Turnpike releases commercial toll violators list

HARRISBURG, — Two dozen of the most egregious commercial toll violators each owe the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission more than $20,000 in unpaid tolls and violations, according to a list released Tuesday by the commission in a press release.All told, the trucking firms have collectively ignored more than 19,000 violations notices.“The top 24 violators together owe the PA Turnpike more than $1.5 million in unpaid tolls and fees,” said [...]

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Bethlehem ranks tops on Money's 'Best Places to Retire'

Snowbirds take note: Money magazine has named Bethlehem No. 1 on its "Best Places to Retire" list among Northeastern U.S. cities.While it scores high on charm, Bethlehem also stands out by many practical measures, according to the magazine. Retirees get plenty of income tax breaks, including no state tax on Social Security benefits or retirement accounts of any kind.Despite property taxes it rates as higher than average, the magazine says the state sales and income taxes are [...]

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New winery to open soon on Main Street

The former SoHo in the Burg art gallery in Stroudsburg may be closed, but a local craft will still be found there.Britton Detrick will be opening The Renegade Winery at the site of the former gallery on Main Street in the next couple of weeks, punctuating a decade-long venture into fermenting wine.The urban winery will feature on-site fermenting, a bar, a stage for live music and lounge areas for customers. There will be 13 different wines available when it opens, ranging from [...]

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Prince Albert II visits new purchase: mom Grace Kelly's home

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Prince Albert II of Monaco was in Philadelphia on Tuesday inspecting a house he recently bought: the home where his mother, Oscar-winning actress Grace Kelly, grew up and accepted a marriage proposal from his father, Prince Rainier III.Albert spent nearly an hour inside the home and walking around the property, which he bought for $754,000. He waved to a handful of fans lined up on the sidewalk across the street from the home but made no public statements. [...]

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11 Best Online Survey and Research Sites to Make Money Fast

While there are many ways to get ahead in life, few are as beneficial as earning more money.

By increasing your income over time, you can boost your cash savings rate, save more money for retirement, and even afford a splurge once in a while.

And if having more money makes you feel more secure, you’ll probably sleep better at night, too.

Related:

• 100 Ways to Make $100 Fast

Of course, it’s not always easy to increase your income. Your employer might hate giving raises, for example, or maybe overtime at work has become scarce. If that’s the case, you might need to pick up a part-time job, start a side hustle from home, or look for unorthodox ways to earn money in your spare time.

11 Best Get Paid to take Surveys for Money Sites

If you’re short on time, one of the best ways to rack up some free and easy money is with online survey sites. While the payouts can vary, these sites let you earn money just for answering questions, browsing the internet, and more.

Plus, unlike a part-time job with strict hours and the standard commute, you can complete surveys during your actual free time – at night when the kids are in bed, early mornings before work, or while you’re watching TV.

Ready to get started?

Here are a few of the top online survey sites that will pay you to answer questions in your spare time:

• My Survey
• Global Test Market
• Harris Poll Online
• E-Poll Market Research
• Vindale Research
• Inbox Dollars
• Swagbucks
• American Consumer Opinion
• Pinecone Research
• Pro Opinion
• Wonder

MySurvey

MySurvey is actually and adaptation of a program that was started back in 1946. It began as the National Family Opinion organization that used to send out surveys through the mail. In 2001, they joined the digital age, and now they are one of the best survey sites around. According to the website, they have issued out more than $15,000,000 rewards to members.

The rewards for their surveys are on par (or better than some) with most other sites. They offer $0.50 to $1.25 for every survey that you complete, with the shorter surveys only taking around 5 minutes to finish. When you want to cash out, you’ll have to accumulate $10, which is less than some of the other sites, and you’ll be able to get your money through a check, PayPal, Amazon gift card, or the more than 60 other gift card options.  Sign up for a free My Survey account HERE.

Global Test Market

Global Test Market is one of the rare survey sites that has received accreditation from the BBB. They are one of the most diverse survey sites that include topics of anything from cars to movies.

Just like the other survey sites, every time you complete one of the surveys, you’ll receive anywhere from 35-250 points, which equals about $1.50 to $1.75 per a survey. Once you rack up enough cash to payout (which you’ll have to accumulate at least $50), you’ll have several different options to receive your money. You can get your money through a check, through your PayPal account, or redeem it for gift cards.

In addition to getting points for each survey, you’ll also be entered into monthly cash drawings. Sure, there is no guarantee, but it’s a nice additional incentive.  Sign up for Global Test Market HERE.

Harris Poll Online

Like American Consumer Opinion, Harris Poll Online offers cash incentives to people who are willing to log in regularly and complete online surveys and questionnaires. Once you join, you’ll begin earning rewards for each survey you take. Once you earn enough reward “points”, you can turn them in for purchases made on websites like Amazon, iTunes, Home Depot and Walmart. Conversely, you can also turn in your points for movies, books, and home goods ordered straight from the Harris Poll website. Plus, you’ll be entered into a $10,000 sweepstakes each time you complete a survey.

While exact payouts per survey aren’t advertised and can vary quite a bit anyway, Harris Poll Online is free to join and the rewards can be lucrative if you use the website often enough.

Click here to learn more about joining Harris Poll Online and how you can earn cash in your spare time.

ePoll Market Research

One of the lesser-known survey sites is ePoll Market Research. The company was established in 1997 and helped paved the way for the hundreds of different online survey sites that we enjoy today.

While there are no clear guidelines, ePoll surveys tend to revolve around the media and entertainment business. So younger survey takers and TV/movie watchers will probably enjoy ePoll more than some of the other demographics. With ePoll, you may be required to watch a commercial, or even a TV episode and then answer questions about it on the survey. In fact, on rare occasions, ePoll will send out a movie or TV show for you to watch at home and then review on the site. These opportunities are infrequent but are a nice additional perk of using the site.

Most of the surveys take around 10-15 minutes, not counting the time it takes you to watch the required viewing if there is any.  Sign up for E-Poll HERE

Vindale Research

Vindale Research isn’t going to be the highest paying survey sites, but that doesn’t mean that you should automatically eliminate it. It’s a great addition to your survey sites and can help you earn a couple of extra dollars every month.

Vindale Research is one of the oldest survey sites out there, which means the company knows what they are doing. For every survey, you’ll get anywhere from $1 to $5, which isn’t bad money for the time that you’ll invest. Obviously, the more detailed a survey is, the more you’ll get paid.

The company also offers product evaluations that you’ll earn more cash for (because they are more time-consuming). They will give you a product or service, and you’ll be required to write an honest review on it. This can pay anywhere from $5 to $75.  Sign up for Vindale Research HERE.

Inbox Dollars

With Inbox Dollars, you’ll earn cash for an array of activities. In addition to earning rewards for completing surveys and questionnaires, you can also get paid to surf the internet, play games, print grocery coupons, and shop online. Best of all, signing up is absolutely free!

If you use the site regularly, you can usually earn up to $20 or $30 per month for your various activities. Plus, you’ll get a $5.00 credit just for signing up!

Sign up for InboxDollars here

Swagbucks

Swagbucks was one of the first paid survey sites to appear on the internet, but it has grown to offer more options and more fun ways to earn money with each passing year. With Swagbucks, you’ll earn points for shopping online, watching videos, searching the web, and answering surveys.

When it comes to redeeming your points, a wide range of gift cards are some of the best options. If you don’t want gift cards, on the other hand, you can also redeem your points for PayPal cash.

Signing up for Swagbucks is easy and, best of all, it’s free! If you want to see all the different ways to earn money with Swagbucks, click here to get started.

American Consumer Opinion

While it might be hard to believe at first, American Consumer Opinion will pay you real, actual money to share your opinions and complete online surveys. Once you join their online opinion panel, you’ll be asked to offer opinions on new products you have tried, test out new advertising campaigns, and tell companies what you think of their marketing techniques and slogans.

Payouts from American Consumer Opinion vary, but your payout will come in the form of “points” you can redeem for cash. You can also get your cash through PayPal if you want, and redemptions start at 1,000 points or $10.

Get started with American Consumer Opinion here!

Pinecone Research

Pinecone Research works a lot like other paid survey sites. Once you sign up, you’ll earn points for each survey you complete. As an added bonus, the responses you give during surveys will help you learn about new products before they hit the market and influence their respective marketing campaigns. And once you start racking up the points, you can redeem them for cash or prizes.

While you have plenty of options when it comes to redeeming your points, Pinecone research is also one of the few online survey sites that will actually send you a check in the mail instead of making you redeem for gift cards or merchandise.

If you’re interesting in figuring out how much you can earn, sign up for Pinecone Research here.

Pro Opinion

With Pro Opinion, you’ll get paid to answer questions in your field of expertise. In addition, you’ll provide valuable research that is used to create expert responses and articles on the Pro Opinion website.

After you sign up, you’ll receive surveys on various topics and products via email. Once you complete these surveys and build up a stash of “points,” you can redeem them for cash via PayPal, purchases made through Amazon.com, or gift cards to various retailers. As an alternate suggestion, you can even redeem your rewards as a donation to the Red Cross.

To get started, you’ll need to offer quite a few personal details including your gender, home address, birth date, employment status, education level, and household income. After that, however, you’ll be matched with surveys that line up with your individual strengths and existing wealth of knowledge.

Interested in learning more? Sign up with Pro Opinion here.

Wonder

Unlike the other paid survey sites on this list, Wonder will actually hire you to conduct independent research on a wide range of topics. In that sense, Wonder offers much more of a “part-time job” than a side hustle you can complete in your spare time.

If you meet their criteria and get hired, you’ll conduct expert research on anything from historical events to government laws and regulations. In turn, that research is used by professionals who pay to use this service.

Earnings vary highly depending on your level of skill and the amount of time you spend finding the crucial details your clients need. Still, this is a great way to earn some money online and from the comfort of your own home.

You can read more about Wonder and where it works here.

How to Get the Most Out of the Best Online Survey Sites

The allure of “free money” can be hard to walk away from, especially if you can earn that money just by clicking around on the internet a few times per day. Still, there are plenty of ways to maximize the amount of money, merchandise, and gift cards you earn over time. Here are some tips that can help:

Sign up for every legitimate online survey site you can find.

While you can earn money from any of these sites fairly easily, the amount of money you can earn from each might be limited. If you have plenty of time on your hands, it can pay to sign up for several online survey sites and participate in each.

The more surveys and online tasks you complete, the more money you’ll earn over time. You may even find that a few sites are your favorites this way, or that one site ends up helping you net more cash than the others. Regardless, you won’t really know how each works until you try them out.

Watch out for scams.

While every online survey site mentioned in this post is absolutely legitimate, there are some “copy cat” websites and even fraudulent websites out there.

If a website is making wild claims about free money or asks for more personal information than you feel comfortable giving, that’s a good indicator that they are up to no good. Make sure to read reviews and follow up with research to make sure a website is legitimate before you begin using them. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Set aside time to complete surveys each day.

If you feel like you don’t have time to complete surveys, you’re not alone. Most of us live busy lives, and it can be difficult to keep up, let alone take on a new side hustle.

Still, if you watch television each day, then you have plenty of time to complete surveys online. Simply turn on your favorite show and complete survey questions during the commercial breaks. If you like some quiet time at night, that’s also a great time to earn extra money through online search or complete a few online surveys while you relax.

The Bottom Line

The best online survey sites will reward you for everything from searching the internet to watching targeted videos, opening emails, completing surveys, and giving your honest opinions on products and services.

But to get your hands on that free and easy money, you have to sign up first!

Have you ever earned money through an online survey site? Why or why not?

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Know English Well? This Tech Startup’s Hiring a Work-From-Home Communicator

So you wanna work for a tech startup. But you don’t know how to code.

If you are a good communicator, don’t fret: I’ve got a job for you.

Toptal, a growing tech startup that connects companies with software engineers, is looking for a communication specialist.

And you don’t need any specialized tech skills — just a strong handle on the English language and software technology — PLUS you get to work from anywhere.

Here are the deets…

How to Become a Communication Specialist for Toptal

As a communication specialist for Toptal, your main duty will be to “assess the English language and technical proficiency of developers joining our freelancer network.”

To do this, you’ll screen resumes, conduct phone interviews and become best friends with Skype.

You must have excellent English language ability yourself (obvs!), great phone and communication skills, a “solid understanding of software technology” and the desire to “work flexible hours in an unstructured environment.”

The company also prefers candidates have previous experience teaching English or working for a multinational company.

You’ll work from anywhere with an internet connection, and though pay isn’t specified, I’ve reached out to the company and will update you here if I get more information.

Lastly, Toptal says you must be a “world-class individual contributor.” In other words: “You will not be here just to tell other people what to do.”

Think that sounds like you? Click here to learn more.

Your Turn: Does this Toptal job interest you?

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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Want Free Sushi From P.F. Chang’s? All You Have to Do is Show Up

Sometimes, deals can be a drag.

That tempting freebie might come at a cost, and it’s not always obvious at the outset.

Maybe your “free” meal requires you purchase a beverage or even a whole ‘nother meal.

Or maybe you get your “free” cupcake or complimentary stationery set for the price of your precious inbox space — and an “unsubscribe” button you can only spot with a magnifying glass. Welcome to marketing!

That’s why we’re excited about this deal from P.F. Chang’s. It’s simple to the point of elegance: Just walk into the restaurant on Thursday, Oct. 27, and you’ll get free sushi.

No purchase necessary, no forms to sign — as the site itself says, “no strings attached… (except for the one that caught the fish).”

Now that’s what I call a freebie.

Get Free Sushi at P.F. Chang’s This Thursday, Oct. 27

All you have to do is mention the free sushi deal to your server — you don’t even have to show them the online offer.

You’ll be able to choose your free roll: California or spicy tuna. Only one per person, please.

Unfortunately, locations in Atlantic City, Hawaii and Puerto Rico aren’t participating, and the same goes for international and airport restaurants. And you’ve got to dine in to use the offer — but who wants takeout sushi, anyway?

Best of all, you don’t have to purchase a single thing to take advantage of the promotion (but please tip your server as if you had)!

The only confusing part of this deal?

Sushi’s Japanese, and P.F. Chang’s calls itself a “China Bistro.”  

Maybe it’ll soon rebrand itself as pan-Asian cuisine… and we can only hope it offers lots more easy, breezy free food deals along the way!

Your Turn: Will you head to P.F. Chang’s for a free sushi roll this Thursday?

Jamie Cattanach is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. Her writing has also been featured at The Write Life, Word Riot, Nashville Review and elsewhere. Find @JamieCattanach on Twitter to wave hello.

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This Trick Lets Me Make Money Each Month Surfing the Web Like I Always Do

I don’t know about you, but when I get home from a long day, I like to plop myself down on the couch and partake in some mindless indulgences.

In other words, surfing social media on my phone or watching Netflix.

Aside from using it to de-stress from work, I use the internet for more than eight hours on any given day — even on the weekends. It’s easy to say that I would probably die without it.

But wouldn’t it be a dream if we could all just get paid to use it? I mean, we’re on it enough…

Well, guess what? You actually can.

Don’t believe me? Well, I found a company that promises to pay me $50 just by connecting a simple device to my wireless router.

Yes, I’m for real. I decided to sign up and here’s what happened:

How to Make Money With Digital Reflection Panel

Digital Reflection Panel wants to pay you $50 or more a month and over $175 a year to let them gather information about your internet habits in hopes of one day making online experiences even better.

All you have to do is connect a simple device to your wireless router and do device updates every now and then. The rest is taken care of!

It took me about seven minutes to fill out the necessary panel and survey to participate.

Here’s how easy it was for me to sign up:

Step 1: Be Eligible for Membership

The beginning is easy. All you have to do is answer yes to having internet and living in a detached home.

After that, you’ll be approved to help provide research for the company and on your way to free money.

Step 2: Fill out the survey

This is the meat of the work, but the questions are simple.

There are only four sets of question, and each one requires you pick an option or provide a short response.

Make sure you indicate that you do in fact have a wireless router, and that you use wireless devices in your home.

One thing, though: You can’t be sharing your internet connection with neighbors.

This panel is only open to single family homes with their own router tied to their physical address. I guess it’s time to tell your neighbors to stop being freeloaders!

After this step, you’re asked to put in your contact info, including your phone number.

Hesitant about giving your number out? Well, Digital Reflection is nice enough to ask what time is best to call you.

I’m always slammed during the week, so I chose weekend afternoons.

After this, I was asked basic questions about my household, including an inquiry about using internet-connected devices.

Since I answered “yes” to using them, the next set of questions was about exactly which brands those in my household use — including my dog.

Just kidding.

After that — and a few quick questions in between — I was moved on to the last screen, confirming I understood my entire household had to participate, that I had to keep it plugged in at all times, and a few other specifics.

Step 3: Start earning money!

Right after completing the survey, I received an email confirming a set-up kit with my meter and step-by-step instructions would be delivered to my home within the next week — with notifications when it shipped and when it arrived!

Just for installing the meter (which takes five minutes per device), I’ll earn $20.

On top of that, I was offered a $5 bonus if I installed the meter within four days of receiving it and a $10 monthly bonus if I kept it plugged in.

That’s $35 just for setting it set up — and I can’t wait to see how the numbers keep adding up each month!

I’ve got my eyes on my mailbox and will update you guys when I get the meter installed to let you know how it works — and how much I actually make the first month.

Your turn: Will you try Digital Reflection Panel? Let us know in the comments!

Disclosure: What would Abe do? Probably pat us on the back for placing affiliate links in this post. Thanks for helping us fill The Penny Hoarder’s beer fridge!

Kelly Smith is an editorial intern at The Penny Hoarder and a senior at The University of Tampa. Her dog, Wrigley, has the new iPhone 7.

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Ask GFC 016 – We’ve Saved for Retirement – Now What?

Welcome to another Ask GFC! If you have a question that you want answered you can ask it here. If your questions get featured on GFC TV or the GFC Podcast, you are the lucky recipient of a copy of my best selling book, Soldier of Finance, and a $50 Amazon gift card.So what are you waiting for? Ask your question now!

There’s a lot of talk on the web and in the financial media about how to prepare for retirement.

But there’s not nearly as much written or spoken about what you do with your money once retirement actually arrives.

Fortunately, we received an Ask GFC question from an unidentified reader on exactly that topic:

“Our retirement funds are invested by the labor unions we worked in, both traditional retirements and 401k’s. We are looking for the wisest things to do with these monies, i.e. pay off our primary residence mortgage, convert to Roths? We are both in our early 60’s. Can you help?”

This couple are in their early 60s, and there’s no indication if they are actually retired or just looking to align their finances in the best possible way for when they do. But whether they’re retired or very close to it, they’re asking excellent questions that a person who is either in retirement, or about to be retired, should be asking.

Let me start off by saying that there are no absolute answers here. Exactly what you will do with your money will depend on a number of variables that this reader has not included in his or her question. For that reason, I’ll try to answer each part of the question in the most general way possible. That will allow room for you to make adjustments based on your own personal circumstances.

There are two parts to this question – use the money to pay off the mortgage on the primary residence, or convert the money into a Roth IRA. (The question refers to “traditional retirements”, and I’m assuming that “traditional IRAs” is what was meant).

Let’s look at both options for your retirement savings.

Payoff Your Mortgage

I could more directly answer the reader’s question on this if more information was given on their specific circumstances. In fact, this is an excellent pre-retirement topic all by itself! For that reason, I’m going to have to give a very general response here, starting with asking a bunch of questions. These are questions that anyone should ask in connection with paying off a mortgage as part of an overall retirement strategy.

How much of your retirement savings will you have left after paying your mortgage off? My general feeling is that if paying off your mortgage will leave you with little or no retirement savings, then you shouldn’t pay off the mortgage. You’ll need those funds to help pay for living expenses.

On the other hand, if paying off your mortgage will use up only a small percentage of your retirement savings, that will probably be a good strategy. Though the money used to pay off the mortgage will no longer be available to generate an income, it will remove a major expense, and that provides a similar benefit.

How much of your expected monthly retirement income does the monthly mortgage payment take up? If your monthly mortgage payment is eating up a lot of your monthly retirement income, it might make a lot of sense to pay the mortgage off. It should improve your cash flow, so that you will need less retirement income.

But if the monthly mortgage payment isn’t killing your budget, it might work to your advantage to leave the money in the retirement accounts where it will continue to earn income.

Another consideration is how much of your monthly house payment actually goes to the mortgage payment? For example, for people who purchased their homes decades ago, the principal and interest portion of their house payment may be only a few hundred dollars a month. But the real expense is high property taxes. It’s always important to realize that property taxes and homeowners insurance don’t go away when you pay off your mortgage.

If it turns out that property taxes are the biggest chunk of your house payment, the question may not be whether or not to pay off your mortgage, but whether or not you should consider downsizing to a less expensive residence.

What interest rate are you paying on your mortgage? If the interest rate you’re paying on your mortgage is 3.something percent on a fixed rate loan, you have locked in one of the lowest interest rates in history! If your monthly mortgage payments aren’t hurting your budget much, you might not want to be so quick to pay it off.

This is even more true if you have been averaging a higher rate of return on a retirement savings. For example, if your mortgage is 3.5%, but you’ve averaged 7% on your retirement portfolio over the past few years, paying off your mortgage could work against you.

On the other hand, if you’re paying 6% on your mortgage, and you have only been averaging 4% on your retirement savings over the past few years, it will make sense to pay off the mortgage. In that way, you’ll be effectively locking in a 6% return on the money that is used to pay off the mortgage.

How many more years do you have to go on your mortgage? If you only have a few years to go on your mortgage – certainly less than 10 – you may want to keep the money in your retirement plans, and use non-retirement resources to pay off the mortgage. The reason I suggest this is because a loan that has only a few years to go on it is a temporary debt. But the money that you will pull out of retirement savings to pay it off will be gone permanently. That’s an unequal exchange.

But if you have another 15 to 20 years to go on your mortgage, you may want to pay it off as soon as possible. A remaining term that long could mean that you will be making a mortgage payment for the rest of your life.

One other consideration: don’t forget about income taxes! If you are going to draw money from retirement savings in order to pay off your mortgage, you’ll have to pay ordinary income tax on the withdrawal. You will have to factor those taxes into the equation.

For example, if you owe $100,000 on your mortgage, and you have an effective federal and state marginal tax rate of 33%, you will have to withdraw $150,000 in order to pay off the mortgage and the taxes due on the withdrawal.

This is one of the major reasons why paying off a mortgage out of retirement savings is a move that you must be especially careful about. It doesn’t always make financial sense.

Move Retirement Money into a Roth IRA

This question is especially difficult to answer without knowing what the reader’s income tax bracket is. If you move money from a 401(k) and a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA, you will have to pay ordinary income tax on the conversion. But whether or not they are going to convert to a Roth IRA will really depend on income taxes.

Using the example above, of a combined federal and state marginal tax rate of 33%, the couple will lose one third of the transferred balance by moving the money to a Roth IRA. Yes, they will be gaining tax-free income going forward, but not before their savings take a big hit on the transfer.

It’s not just about paying the tax either. Losing that much of your savings to income taxes upfront means you will also be earning less on your savings than you are right now. For example, a 10% return on $300,000 will produce a $30,000 investment income per year. A 10% return on $200,000 – after paying 33% in income taxes on the conversion – reduces annual income to $20,000.

A better strategy may be to wait until after the couple actually retire, when their tax bracket is lower. At a marginal tax rate of say 15%, the conversion will make more sense.

A better strategy might be to leave their retirement savings where they are now, but begin making Roth contributions based on their current earned income. No indication is given as to how much longer they plan to work, but they can make contributions as long as they do.

They may even want to supplement those contributions with small amounts of conversions from their existing retirement plans. That will keep the tax bite on the conversions to a minimum.

I know I kind of went all over the place with these answers, but the questions were general, and open up a lot of possibilities. Hopefully, I’ve covered most of those possibilities for anyone who may be in a similar situation.

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How a Meaningful Morning Routine Can Set The Stage for Financial, Professional, and Personal Success

The first few hours of each of my days are set in stone.

I wake up at 6 AM on the dot. (Some mornings, I awaken a bit earlier, and if I do, I usually read in bed for a little while.) I try really hard to just sit up and not hit “snooze” on my alarm.

Upon waking, I use the restroom and do some basic hygiene, then I head downstairs and drink a huge glass of water. I then head into my office, close the door, and meditate for ten minutes.

After that, I scan my email to see if there are any absolute emergencies happening and, if there aren’t any, I catch up on the day’s news. At about 6:45, I set three goals for the day, then I make sure my kids are awake and help them with their morning routine until they’re out the door.

After that, I write. I write in roughly one hour blocks with fifteen minute breaks in the middle, during which I do household chores, and that fills my morning. (In the afternoon, I write some more and usually finish by outlining the next article or two so that I can just sit down and start dropping words the next morning.)

I follow this exact routine each weekday morning and only a slight variation on it on weekend mornings (I do the same routine except I skip the morning routine with the kids and jump straight to the writing until everyone else in the house is awake.) I firmly believe that this routine is absolutely vital for me getting my day started off on the right foot, because whenever this routine fails, I spend the entire day feeling out of whack and unproductive.

In the afternoon, I’m much less intense. Rather than doing things I have to do, I focus more on things that I want to do. Afternoons are when I learn. They’re when I do mild exercise that I really enjoy. They’re when I sometimes just do something fun and personally enjoyable. They’re when I spend time purely focused on my kids.

In other words, my morning – and my morning routine – is focused on making sure I’ve taken care of the things in life that I need to get done, while my afternoon and evening is focused on the things in life that I want to get done.

Why a Morning Routine Works

The reason that I try to pack my day in this way – a morning routine where I handle needs, a freeform afternoon where I handle wants – is that it takes advantage of the normal mental and physical changes that happen to me over the course of the day. The thing is, these mental and physical changes happen to most people.

In the paper Ego depletion and the strength model of self-control: a meta-analysis, the authors (Hagger et. al.) offer up the following analysis (don’t worry, I’ll parse it out more clearly in a moment):

According to the strength model, self-control is a finite resource that determines capacity for effortful control over dominant responses and, once expended, leads to impaired self-control task performance, known as ego depletion. A meta-analysis of 83 studies tested the effect of ego depletion on task performance and related outcomes, alternative explanations and moderators of the effect, and additional strength model hypotheses. Results revealed a significant effect of ego depletion on self-control task performance. Significant effect sizes were found for ego depletion on effort, perceived difficulty, negative affect, subjective fatigue, and blood glucose levels. Small, nonsignificant effects were found for positive affect and self-efficacy. Moderator analyses indicated minimal variation in the effect across sphere of depleting and dependent task, frequently used depleting and dependent tasks, presentation of tasks as single or separate experiments, type of dependent measure and control condition task, and source laboratory. The effect size was moderated by depleting task duration, task presentation by the same or different experimenters, intertask interim period, dependent task complexity, and use of dependent tasks in the choice and volition and cognitive spheres. Motivational incentives, training on self-control tasks, and glucose supplementation promoted better self-control in ego-depleted samples. Expecting further acts of self-control exacerbated the effect. Findings provide preliminary support for the ego-depletion effect and strength model hypotheses. Support for motivation and fatigue as alternative explanations for ego depletion indicate a need to integrate the strength model with other theories. Findings provide impetus for future investigation testing additional hypotheses and mechanisms of the ego-depletion effect.

The idea in the paper is that during a given day, we have a finite amount of self-control that depletes throughout the day. That depletion can be measured physically in terms of things like blood glucose levels as well as mentally in terms of things like perceived task difficulty.

After a good night of sleep, our self-control “tank” is full and we gradually burn it throughout the day. Every time we don’t simply take the most pleasurable path in that moment, we’re using a bit of that self-control. When we make ourselves go to work, we’re using a bit of self-control. When we bear down on a task instead of dawdling, we’re using a bit of self-control. When we stick to a grocery list at the grocery store, we’re using a bit of self-control.

Eventually, the tank starts running low. It gets harder to exhibit self-control. Our mind starts wandering in the afternoons. We come home and have to really push ourselves through the things we need to do in the early evening. We often then find ourselves camped out on the couch watching television or browsing social media on our phones. Our self-control is basically gone at that point. (This is the part of the day where I’ll find myself playing video games or reading page-turner pulp fiction, for instance.)

“Need” to Do Versus “Want” to Do

So, let’s bring this back to the things that are on your agenda for today. They generally fall into two groups: things you need to do and things you want to do.

The things you need to do are things that you simply have to take care of in order for today to seem like a successful day. They have to be done, whether you like it or not. Many professional tasks fall into this category (the “un-fun” parts of your job) as do many personal tasks (like laundry… seriously, I don’t know anyone who relishes doing laundry).

The things you want to do are things that, as you’re doing them, bring positivity into your life. You actually enjoy doing them and look forward to them. These include the best parts of your job, some of your personal tasks, and most things that involve leisure and your personal hobbies.

You need to restock the shelves at work. You want to binge-watch that series on Netflix. It’s simple.

The idea behind building a morning routine is to make sure that you’re doing the things you need to do for a successful day in the morning when you still have a lot of self-control in your tank. Then, you can leave the things you want to do for later in the day when the self-control is flagging – the simple desire to do those things will help you to still do them.

For example, many people put exercise in their morning routine because they feel they need to do it, but they have a hard time mustering the self-control to do it later in the day when their self-control begins to run out. I put it in the afternoon because it’s something I want to do – I love going on a long, brisk walk while thinking about something in my life or listening to a podcast.

The Value of a Morning Routine

Given that idea, the reason for a morning routine makes sense. A morning routine is simply filled with the important things that you have to do in life – the tasks that are unpleasant or require a lot of focus to complete. You accomplish them early while your self-control is still really high and you create a strong sense of achievement early in the day.

For me, my morning routine is when I take care of things that absolutely have to be done, when I try to establish positive habits, and when I take care of things that require the most focus. I am lucky – there are very few things in my life that I truly dislike doing, so I don’t have to fill my mornings with them.

The thing that requires the most focus for me is actual writing – transforming an outline of ideas into an article and then editing that article into something more readable and pleasant. (I can brainstorm and create outlines when my self-control is slowing down, so I often do that in the afternoon.) I also need focus when I’m doing things that involve spending, like going to the grocery store, because I’ll easily make bad spending choices when I spend when my self-control is lower.

So, before we start talking about implementing a morning routine, ask yourself these three questions.

What things do you want or need to take care of every day in your life? Your job is probably part of this, as are positive personal habits that you’re trying to establish, like exercise.

Which of those are ones that you find hardest to motivate yourself to do? What are the hardest tasks to complete? What ones really require focus but you have a hard time producing that focus? Also, which ones are new to your life?

Which of those are ones that you relish and enjoy? What parts of your life do you really enjoy?

Those three questions will help you devise a great, meaningful morning routine.

What Goes Into a Good Morning Routine?

There are three key elements to a good morning routine.

The first element is making sure you’re physically and mentally alert when you get up. This involves different things for different people. For me, that involves using the bathroom, brushing my teeth, drinking a bunch of water, and doing mindful meditation for ten minutes.

The second element is setting the stage for what you want to achieve for the rest of the day. I do this by checking my to-do list and then deciding on three main goals for the day. Usually, those three goals are large tasks I need to do, often two professional and one personal. Those are the central focus of my day.

The third element is taking on the hardest tasks first. This way, you’re tackling the hardest tasks when your self-control is the strongest. After I’ve set the stage for the day, I then move on to taking on the tasks that require the most focus and hard work and I do them first while my self-control is still really high. I leave the other tasks that require less self-control until later in the day. So, for example, I do high-focus work tasks and tasks that involve financial responsibility as early as I can in the day and I save more “fun” tasks like brainstorming and learning for later in the day.

So, how can you build a morning routine that really works for you and sets you up for successful days?

Step One: Physical and Mental Alertness

The best way to start your day is to get yourself into a physically and mentally alert state so that you feel good, you know that your self-control is in a good place, and you’re ready to tackle the challenges of the day.

Here are some suggested elements:

Don’t keep hitting the snooze button. Set your alarm for when you actually need to get up and, when the alarm goes off, get up. Make yourself sit up and put your feet on the floor before you ever touch your alarm clock. Laying in bed in a semi-awake state isn’t restful; in fact, it adds to the stress of the day because you’ve lost that time.

Take a shower. Many people find that a morning shower makes them feel more alert and ready for the day. I’ve tried this, but I find that showering later in the day after I exercise works better for me. Different people are wired differently.

Brush your teeth or perform other basic hygiene. Similarly, basic hygiene tasks like brushing your teeth or using floss or washing your face can really help with bringing about both physical and mental alertness. I almost always start the day by brushing my teeth and splashing water on my face.

Drink some water, coffee, or tea, depending on your tastes. I’m a morning water person. My wife is a morning coffee person. We both consume beverages because it raises our alertness. For me, the hydration really helps with alertness; for my wife, the caffeine and heat of the coffee raises her mental state.

Do some mild exercise or stretching. Some people like to use exercise as a tool to raise mental and physical alertness first thing in the morning. I usually just stretch for a few minutes, as that seems to have the same effect for me in terms of raising alertness. I usually just sit on the floor with my legs stretched out and try to touch my toes and I also do a few basic yoga poses.

Mindfully meditate. To me, this is the key to mental alertness to start the day. I do this for ten minutes in the morning and usually for ten minutes around midday. It’s simple: I just turn off all distractions, sit in a comfortable place, close my eyes, and focus entirely on my breathing. If I feel my mind wandering away, I become aware of it and bring my focus back to my breathing. To me, this feels like doing “reps” with my mind and it really helps with building one’s ability to be alert and focused over the long term.

Step Two: Set the Stage

The second element of a good morning routine is to set the stage for the day to come. What is it that you need to achieve today? What are the most important things you need to do? This is a great thing to assess, because then you can choose from among those items and do the ones that require the most focus first.

Here are some suggested elements:

Set one to three key goals for the day. What are the key things you want to achieve before the end of the day? They might be personal. They might be professional. They might even be related to other spheres of life. Set those as your personal goals. I usually try to set three of them each day. Typically one to two of them are professional, one is personal, and the other one varies.

Check your to-do list for tasks you need to complete. I use a to-do list manager to keep my multitude of tasks organized. I’ll check this list so I know what things I need to do today. These are usually smaller tasks that don’t really make sense as the focus for the day.

Quickly review your email and messages to make sure there aren’t any absolute emergencies to handle. I do this now because, when I move on to taking on the hard tasks, I turn off my phone and email so that I can focus better on those tasks. If there’s a true emergency, I deal with it right away; if not, I don’t look at messages again until mid-day at the earliest. I don’t get anything done if I’m constantly interrupted by fresh emails and messages.

Step Three: Take on the Hard Tasks

At the start of your day, your self-control is as strong as it will be all day long, so use it! Put that self-control to work and knock out some of the key things you need to take care of.

Here are some suggested elements:

Exercise. Many people struggle to take the first step to exercise, so try doing it early in the morning when you have the self-control that you need to get you started. This is true for any tough daily routine you’re trying to implement.

Turn off distractions. Turn off your phone entirely. Close your email program and your social media sites. The goal is to focus on the tasks at hand, not to have your attention pulled away by the latest text or social media alert.

Do the most difficult task on your agenda first. What’s the hardest task you have to face today? You can define “hardest” however you’d like; for me, it’s the task that requires the most focus to complete efficiently. Do that task first.

Make spending decisions. If you need to shop, do it as early in the day as possible while your self-control is high. In the evening, when self-control is lower, you’ll have no reason to go to the store or visit e-commerce websites.

Do “un-fun” work and home tasks. Yes, some tasks simply aren’t enjoyable. We all have specific work tasks and home tasks we don’t like. Do them early so that they’re out of the way and the more tolerable tasks are the ones that are left.

Final Thoughts

A good morning routine sets you up for a successful day in every sphere of your life. It ensures that you get the important things done. It helps you motivate yourself to take on new habits and routines. It helps you to avoid bad spending choices. It leaves you with an afternoon and evening full of much more tolerable tasks and free time, perfect for when your self-control is naturally lower. In short, a morning routine can make you much more personally, financially, and professionally successful.

Consider using the ideas above to develop a strong morning routine for yourself so that you can enjoy all of the benefits, financial and otherwise. Good luck!

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Jackson Hewitt is Hiring Work-From-Home Reps in 21 States for Tax Season

Hold onto your receipts and pay stubs, folks — tax season is rapidly approaching.

Don’t have any pay stubs but want to get in on the action? It’s not too late: Jackson Hewitt is hiring seasonal, part-time, work-from-home customer service representatives.

Nope, you don’t have to miss your family’s Thanksgiving feast or bizarre Christmas Eve tradition with this seasonal gig. It actually begins in January and runs anywhere from three weeks to four months, depending on business needs.

And before you continue, I’m really sorry — there are some state boundaries.

You must live in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

What Do Seasonal Customer Service Associates Do for Jackson Hewitt?

Jackson Hewitt aims to help clients with tax refunds and boasts the title of fastest-growing, full-service tax preparation company. You might have seen its station in your local Walmart.

With tax season fast approaching, the company needs seasonal, part-time, work-from-home customer service associates who will help customers via phone.

You’ll work to solve technical issues and answer any and all questions. Don’t worry, there’s training — so you’ll figure it all out in no time.

Our editorial fellow, Kaitlyn Perta, reached out to Jackson Hewitt to find out about the number of available positions and pay. She spoke with a customer service representative who said the company is attempting to fill 45 positions.

He also said the pay starts at $11 an hour.

Necessary Qualifications to Work for Jackson Hewitt

First off, you’ll need a high school diploma or GED.

You also have to apply with a home address listed within one of the states mentioned above. You’ll need to have a “distraction free” home workspace, too.

Jackson Hewitt would also prefer if you have at least a year of call center experience, but it’s not required.

You do, however, have to be comfortable working with and in multiple browsers and tabs, as well as with instant messenger tools. You also need to know your way around Windows and Microsoft Outlook.

More specific tech specs include an Intel Pentium IV 1500 mhz processor, 2 GBs or higher. Your screen resolution needs to 1024×768 or higher. All of these are pretty common. (Find more features in the job listing.)

Finally, you need to be pretty flexible when it comes to hours and days — days, afternoons, evenings, weekends, overtime (maybe).

However, you’ll be working from home, so no need to get all spiffy before heading into the office.

Find more information and join the talent network online to be considered.

Also, shoutout to Work at Home Mom Revolution — where we found this sweet gig.

For more work-from-home jobs, stop by our Facebook jobs page.

Your Turn: Are you ready for tax season?

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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Sick of Online Trolls? This Work-From-Home Job Will Pay You To Stop Them

Following your favorite brands on social media is a great way to stay updated on their latest deals and news.

Unfortunately, it’s also a great way to see the worst side of some of their other customers.

Hateful, rude and just plain unnecessary comments abound on social media, sometimes drowning out the good conversations and valuable information you want.

A new company — BrandBastion — offers a solution, and now you can be part of it.

Be a Customer Success Manager at BrandBastion

BrandBastion specializes in brand protection on social media.

It promises to “remove harmful user-generated content such as spam, racism, scam attempts and competitor promotions from clients’ social media posts …  within eight minutes, 24/7.”

That’s where the customer success manager comes in.

In this position, you would develop and maintain relationships with clients — “some of the world’s coolest and most innovative companies” — and help protect them on social media.

The startup is looking for quick learners, since trends and algorithms on social media evolve almost constantly. You should also be familiar with and have a genuine interest in social media and online marketing.

This is a remote position so you can work from anywhere.

A few times per year, you’ll need to fly to customers, who are mostly located in California and New York, and to company headquarters in Palo Alto or Helsinki, Finland.

Pay and Benefits

In addition to travel, this social media job comes with the benefit of getting in on the ground floor with a VC-backed company in a new industry. It’s a fit for anyone who likes to learn — fast — and be part of developing a growing company.

“This position is not for you if you are looking for a 9 to 5 job,” the company warns in its listing.

The listing promises a “competitive salary,” but no specifics, and doesn’t mention other benefits, so we suspect this is a part-time or contract position. We reached out to the company for details, but haven’t heard back as of this writing.

Are you ready to “make the world a better place by offering an efficient solution for fighting scammers and trolls on social media”?

To apply: Fill out the online application here.

Want to be the first to know about other fun and interesting jobs like this? Like The Penny Hoarder Jobs on Facebook to stay in the loop!

Your Turn: Would you take a job fighting internet trolls?

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).

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This Site Will Pay You $2,700/Year to Watch Videos Online. For Real

What’s your favorite way to relax after a long day at work?

If you’re like many of us, it’s sitting in front of the TV.

Watching the tube may be relaxing — but what if you could earn money for watching videos? Wouldn’t that be even better?

We’ve discovered a way you could earn an extra $2,700 per year just by watching videos online.

Here’s how to get started…

How to Make Make Money Watching Videos

Swagbucks is a website that pays users to answer surveys, search the internet — and, luckily for you — watch videos.

For performing these tasks, the company pays you in a rewards currency called “SB.”

You can redeem SB for a variety of gift cards to stores like Amazon and Target, or simply get paid cash through Paypal.

Here’s how to get started:

1. Sign up for Swagbucks

Click here to sign up for Swagbucks. All that’s required is your name and email address.

Plus, you’ll get $5 just for signing up!

2. Choose Your Videos

If you sign up through the link above, you’ll immediately be taken to the “Watch” page, where you can see the wide array of videos available on the platform.

Everything from the presidential debates to cooking shows to beauty tutorials is right there for your viewing (and earning!) pleasure.

3. Watch and Earn

For each video you watch, you’ll earn SB (as mentioned above, these are points you can eventually turn into cash).

I decided to click on the thumbnail of Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani (go ahead, judge me!). Just for watching a series of videos about a fun topic, I earned 2 SB.

Keep doing that — even in the background, while you answer email or browse Facebook — and your points will start stacking up.

More specifically, here’s how much you could earn per day:

• Desktop watch: 500 SB

• SwagButton: 150 SB

• nCrave: Unlimited (average: 15 SB)

• nGage: Unlimited (average: 15 SB)

• Apps (7): 10 SB each = 70 SB

Total Daily Earnings: 750 SB

Those 750 SB can be redeemed for $7.50 in cash. So, if you watched videos for a whole year (even with a few days off!), you could earn $2,700.

What would you do with an extra $2,700 right now?

Would you pay off a credit card? Go on a cruise? Send your kids to summer camp? The possibilities are endless.

Click here to learn more and see if Swagbucks is right for you.

Your Turn: What’s your favorite TV show?

Disclosure: Here’s a toast to the affiliate links in this post. May we all be just a little richer today.

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Moving Cross Country? We Tried to Figure Out the Cheapest Way to Do It

How Often Does Your Credit Score Change?

If you routinely check your credit reports for changes, then kudos on developing a great habit. Keeping a close eye on your credit reports is a great way to ensure the information is accurate and that you haven’t become the victim of identity theft. And if you check your reports often from any of a variety of websites that are willing to give it to you at no cost, then you’re probably also getting your credit scores as well.

If you’re getting your scores from different websites or credit card issuers, you’ve probably noticed that your scores vary, perhaps slightly and sometimes significantly. However, while your credit scores may certainly be different today from the credit scores you viewed the last time you checked them, the truth is that your credit scores do not actually change.

The Difference Between Credit Reports and Credit Scores

First things first. It’s important to understand that your credit reports and your credit scores are not the same. They are different products entirely, sold by different companies, for different prices, and used for different purposes. A credit report is actually a record of your credit management history over a period of time. Conversely, a credit score simply interprets the data on your credit report into an easy-to-use three-digit number that predicts your level of credit risk.

Your Credit Scores Never ‘Change’

The idea that your credit scores change from time to time is actually a myth. This particular credit myth stems from a misunderstanding regarding how credit scoring actually works. Unlike the information contained on your credit reports, credit scores themselves are not actually a part of your reports.

I know this may be confusing, so let me explain how it works. The data on your credit reports (mortgages, credit cards, loans) is updated quite often, normally monthly. For example, your credit card balance may be updated to show a higher amount than you carried the previous month or a new late payment might have appeared on your auto loan this month.

And while your credit scores are completely dependent on the information contained in your credit reports, it isn’t changed as new information hits them. Simply put, your score isn’t a constantly changing number that is perpetually connected to your credit reports.

Recalculating a Credit Score

It may sound like semantics, but instead of your credit scores changing, they are actually recalculated each time they’re purchased by a lender. Whenever your score is calculated, it’s delivered to the purchaser (for example, a lender), but no record of that score is maintained on your credit reports. Instead, your scores are calculated, delivered, and tossed out.

The next time you or someone else requests a copy of your credit scores, they will be freshly calculated and based on the data as it presently appears on your credit reports. Your credit scores are simply a snapshot which reflect your level of credit risk at that very moment in time.

This is actually why the Federal law passed in 2003 that entitles all of us to free annual credit reports doesn’t actually apply to credit scores. So, when you claim your annual freebie through http://ift.tt/o2j1vQ, you won’t simply be given a credit score, because it’s not technically a part of your credit report. It’s instead an ancillary product that’s sold along with credit reports.

Related Articles

• You Can Improve This Part of Your Credit Score Almost Immediately
• Debunking Four Common Credit Myths
• How to Raise Your Credit Score

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12 Powerful Ways to Maximize Your Grocery Budget at Winn-Dixie

How to Protect Yourself From Getting Your Information Stolen

By Sarah Landrum Remember that day the web went crazy when an image of Mark Zuckerberg revealed tape across his computer’s camera? For a moment, you might’ve thought it was Photoshopped. It wasn’t. Considering the power and reach of today’s hackers, it doesn’t seem so extreme — at least if you’re a social media giant […]

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