Jolly readers channel their best Kris Kringle

Imagine, you are driving along and you see an oversized white Ford F250 pickup truck. No big deal, right? Except that Santa Claus is behind the wheel, tooling down the road.That happens all the time with Brad Bartow of Hope N.J. during the holiday season. Bartow, also known as Santa Brad, won the Pocono Record Santa Look-Alike contest. Readers submitted their pictures, or that of their favorite Santas to the Record's web site. A panel of Pocono [...]

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Snow tubing goes Galactic at Camelback

Flashing lights, forming a rainbow colored quilt, blanketed the snow. Dance music pulsated over giant speakers. This wasn’t an outdoor disco – it was the latest in snow sports, called Galactic Snow tubing.Camelback Mountain Resort undertook a major upgrade of its tubing facilities this year – investing about $1.7 million to build a new snowtubing lodge. It also installed 120 flashing LED led light strips, mounted high atop poles along the route, to entertain [...]

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Our “Nice” List: These 4 Chains Will Give You Free Coffee for the Holidays

Even though I live in Florida, I still love a hot cup of coffee during the holidays (even if it’s 85 degrees outside).

For others, though, I’m sure a piping hot cup of joe is an absolute must, especially if they’re lucky enough to have a white Christmas this year.

If you’re looking to stay warm between now and the new year, you’re in luck — there are a few places serving up delicious cups of coffee for free.

Here’s where you can get your caffeine fix for free during the holidays.

How to Get Free Coffee This Holiday Season

Starbucks: Starbucks kicked off its 10 Days of Cheer today, in which it will give out free tall handcrafted espresso beverages at its Pop-up Cheer Parties from 1-2 p.m. every day through Jan. 2, 2017 (excluding Christmas Day). The catch is that the special will only be available at 100 stores around the country each day. (Locations change daily.) Be sure to check here each day to see if a Pop-Up Cheer Party is happening near you! Limited to one per customer.

Cumberland Farms: This Massachusetts-based convenience store chain with locations primarily throughout the Northeast and Florida will give out free coffee from 8 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. on Christmas Day. To get you in the holiday spirit, the deal includes a shot of peppermint- or gingerbread-flavored syrup at no additional cost.

Peet’s Coffee & Tea: Those who live in California, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Oregon, Virginia, Washington or Washington, D.C., should head to their local Peet’s Coffee & Tea on Christmas Eve for a free small coffee or tea. If you prefer a larger size, go for it: The credit for the small drink will go toward the upgrade.

Sheetz: Those who live near this family-owned and -operated convenience store chain should stop by on Christmas Day between midnight and  noon for a free drip coffee. Even better: Sheetz will offer the same freebie from 4 p.m. on New Year’s Eve until 4 p.m. on New Year’s Day.

There are over 500 locations throughout Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Ohio and North Carolina — click here to find the one closest to you.

Your Turn: Do you plan to score free coffee during the holidays? Let us know in the comments below!

Kelly Smith and a junior writer and engagement specialist and a senior at The University of Tampa. She’s anxiously awaiting Christmas so she can drink a peppermint mocha.

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The Scary Truth About Older Americans’ Student Loan Debt

Can you imagine still having student loan debt when you become eligible for Social Security?

For many Americans, it’s a reality. And it can be a scary one.

More than 100,000 people age 50 and older have had their Social Security benefits garnished in the past 16 months — all because they still have outstanding student loan debt, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office.

The government can take up to 15% of your Social Security check if you have unpaid debts; for many borrowers, losing that much from their monthly benefit is enough to push them below the poverty line.

And most of the money garnished goes toward interest and fees, not the outstanding loan’s principal. The U.S. Treasury charges a $15 monthly fee just to process your benefit garnishment.

Who’s Losing Their Social Security Benefits?

Here’s what the GAO learned about people who lost a portion of their Social Security funding because of their student loan debt:

• Three-quarters of them had outstanding loans for their own education — not loans they co-signed.
• Most had student loan balances of less than $10,000.
• Approximately 43% had their loans for 20 years or more.
• More than half received their Social Security benefits due to disability, not retirement income.

Can the System Be Fixed?

The GAO recommends adjusting the 15% garnishment cap to reflect higher costs of living. The office also requested revised disability-related student loan discharge rules.

You can request to have your federal loans discharged if you become permanently disabled, but those requests are approved on a case-by-case basis. And people who are eligible to have their loans discharged may not even know it — or what steps they should take to have their loans considered.

Your Turn: Should the government garnish Social Security checks when someone has outstanding federal student loans?

Lisa Rowan is a writer and producer at The Penny Hoarder.

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Times Change, and So Do USB Ports, So Apple Has Adaptors on Sale

You know those USB ports on your laptop? The ones where you have to plug in the USB cable the right way? And if you don’t, you feel like an idiot as you flip the cable upside down and try to jam it in there again?

And sometimes it takes multiple attempts while you fumble around and figure out which way the thing is supposed to go? Super annoying, right?

Anyway, those things are on the way out. They’re going to be replaced, like floppy discs and dial-up modems and dot matrix printers and dinosaurs. You can’t stop progress. Time marches on.

That brings us to Apple’s current sale on adapter cords, which was supposed to end Dec. 31. Apple has decided it’s a good idea to keep the sale going, so it just extended the sale through March 31, 2017.

You see, the new MacBook Pro, which Apple released earlier this year, is the first laptop to use next-generation USB connectors. The new connectors are smaller, faster, more versatile and plug in either way, so you’ll never have to flip them over.

The problem is, people buying new MacBook Pros want to be able to plug in all their old devices with the old connectors — all their keyboards, mice, microphones and thumb drives. They’re frustrated they have to buy a bunch of adapter cables to connect all their existing gear to their pricy new laptops.

Responding to that frustration, Apple is temporarily slashing prices on various cables and adapters to ease customers’ transition to this new type of USB port. Many items are half-price. The price cuts are available at brick-and-mortar Apple Stores, at Apple’s online store and at various other retailers.

Making a Connection

Even if you don’t want or can’t afford a new MacBook Pro, you’ll probably need one of these adapter cords someday. Computer industry analysts expect the new USB connectors to become the universal standard and start appearing in every computer-maker’s devices before long.

Computers have used the older USB ports you’re used to, called USB Type-A, since the mid-1990s. They’re too big to fit on smartphones, digital cameras and video game controllers.

The new connectors are USB Type-C. They can transfer data faster, can charge your device, and are small enough for every kind of device to use.

In the immediate future, many computers will likely have both kinds of USB ports. If you need an adapter, however, here’s what’s on sale:

• USB-C to USB adapter: from $19 to $9
• Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter: from $49 to $29
• USB-C to Lightning cable, 1 meter: from $25 to $19
• USB-C to Lightning cable, 2 meters: from $35 to $29
• USB-C digital AV multiport adapter: from $69 to $49
• USB-C VGA multiport adapter: from $69 to $49
• SanDisk Extreme Pro SD UHS-II Card USB-C reader: from $49 to $29

The sale also includes external monitors designed to work well with the new MacBook Pro:

• LG UltraFine 5K display: from $1,299 to $974
• LG UltraFine 4K display: from $699 to $524

Your Turn: Will you buy the new USB adapters while they’re on sale?

Mike Brassfield is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder. When he’s not working, he’s reading or being a dad. He can be reached at mike@thepennyhoarder.com.

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Pocono Medical Center Nurse layoffs mostly in ER

The registered nurse layoffs announced last week still do not have a definite total, according to the union.

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BetterBody Foods Got Sued for its Coconut Oil Labels. Here’s How to Cash In

Coconut oil has many uses, from cooking to makeup removal. But it’s not exactly a health product.

If you purchased the BetterBody brand of coconut oil, you may be due for a refund.

BetterBody is settling a class-action lawsuit by providing $1 million to affected customers through a combination of cash and gift cards.

To submit a claim, you must have purchased BetterBody Extra Virgin Coconut Oil or Naturally Refined Coconut Oil between January 2013 and November 2016.

What Do You Mean Coconut Oil Will Not Solve All Our Problems?

The settlement responds to a lawsuit against the company claiming it violated California laws by misleadingly marketing the product as “healthy.”

BetterBody denies any wrongdoing but will remove phrases like “cholesterol-free” and “one of the healthiest oils in the world” from its packaging.

It will also refrain from putting images of hearts on its packaging.

A judge is expected to approve the settlement at a February 2017 hearing, but you can file your claim now.

How to Submit Your Claim for a Refund From BetterBody

To submit your claim, visit the settlement website. If you provide receipts for the products you purchased, you can receive a cash payment for the full amount you spent.

If you don’t have proof of purchase, you’re still eligible for a refund of up to $40 in value, comprised of 40% cash and 60% gift card value.

The settlement agreement gives these examples: “A claimant without proof of purchase, who purchased $25 of product, shall receive $10 cash and a $15 gift card) ($25 total); a claimant without proof of purchase who purchased $50 of product, shall receive $16 cash and a $24 gift card ($40 total). These payments are based on the estimated average cost of the products noted in the suit.”

You can also choose to receive your entire claim in gift cards, which you can use only on the BetterBody website.

You must file your claim on or before Jan. 20, 2017.

Your Turn: Do you think it’s misleading to market coconut oil as a health product?

Lisa Rowan is a writer and producer at The Penny Hoarder.

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What a Cognitive Bias Is, And How to Use It for Digital Marketing Mastery

As humans, we like to think of ourselves as objective, logical, and unbiased when it comes to our thinking and decision-making abilities.

As if nothing could cloud our thoughts or persuade us to think illogically.

But that’s not how things are.

In fact, at times, we’re quite irrational and heavily influenced by people as well as a host of other variables.

Many of our choices and actions are ultimately controlled by what’s known as cognitive biases.

What’s a cognitive bias?

Chegg Study nailed it pretty well with their definition:

“A cognitive bias is a mistake in reasoning, evaluating, remembering, or other cognitive process, often occurring as a result of holding onto one’s preferences and beliefs regardless of contrary information.”

They also point out that “psychologists study cognitive biases as they relate to memory, reasoning and decision making.”

I also like Wikipedia’s statements that “individuals create their own ‘subjective social reality’ and that cognitive biases may sometimes lead to perceptual distortion, inaccurate judgment, illogical interpretation, or what is broadly called irrationality.”

In other words, a cognitive bias is our tendency to think in an irrational way.

The interesting thing is that it has nothing to do with intelligence. Even the most brilliant person in the world is susceptible to it.

It ultimately boils down to the way our brains are wired.

Understanding this concept can be quite beneficial from a marketing standpoint.

Here are some specific cognitive biases I have used in my marketing that can work for you too.

The bandwagon effect

Let’s start with one of the most basic cognitive biases: the bandwagon effect.

I am sure you’ve heard the term “jumping on the bandwagon” before.

When a large number of people give a collective thumbs up to a product/service, it validates it in the eyes of others.

After all, if everyone else agrees that it’s good, it must be good.

In turn, this makes us more likely to “jump on the bandwagon” and buy the product/service.

We may also be more inclined to be brand advocates and willingly promote it.

I often find myself being a little skeptical before making a purchase. But when I see positive confirmation from others, I’m much more likely to buy.

Using this type of cognitive bias for your benefit as a marketer is quite easy and can be done in several ways.

Here are some ideas:

• Encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews
• Insert social proof (e.g., testimonials) at “points of friction” such as CTAs and checkout pages
• Include logos of companies/people you’ve worked with

The anchoring effect

This is a technique that countless companies use to make us feel we’re getting a good deal.

According to Harvard Law School, the anchoring effect “is a cognitive bias that describes the common human tendency to rely too heavily on the first piece of information offered (the ‘anchor’) when making decisions.”

Here’s how it works.

You present your prospects with an initial price on a product (the anchor).

Let’s say it’s $1,000.

Then, after discussing the features, benefits, etc., you state that the product actually costs only $250.

Presto! Instantly, your prospects feel that the product is a great value.

Had you started at $250, they’d probably feel only so-so about the product and may think that it’s expensive.

By setting an anchor, you help your prospects feel they’re getting a good deal.

Steve Jobs even used the anchoring effect to get people excited about the iPad.

Here’s a transcription of what he said during its release.

“What should we price it at?” asked Jobs.

“If you listen to the pundits, we’re going to price it at under $1000, which is code for $999.”

He put a giant “$999” up on the screen and left it there for ages before finally going on.

“I am thrilled to announce to you that the iPad pricing starts not at $999,” said Jobs, “but at just $499.” On-screen, the $999 price was crushed by a falling “$499.”

While $499 might have seemed steep initially, setting the anchor at $999 made it seem quite fair or even inexpensive.

You too can use the anchoring effect to your advantage and get a higher conversion rate by starting high with your pricing and then lowering it.

The halo effect

The halo effect happens when we look at one quality in a person in a positive light and extend that positive regard to the rest of their qualities.

For instance, if we think of a person as being trustworthy, we’re more likely to believe they’re also smart, responsible, ethical, and so on.

The halo effect originated in a paper written by psychologist Edward Thorndike back in 1920.

“In a study, he asked two commanding officers to evaluate their soldiers in terms of their physical qualities (like neatness, energy and physique) and their mental, emotional and social qualities (like intellect, leadership and responsibility).

Thorndike found that, if one of the soldier’s qualities was rated highly, the other qualities tended to be rated highly, and vice versa.”

It’s basically a “cognitive shortcut” that allows us to form judgments and connect the dots with greater ease in an extremely complicated world.

But how does the halo effect relate to marketing?

It’s simple. If you can impress your audience in one area and make them view you in a favorable light, they’re more likely to have an overall positive opinion of you.

ConversionXL points out some specific ways companies capitalize on the halo effect:

• Celebrity endorsements
• The use of beautiful people
• Beautiful design
• Corporate big names

It’s because of this cognitive bias that it’s so insanely important to have a professional, aesthetically pleasing, and functional website.

Because a brand’s website is often the first thing visitors see, it can make or break you.

If it looks great, you’re likely to give the perception of quality and value.

Take Squarespace, for example. Their website looks great:

But if it looks terrible, like some late 1990s Angelfire monstrosity (sorry, Angelfire), it can immediately kill your credibility.

The belief bias

This term is defined as “the tendency to judge the strength of arguments based on the plausibility of their conclusion rather than how strongly they support that conclusion.”

There are two ways the belief bias can be applied to marketing.

One is when people become skeptical of your product/service because it sounds too good to be true.

Say your landing page makes such outlandish claims that prospects doubt their validity. Even if you provide proof in the form of facts, data, graphs, etc. to support your claims, your website visitors will still be less likely to buy from you.

But you can overcome this problem by ensuring your claims aren’t too far fetched. For example, a men’s cologne company wouldn’t want to make the claim that simply wearing the cologne will instantly make every man irresistible to women.

You can also use the belief bias to your advantage by showing potential customers how your product/service is going to help them rather than merely explaining why it’s good.

At the end of the day, each prospect is concerned with one important thing: how it will improve their life or solve their pain point.

Here’s a good example from the team collaboration tool Slack:

In the graph above, we can see just how much more productive Slack makes teams.

And in this graph (above), we can see that finding information with the tool is much easier for its users and that it has a positive impact on company culture.

Notice how these claims aren’t over the top or make the product seem too good to be true. They simply state some key benefits that users have experienced.

Keeping it ethical

Keep in mind that using a cognitive bias for marketing gain shouldn’t be done as a form of nefarious manipulation.

That’s obviously no way to run a business or build your brand.

Although you may get an initial sale, you’re unlikely to get repeat business, and it’s going to damage your brand reputation in the long run.

It’s also going to make it extremely difficult to establish a sustainable, long-term business.

You want to be ethical when using these techniques.

I recommend viewing cognitive biases simply as a means of connecting with your audience more quickly—as a way to gain their attention, move them through the sales funnel more efficiently, and increase your odds of converting them into customers.

Conclusion

I find it fascinating how psychology and marketing are becoming more and more intertwined.

It’s interesting to see how applying some basic psychological principles to a marketing campaign can make it more effective and deliver better results.

I have personally experimented with all of these cognitive biases in some form and can definitely vouch for their validity.

It’s simply a matter of understanding how the human mind works and hitting the right buttons from a psychological standpoint.

If you haven’t already done so, I suggest implementing at least a couple of these strategies into your marketing campaign and observing the results.

They are all proven ways to improve your conversion optimization, expedite brand growth, and boost profitability.

Can you think of any other types of cognitive biases that could be useful for marketing?

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11 Frugal Ways to Make Frigid Temperatures More Tolerable

A few days ago, a true cold spell rolled through our area, taking temperatures down to nearly -20 degrees Fahrenheit. Given that it was also a day where every member of our family had some business out and about, it meant that we were all exposed to the frigid elements.

I don’t mind cold weather, but there comes a point where frigid temperatures become nearly painful to experience, and when you have to go outside for a particular errand, such temperatures are particularly nasty, even when the wind is blowing.

Many people around here respond to this with all kinds of expensive gear and disposable items. Things like remote car starters are wonderful, but some of the best tools I have for combating frigid temperatures and keeping myself warm are very inexpensive. Here are some of the things that my family does to keep the worst of frigid temperatures at bay.

We use reusable hand warmers.

These are just small cloth bags with dried rice inside of them. You can actually make one easily out of a sock by putting some dried rice down in the toe, putting clothespins in place above the rice, then cutting the sock about two inches above that, rolling it down, then sewing that little roll of cloth together.

Then, just microwave the hand warmer on high for about 60 seconds or so and you have yourself a toasty hand warmer that stays nice and warm for a surprisingly long time in your pocket. I often take one of these to bed with me, too, warming one up just before I go to bed and tossing it under the covers with me.

We keep a bottle of homemade de-icer just inside the front door.

Our de-icer is just a container of 70% isopropyl alcohol (bought for a buck at the dollar store) mixed with just a few drops of dish soap and poured into a spray bottle. This mixture does a fantastic job of eliminating ice, even on really cold days. I often start my vehicle and let it heat up to get it warm and let some of the external ice melt, and if there’s any ice left, this spray mixture makes short work of it. Far better than buying a bottle of similar stuff at the store.

We dress in lots of layers of clothing.

As I write this, I’m wearing a t-shirt, covered by a long sleeved t-shirt, covered by a sweatshirt, and a pair of sweatpants covered by jeans. If I were to go outside for very long, I’d probably add another layer to my bottoms. All of the innerwear – the stuff you wouldn’t see in public – is stuff that’s well worn but still keeps me warm, so I don’t have any need to buy a lot of clothes for this. There’s really no need for a special “warm” winter wardrobe.

We open the curtains/blinds on any windows facing direct sunlight, but keep them closed on other windows.

Direct sunlight tends to warm up a room, so we open the curtains on windows with direct sunlight shining upon them to let warmth into those rooms and leave the curtains and blinds closed on other windows. In the northern hemisphere in the winter, where we live, that means opening the curtains on the east and south side of the house in the morning, and on the west and south side of the house in the afternoon and evening, with all curtains drawn in the middle of the day (as the sun is close enough to overhead to provide no major benefits).

We add caulk to any windows that leak cold air, and we add weatherstrips and door stops to any doors that leak cold air.

Cold air leaking through the edges of windows and doors is a great way to lose heat throughout the cold winter months. While no method is perfect, our strategy usually is to identify spots around windows where air is leaking and add caulk in those spots (a very easy task with a caulking gun), and to add a weather strip to any doors to the outside where cold air leaks through the edges. In some cases, we add a bit of clay to the inside of the door frame if a weatherstrip won’t work well, as clay can block a small amount of cold air flow very well. We also use draft blockers (effectively, a small pillow) along the bottoms of some doors as a temporary fix.

We bake a lot of food.

Baking a loaf of bread in the winter is even more cost effective than doing it in the summer, because during the winter months, one can just leave the oven door open afterward and allow the heat to flow out into the house. Thus, during the winter months, we tend to bake a lot more than we do in the summer because the heat actually helps with our energy bill rather than working against it.

We park our cars so that the morning sun hits as much of our windows as possible.

Part of the reality of living in a cold climate is that many mornings find us with ice on the windshields and doors of our cars. One great tip to avoid that problem is to find places to park that start to receive direct sunlight as soon as the sun is over the horizon. This often serves to begin the melting process of ice on the windows, making scraping much easier – if it’s even needed at all.

We keep water in the tea kettle at all times.

Tea and hot chocolate tend to be consumed quite a bit during the winter months in our home. Not only does a hot beverage make you feel much warmer (meaning that you’re not as predisposed to raise the temperature of the home), but the actual act of boiling the water adds additional heat to the home. We make this convenient by keeping water in the tea kettle, as we often use an entire kettle’s worth of water once or twice a day.

We get some indoor exercise.

It’s often easy to think of a northern winter as a “hibernating” time, where people are curled up under blankets to stay warm and not moving around much, but I’ve found that one of the most effective ways to feel warm indoors in the winter is to exercise. Do an exercise routine or some body weight exercises and you’ll feel incredibly toasty. I really like the free daily body weight exercises over at Darebee.

We keep emergency kits with warming items in the car and the house.

Sometimes things don’t go as planned and you find yourself stranded by the roadside or without power, and those situations can cause you to be seriously cold very quickly. Our solution is to have emergency kits in the car and even at home. Those kits have some instant hand warmers in them, some backup warm clothes for everyone, some blankets, a flashlight, some road flares, and so on. We keep these items in a box and load them in our vehicles in the winter months.

We keep blankets out in every room.

Whenever anyone is doing anything that’s sedentary during the winter at our house, they’re wrapped up in a big thick blanket. We have stacks of blankets that we keep in every room, so if you’re going into a room to watch a television show or read a book or play a game, you just grab a blanket and swaddle yourself in it. That way, you’re always nice and toasty.

The big idea here is simple: You don’t have to keep your home thermostat running at 72 degrees Fahrenheit for everyone to feel warm all of the time. Doing so is incredibly expensive, especially when there are so many other simple tactics to use to stay warm during the winter months. Keep that thermostat lower and use some of these tactics instead when the snow is flying and the wind chill is frigid outside.

Good luck!

Related Articles:

• Homemade Broth: A Hot, Healthy, and Frugal Winter Treat
• 20 Money-Saving Tactics for Winter
• 19 Things a New Homeowner Should Do Immediately to Save Energy and Money

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Not Finding Work-From-Home Jobs in Your State? This Might Be Why…

Let’s get to the point: Why in the world do work-from-home jobs have state restrictions?

You’re working from home, so why does your location matter?

We’ve heard this question from a lot of you, and honestly, we’ve been a little stumped ourselves. So we wanted to dig into the matter and answer your question.

Why Do Work-From-Home Jobs Have State Restrictions?

Last month, we wrote about this awesome app called Foodler. It was hiring work-from-home customer service reps in 13 states.

I reached out to Lu Nelson, the company’s human resource specialist. Foodler hires its reps as contractors, and Nelson explained that Foodler has state restrictions because of taxes, unemployment fees and possible licensing fees.

“Every state and some city’s (licensing) fees vary,” she says. “It can end up being pricy for a small business that is wanting to have virtual employees in various states.”

I also reached out to John Stewart, Nexrep’s president, who’s in charge of hiring Drybar virtual receptionists in 46 states.

Like Foodler’s Nelson, he hires contractors — essentially freelancers — and says each state’s laws vary.

“There’s no cut-and-dry answer,” he says. “But some states have friendlier laws involving contractors.”

During our conversation, Stewart noted laws pertaining to taxes, unemployment and worker’s compensation. I asked if it might be easier to break through state lines and just hire employees versus contractors.

Turns out, it’s not: As an “employee,” the flexibility so many work-from-home jobs offer diminishes, which tends to be the main perk of working from home.

4 Reasons Work-From-Home Jobs Often Have State Restrictions

In an attempt to lock down some answers, I reached out to Brie Reynolds, senior career specialist at FlexJobs — a site featuring millions of flexible work opportunities. I knew she’d offer some insight.

“It’s a little bit weird when you’re looking for a job you can do from home, but you’re being told, ‘Nope, you can’t do that from home if you live here,’” Reynolds says, echoing many of our readers’ frustrations.

She explains only about 5% of the telecommuting jobs featured on FlexJobs have zero state restrictions.

Unfortunately, this isn’t uncommon. She outlines the main reasons for these restrictions.

1. Employment Tax Laws

Reynolds says this is one of the biggest reasons for these state restrictions. And like everything else, employment tax laws vary by state — even city.

“When a company starts to hire someone in a state that’s different than the one they operate in, it has to be able to set itself up to collect employment taxes, so that might change on state, local and federal levels,” she says.

2. Employment Classification

Consider the differences between an employee and a freelancer or contract worker.

Think of a painter hired to paint your house. That person is likely considered a “freelancer” or contract worker.

This is what Stewart was referring to when he was talking about hiring for Drybar in 46 states. He hires workers on a contract basis. They can pick and choose their own hours, whereas an employee cannot.

“With freelancers, there are way fewer restrictions,” Reynolds says. “They can basically be hired from anywhere. That includes different states and also internationally. So for companies able to hire under a freelance role, it becomes a lot easier to hire across state lines.”

Since freelancers are basically self-employed, they handle their own taxes and Social Security — all of those payments come out of their paychecks.

Freelancers also aren’t protected by as many laws and regulations (think: worker’s compensation, overtime compensation), which lowers the costs of hiring them.

3. Work Space Regulations

This might sound weird, but it’s a big one.

Work space regulations don’t necessarily mean the office needs a kitchen or at least two couches. It means employees might have to work a certain amount of hours before taking a break. And is the break paid or unpaid?

Reynolds says California is a great example of a state with more stringent laws regarding the work space.

“Each state does that independently,” Reynolds says. “So it’s a huge maze to wade through for employers who want to bring people on in different states.”

4. Other Job-Dependent Regulations

Getting out of the legal talk, there are more obvious reasons work-from-home jobs might have restrictions.

These include in-office meetings, location-based clients (city or timezone) and on-site training requirements. Because who wants to pay for your travel? Not the company. You probably don’t want to, either.

Reynolds has also noticed companies requiring you to be near a large airport if it’s a travel-intensive job.

Which Companies Aren’t as Likely to Face These Restrictions

There are a few types of companies to look out for if you’re wanting to avoid state restrictions — although these rules aren’t universal.

These companies, of course, lie at two ends of the spectrum: new, startup companies and large corporations.

Reynolds makes a salient point: Many companies starting out are willing to hire employees in any state.

“A lot of smaller and startup companies will say, ‘OK, we’ll deal with whatever employment issues we have to; we just want to get the best people when we’re starting,’” Reynolds explains.

Once these companies have hired a solid talent base from 5 to 10 states, each might issue the state restrictions to spare HR from copious amounts of legal research.

On the other hand, there are the large corporations with huge internal HR and legal teams that can handle national and international work-from-home regulations.

“Once you get to a certain size, it becomes easier because you have more resources available,” Reynolds explains.

What to Do if the Job You Want Has State Restrictions

Don’t get too discouraged — Reynolds encourages you to still apply to your dream job.

“One thing we have heard from a couple employers that have this issue — that are not hiring at the moment for certain states… it doesn’t mean they won’t in the future,” Reynolds says.

So her biggest piece of advice via hiring employers?

“Most employers say to put your information into their system anyway, and then at least they have it if they do start hiring in that particular state,” she explains. “You’ll already be in the state.”

Also see if you can sign up for job email notifications. Depending on the company, it will update you if the state restrictions have been lifted.

Your Turn: Do you live in a state that doesn’t have a lot of 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.

The post Not Finding Work-From-Home Jobs in Your State? This Might Be Why… appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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Here’s How That Stuff Collecting Dust in Your Garage Can Make You Some Cash

I used to rent out rooms in my house and an extra parking space in my driveway.

But I never considered charging strangers to use my other possessions, like my canoe or hammock, until I discovered peer-to-peer renting.

That’s right — turn your stuff into an income source by renting it out through websites like Zilok.com. We’ve previously looked at how to rent out your car, but that’s just scratching the surface: use these websites to rent out almost anything you own.

Or at least that’s the theory. Let’s take a closer look at how the sites work and what you could earn.

How Peer-to-Peer Renting Works: A Case Study of Zilok

Suppose a guy wants to assemble a deck, but doesn’t want to buy an expensive cordless drill he’ll never use again. He might be happy to rent yours for $10 per day.

And rather than selling your dining room table for $40 at a rummage sale, rent it out to college students for $40 per semester. Makes sense, right?

But are people actually using these peer-to-peer rental platforms? It’s difficult to determine.

Zilok came to the U.S. in 2007, and nine years later, it’s hard to find more than a few user experiences reported online.

If you read the reviews on the company’s website, it’s clear things are being rented. For example, a listing for a poker table that rents for $45 per day has a couple of good comments from renters.

But it appears, in that case and others, it’s rental companies profiting, not average users. Perhaps the average user, on the income side, is a rental company.

The peer-to-peer rental concept probably works best in larger metropolitan areas. At the moment, for the medium-sized town where I live, there is exactly one listing on Zilok.com: a Batman costume for $10 per day.

The site’s homepage lists recently rented items, but the same ones have been there for a few days, so it isn’t clear how much rental activity is actually going on.

Other Websites Where You Can Rent Out Your Stuff

It seems all of the rental websites are in need of some development before they become very useful. When I visited Rentything.com, I immediately saw a bicycle for rent in Dublin, Ireland, and a purse for rent in Elk River, Minnesota, one right after the other, even though these markets are thousands of miles apart.

I tried several searches for my area, and the site almost always returned a message saying “No Results Found. Try broadening your search or make a request for the item you’re looking for.” Apparently the website is not widely used in this part of Florida. But the good news is you don’t have to pay anything to list or rent your things.

On Loanables.com, I entered my zip code and the site displayed nine items for rent, including a folding bicycle ($25 per day), an air compressor ($10 per day) and a heavy-duty extension cord ($5 per day). It’s not clear whether owners are regularly renting out their things, since detailed contact information is only given once you pay.

Loanables charges a flat 10% commission on rentals, with a $1 minimum. If you’re not sure how much to charge for the use of your things, typical rental company charges are listed on a price guide, which can be useful regardless of which website you ultimately use.

What’s the Best Site for Renting Your Stuff?

Which website has more than 30 million visitors per month and lets you to advertise for free? It is, of course, Craigslist.

And although there isn’t a specific category for rentals of household items, people regularly rent things on the site. Entering “for rent” in the search box for the Tampa, Florida, area, I quickly found a children’s bounce house, a boat trailer, chairs, kayaks and even a yard for rent.

To rent out your things on Craigslist, just list them in the appropriate “for sale” section. People who thought they wanted to buy something might be happy to just rent it.

This is especially true of furniture if you’re in an area where people live seasonally, like Florida or any college town. It costs you nothing to try renting out various items, and you can easily renew your ad with a click or two every couple days.

You might also try selling and renting your things in the same ad, setting the purchase price high enough that the rental fee looks reasonable and you’ll be happy if you happen to get a sale.

Until the peer-to-peer rental sites get their act together, Craigslist may be the best place to generate extra income renting out that pressure cooker, area rug or wheelbarrow.

Things to Consider Before Renting Out Your Stuff

Of course, renting out your things comes with some legal issues. For example, if a renter cuts himself with your power saw, he could sue you. Also, since your rental fees could be considered business income, you may have to pay self-employment taxes.

The Complete Lawyer recommends you get a decent security deposit, take photos of your things before renting them out, have your renter sign a contract, and consult an attorney about local, state and federal tax obligations.

Then there’s the commission you pay, depending on the site you list through. Even though it’s free to list your items, when and if you rent them to someone, you’ll be paying Zilok a transaction fee of up to 10% of your earnings.

If you do give this a try, start with simple items that don’t have much value and aren’t easily damaged. A renter could break a lawnmower or hurt himself with it, but these outcomes are less likely with patio furniture or an unused tent.

And realistically, you can probably put off any worries about tax consequences until after you make a few hundred dollars (but don’t take that as qualified legal advice).

Your Turn: Have you ever rented out your things for extra income, and did you use any of the websites mentioned?

Steve Gillman is the author of “101 Weird Ways to Make Money” and creator of EveryWayToMakeMoney.com. He’s been a repo-man, walking stick carver, search engine evaluator, house flipper, tram driver, process server, mock juror, and roulette croupier, but of more than 100 ways he has made money, writing is his favorite (so far).

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How to Spot Student Loan Forgiveness Scams

After completing college, you may feel overburdened by your student loan costs, but don’t fall victim to student loan forgiveness scams that offer false promises of easy debt relief.

That’s not to say there’s no such thing as student loan forgiveness — federal loans really can be forgiven under certain conditions. But debt relief companies know that millions more people are struggling to repay student loans and, in response, they’ve set up programs that offer to help reduce your debt — for a fee.

Often they offer services that you could perform yourself at no cost. According to the U.S. Department of Education, such companies solicit business through mail, mobile phone ads, social media, and direct phone calls.

Not all debt relief offers are illegal. There’s no law against charging a fee for a service that borrowers could have obtained on their own, notes Mark Kantrowitz, publisher and vice president of strategy for Cappex.com, a website that helps students compare colleges and search for scholarships.

“These scams, which take advantage of the borrower’s lack of awareness of their options, only become illegal when they charge a fee before providing the service or make false claims when promoting their services,” he says.

Robert Farrington, founder of TheCollegeInvestor.com, says there are a variety of ways that companies make money from people who are struggling to repay student loans.

In addition to charging fees for loan modification services, some companies charge money for services that aren’t performed, or are performed incorrectly, he says. There also are companies that falsely claim that they have a special relationship with the Department of Education that enables them to help their clients reduce debt.

One scam is to ask borrowers to make payments directly to the debt relief company instead of to the lender. In some cases the money is never forwarded to the lender, and the missed loan payments go on the borrower’s credit report.

You should have realistic expectations about debt relief. Whenever companies make sensational claims about their ability to reduce debt, “they usually just take your money and disappear,” says Justin Chidester, a financial planner in Logan, Utah.

Watching for Warning Signs

There are a variety of warning signs that a company offering to help you with your student loan debt may be scamming you. These include:

• Asking for upfront fees, before services are performed.
• Claiming the ability to provide debt forgiveness or negotiate a special deal on your behalf.
• Asking you to sign a “third-party authorization” or “power of attorney” in order to gain permission to negotiate with loan servicers and make decisions on your behalf.
• Asking for your Federal Student Aid PIN, an identification issued by the Department of Education to allow access to information about your federal student loans. This allows a third party to make decisions on your behalf.

Where to Get Real Help

While student loan forgiveness scams may be all smoke and mirrors, student debt is a very real problem for millions of Americans. In less than a decade, the volume of outstanding federal student loan debt more than doubled, according to a 2015 report from the CFPB, increasing from $516 billion in 2007 to more than $1.2 trillion in the third quarter of 2015.

What’s more, in some cases, companies that service student loans may fail to do their jobs. In 2015, the Washington Post reported thatthousands of students have complained to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) about loan servicers who give them inconsistent loan information, lose their paperwork, or surprise them with unexpected fees. This can cause frustrated borrowers to turn to debt reduction companies for help.

However, if you’re unable to make your student loan payments, there are better options. Federal student loans — which are made or guaranteed by the Department of Education and comprise the bulk of student debt — offer many different repayment plans that can lower your monthly payment based on your income, as well as forbearance and deferment options, and even legitimate paths to student loan forgiveness in some circumstances. The DOE has an online guide for repaying student debt.

• Related: What Are My Student Loan Repayment Options?

While private student loans don’t have as many protections in place, you should still contact your lender to see if they’re able to refinance the loan or make adjustments to your payment schedule. The CFPB has an online repayment guide that walks borrowers through the process and helps them explore their options.

Hindsight is 20/20, but the best way to avoid running into student loan debt problems is to understand the terms of repayment before you borrow money. Read your loan contract carefully and ask questions about anything you don’t understand.

Related Articles:

• Federal Student Loan Forgiveness: Four Ways to Wipe Out Your Debt
• Nine Employers That Will Help You Pay Off Your Student Loans
• Ultimate Guide to Paying Off Student Loans

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The Major Money Move No One Wants to Talk About — But Absolutely Should

Did you know parents will spend about $245,000 raising a child to adulthood?

And that’s one child.

When you’re planning to start a family, you’ll probably run through a massive list of expenses you know you’ll have to cover.

… diapers, food, clothing, bottles, furniture, food, diapers, “Frozen”-themed toys, college savings, allowance, 18 years of holidays and birthdays, food, diapers…

You and your spouse, partner or co-parent are all set, though.

You’ve considered the costs and planned ahead. You have a nest egg, a trove of supplies, a network of friends and family for support and a home fit to grow with your family.

There’s just one more thing we’re not talking about: Do you know what would happen to your family if you were to suddenly die?

Do You Need to Consider Life Insurance?

If your family depends on your income entirely — or in addition to your partner’s — that could be a huge blow financially.

“Life insurance is something that many people, especially healthy and young professionals, put off or don’t consider at all,” says Tanisha Sykes at SoFi. “Perhaps it’s due to a sense of invincibility, or maybe a notion that life insurance is for our parents.”

You don’t want to talk about it. I get it! Frankly, I don’t even like going to the doctor, and I definitely don’t enjoy managing my health insurance. Self-care is quite a lot of work.

But when you’re starting a family, you have to think beyond yourself. You’re responsible for kids now, and maybe even the well-being of your partner.

Plus, it’s actually smart to buy when you’re young.

“Typically, youth and excellent health go hand in hand,” SoFi Product Marketing Manager Marcos Fernandez told Sykes. “Since most health-related issues tend to develop later in life, a young person can usually expect to pay a lot less in life insurance premiums before chronic conditions take hold.”

It’s Not For Everybody

You want to make sure you’re prepared — but you probably don’t want to spend money on something you don’t need.

Simply put, life insurance protects your dependents if you die unexpectedly and they lose your income. It could cover their cost of living or just funeral costs.

Either way, it’s meant to keep your family from worrying about money during a difficult time.

That means it makes the most sense to take a life insurance policy on the breadwinner in the family, especially if you have kids. If you don’t have kids and your partner contributes equally to household income, they’re less likely to need insurance.

Jay Ferrans, president of JM Financial & Accounting Services in Southfield, Michigan, suggests life insurance can benefit anyone with dependents.

Without dependents, you typically don’t need it. However, Ferrans points out it could be a good idea to purchase life insurance when you’re young — to lock in lower rates — if you plan to have kids in the future.

Dr. Beard, the blogger behind Beards & Money, calls life insurance “money that says ‘I love you’ to your family beyond the grave.”

Beard’s wife is a stay-at-home mom. If he’s not around, he wants her to keep her job.

“I want her to have the freedom to continue to stay home, and to keep her and my children’s lives moving along as normally as possible,” he writes. “So I have built a pile of ‘I love you money’ that should allow her to do just that.”

For $30 a month, Beard would leave his wife $772,000. For this frugal family, that means she and their kids could maintain their lifestyle.

“Basically, I’m investing a total of $7,000 over 20 years to absolutely ensure that my family is provided for if I die during that time,” Beard explains. “That’s a GREAT deal.”

And it’s a deal your family will be grateful to have if they need it.

“Nobody plans to die,” Ferrans says. “But when you do, and you leave a family, and you don’t have any life insurance because you wanted to put a deck on your house, turns out that wasn’t a good decision. … You really need to prioritize what’s important in your life.”

The bottom line, he says, is “you purchase life insurance based on what you’re trying to accomplish.” Your family situation and life goals will dictate how much life insurance you need and when is the best time to buy.

If you have life insurance coverage through an employer, that’s a good start — but it may not be enough, Fernandez says.

“Many employer-based term-life policies are valued at around one to two times the employee’s salary. Yet, the industry recommends life insurance coverage of seven to 10 times annual pay.”

Your plan also may not follow you if you leave your job. Private life insurance, which isn’t tied to your employment, sticks with you regardless of your employer.

How Much Does is Cost to Buy Life Insurance?

Just like health or car insurance, the cost of life insurance is based on a lot of variables — but may not be as expensive as you expect.

Term life insurance covers you for a set period of time, usually between five and 30 years. It’s designed to pay out a set benefit to your beneficiaries in case you suddenly die.

The length of the term you sign up for depends mostly on your age and your dependents’ age. For example, if you’re 30 years old, you might consider a 30-year term, which would cover your family until retirement age.

For example, through SoFi, a 30-year-old male in excellent health in California can purchase a 10-year, $500,000 term life insurance policy for under $15 a month.

That’s $500,000 — about 10 years’ average salary — for less than $200 a year.

The application process is also less cumbersome than it once was.

“Thanks to advancements in technology, researching and applying for life insurance online is now very convenient,” Fernandez explains.

In many cases, you can apply for term life insurance with a company like SoFi without a medical exam — and be approved for coverage up to $1 million in 20 minutes.

Is it Worth The Cost?

My favorite motto is “expect the best, but plan for the worst.”

Of course you don’t expect to die — you know, unexpectedly. But life insurance lets your family know you have a plan, just in case you do.

Let’s be honest: We all spend $15 a month on much less valuable stuff. Five coffees. One lunch out with coworkers. An HBO NOW subscription. The latest paperback novel.

And you can get a quote in about two minutes.

It’s a pretty small price to pay for your family’s peace of mind.

As Beard says: “I love you, honey. I had enough sense to cut back a latte or two per week so that you could be financially set forever if I should die.”

Your Turn: Will you buy life insurance for your family?

Sponsorship Disclosure: A huge thanks to SoFi for working with us to bring you this content. It’s rare that we have the opportunity to share something so awesome and get paid for it!

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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How to stay safe when driving home for Christmas

Helen Knapman

driving-home-for-christmas.jpg

Motorists planning to drive home for Christmas should check their vehicles and insurance first, to help ensure they have a safe journey.

Motorists planning to drive home for Christmas should check their vehicles and insurance first, to help ensure they have a safe journey.

According to the RAC, Christmas Eve will be the busiest day on the roads with 3.8 million journeys planned.

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"Shops should close on Boxing Day", say Moneywise users

Helen Knapman

Three quarters (75%) of Moneywise.co.uk users say shops and supermarkets should close on Christmas Day, our latest poll, which received over 1,200 votes, reveals.

Three quarters (75%) of Moneywise.co.uk users say shops and supermarkets should close on Christmas Day, our latest poll, which received over 1,200 votes, reveals.

We asked for our readers’ views after a petition calling for shops and supermarkets to close on the bank holiday, which falls the day after Christmas Day, received over 200,000 signatures.

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