Lehigh Valley Health Network is consolidating some of its physician practices where there is overlap, resulting in an unspecified "small" number of workforce reductions, the network announced this week.A LVHN statement did not specify how the practices will be consolidated, and spokesman Brian Downs declined to elaborate except to say only a "handful" of practices are affected and employees will have a chance at other jobs within the network. The Health Network has relationships with [...]
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الخميس، 14 يناير 2016
Eight Affordable Furniture Stores to Furnish Your Home on the Cheap
A huge, cozy couch to read on during a rainy, drizzly day can bring you a significant amount of joy. However, furniture – couches especially – can be some of the most expensive and most overpriced stuff in your home.
From bedroom sets to living room sofas to kitchen tables, you can easily spend thousands of dollars on your home furnishings just adding the basics to each room. And with trends constantly evolving, it can be tempting t0 update your decor as time goes by. (And I don’t know if you’ve checked lately, but even throw pillows can get really expensive!)
Many people want their homes to look nice but they don’t want to spend thousands of dollars on their furniture or other home furnishings like curtains and vases. Luckily, there are many affordable options when it comes to buying furniture. Not only that, all the stores listed below have quality furniture that have kept customers happy for years.
Tips for Finding Affordable Furniture Stores
- Check big-box stores: Many people know where to find the furniture stores in their town, but often private furniture retailers and mattress companies are incredibly expensive. Instead, consider going to big-box stores like Target, Costco, and Wal-Mart. These stores carry your typical household items like brooms, paint, and even groceries, but they also have an incredible array of furniture from headboards and tables all the way to custom storage solutions.
- Ask friends and family: An Internet search can be helpful, but it also pays to get recommendations the old-fashioned way. Asking friends and family where they got their furniture (even via a Facebook post) is a great way to find more affordable furniture stores or less well-known outlets.
- Buy furniture online: Online furniture stores can be more affordable because they don’t have the overhead costs associated with brick-and-mortar locations. Many of them offer free returns and sometimes free shipping too, which can ease your mind when buying furniture sight unseen.
- Search reviews on Yelp: You can use user-review site Yelp to read reviews on a variety of businesses, including furniture stores in your area. Not only will this help you to discover smaller (and possibly cheap) furniture stores that might not come up in an Internet search, you’ll also be able to tap into the knowledge and experiences of other customers – so you know whether it’s worth your time to actually check out a given store.
- Don’t rule out thrift stores: Well-made, wooden furniture can last for decades or even centuries – and if you’ve ever seen Antiques Roadshow, you know that a good piece can actually grow more valuable over time. Take care when buying upholstered pieces used (or anything that can harbor mites or bed bugs), but check yard sales and thrift stores for affordable or downright cheap dining room tables, dressers, end tables, chairs, bookcases, storage chests, benches, and other items.
Eight Affordable Furniture Stores
Below are several affordable furniture stores that get positive reviews and have a history of satisfying customers with great prices. Depending on where you live, some names will sound familiar, but others may be new to you.
HomeGoods
Location: 45 states & Puerto Rico
Not every single state has a HomeGoods, but they all should. HomeGoods is owned by TJX, the same company that owns T.J. Maxx and Marshalls. Similar to those stores, HomeGoods offers several quality and luxury items at majorly discounted prices.
If you’re in the market for organizing products to go in your home or pieces of furniture that double as organizers, HomeGoods is great about that too. They have tons of different throw pillows, tasteful furniture, and even rugs. I personally bought a nice wool rug from HomeGoods a few years ago for under $200.
IKEA
Location: Worldwide
It’s impossible to compile a list of affordable furniture stores and not include IKEA. The Swedish home store has long been known as an affordable-but-on-trend option for people on a budget.
In fact, 75% of the furniture in my house is from IKEA. While many people talk about moving on from IKEA and buying more “grown-up” furniture, I think IKEA is the perfect option for a growing family — partly because kids are so adept at destroying furniture.
You can get everything under the sun at IKEA, from living room furniture to bedroom sets to kitchen cabinets, as well as lots of discount decor items. There’s an entire cottage industry around hacking IKEA furniture to make it more luxurious or unique, and most stores have an area where they sell floor models and scratch-and-dent items at an even better discount. You never know what treasure you might find!
Target
Location: Nationwide (except Vermont)
Target, which often partners with designers to create incredibly attractive furniture at affordable prices, is a favorite big-box store among the frugal-but-fashionable set. I’ve owned a number of bookshelves from Target and my children’s nursery is decorated with Target items.
The best part about buying furniture at Target is that they have such a large selection of furniture on sale, too. Online, just use the drop-down menu to select furniture and then select furniture deals to see all the current pieces on sale.
Overstock.com
Location: Online
What I love about Overstock.com is that so many of their products have reviews from customers — this is especially important when it comes to buying furniture online. After all, you can’t sit on it or feel the fabric yourself, so it’s hard to know exactly what you’re buying. These reviews allow you to see how other people feel about the products you’re interested in.
I personally bought a dining room table off of Overstock, and I’ve had it for almost two years now. I’m really happy with the quality and craftsmanship, and I’d buy another table from them in a heartbeat.
Overstock also has free shipping for orders over $50, and shipping for orders under $50 costs just $2.95 — yep, even for furniture. You can’t beat that. If you’re worried about returns after buying furniture at an online store, be sure to check the return policy for each item you want you buy and contact Overstock if you have any questions.
Wayfair.com
Location: Online
Wayfair.com is another online-only home goods store, but with a touch more worldly whimsy than Overstock. Items are deeply discounted and largely on trend — in fact, Wayfair partners with big names in home and design, from This Old House to Ellen. And once again, scoping user reviews can steer you in the right direction, helping you choose between hits and misses.
Nadeau
Location: Southern and Northeastern United States
On a recent trip home to Baton Rouge, I stumbled into this store called Nadeau, drawn in by the colorful furniture in the window. I was surprised to see so many affordable and gorgeous pieces of furniture and excited to learn that they have a store near me in New York City (and several other cities across the U.S.)
The prices do vary by location and seem to be more inexpensive in the South. Ultimately, the furniture here is cheaper than at Pottery Barn, more expensive than at Target, but really unique and interesting. I loved it, and I’m sure you will too.
Big Lots
Location: Nationwide
Big Lots has 1,400 stores nationwide. They’re a closeout retailer, which means they resell items that other stores weren’t able to get off the shelf. In addition to having an array of household goods, they also sell furniture.
If you love a good deal, I encourage you to check out their furniture clearance section on their website, which shows current deals on a variety of items from lamps to larger pieces of furniture. The deals constantly change, so keep checking back.
Bob’s Discount Furniture
Location: Northeastern United States
Bob’s Discount Furniture is a chain of furniture stores clustered mostly in the Northeastern United States. The best part of the Bob’s website is actually their outlet section. Check this section regularly to find sofas and other pieces at significant discounts. While I’ve never purchased furniture from Bob directly, I have many friends here in the New York area who have with no complaints.
Other Ways to Save at Furniture Stores
- Look for defects: You can buy floor models at many of these stores, and it will be expected that you buy off the floor at a place like HomeGoods or Nadeau. Keep your eyes peeled for defects, chips, or cracks that don’t bother you are aren’t very noticeable, because each one could earn you a discount.
- Deliver the furniture yourself. Many of these companies offer furniture delivery, but if you have a big enough car, it’s worth it to pick up the item and bring it home yourself and save significant cash.
- Ignore financing offers. Many stores will offer you 0% financing, and while this might seem like a great deal, most people don’t pay off their furniture in the allotted time. Then, their interest rate jumps and they end up paying far more than they wanted to. So it’s always best to save up the money ahead of time and pay for your new furniture in cash. Some stores may even offer a discount for an all-cash purchase.
- Sign up for a store credit card, get the discount – and then cut it up. Many stores will offer a 10%-20% one-time discount on your first purchase with a store-branded card. This is rarely worth the trouble for most items, but if you’re about to buy $2,000 in furniture, those savings can be worth braving the considerable downsides of store credit cards. Just be sure to pay it off in full right away and cut up the card.
A Final Note
Furniture, at the end of the day, is just stuff. It’s great to have beautiful furniture and a nice home, but it’s okay if your furniture is mismatched or not catalog-perfect — especially while you’re young or have little kids. I personally am so glad I bought my couch off of Craigslist, because my kids have spilled tons of things on it in the two years they’ve been alive. I probably won’t purchase an expensive sofa for a very long time, if ever.
Also, remember that furniture is marked up significantly, even at more affordable stores, so it’s often worthwhile to wait for holidays or sales to try to get the best prices. Buy floor models whenever possible and try to save on shipping or delivery costs by picking it up yourself.
Lastly, the best tip I have for you is to be patient. You don’t have to fill up your home with furniture all in one shot. It’s okay to add to your home slowly over time, picking up a side table here or an additional bookshelf there. Add art and trinkets as you travel and experience life. Don’t feel like your home has to look like a magazine photo right now. This, above all else, will help you to let your home and your style evolve over time without breaking the bank.
- Related: 11 Affordable Bedroom Sets We Love
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Score a Free $10 Walmart Gift Card with This Simple Trick
Here’s a no-brainer way to start the new year on the right foot: Shop through cash-back sites to earn money from things you’re already buying.
Make this a resolution if it’s not already on your list. If you’re not using a cash-back website when shopping online, you’re giving up free money.
Earn a $10 Bonus When You Shop Through MyPoints
MyPoints is a cash-back site that lets you earn rewards by shopping, printing coupons, taking surveys, searching, playing games or buying gift cards.
It offers rewards points for every dollar you spend. Redeem your points for a Visa prepaid card, PayPal deposit or frequent flyer points. You can also use your rewards to make a donation to select charities.
Plus, MyPoints is now offering a special deal for The Penny Hoarder readers: Get a $10 gift card when you join and spend $20 or more through the MyPoints shopping portal.
How to Get $30 in Groceries for $17.93
Because almost any shopping qualifies for this offer and you can choose your reward, use MyPoints to save on just about anything you want to buy.
And, as always, a smart Penny Hoarder can stack this offer to make it an even better deal!
For example, let’s look at how you can use MyPoints to save money on groceries:
- Sign up for MyPoints with your email or Facebook account.
- Buy $20 in groceries on Walmart.com through MyPoints. Choose in-store pickup for free shipping.
- Earn rewards points for your purchase. MyPoints offers eight points per dollar at Walmart — equal to 5.4% cash back.
- Claim your $10 Walmart gift card to use on your next purchase.
- Shop Walmart through MyPoints to earn another 5.4% cash back.
- Pay with your cash-back credit card, like the Barclaycard CashForward World Mastercard, which will earn you another 1.5% in cash rewards.
If possible, find coupon codes for the items you’re purchasing — you could save even more!
How to Get Your Free $10 Gift Card
This offer is available to all new members.
Join MyPoints now and spend $20 on any shopping or travel within 30 days. You’ll be awarded 1,750 points, redeemable for a $10 gift card of your choice.
After shopping, rewards points will appear in your account within 30 days, but it usually takes less than five business days.
If you request a physical gift card, it should arrive in the mail within two weeks — and e-gift cards show up in your inbox within 30 minutes.
Your Turn: What new tricks are you using to save money in 2016? Will you try MyPoints?
Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links. We’re letting you know because it’s what Honest Abe would do. After all, he is on our favorite coin.
Dana Sitar (@danasitar) is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She’s written for Huffington Post, Entrepreneur.com, Writer’s Digest and more.
The post Score a Free $10 Walmart Gift Card with This Simple Trick appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
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What Makes a Good Bank Account When You’re Broke? Here’s What to Look For
When you’re broke, you might not put a lot of thought into choosing a bank.
In the past, I’ve chosen banks pretty much based on their proximity to my house, selecting the basic account recommended after a smart banker asked me a few questions.
All I wanted was a place to stick my cash, checks to pay rent and a debit card to shop online.
But even when you don’t have a lot of money to manage, you should be selective in choosing a bank account. Maybe a high APY doesn’t mean anything to you, but these factors should:
- Minimum required balance
- Minimum required monthly deposit
- Monthly fees
- ATM fees
- Overdraft policy
Considering these factors when you choose your bank account could save you a lot of money.
What to Look for When You Choose a Bank Account
If you’re broke, you’ll want to find an account with no monthly fee, regardless of whether you maintain a certain balance or make a minimum deposit.
Monthly fees of $5 or $10 can eat away at what little you have, and you might not notice until it’s too late.
You’ll also want to find an account that offers free ATM use, ideally, and a favorable overdraft policy.
Many banks let you use their network ATMs for free, so if you stick close to one area and the network is convenient to you, this may not be an issue.
If you tend to travel or move around often, consider an online bank like Aspiration or Schwab Bank for accounts that not only offer free in-network ATMs, but also reimburse you for any out-of-network ATM fees.
What makes a good overdraft policy might surprise you. “Overdraft protection” sounds like a helpful feature, but it can actually be dangerous, Money magazine points out.
When your checking account includes overdraft protection, a debit transaction or ATM withdrawal that pushes your balance below zero usually results in an overdraft fee. Several of these transactions can occur before you realize you’ve gone negative, resulting in hundreds of dollars in fees.
Instead, look for an account that allows you to choose whether or not to allow overdraft protection. My checking account at U.S. Bank, for example, allows me to turn the feature on or off with the tap of a button in the mobile app or online, and it will be effective immediately.
This allows me to prevent an everyday debit card transaction from pushing my account into the red and racking up a fee, but also to accept the fee if the account balance isn’t enough to cover an important payment, like rent.
To find the account that’s right for your needs, check out Money’s list of top three bank accounts if you’re broke.
Your Turn: What features do you look for in a bank account?
Disclosure: You wouldn’t believe how much coffee The Penny Hoarder team goes through. This post contains affiliate links so we can keep the grinds stocked!
Dana Sitar (@danasitar) is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She’s written for Huffington Post, Entrepreneur.com, Writer’s Digest and more.
The post What Makes a Good Bank Account When You’re Broke? Here’s What to Look For appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
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Women's state pension age changes to be debated in Parliament
Following the online petition to demand fairer transitional arrangements for women born in the 1950s and negatively affected by the rapidly changing state pension age (SPA), the Parliamentary Petitions Committee has granted a parliamentary debate to be held on 1 February.
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It’s No Powerball Jackpot, But This Amazon Prime Deal is Pretty Sweet
After a bummer of a week (David Bowie! Alan Rickman! I didn’t win the Powerball!), it’s nice to get some good news.
That’s why I was so glad to learn that this weekend, Amazon Prime will only cost $73 — 25% off its regular price of $99. Score!
Amazon Celebrates Its Wins With a Prime Discount
Why, you wonder?
Well, this year’s Golden Globes were the 73rd annual event. And Amazon’s original series, “Mozart in the Jungle,” won. Twice.
So in celebration, Amazon’s offering Prime memberships for $73. The sale starts this Friday at 9 p.m. PST right here.
(Feeling generous? You can also get the deal if you buy Prime as a gift.)
Watch Mozart in the Jungle for Free
Even if you’re not ready to spring for Prime, you can join the festivities: Starting at 9 p.m. ET, seasons one and two of the Globe-winning show will be available to everyone for free streaming.
The deal turns into a pumpkin midnight on Sunday, though, so you’d better binge hard — unless, of course, you go in for Prime, which offers unlimited streaming video as one of its benefits.
Your Turn: Will you take advantage of this Amazon Prime discount?
Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links. We’re letting you know because it’s what Honest Abe would do. After all, he is on our favorite coin.
Jamie Cattanach (@jamiecattanach) is a junior writer at The Penny Hoarder. Her Amazon Prime student membership just expired, so she’s super pumped to renew on the cheap.
The post It’s No Powerball Jackpot, But This Amazon Prime Deal is Pretty Sweet appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
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The Two Best Financial Services App on the Web? Personal Capital vs. Mint
Two of the most popular web-based financial service providers available are Personal Capital and Mint.
The two provide a lot of similar services, but each specializes in a few areas of your finances that the other doesn’t.
And both offer a free service, though Personal Capital has an attractive premium service in which they will manage your investments for you.
Which is the best service for you?
Both do a few things well, and omit a few others, but which will work best for you will depend on what it is you want to do. Both services are highly ranked in my The 11 Best Personal Finance Software to Get Your Money Swag On post.
But let’s do a summary review of each, to help you see which will fit your needs.
Personal Capital Summary
Since we essentially have to cover two services in this article, we’re going to do summary reviews of each platform. I’ve done a more detailed review in my Personal Capital Review – Managing All Your Investments in One Place post.
Personal Capital is a financial aggregator, which is to say that you can have all of your financial accounts on one platform. That includes investments, savings, checking, credit cards and other loan accounts. It does handle your investment management for you, but it goes well beyond that single function.
Personal Capital offers two versions, the free version and the premium version, which includes direct management of your investments.
With the free version you are provided a personalized analysis of your financial situation. Personal Capital will analyze your current investment mix, and perform an assessment of the risks and opportunities that may be available to you. They will then make recommendations based on that analysis.
The free version includes full use of the dashboard, and of many of the services included, which includes the 401(k) the analyzer, the investment check-up feature, and the retirement analyzer. You will also have access to the mobile app.
The paid version uses Personal Capital’s Wealth Management program, in which the platform will take direct investment management control of your portfolio. Your investments will then be actively managed by Personal Capital’s investment advisors.
Personal Capital fees.
Fees apply to the premium Wealth Management program, and currently look like this:
- 0.89% of the first $1 million,
- 0.79% of the first $3 million
- 0.69% of the next $2 million (up to $5 million)
- 0.59% of the next $5 million (up to $10 million)
- 0.49% on balances over $10 million
One of the more positive aspects of doing business with Personal Capital is that the fee structure is all-inclusive – there are no additional fees like commissions, account administration fees, or other investment fees. And the fee applies only to actual amount that you have under management. Accounts included on the platform – but not actively managed by Personal Capital – such as a 401(k) plan or investments held with other brokerage firms, are not subject to the fee.
Personal Capital Account minimum.
Your minimum initial investment is $25,000, which applies only to the paid version.
Personal Capital investment strategy. Personal Capital determines your risk tolerance, life’s goals and personal preferences to determine how much growth (risk) they incorporate into your investment portfolio. Like many investment management firms, they use Modern Portfolio Theory, or MPT, to manage your portfolio. MPT holds that asset class selection is more important than individual security selection.
They generally use index funds, invested in six main asset classes – US stocks, US bonds, international stocks, international bonds, alternative investments (including commodities) and cash. But they don’t limit investments to index funds alone. They will also include a mix of 70 to 100 individual US stocks that they will use for greater diversification as well as improved tax efficiency. Though index funds are used exclusively for clients who have less than $100,000 under management.
Since Personal Capital aggregates all of your investments, they do consider your other investments that are not under their direct management in building your portfolio.
- Personal financial advisor. Everyone who uses Personal Capital is assigned a personal financial advisor, whether you use the free or premium version of the program. You can contact this person when needed for advice.
- Personal Capital’s Private Client Group. This service is available to investors who have at least $1 million to invest through the platform. It offers personalized investing and wealth planning, and gives you direct access to a certified financial planner and a whole team of licensed advisors. This service level also comes with private banking services and legacy planning that can help you establish trusts for your heirs.
- Tax optimization. This is another perk of the Wealth Management program, and it seeks to lower the tax bite of your investing activities. They do this through use of individual stocks, which are more easily bought and sold, and can readily be used for tax loss harvesting, or TLH. TLH is the process of selling losing stocks to offset gains on the sale of profitable stocks. It creates a backdoor tax deferral system, that enables your investments to grow with minimal negative impact from income taxes.
They also employ a tax allocation strategy, in which income-producing investments, like high-yield stocks and REITs are held in tax-deferred accounts, while investments that generate capital gains – like stocks and ETF’s – are held in taxable accounts, so that tax loss harvesting can be used to lower capital gains taxes.
The Personal Capital Mobile App.
Personal Capital’s mobile app is available for your Apple iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Android. The mobile version has everything that is available on the desktop platform, and it’s absolutely free.
Other Personal Capital features.
Personal Capital has a wide range of tools and features that provide real benefits to the users.
Some of those tools include:
- Retirement Planner. This tool helps you to know if you’re on track to retire, and even allows you to make adjustments for major life changes, such as job/career/income changes, illness, childbirth or saving for college.
- 401(k) Fund Allocation. Even though Personal Capital can’t manage your employer sponsored retirement plan, they can analyze the plan and make asset allocation suggestions based on all of the investment options available in the plan
- Net Worth Calculator. Track your assets and liabilities so that you can quickly find your net worth at any time. This tool will help you to really know if you’re on track to reach your long-term financial goals.
- Cash Flow Analyzer. Use this tool to create a budget, where you can track your income and expenses whatever the sources. This will help you see where you’re spending money, so that you can free up income for savings, investing, and debt payoff.
- Investment Checkup tool. This can provide a risk assessment of your portfolio, including your retirement plan. It will make suggestions to help you improve your asset allocation plan to make it consistent with your goals and personal preferences.
Personal Capital is an all-in-one financial management platform with a heavy emphasis on successful investment management. It’s one of the very best services of its kind.
Mint Summary
One of the big advantages of Mint is that the service is completely free to use. The service is easy to sign up for, and simple. Much like Personal Capital, Mint is an aggregator for your entire financial life. That includes checking and savings accounts, credit cards, loans and investment accounts. The service claims to be able to connect with “almost every US financial institution connected to the internet”.
The service is valuable for creating a budget, but it also helps you to track your finances, and to monitor all of your financial accounts on the same platform.
Some of the features Mint has include:
Budgeting.
This is Mint’s strong suit, and the primary reason you would use the service. Once you sync your accounts and transactions, they will be automatically sorted into the appropriate categories going forward. Updates then occur in real time. You can also set up sub-categories of certain expenses, to customize the presentation in a way that works best for you. Once you have your account set up, you’ll be able to track, analyze and adjust expenses and spending habits as needed.
The site does enable you to make adjustments to your expenses even after they have been categorized. Once changes are made, Mint will automatically place similar transactions within the same expense categories.
Mint Bills.
Mint enables you to be able to connect an unlimited number of accounts which means you can add any and all bills you have, including credit cards and other loan payments. Not only does it provide you with alerts of upcoming due dates, but it also shows you your available cash and credit next to the upcoming bills. You can pay bills with either a bank account or credit card, and it even allows you to schedule payments. The feature is available on your personal computer and your mobile device.
Custom tips and savings. Mint analyzes your accounts and then makes recommendations that will save you money based on your lifestyle and goals. In fact, they have an entire page dedicated to saving you money on credit cards (in the “Find Savings” tab at the top of the main page).
But since they analyze all of your financial accounts, they may also be able to find and recommend banks and investments where you can earn higher returns, the lowest insurance rates, plus more attractive cash back offers from credit cards.
Establishing goals. You can create goals within the Mint application. This can include saving money for specific purposes (college, retirement, vacation, etc.), paying off debt, or paying off your mortgage.
Mint Alerts. By signing up for alerts, you will be notified by email or by smartphone when there are significant changes in your finances. Alerts will be sent when there is a large purchase, an upcoming bill payment, late fees, loan rate changes, and when you may be in danger of going over your budget.
Mint mobile app. The full Mint suite is also available on the Mint mobile app. This will provide you with all of the information and services that are on the website while you are on the go. Check into your finances anytime, anywhere. The mobile app works with Apple iPhone and iPad, and Google’s Android. And like Mint itself, all mobile apps are free.
Credit score monitoring.
Mint offers credit monitoring, and no credit card is required to participate. This makes it a truly free credit monitoring service. You can get your credit score in as little as two minutes, enjoy daily monitoring, and get credit alerts when Equifax (one of the three major credit bureaus) receive new information from your creditors. The service even shows you the factors that are impacting your credit score, and how to use them to improve your score.
Investing with Mint.
Mint doesn’t actually manage your investments, but as an aggregator, they provide a complete picture of your investment portfolio, including charts and graphs. They do provide advice, tips and tools to help you better manage your investments, based on your own investment style. For example, Mint can provide an analysis of your retirement accounts and brokerage accounts to let you know about investment fees that may be buried in places you can’t see them. They’ll make you aware of these fees and suggest possible workarounds.
Mint may be the perfect service if you’re looking for a budgeting program – with credit score monitoring – free of charge.
Personal Capital vs. Mint – Where They’re the Similar
Both Personal Capital and Mint are financial account aggregators, which means that they each offer you the opportunity to keep and monitor your entire financial life on one platform. In addition, each offers its service free of charge.
Both services also offer mobile apps including valuable account alerts to keep you on track with your finances.
Personal Capital vs. Mint – Where They’re Different
Where the two seriously part company is in regard to their primary missions. For example, Mint is first and foremost a budgeting program. In that regard, it is the superior platform if you are primarily looking to get control of your finances.
They not only help you to stay on track with your budget, but they also make suggestions as to how you can do that more efficiently. The free credit score monitoring feature is an added bonus, since so many people need both budgeting assistance and ongoing credit monitoring.
Where Personal Capital shines is with investing. While Mint offers supplemental investment assistance, Personal Capital offers professional investment management. This includes levels of investment help, from assisting you in your own efforts at do-it-yourself investing, all the way up to comprehensive wealth management.
And the Winner Is…It Depends
In most head-to-head comparisons, it’s rare that any one service is better than another, and that’s the case with Personal Capital and Mint. If your primary emphasis is on budgeting and monitoring your credit – which typically comes before you start investing – then Mint is the clear winner.
But if you’re looking primarily for investment expertise and management, then Personal Capital should get the nod. This is especially true for high net worth individuals, who may be particularly interested in wealth management, private banking services, tax optimization and estate planning.
As similar as these two services often appear on the surface, they each have specializations that make them very different platforms.
What are your thoughts on Personal Capital and Mint? Have you had experience with either?
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Eleven Simple but Vital Home and Auto Maintenance Tasks That People Often Forget
About once a month, I spend part of a Saturday simply catching up on home and auto maintenance tasks that have fallen through the cracks. It is really easy for that to happen, so I keep up a long list of things that I like to check on, which you can see in part right here.
Even with that handy checklist, I can’t help but notice that some things crop up more often than others, and some things really are more important than others, too. Here are eleven tasks that I consider absolutely key when it comes to maintaining my home and car during those maintenance periods. You can actually do all of these things yourself in a couple of hours and it’s worth going through and doing all of these things about once every three months.
I’m focusing primarily on very simple tasks that almost anyone can do. These tasks don’t require special tools, don’t require climbing up on a ladder (or, if it does, doesn’t require much climbing), and can be done without much risk of actually damaging anything.
Why Maintenance?
The first question many will ask is why bother? Why should a person spend part of a Saturday doing these things?
Some maintenance tasks improve your personal security. Doing things like checking your smoke alarms and replacing their batteries (or doing the same with carbon monoxide detectors) or checking fire extinguishers for pressure are simply ways to make sure that you and your family are safe should a disaster happen. A functional smoke alarm can make the difference between life and death and a functional fire extinguisher can mean the difference between a minor kitchen problem and the potential loss of your home.
Some home maintenance tasks reduce your heating and cooling costs. Many home maintenance tasks trim some of the expense from your energy bills, whether it’s making your refrigerator run more efficiently or your furnace run a little less than before. The small amount of time you invest in maintenance is recovered by having a lower energy bill after that.
Some home maintenance tasks improve the lifespan of expensive appliances and structural elements of your home. Many maintenance tasks have the sole purpose of extending the lifespan of items in your home, items that would be very expensive to replace. If a ten minute task once every other month can extend the life of a $1,000 piece of equipment by a few years or extend the life of your roof by five years, then it’s well worth it.
Most home maintenance tasks are pretty simple and require minimal and inexpensive materials (if any). The best part – with all of these benefits, most home maintenance tasks are pretty easy to complete. Almost anyone can do them. The eleven items I’m sharing on this list are great examples of that, as they require very little equipment and not a whole lot of effort and time to complete.
Adding those factors together makes it clear that home and auto maintenance is well worth your time and energy. Let’s dig in.
Task #1 – Change Your Smoke Alarm Batteries
It’s a good idea to test all of your smoke alarms once a month and to replace the batteries twice a year. Checking the alarms is a part of my maintenance schedule each month – I just go from room to room and hit the “test” button on the smoke alarm.
I also have a little sticker on each alarm that says two months on it – “January” and “July” on most of them. If the month matches what it says on the sticker, I replace the batteries, which takes maybe two minutes per alarm. If you don’t have such stickers, buy a small pack and go around the house replacing your batteries and applying the stickers, identifying the current month and the month on the opposite end of the annual calendar.
This simple task ensures that your smoke alarms are in working order, so that if there is a fire in the middle of the night, your family is kept safe. It’s a safety thing, but also a property protection thing because if a fire alarm wakes you in the night, you may have enough time to save at least some of your property.
Task #2 – Flip the Mattress on Your Bed
Depending on the mattress, this is a task that’s recommended once every few months. I usually flip it if I can’t remember having done it last month, but more than that, I look for a body impression. If I even think I can see the impression of where my body normally sleeps, I flip the mattress.
It’s really easy to do. Just strip off all of the sheets and the mattress pad and flip the thing over, putting it right back in place where it was. You can also rotate the mattress as well. This provides four different possible mattress orientations for your bed – the position it’s in now, flipped, rotated, and flipped and rotated.
Doing this extends the life of your mattress greatly. It also helps with potential back problems that can result from a sagging mattress. Both of these make the minute spent rotating the mattress quite worth it.
Task #3 – Air Up Your Car Tires
The tires on your car slowly leak air over time, even if they’re perfectly sealed. The leaking is slow, though, so you can usually drive from oil change to oil change without doing anything about it. This is when most people get their tires re-inflated.
However, just having whoever changes your oil also add air to your tires doesn’t mean that you’re not running below the recommended pressure most of the time – and far below it as you start to reach the point of needing another oil change.
Why is that bad? The less pressure that’s in your tires, the more of your tire is in contact with the road when you’re driving. The more of your tire that’s in contact with the road while you’re driving, the more energy it takes to move your car forward – and thus the more fuel that your car eats up. Not only that, the more of your tire that’s in contact with the road, the more wear and tear it receives and the more likely it is that tire damage will occur.
Airing up your tire is really simple. Most gas stations offer free air for just this purpose, enabling you to add air to each of your tires. You’ll want a simple $1 gauge for measuring your tire pressure, too; most gas stations sell them. The procedure’s really easy – just look for the little spigot on each of your tires, remove the cap, check the pressure with the gauge by pushing it onto the spigot, add air to the tire with the air hose, then check the pressure again until the pressure matches what is recommended in your car’s manual and replace the cap. That’s it.
Doing this will increase the life span of your tires. It will also improve the fuel efficiency of your car and decrease the chances of having a flat tire or a blowout along the side of the road.
Task #4 – Clean Your Garbage Disposal
This is such a simple and smart task that I actually do it every month.
We have a garbage disposal on the bottom of one of our two kitchen sink basins. It catches a lot of small food scraps, grinds them up, and eliminates them from our home.
After a while, though, the disposal can start to smell. It can also start not running as smoothly, taking a lot more time to get rid of the food that we put in there.
You can actually solve both things at once by simply dropping a few vinegar ice cubes into the disposal. Just take some ordinary white vinegar, pour it into a few slots in an ice cube tray, and freeze it up. Then, once the cubes are solid, drop a few into your garbage disposal and run it.
The vinegar will eliminate any bad smells. The frozen nature of the cubes will help sharpen the blades and extend the functional life of your garbage disposal. It’s a great little maintenance task that just takes a few seconds and helps out in multiple ways.
Task #5 – Change Your AC/Furnace Filter
If you have a forced air heating and cooling system, as many homes do, then the air is constantly being filtered, removing dust and other particles from the air. Naturally, that makes your home air cleaner, but it also helps keep your air vents from getting clogged with dust bunnies, too.
Of course, for this filtering to occur, there has to be a filter in place. In many home heating and cooling units, replacing this filter is really easy – it involves opening a small door, pulling out a rectangular filter, dropping in a clean rectangular filter to replace it, and closing the door.
Different filters have different lifespans. Before replacing, you should make sure you know what size the filter is and, when shopping for one, you should note the life span of the filter. When replacing, I usually put a piece of masking tape on the door that indicates what month I should replace it. I generally buy the long lifespan filters as they usually provide a better deal per month of use.
Task #6 – Check and Replace Your Windshield Wipers
The windshield wipers on your car can make the difference between being able to see clearly on a rainy day or night while driving or being unable to see what’s happening around you, creating a safety issue and likely delaying you.
Checking your windshield wipers is easy. Just head out to your car, turn on the wipers, spray a bit of windshield cleaner on your windshield, and see if the blades leave any streaks behind. If they do, then it’s time to replace them.
Replacing blades is also quite easy. It’s usually just a matter of opening a snap or two on the blade, sliding the old one off, sliding the new one on, and closing those snaps. It takes about twenty seconds. Some cars are a bit different – if you’re unsure, check your owner’s manual.
Doing this also saves some money. If you get your blades changed when you go somewhere to get your oil changed, you’re usually paying more for the blades (and getting a lower quality blade) than if you bought your own at a hardware store or auto supply store.
Task #7 – Clean the Coils on Your Refrigerator
Your refrigerator is one of the biggest energy users in your home. In some homes, they account for 20% of the home energy used.
The thing is, over time, the coils on the back – which actually provide the cooling power for your fridge – become clogged with dust. That seriously reduces the efficiency of your refrigerator and can also reduce the lifespan of your fridge, as the dust makes it work a lot harder and can gradually wear out the parts that keep your fridge going. Those coils need to be gently cleaned with a vacuum and a dust rag to ensure that they’re working as efficiently as possible.
It’s easy to do – the only tricky part is gaining access to the back of your refrigerator. That’s why I usually do this as an annual task, as it often requires quite a bit of effort to move the fridge so that I have access to it. Still, with a couple of strong people around, this task can be handled quite quickly and easily.
Task #8 – Change Your Water Filters
In many areas – my own area included – the water that comes from the faucet might be perfectly clean, but it’s not very palatable. It might come with a strong sulfur taste or a strong chlorine taste or something else entirely. In some rural areas, the water might not be treated at all, which means that you definitely need a filter to keep all kinds of things at bay.
The thing is, most water filters are a “replace and forget it” kind of thing. A filter gets replaced, we keep using the faucet, and we don’t even think to replace it again until the water gets egregiously bad flavor once again. Ideally, you should have replaced your filter before then.
The best solution is to do it on a regular schedule. Again, I do this with a small piece of masking tape, which I keep on our actual water filter device under the sink. Once a month, I peek under there and check the months I have written on the tape – I think ours says “April, August, December” if I remember right. If it’s that month, I replace the filter, which is usually just a matter of flipping a lever, twisting out the old filter, twisting on the new filter, and flipping the lever back.
This ensures your tap water is always clean and fresh and free from things you don’t want to be drinking.
Task #9 – Clean Your Range Hood Filters
This is a task that many people overlook, but it’s so important, especially if you use your range hood fan regularly to keep steam and smoke at bay while you’re cooking. You see, there’s a filter up near that fan that keeps the pipe above your range hood from filling with and clogging with some of the particle matter that the fan is sucking up out of your kitchen. When that filter clogs, your range hood fan gets much, much less efficient at pulling the smoke and steam out of your kitchen.
Cleaning the filter is really easy, but if you haven’t ever done it, it’s going to be pretty gross the first time you do it. All you have to do is remove the filter (many are removed by just looking under there and pushing up gently on the filter and slightly turning it, as it often just rests in place) and then clean it in the sink. I suggest filling a basin full of soapy water, preferably with a soap that’s going to work well on grease. Take your filter and put it straight into that hot water basin and let it soak for about ten minutes, then start cleaning it thoroughly with a non-abrasive brush, rinsing it as well. Dry it gently, then let it air dry for a while so that there’s no moisture left, then pop it back into place.
You’ll be surprised at how much more efficient your exhaust fan works after cleaning out the filter. Plus, you can be sure that this will extend the life of that fan and also keep the exhaust from clogging up with grease and other things you’d rather not think about.
Task #10 – Inspect Your Attic
For many people, the attic is a forgotten place in their home. It might serve as long term storage for some home, but for others, it’s basically a place that’s left empty and rarely thought about.
However, the attic is probably the best place in your home to quickly identify problems with the roof as well as major heating and cooling issues. It doesn’t take much to see them, either.
Go up into your attic. Look at the ceiling for any sign of water issues. If you see anything, it’s a sign that there may be issues with your roof and that those may lead to serious damage to your home over time.
Then, see if you can feel any kind of a draft. Is there cool air coming from somewhere up there? If you can find spaces where cool air (in the winter) is coming into your home, you’ve identified something that’s eating your dollars by the handful and should be sealed quickly.
It only takes a minute and a climb up a short ladder to do this kind of simple inspection, and that kind of inspection will catch a lot of problems early on before they become big problems.
Task #11 – Clean Your Window Wells
If you have exterior windows in your basement, you probably have window wells around your home. And if you have trees nearby, those wells often fill with twigs and leaves. They can also build up ice in the winter months and they absolutely love to collect items that are being blown around on a windy day.
Once a month, just walk around the exterior of your house and look for anything unusual. While you’re doing that, get down in the window wells and clear them out. Remove any leaves, sticks, or other debris that might be down there. I usually clear some snow and ice out during the winter months, too.
It’s a simple task that helps keep water away from your foundation. It also helps sunlight to flow into your basement windows, which can help with heating and cooling, especially in the winter months.
Final Thoughts
These tasks can fill up a couple of hours on a Saturday afternoon, but they’ll save you a ton of time, energy, and heartache. They’re also just simple examples of the wide variety of home and auto maintenance tasks that you should take on.
If you want to take the next step and do more, including a few tasks that might be a bit more difficult, check out this home and auto maintenance checklist. Each item on it will either help save on your energy bill (or some other bill) or will extend the life span of some expensive item around your home (or your home itself). Almost all of those tasks are relatively simple, too.
Maintenance is easy, it saves money, it extends the lifespan of things that might be difficult to replace, and it increases your personal safety, too. That’s well worth a couple of hours on a lazy weekend afternoon once a month.
The post Eleven Simple but Vital Home and Auto Maintenance Tasks That People Often Forget appeared first on The Simple Dollar.
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Will 2016 Be the Year the Great Bull Market Died?
Global stock markets sank almost across the board Thursday as pessimism over falling oil prices and another dive on Wall Street held sway, despite some data showing economies are on the mend.
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Will 2016 Be the Year the Great Bull Market Died?
Global stock markets sank almost across the board Thursday as pessimism over falling oil prices and another dive on Wall Street held sway, despite some data showing economies are on the mend.
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Hopeless Romantics, We’ve Found the PERFECT Work-from-Home Job for You
I’m a hopeless romantic.
I love love, weddings, sappy movies and heart-wrenching country songs. I even love Valentine’s Day, though as a Penny Hoarder, I know it’s a silly holiday I shouldn’t spend any money on.
If you’re looking for work-from-home jobs (and are anything like me when it comes to romance), then you’ll probably be excited to learn about this new listing I just came across…
How to Get Paid to Deliver Joy
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, tons of people are going to order flowers and gift boxes, and 1-800-Flowers is looking for customer service representatives to work from the comfort of their own homes.
The position’s official title is Seasonal Customer Service & Sales for 1-800-Flowers, and it’s listed by Sutherland CloudSource, a remote staffing firm.
It pays $9 per hour and is completely remote. To be eligible, you need to live in the 48 contiguous states and have a computer with a high-speed internet connection.
You’ll start on either Jan. 25 or Feb. 1, and for the first week, work full-time while completing your paid training.
Then you’ll work part-time (15-20 hours per week) until the peak week of Feb. 7-14, when you’ll work a full 40 hours. Though several different shifts are available, you’re required to be available seven days per week.
If you like the job, there’s the opportunity to stay with the company through Easter and Mother’s Day, or beyond.
“After the seasonal position ends, if an employee is interested in moving into a permanent position with Sutherland CloudSource, we certainly give them preferential status for any position they qualify for,” wrote Rebecca Martin, Manager of Talent Acquisition, in an email.
“The seasonal sales representative is a perfect opportunity for somebody to ‘try out’ working from home with us, without an intense interview and training period.”
So if you want to spread love and flowers — while also earning money in your jammies — we’d say this job is definitely worth a look!
Click here to learn more and apply.
Your Turn: Are you going to apply?
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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How This Knitter Turned Her Hobby Into a Smart Way to Earn Passive Income
Calling all knitters!
Did you know you can make some great passive income just by doing what you already love to do — knitting?
I’ve created three knitting patterns in the past three months, and earned up to $35 per month. It’s not hard: All you need to design and sell knitting patterns is a creative mind, reasonable writing skills, attention to detail and — of course — decent knitting skills.
If you’ve got those things, and you’re willing to put in some upfront time and effort, you can easily design and sell your own knitting patterns online.
Once you have the system up and running, you don’t have to do anything else. The money automatically comes into your bank account — no further input required.
How to Sell Your Own Knitting Patterns
Here’s the process I’ve used to create and market my three knitting patterns — with more coming soon.
1. Decide What to Make
The first step is to come up with an idea.
Shoot for something you think would be useful, pretty, would teach someone a new skill or could make for yourself or someone you know.
Bonus points: Make a gift for a friend or family member — then sell the pattern for extra cash!
2. Knit a Sample Item
Once you have an idea, the next step is to actually make it.
Take extensive notes about everything you do as you go, so you don’t miss any steps or key advice. Think about what you’d find in a typical knitting pattern.
This is the trickiest part of the process — but fear not! There are lots of resources to help you.
Craftsy offers several amazing classes about the more difficult parts of the design process.
If you want more guidance, Marie Segares at Creative Yarn Entrepreneur has a whole series of podcasts devoted to each step of the process, from start to finish.
3. Write the Knitting Pattern
Once you’ve worked out the first sample and taken lots of notes about the process, it’s time to write the pattern.
Write down in sequential order the exact instructions for recreating the knitted item, down to the most minute detail.
You’ll also need to include other info, such as what size needle you used, the amount and type of yarn used, the gauge, etc — basically, everything you see in a normal knitting pattern.
4. Get Your Knitting Pattern Edited
Once you have your first draft (and you’ve triple-checked it for errors!), have it looked at by a technical editor.
This highly experienced knitter will go through your instructions with a fine-toothed comb, checking for errors.
They won’t knit the pattern, but will go through the pattern line-by-line, making sure everything makes sense and is in the proper place.
Typically, technical editors charge around $15 per hour to look at your pattern. Most patterns take between 30 and 90 minutes to look at, depending on their complexity.
5. Get Your Knitting Pattern Tested
It’s also a wise idea to have a group of test knitters go through your pattern to ensure your pattern is bomb-proof.
This step isn’t required, but it’s smart. I do it to save myself the embarrassment and wasted time of having to come back later and edit a pattern a bunch of people bought.
You can find test knitters in your own network, or online. Ravelry even has groups of test knitters set up. Just post your pattern with all the details and requirements you’re looking for in test knitters.
Most test knitters work for a small fee. Some will work for free in exchange for a copy of your pattern, plus another free pattern of their choice from your already existing (or future) inventory.
6. List the Knitting Pattern for Sale
List a PDF copy of your knitting pattern on your favorite knitting sites. Ravelry and Craftsy are the most popular options, but smaller sites like Kollabora, Patternfish and Love Knitting are good, too.
Plus, you can list your knitting pattern for free! If you list with Craftsy, you keep 100% of your earnings. Ravelry only charges a small percentage once you hit a certain sales number.
When someone buys your pattern, the site sends your PDF automatically and deposits your payment to your PayPal account. So once you list your pattern, you don’t have to lift a finger — it’s all passive income!
How to Keep Making Money From Your Knitting Patterns
You don’t have to do any more work with each knitting pattern once you’ve listed it, but there are a few things you can do to keep a steady cash flow.
Promote your pattern within certain groups in Ravelry, and on social media. I’ve never done it, but you also can take out ads on the site.
The market for knitting patterns can be somewhat seasonal because more people tend to knit around the holidays.
Releasing patterns at regular intervals helps keep people coming back to your sales page, where they can find your other patterns — which helps even out your sales.
I’ve been releasing about one pattern a month, working on small knitting projects in my spare time. I price my patterns at $4.99 each. Every time someone buys one, I get an automatic deposit of $4.99 into my PayPal account.
Since I released my first pattern three months ago, I’ve been making a steady income of around $35 per month with just a few patterns.
It’s awesome to make money doing something I love — and I’m planning on creating a lot more patterns!
Your Turn: Do you knit? Would you consider selling knitting patterns to earn money on the side?
Lindsay VanSomeren lives in Fort Collins, Colorado. She enjoys hiking, fishing, learning languages and drinking fine brews.
The post How This Knitter Turned Her Hobby Into a Smart Way to Earn Passive Income appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
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11 Times You Definitely Shouldn’t Use a Credit Card
There are good reasons you should use credit cards instead of cash, including convenience, extended warranties, and safer travel (cash can make you a target).
Reward points alone are enough reason for me. I’ve earned four plane tickets and a bundle of cash just this past year.
But there are some times when you might be better off paying cash or getting out the old checkbook (remember those?). Part of knowing how to use a credit card is the wisdom to know when not to use it.
The most obvious example is when you just can’t handle credit responsibly.
That might not describe you, but here are some of the other times you should avoid using a credit card:
1. When You Can’t Afford Something
For some people, credit cards are primarily a way to buy things they can’t really afford.
These are the same people who help credit counseling companies collect big fees. Try not to join them.
Unless it’s an emergency, you should only buy what you can afford to pay for when the credit card statement arrives.
There may be times when it makes sense to pay interest for a month or two.
But always carrying a balance on your cards — and therefore always paying interest — means you pay more for everything.
2. When You’re at a Casino
As a blackjack dealer, I sometimes saw lines at the ATM.
The problem is, when you get money using a credit card at the ATM, the typical cash advance fee is close to 5%.
Plus, the interest rate is six points higher than for purchases. In other words, it’s expensive!
And, of course, you’ll only be hitting that ATM because you lost the money you brought to gamble. It’s probably time to quit.
Use a credit card for casino meals, but if you’ve ever used it at the casino ATM, it may be best to just leave it home.
3. When You Can Negotiate a Better Cash Price
Armed with a few negotiation strategies, you can get a lower price on many purchases. And, in some contexts, offering a lower price in cash is the best strategy.
For example, most flea market vendors can now take credit cards, but you’ll have a better shot at getting a deal if you offer cash.
Where else can you try for a better price for cash?
Small businesses and others selling small items face high credit card processing fees. They also often have cash-flow problems, so these are the most likely targets.
You can negotiate a lower price on a fridge in a big appliance store, but offering cash probably won’t make any difference.
4. When You’re Feeling Impulsive
Three in four Americans make impulse purchases, reports CreditCards.com.
Men are especially vulnerable when drinking — which may explain the mini guitar I bought in Nogales, Mexico.
If you’re feeling impulsive, or might be going shopping after a few drinks, put a limited amount of cash in your pocket and leave the card home.
5. When You’re Making a Major Purchase
I paid for our last car purchase with a credit card to get points for a free hotel room. But we had already saved the money, and I just paid off the card when the statement came.
Most of the time, paying for large purchases with a credit card is a bad idea — for two reasons.
First, you might buy more than you can afford (see number 1 on this list).
The other reason is credit card debt is expensive. Average used car loan rates have been around 3%, and no credit card can compete.
6. When You Want to Help
If you want a person or organization to get everything you give, don’t use a credit card — some of your money will go toward processing fees.
Write a check for your favorite charity. You can also help small vendors by paying cash — they won’t lose 2% to 3% processing the card.
Also, restaurants and other businesses can deduct credit card fees from employee tips. If you want to be nice, pay for the meal with the card and leave a cash tip.
7. When Security is Suspect
My card information has been hacked online twice — on the same website. I’ll still shop online, but I’ll be avoiding that site for a while.
If I’m at a bar and see people’s credit cards disappearing for long periods of time for processing, I sometimes pay cash. Taking a card out of sight is a common part of one credit card scam.
If your intuition says to play it safe — pay cash.
8. When There Are Extra Fees
I try to pay for just about everything with my credit cards, in order to get the 1% to 2% cash-back rewards.
But I won’t pay the electric bill with a credit card, since the company charges a fee of least 3%.
In general, avoid using a credit card when there’s a “convenience fee” or surcharge. Even stores are now allowed to charge extra for credit card purchases.
Fortunately, few do.
9. When You’re Near Your Limit
When you’re near the credit limit on your card, you risk going over and paying a penalty. Pay with cash, check or a debit card until you lower your balance.
There’s another reason to leave some room on your card: You might have an emergency that requires a credit card.
For example, it’s theoretically possible to rent a car without a credit card — but it can be difficult. It’s often good to have a card ready, just in case.
10. When the Card Has an Ongoing Balance
There are times when you shouldn’t use a specific credit card.
For example, if you carry a balance on a card from month-to-month, you’ll pay interest from the day you make a purchase.
If you also have a card without a balance, use it instead and pay it off when the statement comes to avoid all interest charges. Read this post for more on this strategy.
11. When You’re About to Apply for a Mortgage
Generally, mortgage lenders don’t like to see large credit card balances.
They’re aware many people now put everything on their cards to get reward points, and may be okay with a large balance or two — if you have the money to pay them off.
But they need to verify you have that ability, and the verification process can delay a closing.
It’s safer to pay cash and keep card balances low until after you get the loan.
Your Turn: When do you avoid using a credit card? Do you know any good reason we left out? Let us know in the comments!
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 11 Times You Definitely Shouldn’t Use a Credit Card appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
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8 Bite-Sized Tips to Learn Email Marketing
By Dawn Berryman Email marketing should be a component of your overall marketing plan. Email marketing is essentially the same as direct mail, but instead of sending items through postal mail, you’re sending digital communication electronically. There are several options and a lot of variables to consider. If you are just starting out, this might […]
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