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الأربعاء، 5 أبريل 2017

18 SEO Tactics That Take Only 30 Minutes Each

I feel SEO has a reputation for being meticulous and painstaking.

And perhaps that’s true to a certain extent.

The initial phases of an SEO campaign can, in fact, be grueling.

There’s on-site SEO, off-site SEO, and—everyone’s favorite—technical SEO.

So, yeah, it can be kind of a pain.

But here’s the thing.

There is a multitude of “quick fix” SEO tactics that take hardly any time.

Many can be completed within 30 minutes.

Now, I’m not going to tell you that any specific technique will bring about massive results on its own.

But when done in conjunction with one another, they can have a significant impact and give your overall SEO campaign a nice boost.

So let’s get right down to it.

Here are 18 SEO tactics that will take you no longer than 30 minutes each.

1. Get set up on Google My Business

Local SEO is important, especially if you’re a brick-and-mortar business.

If you’ve been skimping on this aspect of SEO, you’ll want to spend a few minutes setting up an account on Google My Business.

This allows you to edit the info on your business, verify contact info, add images, monitor reviews, and more.

This can give you a huge advantage over competitors who fail to capitalize on this powerful resource.

2. Optimize your profile

Already have a profile on Google My Business?

Why not spend some time sprucing it up and making sure that everything is “just right?”

Here are a few specific things you can do:

Make sure all your business info is up-to-date
Add additional info such as hours, parking location, menu details, etc.
Choose specific categories (e.g., “fresh organic grocery store” instead of just “grocery store”)
Replace any amateurish looking images with newer, more professional ones
Encourage loyal customers to leave reviews

3. Get set up on Google Search Console

I love Google Search Console!

If you’re not using it, you’re leaving money on the table and not getting the most from your SEO campaign.

Here’s a screenshot explaining exactly what Google Search Console is:

Although there is a wide array of features, here are some specific things you can do to improve your SEO:

Check who’s linking to your site
Check index status
Monitor crawl errors
Manually submit new content to be crawled

I recommend reading this post from Quick Sprout to learn how to use Google Search Console like a boss.

4. Check your site’s speed

I’m sure you know just how critical site speed is.

Even a one-second delay can have an adverse impact.

If you’re not sure what your website’s speed is, you can check it with Pingdom’s Website Speed Test.

It only takes a few seconds, and it will provide you with details on what you can do to speed it up.

Here’s the info I got when I did a speed test for Quick Sprout:

5. Check your site’s mobile-friendliness

I think it’s safe to say that smartphones aren’t just a fad.

In fact, many experts labeled 2016 as “the tipping point” for mobile search, when it finally eclipsed desktop search.

Research found that the average American spent 87 hours browsing on their smartphone in August 2016.

If you haven’t done so already, take the time to run a mobile-friendly test.

This will let you know what shape your site is in and what steps you need to take (if any) to resolve any issues.

6. Improve URL structure

Here’s the scenario.

You’ve been blogging for awhile, maybe several years.

Back in the day, you didn’t pay all that much attention to the URL structure of your blog posts.

As a result, they look something like this:

http://ift.tt/2nLdHU1

It’s fair to say this isn’t going to do your SEO any favors, and it’s going to make it unnecessarily difficult for search engine robots to decipher the meaning of your content.

To make your site more SEO-friendly, go back and improve these URLs so they look more like this:

http://ift.tt/2oDX7ZX

7. Improve mediocre titles

I’ll be honest.

Coming up with epic titles for blog posts can be a little tricky at times.

Maybe in the past, you ended up settling for less than stellar titles.

A good way to make use of 30 minutes is to look over your posts to identify any titles that could use improvement.

One helpful resource for streamlining this process is Title-Generator.com.

Simply enter your main keywords, and it will generate 700 potential titles with one click.

Here’s what happened when I entered “content marketing:”

8. Study AdWords ads to optimize titles and tags

Here’s a little hack I learned from Brian Dean of Backlinko.

It’s simple but genius.

Enter a keyword in Google, and check out the ads that pop up.

Then look for awesome copy that you could potentially use for titles or tags.

Here’s the example Brian uses.

He searches for “glass water bottles” and comes up with these ads:

From there, he comes up with these phrases:

BPA-free
Keep you hydrated
Durable
Reusable

So, why is this so smart? Just think about it.

The phrases used in ads like these are the result of extensive A/B testing, so you know they get clicks and conversions.

You can save yourself an immense amount of time and energy by incorporating the phrases you find in ads.

9. Find dead links

Dead or broken links can be a real buzzkill.

Not only can they be disruptive to your website’s visitors, but they also won’t do your SEO any favors.

But you can quickly identify any of these links with the Online Broken Link Checker:

Just type in your site’s URL, and it’ll do the work for you in seconds.

Then go back, and make any necessary repairs.

10. Do some internal linking

In an article on NeilPatel.com, I mention that I wrote a blog post every day for five years and amassed hundreds of posts.

But I made one major mistake. I never linked to any of my relevant articles!

Fortunately, I eventually figured out that I could greatly improve my SEO by simply linking new articles to relevant older ones.

If you made the same mistake with your older content that I did with mine, I highly recommend taking a bit of time to set up some internal links.

Even a 30-minute session should leave your SEO in much better shape than before.

You can learn more about this process by reading this article.

11. Find link opportunities on Alltop

If you’re unfamiliar with Alltop, it’s basically a blog directory where you can find some of the world’s best content in one convenient location.

Here’s what pops up when I enter “content marketing:”

Not bad, huh?

What you want to do is spend some time looking for potential link prospects.

Search for relevant blogs in your industry to see if there are any bloggers with whom you could build relationships.

12. Find link opportunities on BuzzSumo

You can use the same process with BuzzSumo.

Just enter your search phrase, and you’ll get a list of results.

Here’s what I get with “content marketing:”

From there, click on “View Sharers” on any articles that interest you.

You’ll then see a list of people who shared that article.

These can all be potential people with whom you may want to form relationships, which could eventually translate into link-building/guest-blogging opportunities.

13. Give your lower-ranking pages a boost

I’m sure you know that having content ranking below the first page of SERPs is essentially worthless.

Here’s what I mean:

If a post is ranked say #42, it might as well be ranked #20,000,000.

Here is how to improve that.

Identify a few of your posts ranked on the second or third pages of Google.

These have obviously gained some level of traction but need a little boost to get onto page one.

To get that boost, set up some internal links pointing to them.

Sometimes, that’s all it takes to get them “over the hump” and onto prime search engine real estate.

14. Target two leading industry blogs

This might be an old school tactic, but it can still prove to be quite fruitful.

It involves finding two A+ industry blogs you were previously unaware of.

Once you find them, leave a couple of awesome comments with a link pointing back to your site.

On top of this, I recommend subscribing and following some of their best writers on Twitter with the hopes of eventually building relationships.

15. Claim your Bing listing

I feel a lot of marketers totally discount Bing.

And I get it.

It’s like comparing David to Goliath in terms of search engine market share.

But pump the brakes.

Bing still receives a decent percent of overall searches.

In fact, a 2016 article from Search Engine Journal reported:

Bing’s share of the search market grew more than Google’s this past April. To be exact, Bing’s market share rose by 0.2 percent while Google’s dropped by 0.2 percent.

Google’s total share of the US desktop search market has dipped below its previous 64 percent to 63.8 percent. Microsoft’s share of desktop search is now sitting at 21.6 percent.

Will Bing be overthrowing Google any time soon? Probably not.

But there’s still SEO juice to be had by claiming your Bing listing.

This can be especially helpful if you’re a local brick-and-mortar business.

16. Write comprehensive descriptions for videos

Do you post any videos on your website?

If so, you may be missing out on a golden opportunity.

What I mean is that you’re probably failing to extract all the SEO potential from your videos.

And this all boils down to descriptions.

Rather than writing a brief description like this:

Brian Dean recommends leaving a 200+ word description like this:

Not only will this help you improve your ranking in YouTube, but it can also improve your ranking in SERPs.

And it really doesn’t take that long.

17. Turn a standard post into a long-form post

I’m not going to insult your intelligence by stating the obvious fact that long-form content ranks better than, say, a typical 500-word post.

You already know that.

But here’s a nice little trick you can do with thin content.

Look for a shorter post, under 1,000 words, that’s pretty good but never lived up to its full potential.

Then spend 30 minutes “beefing it up” by adding more content, charts, graphs, visuals, etc. until it’s bona fide long-form content.

For more on this, check out this post from NeilPatel.com.

18. Spy on competitors

Finally, it’s time to tap into your inner James Bond.

By this, I mean “spying” on a few of your key competitors.

Just go to SEMrush and type in their URL.

Within seconds, you can find info on their:

Top organic keywords
Organic position distribution
Backlinks
Top anchors
Indexed pages

This will provide you with valuable intel that can guide your SEO campaign and enable you to be more effective.

Conclusion

SEO doesn’t have to be back-breaking, mind-numbing work.

In fact, there is a plethora of smaller SEO tasks you can easily complete in 30 minutes.

The ones I’ve outlined in this article will help you step up your SEO without an insane amount of effort.

And when you do several (five or more), it can potentially lead to a major breakthrough.

Do you have any other quick and easy SEO tactics up your sleeve?

Source Quick Sprout http://ift.tt/2nLbyaX

Amazon to Refund $70M to Parents Whose Kids Made Unauthorized Purchases

Here’s a move that’s straight out of the Overwhelmed Parent 101 playbook. Your kid is having a fit. A full-blown tantrum. You don’t have time for this. You hand your unruly child a tablet to play with. Problem solved — at least in the short term.

Hey, I’m not criticizing. I’ve done this way too many times myself.

Your tablet will come back smudged with fingerprints — and possibly loaded up with in-app purchases that your click-happy kid agreed to.

Now, Amazon has agreed to refund up to $70 million worth of in-app purchases children made without their parents’ consent.

That’s right, Junior! I’m getting back all that cash you spent on upgrades for Tiny Monsters on my Kindle Fire!

Last year, a federal court found that Amazon had billed consumers for unauthorized in-app charges incurred by children using mobile apps, such as online games downloaded through Amazon’s app store.

The court found that Amazon didn’t clearly inform parents that free apps could include in-app purchases, and it didn’t provide enough notice or password requirements to prevent kids’ unapproved purchases.

Amazon initially appealed the ruling, but it has now dropped the appeal, paving the way for the refunds to start.

Details on the refund program will be announced “shortly,” according to the Federal Trade Commission. If Amazon charged you for an in-app purchase your kids made between 2011 and 2016, you could be eligible for a refund.

It’s unclear exactly how Amazon will reimburse customers. The courts rejected its request to issue refunds via gift cards, so it’s expected to issue refunds directly to customers’ debit or credit cards, or with checks.

In a similar case from 2014, Apple emailed and sent postcards to every customer who might have been affected. Apple issued refunds to 37,000 customers.

If you think you might be in line for a refund, be on the lookout for a message from Amazon.

Apple and Google Have Run Into the Same Problem

“This case demonstrates what should be a bedrock principle for all companies — you must get customers’ consent before you charge them,” said Thomas B. Pahl, acting director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “Consumers affected by Amazon’s practices can now be compensated for charges they didn’t expect or authorize.”

Amazon isn’t the only app provider to get hit with a case like this.

In 2014, Apple and Google settled similar cases with the FTC over unauthorized in-app purchases for $32.5 million and $19 million, respectively.

Amazon’s app store comes pre-installed on some Kindle tablets and Android device owners can download it.

Parents complained that it was too easy for their kids to make digital purchases on Amazon apps without permission.

At first, Amazon didn’t warn customers about the existence of in-app purchases at all. Eventually, it presented smaller notices and occasionally required a password, but the FTC said that wasn’t enough. Later, Amazon started presenting a pop-up requiring authorization when making an in-app purchase, satisfying the FTC’s authorization requirements.

Your Turn: Have your kids ever made in-app purchases without your permission?

Mike Brassfield (mike@thepennyhoarder.com) is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder. His two children LOVE in-app purchases.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, one of the largest personal finance websites. We help millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. In 2016, Inc. 500 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the No. 1 fastest-growing private media company in the U.S.

source The Penny Hoarder http://ift.tt/2nFpnqP

Want to Feel Like You Hit the Jackpot? You May Want to Hit the Hay Instead

Before I had a kid — and was required to wake up at the crack of dawn — sleeping was one of my favorite hobbies.

Wait — sleeping doesn’t count as a hobby? Well, I loved it and practiced it as often as I could.

Now some might say sleeping takes away from productivity, which in turn takes away from opportunities to put more money in your pocket.

But this new study backs up my claims that sleep equals life.

The Rich Benefits of Sleep

Researchers from the University of Warwick studied more than 30,000 adults over four years and found that those who got better sleep experienced long-term benefits equivalent to the mental and physical health benefits of winning a lottery jackpot of about €200,000 — or $213,350.

Study participants completed a questionnaire used by mental health professionals to gauge psychological well-being, both at the beginning and the end of the four-year span.

Those who improved their quality and quantity of sleep and used less sleep medication increased their scores so they were comparable to lottery winners who were tested two years after a medium-sized lottery win.

They also scored similarly to patients who took an eight-week mindfulness-based cognitive therapy program.

It’s Not All In Your Head

Well-rested study participants also got better scores on a survey that tested physical and emotional health and the ability to perform everyday tasks.

Conversely, those who reported declines in sleep quality and quantity and who took more sleep medication over the course of four years showed worsened physical and mental outcomes.

Bottom line: Sleep makes you feel good inside and out.

“It is refreshing to see the healing potential of sleep outside of clinical trial settings, as this goes to show that the benefits of better sleep are accessible to everyone and not reserved for those with extremely bad sleep requiring intensive treatments,” Nicole Tang, one of the study’s co-authors, said in a university press release.

While the study wasn’t designed to show a definitive cause-and-effect relationship between better sleep and overall well-being, Tang said it showed a positive link between the two when considering long-term effects.

Another interesting takeaway: The study also found that quality of sleep is more important than quantity. Changes in sleep quality had the biggest impact on well-being, followed by changes in the use of sleep meds and lastly by changes in the amount of time asleep.

Tang said the next step is to see what lifestyle factors and activities contribute to better sleep.

Not Sleeping Well? Here’s How to Get Better Sleep

The National Sleep Foundation recommends adults get seven to nine hours of sleep each night.

To ensure you get a good night’s rest, the foundation offers the following tips:

Stick to a sleep schedule

Establish a relaxing bedtime ritual

Avoid afternoon naps

Exercise daily

Make your sleep environment ideal by keeping it cool, dark and quiet

Choose a comfortable mattress and pillows

Watch your alcohol and caffeine intake in the evenings

Turn off electronics before bed

Get More Zzzzs

If you’re looking for ways to sneak extra sleep time into your day, you may consider reducing your commute. The less time on the road, the more time in your bed.

You could scrap the commute totally and work from home, though you should make sure to set boundaries when work and home intersect.

Incorporating mindfulness into your day may help keep work stress at bay and calm your mind so you can enjoy a restful evening.

The only thing better is if you could get paid to sleep, like this woman or employees at this company.

Your Turn: Would you rather get more sleep or win the lottery?

Nicole Dow is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She thinks sleep is wonderful, but a $200,000 lottery jackpot might be better.

Amazon Will Stream Thursday Night Football. Will You Finally Cut the Cord?

If you’re still holding on to your cable subscription because of that last lingering thread (i.e., to watch live programs), it might finally be time to cut the cord.

Until now, one of the main reasons people have stayed locked into their cable subscriptions could be summed up in one word: sports.

Due to their devotion to pigskins, hockey pucks, baseballs and more, sports fanatics have refused to let go of their expensive cable bills. But Amazon just changed the game when it comes to how people can watch live games.

Amazon Prime Users Can Now Watch Live NFL Thursday Night Football

Amazon will broadcast 10 Thursday night games in the upcoming football season to its Prime members only.

It’s kinda a big deal. OK, a huge deal.

To put it in perspective, ESPN, a household name closely tied to the world of sports, doesn’t even regularly broadcast NFL games because of how incredibly expensive it is. In 2011, the NFL signed a television rights deal with Fox, NBC and CBS for $28 billion over nine years, just so the networks could broadcast the games — that doesn’t even include the cost of producing them.

There’s no official number for how much the online retail giant shelled out for the right to stream these games, but some publications, including The Wall Street Journal, are reporting around $50 million, according to “people familiar with the matter.” That’s five times higher than Twitter paid to stream games in 2016.

Sure, $50 million may sounds like chump change compared to the combined $28 billion networks paid, but what this deal really means is that Amazon is slowly but surely starting to compete with network television.

As reported by Yahoo! Finance, Amazon beat out Twitter, Facebook and YouTube for broadcasting rights.

Amazon’s purchase is a milestone in the push for it to become the preferred choice for consumer entertainment. For $99 a year, Amazon Prime members get free two-day shipping, music streaming, on-demand shows and movies — and now, sports.

CBS and NBC will also air the 10 Thursday night football games Amazon will broadcast, but who knows — if Amazon outperforms them, we may all be telling Alexa to “turn on the big game” in the near future.

Your Turn: Will you watch NFL games on Amazon?

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

Term, Universal or Whole Life Insurance: Which is the Best Option for You?

Let’s face it. Buying life insurance is not as exciting as, say, jet skiing or line dancing or nightclubbing or whatever else you could be doing with your time.

It’s not even as fun as binge-watching a show on Netflix.

But if you’re going to start adulting, it’s time to think about life insurance. The first problem you’ll run into? The subject is so intimidating.

Almost immediately, you’ll find yourself bombarded with unfamiliar jargon like “term life,” “cash value,” “universal life,” “death benefit,” “whole life,” “annual renewable term,” and on and on and on.

It’s enough to make you shake your head and walk away.

But don’t walk away. Instead, check out our easy-to-understand guide on how to make one of the biggest decision you’ll be faced with:

Should you get term or universal life insurance?

What is Term Life Insurance?

Term life insurance is exactly what it sounds like. You’re buying life insurance for a specific “term” or period of time — typically 10, 15, 20 or 30 years.

This is the simplest, cheapest and most popular kind of life insurance policy.

Let’s say you’re a 30-year-old woman and sign up for a 20-year term, $500,000 life insurance policy. That could cost you as little as $17.25 per month.

If you die before you’re 50, the policy pays your family a “death benefit” of $500,000 to make up for your lost income.

If you stay alive that long — congratulations! — you’ll pay relatively affordable premiums for 20 years until the policy expires. Then you get nothing, but hey, you’re alive.

If you want to continue the coverage beyond that, you’ll have to pay an adjusted, and higher premium because you’re way older now, and closer to death. Cheers!

What is Universal Life Insurance?

Universal life insurance is a whole different ball of wax.

The downside is it’s more complicated and more expensive. The upside? It’s more permanent and more flexible.

Universal is a kind of “permanent insurance.” It’s sort of a hybrid between a life insurance policy and a savings account.

A universal policy has a cash value that builds up as long as you keep paying premiums. Some of the money from your premiums gets funnelled into a tax-deferred savings account, which you can borrow against as it grows.

Instead of paying the same fixed premium every month, you can pay as much as you like — as long as you meet a minimum level.

One benefit to all this is your family will definitely receive some money when you die, as long as you keep paying those premiums. Under no circumstances do they get nothing.

Sounds good, doesn’t it? However, you should know that universal is way, way more expensive than term life insurance.

“Both term and permanent insurance are designed to fulfill different needs,” says Rick Peereboom, a veteran financial advisor at Investors Group Financial Services in British Columbia. “I refer to term insurance as ‘If you die’ and permanent as ‘When you die.’”

We’ll go over the pros and cons of each option.

But first, a word about why you should look into life insurance in the first place.

It’s Not For You. It’s For Your Family.

At its core, life insurance is about taking care of your loved ones, protecting them, and making sure they’ll be okay if you unexpectedly leave them behind.

Fair warning: Once you start the process of getting life insurance, you might stall because the whole thing seems like such a pain. You figure it’ll take weeks to get approved, and will require stacks of paperwork and signatures.

That’s the stereotype, but it’s actually a lot simpler these days.

Companies like Haven Life, for example, offer more streamlined ways to get life insurance.

Unlike traditional life insurance providers, these online-only platforms provide instant decisions on applications for coverage. Some qualified, healthy applicants up to the age of 45 may even get to skip the medical exam most providers require.

In the old model, companies would require you to work with an insurance agent and scan and fax documents to them. Then, you’d potentially have to wait weeks to hear back on whether or not you’re approved.

Term Life vs. Universal Life Insurance

So, should you go with term or universal life insurance? Let’s ask some industry veterans.

“Anyone who can perform simple arithmetic will quickly discover that term is always the best choice,” asserts Paul Ruedi, CEO of Ruedi Wealth Management in Champaign, Ill.

Wow! That’s a bold take!

Now, most advisors won’t state it that definitively.

But it’s true that if you’re an Ordinary Joe or Jane, most experts are going to advise you to choose term life insurance instead of universal.

“It’s always best to sit down with an agent to discuss your specific needs,” says Clifton Smith, an insurance agent with Farm Bureau Insurance of Tennessee. “But if you can’t, use the old adage: Term policies are best for people with jobs. Permanent policies are best for people in diapers (children and seniors).”

That’s because, Smith explains, these two kinds of policies really are designed for different purposes.

If you die before your time, term life insurance is good for paying off your mortgage and car loans, for replacing your income, or for sending your kids to college. It could make it possible for your partner to keep living in the same home and raising your children with the same quality of life.

Universal life is for “forever coverage” — final expenses, estate taxes, or leaving money to your children.

“While universal life does have cash value, it should never be viewed as an investment,” Smith says. “It’s more of a rainy day savings fund if all other avenues have been exhausted.”

In choosing which kind of life insurance makes the most sense for you, it’s important to think about what you’re trying to accomplish, says Kerri Moriarty, head of development at Boston financial tech startup Cinch Financial.

For many, term insurance is enough because you just want to make sure your family can continue their lifestyle in the event of your death. And you can build up a legacy for your children in more efficient ways than universal life insurance — possibly through real estate, investments or retirement accounts.

Here’s Moriarty on term insurance:

“Since term insurance is only designed to last for a period of time, it’s way way cheaper than universal life insurance. It’s a little creepy to think about, but the reason term insurance is so cheap is because it’s highly likely that you won’t die during the term, so the insurance company won’t have to pay the death benefit to your beneficiaries.

“Basically, you’ll end up paying the insurance company your monthly premium over those 20 years and you’ll never end up seeing a tangible benefit — but that’s a good thing.

“It means you’re not dead and you had the peace of mind that your loved ones were protected over that 20-year time frame.”

The Pros and Cons of Universal Life Insurance

Now, if you’re dead set (pun intended) on having your family receive a financial benefit when you pass away, you might want to consider universal life insurance.

But you should know when it comes to insurance, universal life insurance is much more expensive.

This is because the insurance company knows there’s a 100% chance that it’ll pay out that death benefit to your heirs when you die — whether it happens tomorrow or 40 years from now.

How much more expensive?

“A healthy 30-year-old man could expect to pay approximately $300 a year for $300,000 of term life insurance,” says personal finance website The Balance. “To receive the same amount of coverage under a cash value policy would cost over $3,000.”

Financial advisers say there are more efficient ways to sock away money for your survivors.

“Don’t be sold on permanent insurance for the investment or cash-value feature,” advises personal finance website Investopedia. “For the first two-to-10 years, your premiums are paying the agent’s commission anyway. Most policies don’t start to build respectable cash value until their 12th year, so ask yourself if the feature is really worth it.”

Who buys universal life?

Generally, it’s wealthy people who start families later in life and who want the tax advantages that come with the tax-deferred savings.

Others might want the flexibility it affords: You can make higher premium payments when you’re flush with cash, or pay less when money is tight.

A Third Option: Whole Life Insurance

Just to make matters more complicated, there’s actually a third option to consider.

It’s called “whole life insurance.”

Similar to term life, “whole life” is exactly what it sounds like: It’s meant to insure you for your whole life.

It’s like universal life insurance, except it has fixed premiums and a fixed death benefit. You pay the same every month, and your family gets the same amount of money, no matter when you die.

The advantage: There are no surprises. You know exactly what you’re paying and exactly what you’re getting.

The disadvantage: It’s even more expensive than universal life.

“The difference between universal and whole life often comes down to questions about the policy’s guarantees and flexibility,” explains Neil Godsey, managing director at Los Angeles-based Miracle Mile Advisors.

“Typically, whole life policies offer stronger guarantees in that if premiums are paid in full and on time, the death benefit is guaranteed to be paid at death and a certain minimum cash value is guaranteed to accumulate over time.”

Why Doing Your Homework is So Important

For further research, Allstate offers an online calculator titled “Term vs. Universal Life Insurance: Which Is Better for Me?”

If you have further questions, get yourself some professional advice. One size doesn’t fit all, and everyone’s finances are different.

Consult an independent insurance agent who isn’t fixed on selling you a particular product and who can analyze which option is best for you.

“Asking ‘Term Life or Universal Life’ is only the beginning. There are a plethora of questions to be answered by the consumer before the answer to this question becomes apparent,” says Steven Schwartz, vice president of HUB International Northeast, an insurance brokerage in New York.

He added that an insurance agent should never sell you either kind of policy without first knowing a lot about your financial situation — “similar to allowing a surgeon to operate on you having never asked you any medical history, drug allergies or all other related questions.”

Your turn: Do you have life insurance?

Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links. We’re letting you know because it’s what Honest Abe would do. After all, he is on our favorite coin.

Mike Brassfield (mike@thepennyhoarder.com) is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder. As the title implies, he’s not getting any younger.

CLOSING BELL: Early rally fades away on Wall Street

Banks lead stocks lower late in trading, and minutes from the Fed's latest meeting indicated it could start reducing its bond holdings.

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Not a NASCAR Fan? This Free Little Caesars Deal Could Win You Over

The stakes just got a whole lot higher for NASCAR driver Chase Elliott.

As if the pressure of pushing himself and his No. 24 Chevrolet SS to the limit wasn’t enough, he now has another reason to win his next NASCAR Cup Series race, and it’s greater than us all. Free pizza!

If Elliott wins on April 23, in Bristol, Tennessee, Little Caesars locations will sponsor lunch for all of America.

There is a Such Thing as a Free Lunch

Assuming Elliott, who has won one race out of seven so far in 2017, wins on April 23, the free lunch day at Little Caesars will take place Wednesday, April 26.

Customers at participating stores will get a free Little Caesars Hot-N-Ready Lunch Combo, which normally costs $5, between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. local time. This combo includes an individual-size Detroit-style deep-dish pizza (four slices) and a 20-ounce Pepsi product.

If Elliott pulls off a win, all you will have to do to get your free meal is mention the deal to the employee at Little Caesars — no purchase necessary. There is one catch, though: Little Caesars will limit the deal to one lunch combo per family.

Your Turn: Will you be rooting for Chase Elliott on April 23?

Desiree Stennett (@desi_stennett) is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She will take free pizza whenever it’s available.

Betterment Review: Make Investing Automatic

OPENING BELL: US stocks surge early after strong private payroll report

U.S. stocks are jumping Wednesday morning after a survey of private businesses showed that hiring was very strong last month.

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How Important Is It to Have Multiple Streams of Income?

Last week, I posted an article about how busy people can build new income streams, and a reader sent in a great follow-up message that I wanted to address in detail. Here’s (most of) that message:

“I’ve been thinking about this more and more and my current hypothesis is that whether you should commit to multiple income streams or not depends on probability and your personal circumstances.

“After thinking about this some more, people who meet the following characteristics probably don’t need multiple income streams.
– already financially independent (3% SWR) and working full-time
– lives in a place where unemployment rate is 6% (which means 94% people have job and it would be easy to find something else if you lose your job)
– spouse works full-time
– job requires security clearance; which means high barrier to entry and high demand for people who have the clearance

“Please let me know your thoughts.”

In a nutshell, I think that the only situation where a new income stream might not be a great idea is if you’re already strongly financially independent and want to use your time in ways that don’t generate revenue, like volunteering or working on personal growth projects. That’s not to say that people who are not financially independent should avoid such things, but that there is an underlying financial pressure for them to look at income-producing side projects.

Here’s my reasoning behind that.

First of all, the end goal for most people in terms of their lifelong financial journey is some level of financial independence. That’s effectively what retirement is, after all; it’s a stage in your life where your previous activities have earned you enough money (and/or enough Social Security credits) so that you can live out your life without the need to continue to work for more money. My parents have reached this state, for example. My view is that if you’re short of that goal of financial independence, there is at least some financial pressure to do things that will earn you more money.

The thing to keep in mind is that there are essentially three ways that people use additional income.

A person might use additional income to directly or indirectly save for retirement. This ensures that either you’ll be able to retire earlier or be able to retire with a larger annual living stipend. (Note, of course, that when I say “retire,” I simply mean that you no longer have income as a primary motivation for working; I don’t mean a life of idleness, though that is one option.) A person might not directly save for retirement and yet still achieve this by doing things like buying a needed replacement car without a loan while bumping up one’s 401(k) withdrawals at work, or by investing in themselves to increase their earning potential; I’d argue that this is indirectly a form of retirement savings because if their income increases, they can use that money to directly save for retirement. Things like an emergency fund, insurance, and other financial protection tools also fall under this umbrella, as they protect your life’s savings from life’s unknowns.

On the other hand, a person might use additional income to inflate their current lifestyle. That means a higher standard of living, but that also means that sustaining that new standard of living will require a larger annual living stipend in retirement. This effectively delays retirement or else means that retirement requires a bigger drop-off in terms of standard of living.

A person might also use additional money for helping others through charitable giving, political donations, or other means. There are many, many ways in which this can happen, including making choices such as switching to part-time work so you can devote personal time to charity. Some people launch side gigs that are wholly devoted to generating revenue for a particular charity.

No matter what the realities of your life might be, additional income contributes to one of those three paths. However, once your savings grows beyond what is needed for financial independence, that path becomes less and less incentivized (unless you have hoarding tendencies, I suppose), which is why many wealthy people tend to eventually give away their money (Warren Buffett) or significantly inflate their lifestyle (Donald Trump).

Given all of that, I would argue that creating additional streams of income is useful for anyone who hasn’t yet achieved financial independence. However, simply saving for financial independence isn’t the only reason why developing additional streams of income is worthwhile.

It enables other life goals. Life isn’t all about the money. A person might decide that their current lucrative career isn’t something they want to continue devoting their life to, so they may want to change careers. Having an additional income stream or two already in place makes that transition much easier because it likely involves sacrificing a much lower percentage of one’s annual income. A person might even transition to working on one of those side income streams on a full time basis.

It offers creative outlets and other life outlets. For many people, a side gig is a way to express their creative side in a way that isn’t available in the workplace. For others, it might encourage them to do things that they want as part of their life, such as a person who works in an office who has a lawn care business on the side because they want more time outdoors moving around.

It offers the chance to make new connections with people. Operating a side gig is almost always going to put you in new communities and help you build new connections with people. Some of those connections may end up changing your life in ways that you never expect – new friends, new business partners, and so on.

In the end, I don’t feel that the relative security of one’s life is a reason to say no to a side gig. A side gig serves as insurance against things that might create challenges outside of your career path. It offers the potential for creative and other outlets you might not have in life. It offers new connections to people. It does all of that while potentially building your income and bringing you closer to early retirement.

I’m a huge proponent of side gigs, in other words, because I feel that the benefits of side gigs go far beyond the income you might earn. Side gigs offer life benefits that might simply not exist in your life without them.

Most of the things that the reader mentions above are very effective career safeguards. Low unemployment, a spouse that works full time, and a career that has a bunch of specialized requirements that you already meet – all of those things provide very nice career security. However, career security alone doesn’t address many of the key benefits of having a side gig. Career security is useful, don’t get me wrong, but side gigs offer a ton of benefits that aren’t conveyed by career security alone.

So, here’s the take home message: don’t let career security convince you that there’s no benefit to you having a side gig. A side gig can provide a creative outlet for you that might not exist at work. It can help you build new relationships and connections. It can make other life goals possible and help you deal with unexpected events from outside of your career. It can also help accelerate you toward an early retirement, too. I consider all of those things to be incredible benefits from having a side gig that remain true no matter how much career security you happen to have.

Good luck!

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Would Laser Hair Removal Really Save You Money? We Did the Math

Sometimes I let my body hair grow freely — usually when I’m single or in the depths of a brutal winter.

I don’t do it because I love the way the tiny hairs prickle against my sheets and my clothes. Nor is it because I like when the stubs glisten in the sunlight.

I let it grow because shaving costs me so much money and time.

I’ve sought out alternative solutions. I considered waxing, but both times I had my brows done resulted in a nasty reaction due to my sensitive skin. No thanks.

I also tried Nair, but I accidentally removed a strip of arm hair. Plus, anything that smells that bad — and kind of burns — should probably not be soaking into my skin.

Then I wondered about a longer-term solution. It isn’t cheap, but is laser hair removal worth it?

How Much Money and Time I Spend Shaving Each Year

I use Gillette Venus Spa razors, which are more expensive than the average razor, but which don’t require shaving cream. These cost me about $100 a year — including a box of Band-Aids, to be safe.

In terms of time? I shave about three times a week, and it adds about four extra minutes to my showers. That’s 12 minutes a week or more than 10 hours a year.

My legs are the real time-suckers, but my underarms and bikini area also contribute to that $100 and 10 hours a year.

So would laser hair removal be a valid solution to my angst?

Is Laser Hair Removal Worth It? A Part-by-Part Breakdown

When I considered laser hair removal, my immediate thought was, “Will hairy body parts ever become trendy?”

I assumed no — plus I find it uncomfortable — so I moved on. I decided to tackle a cost-benefit analysis by body part.

Let’s dive into this prickly situation.

Legs

As I explained above, I’d save a fair amount of time and money by not having to shave my legs.

Of course, prices vary by your location, the size of the area to be lasered (I’ve got long legs) and the number of treatments required.

On average, each session costs $289, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

I looked into a salon in Tampa, Florida, that a friend recommended. There, I could get a “large” (in terms of surface area), six-session package for $845 — or a single session for $169.

It takes about three to seven sessions to permanently eliminate the hair, according to WebMD, so I’d opt for the package.

WebMD says laser hair removal on larger areas can take up to one hour, so the whole ordeal will take about six hours.

However, I also have to consider driving to the salon, which is about 30 minutes away from my home, six times. In total, let’s say the process will take about 12 hours, not considering traffic and time in the waiting room.

Since I spend close to $100 a year on shaving supplies, it’d take about eight and a half years to pay off the laser treatment — that’s if I only need six sessions.

That’s great, but forking out $845 right now versus $20 and change for a box of six razors isn’t exactly appealing.

And I’ve only considered my legs, so I’d still have to maintain other areas. Although I wouldn’t fly through razors as quickly, I’d still have to buy them.

Underarms

Shaving my armpits takes hardly any time and doesn’t use up as many supplies, but getting their hair lasered off holds a certain appeal.

My skin there is so sensitive. Each time I run a razor over it, I feel razor bumps forming. Dramatic? Maybe. Accurate? Pretty much.

I also feel like it’s impossible to get a close, clean shave. Underarms are just such awkward crevices.

My co-worker Kelsey Buxton got laser hair removal for her underarms last year. She says she has really dark hair, and, even though she shaved every day, she still had a dark shadow. “I was just insecure about it,” she says. “Especially living in Florida.”

She spent more than $1,000 for eight treatments, but says she doesn’t regret it for one second.

At the Tampa salon I mentioned, underarms are considered a “medium” body part, which costs $495 for six treatments. That’s only $350 less than legs, but if razor bumps became too painful or obscene, I’d consider going for it.

Bikini Area

The bikini area is another pesky spot, especially in the summer. I’d consider getting laser hair removal here if I had dark, unruly hair.

This particular Tampa salon lasers two inches out from the bikini area. It’s considered a medium body part, which costs the same as armpits — $495 for six sessions.

Some women choose to use razors, but many get waxed or invest in fancy tools to maintain this area. A bikini wax at my local salon costs $33 plus tip. (I’m too chicken, though; I stick to shaving.)

Waxing lasts three to six weeks, according to Pop Sugar. Let’s assume you need one a month; that equals nearly $400 a year — tips not included.

At that rate, if you opt to wax, you’d get your money’s worth of laser hair treatments in about 15 months.

Upper Lip

I don’t have to worry about this, but I know many women who do. Solutions? Bleaching, waxing, shaving, hair dissolving (Nair) and tweezing (ow!).

Your upper lip is likely the cheapest body part to handle — at the same laser hair removal clinic, this “small area” would cost $325 for six treatments.

My editor let me prod into her personal life; she told me she spends about $85 a year on waxing.

If she opted for laser hair removal, she’d end up paying that off in just under four years.

More Laser Hair Removal Considerations

Here’s something I didn’t know: Laser hair removal is limited to certain hair colors.

When I asked a family friend about her experience with laser hair removal on her upper lip, underarm and bikini area, she recommended it but said not if you have gray, blonde or red hair.

Why not?

Ideal Image, a national laser hair removal specialist salon, explains on its website:

The light emitted from the laser is attracted to the melanin, or dark pigment, in the hair follicle. This means that dark hair is treated most effectively. Treatments performed on red, blonde, and gray hair are not generally as effective.

My family friend echoed this. She said she didn’t realize she had some gray hairs, so those didn’t completely disappear.

After inspecting my own hairs, I realized some are dark, but many mimic my strawberry blonde mane. I’d be hesitant to throw down tons of money on something that might not work.

I’m also a wimp, so I made sure to ask about pain. My family friend said her technician described the sensation as a rubber band snap.

Her response? “It’s a pretty good snap” — though a “wonderful invention.”

Is Laser Hair Removal Worth It?

I’d enjoy not having to tango with leg hair every couple of days and hiking up my grocery bills with razor cartridges.

But, like I said, it’d take more than eight years to pay off the laser treatment. That’s a long time — and a big one-time fee.

And I’d still need to buy razors to shave my underarms and bikini area, though I wouldn’t go through them as quickly.

Plus, I have those tricky blonde hairs, so I’d want to make sure the treatment would actually be effective.

Time would be my biggest motivator. I hate showering. When I have a chock-full schedule, showering — especially when I need to shave — just soaks up time.

So would I get laser hair removal? For me, right now, it’s not worth it. If I needed to attend to my hair daily or if my upper lip hair started bugging me, I’d consider it.

Overall, it’s quite a hairy decision, but, in the end, I vote no; laser hair removal is not worth it for me.

Your Turn: What about you? Would you consider laser hair removal to save money and time?

Carson Kohler (@CarsonKohler) is a junior writer at The Penny Hoarder. She hates shaving her legs almost as much as she hates roaches.

'Urgent action needed to protect leaseholders from sharp practices'

Hannah Nemeth

british-houses.jpg

Around 1.577 million leaseholders don’t legally own their homes, according to a new report into the abuse of the leasehold system in England and Wales.

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NatWest cuts cashback and adds restrictions to Reward current account

Adam Williams

natwest_0.jpg

NatWest is to cut the cashback paid to its 1.7 million Reward current account holders, as well as introducing restrictions for new customers

NatWest is to cut the cashback paid to its 1.7 million Reward current account holders, as well as introducing restrictions for new customers.

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Five Salary Negotiation Tips for People Who Hate Talking About Money

Not negotiating salary when you accept a job offer can cost you up to $1 million over the course of your career. Still, many workers hesitate to ask for more money, either when they negotiate a new offer or at review time once they’re on the job. In fact, 57% of workers have never asked for a raise in their current field, according to PayScale.

Why don’t more people ask for raises? In most cases, it comes down to fear. Seriously: 28% say that discomfort talking about salary is the reason they haven’t asked for a raise, and 8% say they’re afraid they’ll actually be fired. So if fear is holding you back, the upside is that you’re in good company.

Still, you’d probably rather have that million bucks than a lot of new friends with the same fears. Here’s how to overcome your discomfort and get the salary you deserve:

1. Give yourself a reality check.

We’ve all read stories about job seekers who lost an offer because they tried to ask for a (perfectly reasonable) bump in pay. But it’s important to know that most hiring managers won’t pull an offer based on a candidate attempting to negotiate. In fact, they probably expect you bargain a bit, and build that expectation into their offer.

The other thing to keep in mind is that if you don’t ask, you won’t get – and if you do, you probably will. PayScale’s data show that 75% of people who ask for more money get some kind of a raise.

2. Make sure your expectations are reasonable.

Before you go into any negotiation, you need to determine your asking salary range. The lower number is crucial: Many employers will start their negotiations with that, which means that you better be happy with it (or you’ll be unhappy about the job before you even take it).

Even if you’re already working for the company, and just angling for a better raise, you should have a number in mind. But regardless of the exact situation, it’s important for you to have accurate information about appropriate compensation for your job title, skills, experience, and location.

Too many people get their numbers from friends and colleagues, not realizing that they’re not necessarily getting the whole picture. People have been known to exaggerate, for one thing. Even if they’re scrupulously honest, it’s pretty rare for two people to have the exact same CV. Your former coworker might have an additional certification that you overlooked. Then again, you might have two more years of experience in the field.

The best approach is to set your price based on data, not watercooler chatter. There are several sources online that can provide you with appropriate salary ranges for your specific situation (not someone else’s).

3. Ask the right way.

Remember those stories we talked about earlier, where someone asks for a bigger starting salary and gets the boot instead? Some of those are probably the result of an unreasonable hiring manager, but others are because candidates asked in a way that was inappropriate – or at least, not the way things are done in their field.

For example, a few years ago, a candidate for a teaching position at a college lost her job offer after asking for what this academic blogger termed “the usual deal sweeteners.” At the time, there was a fair amount of debate about whether the candidate lost the job because of a) sexism, b) a bad fit with the hiring college, or c) a misunderstanding of academic culture. There’s really no way to tell; however, it’s worth noting that it’s important to understand the corporate culture you’re operating in before you ask for more money or perks.

Beyond that, it’s important to ask respectfully and to build your case on data, not emotions. (Sadly, this is especially true if you’re female, and therefore more likely to be seen as emotional even when you’re being anything but.)

Finally, remember that it’s not about what you need, it’s about what you deserve – or at least, what you can convince them to pay you. If your landlord raises the rent, that stinks, but it doesn’t obligate your employer to pay you more; leave your own expenses out of it.

4. Write a script.

Sound silly? Don’t worry – I’m not suggesting that you go into your meeting holding a stack of index cards like you’re running for class president. But having a rough idea of what you want to say will help you make your case, as well as allay any pre-negotiation jitters.

Just don’t get locked in. During the meeting, you’ll likely learn some things about the way your company thinks about compensation and what’s available to you in terms of raises and promotions. Be ready to change your approach when you learn something new.

5. Pick the right time.

Don’t sandbag your manager at your regular one-on-one or pop into her office unannounced. Ask to schedule a meeting specifically to discuss compensation. It might seem more nerve-wracking to know that your raise is the primary topic of conversation at this upcoming meeting, but in fact, having that out there will make it easier to discuss. No need for smooth transitions when the only item on the agenda is your raise.

It’s also worth mentioning that your annual review isn’t always the best time to ask for more money. By the time your manager sits down with you at the end of the year, percentages are likely set (probably in the 3% range).

Instead, use that time to talk about your goals for the coming year – the ones tied to the company’s ultimate goals, yes, but also your goals for your career. What do you need to do to get to the next level, the one with the better job title and the bigger paycheck? The annual review is a great time to ask. And once you and your boss are used to talking about money, future conversations will be easier.

Related Articles:

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Stocks vs. Bonds: What You Wanted to Know (but Were Too Afraid to Ask)

Upon my recent transition from a full-time, salaried position to the #freelancelife, I quickly discovered I needed an education in investing.

Having left a company with a generous 401(k)-matching program (*cough* The Penny Hoarder *cough*), my small nest egg and I were suddenly on our own.

My retirement is important to me, so I wasn’t going to let the money languish. I did enough research to figure out I should roll the funds over into a Roth IRA, but when I opened the online interface of my brand-new brokerage account, I was overwhelmed.

How should I “allocate my assets,” as the friendly adviser had put it over the phone? What were my options in the first place?

What’s the Difference Between Stocks and Bonds?

When it comes to investing your retirement savings, you have two main options: stocks and bonds.

Stocks are small portions, or “shares,” of a company. They’re also known as “equity.” (Because investing wasn’t confusing enough already.)

For instance, let’s say you buy a share of Lululemon. Congratulations! You now actually own a piece of the business.

The company then uses your investment to help its growth efforts. As a result, your stock increases in value if the company does well, which means you can sell it for more than your original purchase price down the line.

Of course, the opposite also holds true. If the company goes under, your money goes with it.

Bonds, on the other hand, are actually a form of long-term debt issued by either a company or a government.

As Lifehacker’s Kristin Wong puts it, “When you buy a bond, you’re basically buying a debt and loaning a company (or government) money.” The growth comes in because the seller agrees to pay you interest on the loan at a fixed rate (also called a “coupon”) and schedule. The borrower must repay the entirety of the loan by a given “maturity date.”

Since you know the interest rate and term ahead of time, bonds are a much more stable, predictable investment — and for this reason investors also call them fixed-income securities.

They do, however, tend to yield less return for investors.

Which Should I Invest In: Stocks or Bonds?

A quick caveat before we go any further: I am not a professional investor nor any kind of finance expert.

All the advice you’ll see here is from folks who, presumably, have a better idea of what they’re doing than I do.

That said, there’s no way to tell you the magic ratio that will make your investment portfolio blow up — or fizzle, for that matter. (And even if there was, it would be super illegal to do so.)

All investment comes with some risk. You’re putting your money into an intangible entity, like ownership or debt.

But obviously, some investments are riskier than others. (R.I.P. Pets.com.)

As we established above, stocks carry more risk than bonds — but also have a greater potential to earn you profit.

Thus, most finance professionals advise younger investors to allocate more of their funds to stocks, since they have a longer stretch of years separating them from retirement. All that time gives you a margin of error, allowing you to ride out short-term fluctuations in the market.

But if you’re a little longer in the tooth, you might want to shift your portfolio to include proportionately more bonds. They’re a surer thing and have the added benefit of an exact time frame for payoff — useful if, for example, you know you want to retire in the next 10 years.

Of course, even bonds are not guaranteed. Occasionally, an issuer will not be able to pay off the loan.

The Motley Fool offers this guideline to help you figure out the right ratio for your retirement portfolio based on your age:

As a general rule of thumb, subtract your age from the number 110 in order to determine your target stock allocation. For example, if you’re 35, this rule says that approximately 75% of your assets should be in stocks.

It’s no silver bullet, but it’s a start, and you can adjust your personal ratio from there as you see fit. For instance, if you’re willing to gamble a bit in pursuit of aggressive growth, you might change the number to 120. If you’re more conservative, you might knock it down to 100.

No matter what ratio you choose, it’s definitely a bright idea to buy a little bit of both. “Diversify!” is perhaps the most common investment advice — and for good reason.

It’s just like that old saying about eggs and baskets. And when it comes to your retirement, you don’t want to end up with yolk on your face.

How to Get Started on Your Retirement Portfolio

Of course, there’s a whole lot more to investing than we can outline here.

And luckily, there are lots of great, free resources out there to help you. (The Penny Hoarder is one of them!)

If you’re looking for the right IRA, check out NerdWallet’s top picks for 2017. Many brokerage accounts and management companies offer free advice and guidance, even if you’re not an account holder. All you have to do is pick up the phone.

And if you work for a company that offers a 401(k), don’t be shy about asking the company accountant for details… and for goodness sake, if there’s a match, take the money.

No matter what you do, just make sure you do something. That retirement isn’t going to pay for itself.

Your Turn: What’s your preferred ratio of stocks to bonds?

Jamie Cattanach (@jamiecattanach) is a freelance writer who *just* became enough of an adult to start investing. Her work has been featured at Ms. Magazine, BUST, Roads & Kingdoms, The Write Life, Nashville Review, Word Riot and elsewhere.

How Newsjacking Can Make Your Blog a Must-Read by Your Ideal Customers

By Carl Friesen Are you someone who: Has thought about blogging as a way to build your business, but don't know what to write about? Tried blogging – but maybe haven't published one in a few years? Writes a regular blog, but it’s not bringing you any business? It’s become clear that blogging is a vital […]

The post How Newsjacking Can Make Your Blog a Must-Read by Your Ideal Customers appeared first on The Work at Home Woman.

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TalkTalk complaints rocket

Helen Knapman

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Complaints about TalkTalk rocketed between October and December 2016, according to the latest quarterly complaints data published by regulator Ofcom.

The telecoms provider saw home phone complaints rise from 16 per 100,000 customers between July and September to 23 per 100,000 customers in the last quarter of the year.

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Petrol prices fall in March as oil price drops

Helen Knapman

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Motorists saw the average price of unleaded fall to 117.54p per litre at the end of March - down from 120.15p – while diesel dropped from 122.19p per litre to 119.54p over the same period.

This means an average 55-litre family petrol car now costs £64.65 to fill up, with diesel slightly higher at £65.75.

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Retirement villages must be more upfront about fees

Rachel Lacey

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Retirement villages need to be more upfront about controversial fees that cost residents of luxury complexes thousands of pounds.

This was the conclusion of a two-year investigation into so-called ‘event fees’ by the Law Commission.

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Stat of the Week: over a million Brits use Help to Buy

Hannah Nemeth

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More than 259,000 people have bought a home using one of the government’s Help to Buy schemes, while 868,240 have opened a Help to Buy Isa (H2B Isa), which offers bonuses of up to £3,000 to buyers saving cash for their first home, according to official government data.

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