday is the Busiest Shopping Day of the Year

It has to be the busiest shopping day, right? Why else would the news cover shopping malls and microwave sales?

This might just be hype. Black Friday has ranked among the busiest shopping days for decades, but didn’t move into the top spot until online shopping became popular over the past decade.

Between 1993 and 2002, the Saturday before Christmas held the number-one spot for retail sales. Black Friday ranked between fourth and eighth busiest those years.

Black Friday pulled into the lead for the first time in 2003 and has held that position since 2005. But with the majority of people shopping from home, we have to attribute some success to online shopping, not the mall’s doorbusters.

3. Black Friday Deals Inspire Violence in Shoppers

We’ve all seen the headlines and heard horror stories. There’s even an online ticker counting Black Friday deaths and injuries.

But is Black Friday really turning us all into deal-crazed maniacs willing to kick off the holiday season with manslaughter for a discount on the latest American Girl doll?

Probably not.

A closer look at stories of “Black Friday” violence shows most of these aren’t related to shopping at all.

This 2014 accident outside of a Walmart was due to a stuck accelerator.

This 2013 robbery didn’t even occur at a retail store.

This 2008 incident at Toys R Us was considered gang-related.

Few news reports cite a shopping-related conflict as the cause for violence or injury, but Black Friday still makes it in the headline.

Even if all “Black Friday violence” could be linked to shopping, it wouldn’t be unique to the holiday.

Walmart is one of the biggest Black Friday offenders, and is linked to rising crime rates around the country, regardless of the time of year

“Black Friday death” makes a killer headline (pun intended). But make sure you know the details before believing the hype.

4.Thanksgiving Dictates Black Friday’s Date

Each year, Black Friday falls on the day after Thanksgiving. So the date of the shopping day is dependent on the floating date of Turkey Day.

But that doesn’t seem to be the case.

You may have heard that Thanksgiving Day has shifted over the years — from the last Thursday of November to the fourth Thursday.

The country was even once split over the issue: In 1939-40, 16 states celebrated Thanksgiving on the last Thursday in November, while President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the rest of the country celebrated on the second-to-last Thursday.

Why?

It was all about money.

The last Thursday of November in 1939 was also the last day of the month. Because tradition and protocol kept consumers from holiday shopping until after Thanksgiving, this created a shorter holiday shopping season.

Less shopping meant reduced retail profits, a threat to the economy still recovering from the Great Depression.

Thankfully, Congress stepped in to clear up the confusion caused by Roosevelt’s proclamation. November’s fourth Thursday was officially declared Thanksgiving in 1941, which accounts for years when there are five Thursdays in the month.

The resolution preserves tradition without compromising our ability to finish our shopping before December 25.

It’s a bit of a chicken-or-egg question, but it looks like Black Friday’s popularity had a significant influence on Thanksgiving’s official date.

5. Black Friday Offers the Best Retail Shopping Deals

If you keep an eye on Black Friday ads, you’ll probably feel some déjà vu. Many retailers recycle the same deals each year — some practically print the same flyer!

But even these deals aren’t always the year’s best. You can always wait for an even better deal. Discounts can get significantly steeper as Christmas draws near, according to ShopAdvisor.

The same study also found 42% of products were priced lower in the four weeks before Black Friday than on the actual day. Average discounts on the days leading up to Christmas also outweighed Black Friday deals — some were three times higher.

Can You Believe It?

Black Friday may not be everything we always believed it was. But even with these myths busted, a holiday about finding the best deal is still a win for any Penny Hoarder!

Your Turn: Did you know any of these were myths? Which ones surprised you?

Dana Sitar (@danasitar) is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She’s written for Huffington Post, Entrepreneur, Writer’s Digest and more. She’ll probably spend Black Friday working on an elusive novel and eating ALL the leftover green bean casserole.

This post originally appeared on our special Black Friday site.

The post 5 Black Friday Myths, Busted. Here’s the Truth About the Biggest Shopping Day of the Year appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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Free credit reports for Barclays and Tesco Bank customers

credit report.jpg

Eleven million Barclaycard customers will receive free regular access to their credit reports from tomorrow.

All customers will be able to access their Experian credit score online, which usually costs £2 for a one off report, or £14.99 a month for ongoing access. Mobile access to credit scores is expected to also be available from January via the Barclaycard App.

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Full time earnings rise by £10 a week

Tom Wilson

cash money.jpg

Full time workers are £10 a week better than off than a year ago, with average weekly wages rising to £528, according to a new report from the Office for National Statistics.

Full time workers are £10 a week better than off than a year ago, with average weekly wages rising to £528, according to a new report from the Office for National Statistics. 

In real terms, wages increased by 1.9% in 2015, boosted by negative inflation. This was the first year wages have increased in real terms since 2007.

read more

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Why Johnson & Johnson Stock Is a Better Buy Than Pfizer

Analysts say the company's drug pipeline, earnings history and diversification give it a clear edge.


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7 Retirement Money Wasters to Avoid

Don’t let these expenses cut into your retirement income.

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Frugal Holiday Decorating and Entertaining Tips

Mixing and matching with a DIY approach can cut costs. 

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I Signed Up to Get Paid for Texts From Free Eats… And Here’s What Happened

Conventional wisdom says there’s no such thing as a free lunch — but Free Eats markets itself as a simple way to earn one.

This curious penny hoarder (who’s always eager to earn an extra buck) decided to investigate. Here’s what I found out.

What is Free Eats?

First of all, there’s nothing to eat. (Bummer, right?!) And unless you have unlimited text messaging in your wireless plan, it’s technically not free.

Free Eats is a company that pays members for having ads delivered via text messages to their cell phones.

It’s easy, really — just register (you’ll earn a dollar), provide your active mobile phone number and receive texts containing ads and links. Every time you get a Free Eats text, you earn a quarter.

Free Eats pays instantly via PayPal, but be careful — your number must be linked to the account to avoid complications and possible lost payments.

What’s the Catch?

The whole thing sounds pretty great, right? Passive income, nearly no startup effort and it’s free — or virtually free, unless you’re way overpaying per text message.

It’s definitely legit: I received payment to my Paypal account for registering and receiving ads immediately, as promised.

The problem? I’ve been a member for a week and a half — and I’ve only received one ad.

This is a well-documented issue. One of the FAQ entries on their site is “Why haven’t I received any text messages?”

Free Eats explains they’re working to grow their client base — the companies who pay Free Eats to send you their ads. Since the company doesn’t have many clients, don’t expect to make more than a quarter every now and then.

Once their client pool grows, Free Eats hopes to send its members one to two text messages per week. But, no matter how many advertisers Free Eats acquires, the ads will be capped at two per day, according to their site.

What’s the Verdict: Is Free Eats a Scam?

If you have unlimited text messages, there’s no reason not to sign up for Free Eats: it’s free money, and it’s delivered immediately.

Plus, as the business grows, you could potentially earn between 50 cents and $3.50 in extra cash each week.

Just don’t expect large payouts any time soon.

Your Turn: Have you tried Free Eats? What did you think? Would you consider signing up?

Jamie Cattanach is a junior writer at The Penny Hoarder and a native Floridian. She’s passionate about learning, literature, chocolate and finding ways to live the good life as cost-effectively as possible. You can wave hi to @jamiecattanach on Twitter.

The post I Signed Up to Get Paid for Texts From Free Eats… And Here’s What Happened appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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5 Steps to Creating a Nearly 'Perfect' Resume

While job applicants can use different styles and formats, the basic building blocks of a good resume don't vary.

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How to Save Big When Hosting Family for the Holidays

Five tips to lower the cost of food, activities and unexpected expenses. 

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20 Common Investment Mistakes and Five Simple Steps to Avoid Them

Reacting to the media and its endless hype cycle is no way to manage your investments. Turn off the TV and tune out the panic. Photo: Dennis Skley

I recently came across a wonderful document published by the CFA Institute entitled Tips for Avoiding the Top 20 Common Investment Mistakes.

(The CFA Institute is the organization that manages the CFA, or Chartered Financial Analyst, certification program, which is an extremely robust certification for financial professionals, so much so that many other organizations simply accept that certification as a qualifier to bypass entrance exams and other certifications. Someone who is able to pass CFA exams knows their stuff.)

I often find myself disagreeing with materials produced by the financial planning industry, as most of their material is geared toward people signing up with a financial advisor, but I was more than pleasantly surprised by this document. It’s just as applicable to investors who are not using a financial planner as it is to people who choose to do so.

As I often do when I find documents like this, I start adding my own notes and thoughts all over the place, so I thought I would share the investment mistakes from the document along with my own notes on each mistake.

20 Common Investment Mistakes

Mistake No. 1: Expecting too much or using someone else’s expectations

Like it or not, the simple act of investing alone won’t solve all of your financial problems. It’s easy to think that because you’re now investing, everything will be perfect and all of your problems are solved. This is especially true when you listen to investment advisors who promise outsized returns.

I’ll give you a hint – you’re simply not going to beat the returns of the stock market over the long term, and probably not over the short term. People like Dave Ramsey suggest unrealistic expectations (he suggests a 12% average annual return, which isn’t based in any sort of reality).

The best thing for any investor to do is to keep their expectations within reality. Look at what the stock market actually does, not just in one year, but over a lot of years, and use those numbers for your expectations.

Mistake No. 2: Not having clear investment goals

For most people, this isn’t an issue – their goal with investing is to have a stable income in retirement to supplement their Social Security. This is about as easy as can be, with both employee sponsored and individual plans within easy reach of pretty much everyone. Most retirement plans make working toward that goal really, really easy by offering target-date retirement funds.

Where this gets tricky is when people are investing for reasons besides retirement. If you’re not investing toward retirement, you need to figure out exactly why you’re investing, how far off that goal is, and how much risk you can tolerate along the way.

Mistake No. 3: Failing to diversify enough

Diversification in investments simply means having your money spread across a lot of different things. Ideally, you’re spreading your investment money across completely different types of assets – cash, bonds, stocks, real estate, maybe even things like precious metals or collectibles.

The reasoning is easy – just because one of those things drops in value doesn’t mean that the others will, so if you have your money spread across all of those things, you won’t suffer if, say, the stock market takes a dive.

Some things even work in reverse: For example, historically, bonds do well when stocks take a dive and vice versa. The problem is that most people don’t diversify very much, especially when it comes to the things that are most important, like retirement savings.

Mistake No. 4: Focusing on the wrong kind of performance

The stock market can jump or drop multiple percentage points in a single day, and that can be a really bumpy ride for some people. If you have $100,000 in the stock market and it drops 4% in a day, you’ve just lost $4,000. That’s enough to make some people panic.

The thing is, if you’re invested in the stock market, the short term shouldn’t matter at all to you. What matters is the long term, and over the long term, the stock market has a fairly steady (although bumpy) upward trend. If you push the panic button because of one down day, or one down week, or even one down year, you’re going to end up hurting yourself big time.

Mistake No. 5: Buying high and selling low

Many people’s instincts tell them to buy stocks after a day or a week where they’ve done really well. Stocks have gone up 10% in the last quarter, they must be hot, I should buy in! Unfortunately, that’s buying high.

On the other hand, people often instinctively sell when an investment drops rapidly. They see losses over the last month or quarter and they get scared and panic. That’s selling low.

Buying high and selling low are strategies that are going to fail you over and over again. A much better approach: Ignore the lows and highs, buy a little bit each week or each month, and then sell when you need to.

Mistake No. 6: Trading too much and too often

Some people get really into the “game” of playing around with their investments. They’ll react to the news that they hear and move their investments around all the time. The problem when you do that is that you tend to generate lots of transaction fees as well as lots of tax implications.

Many brokerages charge you every time you buy or sell an investment, which can add up extremely quickly if you’re buying and selling too often. Those transaction fees chew up and swallow your gains quite quickly.

Beyond that, it can quickly turn your tax situation into a mess, with a mix of short- and long-term capital gains and losses that could result in a painful tax bill, too. You’re almost always better off making a diversified plan and sticking with it right off the bat.

Mistake No. 7: Paying too much in fees and commissions

Different brokerages charge different fees when you buy and sell investments. Not only that, commission-based financial planners like to get their piece of the pie, too. If you’re using a high commission planner and also investing in something that has high transaction charges, your money is going down the drain.

You’re far better off figuring out how to do these things yourself and finding investment opportunities that come with little or no transaction fees. I use Vanguard for almost all of my investments and if you invest directly with them and buy their funds, there are no transaction fees or commissions at all.

Mistake No. 8: Focusing too much on taxes

People often focus intensely on the tax consequences of their investment decisions, often to their own detriment. Yes, making a move to help you pay lower taxes can be a good thing, but the taxes a person pays on investment gains are often insignificant compared to having a good investment strategy for your goals.

If an opportunity comes up that can help you lower your taxes without losing investment gains, you should by all means take advantage of it, but if you’re making investment choices primarily to avoid paying a few dollars to Uncle Sam, like putting your money in a 401(k) with terrible options instead of a Roth IRA with great options so you pay fewer taxes this year, you’re almost always guaranteeing yourself a worse outcome.

Mistake No. 9: Not reviewing investments regularly

If you’re actually diversified into several different investments, some of those will have better returns than others in a given year.

Let’s say you want to maintain a 50/50 split between the two investments in your portfolio and, at the start of the year, you have $50,000 in each. However, during the year, the first investment goes up 20% while the second stays steady. You now have $60,000 in the first investment and $50,000 in the second, which is more like a 55/45 split.

If that keeps up, you’re going to be way off track. The solution is to check in on things every once in a while and then adjust your contributions to keep things in the balance that you desire.

Mistake No. 10: Taking too much, too little, or the wrong risk

Too much risk and you’re prone to panic and also to having a lower-than-expected balance at that moment when you want to make a withdrawal. Too little risk and you’re not going to get as much investment growth as you should.

If you’re not sure what to do, figure out your target date for your investments and look at what a target-date retirement fund for that date is doing, as that’s the kind of investment portfolio and level of risk you should be considering as a starting point.

Mistake No. 11: Not knowing the true performance of your investments

It’s great if some of your investments are doing really well, but that doesn’t mean that things are good overall. Your success isn’t judged on your best investment, nor is your failure based on your worst. What matters is that you know how everything is doing and that you keep them in balance by tweaking your contributions.

Mistake No. 12: Reacting to the media

The media always loves to hype things. The media also loves to hit that panic button hard.

One day, they’ll work to convince you that you need this or that investment because it’s the hottest thing in town. The next, they’ll tell you that everything is falling apart and the sky is falling.

Usually, neither one is true. The media simply knows that hype and fear are the things that attract viewers and readers. Be calm and measured – don’t fall for the media hype cycle, especially when it comes to your investments.

Mistake No. 13: Chasing yield

It is always tempting to jump into whatever investment happened to have the best returns during the last year or the last three years. If you see another investment similar to yours with a better return, why not jump to it?

First of all, past performance is not indicative of future returns. On top of that, the higher the yield, the higher the risk (in general). If you jump to a similar investment with a higher short-term yield, there’s a very good chance that the next year will be worse than what you already have, plus you’ll have to deal with transaction fees.

Mistake No. 14: Trying to be a market-timing genius

It is simply impossible to guess when the market is at a peak or when it is at the bottom of a decline. There is so much day-to-day variability in the stock market that guessing such things is essentially impossible. Of course, chasing that kind of market timing is going to trigger a bunch of transaction fees and absorb a bunch of your time. You’re better off just investing with automated regularity and not moving your investments around.

Mistake No. 15: Not doing due diligence

Just because some article suggested investing in something or some talking head on television said that a particular investment was amazing doesn’t mean that it is something you should be putting your money into.

Quite often, mentions in the media like that come from investment advisors that have their own financial reasons for hyping a particular investment, reasons that probably have nothing to do with your own financial success.

Be wary. Put in the time to research an investment by doing things like reading the prospectus or don’t bother investing in it at all.

Mistake No. 16: Working with the wrong advisor

Just as there is in any profession, there are good financial advisors and bad financial advisors out there. There are a few tell-tale signs of bad advisors, however.

One sure sign of a questionable advisor is that they’re not asking you a lot of questions – a good advisor wants to know who you are and what your reasons for investing are. Another sign is that they can’t explain why you would want to invest in a particular investment.

In general, I look for fee-based financial advisors, meaning that they don’t make their money from commissions on particular investments (because doing so would give them incentive to push you into those investments whether they’re right for you or not).

Mistake No. 17: Letting emotions get in the way

The worst investment decision is one based on emotions, and those emotions can come from a lot of places. They can come from fear about the future. They can come from anger or sadness regarding your key life relationships. They can come from irrational exuberance about how well things are going at the moment.

The best investment plan is one that’s considered with minimal emotion and one that you stick to throughout those emotional highs and lows.

Mistake No. 18: Forgetting about inflation

Inflation is a real thing. Prices continue to go up and up and up and if you don’t account for that down the road, you’re going to find yourself in a real pickle eventually.

Don’t make your target number match what you would need today. Include inflation in the equation. Assume that prices are going to go up (at least) 3% per year and thus you’re going to need that much more to live on in retirement. Yes, it makes the hill a lot bigger, but you’re better off shooting for the right number.

Mistake No. 19: Neglecting to start or continue

Many people avoid retirement savings because of a fear of complexity or a desire to maximize their paychecks today. Some people choose to discontinue their retirement savings because they feel pressured by today’s financial needs. The worst mistake you can make when saving for retirement is not starting at all; the second worst mistake is stopping your savings and not restarting it.

Mistake No. 20: Not controlling what you can

You can’t personally change the ups and downs of the economy, but you can change your own day-to-day behavior. You can choose to spend less on unnecessary things, which gives you more money to invest toward the future.

The key is finding a good balance, and many people believe in a balance that is tilted too hard toward the present and away from their future needs.

Five Key Steps to Address Most of These Concerns

So, how do you address these mistakes? What kind of plan exists that takes these widely varying mistakes into account? Here are five key steps you can take to address almost all of these issues.

1. Learn how to invest.

Knowledge is power. The most important thing you can do is learn, learn, learn and never stop learning.

Investing actually isn’t that complicated as long as you’re willing to spend the time to learn about it. I recommend picking up a really strong book on investing – my usual recommendation is The Bogleheads’ Guide to Investing by Larimore, LeBoeuf, and Lindauer – and read through it slowly.

At any point where you don’t understand a particular point, stop and go research that specific point until you do understand it. Any time a term comes up that you don’t quite get, stop and look up that term so that you do understand what’s being said. Look at lots of real world examples of what they’re talking about. Then, repeat this with another investment book or two. Before long, it won’t seem scary – instead, it’ll seem easy.

2. Manage the investments yourself.

Once you have that knowledge, managing your own investments seems like an obvious move. Why would you not manage your own investments if you understand investing?

Taking control of things yourself means that you don’t have to pay an investment advisor as a middle man between you and your investments and you also have the ability to freely choose whatever investments work best for you. Almost every investment firm offers more than enough online tools to handle personal management of investments.

3. Stick to a simple strategy.

The simpler, the better. Stick your retirement savings in a target-date retirement fund. If you’re saving for other goals, come up with a very simple portfolio spread across two or three different asset classes – domestic stocks, international stocks, bonds, cash, real estate, etc. – and just sit on that.

Set up an automatic investment plan and then just forget about the whole thing. Check it every once in a while and adjust your automatic investments accordingly so that you keep your portfolio in balance.

4. Ride out the ups and downs.

Stocks are going to go up and down. Bonds are going to go up and down. Real estate is going to go up and down. Don’t sweat it.

Never, ever forget that you are in this for the long haul and that making a panicked move based on a short-term drop or a short-term jump is probably going to put you in a worse long-term position, especially when you add in transaction fees and taxes (if applicable).

5. Call in a fee-based financial advisor only when you’re facing an exceptional challenge.

At some point, something will probably come up that is actually fairly complicated and you’re not sure how to proceed.

This doesn’t mean it’s time to panic or to undo everything. This means it’s time to call in a fee-based financial advisor, one who won’t spend their time trying to sell you on some investment option that isn’t in your best interests.

A good financial advisor will simply ask you a lot of questions, figure out where you’re going, and help you tweak things so that you stay on the path you want to be on. That’s what a good financial advisor does.

Final Thoughts

If you follow those steps, you’ll dodge most of these common investment mistakes just as a matter of course. These mistakes simply don’t apply to people who learn about investing, chart a simple course, and stick to it through the short term rises and falls.

The core to all of this, however, is learning about investing. Don’t trust everything to a financial advisor. Take the time to learn about investments on your own, even if you’re just depositing money in your 401(k). d to much better returns over the long haul.

Good luck!

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A Side Hustle for Amateur Photographers: Take Holiday Family Portraits

The holidays may abound with opportunities to spend money, but for the savvy Penny Hoarder, they’re also filled with opportunities to make money.

If you’re a shutterbug, one easy way to make money is by taking family portraits.

People flock home for the holidays, which means a rare opportunity for whole families to be together. Many would love to capture this special time, but they assume (probably correctly) a professional photographer would cost more than they want to spend.

That’s where you, the amateur photographer, come in. Since it’s not a super important one-time event (like a wedding), people are more likely to hire you even if you don’t have an impressive portfolio. Basically, they just want someone who knows how to use a camera, so they don’t have to go into a studio or use a self-timer.

And I speak from experience: I’m not a professional photographer, but I’ve earned money taking family portraits over the holidays. Here’s how you can get started with this fun and creative side gig.

What You Need to Take Family Photographs

If you’re reading this article, I’m guessing you have an interest in photography, which means you might already have some or all of the tools you need to take family photographs.

Here’s what I use and recommend:

• DSLR camera: I have a Nikon D5100, which I love — but I don’t think it matters what type of SLR you have, as long as you’re comfortable with it. Just don’t think you can get by with an iPhone; why would people want to hire you to take photos they could take themselves?

• Photo editing software: I use both iPhoto and Adobe Lightroom. iPhoto came with my MacBook, and Adobe Lightroom cost around $80 when I purchased it. There’s a plethora of photo-editing software out there; just find a program you enjoy using.

• Photo sharing and storage software: I use the basic version of SmugMug to store and share my photos, which costs $5 per month. I like sharing photos with clients through this platform, because they can order prints and products directly from the site. Similar services include Zenfolio, Flickr and Photobucket.

• Website and/or business cards: Though, as I’ll explain below, my work has been via word-of-mouth, a website and business cards could help your business grow much more quickly.

How to Find Work as a Family Photographer

All of my work as a family photographer has been through word-of-mouth. Since people know I have a travel blog and am always taking pictures, they figured I might be able to take photos for them.

If you’re interested in taking family photographs, start by reaching out to friends whose families are going to be home for the holidays. (Working for friends has an added bonus: everyone is more comfortable around people they know, which means they’ll photograph better.)

Then tell your entire network you’re offering this service, and ask them to help you spread the word. If they know of anyone who might be interested, call up those potential clients yourself. Don’t wait for business to come to you.

Even if you don’t have business cards or a website, you can announce your service on Facebook or other social media sites. Package it as a great family gift and outline how you’ll do everything: drive to their house, set up the portraits and send them digital copies. All the client has to do is look nice.

Even if people had never thought of taking family photographs before, they’ll probably jump on the opportunity once you demonstrate how easy you’ll make it.

Just remember: the more work you put in marketing yourself, the more business you’ll likely get.

How Much You Can Earn Taking Family Photographs

What you can earn from taking photographs completely depends on your experience, level of professionalism and target market. If you’re in New York City, for example, chances are you’ll earn a lot more than if you’re in the rural Midwest.

To give you an idea of what you can earn, I’ll share my own experience. My first gig was taking family portraits for a friend as her Christmas present to her parents. She wasn’t earning a lot of money, and I’d never taken family portraits, so I did it for free — in exchange for a yummy dinner and some photos to add to my portfolio.

Since then, I’ve charged $100 per session, which involves about three hours of work: a half-hour of driving, an hour to take the photographs and an hour and a half to edit them.

I keep my rate low because I’ve only done this for friends. And $33 per hour to make my friends’ families happy is more than I need. I haven’t pursued this as a serious side business, but if I did, I’d probably charge a lot more.

When setting your rate, here are a few things to consider:

• Travel costs: How long does it take you to get to the family’s home or portrait location? What about gas?

• Post-session work: How long will it take you to edit, upload and share the images?

• Equipment and subscriptions: This includes your camera, website and software costs

• Tax deductions: If you’re earning money through photography as a sole proprietor, you can deduct your business expenses — so save your receipts!

Your Turn: Do you enjoy taking photographs? Have you ever thought of earning money from your hobby?

Susan Shain, senior writer for The Penny Hoarder, is always seeking adventure on a budget. Visit her blog at susanshain.com, or say hi on Twitter @susan_shain.

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Looking for Faith-Based Work? 5 Ways to Find Christian Work-at-Home Jobs

Every week I receive tons of emails from women who are looking for legitimate jobs they can do from home. When I ask them about their passions, skills and prior experience, a large percentage of these women mention their Christian faith.

Because faith and religion play such an important role in the lives of so many, it only seems fitting to explore the companies and opportunities for faith-based jobs.

If you’re looking to incorporate your Christian faith into your career search, here are five ways to get started.

1. Try Christian Work-at-Home Companies

My initial goal writing this post was to find Christian companies that hire remote workers on a regular basis. But in my intensive research, I was only able to find a few companies.

Concordia Online Education

Concordia is a nonprofit institution established by the Lutheran Church. Currently they hire adjunct faculty to teach college courses online.

eaHelp

eaHelp is a legit work at home company that hires executive virtual assistants and social media assistants.

Their mission is to “Glorify God by sourcing people and services that ignite a leader’s possibilities and results.”

Grand Canyon University

Grand Canyon University is a faith-based institution that integrates a Christian worldview into their curriculum. Currently they hire both part-time and full-time adjunct faculty to teach online.

Northwest Christian University

Northwest Christian University hires adjunct instructors to teach a variety of subjects online. Search for listings that have the keyword “online.”

Ohio Christian University

Ohio Christian University hires remote recruiters and adjunct faculty in a variety of subjects.

Look for the jobs with the keywords: remote, virtual and online.

Don’t worry, my search hasn’t ended. I will continue to scour the web and search for more Christian-based companies that offer remote gigs. As I find them I will update this list – so stay tuned.

2. Check Christian Job Boards

There are a TON of job board sites online, and I did find a couple of Christian-based job boards. But honestly, I was disappointed with the results.

Christian Job Fair

Christian Job Fair is a division of Christian Career Center. On this site, you can search under their “work from home” category for remote jobs.

However, the two listings I found under this category were for home business opportunities. They did say they were Christian-based businesses, but they both looked like “get rich quick” schemes.

If you decide to use this site, make sure to do your due diligence before applying for any jobs or opportunities.

Christian Jobs

Christian Jobs is a job board that “connects believers in the workplace”. Here you can search for jobs, as well as post your resume.

They do have a “work at home” category, but the three results I found were weak. Two were direct sales opportunities, but they weren’t even for Christian-based companies. The third listing wasn’t a work at home job at all; it was for a daycare position that had the word “home” in the title.

This could possibly be a good place to submit your resume, but be careful when searching for jobs – make sure to do your research.

If you’re going to use a job board for your search, I’d recommend using these ones:

Indeed

Indeed is an aggregated job board. What this means is they pull results from all of the major job board sites, and display them in one place – so it saves you a ton of time.

And because they have such a huge database, you have a better chance of finding what you’re looking for.

FlexJobs

FlexJobs is a membership-based job board dedicated to flexible work arrangements.

Not only do they cater to remote, part-time and freelance work, but they also hand-screen every listing, so you know that each and every job listing on the website is legit.

Upwork

Upwork is a project-based, freelance job board. To search for gigs, type the keyword “Christian” into the search box.

I found one project gathering biblical texts from the Internet and another for a church telemarketer.

To apply for gigs on Upwork, create a profile, bid on projects and wait for your bid to be accepted. Once the work is complete, you’ll get paid securely through the Upwork platform.

3. Sell Products From Home

While not a job per se, direct sales is a moneymaking opportunity that you can do from home.

For a minimal fee, direct sales companies will give you a starter kit that includes everything you need to get started. From here you’ll follow their detailed guide on how to sell products; usually this is done through in-home parties or catalog sales.

For each sale you make, you’ll earn a commission. The nice thing about the direct-sales industry is there are quite a few Christian-based companies.

Christian Bling

Christian Bling sells faith-inspired jewelry, accessories and gifts. Consultants can earn 20-29% commission on individual sales and additional percentages on team sales.

F.A.I.T.H.

Fashion Accessories In The Home (F.A.I.T.H.) sells faith-inspired jewelry. With this opportunity, you pay a small startup fee and in return earn free jewelry credits.

Sadly, you won’t make any money with this opportunity, but if you LOVE free jewelry, it may be worth looking into.

Grace & Heart

Grace & Heart is a direct sales company that sells faith-inspired jewelry.

There’s not a lot of information on their website about the opportunity, so you would need to contact them if you’re interested in joining the team.

Initial Outfitters

Initial Outfitters is a Christian-inspired direct sales company that sells personalized totes, bags, jewelry and gifts.

Consultants can earn 20-35% on personal sales, as well as additional percentages on team sales.

Martha and Mary

Martha and Mary is a Christian-inspired direct sales company that offers a unique blend of business and ministry, selling home decor, jewelry, kitchen and tableware, and gift items.

Consultants can earn 25-40% commission on sales, plus additional percentages for building a team.

Premier Designs

Premier Designs is a Christian-inspired direct sales company that sells a wide variety of jewelry.

Consultants can earn 50% commission on sales, and another 10% commission on team sales in your first three levels.

Thirty-One

Thirty-One is a Christian-inspired company that sells personalized bags, totes, purses, jewelry, accessories, baskets and wallets. Consultants can earn 25% commission, plus bonuses.

4. Blog About Your Faith

I’m a huge advocate for starting your own blog. But let me tell you why blogging is such a great home business to start.

• It builds a business platform for other opportunities like freelance writing, coaching, speaking, social media management or direct selling.

• It showcases your expertise.

• It opens doors to new people and opportunities.

• It has low startup costs.

• You can blog about any topic.

• It’s completely flexible – you’re not stuck to a set schedule.

In fact, there are many bloggers who have blogs centered around their faith. Just check out Jill over at CWAHM, Bob at Seedtime or Dale at The Daily Positive.

Starting your own blog is easy and affordable. It isn’t a get-rich-quick career, but I have interviewed women that have made six figures within their first year of blogging.

Looking for Christian brands and affiliates to work with? Of course, you can contact the direct-sales companies listed above, but here are a few more options for you to consider.

• Beacon Ad Network

• Dayspring Affiliate Program

• Faithbox

• Family Christian Affiliate Program

5. Become a Christian Freelance Writer

As a freelance writer, you will research, write and edit written pieces for clients.

The types of projects you take on will vary on your prior knowledge, skill set, experience and interests.

My best piece of advice for anyone who wants to be a freelance writer is … keep writing! The more you write the better and faster you’ll get.

Also make sure you’re investing in your professional development by reading and participating in courses, webinars and training.

While this list is nowhere near complete, it will give you a good place to start on your Christian work-at-home job search.

Your Turn: Have you considered incorporating your Christian faith into your job search? Will you explore any of these opportunities?

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. We would have shared them with you anyway, but a true “penny hoarder” would be a fool not to take the company’s money.

This post was originally published at The Work at Home Woman. Named by Forbes as one of the best websites for your career, The Work at Home Woman has been helping women to find legitimate work at home jobs and earn money from home.

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Putting a Positive Spin on Negative Work Traits

By Christy Schutz Ok, so the powerhouse woman who launched this awesome TheWorkatHomeWoman.com world that you find yourself in, is a very organized, very sweet person named Holly. She’s meticulous. She checks with us at least once a year to make sure we still want to be regular contributors. She outlines our writing deadlines a year […]

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Welcome to the New Simple Dollar

At The Simple Dollar, we cut through the complexities of our everyday financial lives to set forth a framework of principles that can guide our everyday financial decision making, and help us all become more intentional about how we acquire and use money. In my personal experience, as in Trent’s, the concept of connecting our deepest values to how we use this tool called money was life changing.

While the principles we espouse are simple, we recognize that are lives are not all in the same place, and that we often have competing interests.

Through our new design, logo and branding we want to dive deeper into the complexities between where we are and where we wish to go, so that we can all travel a more intentional path toward independence together. I hope you like it.

Logo Brings Perspective

The simple silhouette of the dollar bill keeps us connected to finance, while also functions as a lense through which we can focus and bring new perspective to our everyday challenges.

I personally imagined the logo as a way for me to think about my values and which of my actions, expenditures, pursuits “fit” in the box, vs what could or should be left outside.

Additionally, this concept allows us to bring perspective to the idea that personal finance, while integrated into every corner of our lives, does not fully comprise our lives. In fact, there is much more to us individually, than what our bank account says.

We will use our logo and imagery to zoom in when we can drill down and focus, but also zoom out to bring a bigger picture perspective when needed.

Imagery Brings Content to Life

No doubt, one of the first things you likely noticed is the use of imagery. Personal finance, and specifically personal finance education tends to be nuts and bolts, words and numbers. In my experience, there is no shortage of personal finance education – the information is out there.

However, we as human beings (me personally!) have a very difficult time taking that information and creating the habits and practices that create meaningful change. We will use more imagery to help connect these dots, bring more life to the everyday challenges we face, and help to greet people with a wink in times of uncertainty and stress.

Navigation Delivers the Relevant Content for You

In the navigation, we broke out our content into two main buckets:

• Sections
• Topics

Sections

We wanted to organize content into sections that were more relevant to the arc of your personal financial experience. Here you can dive into specific areas of your finances and explore content related to:

• Money Management - What are strategies, tips and tricks for managing money day to day?
• Career and Learning - How do I better my career, learn more and increase my skills so I can make more money?
• The Future - How do I plan for the big goals in my life? What’s next?
• Dealing with Debt - I need to tackle my debt. I need to discover the strategies of others who have overcome the issues I’m grappling with.
• Credit - What is credit? How does it affect me, and how do I make my credit better?
• Spending less - The cornerstone! How do I keep more of the money I make? Where can I find the products or services I need at affordable prices?

Topics

For people who enjoyed the old site navigation, we’ve included the basics within topics. Topics are more traditional ways of viewing the mechanisms of personal finance. Within topics, we have content organized like this:

• Education - Information on higher education and student finance.
• Credit and Debt - Information around credit cards and credit card debt.
• Investing - Everything on the topic of investing – from online platforms, to real estate and setting yourself up for passive income in retirement.
• Money - All about banking.
• Insurance - Current trends, concepts and issues in the world of insurance.
• Home and Life - Information on home and recreational fiances.
• Consumer Advocacy - Current articles on trending issues related to the consumer. From EMV credit card scams to identity theft and hacking.

Feedback

I sincerely hope you like the new design. We have worked hard to bring it to life – but it will be an ongoing effort to get it perfect. I welcome your feedback so we can always keep improving on and delivering the right experience to help you achieve your financial goals.

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