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الاثنين، 3 سبتمبر 2018

Secrets Of Six-Figure Bloggers: How To Make Money From Your Blog

Run a quick internet search, and you’ll discover hundreds of online experts telling you how to make money from your blog. Dig a little deeper, and you’ll find income reports from bloggers who earn five- or even six-figures a month. Yet, the reality is most new bloggers struggle to earn their first $100, let alone […]

The post Secrets Of Six-Figure Bloggers: How To Make Money From Your Blog appeared first on The Work at Home Woman.



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Check statements to ensure you don’t pay out needlessly

Aviva statement

Moneywise helps a reader making needless payments.

In December 2016, I tried to call and email Aviva to cancel two policies. I couldn’t get through on the phone and couldn’t find an email on the website, so I contacted it through its website contact form. Unfortunately, I did not get any record of it receiving my cancellation. Nor did I cancel the direct debits.

Aviva continued taking money from my account until May 2018, which added up to more than £600. When I realised, I immediately cancelled the direct debits.

I submitted a complaint with Aviva, but heard nothing. I recently emailed Aviva again, and as soon as I mentioned reporting it to the Financial Ombudsman Service I received a reply. It also sent me a cheque for £50 as an apology for having to wait so long for anyone to respond to my complaint.

My question is: if I cash in the £50 cheque, will it have a negative effect on the current investigation with the Financial Ombudsman Service?

KH/London

That’s an interesting question. The answer should be simple: a goodwill payment – which is what this was – should have no impact on any complaint you’re making. However, I would always advise people to check, as some firms have been known to offer money in ‘full and final’ payment, and if you have a valid claim you should never accept less.

The good news for you is that after further investigating your case, Aviva agreed that you intended to cancel both policies. It refunded all your premiums, and added interest, to hand you £683.27.

On top of that, it gave you a further £100 “for the trouble and upset we have caused you”, to bring the total goodwill payment to £150.

I think this is an excellent result, and good for Aviva for reacting positively, after it initially failed to respond in a timely and efficient manner when you first made contact.

But I will take you to task for failing to notice all that extra cash going out of your account every month. I’d advise all readers to check their bank statement regularly – at least every month – to ensure that there aren’t any rogue payments.

OUTCOME: Reader gets £683.27 refund, plus £150 goodwill payment

 

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Trump's rollback of pollution rules to hit coal country hard

GRANT TOWN, W.Va. (AP) — It's coal people like miner Steve Knotts, 62, who make West Virginia Trump Country.So it was no surprise that President Donald Trump picked the state to announce his plan rolling back Obama-era pollution controls on coal-fired power plants.Trump left one thing out of his remarks, though: northern West Virginia coal country will be ground zero for increased deaths and illnesses from the rollback on regulation of harmful emission from the nation's [...]

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Hands-On Work: Your Potential to Heal as a Massage Therapist

How to Generate Recurring Sales by Implementing Subscriptions

Every business needs to come up with creative ways to drive sales.

Sure, you may be doing well today, but how are you planning on making money tomorrow? What about next month or next year?

Whether your company sells a physical product or offers a service, the subscription business model is something that you should consider using to generate recurring sales.

Historically, implementing a subscription business model has proven to be highly profitable.

In the last five years, this model has grown by more than 100%.

Businesses that know how to offer valuable subscriptions end up with extremely loyal customers, which is why it’s such an effective customer retention strategy.

Even ecommerce brands have been using subscriptions to drive sales.

That’s because the consumer market has accepted this model, causing it to grow in popularity over the last year.

grow

Once you’re able to get customers to pay for a subscription, you’ll get recurring sales on a monthly or annual basis.

As a result, your company will be in a great position for sustainable growth over time.

But if you’ve never implemented a subscription model to your business, it might be a little bit intimidating for you. Where do you start?

Some of you may have already set up a subscription model for your business. But unfortunately, it’s not working out as well as you thought it would.

That’s why I created this guide.

Whether you’re new to the subscription concept or you want to make adjustments to your existing subscription model, I’ll explain what you need to do to be successful in this space.

Don’t charge for your basic package

Offer your most basic package for free.

Now for some of you, this may not be realistic. For example, if you’re offering clothing or accessories delivered on a monthly basis to your customers, you can’t just give that away for free each month.

But for those of you who are offering an intangible service, it’s a great way to get people interested if you have multiple packages.

  • games
  • mobile apps
  • streaming services

These are all great examples of how you can leverage a free package to eventually get your customers to pay for the service if you’re in these industries.

For those of you who have a mobile application, this strategy is a great way to improve the profitability of your small business mobile app.

Let’s look at the Pandora packages as an example.

pandora

For those of you who aren’t familiar with this company, they offer a music streaming service.

As you can see from their website, they have three different listening packages. The basic package is free.

This introductory package gets people familiar with the service. If they had to pay from the beginning, they’d be less likely to try it out in the first place.

But if you offer something for free, there is no risk in people using it.

Now you’ll have a better chance of getting these free subscribers to upgrade their service for a fee.

Offer a free trial for your premium services

So you’ve offered your basic package for free. But customers still haven’t upgraded yet.

Why not?

Well, they don’t know what they’re missing.

If you offer them a free trial of a paid service, it will be harder for them to go back to the basic version. Let’s refer back to the Pandora example.

They offer a 30-day free trial for their $4.99 package. So for one month, customers on this trial will experience personalized content with no advertisements.

Once they go back to music that’s not personalized and are forced to listen to ads, they’ll be more inclined to pay the monthly fee for the enhanced experience.

Roughly 60% of all businesses are able to convert free trial users to customers.

free trial

Those conversion rates are outstanding.

For those of you who are offering physical products, such as a box of items mailed to customers on a monthly basis, you can use this strategy as well.

Even though you may not be able to do this long-term, you can still offer a month or two of your package for free.

Here’s something else to consider. The more expensive your subscription is, the longer you should offer the free trial for.

Again, we’ll continue to use Pandora as an example.

They offer a 60-day free trial for customers who want to try out their most expensive package at $9.99 per month.

It’s worth giving away two months for free if they’re able to generate $120 per year from each subscriber.

Set up different membership plans

Profitable subscription models have different plans. There are a few reasons for this.

First of all, not everyone can afford your most expensive membership, but you don’t necessarily want to exclude those people from being paying customers.

Second, you want to offer plans based on the needs of different customers.

People don’t want to pay for a feature or benefit that they won’t use. But if someone knows that they need something, they’ll gladly pay an additional fee.

Let’s look at the Netflix membership plans as an example.

netflix

All of their plans offer the first month for free and the ability to cancel anytime. Their customers can watch from their laptops, tablets, phones, and TVs.

But the basic membership doesn’t offer HD video and only lets you watch on one screen at a time.

So for someone who doesn’t have an HD television and doesn’t plan on sharing the account with anyone else, this is a suitable option.

But if you’ve got a family that’s going to be sharing the account and streaming simultaneously from multiple HD devices, this won’t be enough for you.

Those customers will need to subscribe to the most expensive option.

Allowing customers to select their plan gives them a personalized experience. Plus, we already know that personalizing your website boosts conversions.

So analyze your features and come up with a few different membership plans that target the needs of various customers.

Give discounts to customers who pay in advance

Obviously, you want your customers to be a subscriber for as long as possible. That’s how you make money with recurring sales.

But with that said, you don’t want to force your customers into a long-term contract.

This strategy can make people hesitate to sign up. Consumers like having the option to cancel at any time without having to pay a penalty.

That’s why monthly subscription plans are so common.

The problem with monthly subscriptions is that if a customer cancels after a couple of months, you didn’t really have a chance to generate high profits from them.

Who knows. Maybe in that short period of time they didn’t have a chance to fully experience everything that your subscription plan has to offer.

If you want people to commit for longer periods of time, you can offer discounts if they pay in advance. Take a look at this example from Constant Contact.

constant contact

As you can see, they offer a 10% discount and 15% discount for subscribers who pay for six months and 12 months in advance, respectively.

Even though you’re making less off each customer per month, you’re locking them in for a longer term.

This is a much more effective strategy than forcing your customers to commit to a year contract that charges them on a monthly basis.

Giving them the option benefits both of you. They’ll get a discounted rate, and you’re guaranteed to make money.

Plus, it adds more of a personal touch, which we previously talked about and we’ll continue discussing in greater detail throughout this guide.

Provide added benefits to your customers

Depending on your business, offering subscriptions exclusively may not be in your best interest.

You can still have other business models that you use in addition to your subscription model.

So for those of you who fall into that category, you need to make sure that the subscription memberships come with benefits that justify the cost to your customers.

Otherwise, they won’t have any incentive to join.

A perfect example of what I’m talking about is the Amazon Prime membership.

amazon prime

You don’t need to pay a monthly or annual fee to buy something on Amazon. Anyone can use this ecommerce platform.

But for customers who shop frequently and want their items delivered as fast as possible, they may be more inclined to pay for the Amazon Prime subscription.

This membership offers two-day free shipping for subscribers.

In addition to the shipping benefits, Amazon Prime members also get access to music and video streaming services.

As I explained earlier, they have packages designed for everyone.

For customers who just want the video streaming service, they can pay $8.99 per month.

To get all of the membership benefits, including video streaming, two-day shipping, music streaming, photo storage, unlimited reading, and free same-day delivery for certain items, it costs $12.99 per month.

That totals just under $156 for the year, assuming that they keep the membership without canceling.

But if a customer wants to save money and knows that they’ll use the service for an entire year, they can pay $119 annually and save roughly 25% on their membership.

Amazon also offers a free trial for prospective members to try out their Prime service for 30 days at no cost.

Do you see how they incorporated most of the strategies that we talked about so far?

It’s always a good idea to follow the lead of successful companies and apply their concepts to your own business.

Set your subscriptions to renew automatically

Let’s say you get someone to sign up for one of your subscriptions. That’s great news!

You’ve got their credit card information, and you’re ready to start processing their account.

But you want to make sure that you set these memberships up to renew automatically.

Don’t worry, I’m not saying that you should do this to be deceiving or trick your customers. Just include this in the terms that they agree to when they’re signing up.

You don’t want to annoy them each month asking them for their credit card information again. So get their permission from the beginning to bill their card each month.

This is a great way to get recurring sales.

If you give the customer the option to opt-out each month, they may decide to cancel.

But if their card just gets charged without any contact or notification, they may just keep the service whether they’re using it or not.

For example, how many of you have a gym membership or have had a gym membership in the past? You get charged each month whether you’re there every day or never show up.

You don’t cancel it because it’s more of a pain to go through that process and then sign up again when you want to go.

So your customers will treat this membership the same way. Sure, you obviously want your customers to take advantage of the products and services that you’re offering.

But if they’re paying for it, either way, does it really matter if they do? Not really.

Allow your customers to customize their subscriptions

We’ve talked about personalization quite a bit in this guide.

You can take this concept to the next level by allowing your customers to fully customize their subscriptions. Take a look at this example from Sirius XM Radio.

sirius xm

They have membership options that allow customers to pick and choose which stations they want on their account.

You can find ways to apply this same concept to your business as well.

For example, let’s say that your brand sales beard grooming and shaving products for men.

You sell products directly from your website, and you also have subscription options to deliver a box of products on a monthly basis. Allow your membership subscribers to customize each order.

Some customers may want more razors, while others want more shaving cream and after shave lotion.

The membership prices will vary based on the type of products and quantity of items that the customer wants to be delivered each month.

Conclusion

The subscription business model is extremely profitable, and it’s growing in popularity.

Whether you’re adding subscriptions to your business for the first time or you’re making changes to your existing model, there are certain tips and tricks that will improve your chances of being successful.

Offer your basic package at no charge. Then, let customers try out the premium options with a free trial.

Create different membership plans to target a wider range of prospective customers.

Your standard memberships should be charged on a monthly basis and renew automatically. Encourage customers to pay in advance by offering discounted rates for an annual plan.

Provide added benefits to make sure that your subscriptions are worth the cost.

Focus on personalization and customization that entice consumers to sign up for your subscription service.

If you follow the advice that I’ve outlined in this guide, you’ll be able to achieve sustainable growth in the form of recurring sales through subscriptions.

How is your brand using the subscription business model to generate recurring sales?



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This Unique Auto Repair Shop Offers Special Services and Advice for Women

Questions About Sabbaticals, Side Gigs, iPad Uses, and More!

What’s inside? Here are the questions answered in today’s reader mailbag, boiled down to summaries of five or fewer words. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question.
1. Afraid to invest in 401(k)
2. Cutting off child
3. Musings on a difficult house
4. Sabbatical and job risk?
5. Sharing Simple Dollar information
6. NY Times on early retirement
7. Cloth kitchen towels are inconvenient
8. Twine app question
9. Animation career advice
10. Opening an insurance company
11. Thoughts on Patreon
12. Finding uses for iPad

In the last year or so, several people in my life have become parents for the first time.

I love being a parent and I wouldn’t trade it for anything, but the reality of it is that if you actually do your job as a parent with any degree of responsibility, it’s going to massively change your life. You suddenly find yourself trying to figure out how to do a bunch of new things. You find yourself with a ton of additional time commitments that largely boot social activities and much of your solid blocks of free time out of your life. You often don’t get as much sleep as you once did. All of that hits at once, and it’s hard, even if you think you’re ready for it.

Some of my closest friends in the world are people who were friends with us before we had kids and have remained friends with us through all of the changes. A lot of friends simply fell off the radar at some point – we became inconvenient for them. I would far rather have five true friends than a diverse social life.

It’s been interesting watching the various people in my life deal with these changes. Some have handled it in stride. Some are very stressed and tired. Some are struggling with little free time. Some are dealing with friends that are “disappearing.” Some are just glowing with the new experience.

Different people handle things in different ways.

On with the questions.

Q1: Afraid to invest in 401(k)

I started working at my current job in 2013. 29/F/single. I know I should sign up for the 401(k) but I am really freaked out by the prospect of just losing some of my hard earned money to the market. From reading about retirement planning I would say I am extremely risk averse. How should I save for retirement if I don’t want to lose any of my savings?
– Quinn

There are very few investment options out there that are so low risk that you have almost no chance of losing money. The problem is that such investments have a really poor return, barely matching inflation.

For example, you can put your money in a money market account which will return around 1% per year these days and won’t lose money. You can buy some bonds that will return better than that and slightly beat inflation with very, very, very low risk, but you can’t touch the money for years (unless you sell the bond to someone, I suppose).

The thing is, short term risk and return usually come hand in hand. If you demand no risk, you’re going to have almost no return on your money. That’s just the reality of things. The return comes as a result of that risk.

You should always remember that you have a very long time until retirement. There is no period of 25 years or more in which people have ever lost money in a broad investment in the stock market (like matching the S&P 500). Losses occur only over shorter time frames, like three years or five years. I think my best advice to you is to stop looking at the time frame of a day or a week or a month or a year or even a decade when it comes to your investments. All that matters are returns over the course of 20 years or more. Focus on that time scale above all else.

Q2: Cutting off child

My husband and I are in our late forties. We have a child that’s 24. He graduated from college two years ago with a degree in electrical engineering that we thought would quickly net him a great job but he basically never bothered to apply for anything. He just moved into his old bedroom again and spends most of his time playing video games. We told him he had to move out if he didn’t get a job so he got a dead end job at a gas station. When we bring up the subject he says that he hates electrical engineering and would kill himself if he had to do that for the rest of his life but he has no answer about what he’s going to do with his life. We were considering downsizing to a smaller home before he moved back in. I don’t mind helping him if he’s trying but it doesn’t feel like he’s trying beyond matching the letter of the absolute minimum we ask of him. What should we do?
– Brenda

You should raise the absolute minimum of what you’re asking of him.

The only way to get him to start building a life for himself is to nudge him out of the nest like birds do. That nudging starts gently and keeps increasing in firmness until the bird leaves. For some, it takes only a gentle nudge. For others, it gradually escalates into nearly being shoved out of the nest.

What is the next step your son needs to accomplish on his route to full independence? I’d say that he’s either actively applying for electrical engineering work or actively in the process of going back to school. If he’s not doing either, then he needs to move out. Be firm about this policy and stick with it.

Q3: Musings on a difficult house

Recently, after 9 years of overseas posting (and just as many years of overseas education prior to that), our family just moved back to my in-laws’ place. By this time my parents are deceased and we have no house, so we figure that this temporary arrangement would work out best for everyone concerned: we got a place to stay, near a good school for the kids, we can ‘take care’ of the aging parents, while they enjoy having the grandkids about instead of somewhere beyond some seas. Too bad life is not perfect, right?

Thankfully we have not gotten to a bad personality clash, however, we do get afoul on a big problem: stuff. Like, literally, objects, posession, belongings…. stuff. There are just so much stuff in this house. My in-laws are (thankfully) doing pretty well financially, and they live in a 1500 sq. ft. house in the city. The house, however, is FULL of stuff. There are equipment kept from years back, clothes (quite a portion of them does not fit anymore), freebies (both my in laws are doctors), etc etc etc. Neither of them are quite hoarders, but they do find it difficult to throw stuff away. Then there is also a sister in law (not in residence) who seem to treat the house like a secondary storage facilities while she continues feeding her shopping addiction.

In addition to the stuff is also the fact that my in laws did not seem to believe in the value of having things done by professional. The house was basically designed by a medical doctor, and most probably built (and maintained) by non-certified contractor that also sells his services as jack-of-all-trades with disastrous results in various aspects of the house: working design, electrical wiring, plumbing etc. Cleaning the house is not easy, and all the stuff being kept here also complicate the problem.

Basically this is a very high maintenance house that does not work well and very much beyond the ability of 2 aging pensioner to keep properly. Unfortunately they refused to move. So.. I suppose we have to make it work.

My sharing basically boils down to a few things:

1. There is value in having professional do their stuff: designing a building, building, wiring, plumbing. The question you want to ask yourself: how difficult would you like your life to be?
2. Empty nester, do a mirror check, and admit if sticking to an old standard (big house, lots of stuff, etc) is really what you want to do with the rest of your days
3. Kids who already left the house: your parents house is NOT a back up storage facility. Take responsibility of your own stuff, people!

Sometimes, I don’t even know why my husband and I are even making the effort to clean up the house (oh yeah, I guess we would like to feel comfortable while we stay here) when nobody seems to care. But then I remember something. I had to deal with my parents’ stuff after their death and it was pretty overwhelming. Their stuff is still meagre compared to what I am facing now and it was pretty overwhelming still. Now that we are in between jobs (we still have enough savings and we do plan on taking a couple of months break), it seem like a good time to do this just so it wouldn’t be too much just in case something happen to either of them. The current timing is ‘convenient’ which is not something you can count on at any other time. So we forged on.
– Angela

Angela’s story is a perfect example of why it’s incredibly valuable to keep your possessions under control and why it’s a good idea, particularly as you age, to live in a smaller and easier to maintain home with fewer possessions.

I wish that I had good advice for moderate hoarding situations, but I don’t, aside from simply asking yourself what good really comes from saving this item, whether you’ll actually remember it when you need it, whether it’s requiring a larger home just to store it, and how this stuff will be dealt with when you pass. Those thoughts have already moved me away from having as many possessions.

I’m trying to nudge my parents in this direction, too. They have a small home, but it has a lot of things hidden away in there.

Q4: Sabbatical and job risk?

I am 29/M. I have dreamed since I was a kid of walking the Appalachian Trail. I have been doing tons of hiking since moving to Colorado 5 years ago and I want to actually do the Appalachian Trail in the next few years. I estimate it will take me six months to do it.

Obviously this would require a sabbatical from my job. I have worked at [a very large business] for the last five years and I think I have a strong reputation here.

What would be the best approach to taking a six month sabbatical in a year or two that wouldn’t risk permanently losing my job?
– Joe

Sit down right now and talk to your boss about it directly. Simply state that walking the Appalachian Trail has been a lifelong goal of yours and that you hope to do so in the next two years, but then describe what it would take for you to do so.

Being at a large company actually works in your favor here because it’s easier for them to spread out your work during your sabbatical, provided that you prepare appropriately for it.

There is always a risk with a sabbatical that your organization might devalue you while you’re gone leaving you in a worse career position when you return. The best way to counteract this is to build a strong reputation for quality work before you leave so that your absence is missed.

So, my advice? Do a good job. Talk to your boss sooner rather than later. Start documenting now.

Q5: Sharing Simple Dollar information

I love The Simple Dollar ideas I’m receiving in my email. What can I do to share this information via a newsletter or email to my clients?
– Jim

You can feel free to directly forward the emails from The Simple Dollar to your friends, family, and clients.

If you wish to quote writing from The Simple Dollar, feel free to do so, just include a link back to the original article. You can always find the original article by clicking on the title of the article in your email.

If you wish to fully reprint an article, please contact us by using the contact form.

Q6: NY Times on early retirement

Wanted to get your thoughts on this article. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/01/style/fire-financial-independence-retire-early.html
– Terry

This is a solid article on aggressive saving for early retirement that spells out the strategy with some nice stories.

My only objection to it is that it explains this strategy as a “millennial thing.” I don’t agree with that. While it’s definitely a strategy that can be used by millennials to great success, that doesn’t mean that a person who is older can’t start saving aggressively in order to retire earlier than they might otherwise have done.

Financial independence is a good financial goal for everyone. It’s not just a “millennial thing.”

Q7: Cloth kitchen towels are inconvenient

I took your advice and switched to having a “cloth towel drawer” in my kitchen rather than using paper towels for everything. I got a bunch of them for cheap. After using them for a month I am just finding them less convenient than paper towels mostly because of the need to wash them. Advice?
– Tim

You just need to get a system in place.

Our system is simple. We have a cloth towel drawer in our kitchen. Whenever we use one and it’s no longer reusable without being cleaned, we toss it either into a small bin under the sink or directly down the stairs so that it’s close to the laundry room. Those towels usually get washed in the next load of whites, folded, and returned to the drawer.

It really doesn’t take any more time than throwing the paper towels in the trash and then dealing with the extra trash. Instead, we’re throwing the cloth towels down the stairs and then dealing with a bit of extra laundry (it doesn’t cause another load, just another item to fold and return).

Given the savings (no more paper towel purchases) and the minimal time cost, it’s a good system.

Q8: Twine app question

Has anyone a review on John Hancock’s Twine app? I’m trying to find the best way to invest some short term savings (saving 20k for a car) and I’m wondering if there are ways to invest the money other than in a savings account.
– Geoff

Twine is a “savings app for couples” that encourages couples to link their separate accounts together so that both can see the account balances and set and plan for goals together.

It’s a great idea for newer couples who are in the process of merging their financial accounts or older couples who simply want convenient glances at their partner’s retirement and investment accounts for planning ahead.

The thing is, over time, many couples migrate toward sharing all of their day-to-day accounts and openly share access to their retirement accounts anyway. In other words, I think Twine is a great bridge from separate accounts to shared accounts, but eventually it’s not necessary. I know it’s not useful for Sarah and myself.

Q9: Animation career advice

I am an artist wanting to pursue a career in the animation field. Considering that it is kind of the norm for animators to have bachelors degrees, is it wise for me to go to a technical school and graduate with a certification degree instead where I can graduate and learn faster in that specific major? Is it optional to still make it inside of the doors, just as any one else with a bachelors degree instead?
– Isaac

If I were you, I would ask animators already in the field. What do they recommend for education? Some fields offer a lot of employment opportunities for trade school graduates, while others do not. The only way to know is to ask around within the industry.

If I were you, I’d identify a big handful of working animators and contact them individually asking for educational advice. Twitter is a great place to start with something like this.

I will say this: regardless of where you go to school, one of the best things you can do is to start working on complete projects of your work that can be shared as a portfolio of sorts. Take what you’re learning and go beyond the classes into actually making things, then share those things. This will not only teach you a lot, but it gets something of a portfolio for yourself out there.

Q10: Opening an insurance company

How can I open my own business insurance company?
– Andy

There’s already a good article on The Simple Dollar covering most of what you need to know. Check it out – How to Start Your Own Insurance Business.

I will say that one of the most important things in insurance sales is personality. Are you charismatic and extroverted? Can you easily build rapport and good relationships with people? If you can’t answer those things with an honest and resounding “yes,” then you should be very careful about entering a field that relies almost entirely on sales and customer service.

I would also be careful about taking out loans for such a business unless you already have a strong roster of potential clients. If you’re going into this with a future of nothing but cold calls, you either need to be an exceptional salesperson or very lucky.

Q11: Thoughts on Patreon

I support several of my favorite writers and podcasters through Patreon. What are your thoughts on Patreon? Do you have one?
– Jeffrey

I do not have a Patreon for my personal finance writing. The big reason is that I would prefer that any readers who get genuine value from my writing “pay” for it by either sharing the stuff they value with others or getting their own financial house in order. The site earns income through ad support and affiliate links.

Having said that, I would definitely consider Patreon if I were writing or producing content consistently in other fields. I think that the idea of “micro patronage,” where people who support a writer or a podcaster or a video maker support them by giving them a couple of dollars a month or a dollar for each new article/video/podcast they make, is a great strategy for both parties. It allows people who really value content and want to see it continue to actively take part in that, while it gives the content creator some financial support to continue their work either as a part time gig or a full time one.

I am a huge believer of supporting what you value. If you value someone’s writing or their podcast or their videos, support them in some way. You can do that by throwing a few dollars a month to their Patreon if they have one, or just sharing their articles or videos or podcasts with your friends or with people you know who are fans of the topic. The same is true for companies that provide services with a free version and a paid version; if you find yourself using the free version a lot and relying on it, it’s worthwhile to pay for the paid version just so it’s more likely to stick around.

Q12: Finding uses for iPad

My kids got me a 9.7″ iPad and an Apple Pencil for my birthday. I played around with it but I really don’t know what to do with it. Writing on it is clunky (I am sending this email on my old laptop!). What do you do with your iPad? I don’t want to just sell it because my kids were so thrilled to get it for me but I don’t find myself using it at all.
– Kristin

I have a 10.5″ iPad Pro with a Pencil and a case that has a keyboard built into it and I use it for a bunch of things. Here’s a brief list:

– I sometimes use it for writing articles for The Simple Dollar.
– I use it alongside the Pencil to take notes when I’m reading a book.
– I often prop it up on its side in the kitchen when making something that involves a recipe or a video.
– I do the same when doing some DIY or repair projects, just propping it up on its side with the case to watch a video when doing a project.
– I really like reading on it, so I often use it as a Kindle or to read PDFs or other documents on it. In fact, I really wish my entire cookbook collection was in PDF format so I could just keep them on an iPad. I turn off notifications when doing this by toggling it into Airplane Mode.
– I have several games I enjoy playing on it, especially Twilight Struggle.
– I watch Netflix on it occasionally.
– I often use it as a “second screen” when working on my laptop or my desktop computer, as I prop it up on its side in the case when doing so. It usually displays my to-do list.

Between those things, I find myself using it daily, usually multiple times a day.

Having listed all of that stuff, I really don’t recommend investing a ton of money into a new iPad. Instead, I’d try to get an older used iPad off of Craigslist or something and see if you find value in it. For some reason, iPads seem to click well with some people and not click with others.

Got any questions? The best way to ask is to follow me on Facebook and ask questions directly there. I’ll attempt to answer them in a future mailbag (which, by way of full disclosure, may also get re-posted on other websites that pick up my blog). However, I do receive many, many questions per week, so I may not necessarily be able to answer yours.

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