This year marks the 30th year for the Pocono State Craft Festival held at Quiet Valley Living Historical Farm. With many repeat artists and vendors, this year’s festival will also offer some new highlights.“The exciting thing is it's turning 30. It started as a small local show at the Sheraton and then moved to Shawnee Inn, then Sun Mountain Recreation Area and then to Quiet Valley Living Historical Farm. This year, it’s at Quiet Valley again and has been there [...]
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الخميس، 18 أغسطس 2016
11-year-old racing champ preps for first race on asphalt at Pocono Raceway
Look out NASCAR and beware Dale Earnhardt Jr., a young gun has taken over the track — and the hearts of fans everywhere — and he’s revving up for a weekend on asphalt at Pocono Raceway.Joey Amantea, an 11-year-old Coolbaugh Township resident and USAC Quarter Midget National Champion, will headline a weekend at Pocono Raceway as the Tricky Triangle hosts its first USAC Quarter Midget national division races during the Verizon Indy Car Series ABC Supply 500. [...]
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3 Work-From-Home Jobs That Will Pay You to Play Video Games All Day
I have a confession.
As a kid, I owned nearly every version of Game Boy: Light, Color, Advance, SP. (SP was so fancy.)
I kept my games in a pencil box. My collection included “Mario Kart,” “Kirby’s Dream Land,” “Donkey Kong,” even “Grand Theft Auto.” I had the connector cord, too, so I could battle my brother and best friend.
OK, OK. My walk down nostalgia lane is over. Here’s the point: I can relate to you gamers — the sweaty palms, irrational grunts, the lean-closer-to-the-screen move. It’s an addicting and time-consuming hobby.
And now you can list “gaming” as a job skill.
For the gamer in all of us, I rounded up three work-from-home jobs you might find exciting — almost as exciting as finding extra virtual lives — or bananas, for you Donkey Kong fans.
3 Work-From-Home Jobs For Geeks and Gamers
Your couch must be pretty comfortable, right? Assume your favorite gaming position, controller — or keyboard — in hand, and prepare to start making money as a gamer.
1. Beta Game Tester
Want to play some big-name games before they hit the shelves?
As a game tester for VMC, you’ll get your hands on AAA games, which have the highest development budgets and levels of promotion, prior to any national release. Think: “Star Wars: Battlefront,” the “Call of Duty” titles and “Grand Theft Auto.”
Really, the main requirement is that you’re 18, can keep a secret, follow instructions and are professional. Plus, you should know your way around a game controller or two.
This paid, work-from-home job runs on a weekly basis, so simply apply — which includes noting your gaming consoles — and play.
2. Virtual Gaming Support and Service Representative
Sutherland Global Services’ work-from-home team, CloudSource, needs a full-time gamer — and customer support guru.
You’ll answer customer calls and troubleshoot issues. They could be as simple as resetting a password. And I sure hope you’ll drop some “Call of Duty” or “Zelda” jokes in there.
However, those jokes should be PG. Job requirements include professionalism, a year of customer service experience and some knowledge of social media and Microsoft Office.
But the first requirement from the job posting? “You are an experienced gamer and/or have a background in gaming technical support.” In bold.
Press start to continue and apply.
3. YouTube Gaming Talent & Personality
Here, you’ll work for SC Media; SC stands for Strangely Compelling.
So, are you strangely compelling? Funny? Full of energy? A gamer? You could be the company’s newest on-screen talent.
And you won’t just be a pretty face. You’ll also get to produce and direct content, which includes pitching, scripting, editing and promoting material. Millions of gamers will watch each month, according to the job posting.
You should have a year of experience in web video content (and probably an active YouTube or Twitch channel) and strong research and communications skills.
To apply, fill out a Google Form — answer some simple questions, including top 10 favorite games, and submit.
We’ll see ya on the YouTube.
Your Turn: Do you have the gaming skills for these work-from-home jobs?
Carson Kohler (@CarsonKohler) is a junior writer at The Penny Hoarder. After recently completing graduate school, she focuses on saving money — and surviving the move back in with her parents.
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Does It Make Sense to Refinance My Student Loans?
If your debt burden is big enough, you’ve probably considered the prospect of doing a student loan refinance.
After all, people refinance their homes and business loans all the time. Why should student loans be any different?
The truth is, student loan refinancing is different for myriad reasons. Still, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider refinancing your loans anyway. The key to figuring it out is considering everything you’ll gain – along with everything you’ll lose.
This post will explain all of the pros and cons of refinancing your student loans. Once you see the big picture, you’ll be in a better position to decide.
Student Loan Refinancing: What to Watch Out For
Refinancing into a loan with better terms might sound like a dream come true, but if you have federal loans, you might also have to give something up. Namely, federal student loans come with certain protections that can help you if you’re in default, reduce your monthly payments indefinitely, or defer repayment until a later date.
Students with federal loans may qualify for public service loan forgiveness as well as income-driven repayment plans like Pay As You Earn (PAYE) and Income-Based Repayment (IBR). These plans let you pay a certain percentage of your discretionary income towards your loans for 20-25 years before doling out 100 percent forgiveness of any remaining balances.
Other federal programs that help student with federal loans include medical and economic forbearance that can give you a break from repayment for up to 24 months, military benefits that will repay your federal student loans if you or a spouse serves active duty, and federal help rehabilitating federal loans that were formerly in default.
Once you refinance federal loans with a private lender, you lose access to federally-supported student loan forgiveness, deferment, or forbearance programs. And that includes any student loan programs for federal loans that may be offered in the future.
Further, refinancing and consolidating your student loans can extend the time it takes to pay them off. If you’re already years into paying your student loans down, this is certainly something to consider.
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Student Loan Refinancing: Benefits You Might Enjoy
If you don’t plan to take advantage of any federally-supported student loan programs, student loan refinancing is one option to consider. Benefits of refinancing can include, but are not limited to:
A lower interest rate – Some, but not all, federal student loans can be refinanced or consolidated into a private loan with a lower interest rate. While this will generally extend your timeline for full repayment, the savings you accrue by paying a lower interest rate can seriously add up over time. Estimate your savings by visiting SoFi HERE.
One easy payment – If you’ve got several student loan bills to contend with, refinancing can help you achieve one low monthly payment. Going from several payments down to one won’t save you money by itself, but it will save you time and hassle.
A lower monthly payment – If you secure a lower interest rate – or extend the repayment timeline on your loan, you’ll end up with a monthly payment that is much easier to manage. Scoring a lower month payment can give your budget a little bit of breathing room while also making it easier to throw extra money straight towards the principal of your loan.
Lock in a fixed rate or choose a variable rate – Some private loans come with variable rates that cause payments to fluctuate over time. In many cases, you can refinance these loans into a product with a fixed rate and a predictable monthly payment. If you refinance into a loan with a variable rate, however, it’s important to understand that your payment will rise as interest rates rise. Always consider the consequences of the type of loan you choose before pulling the trigger. And if you want to lock in a monthly payment that will never change, go with a loan that offers a fixed rate.
Better rates with a co-signer – If you have private personal loans with a high interest rate, securing a co-signer with good credit might help you get a loan with better terms. These better terms could include a lower interest rate or a better repayment horizon – both perks that could help you save money and pay your student loans off faster. Refinancing student loans without a cosigner and no credit is probably not going to happen
5 Signs it Might Make Sense to Refinance Your Student Loans
Confused yet? You’re not alone. The many rules, benefits, and drawbacks that arise when considering this option make this decision a difficult one.
Still, student loan refinancing really is the best option for borrowers in certain situations. Here are five scenarios where you might just fall into that category:
- You’ll earn too much to qualify for income-driven repayment plans anyway, and you have no desire to work in public service. Many people who enter high-paying fields earn too much to qualify for income-driven repayment plans, and some have no desire to work in the public sector at all. If the shoe fits, estimating how much you would save by refinancing your federal student loans is a smart idea.
- Your loans are fixed at a high interest rate, and you think you could do better. If your student loans are a fixed at a high interest rate, it might be worth exploring your refinancing options. Depending on your loan details and financial situation, you may qualify for a loan with a lower interest rate that will help you save money.
- You are making multiple loan payments at various interest rates every month. If you’re sending in multiple payments every month, refinancing into a solid loan with excellent terms is one way to simplify your life and save money in one fell swoop. Find out how much you could save with this calculator.
- You want to pay down your loans as quickly as possible. If you’re like many young people, the idea of enduring income-driven repayment for the next 20-25 years of your life is troubling. In certain situations, refinancing is the best way to kill your loans off for good.
- You want independence from your co-signer. If your old loans involve a third party and you want to break off on your own, refinancing is one way to make it happen. And if your credit score is good enough, you’ll hopefully qualify for new loan with a low interest rate and terms you can live with.
The Bottom Line
In the perfect world, we would blink and our student loans would disappear. But in the real world, it’s on us to pay them back – even it takes a decade or longer.
Fortunately, plenty of businesses have stepped in to offer new products that can make paying off your loans easier. But before you take the plunge, you should perform due diligence to make sure refinancing actually makes sense.
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Work From Home (or the Bar): Yelp is Hiring Extroverts in 9 Small Cities
Whoa, just came across a super fun job for anyone who loves their hometown!
Yelp is looking for community ambassadors in nine cities across the country (and several more internationally).
You’ll work flexible hours in this part-time role, hosting events and acting as the voice of Yelp in your community.
If that sounds like your dream job, keep reading…
How to Become a Yelp Community Ambassador
Want to rep Yelp in your hood?
The massively popular online review company is hiring in nine cities, including Santa Barbara, California; Gainesville, Florida; South Bend, Indiana; Jackson, Mississippi; Columbia, Missouri; Eugene and Bend, Oregon; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and Galveston County, Texas.
If you live in (and love!) one of the above locations, and are the “go-to person” for restaurant and activity recommendations, then this job might be for you.
As a community ambassador, you’ll host events, partner with local organizations and act as the voice of Yelp in your local community.
You’ll need to be a “social connector,” who’s “passionate about event planning, social networking, guerrilla marketing and PR.” You also need excellent writing and time-management skills.
The program lasts for one year, during which you’ll work 10-15 hours per week from anywhere with a Wi-Fi connection. You must be over the age of 21 and also have reliable transportation.
To apply, find your city’s listing on the company’s career page and submit a cover letter, resume and link to your Yelp profile.
For social butterflies, I can’t think of a better job. Honestly, I’m sad there aren’t any openings in St. Petersburg!
Your Turn: Have you considered any Yelp careers?
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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Obama Giving Away the Internet? How that Could Affect the World
Obama Giving Away the Internet? How that Could Affect the World
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We Made the Inc. 5000! As a Thank You, We’re Giving Away a $500 Scholarship
Hey there, Penny Hoarders! I’ve got some exciting news to share with you.
Each year, Inc. Magazine releases the Inc. 5000, a list of the fastest-growing private companies in America. We’re proud to announce that Inc. has ranked The Penny Hoarder #32 overall and — drumroll, please — the #1 fastest-growing media company in 2016.
WOOHOO!
We couldn’t have done this without you — our amazing readers who have shown such passion for the site over the years. We appreciate you joining us on this incredible journey to make a difference in the lives of others.
Now, we want to help you make a difference.
We’re giving away $500 to one lucky reader to use toward their own entrepreneurial venture. You can enter to win below.
The contest will close on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2016, at 12 a.m. EDT. Good luck, Penny Hoarders!
The post We Made the Inc. 5000! As a Thank You, We’re Giving Away a $500 Scholarship appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
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31 Days to Financial Independence (Intro and Day 1): The Shallows and the Deep
“31 Days to Financial Independence” is an ongoing series that appears every Thursday on The Simple Dollar.
Introduction
One of the earliest collections of articles to appear on The Simple Dollar shortly after its launch was 31 Days to Fix Your Finances (you can read it in full here), which was a culmination of everything I had learned about personal finance up to that point, organized in a series of posts that walked people through the organization of their finances in a way that was centered around their own personal values with a goal of being able to achieve one’s life ambitions.
I was extremely proud of that series and I still am.
Today, I’m launching a revision of that original series. This time around, it’s entitled 31 Days to Financial Independence, but it still has the same main goal as the original: to help people organize their finances in a way that’s centered around their core values and helps them achieve their life ambitions.
This begs the question: if I’m so proud of the original, why am I revisiting it?
For starters, some aspects of the world have changed since I originally wrote the series. There are many specific points in that series of articles that are very much locked into the world as it was in the late ’00s. While some elements have the “timeless” quality that I look for in great financial writing, other elements rely heavily on things that existed at that time but don’t necessarily exist now, like online savings accounts that offered 6% interest.
Another reason is that I’ve learned a lot in the last eight and a half years since I wrote the original series. I’ve experienced countless things. I’ve explored countless avenues of personal finance. I’ve read countless books and studied countless whitepapers and research briefs. I’ve interacted with literally thousands of readers in one-on-one conversations (probably tens of thousands). I’ve learned some things along the way, and I believe that many of the things I’ve learned can really only make this series better.
The goal of this series is simple. It’s a series of practical and philosophical exercises that can help anyone who is dissatisfied with their financial state in any way to improve their financial path going forward, orienting it closer to their personal life goals and getting rid of plenty of unnecessary baggage. It’s helpful to the person making an entry-level wage and juggling student loan debt. It’s helpful for the overly busy person juggling a career, children, and aging parents. It’s helpful for people who are looking ahead toward retirement and wondering what that means.
When this series is finished several months down the road, I hope that it will be on par with the quality of personal finance books you’d find on the shelf of any bookstore or library, except that it’s all freely available for anyone right here at The Simple Dollar.
Let’s get started!
Day 1: The Shallows and the Deep
Tell me if this sounds familiar…
You have a lot of interests and distractions on your time. You have a bunch of hobbies that you’d love to spend more time on – some that you actually do spend time on but not as much as you like, and quite a few more that you don’t devote time to but you have stuff in case you ever do find the time.
You follow a ton of television shows and perhaps online video series, so you have a healthy home internet connection and a cable package and/or subscriptions to a bunch of video streaming services. You read a bunch of different websites and constantly find cool stuff on them. You follow social media, too. You like to eat at nice restaurants. You like to have good foods in the fridge. You like to have nice clothes. You have a nice car – or dream about having one. You have a nice house – or dream about having one – and you want to fill it with amazing decor.
Yet you rarely have time for all of this stuff. Often, in the evenings, when you’ve taken care of your work, your sleep, your personal care, and keeping up your home and other personal responsibilities, you don’t have very much time at all for those things, so you fall into just one or two things you do in the evenings. Maybe you watch television, or browse the web, or read a book. And then the cycle repeats itself.
You have a closet or two and/or a garage full of scarcely used stuff, and yet you sometimes add to it. You have tons of channels and infinite online resources, yet you just watch one or two channels and return to the same few websites over and over. You have tons of books and movies on your shelves, but you accumulate them faster than you read.
Does this sound at least something like you, at least in parts? This is actually an amalgamation of the internal lives of a lot of people in America today.
Including myself.
The above text is a frighteningly accurate look at my internal daily life in the years before my financial turnaround. Take my personal journal entry from September 23, 2005, in which I describe a typical day.
That typical day was filled with interests and distractions and responsibilities, pushing and pulling me in a lot of different directions. In the end, though, it left me feeling deeply unhappy.
Why? In the process of chasing the infinite things that I might care about a little, I left myself little time, money, and energy to feed the things I actually cared about a lot.
Because of that, I was financially broke and my life felt pretty empty. I felt deeply unhappy, yet I kept moving through the same cycles – going out to eat constantly, buying more and more things for my hobbies that I often wasn’t really using or deeply enjoying, and burning time and energy in ways that were spread out over lots of things, many of which I didn’t care about nearly as much as others.
Here’s the truth: Every single one of us out there has a set of values by which we live our lives. Most of us have a lot of values and a lot of things we deeply care about and we try our best to spread ourselves across all of those things.
The problem is that when we spread ourselves wide, we become shallow. The phrase “an ocean wide, an inch deep” comes right to mind. We’re able to touch gently on all of the things we believe we care about, but there’s no depth there. The things we really, truly care about – the ones that deserve a lot of depth and attention in order to bring us joy in life – are treated in a shallow fashion just like everything else, because there’s only so much time and energy and money to spread around.
What’s the solution? The solution is to recognize the points in our life that deserve depth, then drain the ocean a little. In other words, we walk away from all of those things that we care about in only a shallow way and leave our money, time, and energy just for the things we care about in a deep way.
The first step, of course, is figuring out what those areas that deserve depth in your life really are. I find that, for most people, there are really just a small number of areas in their life that deserve authentic depth – things that they genuinely care about and want to give significant amounts of time and attention and energy and money to.
I’m going to list a few of them. Some are hobbies, some are life elements, some are artistic passions.
Raising children
Getting in great physical shape
Reading books, or perhaps reading a specific subgenre of books
Watching movies or television shows
Achieving complete financial independence and retiring early
Playing video games
Cooking gourmet meals
Getting involved in a religious organization
Building your own spirituality
Landscaping
Hunting
Being a good spouse
Hiking
Fishing
Writing computer programs
Writing novels
Volunteeering for a specific cause
Learning about a specific topic
Playing board games
Debating current events
There are probably two or three things on that list that chime with you, or maybe just one. Reading through it, though, you probably came up with two or three more that really matter to you. You also probably read through a lot of things and discovered you just didn’t care about it. For me, raising children, reading books, learning about a specific topic, playing board games, and being a good spouse stand out, with being a good spouse and parent and reading bubbling to the very top.
Here’s the interesting part: there were also probably some that you thought were mildly interesting and that you could see yourself devoting time and energy to. Quite a few stand out to me in this way: getting in great physical shape, watching movies, playing video games, building spirituality, hiking, writing novels, writing computer programs, and debating current events are all what I would call mildly interesting. I’d come close to elevating “hiking” to being one of those core things.
I’m going to make another list. When you read through these, ask yourself how many deeply, truly matter to you.
Driving an expensive car that wows the neighbors
Buying name-brand food items at the grocery store
Wearing expensive clothing
Shopping at the upscale grocery store
Owning and using the latest tablet computer
Owning a huge house to impress all of your friends
Wearing expensive perfumes
Buying name-brand household items at the department store
Traveling all over the world
Owning and using the latest smartphone
Eating out at fine restaurants
This list likely has a number of things that you’d describe as mildly interesting – and they’re all deeply expensive. There are probably a few that you just shrug your shoulders at because you don’t care. Maybe one of them really hit a nerve with you as something you deeply value.
Here’s the thing, though: All of us find ourselves devoting time, energy, and especially money to those things that we would only call “mildly interesting.” We spend money on name-brand food items. We eat out at fine restaurants. We wear relatively expensive clothing. We spend money on name-brand items of all kinds. We likely have a fairly new smartphone or tablet, with the services that such a device requires of us. We dabble in tons of hobbies.
Yet, by doing that, we leave behind some of those core things. When you look at those core things – the two or three or four things that really, really matter to you – you’re probably feeling a strong sense that you don’t do those things enough, that you don’t spend enough time or energy or maybe even money on those things.
We end up spending a lot of time and money and energy spread across things that we only mildly care about at best, and we end up spending not enough time or money or energy on the things we care about most.
That, in my eyes, is the absolute core of why people find themselves in financial trouble today, wondering where all of the money and time has gone while also feeling that there are big empty holes in their lives. They’ve spread their money and time across things of low importance in their lives and then left a big deficit of money and time and energy for the things that are truly important and fulfilling for them, which leaves that big, empty, gaping hole.
This brings us right back to that generalized solution I mentioned above: choosing a few areas to go deep on and leaving the other areas high and dry. To put this in simpler terms, it means focusing in on a handful of areas in your life with your time, attention, and money, and simply walking away from the multitude of areas that you “somewhat” care about.
So, what are those areas that you do care about? Here’s my recommendation.
Exercise #1: Making Your ‘Deep’ List
What you’re essentially going to do here is consider all of the things that you spend money or energy or time on in your life and ask yourself how important they really are to you. Do you spend enough time/money/energy on those areas? Not enough? Too much?
The easiest way to do this is to simply make a time diary for a week or two in which you keep track of how you spend your time. I find a pocket notebook really works well for this. Every so often – say, every hour or so – make a note of what you’ve been doing for the last hour, breaking it down into little pieces. This means even keeping track of mundane things like brushing your teeth.
At the same time, keep a grip on your bank and credit card statements.
After you have a week or two of entries in your time diary, sit down with your current bank and credit card statements and figure out where all of your time and money is actually going. Go through your bank and credit card statements and group them all into sensible activities. Did you spend this money on basic food items? Gourmet food items? Household supplies? You might have to break some of the entries apart a little bit – just do your best. Break things like food and household spending into basic essentials and “name brand” or gourmet expenses. Group money spent on hobbies or entertainment into groups that make clear sense to you.
Do the same thing with your time budget – you’ll have a lot of time spent sleeping, some time spent on basic personal care, and likely some significant time spent working. What about the rest of it? What did you do with that time?
When you look at all of that, what stands out to you? What things do you feel like you didn’t spend enough time or money on? What things did you spend too much on?
What you’ll probably find is that you’ll feel as though you didn’t spend enough time (and perhaps money) on the things that really matter the most to you, and there will be several areas that you’re shocked you spent so much time and money on.
I’ll use myself as an example. When I’ve done this in the past, I have lamented the time I spent being a focused parent and on reading books (not as much as I would have liked). I spent too much time reading random websites and watching useless television. I was really shocked as to how much money I spent on gourmet foods and extra junk foods (like energy drinks from the convenience store nearby). Those were the big standouts, but there were lots and lots of little realizations in that process.
After doing this, make a formal list of the three or four core things you want to be doing in your life. What are the core things that really matter to you, the ones you really should be spending more time on and don’t begrudge the money you spent on it? For me, it’s being a good husband and father, reading, learning new things, and playing board games. Your list is going to almost assuredly be different than mine.
After that, make a list of five or so things that you would also like to devote some time to, but relatively limited amounts of money to. These are minor interests – our lives aren’t monolithic, after all. For me, that’s hiking, writing, getting in better shape, having a rich network of friends, and being involved in a couple of community groups. Again, your list is going to be different than mine, and that’s fine.
You should minimize your spending and time use in virtually every other area of your life.
If you didn’t include wearing nice clothes on that list, then your clothes shopping should revolve around a minimal functional wardrobe and should take up minimal time.
If you didn’t put “buying name brand household supplies” on that list, then you should be buying store brand items from discount stores unless there are very specific reasons not to.
If you didn’t put owning a huge house on that list, then you should be living in a fairly small modest home in a modest neighborhood.
If you didn’t put eating out on that list, then you shouldn’t eat out unless it’s heavily tied to something else you value (we eat out rarely, usually tied to a family activity where it simply allots us more family time).
If you didn’t put gourmet coffee on either list, you can still drink coffee, but it shouldn’t be at a coffee shop. Make it at home or at work, as inexpensively as you can and as quickly and efficiently as you can.
If some element of life isn’t part of the key things that you value, then you should be devoting absolute minimal time and energy and money to it.
This can be hard, especially at first. Just because they didn’t list something as being one of the core things that they care about doesn’t mean that they don’t care about it. What you’ll find, though, is that when you start exploring some of the things you do care about more deeply, you’ll find that you don’t miss a lot of those other things.
The key thing is to be honest with yourself and listen to yourself. The things on your list might seem silly to others and you might feel “ashamed” to share them. Don’t. Stop worrying about what other people think. This is about building a fulfilling life for you. You may feel that you need more space in your life for
Now, over time, people do change. They have new experiences. They grow in new ways. It’s fine to rethink those core things you care about and shift them over time. The trick is to not add to the list, but substitute. If you want to find adequate room for something new, something else is going to be starved for money or attention, so what are you stepping back from?
The purpose of all of this is to ensure that you have the time, money, and energy for the core things you do care about, and you harvest that from the time, money, and energy from the things that you care about less than that. It’s actually a pretty radical change from modern life, which tends to overstuff us with minor interests and distractions, all of which pull money out of our wallets and pull us away from the things we care the most about, leaving us dissatisfied and unhappy and even more prone to spending time and money in less-than-sensible ways.
A lot to think about on day one, eh? Don’t be afraid to take some time and really think about these issues and really cultivate your list of the core things you care about. Give it time and real thought.
Next time, we’re going to take a look at goal setting. These goals won’t necessarily be hard and fast ones, but they’re meant to really dig into those things you care about as well as find ways to really support those things in a meaningful fashion (which is going to set the stage for the real nuts-and-bolts financial material we’ll get to later on).
Related Articles:
- 31 Days to Fix Your Finances
- What We Really Value – and What We Don’t
- ‘Money Cannot Buy What Time Delivers’
- Spending Your Life
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This Woman Earns $150 an Hour as a Professional Sword Swallower
When Ilise S. Carter was 12 years old, she witnessed a sideshow performer eat fire.
As someone who’d never really fit in, feeling like “a square peg,” she was instantly drawn to the subculture of the sideshow.
For years, she was just a spectator. Then, on Sept. 11, 2001, she was working in the World Trade Center in New York City… and everything changed.
That’s when she started her journey to become one of the world’s few female sword swallowers, earning upwards of $150 per hour.
Here’s her story.
How She Became a Sword Swallower
Image by John Christou
Although Carter had long wanted to be a performer, like many of us, she had myriad excuses for putting her dreams on hold.
“There’s always that sense of, ‘I’ll do it when I get my stuff together, I’ll do it when I make more money, I’ll do it when I’m 10 pounds thinner,’” she explains. “There’s always a reason to put stuff off.”
But seeing the twin towers fall, Carter says, “gave me the sense there’s no time like the present so you might as well do it now.”
She wanted to go to the Coney Island Sideshow School, but as a freelance writer, it wasn’t in her budget.
Luckily, retired fire eater A.V. Phibes — an acquaintance who’s since become one of her best friends — offered to teach her some tricks of the trade for free.
Carter says she learned “the basics” from Phibes: eating fire, walking on glass, escaping from a straitjacket and hammering nails into her nose (aka “human blockhead”).
Then, she moved on to sword swallowing.
Although Carter wouldn’t say how she learned the art, she did say it took four months of practicing twice a day, “and then another month to get it on stage.”
She’s now been performing for 11 years under the stage name “The Lady Aye.”
How This Sharp Side Gig Earns Her Money
Ted D’Ottavio
As The Lady Aye, Carter’s performed everywhere from burlesque shows to Sweet 16 birthday parties to product launches and store openings.
“I’m all over the place,” she says.
She performs a variety of acts, including fire eating and the human blockhead, but because of its uniqueness, sword swallowing is in highest demand. By Carter’s estimate, there are only 36 female sword swallowers in the world.
Carter used to perform at burlesque shows, calling them the place to “really hone your skills,” but due to low pay (around $75 per show), she now does them much less frequently.
These days, her most lucrative gigs are private parties, where she’s booked as an “ambient performer” — equivalent to being “part of the furniture,” she says.
During a two-hour gig, she typically does three sword-swallowing sets of about 10 minutes each. Because the performances are physically taxing, that’s her max — unless she wants to risk “sword throat” (what the performers call a sore throat).
For these gigs, her rate starts at $150 per hour, with a two-hour minimum. The rate increases depending on the equipment and travel required.
Still, Carter says working full time as a sword swallower wouldn’t be sustainable for her. In the past, she made her living as both a freelance writer and performer and “just barely got by,” she says.
So she performs as The Lady Aye on the side of her full-time job as a copywriter and part-time work as a freelancer.
“This month, I performed every weekend except for one,” she says. “Sometimes I go two months without performing, sometimes I perform several times a week. It really depends.”
So, does she swallow swords for the money, or because she truly loves it?
“The answer is yes to both,” she explains. “I’m a professional. I get paid for professional work and for the rarity of my work and for the skill of my work. I also love it.”
A Hard Way to Make an Easy Living
Unlike many professions, sword swallowing isn’t a career that’s accessible to everyone.
“I always describe it as learning to do a split,” Carter says. “There are people who will never learn to do it even if they want it… The body just has to be set up for it.”
And it can hurt, admits Carter.
“Practicing is certainly uncomfortable,” she says. “You have three gag reflexes and they’re really strong. Everybody knows the one at the back of the throat from the dentist, but there are actually two below that and the bottom one is no joke. That one hurts.”
The only way to learn, she says, is at one of two schools: the aforementioned Coney Island Sideshow School or Harley Newman’s Oddity U.
And being physically able to swallow swords is still a far cry from earning money with your art.
Using a common and applicable sideshow expression, Carter explains, “It’s a hard way to make an easy living.”
“Even the people who are at the top don’t make an enormous amount of money and they work very hard for that,” she says. “It’s constant travel; it’s constant hustling.”
In addition, Carter warns, the sideshow industry is “not very warm and fuzzy.”
“They want you to know your history,” she explains. “They want you to start at the bottom and work your way up. There’s some hazing. It’s not easy and it’s not always entirely supportive.”
Carter, for one, has paid her dues and worked her way up the sideshow ranks. She’s even performed for people like Usher and Amy Sedaris, and been directed by Rob Zombie.
But most important to her is the fact that, several decades later, this square peg has finally found a place she belongs.
“There are just nights where I look around the room and I’m like, ‘Oh, this is my life. This is amazing.’
“If I could go back and tell high-school me that I’d be sitting in a room with strippers, drag queens and weirdos, I would have been so much happier,” Carter says.
Your Turn: Would you ever consider a side gig as a sword swallower?
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 Woman Earns $150 an Hour as a Professional Sword Swallower appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
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How to Work From Home as a Copywriter
By Holly Reisem Hanna I remember the first time I heard of copywriting. I thought it was a profession based around copyrighting books; basically registering legal documents for books and other publications. It turns out I was completely wrong. What is copywriting? Copywriting is the process of writing persuasively to promote a person, product, business, […]
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Don’t Try This at Home: You Are Not Going to Make Money With These Five Side Hustles
Side hustles represent the new American dream: making more money, without going through the trauma of the job search process, or retraining for an entirely new career. But not every side gig is created equal. Pick the wrong one, and you could watch your time and money go down the drain, without a thing to show for it except frustration.
The good news is that once you know what you’re looking for, most bogus side hustles start to look a lot alike. In short, your grandmother was right:
- If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.
- If you have a bad feeling about it, you’re probably right.
- If ethically flexible people are engaging in it, it’s an ethically dubious activity.
After a while, you’ll recognize a bad bet when you see one. To get you started developing your nose for bad-news gigs, we present these side hustles that rarely lead to riches:
1. The Super-Cheapo Freelancing Gig
Sure, this guy might have made $900 bucks in 10 days on Fiverr, and your cousin’s best friend’s babysitter claims to keep her lights on with proofreading gigs she scored on Upwork and Freelancer.com, but you can bet they’re working their fingers to the bone to make it happen.
It’s hard to make (or even supplement) a living when clients are bidding on your services for a few bucks. Plus, you’ll have to pay the site its cut – as much as 20% of your earnings, depending on which service you use.
Better to use your existing network to score some higher-paying freelance work. You’ll put in more effort beforehand, but your rate will almost certainly be much higher.
2. The Multi-Level Marketing Scheme
If you’re on Facebook, you’re probably familiar with multi-level marketing programs, which pay participants not only for selling goods like makeup, essential oils, or supplements, but also for bringing new sellers into their network.
Not every MLM scheme is an outright scam, but all demand a commitment not just to selling stuff, but to selling your friends and neighbors on selling stuff. Chances are, if you had the time to do that, you’d have time to get a second job.
3. The Online Yard Sale
Before you head to the comments to tell us about the fortune you made selling things on eBay or Etsy, a caveat: You absolutely can make decent money selling stuff online, provided that you have a constant supply of stuff to sell.
The reason this one makes the list is that many people think their basement or attic will provide an endless supply of money-making items, only to discover that their 1980s-era Star Wars toys went pretty fast, but no one wants a broken Holly Hobby mug or a pile of half-melted Crayolas from the same era.
Selling off your old keepsakes and unwanted items is a great way to generate a one-time cash infusion you can use to pay down debts. However, it’s unlikely to be a reliable, ongoing income source.
4. The Unskilled (But Suspiciously Well-Paying) Task
Stuffing envelopes. Product assembly. Processing rebates. All scams, and all well-documented by the FTC, which maintains a page on common work-from home scams, along with a link that allows people to report the same.
Bottom line: If a machine can do a task more cheaply and efficiently than a human, no legitimate organization will pay you top dollar to do it instead.
Best-case scenario, it’s a waste of your time. Worst-case scenario, you wind up with your identity stolen. Which brings us to our final bad-news side hustle…
5. The Gig You Pay to Start Doing
If you need to buy a kit to get started, it’s a bad deal, at the very least, and maybe an outright scam. Just as real modeling agents don’t require “discoveries” to cough up cash for test shots, real employers don’t ask contractors to pay before they earn.
If you’re asked to invest before you can make money, your investment is almost certainly the major revenue stream of the company. If you’re asked to share your bank account information, Social Security number, or other personal data, turn tail and run, before the scammers get a chance to put their real business plan into action: stealing and selling your identity.
Related Articles:
- 10 Legitimate Work-From-Home Jobs
- How to Make Money: Dozens of Side Hustles to Earn Extra Cash
- 50 Side Businesses You Can Start on Your Own
The post Don’t Try This at Home: You Are Not Going to Make Money With These Five Side Hustles appeared first on The Simple Dollar.
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This Credit Card Contributes 2% of Your Spending to Your Kid’s College Fund
What are your big savings goals?
Despite the poetic ambitions of the artistic millennials I happen to associate with, I’m quickly learning not everyone has dreams of leaving the workforce early and traveling the world.
I know. It’s blowing my mind, too.
But I get it. You may want to save for a nice house for your family, work toward a happy retirement with your partner or help your kids get the best education possible.
So we found a rewards credit card that actually helps with your long-term savings goals.
It can even help you start a college fund for your kids!
Among other benefits, the Fidelity® Rewards Visa Signature® Card allows you to deposit up to 2% cash back directly into a 529 College Savings plan account.
What is a 529 Plan?
A 529 College Savings plan is a state-run investment plan that allows you to save money for college — for yourself or anyone else.
Most states provide a tax advantage and allow you to deduct 529 contributions from your state income taxes. As long as the money pays for college expenses, the beneficiary won’t pay taxes when they withdraw from the account, either.
Plus, instead of sitting in a savings account, the money you contribute to a 529 will be invested and grow over time, much like a retirement account.
In short, it’s a great way to save money for college.
As a parent, you can open a 529 plan for your children before they’re 18, or even before they’re born.
Open a 529 account with Fidelity in your state, and you can deposit your cash-back rewards from the Fidelity® Rewards Visa Signature® Card directly into that account.
How Does the Fidelity® Rewards Visa Signature® Card Work?
This rewards card is all about helping you achieve your savings goals.
With the card, you’ll receive unlimited 2% cash back for every purchase to deposit into an eligible Fidelity account — with no category restrictions.
There’s no annual fee to use the card or a limit on how many points you can accumulate. Once you accrue 5,000 points, you can make a deposit.
You can put your cash-back rewards into up to five accounts — yours or someone else’s — including a brokerage account, Fidelity Cash Management Account, 529 College Savings plans and retirement accounts.
Use it for your typical purchases and pay off your balance each month, and this credit card could be a smart way to start investing in your family’s major goals.
How Much Can You Save?
Use your Fidelity® Rewards Visa Signature® Card for your basic monthly purchases, and the rewards could add up fast.
If you use your credit card for $2,500 in monthly expenses, for example, you’ll earn 5,000 points toward Fidelity rewards. That’s about $100 to add to your 529 account each month.
Do that every month for 18 years, and you’ll have invested $43,200 in rewards.
Considering a typical 7% return, that investment could become $84,659 by the time the lucky beneficiary is headed to college.
That’s a pretty big dent in tuition without any out-of-pocket contributions!
Are you ready to start saving? Enter your information below to find out if you qualify.
Your Turn: Have you started a college fund for your kids?
Disclosure: A toast to savings! Thanks for allowing us to place affiliate links in this post.
Dana Sitar (@danasitar) is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She’s written for Huffington Post, Entrepreneur.com, Writer’s Digest and more, attempting humor wherever it’s allowed (and sometimes where it’s not).
The post This Credit Card Contributes 2% of Your Spending to Your Kid’s College Fund appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
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Poor maths skills lead to investors underestimating financial losses
Do you understand percentages? This appears to be a simple question, but a new study shows that a disturbing number of people’s instinctive understanding of this important concept is wrong - not ideal when talking about investing!
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Seven in 10 Moneywise users would use P2P lending to boost savings
Seven in 10 (71%) Moneywise.co.uk users would consider using peer-to-peer (P2P) lending in a bid to earn higher returns on savings, our latest poll results reveal.
This is split between nearly four in ten people (39%) who already use it, and over three in ten people (32%) who would consider using it in future.
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