Both Monroe and Pike counties’ unemployment rates jumped three-tenths of a percent in Nov. 2017.Monroe County’s jobless rate came in at 5.8 percent. Pike’s was higher, at 5.9 percent, according to figures released Wednesday by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry’s Center for Workforce Information and Analysis.Pennsylvania’s rate fell one-tenth of a percent to 4.6 percent, while the national rate was unchanged at 4.1 percent [...]
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الخميس، 4 يناير 2018
Stroudsburg Borough Council reorganizes
STROUDSBURG — The Borough Council held its reorganizational meeting Tuesday, swearing in newly elected member Anthony Lanfrank and re-elected member Matt Abell.James Smith was elected as council president, replacing Ken Lang who chose not to seek another term. Boyd Weiss was elected as vice president with Joanne Kochanski as vice president pro tem in case Weiss is ever absent from a council meeting.The following were reappointed to their respective positions:* [...]
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Those $5.99 Rotisserie Chickens Come With a Side of Serious Overspending
A few months ago, I wrote about the tricks grocery stores use to get you to spend more — from the psychological to the sensory.
Then, I appeared on a local TV station to talk about those tactics. A big one: Stores capitalize on your keen sense of smell, using everything from the presence of freshly baked bread to the placement of fragrant flowers.
My father, who watches all my appearances (thanks, Dad), sent me a text message refreshingly free of context after the segment aired.
“It’s those rotisserie chickens.”
Yes, my dad has a weak spot when it comes to grocery shopping, and it is that slowly rotating selection of golden-brown chickens. And I bet a lot of you have the same weakness, too.
Rotisserie Chickens Are a Trap (but It’s Not the Chickens’ Fault)
Grocery stores started selling ready-to-eat rotisserie chickens in the 1990s, nodding to the popularity of Boston Market (then Boston Chicken) and its chicken dinner offerings of the time, The Wall Street Journal explains. And while a lot has changed since the ‘90s, grocery stores still sell piles of whole cooked chickens at well below $10 each.
With today’s intense competition to attract and retain grocery shoppers, stores are constantly experimenting with these prepared chickens, using spice varieties, price deals and supply-chain adjustments. Costco is even building its own chicken processing plant so it doesn’t have to pay suppliers.
If you want to roast a whole chicken yourself, it might cost more than the $5.99 or so that some stores charge for these chickens to gather the ingredients. Then you have to get your oven perfectly toasty for the task of cooking the bird. So grocery stores keep rotisserie chicken prices low, luring you with convenience and that roasty-toasty scent.
And then they hope you’ll buy side dishes.
Have you ever wandered into your local store after work and bought just a hot chicken? You probably picked up potato salad, macaroni or maybe a few items you just remembered you needed.
Suddenly, you’re not a $5.99 customer. Your additional purchases, especially other prepared foods with higher markups, make up for the profit the grocer lost on that priced-just-right chicken.
Buy the Chicken, but Remember This
We could sit here all day and debate whether it’s worth it to buy a pre-roasted chicken, but it comes down to the same question we ask every time we talk about going out for fast food or a leisurely sit-down dinner: Are you willing to pay for convenience?
If so, a rotisserie chicken is one of the best quick-and-easy buys out there. You can feed a small family a hearty meal, slice and dice to add chicken to your favorite recipes, or portion out leftovers to last your party of one several meals.
You don’t have to resist the powerful, mouthwatering pull of a rotisserie chicken when you go to the grocery store — as long as you reconsider the extras that try to leap into your basket before you head for the register.
Lisa Rowan is a senior writer and producer 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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HIV Is Spreading in Florida — and Here’s What the State Is Doing About It
We often make New Year’s resolutions to improve health, but sometimes the mission is much larger than shedding a few pounds.
Case in point: The Florida Department of Health has a goal to combat the spread of HIV in the state by providing better access to medication that can reduce the risk of individuals contracting the virus.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Florida had the second-highest number of reported HIV diagnoses in 2016.
Last month, Florida health officials announced plans to make PrEP — or pre-exposure prophylaxis medication — available at no cost at all of the state’s 67 county health departments by the end of 2018.
The CDC says taking PrEP daily lowers the risk of contracting HIV from sex by more than 90 percent and lowers the risk of contracting HIV from needle injection by more than 70 percent.
The Florida Department of Health claims those in need will be able to access up to a 90-day supply of the medication at county STD and family planning clinics.
This plan of action beefs up the work the state has previously put in place to combat the spread of HIV. Plus, an online magazine focused on HIV-related content, reports 16 county health departments have been providing PrEP services since 2016.
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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Hidden treasure: Unearth your lost accounts
Thousands of pounds could be lying in dormant accounts and lost pensions. Here’s how to track down your cash.
Many people will have lost a wallet in their lifetime. While it may be inconvenient, the monetary loss is likely to be small. But losing track of a financial account could potentially cost you thousands of pounds.
According to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), there is more than £400 million in lost UK pensions alone, yet consumers routinely forget about old accounts.
There are many reasons people lose track of their bank accounts, pensions, Child Trust Funds and Premium Bonds, such as:
- you have changed address and failed to inform your provider;
- the provider you held the account with has closed;
- you have switched banks and forgotten to transfer a rarely used savings account;
- you’ve had multiple workplace pensions and lost track of them; or
- you invested in a product when your child was born and forgot about it.
But hope is not lost, there are ways of hunting down these lost accounts and cashing in.
Start searching for savings
Start by checking your records to see if you have any old correspondence from your provider – if you have an account number, it may be as simple as making a call to your bank.
Even if you have no paperwork, your provider – if you can remember it – may be able to help if you contact it directly.
This is because unless your account has a very small sum deposited – less than £25 – the UK’s biggest banks should keep a record which allows you to claim your cash at a later point.
If you can’t find your account details, the My Lost Account service – jointly run by the Building Societies Association, National Savings & Investments (NS&I) and UK Finance – is a good place to turn. For information, go to Mylostaccount.org.uk or phone 020 3934 0329.
Most of the UK’s biggest banks and building societies are signed up to My Lost Account. Even if your lost account provider has merged or closed, you can still be reunited with your cash as the responsibility for the account will have passed to a different provider.
To claim, you must enter some personal details and any account information you still hold. Applicants will receive a response within 12 weeks of making a claim.
NS&I also runs a service to hunt down missing Premium Bonds and other NS&I savings products. Many older bond holders may have been issued with paper certificates, which have been lost over time. Again, you do not need to have precise account numbers to be reunited.
Sarah Coles, personal finance analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, says: “The scale of money in lost financial accounts is staggering,” she says.
“It’s not just the billions that have been lost overall, but the incredible sums mislaid by some individuals. Back in February 2004, someone using the NS&I tracing service was reunited with £278,835.”
Locating your pension Over a modern working lifetime, most people will work for several companies – each with its own pension scheme.
Keeping track of these can be difficult. The DWP estimates the average person has 11 jobs in their lifetime, so you could have 11 pensions.
If you lose track, the independent Pension Tracing Service has details of more than 200,000 pension schemes. Go to Pensiontracingservice.com or phone 0800 1223 170.
Technological developments could also make it easier to keep track of your pensions in future.
The government has backed plans to launch a Pensions Dashboard in 2019, which would bring together all your pensions – both state and private – and will be easily accessible online.
Calum Bennie, savings expert at Scottish Friendly, says: “The Pensions Dashboard will be a godsend for the younger generation as it means all their pensions accounts from all the employers they’ve worked for will be in one place and it will let them see how much they’ve built up.”
Lost Child Trust Funds
Child Trust Funds are another type of account that is frequently mislaid. Every child born between September 2002 and January 2011 was eligible for this account, which could be opened for cash savings or investments and is locked until the age of 18.
However, these accounts are no longer available and have been superseded by the Junior Isa. Steve Ferrari, managing director of OneFamily, says this means they have slipped out of public consciousness.
“The first Child Trust Funds will mature in 2020, but many accounts have been lost,” he warns. “However, with basic information such as the child’s name, date of birth and the address the account was registered to, providers can reconnect customers with their accounts.”
Mr Ferrari says even if you do not know the name of the provider, the HMRC keeps records for tax purposes.
Keeping tabs
All the services we have recommended will not charge a fee. While some firms do offer fee-paying services, you should exhaust all other avenues before turning to these third-party companies.
The best way to ensure you don’t lose an account is to keep it safe in the first place. Mrs Coles says the most common ways accounts are lost is when people move to a new house and the provider loses touch.
“It’s worth paying Royal Mail to redirect your post for at least a year, to cover any company sending annual statements,” she recommends. “Then whenever you receive redirected post, make sure you contact the provider to change your address immediately.”
Keeping your accounts organised also makes it easier for family to close an estate after death. “Keeping on top of this information makes it a lot easier if you, or your family, ever have to discuss your finances with a financial adviser or a lawyer,” Mr Bennie says.
While spreadsheets can help you keep track of your accounts, he says for those who are less computer savvy traditional methods still work well.
“I like to keep my documents in an alphabetically sectioned box file and try to file all the paperwork as soon as I’ve read it,” he says. “If you don’t use a digital platform, then the old-fashioned systems are still the best way to go.”
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DOW WOW: Stocks Hit 25,000 for First Time as Trump Market Booms
The stock markets have hit record highs with the Dow bursting past 25,000 for the first time ever. Here's what's going on.
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Pizza Hut Will Slice 50% Off its Price for Online Orders This Week Only
Pizza Hut is having a huge flash sale.
Why? We have no idea. Maybe it’s a way to beat the winter doldrums. Maybe it’s a belated New Year’s Day sale.
But the reason doesn’t really matter. The important detail here is half off at Pizza Hut.
The pizza giant (Did you know it’s the world’s largest pizza company?) is hosting an online flash sale: All menu-priced pizzas are 50% off when you order online. All the pizza!
How to Get 50% Off Your Pizza Hut Order
Order online by Jan. 8 to get 50% off.
To reap the cheesy rewards, order any regularly priced pizza online or through the Pizza Hut app. You don’t need a Pizza Hut coupon code, but this is key: Be sure to click on the “50% off” ad on the homepage to activate the deal first. Select carryout or delivery for your order and voila: discount.
If you’re going big — and you should, since the largest pizza is always the best value — you can save $8 or more per pizza.
Taxes, delivery charges and driver tips are not included. (Be nice to your pizza guy, OK?) As you might suspect, you can’t lump this discount with any other offers.
Lisa Rowan is a senior writer and producer at The Penny Hoarder, covering mostly pizza-related topics.
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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Prices and Pain at the Pump Will Rise in 2018. Here’s How You Can Save
It looks like we might be seeing higher gas prices in 2018.
GasBuddy predicts the yearly national average cost of gas will be $2.57 per gallon, up 18 cents from 2017. Prices are expected to be the highest on average since 2014.
Although 18 cents doesn’t sound like a lot, GasBuddy’s 2018 Fuel Price Outlook estimates the average family will spend about $133 more on gas over the course of the year.
I’ll bet you’d rather put $133 toward anything other than gas.
Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, attributes much of the rising prices to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries cutting oil production. However, he said factors like fuel taxes, the economy and supply and demand also affect prices.
DeHaan also said that one unexpected event, such as a hurricane, could make a lasting impact on fuel prices. You’ll want to take into consideration that GasBuddy’s annual price estimation for 2017 was about 10 cents higher than the actual average cost. Its 2016 estimation was 16 cents too high.
These predictions are like weather reports. The forecast doesn’t always hit spot on.
Where (and When) There’ll Be the Most Pain at the Pump
Though gas prices will likely stay under $3 for much of the country, some metro areas won’t be as fortunate.
GasBuddy predicts Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Sacramento, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington D.C. will see gas prices above $3 in 2018.
Cleveland, Detroit, Miami, Minneapolis, Orlando, Philadelphia, St. Louis and Tampa may see prices hovering near that threshold.
Nationwide, April and May are the months prices are expected to be at their highest.
Be Proactive About Your Gas Usage
Though there may be nothing we can do to change gas prices directly, we can make smart choices so less money comes out of our wallets.
Snag the Best Prices
DeHaan recommends shopping around for the best deal before filling your tank.
“It’s become nothing short of crazy how one station might sell gasoline 20 to 40 cents lower or higher than a nearby competitor,” he said.
GasBuddy’s website and app contain crowd-sourced information on fuel costs at gas stations nearest you.
Drive Efficiently
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy offers the following tips on driving more efficiently, which results in using less gas (and saving more money):
- Avoid aggressive driving, like speeding, rapid acceleration and braking
- Limit driving over 50 miles per hour
- Avoid transporting cargo on your roof
- Try not to weigh down your car with unnecessary items
- Stop idling and just turn off your car when you park
- Maintain a constant speed on highways by using cruise control
Be Mindful of How Often You Drive
Cutting back on driving is another way to save on fuel costs.
Maybe 2018 will be the year you organize a carpool with coworkers who live nearby.
Or perhaps you’ll dust off your bike and start cycling to nearby destinations — or look into using a bike-share program. You might even consider walking more. (Bonus: You could get paid for doing so.)
Even something as simple as planning out your week to group multiple shopping trips in one outing can help you cut back on fuel usage and keep more money in your pocket.
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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How much cash would you need to quit work?
Moneywise asks five 40-something wage earners what sum they have in mind that would enable them to leave their jobs and retire in comfort.
Tim Brierley (pictured below) knows exactly how much money he would need to quit work. The 43-year-old, who works in the chemical industry, has calculated that an annual income of £12,000 from his investments would be enough for him to retire early.
“People can’t believe how little that is, but I’ve crunched the numbers loads of times,” he says. “I live quite frugally, so the idea of giving up work is more important than being able to buy the latest iPhone – and I could cut costs further by cancelling my Daily Telegraph subscription!”
Tim, who lives with his husband in Warrington, Cheshire, earns around £40,000 a year and has always been a conscientious investor. In fact, he has accumulated a £300,000 nest egg and hopes to start cutting back on work as early as next year.
“I’ve always been very career minded, but there’s more to life than getting stuck in a traffic jam on a cold autumn Friday evening,” he says. “I want the freedom to pursue subjects I enjoy such as music, history, and gardening.”
Tim, who has already paid off the mortgage on the three-bedroom semi-detached home he bought for £60,000 in 1997, has two final salary deferred pensions that would give him a combined £7,000, as well as a money purchase scheme with his current employer.
But most of his money is in investment trusts, the oldest type of investment fund. Investment trusts are structured as companies with independent boards; their businesses are investing in assets on behalf of their shareholders.
Tim started investing a relatively modest £40 a month when he graduated from university and has always made his own investments, inspired by a book called How to Read the Financial Pages.
“Learning how to understand business accounts interested me and then I got into looking at how investment trusts worked,” he says. “I like investing with a clear goal and not being dependent on others to make it happen.”
As a buy-and-hold, long-term investor, Tim has been gradually moving his portfolio from growth into more income holdings. “My mantra is if I only take the natural yield of my investment, I’ll never run out of capital unless all my companies go bust, which is unlikely,” he adds.
He would like to transition into early retirement by initially having a part-time job paying £12,000 a year. This would enable him to reinvest any income from his investments. “With compounding, that means in less than five years I could stop work completely,” he adds.
While some of his work colleagues have him marked as something of an investment guru, Tim insists this isn’t the case. “I prefer to make my own decisions,” he says. “If it goes well, I can pat myself on the back – and if it goes wrong, I don’t have anyone else to blame.”
How much do you really need to achieve financial freedom?
It comes down to your desired lifestyle, and not everyone is prepared to live on £12,000 like Tim Brierly. We speak to four more people in their late 30s and early 40s to find out how much they have saved up now and what figure they have in mind to quit work.
‘I need £1 million to quit work’
Alan Chaplin, a 46-year-old married dad-of-two from Dorking, Surrey, estimates that he needs £1 million before quitting work. With his current pension pot of £200,000 and the equity in his property, he is a third of the way towards this target.
“It’s not realistic for a little while, but I could see being able to cut back a bit in five years when my youngest child goes to school by possibly working four days a week,” he says.
Alan earns £65,000 a year as a manager in a start-up company involved in pensions software. Although a modest amount goes into his pension each month, most of his efforts are focused on paying off debt.
As well as paying support for a 15-year-old child from a previous relationship, he also has a three-year-old child with his wife, Aylin, 36. The couple have been married six years and bought their house relatively recently. They also took out a loan to help pay for improvements.
“I would love to retire early, but I have a young child, a mountain of debt and nowhere near enough in the pension,” he says.
Alan believes the start-up business in which he’s involved could hold the key to early retirement if it’s a success. But he is equally aware that it may not work out as planned, so is happy to see what the next few years have in store.
“A personal net worth of £1 million is the point at which I could start to think about giving up work,” he says. “This would mean our house, which is worth around £400,000, would be paid off and we would have at least £500,000 in the pension.”
‘I need £40,000 a year but haven’t a plan to get it’
Marketing director Janet Du Chenne, who lives in south-east London and turns 40 in January 2018, loves the idea of retiring early as it would give her more time to devote to writing and travelling.
“I love to write,” she says. “I also blog now and again about my travels (Janetduchenne.com) and will soon be travelling with friends to Malta.”
Janet, who is single and doesn’t have any children, estimates that she needs around £40,000 a year to live on. “I worked that out by taking my mortgage, monthly bills and outgoings, such as leisure activities, from my monthly salary,” she explains.
Her current financial situation means she’ll be looking to give up work by the time she is 60. “I have about £50,000 in savings,” she says. “I also have a corporate pension scheme and another personal pension, but I’m not sure how much is in them to be honest.”
‘My wife and I want £50,000 a year joint income’
Investment director Adrian Lowcock, 42, would like to retire in his mid-50s. The married dad-of-two, who lives in Bristol, believes an income of £50,000 in today’s money would be sufficient to look after him and his wife in retirement.
“My outgoings are high with a mortgage and nursery fees,” he says. “The fact is that over the next 20 years it’s difficult to know what the rate of inflation will be and how my spending habits will change as I get older.”
Adrian maintains being aggressive with saving in the early years will eventually make life easier. However, he also acknowledges the importance of balancing this out with enjoying a decent quality of life today.
He points out that equities generally reward investors over the long term, even if they are quite volatile over shorter periods. “I primarily focus on contributing to Isas (individual savings accounts) and pensions. The allowances on each are fairly generous and they allow investments to grow tax free,” he says.
He has £300,000 in his pension, as well as £68,000 in a final salary pension (transfer value), £150,000 in an Isa, £60,000 in cash, and a further £10,000 of assets.
He believes a combination of tax-efficient investments makes sense. “Isas will give a tax-free income in retirement, while pensions allow for larger tax-free contributions,” he explains. “My cash is probably on the high side, but that will come down with further pension and Isa contributions.” Ideally, he would retire within 15 years. “Retirement might not be the end, but could allow me to change my career or do some voluntary work.”
‘We want a £100,000 pot alongside equity from our house’
Claire Hares, 39, has always planned to retire early and is working hard to turn this into a reality with her husband, Rob, 43.
“We’ve never wanted to work for ever and are saving hard to build up different pots,” she says. “The dream is that once the kids reach an age where they’re self-reliant, we will be able to go off for a few months at a time to visit different places.”
The couple have always had one eye on the future. When they received an inheritance about 15 years ago, they invested in a buy-to-let house. They have cleared the mortgage on this property, which forms a central part of their long-term income generation plans.
In addition, they estimate around £100,000 needs to be accumulated before they can retire early, although the immediate priority is to move into a bigger house while their two children – aged five and eight – are still young.
The difficulty is estimating how much will be needed in the future. “The aim is to have around £100,000 in accessible investments, such as bonds, Isas and cash,” she says. “My husband’s pension is better than mine, so we’ll be relying on that as well.”
Claire stresses the key is to strike the right balance between enjoying today and thinking about tomorrow. “It’s about not being either Scroogelike or being tied to doing something for ever,” she adds. “The idea is to be smart with our money – but not tight!”
TIPS TO ACHIEVE FINANCIAL FREEDOM
The first step for anyone wanting to retire early is to estimate how much income they’ll need in later life.
Justin Modray, founder of Candid Financial Advice, says: “You’ll need to factor in things such as whether your mortgage will be repaid, as well as your likely outgoings.”
You can then estimate how much any pensions or investments you have might be worth and how much income they’ll provide. “Find your bank and credit card statements, decide which of your current outgoings are likely to continue in retirement and add them up,” he says.
Remember to include items you may want to spend money on in retirement that aren’t on the agenda now, such as travelling.
“If you have a partner, work out how overall income would be affected were one of you to die to ensure either of you are not unexpectedly left short,” he adds.
Mr Modray suggests holding a mix of funds that invest in company shares, fixed interest and commercial property.
“They can all produce income and don’t tend to move in the same direction at the same time,” he says. “This helps to provide a consistent income that keeps pace with inflation.”
He adds: “Don’t underestimate how much it might cost and ensure you have a plan B if your finances struggle, which could be working longer or part-time, as well as downsizing if required.”
Unless you come into a windfall, achieving the dream of retiring early requires extreme savings habits and a willingness to make short-term sacrifices, according to financial adviser Martin Bamford, managing director of Informed Choice.
“Everyone should be saving at least 20% of their net income towards the future – and for an early retirement goal, it’s likely you will need to double or triple this amount,” he says.
Mr Bamford believes there is a simple rule of thumb: If you can save 25 times your annual expenditure, then you can probably afford to retire. “Someone who plans to spend £30,000 a year would need £750,000 saved or invested to achieve their early retirement goal,” he explains.
His calculation is based on the 4% income rule of thumb, which suggests you can sustainably withdraw 4% of your invested assets each year, with it maintaining its value against inflation. “For younger retirees and those who are more cautious, I would suggest a multiplier of 30 times rather than 25 times,” he adds.
Moneywise says: Note that the calculations for the 4% rule were carried out by William Bengen, a former financial planner, two decades ago and this rule has recently been described as outdated due to current economic conditions and improvements in life expectancy. In 2017, research by pension company Aegon and actuarial firm EValue found the “safe withdrawal rate” should range between 1.7% and 3.6%, while research by Morningstar found that if you want to be 99% sure that your money will last 30 years, then the amount you can ‘safely’ withdraw each year from an invested pension drops to just 1.8%.
Moneywise readers would give up work for £1 million
The magic figure Moneywise.co.uk users would need to come into to give up work is £1 million.
But research from financial services provider One Family identified £500,000 as the amount needed for a comfortable retirement, with one in five Moneywise readers picking that sum too, and others picking smaller amounts.
Our poll didn’t ask people to enter their ages, so some of the votes for smaller sums may indicate that some readers are nearing the end of their working lives and that they’ve already paid off their mortgages and accrued some savings.
Rob Griffin writes for The Independent, Sunday Telegraph and Daily Express.
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Ben Franklin’s Thirteen Virtues: Using One Week to Change Your Life
Benjamin Franklin was born in 1706 into a family of very modest means. Today, they’d probably be called lower middle class at best. His parents had just enough money to send him to school for a couple of years out of hopes that he could eventually join the clergy, but by the age of ten, he was done with school and was a print shop apprentice by the age of twelve, climbing around on printing presses, sorting letters, mixing ink, and all of the other tasks needed to keep a printing press running.
From that humble background, Franklin became a highly successful printer, a well known writer, a scientist, a politician, and a diplomat, among many other hats. During those efforts, he accumulated enough wealth to effectively retire independently wealthy in his forties, and he largely devoted the rest of his life to public service (and his individual interests). He was such a towering figure in the American Revolution that he was deservedly called the “first American,” and his light shines brightly even today.
Even to this day, Franklin’s Autobiography is a splendid read. You can get a nice pocket edition of it for just a few dollars, check it out at your library for free, or download it and read it electronically for free. No matter how you read it, I highly recommend you do so, as it’s an insightful book about an amazing person.
One of the things that has really stood out to me each time I’ve read his autobiography is the fact that he attributed most of his success (beyond that of luck) to practicing thirteen core life virtues, to the best of his ability. He believed that by living those virtues, he had done everything he could to put himself in a position to be on the good side of the unexpected events of life.
He actually had an incredible system for working on those virtues, which I want to talk about today.
Ben Franklin’s “Virtue Cards”
For a large portion of Franklin’s life, he carried around a card in his pocket that depicted a simple table with seven columns and thirteen rows on it.
Each column on this card represented a day of the week – Monday through Sunday. Each row on this card represented one of thirteen virtues that he wanted to work on.
During the day, he might glance at these virtues a time or two to keep them fresh in his mind. At the end of each day, however, he’d pull out a pen and go through those virtues, asking himself if he’d actually practiced them during the day and marking the box if he had done so. His goal was to fill in as many boxes as possible, and each week, he would start anew with a fresh blank chart.
That wasn’t all. Not all of the charts were identical. In fact, he had thirteen variations of the charts, which he cycled through every thirteen weeks. On the top of each variation of the card was listed one virtue, which was the main one he wanted to practice that week, along with a brief description of that virtue.
For example, one week, he might really focus on frugality, while the next week might particularly focus on temperance. He’d reflect on and record his success with all thirteen virtues each day, but he would intentionally focus on just one virtue each week.
You can download a generic duplicate of his virtue card (without the specific focus for the week) here.
A final key part of his practice is that he’d review the cards as a whole at the end of each week, evaluating which virtues were successful that week, which ones were not, and which areas really needed focus and improvement in his life. He’d also review them as a set, and thus with thirteen cards to review, that roughly covers three months of living. A larger review like this – a “quarterly review” if you will – can point you to some larger patterns along your path to becoming a better person.
Over time, these virtues became more and more ingrained in his character. He found himself naturally practicing them more than he once did, which made him into a more well-rounded and successful person and a better participant in society, which he attributed to being a healthy part of the success that he found in almost every attribute of life.
So what were these thirteen virtues?
Benjamin Franklin’s Thirteen Virtues
Here are the virtues that Franklin tracked and reflected upon each day. His goal was to improve himself with regard to each virtue so that over time he was a better person in that regard, and by being a better overall person, he was more open to life’s opportunities.
Temperance
Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.
This one’s pretty simple. Eat until you’re not hungry any more rather than stuffing yourself, don’t eat just for entertainment’s sake or for boredom’s sake, and stop drinking when it begins to impair your judgment and sensibilities. It’s about self-regulating what you put into your body and making the conscious choice to put in only enough for good living.
Silence
Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.
If you don’t have anything of value to add to a conversation, don’t do so. Instead, just listen to what’s being said – and actually listen. Try to seek out meaningful conversations and avoid meaningless chatter. This doesn’t mean that you avoid getting to know other people and small talk, but that you recognize that there is a distinct purpose to such conversations and you keep a focus on that purpose. Idle chatter for no purpose is the problem, as is speaking just to fill space in the conversation.
Order
Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
Keep your physical possessions organized so that you can always find what you need. Do the same with your time, so that you always have time for the things that are important to you; if that’s a struggle, adopt some form of time management or a smarter approach to one’s possessions. If you have too many things that it becomes very difficult to keep them all straight, then this is a call to start downsizing the less important things.
Resolution
Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
If you decide to do something, carry through with it. Don’t commit to things that you can’t follow through on or aren’t actually intending to follow through on. Say “no” if you’re asked to do something that you can’t actually follow through on. In fact, if you’re unsure, say “no” just so you’re not left with someone else holding the bag due to your failure of resolution. If you say “yes,” follow through on that yes.
Frugality
Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.
My favorite virtue, perhaps. Don’t be wasteful with your money. Whenever you spend a dollar or use something, have it be genuinely purposeful. You want to get maximum value for the dollars that you have when you choose to spend them. If you’re not choosing to spend them, put them to work for you in some aspect of your life, either by paying down debt or building an emergency fund or saving for a big goal like retirement.
Industry
Lose no time; be always employ’d in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.
Don’t spend your time idling. Try to spend your time doing something productive, and if you lack the energy or focus to do the task at hand, find something else that fits where you’re at. If you don’t have anything on hand to do, spend that time improving yourself. If you’re too tired to do anything, sleep, and if that tiredness is consistent, engage in purposeful leisure or talk to a doctor.
Sincerity
Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.
Be honest in your words, but also kind in terms of the impact that they can have on others. Don’t be hurtful with what you say, but strive to lift up the other person. Don’t lie and don’t mislead, but don’t be cruel with your words, either. If you must criticize, find ways to criticize without being “brutally honest,” which is insincere in its intention.
Justice
Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
Don’t bring harm to others for your own benefit. Try to find ways so that everyone involved in your interactions finds some genuine benefit. Seek out solutions so that everyone wins. If you agreed to an arrangement, stick by that arrangement, or renegotiate it if it’s now untenable.
Moderation
Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
Choosing extreme positions or acting toward others in extreme ways often ends up with negative consequences for you without any real benefit. Avoid taking positions or behaving in ways that bring harm towards others unless you intentionally are bringing harm, in which case be careful in the amount of harm you bring.
Cleanliness
Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloaths, or habitation.
Practice hygiene. Keep your clothes clean. Keep your home clean. Keep your office clean. Keep your teeth clean. This is not only for your own health, but also for how you present yourself to the world.
Tranquillity
Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
Don’t be upset by the unexpected events that life throws at you. They’re going to happen – being upset does not help resolve them. If you recognize your emotions swelling, consciously keep them in check. Learn how to recognize your own emotions inside and understand them without reacting to them or acting upon them. Use them as information instead in order to make better decisions.
Chastity
Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another’s peace or reputation.
Don’t let physical passions become a distraction or a main focus in your life. Don’t allow it to cause you to betray or harm others. Again, if you find yourself in a position where things are untenable, seek outside help and don’t simply toss the virtue to the side.
Humility
Imitate Jesus and Socrates.
Undersell and overdeliver in everything that you do. Don’t talk about how great you are; instead, be great and give abundant credit to others.
A person who is a true master of these thirteen virtues would be a great person, indeed, and would likely find that great success nearly falls on their lap.
Make Your Own Virtues
While I believe that these are all worthwhile virtues to practice, one might want to choose other virtues – or even personal skills – that they want to improve and substitute them into Franklin’s plan. One could easily remove some virtues and substitute other ones, or even start from scratch with one’s own virtues.
For example, let’s say that someone wanted to use this practice to strictly improve their finances. They would likely retain frugality and temperance, but they might want to add other virtues and skills to the mix, such as mastering food preparation, using deliberate practice in one’s career path, building social skills, and so on.
Let’s say that you wanted to master becoming a calmer person. You might include things like meditation, stoicism, and prayer in your list of virtues.
It all depends on what you want to achieve. However, I will say that Franklin’s list of thirteen virtues really will go a long way toward improving your overall character and life situation no matter where you’re at in life.
The goal with all of this is to come up with a set of very specific virtues or skills that you can apply every single day to become a better person, the person you want to be, and then review your progress with those virtues and skills each day. Over time, those skills and virtues would become natural to you, shaping you into the person you desire to become.
Make It a Practice
The key to this, of course, is to make it a daily practice.
Once you’ve defined a set of virtues or specific skills that you want to work on in your life and integrate into your normal behaviors, take it a step further and copy Franklin’s entire system, using your desired virtues and skills as the basis for your practice.
You can start by making a set of cards for the virtues you want to practice. It’s pretty simple to design a small table, with rows for each thing you want to improve and columns for each day of the week, in your preferred word processing program. Just design a size that prints easily on a blank 4″ by 6″ index card and print them yourself. If you prefer, you can also design them by hand using a ruler and a pen.
On each card, simply write the days of the week at the top of each column and an abbreviation of the skill or virtue you want to practice to the left of each row.
Consider designing a set of these cards, one with each virtue or skill you want to practice at the top with a brief description, so that you have a particular virtue or skill to focus on that week. Print off (or make) the entire set at once, cycle through all of them, and then make a new set and start from scratch.
You can also implement this practice electronically. Just use a note program on your smartphone that contains a list of the virtues that you can use to review each morning and each night. A simple program like Evernote can handle the job quite well.
At the end of the week, review your overall progress. Which virtues are you particularly weak on right now? What can you do to strengthen those virtues going forward? Use the data you recorded – both the marked virtues and skills you succeeded with and the ones you missed – as a source of insight on how to continue to improve.
The key thing to always remember with a process like this is that it takes time. People always want immediate results that appear like magic. Improving yourself takes time, and then it takes even more time for the effects of that improvement to propagate out into your life. The key thing with this is to remember that you are getting better, little by little. If you strive to be a little better than the day before, you’re always heading in the right direction, and given enough time, that change will ripple out into the world.
This really is a simple yet brilliant system for genuine self-improvement. It can help you change your character as a whole or help you bring about true lasting improvement in specific areas of your life. The key is to trust the process – keep doing this over a long period of time and you’ll find yourself in a better place.
Good luck.
The post Ben Franklin’s Thirteen Virtues: Using One Week to Change Your Life appeared first on The Simple Dollar.
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These Genius Tricks Will Save You Up to 20% at Bed Bath & Beyond
One store that can really get me into trouble?
Bed Bath & Beyond.
Its aisles are full of everything I didn’t know I needed: cookware with mysterious purposes, candles of all scents — even hair-care tools that will make my locks look like a golden waterfall glistening in the sunlight. Supposedly.
All of this is to say… I spend too much money every time I go.
But here are a few ways I’m planning to maximize my savings the next time Bed Bath & Beyond pushes me beyond my budget.
1. Never Enter The Store Without Coupons in Hand
The good news for your next Bed Bath & Beyond haul? You’re likely going to find a coupon for whatever it is you need.
You can find a number of these through Bed Bath & Beyond’s app or in its email newsletter. (And, hey! When you sign up for that, you’ll get a coupon!) Additionally, you can opt in for SMS coupons delivered to you via text.
Bed Bath & Beyond will also accept manufacturer coupons. So if you find a coupon for a Keurig, for example, you can apply it.
Oh, and always look for the yellow tags. Those are clearance items.
2. Practice Price-Matching
Bed Bath & Beyond will match direct competitors’ prices, as long as the make and model are identical.
The easiest way to go about this would be to use a price-comparison app, like ShopSavvy. When you get to the register to check out, show the store associate the competitor’s ad or website. You can even practice price matching after a purchase, though you’ll need your receipt.
Also note you can match Amazon’s prices — as long as Amazon itself is selling the item, not a third party.
You can also use a manufacturer’s coupon in conjunction with price matching. However, you can only pair a Bed Bath & Beyond coupon with a price-match if the competitor would also accept the coupon.
Because this is a little confusing, and because I’ve said price-match about 11 times now, be sure to read up on the store’s policies. Also remember it never hurts to ask.
3. Earn Cash Back — Always
We love this tip because you can stack the following strategies with those coupons we mentioned.
Here are some of your cash-back options:
- Use Ibotta to earn cash back in-store and online. Your first step is to download the app. Then you can peruse in-store offers, such as such as $5 back on Fit Tea 14-Day Detox or $1 back on Lubriderm lotion. Or, if you’re shopping online, you can earn 2% cash back on your entire purchase. Once you earn $20 back in the app, cash out and enjoy your savings.
Plus, when you bank your first cash-back offer, you’ll snag a $10 bonus.
- Another option? Ebates.
Browse the Ebates website to find special coupons and promo codes. Right now, you can snag a $5 gift card with the purchase of a Brita four-pack filter or get up to $50 off on a Vitamix.
You can also simply earn 2% cash back on your entire purchase when your shop through the Ebates portal. Or, link your debit or credit card, and Ebates will automatically grant you that cash back when you shop in-store.
4. Swipe That Credit Card, Baby
Responsibly, of course.
If you’re good at managing your money (and temptation), be sure pay for your purchases with a rewards credit card.
Bed Bath & Beyond has its own special one that offers 5% back in rewards for every dollar spent at the retailer, 2% in rewards for gas and groceries and 1% in rewards for all other purchases.
You can explore other credit card options, too, like the the Chase Freedom Unlimited card. Its claim to fame? You’ll earn an unlimited 1.5% cash back on all your purchases. Plus, if you spend $500 in your first three months of opening the card (hi, groceries), you’ll pocket a $150 bonus.
There’s no annual fee, and the cash-back rewards don’t expire. We checked Credible’s annual rewards calculator, and it estimates $417 in annual rewards based on our spending habits.* (You can enter your unique spending habits and see what you’d earn, too.)
Get signed up — and 0% intro APR for 15 months — here.
*Annual Rewards amounts will change based on the amounts you enter. The monthly spending category names and definitions may vary among issuers, and categories may not align one-to-one.
5. Sign Up for Beyond+ Beta
You’ll want to do some math on this one to see if the yearly membership fee is worth it to you, but Beyond+ Beta is a new program — in testing, hence “Beta” — that aims to deliver loyal customers (that’s you) more savings.
For $29 a year, members will snag 20% off their entire purchase. Every. Single. Time. Both in-store and online. (Though be sure to read the store’s list of exclusions.) You’ll also get free shipping. (But you can also get free shipping anyways when you spend more than $29.)
If you want to read up on the program, find more information here.
6. Hang On To Those Receipts
We’ll end with a simple tip: Don’t throw your receipts away.
There are many reasons you shouldn’t, but know that if you bought a regular-priced item that goes on sale a week later (because that’s always how life works, right?), then you you take your receipt in to grab a refund.
Or, if you were shopping online, you can sign up for an online service like Paribus. Paribus links up to your email address and monitors your receipts. If an item’s price drops, it’ll work to refund you.
For example, if that Keurig you bought last week just dropped $10, Paribus works to get you the money back — for free.
So how are you feeling? Beyond stoked for these savings?
Carson Kohler (@CarsonKohler) is a junior 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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Make a Comeback: How to Recover From a Bad Performance Review
So, you just got out of your performance review, and it didn’t go well. Whether you were anticipating the bad news or it was a total surprise, it stings. You might currently be feeling some combination of embarrassment, disappointment, shock, fear and anger, or you’re worried that your job may be on shaky ground.
Know that all is not lost! During my career as a corporate psychologist, I’ve witnessed numerous professionals who used their negative reviews as a big-time reality check that spurred them on to greater success. With some focused effort, you too can take on the challenge and turn things around.
Here are seven tips to get you back on track:
1. Allow Yourself to Feel Bummed Out
While you might be tempted to protect your ego by dismissing or rationalizing your boss’s feedback, resist the urge. Research suggests that by giving yourself a chance to experience the negative emotions associated with failure, you’ll be more motivated to do better next time.
Feeling the pain now can act as powerful fuel to prevent yourself from making similar mistakes in the future. So, go ahead and mope (at home, of course).
2. Aim for a Sense of Perspective
Once you’ve had some time with your feelings, take a step back and focus on doing something about it. No one enjoys getting a negative review (especially if we don’t like how it was delivered). Still, if you can look at the feedback objectively, you’ll be able to benefit from it.
Muse career coach, Loren Margolis, advises in an article on handling bad feedback that if you really have a hard time moving past your negative emotions, give yourself time to process the feedback.
She adds: “While you’re processing it, write down your thoughts and the actual feedback; think through some of the questions you’d like to ask in advance of your next meeting.” Then, ask them when you meet with your boss again.
3. Set Clear Goals
Once you’ve determined the areas that you need to work on, set clear goals. Make them challenging yet achievable by your next review, and articulate what success for each one might look like. You’ll definitely want to run them past your boss so you can make sure you’re on the right track and incorporating feedback correctly.
4. Create a Development Plan
While goals are great, you’ll be much more likely to accomplish them if you have a strategy. Therefore, for each one, write out a step-by-step plan of action to guide your efforts.
To make this as helpful as possible, consider the resources you’ll need. Are there books you could read? Make a list. Can a colleague or your boss help you? If so, figure out what you need from them and ask. Do you need to take a course or get a coach? Do some research.
Once you’ve compiled this, present it to your boss and ask for their feedback. This will show that you’re taking your review seriously — and they may even have the budget or resources to help you move forward.
Finally, start tracking your accomplishments so you can arrive at your next review with tangible evidence of your improvements using this handy worksheet.
5. Ask for Ongoing Feedback
To gauge how you’re doing, check in with your boss regularly and get their input (you’ll likely want to schedule these check-ins into your plan if you don’t meet regularly). This will not only give you vital information that’ll help you continue to course-correct but also demonstrate to your manager a genuine desire to improve.
You might also want to ask some trusted co-workers for ongoing feedback. In addition to giving you an additional perspective on how you’re doing, your colleagues can act as accountability partners who will help you stay on track.
6. Rebuild Your Other Relationships
Speaking of your colleagues, they can be a huge influence in repairing your reputation in your boss’s mind.
So, you’ll want to be intentional about improving your relationships with everyone you work with. For example, if you were noted in your review as being unreliable, create systems so that you can be more responsive and meet co-workers’ deadlines. If you scored low on “teamwork,” find more ways to work with others on projects.
You might even want to alert the people around you what you’re working on. Being honest about your weaknesses builds trust, and your co-workers will be more likely to notice the changes you’re making (and bring them up to your manager). Plus, it’ll put more “peer” pressure on you to keep it up.
7. Be Consistent
Unfortunately, the sad truth is that when you’re changing a behavior, it can take a while for people to notice.
Due to a phenomenon called confirmatory bias, we’re much more likely to notice things that confirm our beliefs than we are to notice things we don’t believe in. In other words, if you’re seen as the office hothead, people will still notice the one time you lash out in a meeting — even if you’ve been keeping your cool all month.
If you’re trying to change your boss’ opinion about you, you’ll need to be diligent about demonstrating new behaviors, and realize it may take others some time to believe that they’re actually going to stick.
The bottom line? Setbacks such as a poor performance review are a part of life, and many accomplished people have been on the receiving end of criticism.
Make the decision to use the failure as a catalyst for professional development, and commit to getting better. In a year’s time, you’ll walk out of your next performance review feeling awesome.
Author bio: Dr. Patricia Thompson is a corporate psychologist and the President of Silver Lining Psychology, a management consulting firm in which she helps organizations ranging from small businesses to Fortune 100 companies to achieve greater success through executive coaching, team building, and personality assessment for hiring. A frequent writer and media contributor, her advice has been featured in The Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, TIME, Entrepreneur, CNN, and many other outlets. She is also the creator of a variety of online courses geared to help others to strengthen their leadership skills and enhance their work effectiveness through mindfulness.
The Muse strives to humanize the career and job search landscape by being a companion to millions of people as they seek continuous career satisfaction — not just another job.
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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