5 Shrewd Secrets from Women Who’ve Fixed Credit, Paid Debt and Made Fortunes

Some of the links in this post are from our sponsors. We provide you with accurate, reliable information. Learn more about how we make money and select our advertising partners.

Looking for some advice when it comes to managing your money?

We have stories from a former Merrill Lynch executive, a mom of nine who overcame a job layoff and a college grad who was able to pay off $100,000 worth of debt — then start her own business.

They share their tips and secrets for financial success. You can even start using some of their strategies right now.

Secret No. 1: Women Should Invest Differently Than Men

Traditional investing companies have never really considered the fact that women statistically get paid less, yet live longer.

That’s why Sallie Krawcheck, the former head of Merrill Lynch designed an investing company for women called Ellevest.

With Ellevest, you can start investing with as little as $1. Plus, when you sign up through The Penny Hoarder, you’ll get a $25 bonus in your Ellevest account.*

When you sign up, Ellevest will build an investing plan just for you and your financial goals. It considers gender pay differences, any potential career breaks and overall lifespan. Even better? It invests your money in women-owned businesses.

Thanks to Krawcheck, we can invest exactly for our needs and feel more confident in our financial future.

Secret No. 2: Be an Advocate For Yourself (and Your Credit Score)

It’s easy to pass your credit score off as some silly three-digit number — that’s what most of us did throughout our early twenties anyways. But what happens when you want to buy a car? Or a house? That seemingly arbitrary number starts to play a huge role in your life.

And here’s the unfortunate fact: You can do everything right, but if your credit report has an error (one in five reports do), it could be holding you back — for no good reason. That’s why it’s important to keep an eye on things.

Thankfully, a free website called Credit Sesame will give you your credit score for free and help you detect any errors on your report. If you find any, it will even help you dispute them.

Salome Buitureria, a working mom in Louisiana, found a major error on her report — a supposed unpaid medical bill that had definitely been covered by Medicaid. Using Credit Sesame, Buitureria fixed the mistake and took additional steps to raise her credit score from 524 to nearly 700.** 

Now? She’s focused on buying a home.

It only takes about 90 seconds to sign up with Credit Sesame.

Secret No. 3: You’re Not Stuck With Your Credit Card Debt

Wanna know something? Even if you have loads of credit card debt right now, that doesn’t mean you’ll have it forever. Heck, that doesn’t even mean you’ll have it tomorrow.

What? We’re serious. One of our favorite first steps in escaping credit card debt is to refinance it with a personal loan.

It might sound counterintuitive — like you’re just moving your debt from your credit cards to a loan — but the truth is, this could lower your monthly payment, save you tons of money in interest over time, and allow you to pay off your debt faster..

If you’re not sure where to start looking, use a website called Fiona. It’ll match you with a low-interest loan (rates start at 3.84%). You can then use that loan to wipe out your credit card debt. Then you’re left with just one bill to pay every month.

Pro Tip

When shopping personal loans, look for interest rates lower than your credit cards’ and manageable monthly payments. Oh, and don’t take out more than need to pay off your credit cards.

Fiona won’t make you stand in line or call a bank. And if you’re worried you won’t qualify, it’s free to check online. It takes just two minutes, and it could save you thousands of dollars.

We chatted with one San Francisco resident who struggled to keep up with her credit card debt. She faced a minimum monthly payment of $274 plus $154 in monthly interest plus a $99 annual credit card fee. She said it felt like she was on a treadmill.

She decided to refinance with a personal loan, which spared her from what would’ve been $14,000 in interest over time.

Secret No. 4: You Can Leave Your Kids $1 Million for $5/Month

If you have kids, you’ve probably worried about what’ll happen to them if something were to happen to you…

For single mom Rebekah Pearsall, this was difficult to consider. “Since my son doesn’t have a biological father in his life, I wanted to make sure he was secure if something were to ever happen to me,” she said.

That’s when she started looking into life insurance.

Before you start thinking you don’t have the time or money for that, look into policies through a company called Bestow. It offers $1 million policies starting at only $5 a month. Your application shouldn’t take more than about five minutes.

You can change or cancel your plan at any time. Plus, the security of knowing your family is taken care of is priceless.

Pearsall had seen firsthand the benefits of life insurance; her childhood friend lost his dad and life insurance helped his family make it through that time financially.

It takes only a few minutes to get a free quote.

Secret No. 5: You Don’t Have to Have an MBA to Start a Business

If you dream of starting a business, don’t let the fact that you don’t have a business degree from an Ivy League school hold you back. (Yeah, imposter syndrome is the worst.) We’ve talked to plenty of women who’ve successfully started businesses on their own.

Here’s a story that really resonates with our frugal hearts: The Budget Mom.

After graduating college, Kumiko Love had $100,000 worth of debt — student loans, credit cards and medical bills. All that good stuff. Still, she had trouble sticking to a budget. So she gave up.

Then she started studying the psychology behind money and that gave her a renewed hope: She started viewing her situation through a positive lens. She combined several budgeting tactics and started logging her process through her blog, The Budget Mom.

And guess what? Love is now debt free and she recently quit her full-time job to focus on her seven-figure business, The Budget Mom.

*The Ellevest The Penny Hoarder promotional offer is valid for the first 1,000 new clients of Ellevest who enter through this designated landing page. Clients who enroll and fund their non-retirement account will receive $25 added to their highest priority goal in their Ellevest account. Clients who enroll and fund their retirement account will receive a $25 Amazon gift card which can be redeemed by visiting www.amazon.com. Please review Amazon.com Gift Card Terms and Conditions prior to redemption. Ellevest is not responsible for lost Amazon Gift Cards. Ellevest’s processing time for depositing $25 into a client’s Ellevest account or delivery of a $25 Amazon gift card may be up to 60 days.

**Credit Sesame does not guarantee any of these results, and some may even see a decrease in their credit score. Any score improvement is the result of many factors, including paying bills on time, keeping credit balances low, avoiding unnecessary inquiries, appropriate financial planning and developing better credit habits.

Carson Kohler (carson@thepennyhoarder.com) 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.

source The Penny Hoarder https://ift.tt/324ufL0

Detail-Oriented? Highly Organized? These 11 Jobs are Perfect for You

My to-do list is color-coded. Blue, for example, indicates a pending draft. There are boxes for check marks, perfect for when a task is completed.

OK, so I have some Type A personality in me, but I’m proud of it. I like plans, checklists and being organized. I hate waiting in lines, wasting time and sloppy work. I bite my nails and overthink.

If that were a dating profile, I’d scare every man away. But truthfully, this Type A-ness inside me pushes me to get stuff done — like this post. (You’re welcome.)

So in the spirit of Type A personalities, I compiled a list of jobs for those of us — or those of us you know — who just want things to be perfect.

11 Jobs Perfect for People with Type A Personalities

These Type A job ideas (alphabetized, in list format) vary by type. Some offer full-time opportunities, while others allow for part-time work and flexible schedules. Some require you to look into jobs in your city and others — a lot, actually — let you work from home.

So get out your pen and pad, and start your research now.

1. Captioner/Transcriptionist

From experience, I can say this is a Type A job all the way.

Captioners and transcriptionists require a knack for accuracy. There’s no half-hearting these tasks. Companies and people rely on your quick fingers and sharp listening skills.

Usually you are paid per audio hour, but that’s not equivalent to a real hour, as you’ll probably find yourself pausing and rewinding. Transcriptionist Lisa Mills says one audio hour might take two to five hours to transcribe. She makes about $25 per hour.

Video captioning is similar — except you’ll watch and listen. For example, Rev.com pays $1 per video minute.

You can find work on other sites, too. Consider TranscribeMe, Tigerfish, Quicktate and CrowdSurf. 

2. Data Entry Clerk

Think: typist.

Some of these job descriptions include key, Type A-satisfying phrases such as “ensures consistency and accuracy,” “compiles and sorts information” and “must be self-motivated, organized and detail-oriented.”

Feeling qualified? You probably are. Pay ranges on a per-hour or per-project basis.

You can find office jobs as data entry clerks, but there are a number of specialized sites advertising work-from-home projects. These sites include Clickworker.com, DionDataSolutions.com and TheSmartCrowd.com.

3. Event Planner

Picture this: It’s your wedding day, you’re slightly panicked and you want everything to be perfect. 

Cue the Type A planner. (That’s you.)

Event/wedding/meeting planning requires extremely organized individuals who know their way around a checklist or two. They have to coordinate and hire others to successfully execute an event or get-together.

You’ll likely need a degree and/or some experience, but you can always start under a “junior” status or assistant. (Read how this woman got started as a wedding planner with no prior experience.) 

Find a number of event planner jobs on classic job search sites such as Indeed, CareerBuilder and SimplyHired. 

4. Grocery Store Bagger

I’ve never bagged groceries (except my own… for fun), and I’m sure those of you who have are rolling your eyes right now, but I’ll never forget one bagger who called the experience “therapeutic.”

You’re filling bags by weight and food type. Preferably the frozen items are in one bag, right? The produce goes in another. The heavy objects are at the bottom whereas the bread goes neatly on top.

In my opinion, it’s a lost art.

Check out (get it?) Snagajob.com, a site that aggregates jobs hourly. You can also do a simple Indeed search or ask the manager at your favorite grocery store in town.

5. Housekeeper

A Penny Hoarder writer mentioned her stint as a hotel housekeeper.

“My manager got mad because there was fuzz on the toilet,” she said. Fuzz? “Like lint. From a towel.”

Definitely Type A material. If you can make a perfect bed with crisp edges and know how to handle a vacuum, this could be a way for you to bag some extra money.

But there are also more exotic options. Consider becoming a housekeeper at a resort, ranch, vacation rental or even a cruise ship. 

And if your significant other is on the same Type-A level as you, tag-team it. Some places look for couples to maintain the grounds.

For jobs like that, visit Cool Works. For more “normal” gigs, search Indeed, Monster or  SimplyHired. Care.com also has personal ads calling for housekeepers. Also consider Task Rabbit.

6. Inventory Specialist

What’s your favorite retailer. The Container Store? Bed Bath & Beyond? Paper Source?

You could snag a job as an inventory specialist — also known as a stock associate or inventory aide. You’ll be able to flex your organizing and assorting skills by handling the store’s products.

To find a job, visit your favorite store’s career web page where you’ll likely be able to search by state. Or you can go to any job search site and search by retailer or location.

7. Library Specialist/Technician

Also consider: library associate, assistant, circulation attendant, clerk…

These jobs vary widely — part time and full time, hourly and salaried. Some require high school degrees, others require a master’s. Either way, these jobs offer substantial pay.

Start your job search at governmentjobs.com. You can search by title (see above) and your city.

8. Professional Organizer/Clutter Consultant

We’ve written about Tova Weinstock, a professional organizer and cleaner who makes $150 an hour — $55,000 to $65,000 a year.

She’s a freelance organizer of sorts, who sets her own hours and works with clients to clean New York City apartments. Projects might last one afternoon or continue for four days at a time. Her clients fondly call her “Tidy Tova.” (I think I could be Clutter-Free Carson.)

If you’re interested in becoming the next Tidy Tova, the Profitable Organizer has some reading material for your perusing. Living Peace also offers resources.

9. Proofreader

I was a teaching assistant in graduate school and graded students’ proofreading and copyediting worksheets. The delight I got from editing students’ edits was insurmountable.

If you get the same joy out of words and punctuation as I do, consider becoming a work-at-home proofreader. It offers flexible scheduling and pays per page.

Freelance proofreader Caitlin Pyle offers this advice to those forging into the word business: “It’s important to remember you are paid per page! So if you get distracted or procrastinate and drag out those 50 pages over several hours, it may seem like you’re not making any money.”

That’s a great Type-A tip: Plan and execute, plan and execute.

Pyle runs ProofreadAnywhere.com where you can take a free introductory workshop. You can find gigs on freelance sites such as Upwork.com and Freelancer.com.

FROM THE MAKE MONEY FORUM

Parents of a Child with Disabilities - Finding Good Work is HARD!
10/11/19 @ 10:19 AM

work at home
4/3/19 @ 9:26 PM

Virtual Assistant Job
10/9/19 @ 4:22 PM

Making $$$ from home
10/2/19 @ 5:18 PM

See more in Make Money or ask a money question

10. Travel Consultant

Along the same line of work as event planning, travel consultants need to be able to stay organized while handling a number of tasks — hunting down the best deals, creating itineraries and establishing relationships.

You should probably enjoy your own vacations, too. So ask the hiring company about paid vacation, right?

Again, you can find these types of jobs on your classic job search sites.

11. Virtual Assistant

Sure, you could sit behind an old, cluttered desk and file paperwork and punch keys on the typewriter. (OK, so maybe that was the ‘80s.) But nowadays, many busy professionals want a virtual assistant, which means you’ll work from home.

Tasks and skills vary: customer service, data entry, research, social media management and website maintenance. Heck, you might even be able to get your hands on some file organizing. Either way, you’ll want to break out your trusty to-do list.

Look into VANetworking.com and Zirtual for specific virtual assistant sites. Also, read our article about virtual assistants for more information and resources.

Carson Kohler (@CarsonKohler) 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.

source The Penny Hoarder https://ift.tt/2IHieDK

SDCCU Mortgage Review

San Diego County Credit Union was founded and originally charter in 1938, and has been serving the San Diego, Riverside, and Orange counties ever since. Initially established to provide financial services to local county government employees, SDCCU expanded its membership availability in the 1970s to include all residents of its three-county service area.

In addition, residents outside these Californian counties can join the Financial Fitness Association, making them eligible for membership.

Table of Contents: SDCCU

• SDCCU History
• SDCCU Mortgage Products
• SDCCU Custome Service
• SDCCU Ratings
• SDCCU Mortgage Qualifications

SDCCU Background

SDCCU is a credit union providing financial services across the San Diego, Riverside, and Orange counties. Founded in 1938, SDCCU has served southern California for more than 80 years, providing banking, mortgage, auto, and personal loan services.

As a credit union, only those living or working in the southern California counties, as well as members of the Financial Fitness Association, are eligible for mortgage loans and other services. It is known as one of the leading credit unions in the San Diego area and was voted the Best Mortgage Home Lender by local California residents several times.

The credit union prides itself on personal service, and also supports more than 75 local and national nonprofit agencies, including the San Diego Blood Bank and the San Diego Humane Society.

As opposed to issuing stock or paying out dividends like a traditional credit union, SDCCU leverages its returns to support lower loan rates and fees for members.  

SDCCU Mortgage Rates

Today's Best Home Mortgage Rates

Select your state to get started

SDCCU Loan Products

SDCCU offers loans for both personal and business purposes. The credit union was dubbed the Best Mortgage and Home Loan provider in a reader poll from the San Diego Union-Tribune. SDCCU is known for its lower rates relative to other providers in the area. 

SDCCU provides No Closing Cost Home Loans, Fixed Rate Mortgage Loans, and Adjustable Rate Mortgages, and enables members to become pre-qualified through an application process on its website. Let’s take a closer look at what each entails:

Adjustable Rate Mortgages (ARMs)

This mortgage option includes a free 60-day rate lock, low closing costs, and no risk-based pricing. Members can receive loan amounts of up to $1,500,0000, and up to 80 percent loan-to-value (LTV) for owner-occupied, single-family residences. This option is applicable for conforming loans up to $484,350, purchases or refinances up to 95 percent LTV, and cash-out refinances up to 80 percent LTV.

Loans amortized over a 30-year period will have an estimated 3.375 percent rate, an annual percentage rate (APR) of 4.580 percent, 0 points, and an approximate payment of $4.42 per $1000 borrowed.

Fixed-Rate Mortgages

This option includes low closing costs and the rate/points members qualify for are based on elements including FICO scores, loan-to-value/combined loan-to-value, cash-out refinance, high balance loan amounts and subordinate financing.

This mortgage offers support conforming loans of up to $484,350 and is applicable for several property types, including owner-occupied single-family residences, townhomes, Fannie Mae-approved condominiums, and PUD properties within California. Options include 10, 15, 20 and 30-year terms for both owner-occupied and non-owner occupied properties.

Fixed-Rate Mortgages: High Balance Loans

SDCCU also has fixed-rate mortgage options for high balance loans, including amounts ranging from $484,351 up to $726,525. SDCCU leverages annual conforming loan limits from the Federal Housing Finance Agency, meaning high-cost area loan limits can differ according to location.

High balance, fixed-rate mortgage loans are available for owner-occupied or non-owner occupied properties, with 10, 15, 20 and 30-year programs offered.

Fixed-Rate Mortgages: Jumbo Loans

SDCCU also provides fixed-rate mortgages for jumbo loan amounts, according to limits published by the Federal Housing Finance Agency. These loans can vary in amount, from $484,351 to $1,500,000, according to 10, 15, 20, and 30-year terms.

These mortgages are available for owner-occupied home purchases up to 80 percent LTV, rate/term refinance maximum of 80 percent LTV, and cash-out refinance maximum of 70 percent LTV only.

No Closing Costs Mortgages

This option offers SDCCU members more flexibility and stability compared to other traditional offerings.

This 5/5 Adjustable Rate Mortgage boasts rates starting as low 3.375 percent and 4.557 percent APR. In addition to a lack of closing costs, this option means members’ rates change only once over each five-year period, with a maximum allowable rate adjustment of 5 percent over the entire loan period, or 2.2 percent per five-year period.

This offer is available on loans up to $1,500,000 and 80 percent LTV. The No Closing Cost-benefit is available for owner-occupied, primary residents and external refinance. In these qualifying cases, SDCCU pays closing costs including lender’s title insurance, title services, appraisal, tax service, credit report, flood certification, and recording fees.

Members are responsible for fees including pre-paid interest, homeowners insurance, an initial escrow deposit, owner’s title insurance, and other local tax.

SDCCU Mortgage Customer Service

This California credit union provides services from its 43 branch locations across San Diego, Riverside and Orange counties, and also allows members to become pre-qualified, or to fill out an application online for its fixed-rate, adjustable-rate, and no closing cost mortgage loan options.

SDCCU provides estimated rate amounts for its mortgage offerings on its website, including those for 10, 15, 20 and 30-year programs, where applicable.

In addition, members can also open an account, switch accounts from other financial providers to the credit union, close other bank accounts, or start direct deposit using online banking tools.

The credit union prides itself on personal service, both to individual consumer-members and business members. It also provides financial knowledge resources on its website, including those covering financial education and business resources.

SDCCU has also partnered with money management expert George Chamberlin and cybersecurity expert Jim Stickley and allows members to tap into their expertise through online videos, webinars and recommended readings. In addition, the credit union’s community involvement and support of non-profit organizations make it a local staple.

SDCCU Lender Rating

SDCCU is a credit union providing home loan mortgages, home equity loans, and credit lines, auto loans, and personal loans, and serves residents across three counties in California, as well as Financial Fitness Association members. SDCCU is associated with the Financial Fitness Association, as has been voted the Best Credit Union for 19 consecutive years by the San Diego Union-Tribune readers poll.

The credit union has also been voted the Best Mortgage Home Lender and Best Financial Planner in the California area.

SDCCU has been a Better Business Bureau-accredited lender since 1995. Despite having 29 customer complaints filed with BBB – many of which revolve around unauthorized transactions and/or identity theft outside the credit union’s control – the SDCCU boasts an A+ rating. 

• Information collected on Feb. 12, 2019

SDCCU Mortgage Qualifications

Loan Type	Down Payment Requirement	Subordinate Financing	Jumbo Loan Available
Adjustable-Rate	10% minimum for conforming loans	No	Yes
Fixed-Rate	10% for conforming loans	Yes	Yes
No Closing Cost ARM	5-10% for conforming and jumbo loans	No	Yes

SDCCU’s qualifications are relatively straightforward and include a small down payment minimum and jumbo loan options on both adjustable and fixed-rate loan offerings.

Members, including those living or working in the San Diego, Riverside, and Orange counties, benefit from a 60-day rate lock-in period, and as little as 5 percent down, depending on the loan amount and term. Members can become pre-qualified and also apply for a loan through the credit union’s website.  

SDCCU Phone Number & Additional Details

• Homepage URL: https://www.sdccu.com/
• Company phone: 877-732-2848
• Headquarters address: 6545 Sequence Drive, San Diego, California, 92121

The post SDCCU Mortgage Review appeared first on Good Financial Cents®.

Source Good Financial Cents® https://ift.tt/33o1zNq