9 Ways to Get Free or Cheap Therapy When You Don’t Have Health Insurance

Mental health issues will affect one in four people around the world, according to the World Health Organization.

Currently 450 million people worldwide are battling mental illness.

In 2001, WHO recommended, “Public education and awareness campaigns on mental health should be launched in all countries… to reduce barriers to treatment and care.”

Nonprofit organization Mental Health America is way ahead of the curve — it’s been promoting the observance of Mental Health Month in May since 1949.

How to Afford Care and Treatment for Mental Health Issues

When you have poor or no health insurance, you might prioritize other issues over mental health care. This could mean ignoring undiagnosed issues or skipping treatment you know you need.

Even if you don’t suffer from mental health issues, you might neglect your need for support through a major life event when you see the cost of therapy.

As with any physical ailment, not seeking mental health care could be detrimental to your health in the long term.

Instead of foregoing care or winding up in debt over medical bills, try these options to find affordable or free counseling and other mental health care services.

1. Get Affordable Health Care

If you don’t have employer-sponsored insurance coverage and can’t afford private insurance on your own, you could be subject to a fee under the Affordable Healthcare Act.

For assistance, apply at Healthcare.gov. You could receive help covering the cost of insurance, or you may qualify for free health insurance through your state’s Medicaid program.

If you don’t want state-sponsored health care, you can also try a health care ministry like Medi-Share to cut costs. You’ll have to be an active member of a Christian community to join, and the program is best for those in generally good physical health.

When insurance fails you, here are some more options to get the care you need.

2. Find a Training Clinic

Like other areas of health and medicine, practitioners need to practice working with the public before they become clinical or counseling psychologists.

That’s good news for any of us who want to save money on therapy.

Training clinics are usually located near or as part of universities. You’ll attend sessions with a graduate student supervised by a licensed psychologist. These clinics typically charge on a sliding scale (which could be as low as $0, if that’s where your scale slides…)

To find one near you, you can browse the Association of Psychology Training Clinics for member clinics. Or just search “[your city] psychology training clinic.”

3. Visit a Community Mental Health Center

“Community mental health centers provide free or low-cost therapy options and services covered by Medicaid insurance,” says Julie Hanks, LCSW, at Psych Central.

Find a center through the Department of Human Services at your state’s government website.

You can also find services through private non-profit organizations. YMCA offers low-cost/sliding scale behavior health and family services for kids and adults.

4. Attend a Support Group

While you miss out on the personalized care and complete anonymity of private sessions, support groups can be the perfect solution for free or low-cost therapy.

Organizations like the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA), the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) host free community support groups in person or online.

If you want to work with a particular therapist but can’t afford private sessions — because you lost insurance coverage, for example — ask if they offer group sessions. These should come at a lower rate you could potentially afford out of pocket.

5. Negotiate and Ask for Discounts

You might not realize it, but your medical bills are totally negotiable. By a lot.

Don’t be afraid to lowball here — this isn’t a business deal, so you don’t have to worry about making a bad impression.

When you receive a bill for services, contact the hospital to simply let them know you can’t afford it. They may be willing to cut the cost by more than half if you can pay a chunk upfront.

If you don’t have the cash handy, ask for a payment plan. Get on it before the bill goes to collections, and ask for a monthly payment you can handle to avoid a hit to your credit for late payments.

6. See a Doctor Online

You may be skeptical, but telehealth (or telemedicine) is legitimate and could save you a ton of money on health care.

Through an app like Teladoc, you can meet with a healthcare professional (for physical or mental health issues) for a fraction of the cost of a trip to the clinic.

Telemedicine doctors can diagnose, recommend treatment and even prescribe medication if necessary.

You can even get your therapy via text message — any time you want — through Talkspace! Get unlimited text therapy for $128 per month.

Or go the group therapy route with NAMI AIR, a free app that connects you with a community of people living with mental health conditions and their caregivers.

7. Lean on Your Spiritual Community and Leaders

If you’re involved with an organized religious group, you could find the help you need within that community.

Does your organization host free support groups or retreats where you can connect with others in your situation? Maybe your preacher or other leaders in the community offer free individual or couples counseling.

If you’re worried about opening up about your struggles within a small community, remember: Everyone coming to group therapy is looking for help, just like you are.

8. Use Services at Your School or College

College or university students (and faculty) likely have access to health care services through their schools. Your tuition and fees subsidize them, so you might as well take advantage!

Children enrolled in a K-12 school may have access to sessions with a school counselor as well. Lean on these options when your family can’t afford private mental health services.

9. Consult the Internet

Going online to self-diagnose your ailments can be troublesome.

But if you already know what you’re dealing with, consulting a relevant association’s website could help when you have questions and lack access to a doctor.

For example, if you suffer from anxiety, you can find reliable resources at these websites:

• Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies

• Anxiety and Depression Association of America

• International OCD Foundation

Some people also find online forums like Reddit or Facebook groups useful for connecting with other people who understand your situation.

Just be careful to take advice from random individuals with a grain of salt, and never rely on them for a diagnosis.

If you prefer to speak with someone directly, you can call the NAMI Helpline to get answers about symptoms, treatments and resources. The Helpline itself doesn’t offer counseling, but it can help you connect with programs in your area.

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).

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, one of the largest personal finance websites. We help millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. In 2016, Inc. 500 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the No. 1 fastest-growing private media company in the U.S.

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CLOSING BELL: Washington turmoil unnerves markets

Stocks fell sharply as investors worried that the latest turmoil in Washington could hinder President Donald Trump's pro-business agenda.

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7-Eleven’s Letting You Fill Almost Anything You Want With Slurpee for $1.50

It’s the most wonderful time of the year: School’s out, the sun is hot, and the tans are fresh.

And you know what that means: It’s Slurpee season.

To celebrate, 7-Eleven is hosting a two-day Bring Your Own Cup Day — again.

After a successful celebration in the past, the company’s bringing back everyone’s favorite deal.

On May 19-20 between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. local time, you can fill your cup with delicious Slurpee goodness for just $1.50.

The best part of the deal? It doesn’t have to be a cup.

7-Eleven’s Bring Your Own Cup Day

7-Eleven will honor the #BYOCUPDAY deal for almost any vessel you can reasonably imagine filling with a Slurpee. According to the rules, it just has to be:

• 10 inches in diameter or smaller
• Food safe
• Watertight (duh?)
• The only one you buy — the deal is only good for one “cup” per person.

That leaves a lot of leeway. Fishbowl? Check. One of your lucky sneakers? Not so much… but that couldn’t fit a lot of Slurpee, anyway.

Toasters are prohibited, but pineapples are totally cool.

So grab your favorite flower vase — or secretly flush your child’s goldfish (don’t really) — and hit your local 7-Eleven this Friday and Saturday for a sweet treat on the cheap.

You might want to check your blood sugar afterward, though.

Jamie Cattanach’s work has been featured at Roads & Kingdoms, the BUST blog, Ms. Magazine, The Write Life and elsewhere. You can learn more and wave hello on Twitter: @jamiecattanach. Kelly Smith, junior writer and engagement specialist, contributed to this post.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, one of the largest personal finance websites. We help millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. In 2016, Inc. 500 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the No. 1 fastest-growing private media company in the U.S.

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The Ultimate Guide to Babysitting (Plus How to Command a Higher Rate)

Years ago, I worked as a live-in babysitter for a couple of months.

I didn’t have to dress up like Mrs. Doubtfire, and the kids were OK, but the experience still might be part of why I chose to never have children.

However, if you like being around kids more than me, you could make decent money as a babysitter.

Many sitters now earn $12 to $18 per hour looking after kids. It’s not just a business for teenagers anymore. As an adult, you may be more likely to find work.

Thinking of adding a babysitting side hustle to your income?

Here’s what you need to know…

How Much Can You Make Babysitting?

Since the early 1980s babysitters’ wages have risen much faster than inflation, and the average is now around $12 per hour.

The highest rates are in San Francisco, where babysitters charge $18 per hour to watch three kids.

The lowest rates (for watching two kids) suggested by Sitter City’s babysitting pay calculator are $10.33 and $10.67 per hour in economically depressed Columbus, Ohio and Detroit, Michigan.

In other cities, parents are advised to offer $14 and more per hour. Additionally, Sitter City tells parents to consider the following factors when deciding how much to pay their sitter:

• Number of kids ($1 or $2 more per-hour, per-kid)

• Age of sitter (more for adults)

• Location (higher pay in cities with a higher cost of living)

• Time (more for late nights)

• Additional qualifications (more if they know CPR, for example)

• Additional responsibilities (more for picking kids up from school or helping with homework)

Babysitters should also be paid more for special occasions like New Year’s Eve, and get a raise once they have proven themselves to be reliable, recommends Sitter City.

So why are babysitting rates rising in recent years? Some sources suggest that parents want more experienced sitters, and are willing to pay.

Also, it’s getting hard for kids to work as cheap babysitters, which may drive up the average wage. In fact, one mother was arrested for letting a 13-year-old babysit her children!

Babysitter, Nanny or Daycare?

The line between being a babysitter and a nanny can be a tough one to determine, but the more important question is whether you’re an independent contractor or a household employee.

If you’re the latter, your employer has tax-compliance responsibilities (like paying payroll taxes) — something most parents probably don’t want to deal with just to have a babysitter.

The IRS says, “A worker who performs child care services for you in his or her home generally is not your employee.”

So babysitting in your own home makes it clearer that the parents won’t need to deal with payroll taxes. Otherwise, if you don’t get paid more than $1,900 by any one client in a year, you’ll normally be considered an independent contractor.

Consult a tax specialist if you’re in doubt about your status.

If you do decide to babysit kids in your home, you might be classified as a daycare operator, in which case you may need a license and have other legal complications. Each state has its own laws covering daycare, and you’ll want to make sure you’re on the right side of them.

For example, child care law in Illinois specifies that you need a license from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) if you care for more than three children (your own are included if they’re under 12 years-old). So if you live in Illinois and want to avoid the need for a daycare license, simply limit your service to watching three or fewer kids.

How to Find Babysitting Jobs

According to Stephanie St. Martin at Care.com, the best babysitters have these qualifications and personality traits:

• Love kids

• Patient

• Responsible

• Experienced

• Full of energy

• Good teachers

• Flexible

• Playful

• Sensitive

• Trustworthy

• Skilled

The last item refers not just to knowing how to change diapers (if you’re watching infants or young children), but also having first aid and CPR certifications.

St. Martin said most families expect this of their babysitters now. So if you have most (or all) of the traits and qualifications above, you’re probably ready to find babysitting jobs, but how?

Fortunately there are several online platforms specifically set up for connecting parents and babysitters. Here are two examples:

• Sitter City: They claim to have a new job posting every two minutes. They also have a free membership and paid services.
• Care.com: With a free membership you can post a profile and apply for jobs. For additional fees, they provide other services, like a background check and better placement in search results.

Anne-Marie Lindsey, an experienced nanny, compared Care.com and Sitter City, and found that Sitter City was easier to use. She also said that not getting a $60 “enhanced background check” on Sitter City “doesn’t seem to be getting in the way of me getting a job.”

Where else can you look for babysitting jobs? Depending on your location, you may find opportunities posted on Monster.com and Indeed.com. You can advertise your services for free on Craigslist.

Finally, word-of-mouth is perhaps one of the best ways to boost your babysitting business and to find new customers. Provide great service, then ask your favorite clients to tell their friends about you.

Your Turn: Have you ever worked as a babysitter, and how much did you charge?

Advertiser Disclosure: We are paid for some of our opinions in the post and some links may redirect to an affiliate partner. We’re letting you know because it’s what Honest Abe would do. After all, he is on our favorite coin.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, one of the largest personal finance websites. We help millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. In 2016, Inc. 500 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the No. 1 fastest-growing private media company in the U.S.

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5 Tactics to Appear in the Search Results That Don’t Require a Lot of Work

SEO doesn’t discriminate.

For brands that “get it” and have the know-how and resources, the coveted first page rankings are ripe for the picking.

But let’s be honest.

SEO is back-breaking and often mind-numbing work.

With a plethora of continually growing ranking factors and algorithm updates, staying on top is a daunting task.

But it doesn’t have to be.

Quite a few SEO tactics—requiring only marginal effort and little time—can help you appear in the search results.

I’m not saying that laziness and a half-hearted effort will get your brand to the top.

But I would like to discuss five specific tactics that don’t require a lot of work but should still have a noticeable impact.

1. Optimize titles and tags using a sneaky trick

Let me preface this by saying I love out-of-the-box tactics most people overlook.

Sometimes, we miss the things that are right under our noses.

There’s one particular technique that Brian Dean mentions in this post on Backlinko I absolutely love and have used myself.

It’s incredibly simple, yet I feel it can have a considerable impact on your SEO.

Here’s how it works.

Say you’re writing a blog post and want to find fully optimized phrases for your title and meta description.

You can save yourself a lot of time by entering a broad keyword in Google and scoping out Adwords ads for optimized phrases.

Here’s an example.

I’ll use “CRM software” as my keyword phrase.

Here are some of the ads that pop up:

From here, I can find at least three or four potential phrases to use for my title and description.

For instance, I might pick the following:

• Positive customer experience
• Enhance customer service
• Custom dashboards reports

Just like that, I’ve found three fully optimized phrases I can use in my content.

And just think about it.

These companies obviously didn’t choose these keyword phrases at random.

In fact, they’re often the result of extensive split-testing to see which phrases would get the most clicks and highest conversions.

So, you know for a fact the phrases you find via this method are gold!

Besides using this technique when writing new posts, you can also use it for existing content that has performed okay but hasn’t reached its full potential.

For instance, you could go back and tweak the title and meta description of a post lingering on page two of the SERPs to give it “the extra SEO juice” it needs to climb to page one.

2. Optimize Google My Business

According to a 2016 report from Search Engine Land,

nearly 60 percent of searches now come from mobile devices.

So you can bet that local SEO is of supreme importance, especially for brick-and-mortars.

And here’s the interesting thing.

Half of consumers who perform local searches on their smartphones actually visit a store within one day.

If you’ve been skimping on local SEO thus far, you’re probably missing out on a lot of high-quality leads and, ultimately, sales.

Although there is a laundry list of elements contributing to sound local SEO, there’s one simple tactic that can help you considerably.

And that’s optimizing your Google My Business account.

It takes a minimal time commitment but can have a palpable impact.

Here’s what you want to do:

• Claim your listing if you haven’t done so already. Set it up here.
• Look over your business’s details to ensure they’re correct and up-to-date.
• Include your hours and any other relevant information.
• Choose hyper-specific categories for your business. This makes it much easier to rank than having broad categories.
• Consider adding new images of your business, showing it inside and outside.

Here’s a good example of how you want your listing to look:

Also, be sure to encourage your customers to leave reviews because this can definitely boost your “street cred.”

3. Check for (and fix) crawl errors

You may have read a previous post I wrote on how to use Google Search Console like a boss.

One particularly useful element I covered was crawl errors.

It’s an extremely important feature that allows you to quickly identify the following:

• 404 errors
• Server errors
• URLs pointing to a nonexistent page

Here’s the purpose of crawl error reports in Google’s own words:

In other words, this will tell you whether there are any issues preventing Google from properly crawling your site.

This way, you’ll be able to identify any problems quickly and fix them right away without having to look through your site manually.

All you have to do is click on “Crawl” from your dashboard.

Then click on “Crawl Errors.”

If everything is good, you’ll see this:

Otherwise, Google will list the details of any problems.

If you do find errors, consult this guide from Moz on ways to fix them.

4. Optimize for image search

Here’s the thing about Google image search.

Driving traffic through image search tends to be much easier than through regular search.

Why?

First, there’s less competition.

Second, a lot of people fail to fully optimize their photos for image search.

I like to think of it as low-hanging fruit that can generate an influx of traffic.

Optimizing for image search is by no means rocket science but can definitely help your SEO and traffic.

Here are the essentials.

1. Be highly specific when creating a file name for each photo.

I suggest going long-tail for your descriptions versus using broad terms.

For instance, you are better off going with “red-camping-tent-in-forest.jpg” than with “camping-tent.jpg.”

2. Take care of the alt text.

If you’re unfamiliar, alternative (alt text) is

a word or phrase that can be inserted as an attribute in an HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) document to tell web site viewers the nature or contents of an image.

If for some reason the image doesn’t appear on a page or a person visiting that page has a visual impairment, the alt text will describe it to them.

Again, the key to creating great alt text is to be specific.

To give you an idea of what Google is looking for, here is an example from its image publishing guidelines:

And here’s one more little trick.

3. Specify the width and height of your images.

According to WordStream,

A web browser can begin to render a page even before images are downloaded, provided that it knows the dimensions to wrap non-replaceable elements around. Specifying these dimensions can speed up page loading and improve the user experience.

If you haven’t been following these image optimization practices in the past, I suggest going back and tweaking your images so that they follow this formula.

It doesn’t take much effort but can prove very beneficial.

5. Improve outbound links

We all know that inbound links are of monumental importance.

In fact, many experts agree that inbound links are still the number one ranking factor in 2017.

But what about outbound links?

These obviously don’t carry the same weight as inbound links, but it doesn’t mean they have no significance.

I recently came across an interesting study from Reboot that measured outbound links as a ranking signal.

Long story short, they found that

outgoing relevant links to authoritative sites are considered in the algorithms and do have a positive impact on rankings.

Here’s proof:

It makes sense this is a ranking factor.

Why?

Because most pages containing outbound links to authoritative resources offer genuine value compared to pages containing internal links only.

If you’ve been slacking on your outbound links, I recommend going back and adding at least three links to high-quality relevant resources on your posts.

This may be all it takes to give your content a boost in the SERPs, and it can help you maintain any higher rankings you’ve already obtained.

And the best part is that it’s really quite easy.

A quick Google search on your topic should provide you with plenty of potential resources.

Or you could always use BuzzSumo to see what’s resonating with readers.

Here are just a few things that pop up when I enter “CRM software”:

Just like that, I’ve found a handful of quality resources to link to.

Conclusion

I get it.

SEO can be a total pain at times.

It’s by far one of the most meticulous and painstaking digital marketing techniques.

And I also know what it’s like to be pressed for time.

While I can’t promise these tactics will get you to the number one position in SERPs for every single keyword phrase you’re trying to rank for, they should—most definitely—improve your standings.

When it’s all said and done, they can be the catalyst for a surge in organic traffic to your site, which should bring in more qualified leads.

Can you think of any other SEO tactics that don’t require a major time investment?

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OPENING BELL: Banks lead US stock indexes lower in early trading; oil up

Financial companies led U.S. stocks sharply lower in early trading Wednesday as investors fretted over the potential fallout roiling the Trump administration. Banks fell along with bond yields. Phone companies and industrial stocks were among the big decliners. Real estate stocks bucked the broader market decline.

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The Ant, the Grasshopper, and the Child

When I was a kid, my parents had a few relatives and friends that were pretty big spenders. I had a cousin who always had the latest everything – if a new hot video game had just come out, you could rest assured that he had it. There was a friend of my father who collected trading cards and had a collection that blew away my own meager stacks. One particular friend seemed to always be driving a new car.

On the other hand, my parents were definitely more of the frugal type. We grew a lot of our own food in our large vegetable garden. We always drove older cars. We never seemed to have much money, but we never went without anything we needed.

What’s the difference? My parents were both retired by their late fifties, while most of the other people mentioned above worked until they were near their deathbeds, often at jobs that weren’t exactly ones you want to be working later in life.

Looking back, I can see the parallels between those experiences and the fable of The Ant and the Grasshopper. Here’s the full version from the Library of Congress:

One bright day in late autumn a family of Ants were bustling about in the warm sunshine, drying out the grain they had stored up during the summer, when a starving Grasshopper, his fiddle under his arm, came up and humbly begged for a bite to eat.

“What!” cried the Ants in surprise, “haven’t you stored anything away for the winter? What in the world were you doing all last summer?”

“I didn’t have time to store up any food,” whined the Grasshopper; “I was so busy making music that before I knew it the summer was gone.”

The Ants shrugged their shoulders in disgust.

“Making music, were you?” they cried. “Very well; now dance!” And they turned their backs on the Grasshopper and went on with their work.

A little dark, perhaps, but it gets the point across.

Anyway, when I was growing up, I always had this impression that the “grasshoppers” in my life were the ones to emulate. I wanted to be the person that had all of the trading cards. I wanted to be the person that had all the video games. I wanted to be the person who had the shiny new car. Those were the people who were enjoying life, I thought.

The funny thing is, I had those thoughts while I was going on a hike in the woods with my father and older brother. I had those thoughts while eating fresh garden vegetables at our dinner table. I had those thoughts when I was reading a book checked out from the library. I had those thoughts when playing checkers with my mom after school. I had those thoughts when I was listening to a baseball game on the radio with my dad on a warm summer day, as we sat out under a shade tree.

What I didn’t see is that I actually already had a wonderful, fulfilling life with my parents, the “ants.” I just didn’t always see it that way. I remember people sometimes telling me that my childhood was a lot better than I believed it to be at the time – looking back, they were right. (The only bad thing about my childhood was dealing with a bunch of health issues.)

In my twenties, I tried my absolute best to be a “grasshopper.” I bought lots of things. I had lots of experiences. I put away very, very little for the future. Instead, I spent and spent and spent. I bought into this underlying sense that I would take care of things later.

But, eventually, the summer waned. I started bumping up against credit limits. We had nothing saved for a house. Then, suddenly, we had a little baby to take care of, too, and that added a lot of child care costs to the mix.

The warmth of the summer was starting to fade, and here I was, trying to be a grasshopper, fiddling in the fading light.

So I became an ant. We paid off our debts. We started saving for the future. We started spending less than we earn. I currently drive a fourteen year old vehicle we bought off of Craigslist. We have absolutely no debt at all. We’ll likely retire even earlier than my parents did.

The thing is, I expected the life of an ant to not be very enjoyable. After all, it certainly looks like there’s much more fun to be had with the grasshopper life.

I go on hikes in the woods with my wife and children.

I eat fresh garden vegetables at our dinner table, usually with our whole family gathered there.

I read books checked out from the library, right along with my kids.

I play board games with my kids many days after school, and board games are a big part of every summer rainy day.

I listen to the radio when I’m doing something outside, or just relaxing with a book in a nice chair out there.

Sound familiar? It’s because a lot of the same notes that I hit in my childhood with “ant” parents are the same ones I’m hitting now. Why? Because those things manage to both be deeply enjoyable and fit in perfectly with an “ant” life.

I’m sure that my own children see “grasshoppers” in their life and want to emulate them. I know that some of my kids have friends where their families seem to have everything, and I hear them mention this. We have friends who are constantly traveling to interesting locales and while we do occasionally travel, we are far from jet setters.

In the end, I see three things from this analogy.

First, I find the life of an “ant” to be deeply fulfilling. The sweet music of the grasshopper is pleasant, but I find that in the activity of the ant, there is great joy to be found as well. I find a lot of joy in doing things that don’t cost much at all, like reading a book from the library or playing a strategic think-y board game (think chess). I find a lot of joy in simply building relationships and spending time with people. I find a lot of joy in making things myself and doing things myself and repairing things myself. I find a lot of joy in finding better ways to do things. All of that contributes to an overall sense of peace that comes from spending less than I earn and watching my savings for retirement build and build.

Second, the best way to encourage my own children to become “ants” is to make sure they experience the joyful aspects of the “ant” life. I find myself returning to many of the things that I enjoyed from my own “ant” childhood now that I’m an adult. Those highlights – things like playing chess or checkers or cards with my kids, reading books, spending time together as a family, growing a garden and eating that produce, making things together – are things I enjoyed as a kid, drifted away from as I tried to find my own direction, and then returned to as I began to appreciate their true value. My children, I suspect, will follow some variation on that path, eventually returning to the life routines that they found value in when they were younger. You take the best of the lessons you learn in life and mix them with your own steps (good and bad) to form your own life, and I hope that I’m giving them some good “ant” things to incorporate.

Third, it can be a struggle to avoid the music of the grasshopper when others in your life are dancing to it. As I mentioned, all throughout my childhood, I was constantly enticed by the things that the grasshoppers in my life were doing. I perceived them as having the life that I wanted to emulate because, from the outside, it looks very exciting. However, eventually I learned that having a fabulous life on the outside comes with a lot of expense and stress and challenges, and those are things that I don’t want in my life. It’s absolutely fun to live the life of a grasshopper, but in doing so, you find that you have nothing left behind for the moment when winter comes.

The life of a grasshopper may be fun, but the road to financial security and lasting inner peace is built by ants. The best part? There’s a lot of unexpected joy along that path. It’s not the kind of flashiness that you get from the grasshopper life, but it’s there and it’s deep – the kind of deep that gets passed along to younger ants.

Good luck.

The post The Ant, the Grasshopper, and the Child appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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How to Choose the Best Health Savings Account

Ever since the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), Americans have shown a renewed interest in health savings accounts, or HSAs. These versatile, tax-advantaged savings accounts were created for individuals and families with high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) with the goal of helping them save money to cover their own medical bills.

If your health plan helps you qualify for an HSA, you gain several important benefits. For starters, the money you invest in an health savings account is tax-deductible, meaning you can use your contributions to reduce your taxable income. Second, the money in your HSA grows tax-free until you need it for a qualified medical expense. Lastly, and more importantly, you can use your HSA funds for anything (without penalty) once you reach age 65.

That last part is why we’ve called the HSA the best retirement account you’ve never heard about in the past, and why many people max out their HSAs regardless of their anticipated healthcare expenses. If you can make it to age 65 with some or all your HSA money intact, you can access it tax-free and spend it on whatever you want, taking advantage of a triple tax break.

Health savings accounts (HSAs) may be an important part of anyone’s financial plan, but they’re not available to everyone. To qualify, you must:

• Have a minimum health insurance deductible of $1,300 for individuals and $2,600 for families.
• Have a plan with maximum out-of-pocket expenses capped at $6,550 for individuals and $13,100 for families.

There are limits to the amount you can contribute annually as well. In 2017, individuals are able to contribute up to $3,400 to a qualified health savings account, while families can contribute up to $6,750. Those age 55 and older can also add an additional $1,000 annually in what is known as a “catch-up contribution.”

Eight HSA Administrators, and How They Compare

While some health insurance plans have access to their own HSA, it’s also possible to choose your own. Fortunately, you have more options than ever before. According to a 2016 research report by Devenir, the health savings account market continues to grow and evolve.

In 2016, HSA assets reportedly surpassed the $34 billion threshold and the number of HSA accounts rose to 18.2 million. Devenir projects that the HSA market will exceed $50 billion in assets and 27 million accounts by the middle of 2018.

If you’re thinking of opening a health savings account, it’s important to understand the role of account “administrators.” HSAs are offered online and through banks, brokers, credit unions, and insurance agencies. These firms oversee health savings accounts and determine the fees you’ll pay for administration. They also determine where and how your money is invested, which will obviously affect your yield and long-term growth.

With that in mind, here are eight of the top health savings account administrators in 2017:

Health Savings Account Administrator	Account Maintenance Fees	Setup Fees	Investment Options	Additional Fees
Alliant Credit Union	Basic accounts are free. Investment accounts are $5.95 per month.	$0	Low-cost investment options available for accounts with balances above $1,000. Earn a .65% APY dividend rate on accounts worth $100 or more.	Alliant Credit Union Fees
Connexus Credit Union	$0	$5	Earn dividends based on account balance.	Connexus Credit Union Fees
Elements Financial HSA	Monthly maintenance fee is $4 unless you carry a balance of $2,500 or more.	$0	Earnings based on account balance. Accounts over $2,500 can invest with TD Ameritrade.	Elements Financial Fees
Health Equity	Up to $3.95 per month	$0	You can invest in 26 different mutual funds.	Health Equity Fees
Health Savings Administrators	Annual administration fee is $45. Custodial fee is $0.625 per $1,000 every three months with no cap.	$0	Choose to invest with Vanguard, T. Rowe Price, and others.	Health Savings Administrators Fees
HSA Bank	Monthly maintenance fee is $2.50, but it's waived on balances of $5,000 or more.	$0	Invest with TD Ameritrade.	HSA Bank Fees
Lake Michigan Credit Union HSA	$0	$0	Earn .50 APY for balances up to $5,000, and 1.0 APY for balances $5,000 or more. No other investment options are available.	Lake Michigan Credit Union Fees

How to Choose a Health Savings Account

Choosing the right HSA for your family works similarly to choosing a new checking or savings account. Not only do you want an account that’s convenient to use, but you want to explore options with the lowest fees and best opportunity for return.

Ideally, you want the ability to invest your HSA funds for the long haul, so any money you don’t need to spend on near-term health issues can grow and help you in retirement. With that in mind, it’s smart to choose an HSA that offers investing options you think you’ll use. And just like your retirement account, the fees HSA administrators charge can really add up. Make sure you understand all applicable fees before you start pouring your savings into a new HSA account.

Also make sure you ask plenty of questions about access. Will your new HSA account offer a debit card, for example? Will you be able to manage your account online? Is it easy to reimburse yourself for qualified medical expenses? All of these factors can play a huge role in which account works best for your needs.

Holly Johnson is an award-winning personal finance writer and the author of Zero Down Your Debt. Johnson shares her obsession with frugality, budgeting, and travel at ClubThrifty.com.

Related Stories:

• Health Savings Accounts vs. Flexible Savings Accounts
• The Complete Guide to Health Insurance
• Affordable Health Insurance Options in 2017

Do you contribute to a health savings account? Why or why not?

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Here’s Why People With Poor Credit Scores Pay 114% More for Home Insurance

Fires and lightning and hail, oh my!

If you own a home, you probably have insurance to protect it from threats like these, and from other scary stuff like windstorms, vandalism, explosions, cars running off the road, or airplanes falling from the sky.

And if you have a mortgage on your home, you have no choice here: You’re required to have homeowners insurance.

So here’s one more reason to maintain a decent credit score.

Your credit history is having more and more of an impact on your homeowners insurance rates, according to a new analysis.

If your credit rating is poor, your insurance premium is more than double the rate a homeowner with excellent credit is paying, according to the InsuranceQuotes.com report.

In other words, here’s another way the world isn’t fair.

If you’re broke and your credit rating stinks, you get to pay twice as much as someone who’s NOT broke. Yes, this is how the financial world works.

“Many consumers aren’t even aware that, in most states, credit plays a significant role in determining how much you pay for home insurance,” says Laura Adams, a senior insurance analyst for InsuranceQuotes. “So even if you don’t plan on using credit to borrow money, it still affects your finances.”

Previous studies had come to the same conclusion. The new development here is, the penalty for having lousy credit is getting worse and worse.

People with “fair” credit paid an average of 36% more for homeowners insurance in 2016 than people with excellent credit, according to the study. That’s up from 32% in 2015 and 29% in 2014.

People with poor credit paid 114% more in insurance premiums — up from 100% more in 2015 and 91% in 2014.

Why does your credit rating have an effect on the price of your homeowners policy?

David Snyder, vice president for policy development and research with the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, told The New York Times that a homeowner’s credit history helped predict the likelihood of filing a claim. Insurers are allowed to base rates on factors that affect risk, he says, “and this is simply one of those.”

What Can You Do?

First of all, if you need homeowners or rental insurance, be sure to shop around.

Insurance companies are notorious for wildly varying rates, so call around and ask for the same coverage from each company to see which one offers the best deal.  

Consider bundling your car and home insurance policies to get a better deal.

More importantly, take concrete steps to improve your credit score.

How exactly do you do that? Here are three ways to get started:

1. Figure Out What You’re Dealing With

Map out exactly what kind of debt you have.

For example, which companies do you owe money to? Are any of your debts in collections? What are your minimum monthly payments on each credit card or loan?

An easy way to do this is to sign up with a free service like Credit Sesame. This tool shows your balance on any unpaid bills, credit cards or loans. It also offers tips on reducing your debt and raising your credit score.

2. Consolidate Your Debt

Once you fall behind, you may find yourself getting crushed by credit card interest rates north of 20%. You’ll never catch up that way. You’re spending so much on interest, you’ll never pay off your balances.

If you’re financially treading water like this, it might be worth consolidating and refinancing your debt.

By refinancing an existing loan, you’re taking out a totally new loan, which comes with new terms and (ideally) a lower interest rate. By consolidating your existing loans, you lump all your debt into one big payment, so you’re only making one payment and dealing with one interest rate per month.

Make sense but don’t know where to start? Credible is an online marketplace that offers consumers personalized loan offers. Think of it like Zillow — but for personal loans.

Rates start at 5.99%, and you can check yours by entering a loan amount here ($500 to $40,000) and comparing your personalized options in under 90 seconds.

3. Protect Your Identity

What if you work hard to pay down all your debt and you’re totally responsible with your credit going forward — only to take a hit because of identity theft?

We know you don’t want to risk all your hard work.

A free service like TrueIdentity helps you avoid this situation by keeping a watchful eye on your finances. It sends alerts by email, phone or text if someone tries to apply for credit in your name.

If you improve your credit score, you won’t have to pay as much to insure your home against fires and lightning and hail.

Not to mention those pesky airplanes falling from the sky.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. May we all be a bit richer today.

Mike Brassfield (mike@thepennyhoarder.com) is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder. Because he lives in Florida, he has homeowners insurance, flood insurance and windstorm insurance.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, one of the largest personal finance websites. We help millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. In 2016, Inc. 500 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the No. 1 fastest-growing private media company in the U.S.

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Millions struggle to repay mortgage yet over half have never remortgaged

Adam Williams

house-keys.jpg

More than half of homeowners have never remortgaged to another deal, even though in most cases this could cut their monthly repayments.

More than half of homeowners have never remortgaged to another deal, even though in most cases this could cut their monthly repayments.

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Government sells remaining stake in Lloyds

Helen Knapman

bank-atm.jpg

Lloyds Banking Group has now fully returned to private ownership, as the government has today confirmed it’s sold its remaining stake in the Group.

Lloyds Banking Group has now fully returned to private ownership, as the government has today confirmed it’s sold its remaining stake in the Group.

The government had to buy a 43% shareholding in the banking group, which includes Bank of Scotland, Halifax, and Lloyds, in the midst of the banking crisis in 2009. This move cost the government £20.3 billion.

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Stop Throwing Out Leftover Pizza. Here’s the Absolute Best Way to Reheat It

We’ve been telling you the best way to save on pizza is to always order the biggest size.

But unless you’re inviting the whole neighborhood over for pizza (helloooo, call me), this money-saving method presents a new challenge for pizza lovers: How do you retain the leftover pie’s pizzalike qualities?

“Just throw it in the microwave,” you’re shouting at your screen.

Sure, I could do that if I’m in a rush. But I could also eat a slice of damp cardboard, sprinkled with crushed red pepper and folded in half.

It’s time to stop resigning yourself to sad, limp leftover pizza. It’s time to get more from whatever you paid for that large pie.

The Best Way to Reheat Pizza (Once and for All)

Follow these steps. It’s easy, I swear.

1. Figure out how to best smush your large pizza box in the fridge. I have no advice for this step. You’re on your own.

2. Decide you want leftover pizza. Congrats. Welcome to my daily life.

3. Get out a pan. Yes, you read that correctly. Get a skillet, frying pan or whatever else you use to make food.

4. Does that pan have a lid? You’re going to need the lid.

5. Follow Christine Gallary’s method from The Kitchn. We could also refer to this as “Lisa’s Dad’s Method,” but since he hasn’t documented his way on the internet, we’re going to go with Christine on this one.Instead of waiting for the oven to preheat or trying to shove a jumbo slice into the toaster oven, Gallary says to turn your burner to medium heat, put the slice(s) of pizza in the pan, and cover with the lid for six minutes. “After six minutes, check on the pizza — the bottom should be crispy and the cheese on top should be melted,” she writes. “If it’s not, just cook it for a few more minutes.”

6. Eat that pizza. Savor that pizza. Forget it was ever relegated to leftover status.

There you have it. Save per slice by buying the largest pizza you can get your hands on. Then enjoy it for the next few days (or beyond, if you’re good at freezing leftovers) with renewed crustiness and cheesiness. This is probably one of the few times being crusty is a positive feature for just about anything.

Lisa Rowan is a writer and producer at The Penny Hoarder, frequently covering pizza-related topics.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, one of the largest personal finance websites. We help millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. In 2016, Inc. 500 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the No. 1 fastest-growing private media company in the U.S.

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