Pocono Brewing Company in Swiftwater has closed but the restaurant and bar will reopen under new ownership, following renovations.That’s what Silvio Vitiello, the Route 611 building’s landlord, said Monday. The establishment, also known as PBC, closed last Wednesday.The restaurant featuring Italian food was owned and operated by Anthony Mazzella, who also is former owner of the Plaza Deli, Nic Anthony’s and Big Daddy’s. Mazzella couldn’t be [...]
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الاثنين، 25 يوليو 2016
Savings update: rates fall in expectation of interest rate cut
Fixed-rate deals continue to fall ahead of the expected cut in Bank of England base rate next month from 0.5 to 0.25%.
Charter Savings Bank has cut the rate on its one-year fixed rate bond to 1.66% before tax (1.33% after tax), down from last week's 1.79% (1.43%). It is the top online bond on offer.
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Think You Own the Songs and Movies You Buy on Apple and Amazon? Think Again
Since I enjoy reading and supporting my local bookstore, I purchase about one physical book a month.
But I also purchase two or three ebooks a month, regularly buy Amazon Season Passes to my favorite television shows and buy music from sites like Bandcamp.
Sound familiar?
So there’s a lot of digital media on my laptop, phone and e-reader that’s, technically, mine — I’ve paid to own it and access it whenever I want.
But I’m also aware this digital media could disappear at any time.
You might remember when Amazon deleted copies of George Orwell’s “1984” and “Animal Farm” from users’ Kindles, even though they’d purchased digital copies of the books. As The New York Times explained, Amazon pulled the copies because the books were sold by a third-party company that didn’t have the rights to the text.
More recently, Consumerist reported a customer purchased a “digital double feature” of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” and “Horton Hears a Who” from Amazon. The site removed the second half of the streaming video — and then restored it after the story came out. The user also got a $10 credit.
Amazon isn’t the only company that can make changes to your purchased digital media. As BuzzFeed reports, several people have complained about Apple Music regularly consolidating or deleting music files, meaning a carefully curated music library could disappear overnight.
So what can you do to keep the digital media you pay for?
Start by confirming you have the right to make a backup copy, then get ready to save those files. But be aware: Even if you save them, the files may only work on certain apps or programs.
Read the Terms of Service
If you’re going to do this the right way, you need to start by taking a look at your terms of service. This is also a good way to confirm what digital media you actually own, and what media you’re temporarily licensing.
For example, the Amazon Video Terms of Use states: “You may download and store your own copy of Purchased Digital Content on a Compatible Device authorized for such download so that you can view that Purchased Digital Content if it becomes unavailable for further download or streaming from the Service.”
The Amazon Kindle Store Terms of Use, on the other hand, includes no such provision. Instead, it clarifies, “Kindle Content is licensed, not sold, to you by the Content Provider.”
That means you don’t really own it. You’re also only allowed to “view, use, and display” content, not download it.
Apple Music’s Terms of Service states: “You will not be able to access content stored in your iCloud Music Library when your Apple Music Subscription ends, but you can download songs that were previously acquired from the iTunes Store.”
Apple Music also warns you it might change the format of your music, and you should back up your music library before starting the program.
“Unidentified songs on your device will remain in local storage, and unidentified songs on your computer are uploaded to iCloud Music Library in the same format or a format determined by Apple. You should back up your Music Library before setting up your Apple Music Subscription or enabling iCloud Music Library.”
With that in mind, let’s take a look at how to make your backup, and other ways of saving your digital media.
How to Start Saving Your Digital Media
If you’re going to back up your music library — or any digital file library — you can use a cloud storage option like Dropbox, but I’d suggest saving copies of your digital files to an external hard drive. Apple also recommends this option.
External hard drives aren’t cheap, so you can expect to pay around $50 for a drive that attaches to your laptop or computer via USB and serves as a storage unit for files.
If you want to download videos purchased through Amazon, you have to start with the whole “compatible device” part — which, in this case, means a device that can run the Amazon Video app. Downloading through the Amazon Video app saves a copy you can watch with the app when data and Wi-Fi are not available.
At this point, you’re probably wondering if there’s a way to get those video downloads off your device and onto an external storage system.
If you have a fifth-generation Kindle Fire, Amazon gives you instructions for saving video downloads (as well as ebooks and other downloads) to an external MicroSD card. MicroSD cards run anywhere from $5-$40 (or more!), depending on the amount of storage space.
If you’re working with a different device — such as a smartphone or tablet — saving files to an external storage system is more challenging.
Some smartphones and e-readers allow you to connect the device to your computer via USB and view (and copy) all of the files saved inside the device. My Kindle Paperwhite includes this function, as did my HTC Evo phone.
However, my iPhone 6 does not. Apple wants you to keep all of your iPhone data synced and backed up on iCloud, which doesn’t allow you to directly access certain types of digital media files — such as Amazon Video or Amazon Kindle files.
If you’re curious, IMore has a great guide to using and navigating iCloud. There are plenty of third-party “file manager” apps designed to let you view, copy and save the files inside your Apple devices. I haven’t personally tested any and advise using those apps at your own risk.
Be aware that even when you download certain files, there may still be restrictions. A Kindle .azw file can only be read on a Kindle device or app, while Amazon video downloads can only be viewed through the Amazon Video app.
I’ve also been in situations where media I downloaded could no longer be accessed through its designated app. Even when you think you “own” something, you may not have the ability to stream it.
So, to summarize:
- Back up your iTunes library onto an external hard drive.
- If you have a Kindle Fire, save digital files to an external MicroSD card.
- Some devices may allow you to connect to your laptop via USB and make copies of files, which you can then save to an external hard drive.
- Third-party file manager apps are available, but use them at your own risk.
Your Turn: Do you make backups of your digital media? What advice do you have for people who want to keep their digital files secure?
Disclosure: A toast to savings! Thanks for allowing us to place affiliate links in this post.
Nicole Dieker is a senior editor at The Billfold, and her work has also appeared in The Toast, The Write Life, Boing Boing and Popular Science.
The post Think You Own the Songs and Movies You Buy on Apple and Amazon? Think Again appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
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This Seasonal Job in Alaska Comes With a $1,000 Bonus. Plus, Polar Bears!
Do you ever dream of leaving your everyday life and going on a crazy adventure?
I do all the time. Most of the time, though, these dreams don’t involve getting paid.
But they could… If you applied for one of these winter seasonal jobs at Deadhorse Camp on Alaska’s Arctic coast.
The work isn’t glamorous, but room and board is covered — so you could save a lot of money — and you’ll get to see polar bears!
These Arctic Jobs Come With Polar Bears
Deadhorse Camp is a “northern base camp for summer recreational travelers intent on reaching the Arctic Ocean, conquering the Pan American Highway, and/or viewing polar bears in their natural habitat,” according to its Cool Works job listing.
Right now, it’s hiring seasonal workers, including cooks, bakers, cleaners and dishwashers for the winter. You must be available from September 2016 through January 2017.
If you’re hired early in the season, you’ll get to go on a complimentary polar bear-viewing trip, whose timing “coincides with the fall whale hunt conducted by the Inupiat Eskimo villagers.”
Whoa. Sounds like a once-in-a-lifetime experience, doesn’t it?
The pay is $9.75 per hour for a dishwasher, and based upon experience for the other positions.
If that doesn’t sound like much to you, keep in mind you won’t have to pay for room or board. And, since there aren’t exactly shopping malls in the Arctic — not to mention it’ll be insanely cold and dark outside — you’ll have few temptations to spend your money.
Here’s how it could work out: If you work 45 hours per week for 16 weeks, you’ll earn $7,020 before taxes. Let’s say your tax rate was 15% (there’s no state tax in Alaska); you’d bank $6,000 for four months of work.
Try to save that much in a regular job!
Stay for the second half of the winter season (through May 2017), and you could double that.
Plus, if you complete your contract, you’ll get a $1,000 end-of-season bonus, which would likely cover the cost of your flights.
What do you think? Ready to move to the Arctic? Click here to apply.
Your Turn: Would you move to Alaska to see polar bears?
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.
The post This Seasonal Job in Alaska Comes With a $1,000 Bonus. Plus, Polar Bears! appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
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A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing a Compelling Article Introduction
Wouldn’t it be great if every single person who clicked on one of your articles read it from start to finish, unable to pull their eyes away from the screen?
I think we both know the answer to that question.
To achieve this goal, however, you must master the art of writing intriguing introductions.
Wait a second, you’re thinking. Writing introductions? Isn’t that kind of a small detail of a 2,000-word article?
Your article intro is not a small detail.
The introduction to your article is often the difference between engaging readers and having a bounce rate high enough to make a click-baiter cringe.
Think about it. If you don’t grab your readers right away, you’ll lose them.
You went through all that work of writing a killer article, right? You worked hard at it. You spent a lot of time on it. You did a ton of research.
But if your introduction sucks, your efforts will be all for nothing.
You lost before you even got started!
If you want to write great content, improve the success of your marketing campaigns, and increase the loyalty of your fans, you must master writing introductions.
Let me show you how.
1. Master the opening line
To have a strong introduction, you need to open with a strong first sentence.
The millisecond your reader hits the page, they have an extremely high likelihood of leaving the page.
The first sentence has one single purpose: to entice the reader to read the next sentence. In doing so, it sets the tone for the rest of the article, hooking the reader in, one step at a time.
If you fail at this, you readers won’t scroll.
This is a histogram showing how far people scroll through Slate article pages. Each bar represents the share of people who stopped scrolling at a particular spot in the article. (An article is assumed to be around 2000 pixels long; if the top of your browser window gets to the 2000-pixel mark, you’re counted as scrolling 100% through the article. The X axis goes to 120% because on most pages, there’s usually stuff below the 2000-pixel mark, like the comments section.) This graph only includes people who spent any time engaging with the page at all (users who “bounced” from the page immediately after landing on it are not represented.) The graph shows that many Slate readers do not scroll at all. That’s the spike at the 0% mark, representing about 5% of readers. Most visitors scroll about halfway through a typical Slate story. The spike near the end is an anomaly caused by pages containing photos and videos—on those pages, people scroll through the whole page.
And if they don’t scroll, they won’t engage.
Check out this article by Dilbert author Scott Adams to see how the first sentence is done.
He writes this:
I went from being a bad writer to a good writer after taking a one-day course in “business writing.”
That’s a great opening line.
Why? Because it makes me want to know more!
- How did he become a good writer?
- What did he learn?
- Could I benefit from it too?
Adams nailed it. He drew us in by making us ask questions.
If you don’t know how to craft an intriguing first sentence, the remaining 980 words of your article will be a complete waste.
Luckily for you, with a few simple tricks, writing a phenomenal first sentence can be quite easy.
The first thing to keep in mind is that you want to keep the first sentence short. This makes it easy for the reader to digest the first bits of information and prevents them from losing interest quickly.
But there is more to it than that.
You have to make sure that the first sentence grabs the reader’s attention and holds it for the rest of the article.
Here are a couple of tried-and-true tactics that make for super compelling first lines.
Ask the reader a question
This is an easy way to get the reader’s attention and get them engaged without a whole lot of effort on your part.
For example, if you are writing an article on quitting your job and starting your own company, you could open with the question: “Did you know that almost 70% of Americans report being actively disengaged from their careers?”
Why does this work?
It has to do with the brain’s “limbic reward system.”
When this system is activated, dopamine is released. And dopamine gives us a sense of reward and pleasure.
When we are intrigued by a question, i.e., experience a sense of curiosity, the limbic reward system lights up. And that’s why we want to keep reading—it’s rewarding to satisfy curiosity.
Writer Olga Khazan asks a question that’s on everyone’s mind, causing the reader to be instantly interested.
We want to know the answer to that question, so we keep reading.
That’s why a question is a great opening line. You can even use the question as the article title.
Tell a story
The brain also lights up when it encounters a story.
According to the theory of neural coupling, certain portions of the brain are activated when a reader thinks about the same mental and physical activity that a character in a story is doing.
James Clear usually starts his blog articles with a story, often a true story.
The story makes his readers interested in the article and keeps them reading to the very end.
Use a shocking quote
Another great way to start your article is to use an attention-grabbing quote.
Let’s say you are writing an article on world travel. A great way to introduce the article would be with the quote from Helen Keller:
“Life is a daring adventure or nothing at all.”
Tell the reader to imagine
Sparking the imagination is an instant way to draw the reader into the experience of the article.
Notice how this article from Wired For Story begins:
The reader tries to obey the imperative by imagining. This effort compels the reader to read further, drawing them into the article.
Writers for The Atlantic are experts at their craft. This writer does the same thing—asking the reader to imagine.
Share an interesting fact
In a day and age when the Internet is so rife with crappy information and fraudulent “gurus,” people are skeptical. They have every reason to be.
Opening your article with a relevant fact or statistic is a great way to establish trust and authority from the first sentence and let readers know you’ve done your research.
2. Have something unique to say
Okay, so you’ve crafted an excellent first sentence, and you have your reader’s interest.
Now what?
Now, you have to hold that interest by having something interesting and uncommon to say.
Very few people take the time and energy to regularly produce new, thought-provoking content. If you do, you’ll set yourself apart from the herd in a big way.
Forget re-purposing of old articles or rewriting stuff from other people’s websites. If you want to have the reader’s respect and attention, you have to say something they’ve never heard before.
Unfortunately, a lot of the stuff you read today has been regurgitated 28 times before.
Let’s imagine you run a travel blog. Based on my advice, you write a number of 3,000-word comprehensive “How-To Guides.”
Whenever a reader opens your guide on financing their first around the world trip, they’ll expect to read all about airline rewards programs, frugality, and credit card points.
And that information is great, but it is also very generic.
A better introduction would be something like this:
How would you like to save up enough money in the next 6 months to spend all of 2017 traveling the world?
That would be pretty epic, right?
Well, this is entirely possible, and in today’s article, I am going to show you how you can do this.
It’s not by skipping your morning latte or spending thousands of dollars with your credit cards on a few hundred miles either.
I am going to show you how you can create a life of mobility and freedom by leveraging the skills you already have, tactically selecting your destinations, and using a little known tax secret that will save you thousands of dollars!
Sound good? Let’s get to it.
It’s hard to be different. I realize that.
Sometimes, in order to create unique stuff, we simply have to work harder, think longer, and research more than our competition.
Here are some ways you can develop that unique voice in your article introduction:
- Share a personal story or fact. You’re the only you there is. You can share a story or experience no one else can. One way to tell such a story is to write, “If you know me…”
- Get your emotions in it. People have an emotional reaction to emotions. When we convey our emotions in our writing, people tend to respond. Besides, emotion is also a unique and personal thing. How do you communicate this in an introduction? Easy: “Want to know how I feel about it? I feel….”
- Share your goals or vision. If you have a guiding goal or vision for life, you can communicate this in your introduction. “That’s one of the reasons I wrote this post. My goal in life is to…”
- Make a promise. A promise is a personal and attention-grabbing thing. Give your readers a promise, and it will secure their loyalty and their interest. “I promise that I’ll do my dead-level best to….”
Unique isn’t easy. But it’s worth it.
3. Keep it simple
We live in a world where most people have an attention span of only a few seconds.
Apparently, our attention span is getting shorter!
After a few seconds, we get bored and move on to the next shiny object.
If you want your readers to make time in their days to read what you have to say, make sure you present things as simply as possible.
Longer articles, of course, deserve longer introductions. But it’s important to respect people’s time and attention. You can’t change what is (people’s short attention spans) by writing a long introduction based on what should be (longer attention spans).
Avoid rambling about how great your information is, and just share it already!
4. Speak directly to the reader
Whenever you are writing educational material for other people, you want to use the word “you” as much (and as naturally) as possible.
In this article, I’ve used some variation of the word you more than 100 times. Why? Because I’m talking to you! I want you to know this information. I want you to benefit from it.
By emphasizing the word “you” in your article, you show the reader you are directly addressing them and their situation and not just writing a generic article to the general populace.
But there’s another side to this. I should refer to myself as well. My goal is to convey a personal feel to this article. After all, it’s me talking to you, right? So it’s only natural that I would refer to myself too.
5. Explain what the article is about
The point of an introduction is exactly that: to introduce the content that will be presented in an article.
I cannot tell you the number of times online articles left me confused even I after I’d read a few of their paragraphs.
I couldn’t tell whether the authors were teaching me how to run successful Facebook ads, or telling me a weird story about their childhood.
Take a few sentences, and clearly explain what the article is going to cover without giving away too many details.
This will build suspense around the subject matter while still letting your audience know what they may be in for.
A great example of this comes from the Buffer blog. Notice how the introduction poses a question and then proposes to answer that question.
Your curiosity stays high, but the introduction sets the stage.
6. Explain the importance of the article
Once you’ve explained what the article is, now it’s time to explain why people should care.
Everyone on the Internet approaches every new piece of information with a simple question: “What’s in it for me?”
If you want to write introductions that hook the reader and help your content go viral, you have to master the art of explaining what the reader stands to gain from the information you are sharing—the benefits.
How will it benefit your readers’ lives? How will it solve a problem they are facing? How will it cure a pain they are feeling?
If you understand how to quickly and efficiently answer these questions, you’ll keep your readers glued to your article till the last word.
Conclusion
Few things can make or break your article as easily as an introduction.
If you can master the art of the first few paragraphs, you’ll be able to increase reader engagement, improve sales, and earn a reputation as a phenomenal writer.
It’s not an easy skill to master, but like many things in Internet marketing, it’s fairly straightforward.
If you put in the work, you’ll get results.
What tactics do you use to create a compelling article introduction?
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If You Save This Much Each Week, You’ll Have $500 for Holiday Shopping
We’re at the height of carefree summer days, and while you should do your best to enjoy them, you should also remember…
The holidays are only a few months away — and, if you’re like most of us, you haven’t saved a penny for them yet.
If you don’t want to be struggling to afford presents come winter, you should get on top of your holiday budget now.
Because, as with most things, the earlier you start, the easier it will be.
Why You Should Start Saving for Holiday Shopping Right Now
As of right now (the week of July 25th), you have 17 weeks until the bargain bonanza that is Black Friday.
That means you only need to save $29.41 per week — or $4.20 per day — to have $500 by the time the deals start pouring in.
It might sound like a lot, but just think: Won’t it be easier to set aside $29.41 each week than magically find $500 down the road?
That’s what I thought.
And even if you’re not a big gift giver, you’re undoubtedly going to have additional holiday expenses: parties, flights and more.
Want a jump-start on saving? Try one (or both) of the following ideas…
1. Open a New Bank Account
Did you know you can get paid to open a new bank account?
For example, open a new account at Chase and the bank will give you a $150 bonus right now. Snag that and you’ll only need to save $20.58 per week — a little less than $3 per day — to have $500 by the holidays!
2. Get a Side Job
The easiest way to save more money is to make more money. So consider getting a holiday job or starting a side business.
Here are 29 ways to make money on the side, 21 side jobs that pay more than $20 an hour and 10 part-time jobs that come with amazing benefits.
However you do it, start setting aside money now. It’ll allow you to enjoy the holidays without stress — and focus instead on spending time with the people you love.
Your Turn: When do you typically start saving for the holidays?
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.
The post If You Save This Much Each Week, You’ll Have $500 for Holiday Shopping appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
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Insurance prices could rise after 'collateral lies' ruling
Insurance prices could rise following a recent court ruling, experts have warned.
The Supreme Court – the highest court in the UK – ruled last week that insurers can’t reject claims purely because the claimant has told a lie that isn’t actually relevant to the case.
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Questions About Electric Cars, SEP-IRAs, Charities, Wedding Registries, and More!
What’s inside? Here are the questions answered in today’s reader mailbag, boiled down to summaries of five or fewer words. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question.
1. Why Trent isn’t financial advisor
2. SEP-IRA basics
3. Holding onto sold yardsale items
4. Vesting schedule questions
5. Late model used electric car
6. Pressure cooker question
7. Marrying into very wealthy family
8. Super expensive wedding registry
9. Damaged books?
10. Saving old financial statements
11. Taking back charitable donations
12. Politics and radio silence
While assembling last week’s mailbag, I came across several questions from readers that referenced old articles that I had written many years ago for The Simple Dollar, some dating back to 2006.
The questions were great, mind you, but they did point out several things to me about the site.
First of all, there is a ton of good stuff floating around in the archives. According to my back-of-the-envelope math, I’ve personally contributed somewhere around 6,500 articles to the site over the years. 6,500! (You can browse through them if you’d like.) As I leafed through those articles myself, I discovered that a lot of them were very, very good pieces. I’m very happy with my “average” article quality, and if half of them are “above” that average, then things are pretty good!
At the same time, there are a lot of articles in the archives, especially the older ones, that could use a bit of a refresh. They skip over a lot of useful detail or they reference things that were timely in, say, 2007 that don’t make a lot of sense now, such as talking about bank accounts offering 6% interest rates and basing specific advice on that.
There’s also a lot of early posts that, although they contain great advice, I would simply rewrite at this point. This isn’t because they’re not good articles, but because I understand the topic better or because my perspective has changed after having a lot of additional experiences and having read countless stories from readers over the years.
So, over the next year or so, I plan on rewriting some of the best “classic” articles from The Simple Dollar. I’m going to redo the 31 Days to Fix Your Finances series, for one. I’m going to redo the Road to Financial Armageddon series. They probably won’t have the same names or quite the same format, but they’re going to cover the same core foundations of personal finance that the originals covered.
I hope you find them useful. I’m certainly looking forward to revisiting them.
Q1: Why Trent isn’t financial advisor
I remember you mentioning at one point (a month or two ago?) that you considered becoming a financial advisor, but that you decided this was not the right move.
I’m a mid-career (early thirties) guy and I’m considering switching to the financial advisory field, so I’m curious as to why you decided that this wasn’t right for you.
Obviously what’s right for you may not be right for me. But you’re a very insightful person, so I’d love to hear your reasons for deciding against this career path.
– Max
The simple reason is that I don’t feel as though my own personal skills and talents would match up well with being a practical fee-based financial advisor.
I think I would deliver solid advice to my clients. I know I have adequate knowledge to pass the tests (I’ve looked). I just don’t think I have the people skills needed to succeed in that kind of face-to-face environment. I’m good at analysis; I’m not good with the “bedside manner,” particularly face to face.
I learned this about myself because I dabbled in personal finance coaching for a while, and while the clients I worked with seemed very happy with it, I wasn’t. I actually felt like the whole thing was disastrous. I felt uncomfortable and I felt that I didn’t succeed at interacting well with the people asking for the coaching.
It’s just not in the cards for me. I know myself well enough to know where my skills lie and where my weaknesses lie, and I believe that one of the key skills needed for success in the financial advising field is one that I do not possess.
Q2: SEP-IRA basics
Can I open up a SEP IRA if I’m a freelance employee? I work in television and work project to project. I’m not on staff at the production company or network but I am paid through the payroll company they hire to pay people on the show. I get a W2 at the end of the year from the payroll company. I am not 1099. I have no option for retirement savings, 401K or any other investment options through the payroll company or production company.
– Jeff
In general, income from a W2 indicates that you are a full employee of that organization and doesn’t qualify as self-employment income, thus you cannot use it for a SEP-IRA. In terms of the IRS, it appears to them as though you just have a normal job.
In your situation, your best bet is to just open up a normal IRA or Roth IRA, depending on your income level. If your income is low enough, I usually encourage people to go for a Roth IRA instead.
If you find yourself bumping up against the annual IRA contribution limit, your best bet is to save the rest in a normal taxable investment account.
As always, you should consult a tax advisor before making specific financial decisions like this.
Q3: Holding onto sold yardsale items
What if I sell something at a yard sale, the buyer says they will pick it up later, mainly pays for it, leaves a phone number, but never calls, or comes back to get it… How long would I have to wait to resell the items?
– Connie
I don’t think there is any hard and fast rule for this kind of thing. The number one thing that would concern me is that you might be accused of stealing the item, so what I would probably do is stop by the local police department and simply ask what you should do, and then follow their guidance.
That way, if the person does eventually come back, you can clearly say that you did due diligence on the item and that you contacted the police and followed their guidance.
My guess? They’ll tell you to hold the item until your next garage sale and then re-sell it. After a while, I don’t think there’s any real expectation that the person would have any right to the item after it sat in your garage unclaimed for months or years.
Q4: Vesting schedule questions
I had a question regarding my investment strategies. My current employer offers a 50% match up to $4,000. Should i invest 4k with the 401k and then if I have any money remaining, invest it in a Roth IRA?
Also the vesting schedule is 1st year-0% 2nd year- 20% 3rd year- 40% 4th year-60% 5th year-100%.
I just started working and so far I love my job, but hypothetically speaking if I were to leave this job after just a year and a half would it make sense to invest in a 401k instead of a roth ira? I would basically lose all the “free money” given to me by my employer
– Andrew
I’d put it all into the 401(k). As soon as you cross the very first date where you receive any vested money at all, your 401(k) matching money will be of greater benefit to you than the Roth, and it just grows over time.
The worst case scenario here is that you don’t stick around this job until your second year, in which case you’ll just have your contributions in a 401(k) rather than in a Roth IRA – that’s probably slightly worse than having it in a Roth, but not substantially so.
On the other hand, the best case scenario is that you stick around for the full five years and everything is vested. In that case, you’ve just doubled your money and it will be doubled thereafter.
Use the 401(k). Get every potential dime of matching money. Even if it’s not realized, the potential of realization is worth more than the advantages of a Roth, in my opinion.
Q5: Late model used electric car
Does it make sense to buy a late model used electric car like a Chevy Volt or a Nissan Leaf? Are they cost effective purchases at that point? I only want a car for commuting and I want one with low maintenance costs and good reliability.
– Chandra
If you’re doing nothing but commuting and your commute is less than, say, 50 miles a day, your best bet would be to get a Nissan Leaf, which is fully electric. You can plug it in at home to charge it each night and the electricity cost is substantially lower than the fuel cost, plus the maintenance schedule on an electric vehicle is much more pleasant than that of a combustion engine vehicle. You will save money, provided the initial sticker price is reasonable and you have a good Nissan repair place nearby.
The drawback of the Leaf is that the driving distance on a single charge is relatively low, meaning you can’t go on a long trip with it. A day’s commute is fine. A several hour road trip? Not so much.
If you think you might rarely go on longer trips than your commute, a Chevy Volt is also a decent option. It’s an electric car that can switch over to a small gas engine if the batteries run out of juice.
I have friends that have owned both and haven’t heard a negative comment about either, though one friend absolutely loves her Nissan Leaf.
Q6: Pressure cooker question
Do you have any experience with pressure cookers? You often talk about using slow cookers for meal prep on busy days so I am wondering if you’ve ever used a pressure cooker and how it worked for you. It seems to me like it would be a similarly useful efficiency tool for home cooks.
– Gerald
I would very much like to try a pressure cooker, but as of yet, I haven’t tried one for anything beyond canning some vegetables with my parents many years ago.
For me, a pressure cooker seems like it would be great for things like quickly steaming vegetables or cooking rice. I’d use it to quickly prepare side dishes, in other words, rather than using it that often for main courses. I’d come home and pressure cook some fresh broccoli in a few minutes while I was serving the main dish from the slow cooker, for example.
Although that type of convenience would be nice, I more or less get the same convenience from using flash frozen vegetables. They also provide things like steamed vegetables and rice for a side dish in just a few minutes. Thus, I haven’t been quite motivated to buy one. Yet.
Q7: Marrying into very wealthy family
I’m a 25 year old man and I’m currently engaged to a 28 year old woman. My family was decidedly middle class but I was able to earn a scholarship to one of the lesser Ivy League schools where I met my wife-to-be. We’ve dated for five years and intend to marry next spring.
We didn’t meet each other’s families until this past Christmas. Just before I visited her family, she sat me down and revealed that she was from a very wealthy family, one of the richest families in America. She is a third generation descendant of that family but there is still a mind-boggling amount of wealth and she has a trust fund that has more money in it than I ever dreamed of earning in a lifetime.
My feelings for her haven’t changed. Meeting her family filled me with worry but they were mostly like any other family other than a few moments of cluelessness about how people with less money live their daily lives and about how some modern technologies work, but nothing too bad (and I just kept my mouth shut). She’s much more down to earth than that.
My biggest concern is financial protection for both of us. Let’s say we were to marry and then to divorce. How exactly does this all work? I know that a prenupital agreement often makes sense here but it’s nothing I have any experience with. Do you have any pointers or suggested readings?
– Kevin
My suggestion is this: talk about all of this openly with her. Tell her everything you wrote in this email – that you love her deeply and that you want to be with her for the rest of your life, but that this is a situation you’ve never been in before and you don’t want to do anything out of ignorance that would put either one of you in a bad place for the long term.
There are a lot of potential outcomes here. Her family may already have a standard prenup that they expect people to sign upon marrying into the family. If that’s the case, make sure you understand it before you sign it, but sign away if you love the girl.
She may also find the whole thing tasteless, in which case I’d simply make it clear that you asked out of ignorance – a sense of not knowing what to do in this situation – but also out of a desire to make sure nothing bad happened to her because you love her.
The best solution in a relationship is almost always honesty and candor, and if things ever get emotional, cool off a little but resume the honesty and candor. If you reach a point where you don’t feel like you can talk about a core issue with your partner, then your relationship has problems already.
Q8: Super expensive wedding registry
I am invited to the wedding of a coworker. I went to buy them a wedding gift but when I looked at their registry everything on it was at least $100, which is far beyond what I think is reasonable to spend given our relative incomes and our relationship. I’m not really sure what to do here. Thoughts?
– Kelly
In this situation, I’d go off the registry and give a consumable gift that the bride and groom would like, like a classy bottle of wine or something related to another interest of theirs.
I think that the relationship you describe here isn’t close enough for the kind of delicate candor that would be needed to talk this through, but you probably are close enough to have some idea of the couples’ interests and tastes and let that lead.
Remember, a wedding registry isn’t a hard and fast document that you must follow if giving gifts. It’s guidance for people who are unsure what to get and want to make sure that the bride and groom receive something they will actually like and use. You don’t have to follow it!
Q9: Damaged books?
What uses are there for damaged books (old paperbacks with failed binding and some missing pages) without burning them? Burning old books seems wrong to me.
– Ethan
If you object to burning a book for moral reasons – and I think that’s a perfectly reasonable stance – then your options are pretty limited with regards to what to do with a damaged book.
My honest reaction would be to remove the binding and send the individual pages in for paper recycling. Since the book itself is no longer functional, the pages could be used in this way to be transformed into different documents.
Another great option that a friend of mine with some artistic talent pulled off is book-themed greeting cards. He took individual pages of old books and transformed them into greeting cards, which he gave away as gifts to his friends that were avid readers themselves. He basically cut out a stencil from a blank greeting card, then affixed the paper to the inside of the card (so it could be seen through the freshly cut holes), then added a second card to the inside for writing. It turned out quite nice.
Q10: Saving old financial statements
How long should you save old financial statements? And what’s the best way to dispose of old ones so that there’s no risk of identity theft?
– Thomas
The safest rule of thumb for financial statements is to save them for seven years. I find it easiest to just keep them bundled with rubber bands by bill type and then by year so I can quickly find, say, my car insurance bills from 2013.
As for disposing of bills and financial statements, the best way to dispose of them is to shred them. However, most home shredders are incredibly slow when it comes to shredding large numbers of documents, so a better alternative strategy is to simply take them to a “shredding day” that’s hosted in your community, either by a bank or by the city itself. There you’ll find a giant industrial strength shredder that can shred many pounds of documents at once, which makes it very easy to shred everything of yours that needs shredding.
One advantage to shredding yourself, though, is that the material left after shredding makes for fantastic kindling for fires. That stuff is perfect if you go camping or if you have a fireplace in your home.
Q11: Taking back charitable donations
Several months ago, I donated to a charity based on their stated cause. I checked out this charity extensively before donating and their ratings on Charity Navigator were very good.
Recently, I discovered that there is some ongoing malfeasance at this charity. Money is not being used in the way that I expected it or desired it to be used. Their actual activities do not line up with their public documents or charitable rankings.
What is the next step for me to get my money back? Is it even possible?
– Marjean
Charitable gift enforcement varies from state to state. However, in general, a gift given by an individual donor without a specific charitable gift agreement is considered irrevocable. Once the gift is given, it can’t be taken back.
My honest suggestion with you is to put some sunshine on this charity. Get involved with it and figure out what’s actually going on, and if you find hard evidence of misdeeds, expose it. Other people who donate to this charity deserve to know what’s happening.
At the same time, make sure you know what you’re talking about. Don’t buy into a secondhand story that might be coming from someone with an axe to grind for some reason. Look for real data and real information, not tales, even from trustworthy people.
Q12: Politics and radio silence
Just wanted to thank you for not giving into the “political silly season” that seems to have invested so many other websites. I like to follow political news but I don’t need it everywhere and I’ve had too many people lose my respect because of their political rantings and ravings. Kudos for keeping all of that off of The Simple Dollar.
– Amy
Good personal finance principles apply to everyone, regardless of their political beliefs. My own personal political beliefs have nothing to do with the personal finance advice that I offer.
Beyond that, I think it’s foolish for anyone who is known for non-political things to speak on political issues. I have my own beliefs, but I’m far from a political expert. I am known and at least somewhat respected for my personal finance writings – there’s really no reason whatsoever for me to start writing and sharing amateurish political viewpoints.
If we’re ever sitting around somewhere off the record and just hanging out, sure, I might share some political perspectives. Here? There’s no place for it, as far as I’m concerned. There might be political change, but my interest here is solely on how to make the most of the current situation for your financial future.
Got any questions? The best way to ask is to follow me on Facebook and ask questions directly there. I’ll attempt to answer them in a future mailbag (which, by way of full disclosure, may also get re-posted on other websites that pick up my blog). However, I do receive many, many questions per week, so I may not necessarily be able to answer yours.
The post Questions About Electric Cars, SEP-IRAs, Charities, Wedding Registries, and More! appeared first on The Simple Dollar.
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Sir Philip Green under pressure to bail out BHS pension
Sir Philip Green has a “moral duty” to help 20,000 BHS pension scheme members following the collapse of the high street retailer earlier this year.
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Don't get stung by Pokemon Go: how to turn off in-app purchases
The latest Pokemon game has arrived in the UK this month, and ‘Pokemon Go’ is comfortably the biggest to date.
Searches for the game have surpassed practically every fad of the last decade, including the latest Star Wars film, Euro 2016 and US presidential candidate Donald Trump.
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Why and How to Open a Roth IRA for Your Child
The Roth IRA is one of the most powerful retirement tools available, giving you the benefits of tax-free growth and tax-free withdrawals.
It’s also an incredibly flexible tool, with possible uses ranging from holding your emergency fund, to serving as a down payment on your first house, and even paying college tuition.
In fact, one of the most interesting ways to use a Roth IRA is as a launchpad for your child’s financial independence.
That’s right! If your child has earned income, whether it’s from babysitting to working at the local grocery store, you can open a Roth IRA together and start contributing some of that money now. It’s a fantastic way to give him or her a financial head start while also providing an opportunity for the two of you to work together and learn some valuable lessons.
In this post we’ll explore why you should consider opening a Roth IRA for your child and how to do it.
Four Reasons to Open a Roth IRA for Your Child
1. Head Start on Financial Independence
You’ve probably already heard all about the wonders of compound interest and really don’t need another lecture. But basically the idea is that every extra year your money is allowed to grow results in an exponential increase, making it incredibly valuable to start investing early.
For example, a 40-year-old investing $5,500 per year (the limit for a Roth IRA) with an 8% return will have $271,826 at age 60. But a 30-year-old doing the exact same thing will have $672,902. Just 10 extra years results in almost three times as much money!
Now take that same concept and assume that you started at age 15 instead. Care to guess what that $5,500 contribution turns into by age 60, after 45 years?
$2.3 million. That’s a lot of money!
Or you could instead look at it like your child would have $672,902 at age 45 instead of age 60. Either way, it’s a huge head start toward financial independence.
2. Flexibility
One of the great things about a Roth IRA is that the money isn’t limited to retirement.
You’re allowed to withdraw up to the amount you’ve contributed at any time without tax or penalty, which means it’s available for travel, education, starting a business, or any other opportunity your child wants to pursue.
And even beyond that, there are certain ways to access a Roth IRA early without penalty, such as buying a house or paying school tuition.
The bottom line is that Roth IRA money isn’t locked away forever. It’s a flexible account that can provide for almost anything your child wants to do.
3. Tax Benefits
Right now, your child is likely in one of the lowest tax brackets she will ever experience. In fact, it’s very possible that she won’t owe any taxes at all.
Which makes it the perfect time to take advantage of the special tax breaks a Roth IRA offers. The lack of a current-year income deduction isn’t really an issue, and with the tax-free growth and tax-free withdrawals a Roth IRA provides, there’s a decent chance that the money will never be taxed at all!
4. Learn Investing Together
To me, this is one of the coolest potential benefits.
Your child’s Roth IRA is a perfect opportunity for you two to learn about investing together. There’s a lot of time before he or she will need the money, so you can experiment without feeling like a mistake is the end of the world.
You can learn how to make contributions, watch the account value rise and fall with the stock market, choose your investment mix, try out different strategies, and talk about what’s going on the whole way through.
Both of you will learn a ton, you’ll have something to bond over, and you can set up your child for a lifetime where investing is the norm instead of some weird thing only rich people do.
How to Open a Roth IRA for Your Child
1. Meet the Requirements
There are two main requirements your child has to meet in order to have a Roth IRA.
First, in most states the child has to be under the age of 18. Actually, they can have a Roth IRA at any age, it’s just that once they’re 18 it will be theirs and theirs alone. You as the parent won’t have any control over it.
Second, your child has to have earned income. You can refer to this publication from the IRS to determine what counts, but generally any income earned from a job is sufficient. Just make sure to document it in case the IRS wants to double-check.
2. Open a Custodial IRA
A custodial IRA is a special type of IRA where your child owns the account but you have control over it. The money must be used for the benefit of your child and your child typically takes over control at age 18.
Most major brokerages and investment companies offer these, so you should be able to open it wherever you have your own investment accounts.
3. Contribute
For 2016, your child can contribute up to $5,500, or his or her total earned income, whichever is less.
Keep in mind that even though your child has to have earned income in order to contribute, it doesn’t actually have to be his money that’s contributed. One interesting idea is to implement a matching program, much like a 401(k), where you match your child’s contribution dollar for dollar. That allows him to have a stake in the account while still having some money left over for himself.
4. Invest
This is where the fun really starts!
Involve your child in the process of learning the basics of investing and setting up a plan. Choose the investments together, track your progress, and experiment along the way.
The goal here is more to learn about investing than it is to maximize returns. That hands-on experience will prepare your child well for the time in her life when investing becomes much more serious.
Experience Is the Best Teacher
One of the best gifts you can give your children is a solid financial foundation. The more comfortable they are with managing money, the more prepared they’ll be to take advantage of everything life has to offer.
Opening a Roth IRA and managing it together is a fantastic way to build this foundation. They’ll not only get a head start on savings, but they’ll get hands-on experience and learn some valuable skills that will serve them well as an adult.
Related Articles:
- Four Ways to Use a Roth IRA That Have Nothing to Do With Retirement
- Building a Good Personal Finance Mindset in Your Children
- Retirement Investing 101: The Basics of an IRA
Matt Becker is a fee-only financial planner and the founder of Mom and Dad Money, where he helps new parents take control of their money so they can take care of their families. His free book, The New Family Financial Road Map, guides parents through the all most important financial decisions that come with starting a family.
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Stop Wasting Money: Here’s How to Pick Produce When It’s Actually Ripe
It’s a familiar scenario: You’re standing in the produce section at the grocery store, assessing a plethora of produce, trying to remember how the heck you’re supposed to tell if it’s ripe.
You glance around and see someone who looks like they know what they’re doing knocking on a few melons, trying and ditching a few before decisively placing one in their cart.
But what are you supposed to hear? Why is that one kind of yellow-ish and that other one more green?
Why did you even go grocery shopping in the first place?
How to Pick the Best Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
When it comes to produce, some culprits are obviously more ripe than others.
But buying food that’s ripe enough (or still needs some time, depending on your plans) can have a major effect on how much food — and money — you waste.
If your lettuce goes brown and gooey overnight, you won’t get the chance to eat it. And if your peaches are underripe, you may forget them in your fruit bowl while you’re waiting, only to discover a mushy mess days later.
So to keep you from a sticky situation — and maximize your grocery budget — we created this list of what to look for in 12 fruits and vegetables to ensure peak ripeness (or a little bit of time to wait) so you’ll actually save money on groceries.
Apples
Although it’s pretty obvious when an apple’s bad, some of the key markers of ripeness (and over-ripeness) apply across a variety of fruits — so bear all this in mind every time you hit the grocery store.
You’re looking for a firm apple that fully displays the color appropriate for its variety and feels heavy for its size — the heavier, the juicier and riper the flesh.
It’s also helpful to look for intact stems: They help a fruit stay healthy and keep it from drying out.
On the other hand, you’ll want to avoid obvious bruises and blemishes, which can quickly turn a good piece of fruit to rot.
The best thing about apples? Once you do find a ripe one, just stick it in the fridge — it’ll last way longer than you think. It could be up to six months before it starts to turn rubbery, and even then, you could probably use it in applesauce or pie filling.
Avocados
There’s nothing worse than looking forward to a delicious, creamy avocado — only to be greeted by a mess of brown mush once you cut into it.
Fortunately, there’s a super easy way to figure out if avocados are ripe or not: Flick off the little stem bud. If the circle underneath is bright green, your avocado is ripe or close to it. If it’s brown, steer clear — that one’s already turned.
Another secret: If you buy rock-hard, under-ripe avocados, they’ll ripen in a few days if you leave them on the counter, and even quicker if you put them in a brown bag.
Once they’re right where you want them — tender but not too soft to the touch and just turning from green to brown — stick ‘em in the fridge to keep them from ripening any further.
Or, who am I kidding? Cut them open and turn them into guac, post haste.
Bananas
So, again, maybe this one’s obvious.
Bananas have something like a stoplight system, except green means “Stop (I’m not ready yet)!”
Yellow is green in this analogy, since it means go…
Which means maybe this is not an appropriate metaphor for bananas.
Anyway.
You probably know yellow bananas are awesome, green ones are firm and less sweet and brown ones fall somewhere on the mush spectrum from “edible, but kind of like baby food” to “totally rotten.”
But if you purchase your bananas early, you can let them develop to exactly where you like ‘em. And at the first sign of brown spots, just throw them in the freezer — they make a perfect base for smoothies.
You can even make healthy one-ingredient ice cream!
Berries
How many times have you taken home a package of fresh berries just to have it turn into a petri dish of mold in a day or two?
Unfortunately, berries naturally don’t last long — although it’s not hard to scarf them down by the handful, especially during these summer months.
But if you want to pick the best contenders, make sure the berries and their packaging are dry. Moisture speeds the growth of mold.
Psst — do yourself one better by running those babies through a vinegar bath!
I know it sounds nuts, but if you rinse them well, they won’t taste like vinegar. This tactic will kill the spores that grow so quickly into mold, giving you more time to enjoy your natural candy.
Broccoli
Fresh broccoli is green. As it matures, it turns yellow… but not always because it’s rotting.
The green clusters on the crown of the broccoli we eat are actually flowers, and when they open they’re — you guessed it — yellow!
So if you want to eat your broccoli rather than decorate with it, the buds on the head should be tight, closed and green. Check the cut stem as well — it should be firm and green, not slimy or turning funny colors.
Citrus Fruits
As a Florida girl, I know all citrus starts out green — I’ve seen enough of it on the tree.
The best indicator for a ripe piece of citrus fruit is that it’s fully developed its color. If your orange still has green spots, you’re in trouble: Unlike other fruits, citrus doesn’t continue to ripen once it’s been plucked from the tree, so you’ve got to get it right the first time.
You’ll also want to make sure the skin is as smooth as can be expected of these dimpled fruits — if it’s withered or wrinkled, the fruit is past its prime.
Hardness usually means underripe citrus, although I’ve seen fruits get small and rock-hard (instead of soft and oozing mold) after sitting out too long. Eat them at the top of the bell curve, when they’re plump and slightly pliable, but still firm to the touch.
Corn
If you buy pre-packaged corn cobs that have already been shucked, you’ll have a pretty good picture of how good it is: Just make sure it’s got as many of its kernels as possible, is firm but not rock-solid and that nothing looks rotten.
Husked corn is fresher and yummier — but also more difficult to check.
Luckily, there are ways around this without standing in the produce aisle shucking a bunch of corn. Not only would it not be fun, but you might get funny looks… and you’d be sure to bum out whoever’s on the other end of that “Cleanup on aisle five!” announcement.
If your corn is still in the husk, check out the husk itself. It should be green, and wrapped tightly to kernels that still feel firm and plump beneath. The tassels at the top should be brown and sticky to the touch.
If the husk has gone brown or the tassels are dry and black, you’re looking at an old ear of corn, so skip it.
Lettuce and Other Leafy Greens
If you’re lazy like me and buy pre-packaged lettuce, you have the benefit of an expiration date… but I’ve watched leaves go brown and slimy way before their time, even while hermetically sealed.
Lettuce of any variety should be turgid, green and dry, without conspicuous brown spots. Give a head of iceberg a squeeze — it should feel firm and juicy, and its outer leaves shouldn’t be sloughing off.
Most leafy greens have a pretty short shelf life (a week, tops). So get to eating those greens! After all, they’re good for you.
Melons
Melons are the most confusing fruit ever. All their goodness is trapped inside their great big shell, unavailable to assess for ripeness.
What to do about it? Make like a detective and rely on the clues you can access.
If you’ve ever seen anyone knocking on a melon, you may be wondering what exactly they expect to hear. Me, too.
And though melon-knockers may seem decisive, and their touch full of finesse, the metrics for a “ripe-sounding” melon are pretty vague: The New York Times suggests you “listen for a melon that sounds full and more like a tenor than a bass.”
Since I wasn’t in my high school band, I think I’ll pick a different way to check.
With watermelon, specifically, you have a major advantage: Water is heavy. So if you pick up one up, it should weigh quite a bit in proportion to its size if it’s ripe and full of water.
While you’ve got it lifted, give it a turn and check its “field spot” — the discolored portion where the melon sat on the ground before it was harvested.
According to the watermelon experts (yes, they exist — see for yourself), this spot should be a “creamy yellow.” If it’s white or greenish, the melon might not be quite ready to eat, but it’ll be great if you’re shopping ahead of time for this weekend’s barbecue!
Honeydew and cantaloupe are a little less mysterious since their rinds aren’t so thick. Like all other fruit, they should be as symmetrical and bruise-free as possible.
Give ‘em a whiff and a squeeze, too: When they’re fully ripe, both of these melons will smell sweet, even through their skin, and they’ll give just a little bit under your fingers.
If you want your melons to hang around for a bit before you eat them, consider going for a scent-free, rock-hard specimen. Just don’t wait too long!
Peaches
Although firmness is a good indicator for selecting a peach, if it’s too firm, it’s going to taste like nothing at all.
And odds are, this is how you’ll find them at the grocery store, since shipping can be a rough process and ripe peaches bruise easily.
As with other fruits that produce ethylene gas while they mature (like avocados, apples and tomatoes), you can hasten ripening by placing a peach in a brown bag on your counter.
Peaches are ripe once they smell sweet and are soft (but not too soft!) to the touch. They’re also more yellow than red — that color is more indicative of sun exposure than ripeness!
Pineapples
It might seem like a prickly mess to figure out whether a pineapple is ripe. Just looking at one, you may wonder what brave soul first decided we should try to eat these.
And apparently, even the best advice for finding a ripe one seems, well, a little dicey:
Although it’s hilarious, smelling the “butt,” or underside, of the pineapple is probably fine advice: If the fruit is ripe, it’ll smell sweet, but it’ll be less detectable behind the hard, spiky skin around its sides.
A perfectly ripe pineapple will also give ever-so-slightly when firmly squeezed. Pick a hard one at the grocery store so you can keep it as a sign of welcome on your counter for a few days.
Squash
Squash is to vegetables what melon is to fruit: encased in a big, hard shell and pretty hard (literally) to crack.
Your best bet is to squeeze gently and check for good weight. The skin should be matte, not shiny, and free of obvious blemishes.
One good shortcut? Buy it in late summer and early fall — when you know it’s in season.
Want to Save Money on Groceries?
No matter what kind of produce you buy — or even if you live on ramen and Coke — you can save a ton of money at the grocery store if you just know how.
Here are some simple ways to get started.
Want to try couponing, but don’t know how? These coupon organization systems will help you get situated, even if you’re a veteran.
Of course, you’re gonna need the actual coupons themselves. Here are 100 places to find them, absolutely free of charge.
If couponing isn’t your thing, you still have options.
Try these ridiculous — but effective — ways to save money on your grocery purchase. Optimize your shopping trip by figuring out which day of the week has the best deals at your store.
Or, turn up your grocery game by getting paid to do it by delivering for Shipt.
Happy shopping!
Your Turn: What’s your favorite fruit or vegetable, and how do you tell if it’s ripe?
Jamie Cattanach is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. Her writing has also been featured at Word Riot, DMQ Review, Hinchas de Poesia and elsewhere. Find @JamieCattanach on Twitter to wave hello.
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Work-at-Home Jobs for Disney Lovers
By Holly Reisem Hanna If you’re a Disney fanatic, you’re going to LOVE today’s work-at-home job leads and at-home business opportunities! Let’s jump right in. Disney Work-at-Home Job Leads. Guest Services Representative The Disney Store retail chain periodically hires remote, Guest Service Reps in Florida, South Carolina, Texas, Kentucky, Nevada, Illinois, and Mississippi. In this role, […]
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Live near a Waitrose? It can boost your house price by £40,000
Living close to a well-known supermarket chain can boost the price of your home by £22,000 on average, according to a new report.
And living close to a Waitrose store can boost the price of your property by 10% - or £38,666 on average.
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