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الجمعة، 15 ديسمبر 2017

Master Your Money You Will: How to Become a Financial Jedi Master

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away . . . . There was a mystical knightly order thoroughly trained to guard justice and peace in the universe. They called themselves Jedi. Today, I'm going to teach you how to master your finances – like a Jedi. master finances like a jedi Worry do not, smart you are. Prevail you will. So hop on your eopie – or tauntaun if you prefer – and prepare yourself for the long journey ahead. May the Force be with you.

1. Tap into the light side of the Force – and think honestly about your finances.

This side of the Force is aligned with many virtues worthy of pursuit. Honesty is one of those virtues. In order for you to master your finances, you must be honest with yourself. What's your current financial situation? Are you living paycheck to paycheck or are you hoarding wealth and living in luxury like Bohhuah Mutdah? Neither extreme is good for a Jedi – you must find balance. But to find balance, you must think honestly about your finances. That's not an easy thing to do when you're having to think about your own financial situation. That's why I recommend talking with a friend – like Child of Winds. Find someone who can assist you. Financial advisors – like yours truly–  are a good choice, as they not only have unbiased opinions because they're not a part of your family, but they have the experience to know what to do in battle. Remember:
It is not simply enough to know the light . . . a Jedi must feel the tension between the two sides of the Force . . . in himself and in the universe. – Thon, Tchuukthai Jedi Master, Tales of the Jedi
Do you feel the tension between where you are and where you want to be? Are you passionate about tapping into the light side of the Force? Then you need to be realistic about where you are in your finances in order to get where you're going.

2. Learn the Jedi mind trick – but trick yourself.

The Force is a powerful influencer that can be used by Jedi on the weak-minded. A thoroughly trained Jedi can use the Force to implant a suggestion or idea into others' minds. This allows them to accomplish their missions. In order to master your finances like a Jedi, you must learn the Jedi mind trick – but trick yourself instead. For example, let's say you have a spending problem. When you set out to save some money instead of spending it all, you're not going to want to do it. Instead, you're going to want to spend – just like you always have. Try out these other great tips on ways to make money fast to help you with your saving endeavor! You're going to have to trick yourself into spending less. And there are several ways to do this. One way is to hitch a ride to an abandoned Sith world. There, there's really nothing to do – nothing to spend your money on. If you don't have enough credits for such a journey, you're going to have to avoid marketplaces that are full of droids and the like. Droids can be expensive – why not fix up one of your old ones instead of wasting your galactic credits on the latest model? While you're at it, have your old droid keep track of your credits for you. Have it keep you on a budget. Their artificial intelligence will help you make important decisions on what you should and should not purchase. Being mathematically precise is a necessity when it comes to finance – and droids have this mastered like none other. But when it comes down to it, you're going to have to be the one to trick yourself out of your emotional impulsiveness and into self control. Feel the Force and let it be your guide.

3. Don't become another Darth Vader – give according to the light side.

We all know the tragic story of Anakin Skywalker. This Force-sensitive human was once a very heroic Jedi Knight who later in life became seduced by the dark side of the Force. It pains me to even talk about this. Anakin slipped into the role imposed on him by Darth Sidious and enforced his master's will as Darth Vader – a man aiming to destroy the Rebel Alliance. Money and power can surely corrupt. Don't let this happen to you. A Jedi has self control beyond measure. When you start to accumulate wealth, don't let it get the better of you. Help out your fellow man. Just because you have access to the Force doesn't mean that you have to be influenced by the dark side. Instead, use your wealth for good. Help out the common folk and give to causes worthy of support.  This also includes buying a final expense insurance plan or life insurance policy to take care of your family. In order to give, though, you should first take care of yourself and your family. Make sure you have an emergency fund, are saving for retirement, and are funding your children's college education.

4. Don't buy an Imperial Star Destroyer – it's too expensive.

imperial destoyer Listen, you don't need all those bells and whistles. What do you need laser cannons and tractor beams for anyway? Instead, buy a vehicle you can afford. Think podracer. Sure, Anakin eventually went over to the dark side, but you have to hand it to his younger self – he built his vehicle from spare parts. Cheap, fast, and built for those who have the Force running through their being. Who wants to be paying interest on a vehicle loan for the next 15 million years? Not a Jedi, that's for sure. Jedi live within their means and seek to be as efficient as possible with their credits. If you have a need for intergalactic travel, sure, buy something that will get you from planet A to planet B, but don't become a slave to the New Order to do so. Heck, I drove my grandmother's 1998 Chevy Lumina for several years and survived! That saved me a bundle that I used  able to invest more money.

5. Train constantly and don't give up.

A Jedi's training in the Force never ends. – Vodo-Siosk Baas, Krevaaki Jedi Master, Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith
Change is bound to happen. That's why a Jedi must constantly train to meet the demands of the changing times. And you know how Jedi trained? It was either in groups or in a Master-Apprentice format. That's right, you must train with those who are going to sharpen your skills. Here again, there's value in training with a financial advisor. I did so in the early days, and so can you. In fact, you can become a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional too – if that's what you're seeking. But perhaps you'd just like to learn some more about how to handle your own money and not necessary the money of others. That's acceptable, but remember it still takes a great deal of effort to master virtues such as self control. Managing ones finances takes a tremendous amount of discipline and self control. That's why you need to train constantly to ensure you aligning yourself with the light side of the Force. One small deviation from your plan may cause you to question the goodness of the light side, something no Jedi should ever do.
Training to become a Jedi is not an easy challenge, and even if you succeed, it's a hard life. – Qui-Gon Jinn, Human Jedi Master, Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace
Sticking to your financial plan over the long-term is perhaps one of the most difficult things you'll ever have to do. Think about it. When you see your investments fall by 10 or 20% – are you going to freak out and sell them or are you going to stay the course until retirement? What about when financial hardship comes your way? If you were to lose your job repairing tutor droids, would you have what it takes to recover and find a new job – perhaps working on exploration droids? Would you have enough galactic credits saved up to ensure you could survive using food synthesizers to create edible organic matter from the raw materials in your backyard? A true Jedi trains for just about every conceivable hardship yet does not become burdened by the process. Training is intense, but the Jedi calmly works through their training to prepare for inevitable circumstances.

Grab Your Lightsaber – It's Time for Battle

This was the formal weapon of a Jedi Knight. Not as clumsy or random as a blaster. More skill than simple sight was required for its use. An elegant weapon. It was a symbol as well. Anyone can use a blaster or a fusioncutter–but to use a lightsaber well was a mark of someone a cut above the ordinary. – Obi-Wan Kenobi, Human Jedi Master, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (Novel)
Like handling a lightsaber, handling your finances requires a great deal of care and skill. You can be a cut above the ordinary. Start here. It's time for battle. Are you ready? May the Force be with you, Jedi. ##photo courtesy: coba

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Put on Your Christmas Jammies and Stream These 15 Holiday Flicks for Free

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, right?

It’s time for sleigh rides and dinners and family and caroling and baking and fires and tree decorating and stockings and Santa pictures and gingerbread decorating and all the other warm and fuzzy memory-making activities you can possibly come up with.

But if one of those fond-holiday-memory-makers is snuggling up in your flannel jammies and watching Christmas movies, you might be sorely disappointed.

Why Christmas Movies Are So Dang Hard to Watch This Year

Unless you’re still hanging on to a robust VHS collection (like my parents), or you’re one of those people who didn’t sell your entire DVD collection when you switched to an online streaming service, you’ve probably noticed the distinct lack of free, quality holiday movies on the internet right now.

No, your web-surfing eyes do not deceive you.

There’s actually a reason you haven’t been able to plop down on the couch to watch your favorite Christmas classic despite hours of scrolling and searching: Streaming companies simply aren’t making enough money off your fleeting need to watch a miracle unfold on 34th Street.

Unfortunately for the festive among us, holiday movies just aren’t big enough money makers (in terms of draw and subscribers) to make the complicated and expensive rights-securing process worth it. A film that is only popular for three weeks out of the year doesn’t have a large enough ROI to make licensing worth it, so streaming services are skipping the big names in favor of creating and hosting originals, which are more cost-effective.

I mean sure, those originals can be pretty good — but they’re nothing like the classics. And the classics? Those’ll cost you additional fees.

But while it may seem like Hulu, Amazon and Netflix held a secret meeting about how to crush our Christmas cheer in the quickest, most effective way, that’s not really the case. They have their reasoning and that’s OK (I guess), but that still leaves us wondering: How do we have a Christmas movie marathon when all of the good ones come with a price?

We make do, that’s what. So, with a combination of classics and streaming platform originals, we pulled together a list of movies you can watch on your favorite online streaming platform this season.

15 Holiday Movies You Can Watch for Free This Season

Turn on those twinkly lights, warm up that hot chocolate and step into those Christmas pajamas, folks: It’s time to get your Christmas movie marathon on.

1. “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” Netflix

The live-action Jim Carrey version of Dr. Seuss’ “How The Grinch Stole Christmas” is one of the few classics available for streaming on Netflix. (I’m using the term “classic” here loosely, mind you. I know not everyone considers a film from the year 2000 a classic, but come on — it’s the Grinch!)

2. “The Legend of Frosty the Snowman,” Netflix

A lot of Netflix’s good Christmas content is geared toward children (which is great for family movie night, regardless) but Frosty is a snowman beloved by all ages. As such, he gets a spot on this list of Christmas movies perfect for a holiday binge.

3. “The Christmas Prince,” Netflix

OOH BOY. So while this Netflix original may be a bit — what’s the word? Cringey? — to some, it had to be included simply for its recent rise to infamy. Whether you love it or love to hate it, it’s still a good Christmas watch.

And if you’re looking for another “so bad it’s good” Christmas film, queue up “Christmas Inheritance” or one of Netflix’s dozen other seasonal Hallmark movie-level films. (Search “Christmas” and find titles like “Christmas Wedding Baby” and, well, others.)

4. “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” Netflix

While there’s some hot debate over whether to watch this movie on Halloween or closer to Christmas (correct answer: the first day of November to mark the transition from Halloween to the rest of the holiday season), there’s no denying its status as a holiday classic. Stream it on Netflix for no additional cost!

5. “The Santa Clause,” Netflix

Up there with How The Grinch Stole Christmas on my list of favorite Christmas films, “The Santa Clause” (with Tim Allen and that oft debated elf) is a staple of the holiday season. Bonus: “The Santa Clause 2” and “The Santa Clause 3” (meh) made their way back to Netflix on Dec. 12.

6. “White Christmas,” Netflix

OK, so for anyone who was waiting for me to get to the true classics, we’ve finally made it: “White Christmas,” a Bing Crosby showstopper. It’s one of the few of its era that is available for streaming.

7. “Bad Santa,” Netflix, Hulu

I’ll admit, I’ve never actually seen this movie. (I know, I know — and I claim to be a holiday enthusiast?!) But I hear tell it’s a great option for an evening of bad laughs and an overindulgence in spiked ’nog.

8. “While You Were Sleeping,” Netflix

Sandra Bullock fans rejoice: This pseudo-classic that takes place over the holiday season was brought back to Netflix on Dec. 1. It may only be back for a limited time, but it’s here for now and that’s what matters.

9. “I Want a Dog for Christmas,” Charlie Brown, Amazon Prime Video

While you can’t watch “A Charlie Brown Christmas” for free on Amazon, you can watch the next best thing: “I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown.” As a bonus, this one features a New Year special. Also included with Prime Video? “Charlie Brown’s Christmas Tales.”

10. “Little Women,” Amazon Prime Video

OK, so “Little Women” isn’t strictly a Christmas movie — but with all the changing of the seasons comes plenty of holiday cheer, and in my house, that’s enough for this to be considered a Christmas movie night staple.

11. “Holiday Inn,” Amazon Prime Video

This is another Bing Crosby film, featuring holiday songs from Irving Berlin. Check and check: Christmas classic.

12. “The Miracle on 34th Street,” Amazon Prime Video

This is a made-for-TV adaptation of the original, so it’s much shorter at only 46 minutes. If you’re looking to squeeze in one last feel-good movie while the rest of the family is dozing off, though, this might be a good pick.

13. “The Holiday,” Amazon Prime Video, Hulu

“The Holiday” is that 2006 holiday movie featuring Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law and Jack Black. If you’re not sold already, then I don’t really know what else to tell you.

14. “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” Hulu

This 1998 film starring Jonathan Taylor Thomas and a young Jessica Biel is, without a doubt, a classic in my eyes. Y’all can watch it and decide for yourselves.

15. “Christmas with the Kranks,” Hulu

If you’re in the mood for one of those mischievous Christmas movies but don’t want to pay the extra $$ to watch “Home Alone” for the 70th time, “Christmas with the Kranks” is a good stand-in.

If you work your way through this list and you’re still hungry for more holiday happiness, check out FreeForm’s 25 Days of Christmas schedule (if you haven’t cut the cord on cable), or check your local listings for any movies that may be playing on the local TV network.

You may end up having to sit through commercial breaks, but that just means time to refresh your eggnog and corral the Christmas-candy-sugar-crazy kids.

Grace Schweizer is a junior writer at The Penny Hoarder. You’ll find her curled up on the couch bingeing on holiday cheer for the next two weeks.

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.



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Walmart Plans to Let Employees Access the Pay They’ve Earned Before Payday

So many of us are familiar with the anxiety of living paycheck to paycheck and the frustration of having to wait a whole two weeks until that next paycheck rolls around.

Now Walmart is trying to ease that pain — and provide additional financial assistance — for its more than 1.4 million workers.

The major retailer collaborated with financial tech startups Even and PayActiv to provide employees with access to the Even app, which will allow workers to obtain a portion of their earnings before their paychecks are distributed, the company announced Wednesday.

Workers will be able to use the “Instapay” feature up to eight times a year at no cost. Any more than that and they’ll face a charge, which Walmart will subsidize, the company said.

An Even Plus subscription — which includes the Instapay feature — costs $6 a month, according to the frequently asked questions on Even’s site.

Walmart did not disclose exactly what portion of their checks employees will be able to receive in advance, but the money accessed prior to payroll’s end will be deducted from the upcoming paycheck.

Walmart’s partnership with Even will also allow workers to take advantage of other financial tools. A money management function within the app tells users how much they can safely spend before their next paycheck without jeopardizing anticipated bills.

A Potential Solution to Financial Woes

For years, the Center for Financial Services Innovation has researched income volatility and the struggles workers face when it comes to budgeting and planning. Even’s cofounders were among the first professionals to be a part of CFSI’s Financial Solutions Lab, a program that seeks to find innovations to improve financial health in America.

John Thompson, CFSI’s senior vice president, told The Penny Hoarder workers are faced too often with having to forgo making payments or with turning to high-risk borrowing in order to juggle bills and other financial responsibilities.

He said it’s a great thing to see the marketplace acknowledge the fact that better solutions to these struggles are needed.

“We’re excited to see that type of innovation happen,” Thompson said of the services Even will provide for Walmart. However, he also mentioned the right guardrails would have to be in place so workers don’t struggle to manage their finances, given this new opportunity to access their earnings.

Michael Best, director of advocacy outreach for the Consumer Federation of America, echoed that sentiment. “The only caveat is whether this creates other problems, and are there unintended consequences where workers find themselves turning to loans at the end of the month,” he told Bloomberg.

The New York Times also reported on Walmart’s new financial offerings and didn’t shy away from the fact that the company’s minimum starting wage — at $9 an hour — is lower than similar big box retailers, including Costco and Target.

That leaves some wondering whether Walmart should instead place more focus on higher wages or give workers enough hours to take home larger paychecks whenever they get paid.

Nicole Dow is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.

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.



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Oh Come All Ye Procrastinators! Amazon Just Expanded Same-Day Delivery

Listen, people: If you haven’t done your online holiday shopping yet, you’re cutting it a bit close.

I’m not here to judge –– and neither is Amazon. For those of you who face the challenge of aligning package delivery dates with Santa’s arrival, I have good news: Amazon has expanded its same-day delivery service.

Come ye, procrastinators!

Amazon Has Expanded Its Rush Delivery Services

On Dec. 13, Amazon announced it had expanded its Prime free same-day and free one-day shipping services in over 8,000 cities. This means Prime members potentially have until 9:30 a.m. on Christmas Eve to place their order.

The future is here, y’all. We have reached the ultimate crossbreed of technology, e-commerce and super-speedy delivery times.

If your mind is blown like mine is, here’s another tidbit that’ll really set your sleigh bells on fire: Those who sign up for a free Prime 30-day trial membership can also get two-day, one-day, same-day shipping and Prime Now two-hour delivery service for free, Delish reports. Keep in mind, though, Prime Now is only available in 30 cities.

So yes, go ahead and sign up for that free trial to get speedy delivery. And if you don’t have the $99 membership fee to spare once the trial is over, simply cancel it within the 30 days to avoid the charge.

If you want to know exactly when you should order items so they make it on time, Amazon released a handy little delivery date cheat sheet.

Here are the dates you should keep in mind:

Dec. 15: Free shipping for all customers on items fulfilled and shipped by Amazon.

Dec. 18: Last day for standard shipping; free for Prime members only.

Dec. 22: Last day for two-day shipping; free for Prime members only.

Dec. 23: Last day for one-day shipping; free for Prime members only.

Dec. 24: Last day for same-day delivery, as long as an order is placed by 9:30 a.m. local time; free for Prime members.

Amazon notes that the above dates vary by item. Be sure to confirm your delivery date at checkout!

Kelly Anne Smith is a junior writer and engagement specialist at The Penny Hoarder. Catch her on Twitter at @keywordkelly.

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.



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3 Workplace Trends We Predicted for 2017 — and 3 We’d Like to See in 2018

Earlier this year, we speculated about what workplace trends we’d like to see grow in 2017.

How’d we do? Let’s find out.

And while we’re at it, let’s talk about some trends we’d like to see in 2018.

Three Workplace Trends That Grew in 2017

We’re glad to report that, overall, companies seem to be taking the needs and desires of workers more seriously.

Businesses embraced these three trends in particular:

1. Remote Work

If our Jobs page on Facebook is any indication, remote jobs are alive and well across the country.

Since the year is just wrapping up, there isn’t any hard data available yet on the number of remote jobs in 2017 compared to 2016.

However, a Gallup survey released earlier this year reported the number of employees working remotely jumped from 39% in 2012 to 43% in 2016. Researchers say they expect the upward trend to continue.

2.  Child Care Assistance

Nearly two million parents of children under age 5 have made career sacrifices because of child care struggles.

In 2017, we reported on several companies that ease the burden on parents by providing subsidized child care programs, by establishing on-site child care facilities or by allowing parents to bring their babies to work.

A study by the Society for Human Resources Management shows the number of employer-based subsidized child care centers and bring-your-baby-to-work programs has held steady since 2013. Some now even pay child care expenses while employees are on business trips.

3. Tuition Assistance

UPS and Dollar General were among the companies in 2017 that announced plans to begin offering tuition assistance to employees or expand existing assistance programs.

Under the proposed Republican tax plan, businesses would lose their deduction for offering this benefit, and individuals would be taxed on it. However, universities and some companies are coming together to lobby Congress to let the current provisions remain in place.

The move indicates some businesses are in favor of offering this benefit to employees enough to fight the government to keep it — and that’s good news for workers.

Three Workplace Trends We Hope Grow in 2018

2017 saw some great improvements in the workplace but there’s still work to be done.

Here’s hoping these three trends gain more traction in 2018:

1. Jobs That Don’t Require a College Degree

Some of the most in-demand jobs these days don’t require a college degree. Jobs like nail technician, carpet installer and bartender are experiencing explosive growth, a sure sign they’ll be around for a while.

Infrastructure jobs like electrician, plumber and truck mechanic don’t require degrees and often command an above-average wages.

Demand is also expected to grow for jobs in respiratory therapy, web development and MRI technology in the coming years. Though you may need to have special training or certification,  no degree is required.

2. Benefits for Gig Economy Workers

The burgeoning gig economy is a great way to pick up extra cash or begin your journey as a freelancer, but it’s not without its drawbacks.

One of the biggest challenges for gig economy workers is the lack of access to benefits like health care and unemployment insurance.

Virginia Sen. Mark Warner has proposed legislation to help fund portable benefits programs for gig economy workers. These are benefits that workers can keep as they move from job to job, independently of the companies that hire them as contractors. In the meantime, freelancers are mostly on their own.

However, some companies are stepping up and offering benefits to gig workers right now. For instance, Care.com now offers a handful of benefits to its professional caregivers, including health and dental plans, workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance.

3. An End to the Wage Gap

The wage gap is still alive and well in the job market. Women, people of color and members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer community all struggle with wage inequality.

Fortunately, some states are making it illegal for employers to ask about salary history, a first step in closing the wage gap for good.

In the meantime, people on the losing side of the wage gap should consider picking up side hustles or seek careers where men are routinely paid less than their equally qualified counterparts.

Although our complete wish list of workplace trends for 2018 is fairly long, these three items would be a good start.

Lisa McGreevy is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She wishes she had a crystal ball.

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.



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Deck the Halls: How I Decorated My Apartment for Christmas for Under $25

Obamacare Enrollment Ends Dec. 15 at Midnight. Here’s How to Sign Up

There’s a major deadline looming at midnight tonight — and no, we’re not talking about holiday shipping cutoffs.

Dec. 15 is your last chance to sign up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, or “Obamacare,” as open enrollment will end at midnight.

That goes for most Americans.

You may qualify for a special enrollment extension if you were affected by hurricanes Harvey, Irma or Maria, according to a press release from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. But if that’s the case, you have to phone the marketplace call center at 1-800-318-2596 to request an extension.

But, come on, why wait?

If you want to join the 4.7 million people who have already selected a plan in 2018, you need to sign up as soon as possible.

Here’s How to Sign Up for Obamacare Right Now

Simply visit Healthcare.gov, and log into your account. If you don’t have one, you can create a new account pretty quickly. Then just start plugging away with your personal information.

You’ll need your social security number to get started.

And we may be in the digital age, but there are other ways to apply for Obamacare, too.

You can call 1-800-318-2596 to enroll over the phone. Or find a health care counselor near you to apply in person.

And, make sure to avoid any scams that may come along with open enrollment — especially if you’re an older American. Make sure only to sign up for the exchange at Healthcare.gov.

Alex Mahadevan is a data journalist at The Penny Hoarder.

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.



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‘Tis the Season for Student Loan Scams. Here’s How to Protect Yourself

‘Tis the season to watch out for scams if you’re paying off student loans.

This winter, scammers will be prowling for potential victims as recent college graduates start paying off their student loans, federal authorities say.

Those borrowers have enjoyed a six-month grace period following their spring graduations, but that’s now coming to an end. Time’s up. Time to join the rest of us in the not-so-fun world of “Student Loan Land.”

It’s no secret that a rising number of college grads are struggling to repay their student loans. In 2016 alone, more than 1 million Americans defaulted on them.

This ugly trend has the feds sounding the alarm about scammers falsely offering borrowers help with student-loan forgiveness. These debt relief scams are big business, raking in tens of millions of dollars.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a recent graduate or you’ve been out of school for years. If you have outstanding student loans, don’t be surprised if you hear from one of these fraudsters.

And these shady companies won’t be calling themselves “Student Loan Ripoffs R Us” or “Student Loan Scammers, Inc.”

They’ll have a perfectly boring, innocent-sounding name like “Student Aid Center” or “Student Debt Doctor” or “Strategic Student Solutions.” (All those places got busted by the feds.) They’ll probably send you official-looking documents outlining how they’re supposedly going to “help” you.

The old saying about scams applies here: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Student Loan Scams: Don’t Believe the Hype

The Federal Trade Commission offers tips to avoid getting ripped off by student loan scams:

  • Don’t trust anyone offering fast loan forgiveness. Some common scams try to lure you in with promises of “instant forgiveness.”
  • Don’t pay upfront fees. It doesn’t cost any money to apply for federal repayment or forgiveness programs.
  • Remember that criminals can fake government seals.
  • Don’t share your Federal Student Aid website username and password with anyone.
  • If you need help, you can apply for deferments and forgiveness directly, without relying on some random company that wants your business.

Here’s How to Help Yourself Out of Student Loan Debt

If you’re struggling to repay your student loans, here’s how you can help yourself.

You can go directly to the federal Education Department’s Student Aid office for information about repayment and forgiveness programs.

Before you do that, check out The Penny Hoarder’s helpful guide on consolidation loans and income-driven repayment plans:

  • A direct consolidation loan lets you combine multiple federal loans into one new loan and takes an average weighted interest rate. That way, you only make one payment a month.

If you have federal and private student loans, you could look into refinancing them. Refinancing works like a direct consolidation loan, except you do it through a private lender instead of the federal government.

A company like Credible, an independent student loan refinancing marketplace, can replace your existing loans with a new loan, potentially with a lower interest rate and lower monthly payment.

“It’s like a Kayak or a Zillow for student loans,” says Michael Fishel, a Houston attorney who graduated from law school in 2012 with $135,000 in loans. “It’s brilliant.”

Mike Brassfield (mike@thepennyhoarder.com) is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder. He’s quite familiar with debt.

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.



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This Tool Can Help You Save Money So You Can Retire a Millionaire

7 Things You Need to Know About a Simple IRA

How to Use Surveys and Interviews to Generate More Money for Your Business

Businesses are at the mercy of their customers.

The customer determines whether a company thrives, survives, or fails.

That’s why you’re spending so much time, effort, and money on various marketing campaigns.

Targeting new customers.

Trying to retain existing customers.

Figuring out how to squeeze some additional profits from your best customers.

It may be exhausting, but it’s absolutely necessary.

All of these efforts can be summarized with two questions:

  1. What does the customer want and need?
  2. How can I provide them with those wants and needs?

That’s what it all comes down to.

What’s the most inexpensive and reliable way to get inside the minds of your customers?

Just ask them.

That’s right.

Asking your customers for feedback directly can allow you to make the necessary adjustments to accommodate their requests.

As a result, you can make more money.

Surveys and interviews are the best tools to help you get accurate comments, concerns, praise, or criticism.

Plus, it shows your customers you care about their opinions.

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When customers don’t think you care about them, they’ll stop buying your products and services.

Based on the study above, we can see it’s by far the number one reason on that list.

Surveys and interviews are a great way to kill two birds with one stone.

You get valuable information that can make you more money, and it reinforces the message that you care about your customers.

It’s a win-win scenario, and everyone’s happy.

If you’ve never created a customer survey or conducted an interview with one of your clients, don’t be intimidated.

Believe it or not, it’s actually pretty simple.

I’ll tell you exactly what you need to know to get started.

How to create a customer survey

Before we go any further, let’s start with the basics.

You can’t distribute a survey until you create one first.

Once the survey gets built, you can distribute it on all of your marketing channels and communication networks.

But we’ll get to that soon.

For now, I’ll show you the best way to make a survey on a platform that is free and easy to use.

Building a survey with SurveyMonkey

SurveyMonkey is one of the most popular platforms to create a survey on the Internet.

The fact that they have a free option makes it easy to try it.

Step #1: Create a new survey

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The first thing you need to do is create an account.

It’s quick, and you can even sign in with your Facebook or Google profile to make it even easier.

After that, navigate to the “My Surveys” tab at the top of the screen.

Just type in the name of your survey, and click “Create Survey” to continue.

Step #2: Choose a template

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SurveyMonkey lets you build a template from scratch.

You can do it, but I think it’s way easier to just go with one of their existing templates.

In fact, it’s one of the reasons why their platform is my favorite choice.

For our purposes, we’ll navigate to the “Customer Feedback” templates.

I’ve selected the “Customer Satisfaction Survey Template” because it will work well for us.

Feel free to browse the other options to see which one fits best with the kind of information you’re trying to gather.

For example, if you’re looking for feedback about your website, there’s a separate template for that.

Step #3: Add questions

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Each template will come preset with a bunch of questions based on the category.

But you can change the order, modify the questions, or create custom ones by using the question bank.

Your questions should be simple and easy to understand.

The questions should also be related to one another.

Find out exactly what kind of results you want to get from this survey.

I’ll discuss that in greater detail shortly.

Step #4: Distribute the survey to your customers

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Now that the survey is created, you need to get it to your customers.

This is another reason why SurveyMonkey is a great option.

You have many different methods of distribution.

Sure, you can build a survey on Facebook and share it with your friends.

Or use your email marketing software to create a survey and send it to your subscribers.

But why do that when you can build one here, and it’s compatible with all your platforms?

This will save you a ton of time and make it way easier to analyze the results.

Step #5: Analyze the results

It’s not quite time to make any drastic changes to your business yet.

For now, you need to get organized.

Wait until you think there are enough responses before you do this.

Don’t try to figure out what your customers want if it’s been only 12 hours since you created the survey.

Give it some time.

While your company is obviously a top priority for you, taking this survey won’t be at the top of everyone’s to-do lists.

Give your customers an incentive to provide feedback

As I was just saying, this won’t be a priority for all your customers.

Can you blame them?

Sure, responding to a survey or interview may ultimately improve their experience, but not everyone will see it that way.

Some customers will see it as a demand on their valuable time that could be spent doing something else.

Sometimes, a little motivation can get them to respond.

Take a look at how Jack Spade does this with a survey distributed to their email subscribers:

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Getting a 20% discount for taking a survey is definitely more appealing to a customer than a solo plea “Please take our survey.”

Do you notice anything else about this pitch that’s appealing?

Quick.

As I said before, your customers don’t want to waste their time.

Acknowledge their time as valuable, and make sure the incentive is worth their trouble.

For example, offering a 10% discount for an interview that’s going to last hours and involve the customer testing out new products isn’t something you can reasonably ask.

On the other hand, giving out $100 gift cards for a quick survey that will take only two minutes to finish doesn’t make much sense either.

The key is finding that middle ground.

I’d say offer a minimum of a 20% discount for any survey the customer can take online in less than five minutes.

For in-depth interviews that happen in person or over the phone, offer an incentive that’s more valuable, like free products or gift cards.

It’s worth it to you to give stuff away to get more survey results.

Ensuring you get as many responses as possible will give you the most accurate results.

If only 20 people fill out your survey, they can’t speak for your entire customer base.

Set an objective, and stick to it

Let’s re-visit the point I was starting to make earlier when discussing the questions on your survey.

Your questions should be related to one another as well as your goal.

What is your survey or interview trying to accomplish?

Here’s an example from Barkbox:

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This survey is super specific.

It was only sent to customers who ordered the October box.

All the questions will be worded accordingly.

But what’s the objective?

Let’s say they want to improve the overall quality of future delivery items.

The questions would focus on which products the customer would like to see again and which products they could live without.

Another objective could be about ways to generate more money. The questions could be then about the order frequency.

Is the customer happy with getting a box delivered once per month?

Maybe they would prefer getting weekly deliveries.

Each box would have fewer items and cost less, but the company would make more money over time.

Or they could deliver boxes every three months for even more money and cut down on shipping costs.

Either way, the questions would still center around the specific objective.

If it’s a simple survey, you may not even need to send an external link to the customer.

You can embed the survey directly in the interactive email, just like Expedia does with this one-question survey:

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The primary objective for a goal like this could be PR.

They want to be able to say “X” number of customers or “X” percent of people had a good flight.

But at the same time, they’re still letting the customer know they value their feedback.

Establish a comfortable rapport with customers during an interview

Interviews can be tricky.

While surveys are often cut and dry with multiple choice responses or something of similar nature, interviews are typically in-depth.

It’s best to use interviews when you want to get a response that’s more thorough and open-ended.

A simple “satisfied” or “unsatisfied” survey response won’t do the trick here.

I recommend interviews for companies who have brick and mortar storefronts.

That way, you can see the customer in person.

It also increases the chances that the customer will be open to the interview.

In fact, a recent study by the Harvard Business Review suggests face-to-face inquiries are 34 times more likely to get a response than email questionnaires.

When a customer is in your store, politely ask them if they have five or ten minutes to get interviewed.

You want the customer to feel as comfortable as possible during the interview.

That way you’ll get accurate answers.

One of the main problems with face-to-face interviews is that you may need to take some of the responses with a grain of salt.

I’m referring to the psychological tendency that’s referred to as the social desirability bias.

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Here’s what I mean.

The customer you’re interviewing may not be thrilled about every single aspect of your business.

But they’re happy enough to continue shopping at your store.

When you ask them questions about their satisfaction, their response may not be 100% truthful.

They are more likely to tell you what you want to hear as opposed to how they really feel.

This customer knows they are going to keep seeing you, and they don’t want to make things awkward by saying they think a certain product is bad.

Instead, they could avoid confrontation and just focus on the aspects they’re happy with.

This is no good.

You need the interviewee to feel comfortable enough to tell you how they really feel.

That’s the only way you’ll be able to make the right improvements.

Let them know as soon as the interview starts that you value their opinion and want to hear criticism.

You won’t be offended or upset if you hear something negative.

If you can’t establish this rapport with your customers, the interview results may be skewed.

Conclusion

If you want to generate more money for your business, you need to figure out what the customers want.

How do you find that out?

It’s easy.

Just ask them.

Use tools like surveys and interviews to get constructive feedback from your customers.

You can find out what you’re doing well and what you need to improve.

Conducting surveys and interviews regularly will show your customers you care about them, increasing their loyalty to your brand.

To get as many responses as possible, offer your customers an incentive for taking the time out of their day to complete a survey.

Each survey and interview should focus on one particular objective centered around a specific goal for your company.

Any time you’re interviewing a customer in person, make them feel as comfortable as possible.

This will help you get the most accurate responses.

Combining these tactics will generate more money for your company.

Does your business prefer to use surveys or interviews to get valuable feedback from your customers?



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We Found the Hottest Toys of 2017 That All Cost Less Than $30

What Would You Like To Do?

Let’s say, hypothetically, that you had the whole day free today, and you could just call up any friends you wanted and they’d come over – or you can stay alone if you prefer. What would you do today?

Some people might list some sort of fun activity – maybe a solo activity, or maybe one with a group. Others might simply spend a day completely unwinding from life’s stresses. Others might spend it on a hobby. Still others might spend it working on a small home repair or getting their tax documents ready.

I’ve been asking people this very question a lot lately and the answers I’ve been getting almost always come down to two things.

One, people mostly just want to enjoy hobbies they already have that they feel like they don’t have time for. If you’re a reader, the thought of spending an afternoon curled up with a book without a worry in the world sounds like bliss. If you like home brewing, the idea of a few hours cooking up a pot of something interesting and getting it in the fermenter is a wonderful thought. Maybe you have the equipment for a new hobby you want to try but it’s just gathering dust in the closet (like the sous vide cooking tool I got for my birthday… I really want to do this, but it’s just sitting there).

Two, people feel like there is “important but not urgent” things in their life that have fallen through the cracks and they want to take care of them. This undone task is weighing on their mind a little bit, but they struggle to find a block of time that allows them to actually take care of it. Maybe it’s filing a bunch of old bills or drafting a will or fixing a broken doorknob or replacing the faucet on the bathroom sink. There’s just something that needs to be done, but since it’s not screamingly urgent or distracting, they put it off.

Interestingly, almost all of the things that people mentioned to me cost very little money; instead, they cost time.

The deep connections between time and money have fascinated me since the earliest days of The Simple Dollar. Much of what we do in our day to day lives is an exchange of time and money.

We go to work, exchanging a healthy chunk of our waking hours for the money in our paycheck.

We buy fast food, exchanging some cash for a little extra time in the evening.

We spend money on things we desire to spend time using, only to find that we don’t have as much time as we thought.

We have an extra appreciation for well-made handmade items and will often pay more for them, partly because of the time that a craftsman put into it.

Our homes are loaded with costly time-saving devices. Our furnace saves us the time invested in chopping wood. Our stovetop saves us the time of keeping a wood-burning or coal-burning stove going. Our washing machine saves us tons of hours rubbing clothes over a washboard. Our dryer saves us many hours of hanging clothes out to dry.

That deep connection between money and time pops up everywhere.

The thing is, the modern world devours our time. The biggest revolution in day to day living in the last hundred years or so is the absolute abundance of things to do and ways to burn time. Television, smartphones, the abundance of organized activities of all kinds – there’s so much around us to sap away at that time we have, leaving us often feeling as though we have little money (because we spent it all on student loans or on things that save us time that we end up wasting) and little time, too.

Not having the time to just curl up with a book or tinker on something out in the garage or make a huge batch of home-brewed beer or take care of some important task that’s nagging you in the back of your mind is a pretty large negative drain on one’s life. In fact, there’s a pretty significant amount of evidence that digital distractions and being overly busy makes us significantly unhappier.

We long for a lazy day to sit around and read a book, but we never have time for it, and when we do, we’re incessantly checking our cell phone, leaving us no time to genuinely unwind. Furthermore, people often spend money on hobbies that they don’t have enough time for – they’ll buy stuff for something they want to try out, only to find that there’s no time.

It’s an unhappy and expensive picture, isn’t it?

I’m going to propose a solution, one that you can try out yourself in the coming weeks. Many Americans have at least a day or two off during the period between roughly December 22 and January 2. Many of us have multiple days off in that period.

One day, during that stretch, let it be a truly lazy day, with no commitments. Do what you would like to do, with one caveat. Take your cell phone and any other digital distractions that aren’t a significant part of your day’s plans and stick them in a drawer somewhere with the power off. Check them only when it’s strictly relevant to your day; otherwise, just leave them off and go about your business.

Curl up with that book. Make that batch of homemade sauerkraut. Fix that doorbell. Take a long nap. Make that picture frame. Whatever it is you long to do on a true “day off,” do it.

You likely won’t spend any money that day. You’ll also find that, when you go to bed that night, you feel pretty refreshed and that sense of refreshment will stick around. You’ll feel like some silent burden has been lifted from your shoulder, and that feeling will persist for a while. Trust me – it happens to me every time I do this kind of thing.

Carry it further. Commit to doing this one Saturday a month. Block it off on your calendar and just do it. (I actually block off every single Sunday afternoon for this exact purpose of unwinding, myself, and I firmly believe that it’s one of the big reasons I stay sane and happy.)

Carry it even further. If you’re getting together with family for Christmas, give the gift of a day off like this to someone you love. Take on whatever burden they are carrying for a day and a night, whether it’s watching a baby or a toddler or caring for an ailing relative. Give them a letter telling that that you WILL do this and you want them to do it as soon as humanly possible. Try to schedule that day as you’re sitting there with them at a holiday event. It won’t cost you anything and it will be one of the most valuable and meaningful gifts you can possibly give to an overburdened person.

Oh, and if you’re wondering what I’d do if I had a full day free of responsibility like that? I’d spend a few hours getting stuff done, go on a mid-morning hike, spend the early afternoon reading, and then invite some friends over to play a board game or two.

Good luck!

The post What Would You Like To Do? appeared first on The Simple Dollar.



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’Tis the Season: The 4-Gift Rule Can Help You Stick to Your Holiday Budget

As a parent, you want what’s best for your children.

Around the holidays, that can easily translate into wanting to buy your kids all the presents — especially if you have your own dear childhood memories of receiving stacks of gifts under the tree Christmas morning.

However, overspending to fulfill long wish lists isn’t wise.

Now I’m not saying be a Scrooge and eliminate gifts altogether. But setting limits on how you spend can be helpful.

The Wonders of the Four-Gift Rule

Around this time last year, I learned about the four-gift rule via social media.

I’m not sure of its origins, but the premise is pretty simple: You only get four Christmas presents for each kid:

  • Something they want
  • Something they need
  • Something to wear
  • Something to read

One gift per category — that’s it.

There are several things I love about this particular challenge. It sets clear boundaries on what types of gifts to buy, so you don’t spend all your money at the toy store on stuff your little one may quickly lose interest in.

Speaking of interest, when you limit the amount of gifts to four, kids can better focus their attention on the few items they do get (unless, of course, grandparents and other gift-giving relatives and friends choose to go the overindulgent route).

I like that this gift-giving challenge prioritizes getting items your children need and will wear — which is stuff you’d probably end up having to purchase anyway.

And, as a bookworm, I love the “something to read” category: You can never have too many books.

Make It Work for You

One flaw I do find with this particular challenge is that it doesn’t limit how much you spend.

If overspending is your concern, I’d recommend setting caps on how much you want to spend for each category and stick to your budget.

Other ways of limiting presents may work better for your family. This Today article shares how one family modeled their gift-giving strategy on the three wise men’s gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh for baby Jesus.

I’ll be real: It can be difficult to place limits on gift giving, especially when your child is caught up in the magic of Santa Claus. I myself am on the fence as to whether I’ll try the four-gift challenge with my 3-year-old this year or indulge a bit more but make up for it with lean spending in the first couple months of the new year.

Ultimately, you have to do what’s best for your family. Whether that’s sticking with a four-gift limit or a one-gift limit, the holidays aren’t about what you get — it’s the love you give that counts.

Nicole Dow is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She enjoys writing about parenting and money.

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.



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Does Cheap Wine Really Give You a Headache?

Never again.

It happens to the best of us. After a fun night laughing with friends over a glass or two (or four), you wake up feeling like someone’s taken an ice pick to your temples.

You reach for the Advil, gulp down the three glasses of water you should have been drinking over the course of the evening, and settle in for a few hours of misery. And you tell yourself you won’t let it happen again. Ever.

But as a Penny Hoarder, you may wonder if there’s a simpler solution than going full teetotaller, especially if your beverage of choice is vino.

Maybe your penchant for bargain wines is to blame for your headache. Everyone knows the cheaper the juice, the worse the fallout, right?

So, Does Cheap Wine Cause Headaches?

The short answer? No — or at least, not necessarily.

Headaches are only one of the set of nasty physical consequences of drinking too much, otherwise known as a hangover. Alcohol causes dehydration, inhibits vitamin absorption, interrupts sleep and produces toxic by-products as it’s metabolised, all of which might understandably leave you feeling like you’ve been hit by a truck.

And when the wine is cheap and free-flowing, it’s easy to be less than rigorous when it comes to counting refills.

In other words, maybe you simply went a little too hard without realizing it.

But what about when you know you only had a glass or two and you still wake with a pounding noggin?

There are a few potential oenological culprits, to be sure, but none of them are directly related to the wine’s price tag.

For instance, a hangover can be made worse by the consuming sugar, which has its own delightful assortment of icky bodily ramifications, and doesn’t help if that $10 magnum of Moscato is your go-to vino.

However, some of the priciest wines on the market, such as French Sauternes or Hungarian Tokaji, are lusciously sweet and heavy on the residual sugar.

So you can’t call the low cost the problem. Give a dry wine a try and see how your head feels — you can find them for the same price as your sticky-sweet sipper.

Big red drinker? Some people have a sensitivity to tannins, the mouth-drying compounds from grape skins and seeds, and may get a headache after consuming them.

But again, some of the most tannic wines in the world are also the most expensive; it’s hard to find a sub-$50 bottle of Barolo. And white wines are extremely low in tannin, so if you’re plagued by headaches after a night of cheap merlot, it could be as simple as switching to a chardonnay at the same price point.

And while we’re on the topic of color, heads up: Red wines generally have a higher concentration of congeners, which are the impurities caused by fermentation that give darker liquors their unique flavors. According to the Mayo Clinic, congeners can augment hangover symptoms, including headaches — so there’s another point in favor of white wine for the headache prone. And that’s coming from a predominantly red drinker.

Many believe sulfites are to blame, perhaps because their inclusion is so prominently featured on wine labels. But according to Frederick Freitag, associate director of the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago, sulfites don’t cause headaches. They can, however, trigger allergy and asthma symptoms, he told the Wall Street Journal.

And either way, adding sulfur is a popular way to sterilize and safeguard wine for stable shelf-keeping, and some sulfur dioxide is a natural by-product of fermentation, so it can just as easily be found in premium bottles.

In other words, whether or not a specific wine results in a worse headache or hangover depends on a complex matrix of variables, both on the part of the wine itself and your personal physiology.

But it’s definitely not as simple as markdown = migraine.

Which is good news for wine-thirsty spendthrifts: If one cheap bottle (or box) consistently gives you a headache, simply try another one. Preferably dry and white, if you want to stack the odds in your favor. Just don’t get carried away and drink plenty of water.

Hey, life’s all about experimentation, right?

Cheers!

Jamie Cattanach (@jamiecattanach) has written for VinePair, SELF, Ms. Magazine, Roads & Kingdoms, The Write Life, Barclaycard’s Travel Blog, Santander Bank’s Prosper and Thrive and other outlets. Her writing focuses on food, wine, travel and frugality.

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.



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