By Holly Reisem Hanna After I graduated from college (I earned a Bachelor's Degree in Cultural Anthropology), I took two months off to backpack around Europe. During this time, I met a lot of interesting people who were doing fascinating things like, joining the Peace Corps and teaching ESL classes abroad. These conversations discussing travel, […]
The post Work From Home Teaching ESL Classes Online appeared first on The Work at Home Woman.
The job title “real estate tycoon” has weaseled its way into popular conversation in the last couple of years… no need to delve into why.
It makes you wonder about buying property to rent out or sell for profit. Judging by how much we all pay for rent and how little our landlords seem to do, it looks like a pretty sweet gig, right?
(That’s a joke, my dear landlord. Please don’t change my locks.)
This kind of investment comes with one little, er, major obstacle, though: You need a lot of money to get started. Houses or land can costs thousands — or hundreds of thousands — of dollars.
Unless you get creative.
Here are three unusual ways we’ve discovered to get started in real estate investing when you only have a few hundred bucks to spare.
Want to try real-estate investing without playing landlord? We found a company that helps you do just that.
Oh, and you don’t have to have hundreds of thousands of dollars, either. You can get started with a minimum investment of just $500. A company called Fundrise does all the heavy lifting for you.
Through the Fundrise Starter Portfolio, your money will be split into two portfolios that support private real estate around the United States.
This isn’t an obscure investment, though. You can see exactly which properties are included in your portfolios — like a set of townhomes in Snoqualmie, Washington, or an apartment building in Charlotte, North Carolina.
You can earn money through quarterly dividend payments and potential appreciation in the value of your shares, just like a stock. Cash flow typically comes from interest payments and property income (e.g. rent).
(But remember: Investments come with risk. While Fundrise has paid distributions every quarter since at least Q2 2016, dividend and principal payments are never guaranteed.)
You’ll pay a 0.85% annual asset management fee and a 0.15% annual investment advisory fee — but the latter is being waived through Dec. 31.
Interested? Get started with Fundrise here.
Ebay has long been a place for people to sell their weird and outlandish goods, so we’re not surprised to see users selling land for mere pennies.
Most of these thrifty plots probably aren’t worth much — now. But if you choose wisely and hang onto it long enough, a new mall or Walmart might move into town one day and need that little vacant strip.
Set your budget and search on eBay for something like “vacant residential lot” or “vacant commercial lot” to find your next investment.
Don’t forget to factor in additional costs, like title-transfer fees and annual property taxes when you’re thinking about how much this land could be worth over time.
Have you heard of the online world, Second Life? It’s a virtual world (not a game, the company asserts) that lets you have a virtual family, own a virtual home, buy virtual goods and even get a virtual job.
It became massively popular at the turn of the century, and — even if you haven’t heard about it in a while — it’s still a thing.
The world runs on Linden Dollars, which you can earn through virtual jobs or by selling your virtual possessions and creations. Or you can buy them directly with your real money.
You can also purchase virtual real estate to sell or rent out.
Ailin Graef (known by her SL avatar Anshe Chung) became the virtual world’s first millionaire flipping real estate. She’d invest real money — which goes a lot further in the virtual world than the real one — and earn real money in return when other users bought or rented her properties.
The world is free to join, and you start with a free starter pack of clothing and useful items. If you want to earn money through a virtual business, you’ll need to build up your Linden Dollars and start investing.
It’d be tough, but if you work hard in the virtual world, you could even build your riches without spending any real money upfront!
The publicly filed offering circulars of the issuers sponsored by Rise Companies Corp., not all of which may be currently qualified by the Securities and Exchange Commission, may be found at www.fundrise.com/oc.
Dana Sitar (dana@thepennyhoarder.com) is a senior writer/newsletter editor at The Penny Hoarder. Say hi and tell her a good joke on Twitter @danasitar.
This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.
With the holiday shopping season ready to wreak havoc on your budget, it’s only natural to look for new or different ways to save. Chances are, you’re gearing up for Black Friday and Cyber Monday while simultaneously watching out for special promotions and last-minute deals. By the time all is said and done, we can only hope that most of us will check off our holiday wish lists without going too far over budget.
Still, there’s a limit to how much you can save with doorbusters and Black Friday deals. If you’re looking for some less obvious ways to save that you can stack on top of sales and promotions, it can pay to consider which rewards cards offer the most bang for your buck.
This year especially, a handful of cards are offering stellar deals that can pair nicely with where you plan to do your holiday shopping. Here are a few cards you should definitely sign up for now – before shopping season hits high gear.
While the is a solid cash-back card you can use in any season, this year’s holiday bonus categories can help you rack up more rewards than usual. But first, let’s talk about how this card works.
Once you sign up, you’ll earn a flat 5% back on the first $1,500 you spend in categories that rotate every quarter, plus 1% back on all other purchases. The kicker is, Discover has promised to double the rewards you earn during your first 12 months.
What’s especially fruitful this year is the fact that the October through December 2017 bonus category just happens to be Amazon.com and Target stores. If you plan to do a lot of your shopping online or at Target, then you can see what a huge deal this is.
Obviously, it helps that the Discover it® Cashback Match™ doesn’t charge an annual fee. You also get a free FICO score on your monthly statement and U.S.-based customer service.
On the redemption side, cashing in points with this card is a piece of cake. Not only can you redeem points for statement credits that will erase holiday purchases, but you can redeem for gift cards and some merchandise, too.
Here are some more details to consider before you sign up:
Depending on your shopping habits, the is another card that might help you rack up more rewards this holiday season. This card works similarly to the Discover it® in that it offers 5% back on your first $1,500 in categories that rotate every quarter, plus 1% back on all other purchases.
In the last quarter of 2017, the Chase Freedom® is doling out 5% back on purchases made at Walmart, Walmart.com, and department stores. Obviously, this might be huge if you plan to do your holiday shopping at department stores or Walmart.
It’s worth noting which department stores are actually included in this promotion, however. It includes popular stores like JC Penney, Kohl’s, Macy’s, Nordstrom, and Sears, among others. (The full list can be found here.)
In addition to offering a different set of bonus categories from the Discover it®, the Chase Freedom® offers an array of cardmember benefits as well. Once you sign up, you’ll get perks like purchase protection, extended warranties, auto rental collision damage waiver, roadside assistance, trip cancellation/interruption insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, and travel accident insurance.
As an added bonus, the Chase Freedom® offers a signup bonus after you meet a minimum spending requirement. And once you earn your rewards, you can use them in several different ways. Use them to book travel through the Chase portal, redeem them for cash-back or gift cards, or use them to shop on Amazon.com, for instance.
Also keep in mind that, if you have a premier Chase travel card like the , you can transfer your points to that account, and redeem them as more valuable Ultimate Rewards Points.
Last but not least, don’t forget about the – especially if you expect to host a big holiday dinner. This card doles out an amazing 6% back on your first $6,000 spent at U.S. supermarkets each year (and 1% thereafter), 3% back at U.S. gas stations and select U.S. department stores, and 1% back on all other purchases.
If you expect to prepare a feast — or to pick up gift cards for the holidays at your local grocery store — this card could help you earn a huge rate of return. That doesn’t even include the fact that many grocery stores also have gas rewards programs you can pair with this offer.
This card does charge a $95 annual fee, but it offers a large signup bonus that offsets the fee in the first year. Not only that, but if you do spend $6,000 at U.S. supermarkets throughout your first year — what amounts to a pretty average $500 a month on groceries — you would earn $360 in rewards for those purchases alone.
On the redemption side, you can redeem your points for statement credits, gift cards, or merchandise.
Before you hit the stores hot and heavy this holiday season, make sure you’re using a rewards card that can work in your favor. By signing up for one on this list, you can easily earn at least 5% back on some of your holiday gifts.
At the same time, it’s crucial to make sure you can afford to pay your holiday gifts off as soon as you charge them. With most rewards cards carrying an average APR of around 15%, pursuing rewards while simultaneously carrying a balance is a losing proposition. Remember, the best holiday shopping season is one where you emerge debt-free.
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.
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Which rewards cards are you using for holiday shopping this year? Why? Please share in the comments below!
The post Last-Minute Rewards Cards to Snag for Holiday Spending appeared first on The Simple Dollar.
