Feed the Kids for Free on Easter Sunday at Your Neighborhood Applebee’s

This is not a joke — kids will eat free this Easter Sunday, April 1, at participating Applebee’s across the country.

We can’t think of a better way to save some money while dressed in your Sunday best.

How to Get the Kids Eat Free Applebee’s Deal

Peeps ages 12 and younger — aka children — can order off the kids menu for free all day.

But first, parents must order an adult entree to snag the egg-citing freebie. Some locations are offering up to four free kids meals per adult entree purchase, but double-check with your local Applebee’s before hopping on over, because we don’t want to make an April fool out of you.

So if you have a brood of fluffles (yes, that is the collective name for a group of bunnies), there are no eggs-cuses not to take the whole family out for an affordable Easter treat.

These Applebee’s deals are dine-in only.

That’s all, yolks.

Stephanie Bolling is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She likes her eggs over easy like Sunday morning.

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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17 Legit Ways Moms Can Make Extra Money While Juggling the Chaos of Kids

Get the Most Bang For Your Airfare Buck: These 10 Routes Are Cheapest

We’re almost through March, which means two things.

One: I’m sitting here slack-jawed that 2018 is already a quarter of the way over.

And two: It’s just about time to start thinking about a vacation.

You’ve made it through the major holidays and have hopefully paid off that credit card you loaded up with debt to buy all those Christmas gifts  — unless you’re a millennial, that is.

But flying ain’t cheap. The 1,020,408 million people who flew every day last spring paid $233.98 on average for a one-way ticket to wherever they happened to be going in the U.S., excluding Hawaii and Alaska, according to a Penny Hoarder analysis of the latest available data from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The average cost-per-mile of a flight in the U.S. hovered around $0.28 for the second quarter of 2017. (The second quarter of 2018 begins next week.)

And that doesn’t even include the extra charges for baggage fees, an extra centimeter of leg room or the ability to choose your seat. (I’m an aisle guy, myself.)

But, even last spring, when the average plane ticket increased 1 ½ cents per mile compared with the previous year, we were able to find some promising one-way routes well below that 28-cents-per-mile average. (Check out a more general list of the cheapest travel destinations for 2018.)

We even highlighted the carriers most likely to have tickets on the cheap end of the spectrum.

The catch: Travel search sites such as KAYAK and Expedia can have big swings in ticket prices resulting in much lower costs for plenty of routes on this list — and ones you you won’t see on this list — but we wanted to go right to the government source to get you the most stable pricing numbers.

And 2017 prices may not necessarily dictate what you’ll see this spring, but it’s a good start. Plus, as we mentioned above, these averages don’t include baggage fees and other nickel-and-diming airlines have gotten so good at.

So, if you haven’t figured out your dream journey to break up the first half of 2018, here’s a start.

These 10 Flight Routes Will Likely Get You the Best Bang For Your Buck in Spring 2018

When I first dug into all the numbers, one thing stuck out: Las Vegas, Nevada, and Orlando, Florida, offer the cheapest outgoing and incoming flights for tons of cities across the U.S. So, you know, if you’re into blackjack or Mickey Mouse, you’re in luck.

Oh, and if you consider deep dish pizza actual ’za, Chicago should have plenty of low-airfare opportunities.

Either way, there’s a destination for most folks on this list. One note: these are average ticket prices across all airports serving each city.

Here are the 10 flight routes that will give you the best bang for your buck in Spring 2018:

1. Orlando, Florida, to San Diego, California

Average Cost Per Mile: $0.09

Average One-Way Rate: $192.01

Cheap Rate: $95.02

Cheap Carrier: Frontier

2. Atlantic City, New Jersey, to Miami, Florida

Average Cost Per Mile: $0.09

Average Rate: $89.58

Cheap Rate: $89.58

Cheap Carrier: Spirit

3. Las Vegas, Nevada, to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Average Cost Per Mile: $0.10

Average Rate: $192

Cheap Rate: $105.03

Cheap Carrier: Frontier

4. Orlando, Florida, to Denver, Colorado

Average Cost Per Mile: $0.11

Average Rate: $174.21

Cheap Rate: $99.59

Cheap Carrier: Frontier

5. Chicago, Illinois, to Las Vegas, Nevada

Average Cost Per Mile: $0.12

Average Rate: $184.94

Cheap Rate: $104.97

Cheap Carrier: Spirit

6. Cleveland, Ohio, to Fort Myers, Florida

Average Cost Per Mile: $0.13

Average Rate: $128.87

Cheap Rate: $93.39

Cheap Carrier: Frontier

7. Chicago, Illinois, to Miami, Florida

Average Cost Per Mile: $0.13

Average Rate: $155.37

Cheap Rate: $150.19

Cheap Carrier: United Airlines

8. Kansas City, Missouri, to Los Angeles, California

Average Cost Per Mile: $0.14

Average Rate: $190.99

Cheap Rate: $89.53

Cheap Carrier: Spirit

9. Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Orlando, Florida

Average Cost Per Mile: $0.14

Average Rate: $153.50

Cheap Rate: $90.90

Cheap Carrier: Frontier

10. Houston, Texas, to Las Vegas, Nevada

Average Cost Per Mile: $0.15

Average Rate: $189.36

Cheap Rate: $97.31

Cheap Carrier: Spirit

Find a Cheap Spring Flight For Your 2018 Adventure? Here Are Some Travel Tips

So, let’s say you live in Houston … or Orlando, Las Vegas, Miami or Cleveland, and you found a trip destination that works for you. There are plenty of other ways to be a true Penny Hoarder — even on a vacation.

First, once you settle on a destination on this list (or elsewhere, for that matter), here’s one simple way you can save on airfare right away: Don’t buy plane tickets on Friday. Apparently, TGIF doesn’t apply to airfare.

And instead of just settling for a boring old hotel, sign up for Airbnb and you could even stay in something as cool as a tent in someone’s backyard. (If that’s, uh, your sort of thing.) But seriously, I’ve saved hundreds staying in spare rooms in places like Orlando, Savannah, Georgia, and St. Augustine, Florida.

And to get around, (especially if you’re traveling solo), try Uber and Lyft — or even a bike-share service — rather than renting a car.

As for food, make your own if you’re at an Airbnb with a kitchen. But also hit up local happy hours and try to eat where the locals do. Your wallet will thank you.

Now, go forth, Penny Hoarders, and take that last-minute vacation. I could definitely use one.

Methodology: The Penny Hoarder weighed the cost-per-mile, average ticket cost and cheap ticket cost to create an initial list of cheap spring flights based on U.S. Department of Transportation data from the second quarter of 2017. Then we geocoded the data to map the routes and determine the 10 with the best coverage of the contiguous U.S.

Click here to check out our data-cleaning process.

Alex Mahadevan is a data journalist at The Penny Hoarder. His next big trip is to St. Augustine, and he totally plans to ball out on a budget.

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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Big State, Big Opportunities: 12 Flexible Ways to Make Money in Texas

Yeah, yeah. You’ve heard it. We’ve all heard it.

Everything is bigger in Texas.

If that’s the case, why aren’t your savings bigger? We get it. Saving money is no easy feat, especially when you’re living paycheck to paycheck. One way to break the cycle is to find ways to earn extra money.

How to Make Money in Texas

Because everything is bigger in Texas, the money-making opportunities should be bigger, right?

We put together a list of ways to earn extra money in the Lone Star State.

1. Find a Work-From-Home Job

One of our favorite ways to earn a little extra money (without leaving the comforts of home, sweet home) is to land a work-from-home job.

You can find one of these opportunities in almost any industry — from customer service to graphic design to health care. If you’re not sure where to start, we recommend searching for work-from-home jobs at ZipRecruiter.

ZipRecruiter automatically geo-targets your search, meaning it pulls up opportunities available in your area. (Yes, even work-from-home jobs have state restrictions.)

Spend some time perusing the listings. If you want even more options, scroll through our list of work-from-home job search sites.

2. Invest in Real Estate (Without Playing Landlord)

Real estate is booming across the country, but who wants to play landlord to rowdy college kids? Or cough up a huge down payment?

You can get started with a minimum investment of just $500. A company called Fundrise does all the heavy lifting for you.

Through the Fundrise Starter Portfolio, your money will be split into two portfolios that support private real estate around the United States.

This isn’t an obscure investment, though. You can see exactly which properties are included in your portfolios — like a set of townhomes in Snoqualmie, Washington, or an apartment building in Charlotte, North Carolina.

You can earn money through quarterly dividend payments and potential appreciation in the value of your shares, just like a stock. Cash flow typically comes from interest payments and property income (e.g. rent).

(But remember: Investments come with risk. While Fundrise has paid distributions every quarter since at least Q2 2016, dividend and principal payments are never guaranteed.)

You’ll pay a 0.85% annual asset management fee and a 0.15% annual investment advisory fee.

Interested? Get started with Fundrise here.

3. Stop Doing Favors, and Rent Your Truck out Instead

Remember how proud you felt when you bought that truck? You were on top of the world — until your family and friends started asking for favors: Can you help me move this weekend? Make a Home Depot haul for me? Tow that trailer full of trash to the dump?

That big, empowering truck you bought has backfired (not literally, we hope).

Instead of feeling committed to all these favors for family, friends and friends of friends of friends, why not let someone rent your truck — and pay you per hour?

Through the online peer-to-peer truck share marketplace Fluid Market, you can lend your truck to community members. Earnings on pickup trucks and cargo vans range up to $12,000 a year, according to the platform.

Here’s how Fluid Market works:

• List your truck. Be sure to have the VIN and some quality photos available. If you do, the process takes about 10 minutes tops.
• Promote your listing. Use anything and everything — from Facebook community groups to Nextdoor. Fluid says earnings are notably higher when someone self-promotes.
• Manage your listing. Opt into the “instabook” setting, where users can automatically book your truck without pending your approval. Set up a lockbox for the keys, and bam. Passive income.

Let’s address some concerns real quick: When you list on Fluid Market, the platform covers all vehicles with $300,000 in car rental liability insurance as well as coverage against theft and physical damage. You can also feel at ease because each renter’s identity is verified with a DMV background check. Payments come weekly, via direct deposit.

And hey, no heavy lifting required. Now when everyone flocks to you — err, your truck — nudge them over to your listing on Fluid Market.

4. Rent out Your Extra Room (or Tent or Couch)

Have a spare room? Might as well use Airbnb to make some money by renting it out.

If you’re a good host with a desirable space, you could add hundreds — even thousands — of dollars to your savings account with Airbnb.

And there’s no reason you can’t be creative. We found a guy who earns $1,380 a month renting out a backyard tent on Airbnb.

A few simple steps can make the difference between a great experience and a less-than-satisfactory one.

Here are some tips:

• Make your space available during high-demand times in your area. Think: concerts, conventions and sporting events.

• Be a good host, and stock your place with the toiletries you’d expect at a hotel — toilet paper, soap and towels.

• Be personable. A lot of travelers turn to Airbnb for the personal touch they won’t find at commercial properties.

Here’s the link to sign up as an Airbnb host.

(Hosting laws vary from city to city. Please understand the rules and regulations applicable to your city and listing.)

5. Find Unclaimed Money

Did you know state treasuries throughout the U.S. have more than $43 billion in unclaimed funds? Just sitting around!

In 2017, one South Carolina man hit the jackpot. He got a phone call from his state treasurer letting him know he was entitled to $763,000 in unclaimed money. That’s, like, 63 years of rent.

We advise you to be careful of calls like this. Chances are, it’s a scam. But you can take matters into your own hands and see if you have any unclaimed money floating around.

Start by checking with the Texas Comptroller’s Unclaimed Property site. You can also check with Missing Money.

6. Save a Horse, Drive a Lyft

Need a fun, flexible way to earn money while also meeting lots of new people?

Try driving with Lyft!

Demand for ride-sharing has been growing like crazy, and it shows no signs of slowing down. To be eligible, you’ll need to be at least 21 years old with a year of driving experience, pass a background check and own a car made in 2007 or later.

We talked to Paul Pruce, who’s been driving full-time with Lyft for over a year. He earns $750 a week as a driver.

Best of all, he does it on his own time. You can work days, nights or weekends — it’s up to you!

Because it’s simple to switch between apps, many Lyft drivers also sign up as a driver partner with Uber.

As a partner driver with Uber, you’re an independent contractor. You set your own schedule and work as much or as little as you want.

If you want to give it a try, here are a few things to keep in mind: You must be at least 21 years old, have at least one year of licensed driving experience in the U.S. (three years if you’re under 23 years old), have a valid U.S. driver’s license and pass a background check.

Finally, your car must be a four-door, seat at least four passengers (excluding the driver), be registered in-state and be cover

7. Become a Taco Journalist

OK, this one might be a bit cliché, but you guys have the best tacos, so why not write about them? Ever heard of a taco journalist?

According to Eater, Texas has a designated taco journalist, Mando Rayo. Fun fact: In 2017 Rayo, along with state representative Gina Hinojosa, crafted a bill that’d make tacos the official dish of Texas (instead of chili).

If tacos aren’t your thing, trust us when we say you can get paid to write just about anything. Plus, as a freelancer, you can work as much or little as you want, so this makes a nice side gig.

Here are some of our favorite freelance writing resources.

8. Tutor Kids Across the World

Being at home in Texas doesn’t mean you can’t work internationally. Thanks to the internet, you can tutor students in China.

VIPKID is hiring part-time ESL teachers to work at least 7.5 hours per week, mostly on weekday mornings and weekend evenings. You’ll need a bachelor’s degree, plus experience working with kids ages 5 to 12.

The base pay is between $7 and $9 per half-hour session, and with bonuses, the company states you can earn up to $22 an hour.

9. Start Your Own Business

If you have a passion, why not monetize it?

Take notes from Dallas-based calligrapher, Lyndsay Wright. She started practicing calligraphy while in graduate school and eventually struck up business: Lyndsay Wright Design.

In addition to designing wedding and baby shower invitations, she also caters to one of her more prominent clients, the Dallas Mavericks.

Of course, Wright’s calligraphy fame didn’t happen overnight. She shared a few tips on how to start your own calligraphy business, which, really, could apply to any creative side gig.

10. Get Paid to Go to Football Games

Or attend concerts, conventions, plays and other public events.

Mystery shopping company BestMark is recruiting “shoppers” to attend “sporting events, concerts, conventions, plays and many other public events.” As a mystery shopper, it’s your job to pose as a consumer and to take notes of the products or services you’re reviewing.

To qualify as a shopper at BestMark, you must:

• Be 19 years old or older.
• Have reliable transportation.
• Have good written communication skills.
• Be detail-oriented.
• Have full access to internet (at work or home).

“If you’re fortunate enough to snag an assignment where you get to cover a concert, football game or another public event, you’ll be tasked with making note of how facilities are operated from the perspective of a patron,” the company says.

Check out other mystery shopping opportunities (including test-driving cars).

11. Work With Horses

We get it: Not everyone in Texas is a cowboy who saddles up a horse and rides to work each morning. Loud and clear (though it is fun to picture that). But according to the American Horse Council Foundation, Texas leads the herd in horse-count, with about nearly 800,0001 million in population.

You can get creative and capitalize on these beautiful creatures in a number of ways. One of my former roommates, who’s a Dallas native, suggested cleaning stalls. And, sure, that’s an option. But you can also earn good money as a horse braider.

Take notes from Kat Tretina. She wrote about her experience braiding horses’ manes and tails before shows. In her first attempt at the gig, she made $500 in about six hours. From there, she worked her way up, charging up to $150 per horse. She averaged about $1,000 a month in profits, which helped her pay off student loans.

12. Find a Job Through Amazon

If you follow our work-from-home job opportunities, you’ve probably seen the ever-so-popular Amazon work-from-home customer service listing that pops up every few months.

You’ve also probably seen that it has state requirements — and Texas doesn’t make the list. Womp, womp.

That’s OK, though. There are plenty of other ways to make money though the retail mogul. Here are all your options for how to make money on Amazon, including selling items, delivering through Flex or self-publishing a book.

Plus, hey, Austin and Dallas made the shortlist for the company’s new headquarters, so even more opportunities than you think might be coming your way.

Carson Kohler (@CarsonKohler) is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. Her brother attended the University of Texas at Austin and was probably (definitely) one of those rowdy tenants landlords didn’t want to deal with. (See: Fundrise.)

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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Rub-a-Dub-Dub, Here’s Why You Should Throw Out the Toys in Your Tub

If your kids (or you, I don’t judge) bathe with bath toys in the tub, this just might gross you out.

A study led by researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology revealed that bath toys are a perfect breeding ground for bacteria and fungus.

It turns out that microbes like to form teeny communities inside bath toys and feast together on soap, human body fluids and the bacteria you’re in the bath to wash off in the first place.

We basically provide a tasty smorgasboard for the little buggers every time we take a tubby.

The study’s researchers say the extent of these microbe farms largely depends on what type of microorganisms are already present in your tap water, the kind of soap and shampoo you use and whether you pee in the tub. (Yes, I’m serious. Read it for yourself.)

Don’t think you’ll get off easy by washing your bath toys after each use. All the bath toys analyzed in this study had “dense and slimy biofilms” inside the toys themselves, where it’s impossible to thoroughly wash.

You know how most hollow bath toys have those little holes in the bottom? Apparently every time I suck up water through the hole and shoot it out into the air for giggles, I’m raining a germ shower onto my head. (What? Baths are fun for all ages.)

Evidently, scientists have known about the existence of grody bath toys for a while. Two previous studies also confirmed the presence of bath-toy biofilms.

Someone even wrote a book about it.

“Almost one decade ago, the potential chemical risks of bath toys were documented in the colorfully titled book ‘Slow Death by Rubber Duck,’” the study’s researchers note.

I guess Rubber Ducky isn’t the one after all.

All kidding aside, you might want to think twice about whether or not to keep bath toys in the tub.

The analysis revealed several of the toys harbored potentially unsafe microorganisms like listeria, E. coli and streptococcus.

Researchers acknowledge that whether exposure to the microbes found in bath toys is harmful enough to warrant worry is open to interpretation.

“Nevertheless, bath toys are typically used by children, who are potentially sensitive and vulnerable users. Squeezing water with chunks of biofilm into their faces (which is not unexpected behavior for these users) may result in eye, ear, wound or even gastrointestinal tract infections,” the study’s researchers say.

If the results of this study compel you to toss all your bath toys, that doesn’t mean you’re doomed to a lifetime of boring showers.

Make some homemade bathtub crayons and go wild drawing all over the walls at bath time.

If anyone asks, just say your kids did it.

Lisa McGreevy is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She definitely does not have a collection of rubber ducks lined up on the edge of her bathtub, complete with names and everything. Nope.

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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Attention Retirees, You May Need to Make This Crucial Money Move by April 1

If you turned 70 and a half in 2017, you have one more thing to think about before tax season ends: You need to withdraw your required minimum distribution, or RMD, by Sunday, April 1. Your RMD is the minimum amount you must take out of your retirement account each year.

But before you do that, there are some basic things you need to know.

When Is the RMD Deadline?

The IRS requires taxpayers 70 and a half and older to begin withdrawing from certain retirement accounts.  

The April 1 deadline is only for those who turned 70 and a half in 2017. If you turned 70 and a half before then, your deadline to take your RMD was Dec. 31.

Which Retirement Accounts Does This Rule Apply to?

According to the IRS, you will need to withdraw an RMD if you have one of the following retirement savings accounts:

• Traditional IRAs
  
• SEP IRAs
  
• SIMPLE IRAs
  
• 401(k) plans
  
• 403(b) plans
  
• 457(b) plans
  
• Profit-sharing plans
  
• Other defined-contribution plans

If you don’t withdraw the money, you’ll owe big: The IRS says if you don’t take the money at all or don’t take enough, you will have to pay a 50% tax on the amount you didn’t take.

How Much Money Will You Need to Withdraw?

The amount you must take is based on a series of factors, including your age, life expectancy and the amount you have in your retirement account.

Fidelity has a simple required minimum distribution calculator to help you estimate how much you should withdraw before the end of the week.

Desiree Stennett (@desi_stennett) 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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Create a Waterfall of Downloads for Your E-Book

Writing your first e-book is exciting. But once it’s finally written, you’ve got to find a way to get it in the hands of your audience.

After all that hard work, long nights, and endless research, it would be a shame if your book went unread.

For those of you who have recently written an e-book, are in the process of writing one, or planning to write one in the near future, you’ve got to start thinking about your distribution methods.

You could be the best writer on the planet, but if you don’t know how to market yourself, nobody is going to know it.

That’s how you need to approach your e-book distribution strategy. Think like a marketer. Not everyone with great writing skills is a marketing expert.

So for those of you that need some guidance on getting tons of downloads for your newest e-book, you’re in luck.

I’ll walk you through everything you need to know to create a waterfall of downloads. Here’s how you do it.

Start taking pre-orders

Don’t wait until you’re done writing the e-book to promote it. Taking pre-orders in the early stages is a great way to build hype for your e-book and brand.

If people know that they can get it in advance, it might make it seem even more appealing.

Lysa TerKeurst used this strategy to promote her e-book, Uninvited.

This approach is great because it gives people a reason to pre-order it. Anyone who pre-ordered this copy will be able to download the first five chapters right away.

They’re also promoting some limited free gifts, which were undisclosed. Both of these promotions can definitely peak the interest of potential readers.

Getting to download chapters in advance gives people a feeling of exclusivity. They have something that not everyone else has access too.

Plus, if they enjoy the first chapters they could even start promoting the book themselves.

Come up with other ways to give people an incentive to pre-order your e-book before it gets released. If you’re charging for downloads, you can offer a discounted rate for anyone who pre-orders it.

Even if people don’t order it in advance, just putting it out there acts a promotional method and creates a buzz around your e-book for when it officially releases.

Record an audio version

You’ve got to understand that not everyone prefers reading e-books. So recording an audio version can make your book more enticing to a wider audience.

According to the Pew Research Center, print books are still more popular than e-books and audio books.

E-books are more popular than audio books, but as you can see from the data, there are still people who prefer listening to audio books.

But how does releasing an audio book increase downloads for your e-book?

You’ve got to pair the two together. Say your e-book downloads comes with a free audio version as well. Pitch this any way that you want.

You could even upcharge for copies of the audio book and offer the e-book as a free download.

If you continue to release different formats of your e-book, it will appeal to a wider audience and increase the chances of you getting as many downloads as possible.

Create blog posts out of each chapter

For those of you fortunate enough to have an active blog, you need to take advantage of that channel as a marketing resource.

You’ve already got an audience that’s familiar with your voice and visits your website to read your blog. Those are the people that you need to target first.

It’s going to be much easier to get downloads from your blog audience than from people who don’t know who you are and have never heard of you before.

Rather than just blogging about your e-book once or twice, you can generate lots of blog content by writing a post about each chapter. There are so many benefits to this marketing strategy.

First of all, it gives you a way to add fresh new content to your website. This is great for SEO purposes and improving your Google ranking, which can drive traffic to your website.

But blogging is great because it gives you an excuse to promote your new content with your other marketing channels.

For the past four years, bloggers have been using social media as the primary method of driving traffic to their posts.

So each time you blog about a new chapter, you’ve also got an excuse to post on your social media accounts.

Another reason why you should employ this strategy is because these blogs are going to be super easy for you to write. You’ve already done all the heavy lifting with your e-book.

These blogs are just going to be quick summaries of the chapters, which you already know like the back of your hand. So it’s not like it’s going to take you lots of time and effort to write this content.

If you can keep your readers engaged with these blog posts, it can lead to e-book downloads. Just make sure you don’t give it all away in the blog. Otherwise, they won’t have a reason to download.

Tease your audience just enough to keep them interested, but make them download the e-book to get the full effect.

Place a download link on multiple places on your website

Obviously, you need to be promoting your e-book on your website. But don’t restrict that promotion to just one landing page.

Put the download link all over your website. Just make sure that it’s not overwhelming or appear as spam. Websites with simple designs have higher conversion rates.

So for example, put a CTA button on your home page, side bar, and slider menu. If someone navigates to another page on your website, have a pop-up window appear with a download link.

Doing all of this will make it obvious that your e-book is available for download.

Right now, marketing experts are not properly utilizing CTA buttons.

Less than half of websites have a CTA button that can be spotted in less than three seconds. That’s far too long. More than 70% of businesses don’t have their CTA on the interior pages of their website.

Don’t be one of those people who are making this mistake.

You should also start A/B testing your CTA button placement, size, wording, and color. These tests will help you make sure that your efficiency is maximized and you’re getting the most amount of exposure as possible.

Try to get downloads from your email subscribers

As I said earlier when we discussed blogging, you’ve got to try to get as many downloads as possible from people who are already familiar with your brand.

Targeting your email subscribers is perfect for this. These people are interested enough in your brand and voice that they signed up to hear from you on a regular basis.

It’s much easier than trying to find downloads out of thin air. Check out how Help Scout uses this technique in their email newsletter.

It’s direct and straight to the point. They aren’t trying to promote anything else except for this new e-book.

The message ends with a clear call-to-action button that’s a link for their subscribers to download the e-book.

For those of you charging people for an e-book download, you can try to entice your email subscribers by offering them a discounted rate.

Publish infographics with research from your e-book

People love visuals.

Infographics are great because they help drive more traffic to your website. Here’s why.

If you start publishing high quality infographics then other websites will use your visuals to improve their own content. As a result, you’ll get a referral link.

This will increase the chances of your book getting exposed to a wider audience.

You can even add a logo or some other identifying mark to all of your infographics that has the title of your book. The headline of each infographic could include the title of the chapter you were referencing.

For those of you who have never made an infographic before, don’t be intimidated. It’s actually quite easy.

There are plenty of online tools and resources available that let you create customized infographics for free. Check out Canva if you are looking for a place to get started.

Don’t turn down guest posting opportunities

Refer back to what I said earlier about how blogging on your own website can benefit downloads. Well, you can also get more e-book downloads by writing guest posts.

Guest posts expose your e-book to a new audience. People who read other blogs may not be familiar with your brand and voice. But once they see your guest post, you can get their attention.

Just like with infographics, you’ll be able to get referral links for your guest posts too. You can even have these referrals go straight to the download link.

I see way too many people turn down guest posting opportunities. In fact, more than 40% of bloggers don’t write guest posts at all.

This is a complete missed opportunity. Anytime someone offers you a guest post you should jump on it. Just make sure that their website has the same core values as your brand.

You don’t want to be associated with anyone that contradicts your morals. If nobody is offering you guest posting opportunities, go out and find them on your own.

Websites will be thrilled to offer guest blogs because they get to publish new content without having to do any of the work. This is a win-win scenario for everyone.

Read sections on a live video broadcast

Live videos made the list of my top marketing trends to look for in 2018. This is a great opportunity for you to reach and engage with your audience on social media platforms.

I’d recommend starting with platforms like:

• Facebook Live
• YouTube Live
• Instagram Live

Use whichever platform has the largest social media following. If you’ve got lots of followers on all of these networks, then that’s great. Host live video broadcasts on all of them.

Just make sure that your live stream isn’t boring. You definitely want to read some passages to give people an idea of what they can expect from your book, but that’s not all you should do.

Marketing experts say that live video is a great way to create engagement and attain a deeper interaction with your followers.

So answer questions in real time about your writing process, research, and inspiration for writing the e-book.

You could even give away some free copies to people watching the live stream.

Leverage social media platforms

You want to make sure that you exhaust all of your marketing distribution channels to promote your e-book. We’ve already discussed your website, blog, and email subscription list.

In addition to using social media to broadcast live videos, you’ll also want to take advantage of the other features on these platforms.

Post pictures and videos to get the word out to your followers.

Encourage shares on Facebook and retweets on Twitter. Add a download link to your Instagram bio.

Think about all of the followers that you have on these platforms. Target them before the release. Promote the release day hard. Even after the book is written, keep up your social media marketing strategy to get more downloads.

You can try to work with social media influencers on these platforms as well.

Promote your personal brand

Why should anyone read your e-book?

You need to start promoting your personal brand. Position yourself as an expert on the subject.

Let people know if you have a degree in a specific field or any personal success stories that are relevant to the content of your book.

Answer these questions to help you define your personal brand.

What makes you qualified to write an e-book?

If you can brand yourself properly, it will add credibility to your book. As a result, more people will be interested in hearing what you have to say.

This will lead to more downloads.

Conclusion

Just writing an e-book alone isn’t enough to get downloads.

You’ve got to be proactive and take the proper steps to make sure that people download your e-book.

Start taking pre-orders to build hype and gain exposure before the book is released. Record an audio version to make the book more appealing to people who prefer listening to books.

Blog about it. Use each chapter of your e-book as inspiration for a blog post. You can even take advantage of guest posting opportunities.

Create infographics to drive more traffic to your website. Make sure that your site has a clear CTA on every page with a download link.

Target people who already know who you are. Use social media as a distribution channel and stream live videos to create an authentic interaction with your audience.

Always promote your personal brand so people know that you’re an expert on the topic and qualified to write this book.

If you follow these tips, you won’t have a problem getting tons of downloads for your latest e-book.

What strategies are you using to get more downloads for your new e-book?

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Did I Do My Best Today?

I’m currently midway through the intriguing book Triggers: Creating Behavior That Lasts and Becoming the Person You Want to Be by Marshall Goldsmith, and I’ve already adopted a tactic from it that’s shown surprising dividends in my life that I wanted to share with you. I’ve actually found a lot of interesting things in Triggers that I intend to discuss at length in the future, but this one tactic is really clicking with me and I wanted to share it as soon as possible.

It’s actually really simple. Think of an area in your life where you’d really like to improve. Many of the areas of improvement are common ones that many of us have – maybe you want to spend less money or eat healthier or get more exercise or become a lifelong learner for your career, or it could be something else entirely. Choose one of them or two of them or whatever works for you, but it’s probably best to start with a small number.

Let’s say your decision is to simply spend less money, ideally as little as possible to still have a joyous life.

At the start of each day, just tell yourself this:

Today, I will do my best to spend as little as possible.

You can write it down (I recommend this, because I find a ton of value in writing things down), or you can read it a few times, or you can even think of it over and over in your head for a couple of minutes like a meditation phrase. Just focus intensely on that phrase for a while.

Then, at the end of each day, sit down and answer this question:

Did I do my best at spending as little as possible?

This isn’t about identifying a specific metric of success, but instead asks whether or not you put forth effort on that behavior you want to implement. For example, some days you might be able to emphatically say “yes” to this even when spending a fair amount of money in a given day if it was a grocery day and you kept your spending super lean at the store.

When you think about that question, you’ll probably find that it’s a bit difficult to give a strong, emphatic yes, but a strong, emphatic no is also hard. It’s usually a mild “yes” or a mild “no” or something in the middle, and that’s okay.

Rather than simply making your answer a “yes” or “no,” answer it in a different way. Score yourself on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is a complete failure and 10 is your ideal. Think about where you’d line up on that scale and give yourself a number.

In reality, this is a way of simply thinking about your effort during the day and focusing that thought down to a single number.

Personally, I find that this question makes me want to write a bit of reflection as part of a daily journal entry. I want to explain my thinking when it comes to that answer, because that question just draws it out of me.

Now, at first, I didn’t think this was all that great of an idea. I honestly only tried it because the book practically begged me to give it a shot, and for the first day or two, it didn’t really click at all for me. I bought a Kindle book I probably didn’t need and I got a fountain drink at a restaurant when water would have been just fine, for example.

On the third day, though, when I woke up and thought about my goal of doing my best in that area, it really clicked. The idea stuck in my mind all day and nudged my behavior constantly. I found myself semi-consciously moving away from a few different spending opportunities, convincing myself I could get it later or find it for a lot less or that I didn’t really need it, and I spent very little money that day at all.

On an ordinary day, I probably would have drained some of my monthly hobby spending and probably not spent optimally at the grocery store, but because I had that thought running through my head all day long, I didn’t. I held off.

It wasn’t because I set some sharp goal for myself, but because I simply committed to doing my best to improve my spending habits.

The next day, I bought a board game that I probably should have been more patient with. It ate up a healthy portion of my monthly hobby budget. The thing is, the voice in my head saying, “WAIT!” was shouting extra loud, but I fought to ignore it.

At the end of the day, I asked myself that question. Did I do my best at spending as little as possible? I couldn’t say yes – in fact, it was an emphatic “no,” and my explanation of it seemed really week. I didn’t need that game, especially not at that price. I might have eventually picked it up, but I certainly could have waited and bargain hunted for it. I gave myself a “3” that day, and I deserved it, and I felt bad about it.

In the days since then, I’ve spent nothing. I simply haven’t not spent a dime on anything in the last handful of days.

What have I been doing? Each morning, I simply write down “Today, I will do my best to spend as little as possible,” and I think about it as I’m doing some of my early morning routine. Each evening, I sit down with a piece of paper and answer the question “Did I do my best at spending as little as possible?” with a bit of explanation and give myself a score from 1 to 10 on it. On days when I spend nothing, I give myself a 10 – can’t get better than that. On days when I’m really really wise with my spending, I give myself a score between 8 and 9. On bad days, the score is lower.

That’s it. It takes about a minute in the morning and maybe two or three minutes in the evening, but it’s really effective at locking a particular behavior in my head.

The key, I think, is that I’m not striving to be perfect, just to put forth real, genuine effort toward the behavior I want to be my “normal.”

Naturally, I’m thinking of applying it to other areas of my life, most notably physical fitness. I want to use it to nudge myself to exercise more, using the same pattern of thinking about doing my best in the morning and then asking whether I actually did it in the evening. I’m not setting some specific standard of success in a given day because days are different – what I’m looking for is initiative and effort and action.

That’s the goal of this idea. The goal here is to encourage you to actually put effort into the thing you want to change in your life. That doesn’t mean subscribing to some harsh and absolute rules, but simply putting forth effort each and every day to move in the direction you want to go.

The repetition of it is intended to ingrain the idea in your head that you should put forth effort today to mover toward the outcomes that you want and that a good day includes a healthy dose of that effort, no matter the specific results.

The idea can be applied to pretty much anything, but it works really well for derailing bad habits (like spending too much money) or implementing good ones (like being nicer or exercising more). The key to it is simplicity and repetition, as it’s the simplicity that makes it do-able twice a day, and it’s the repetition that smashes it into your conscious thought.

If you’re struggling with getting your spending in order (or building any other positive personal habit) and you find that it’s mostly because the effort is lacking in the key moments, try this strategy. Simply start your day by writing down or meditating on the idea that you will do your best today to do whatever it is you’re wanting to do (spend less money, eat healthier food, get exercise, etc.), and then at the end of the day, ask yourself if you did your best in that area and score yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 (I really encourage you to write down that part). That’s it. Give it several days to kick in. I think you’ll be very pleasantly surprised by the effect.

I have found a lot of great ideas in Triggers that apply to personal finance behavior and personal growth and I fully expect to return to the ideas in this book in the future, but I really wanted to share this powerful tactic with you all as soon as possible. It’s easy and it works so well.

The post Did I Do My Best Today? appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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The 11 Best Short Term Investments For Your Money

I have $65,000 that I need to invest but I want to make more than the bank is offering. Where can I get a high return on a short-term investment with limited risk?

<Sigh.>

This exact question was asked of me just the other day. You would be surprised how often I get asked something similar. It has definitely been more times than I can count!

We're in an eventful time where the stock market is behaving like a wild animal and interest rates are at record lows – again. (I've refinanced my house twice!) Low mortgage rates are great, but how do you actually make money in the short-term?

In such an unstable market, short term investing may be a safer alternative for investors. Short-term investing allows investors to invest their money – whether it's investing $10,000 or investing $100,000 – with little or no risk, while knowing their money is not going to be tied up for long periods of time.

The typical short-term investment is expected to grow for several months to a few years, and can be turned into cash or other short term investments once they reach maturity. (In the investing world, “long term” investments are really long term — often decades — which leaves room for short-term investments that can still last several years.)

Our top picks for short term investments

There are various short-term investment accounts available to you, and which is right for you depends on your particular situation and preferences.

The best short term investments to protect your money and limit your risk:

1. Lending Club
2. Savings Accounts
3. Cash Back Rewards Offers
4. Roth IRA
5. Certificate of Deposits (CD)
6. Money Market Accounts
7. Checking Accounts
8. Short-Term Bond Funds and ETFs
9. 5-Year Treasury Inflation Protected Securities
10. Municipal Bonds and Corporate Bonds
11. Pay Off High Interest Debt
12. Bonus Idea: Prosper

1. Peer to Peer Lending: Lending Club

Peer-to-peer lending websites allow investors to broaden their investment portfolio by spreading out the investments and reducing their risk. These websites work as tools to connect investors to qualified consumers in need of a loan and allow investors to become the bank, providing a small percentage of multiple borrowers’ loans. Investors purchase notes and receive a monthly income in the form of loan repayment and interest. In the end, this can easily be a win-win for everyone involved.

One such company, Lending Club, sets the interest rate on notes based on specific credit criteria. And since they only accept desirable borrowers, they dramatically reduce the risk for default and potential losses for the lenders.

Lenders may start out small and increase the amount of money they are willing to lend as their confidence in the company grows. Lending Club offers loans from a few hundred dollars to over $10,000; how much you should invest depends on the level of risk you're comfortable with as well as your investment timeline.

Want more information? Check out my review of Lending Club.

2. Online Savings Accounts

Want to guarantee your investment will not lose any money while at the same time generating a little bit of a return? The online high yield savings accounts are a great fit for that goal.

In using a savings account for short term investing you'll get:

• Guarantee to never lose principal on your investment as long as you keep your total deposit at the bank below FDIC coverage of $250,000. Deposit your money and walk away knowing that it will be there when you're ready to cash out.
• A small, risk-free return on your investment. Current interest rates are very low, and those low returns mean you won't earn a lot of interest for the time being. For now, it won't be enough to keep up with inflation. However, online savings accounts do offer a risk-free return you will never have to lose sleep over.
• High liquidity. Most of the high quality online banks allow 6 withdrawals per month from savings accounts. In other words, you can generally cash out your funds at any time without much hassle or expense involved. Meanwhile, you won't have to worry about forking over part of your profits to sell your investment since it is safely tucked away in a low-risk savings account.

In using savings account for short term investing you'll miss out on:

• Potential higher returns from other types of investments. Since online savings accounts aren't offering the best interest rates right now, you could potentially do better by putting your money elsewhere. However, that would require more risk, too, which is something you'll want to avoid when it comes to short-term investing.

Not sure where to start? The best online savings accounts are available at online banks like Discover Bank.

3. Cash Back Rewards Offers

Although investing $65,000 has little to do with credit card rewards, we wanted to include this tip from our resident credit card expert, Holly Johnson. If you really want to earn some easy money in the short-term, Johnson says “credit card rewards can offer epic returns with almost no effort on your part.”

While pursuing rewards may not automatically come to mind when you think of short-term investments, the signup bonuses that credit cards offer can actually be extremely lucrative. However, your “earnings” will be based on your spending instead of the dollars you invest.

Here's how it works: Let's say you signed up for the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® card in order to score the huge signup bonus. The current offer will award you with 50,000 points worth $500 after you spend $4,000 on the card with 90 days. And since the $95 annual fee is waived the first year, you can earn this bonus without paying anything out of-pocket to do so. Are you with me so far?

To make the most of an offer like this one, you'll want to meet the minimum spending requirement with stuff you were going to buy anyway.

Think groceries, gas, and your regularly monthly bills. Then you'll simply pay off your card right away to avoid credit card interest. It's as simple as that.

The thing is, there are so many ways you can spend 50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points. For example, you could book $625 in travel through the Chase travel portal – that's more than enough for a round-trip flight! Conversely, you could turn in those same 50,000 points for a $500 statement credit or $500 in gift cards.

If this sounds good to you, check out Card Ratings to find and compare cards that offer up to 6 percent cash back.

4. A Roth IRA

I know what you're thinking, “Jeff, the Roth IRA is NOT an investment.” Trust me, I totally get it. But let me explain why one of my favorite retirement accounts also can work as a short term investing account. With all other types of retirement accounts – from 401ks to Traditional IRAs – you get hit with an early withdrawal penalty and income tax if you withdraw funds before retirement.

The Roth IRA is different. Since you fund your Roth with after-tax income, you are free to withdraw any contributions (not earnings on those contributions) at any time you want. It isn't recommended because you would much rather the money stay invested, but it does give you the option to set money aside for retirement now but withdraw it if times got tough.

I have seen far too many people not save enough for retirement, and pay heavily for it in their later years, which is why I came up with some great ways to save money for your reference! Funding your Roth IRA allows to get a huge head start on this.

In using a Roth IRA for short term investing you'll get:

• The ability to withdraw funds. Transfers take a few days and you may have to sell investments at inopportune times in order to cash out. However, the fact that you can take your actual contributions out without a penalty does stand out as a huge benefit.
• Potentially higher rates of return. With a Roth IRA, you get access to other types of investments like mutual funds, ETFs, and bonds to earn a higher rate of return. If the market does well while dollars are invested, you can secure healthy returns and profit from your investment.

In using a Roth IRA for short term investing you'll miss out on:

• Risk-free returns. When you invest your money into stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and ETFs you are accepting risk for a potentially higher return.
• FDIC coverage. If your brokerage fails you will be able to file a claim with SIPC coverage, but it won't cover investment losses — just losses from the failure of your broker. (That's why it is so important to find a great place to open your Roth IRA.)

Just remember, if you think you need you're money in the short-term, avoid the stock market for now. If you realize that part of the money can now go towards retirement, then you can shift it over. Think opening a Roth IRA is complicated? We've told you the best places to open a Roth IRA in the past. Brokerage firms like Scottrade and E*Trade are great and also have lots of options to choose from.

In summary, a Roth IRA can provide a solution for individuals who crave the potential for higher returns but want the ability to withdraw their contributions if the really needed to.

Definitely check out our reviews we have for your reference on great investing options:

• Motif Investing Review
• Scottrade Review
• E*Trade Review
• TradeKing Review
• OptionsHouse Review

5. Certificate of Deposits (CD)

Banks offer a variety of terms for their deposit accounts, ranging from 3 months to 5 years. Which length of CD will work best for you depends on your timeline and how long you want your investment out of your hands. CD’s allow depositors to invest their cash for a specific length of time. The longer the term of investment, the higher the yield will be. A client wishing to receive monthly interest payments can elect to do so at the time of application. However, most individuals who buy CDs let the interest accrue until the CD matures.

The only downside to a Certificate of Deposit is the fact that, if you need to pull money out before the maturity date, you will pay a fee. The fee is usually equivalent to 3 months worth of interest, and that can take a huge bite out of your earnings. You can get the highest interest rates for Certificates of Deposit at online banks like Compass Bank and Discover Bank.

6. Money Market Account

Money Markets are currently paying a very close APY to one year CD’s. Investors familiar with the discipline of owning a CD can earn a similar return with a Money Market and still have immediate access to their funds.

Money Market accounts provide depositors with ATM cards, checks and deposit slips. Money Market accounts are based on the account balance, not the length of time you invest your money. When CD rates begin to rise, clients can move their money from the Money Market without paying a penalty for early withdrawal.

All of these factors combined are why many people consider money market accounts as a type of “savings account on steroids.” While there isn't much risk involved, you can potentially secure a higher rate of return.

Looking for an online bank that does Money Market Accounts? EverBank is offering some of the best rates.

7. Online Checking Accounts

Just like online savings accounts, an online checking account can also serve short-term investment needs. You get many of the benefits of an online savings account with even more liquidity because the number of withdrawals isn't limited.

Since you would be storing your money in a checking account rather than a savings account, you do take a hit on the interest rate. Unfortunately (or fortunately!) interest rates are so low that the difference isn't as significant as it could be.

In using a checking account for short-term investing you'll get:

• A guarantee to never lose principal on your investment as long as you keep your total deposit at the bank below FDIC coverage of $250,000.
• A small, risk-free return on your investment. Current online checking interest rates are very low. You probably won't earn enough to keep up with inflation, but it is a risk-free return.
• Extremely high liquidity. You get unlimited withdrawals via transfer, debit card, or ATM use with online checking accounts. Get your money out at any time without paying a fee as long as you use a no-fee ATM.
• A hassle-free investment – Even though you don't earn a lot of interest with this strategy, you won't have to endure much of a hassle, either. Opening an online checking account is a fairly painless process that won't stress you out or take up too much of your time.

In using a checking account for short-term investing you'll miss out on:

• Potential higher returns from other types of investments, including savings accounts if you don't need daily access to the money. When you park your money in a checking account, you miss out on higher returns elsewhere.

Looking for an online checking account? The best online checking accounts for interest rates are currently available from EverBank and BBVA.

8. Short-Term Bond Funds and ETFs

Short-term bond funds are products that are usually only managed by a professional financial advisor. Bonds are not as stable as money markets, but they do offer the potential to earn a higher yield.  These bonds are a product of the market and will pay out according to the market's current condition in fluctuating monthly payments.

Short-term bonds usually mature in terms within 2 years or less, which can make them an ideal choice for investors with that type of timeline. You'll need a brokerage account like Betterment, Scottrade or E*Trade to be able to trade bond funds and ETFs.

Short-Term BondsThere are three main short-term investments within the bond category, and each is one you could consider.

9. 5-Year Treasury Inflation Protected Securities

Treasury Inflation Protected Securities, also known as TIPS, are government bonds that are indexed to inflation. The interest rate on a TIPS is fixed, but the underlying value of the security rises with inflation as measured through the Consumer Price Index.

You might only get 0.5% in interest (paid semiannually), but over 5 years the value of the bond might increase 2.5% per year. The end result is, at the end of the term, your initial investment will be worth as much as it was when you first invested. However, you will earn a small bit of interest on top of it.

You can buy TIPS directly from the government at TreasuryDirect.gov. However, due to TIPS interest being taxable, most investors prefer to invest in a TIPS ETF or mutual fund. To purchase shares of an ETF or mutual fund you will need a brokerage account. Again, Scottrade or E*Trade are good places to start if you want to open a new brokerage account.

10. Municipal Bonds and Corporate Bonds

Municipal bonds are slightly more risky than TIPS and other Treasury investments, yet a majority of municipalities do not default on their bonds. The more significant risk is “interest rate risk.” In a low interest rate environment, if rates rise in the marketplace, the value of the bond decreases to compensate.

If you could get 4% on a municipal bond today, that's a great return. But if rates go up and your bond loses 6% of its value, you're suddenly on the losing side of the equation. However, the decrease in the value of the bond only impacts you if you sell before maturity. If you hold the bond to maturity you will get 100% of your initial investment back plus the interest yielded to you.

If you're looking for short-term investments, you could buy a bond from someone else that was closer to maturity through a major brokerage firm.

Likewise, corporate bonds are even more risky than municipals and Treasury bonds because they are not backed by a state, local, or Federal government. As always, increased risk can mean an increase in your rate of return. The same interest rate risk issue applies to corporate bonds; holding to maturity will eliminate this one piece of risk.

Where to buy individual bonds?

You'll need a brokerage account like Scottrade or E*Trade to be able to trade individual bonds, bond mutual funds, and bond ETFs.

11. Pay Off High Interest Debt

Looking for a great return on your investment? Pay off your high interest debt. If you have a credit card with a 15% interest rate carrying a $10,000 balance you have an opportunity for a great return on your investment. If you pay off that debt it is like getting a 15% return on $10,000.

There are few investments that will earn the high returns of paying off debt.

Not only are you getting a great return on investment, you're saving money from future costs and bettering your overall financial situation. It's the ultimate win-win.

You can pay off high interest debt on your own. However, financial tools like Mint can help you manage your finances so you can see what kind of an impact your debt payoff is having.

Even better, you can transfer your high interest balance to a 0% APR balance transfer card to speed up the process. With these offers, you literally transfer your balance from one card to the next in order to score 0% APR for anywhere from 12-21 months. If you're paying a lot of interest right now, going through with a balance transfer can improve your finances and get you out of debt that much faster.

These two offers are the best I've found so far:

• Chase Slate^® – The Chase Slate^®card offers the best deal for balance transfers on the market. Not only do you get 15 months at 0% APR, but you can transfer balances with no balance transfer fees for the first 60 days. If you're paying high interest rates on existing debts, consider how much money you could save if you paid no interest for 15 months – it's like getting free money.
• Discover it^® – The Discover it^® card gives you 18 months with 0% APR. That's well over a year to pay down your high interest debts without paying interest at all.

Bonus Idea – Prosper

Prosper does not set a specific interest rate for borrowers.  Instead, the website connects borrowers and lenders through online auction-style bidding.  This set-up allows lenders to be more in control of their monthly income since they only accept interest rates they are comfortable with.

Borrowers list their loan and the highest amount of interest they are willing to pay. After that, lenders bid the interest rate down based on the lowest amount of interest they are willing to accept.  This feature provides the stability of a predictable, high yield income on the notes.

If you need more info, check out our review post on investing with Prosper.

The Bottom Line

If you're looking for a place to sock away some cash for the short-term, don't be afraid to think outside of the box. Thanks to the constant evolution of the world wide web, you shouldn't have trouble investing your funds in any number of innovative online platforms.

As I shared above, however, short-term investing is much different than investing for the long haul. When you need to invest your money for only several weeks or months, you don't want to pour cash into investments that aren't easy to liquidate, charge fees for withdrawals, or are too risky for the short-term.

How do you invest your dollars for the short-term? Have you ever used one of the strategies listed above?

The post The 11 Best Short Term Investments For Your Money appeared first on Good Financial Cents.

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