Face It: The Trump Boom Is Here

Anyone noticed through the fog of Russia, Comey, Charlottesville, and now two monster hurricanes that the U.S. economy is booming faster than any time since the late Clinton years?

Source CBNNews.com http://ift.tt/2wgS4P5

A Beginner’s Guide to Lifelong Learning at a Minimal Cost

This is part of an informal series of posts where I outline how I’ve applied money-saving strategies to many of my hobbies without sacrificing what I enjoy most about them.

I’ve been insatiably curious about almost everything for as long as I can remember. I have vivid memories of reading encyclopedia entries as a fairly young child simply because I wanted a basic understanding of what something was all about (I vividly remember reading about aardvarks, and I also vividly remember reading a bunch of entries pertaining to the Middle East). Unsurprisingly, in many ways, I consider college to have been the best years of my life, as I was utterly surrounded by learning opportunities. (In fact, they were so intense that I often went off on deep side tracks and failed to actually keep up with classes I was enrolled in.)

That passion has persisted into full adulthood. A day isn’t complete unless I’ve delved into some topic that’s new to me in some significant way.

Unsurprisingly, lifelong learning is a passion that can be incredibly expensive. A big part of me would love to buy endless books. A big part of me would love to throw thousands at the local university and take a bunch of different classes. A big part of me wants to constantly go on educational trips.

What follows is a discussion of what I do to actually engage in lifelong learning without breaking the bank, but first, let’s back up and look at the basics.

What Exactly Is “Lifelong Learning”?

I really like Wikipedia’s definition:

“Lifelong learning is the ‘ongoing, voluntary, and self-motivated’ pursuit of knowledge for either personal or professional reasons.”

And the benefits?

“Therefore, it not only enhances social inclusion, active citizenship, and personal development, but also self-sustainability, as well as competitiveness and employability.”

Basically, the idea is that life isn’t divided into a period where you acquire knowledge (schooling) and a period when you apply that acquired knowledge (the workplace). Instead, that period of acquiring knowledge continues beyond formal schooling, through the period where you’re working, and beyond.

Typically, lifelong learning is a component of one’s free time when they’re not devoting energy directly to one’s career path or to one’s personal life. For most, it’s a hobby for personal fulfillment, but it can also be a practice meant to further one’s career.

Why It’s a Hobby/Passion of Mine

As I mentioned at the start, I am an incredibly curious person. I enjoy learning new things; furthermore, I enjoy delving deep into those topics so that I innately understand them. As I often tell my wife, I love digging into specific topics until it becomes clear to me how much I don’t know, which means that I’ve got a whole new universe of things to explore.

Sometimes that motivation for lifelong learning is directed at things that can directly improve my life or my career, like studying a personal development topic or learning how to program in Python. At other times, it’s for pure curiosity’s sake, such as my almost year-long dive into organic chemistry and a period where I became fascinated with differential equations or the time I read about twenty volumes on the Civil War.

Really, when it comes down to it, I just love the process of learning something new and integrating it into what I already know. There are fewer feelings in life that I enjoy more than finally understanding a topic that wasn’t clear to me beforehand. It feels like a genuine revelation, something that brings me deep joy that lasts for a surprisingly long time.

So, how exactly do I go about this without throwing thousands of dollars into college classes or educational materials? Here’s exactly what I do.

Basic Equipment

In truth, you don’t actually need anything to be able to be a lifelong learner. All you really need is your own self and a willingness to observe, think, and learn.

However, I’ve come to find that taking notes by hand is an incredibly valuable technique when it comes to lifelong learning. The process of taking a new idea that just entered your head, twisting it around into your own words, and then writing down that fresh idea along with how it connects to things you already understand is an incredibly powerful way to actually integrate that idea into your own thinking. There’s a lot of research that backs up the idea that taking notes by hand is one of the most efficient and effective ways to learn – here’s a good starting point.

So, start with a writing utensil and some paper. But which ones? The truth is that any cheap notebook and a pretty cheap pen will do.

Just find an inexpensive college-ruled notebook or composition book that you can get at pretty much any department store, office supply store, or dollar store. Pretty much anything will work; I usually suggest a composition book because I think the binding holds together better over time, but a spiral notebook works, too. Just get whatever’s cheap.

As for a writing utensil, I suggest a pen because it won’t smudge on the page nearly as much as a pencil will. Don’t get the cheapest pen in the world because it’ll leak regularly and it will sometimes fail to write when you want to; instead, spend a little more and get a reliable thin-lined pen. I prefer the Pilot G2 ultra fine or the Uniball 207 ultra micro. Both are very reliable, write smoothly on a page with little resistance from any angle, and basically never leak.

Basically, with a quick trip to a department store, you can pick up a cheap notebook and a decent pen or two for $2 or $3 and be ready to go with this hobby. That’s really all you need as a foundation.

The next step is figuring out what you want to learn about. That’s not always the easiest thing to answer, but I suggest giving it a bit of thought. What subject do you always wish you understood better than you do now?

One key thing is to not go into it with preconceptions. Don’t believe that the subject is too easy for you (almost every subject ends up going so deep that you’ll be in over your head if you want to go there), and don’t believe the subject is too hard, either (almost everything can be learned if you start with the basics). If you find something is too hard, back off to a more foundational level; if you find something is complete common sense, move on to something deeper and more challenging. The right place to be is at the place where you’re consistently learning new things and occasionally have to stop and process things and look up a few words, but you’re not completely lost and overwhelmed.

Another preconception that often stands in the way of learning is coming in with a judgment for or against a topic. This often happens when you’re trying to understand various political stances or philosophies. It is really easy to allow one’s own personal beliefs to prevent us from actually understanding something. Don’t. Try to understand the material first, then decide what you feel about it.

Seven Excellent Free Sources

You have the materials you need – a notebook and a good pen. You have something you want to learn about, and you’re approaching it with an open mindset. Now what?

Here are seven places to start. Every single one of them is completely free. Each one is going to have a few advantages and disadvantages. Choose the one that seems to match what you want to do the best.

#1 – Wikipedia
Let’s start off by discussing what Wikipedia is and what it is not.

Wikipedia is a publicly edited encyclopedia. It provides a basic description of almost anything one might want to learn about, and it’s surprisingly accurate because most entries have a number of editors that strive for accuracy. However, it’s not perfectly accurate in all cases and should never be relied upon as absolute truth.

What Wikipedia is good for is providing a fairly reliable introduction to a topic that you want to know more about. It has become my preferred starting place for learning about a topic and it usually helps me figure out whether I want to go deeper than what Wikipedia provides, into a more trusted and focused source.

My suggestion is that your first step for any journey of lifelong learning is the Wikipedia entry for that topic. Read through it slowly, take notes (where you rephrase any new ideas you pick up and add your additional thoughts), and if you find yourself struggling with things like the meaning of a word or some larger concepts, back up into those more basic concepts.

If you’re reading an entry on calculus, for example, and you hit upon a term that you do not understand, look up that term (usually, all you have to do is just follow the link) and make sure you know what it means before continuing. (Of course, this often means that it takes quite a while to traverse an entry on a topic that’s new to you.) Take notes along the way – write down new ideas in your own words and note your follow-up thoughts as well.

Yes, this is a slow process, but every step you take is incorporated into your thinking, making it easier to understand even more of the world. That’s the beauty of it.

One valuable thing that Wikipedia can provide is pointers to further reading, which takes us to our second tool…

#2 – The library
The library provides an endless array of books and audiobooks, free for the borrowing, on almost any topic you can imagine. If you learn by reading, just simply head down to the local library, look for the section of books related to the topic you want to learn more about, and dig in.

How do you figure out what book to read? My approach, when I am still trying to figure out a general topic, is to simply pick up a book that serves as an “overview” of that topic. I might find that some of the book is simplistic for what I’m looking for, but I can usually figure out from there what I want to dig into in a deeper way.

Let’s say, for example, that you have an interest in philosophy in general, but don’t really know where that will lead. The best thing you can do is pick up a book that’s a survey of philosophy, like The History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell, and read that one. Some of the material might seem easy, but what you’ll be left with when you finish is a good overview of philosophy (at least in the west) and a good idea of where you want to go next. Maybe you want to dig into a specific area, or maybe you want to look at Eastern philosophy.

If you’re still not sure how to get started at the library, skip down to item #5 on this list.

#3 – Public meetings and lectures
Another valuable asset that your local library offers – and is also offered by any local colleges and universities nearby – is public meetings and lectures on various topics. Many libraries and universities will bring in knowledgable people in specific areas to speak on a specific topic of interest, and those events are almost always open to the public. Just go in, sit down with your notebook and pen, pay attention, and jot down notes highlighting the key points and any questions you have that come up during the presentation. Often, there’s a Q&A session where you can even directly ask one or two of your key questions.

Many libraries and universities also sponsor regular meetings of groups focused on specific topics, where people meet to exchange ideas and, typically, one member gives a presentation on something specific related to the overall topic. These can be similarly valuable avenues for learning, particularly for people who don’t learn particularly well from a book.

#4 – Classroom sit-ins
Many people learn best in a classroom environment, where they can listen to an instructor lay out the ins and outs of a topic. However, actually enrolling in a college or university might be prohibitively expensive. What can an intellectually curious person do?

One option is to simply sit in on a class. This option isn’t always available – it is completely at the discretion of the professor – but many professors are quite happy to allow interested people to sit in on lectures. While you won’t earn credit or actually take the exams and you may not be able to access some supplemental materials, you can sit in on all of the lectures of a class and absorb all of the material taught by the instructor.

If you live near a university, browse through a course catalog and look for some general courses in areas you’re interested in that work for you, then contact the professor and ask whether or not you can sit in on the classes. If the professor agrees, start attending. Bring your notebook, listen, take notes, and ask questions after class (giving priority to the paying students, of course).

It’s worth noting that this avenue isn’t permitted at some universities, and even some professors at permissive universities won’t allow people to sit in. However, if you find this option available to you, it can be a great way to learn about a topic that’s of genuine interest to you.

#5 – Highly focused internet forums
Sometimes, as you’re learning a topic, you come to realize that you’re just not comprehending a topic or some specific aspect of the topic and you simply need some clarity that you’re unable to find elsewhere. In those situations, I turn to very specific internet forums, ones that are dialed in to the exact topic I’m interested in.

There are two reasons I do this. One, such forums almost always have a FAQ document that lists essential books and other materials to read on the topic. I can usually take that list with me when I go to the library and check out those books. Two, I can usually join the forum and ask my question and reliably get a clear answer. The key to this is asking with politeness and humility. Admit that you’re new to the topic and explain what you’ve done to figure it out before asking (which would include searching through the site’s archives for similar questions).

There are a lot of places to find these types of narrow topic forums. One place to look is reddit; another is StackExchange. You can use Google to find even more.

#6 – Online classes
Another option for learning about a topic is through online classes and online course materials. Some online classes provide all of the lectures in video and audio format. Some provide handouts that you can view or print. Still others provide discussion forums for the class. If you find classroom-style learning to be a good fit for you but your schedule makes actually sitting in on classes impossible, this is a great option.

There are many sources for free online course materials. Some of the ones I’ve used happily in the past include MIT OpenCourseWare, Open Yale Courses, Coursera, and EdX, and that just scratches the surface. While it’s not quite a complete “course,” I think this is the best place to mention Duolingo, which is a brilliant app and website for free language learning. (I wrote a full article on language learning with minimal expense not too long ago, if that’s your area of interest).

#7 – Meetups
A final tool worth suggesting, particularly if you find that hands-on learning and interacting with peers is a powerful way to learn, is Meetup. Meetup is a website where you can find specific groups in your community that “meet up” to discuss or participate in different activities. You might find political groups, hobby groups, volunteer groups… it really depends on your area and what groups use the site.

Not all meetups will provide the same thing. Some meet ups are very hands-on, where you actually find yourself doing things related to the focus of the group. Others involve meetings where topics are openly discussed. Still others are more like a classroom, where people give presentations and there are question-and-answer sessions. Read the description of interesting meet ups and figure out which ones are of interest to you. If a particular meetup doesn’t click, then find another avenue for learning about that particular topic!

Some Suggestions for Actual Practice

There are a few general strategies I’ve found incredibly useful when it comes to lifelong learning, and these will help greatly if you’re also a lifelong learner.

First of all, you’ll get far more value out of lifelong learning if you do it while focusing on the topic at hand. I wrote just yesterday about strategies for getting focused, and I use them whenever I’m trying to learn something. I treat a session with a book or a class sit-in or a meetup as though it’s a task on my to-do list that I need to focus on and I prepare accordingly. I kill distractions, make sure I have my materials ready, and go there with the full intent to focus on what I’m trying to learn. Treating it with some degree of seriousness opens your mind to absorbing far more knowledge and making far more connections than you’d make if you’re just goofing around.

Second, take notes by hand. Yes, I know I touched on this earlier, and I know that taking notes by hand isn’t something that’s seen as fun by some people, but for me, it is the absolute key to making this work. Whether I’m reading a book or watching a lecture or even reviewing handouts, I have a notebook and a pen with me and I take notes.

My system is simple. Whenever I encounter a new idea or an idea that perhaps I don’t understand very well, I stop and give it a little thought. I try to rephrase it in my head. I might re-read that section or re-watch that section again. Then, when I feel I’ve got it, I write it down in my own terms, usually just a small variation on what was otherwise said. Then, if I have follow-up questions or thoughts, I add them directly below, with an indent and with a ! or a ? in front of them. That way, when I look at my notes later on, I can follow up on anything that has such a designation in front of it. Was my earlier assumption correct? Did I get that question answered?

Similarly, if I run across a word that I don’t know, I stop, write it down, then look it up, and then I write down the definition of that word. This builds my vocabulary and makes it easier to continue to read or listen to material within that field.

If there are problems given for me to solve, I stop and try to solve them right in the midst of the notes.

You’d be shocked how many notebooks are filled up in this way. I can easily fill up a full composition notebook in a week or two. Usually, what I do with old notebooks is that I take pictures of the pages, store them in Evernote, and then discard them. That way, I have a digital archive of all of my notebooks.

Finally, set learning goals, but don’t let it become boring. For me, my main learning goal is that I set aside one hour for “deep reading” a day, where I sit down with a book and a notebook and go through it slowly, writing down new ideas as they come to me and making notes on new connections and questions I have. Once every few days, I spend one of those sessions going back through my notes and making sure I’ve addressed any questions that have come up along the way.

I tend not to set learning goals that are associated with particular topics. If I find that I’m becoming less interested in a topic, I don’t hesitate to switch to something different, even in the midst of a class or a book. It just means that my curiosity in that one particular direction is sated.

Still, it is valuable to me to have a lifetime learning goal, and that goal for me is 365 hours per year directly devoted to it – one hour per day. That can be a bit of a challenge, but it’s one that I relish and it’s one that keeps learning alive quite strongly in my life.

Those three tips have made a tremendous difference in lifelong learning for me.

Final Thoughts

Lifelong learning has been a core part of my life for as long as I can remember. I do it for pleasure, but it has opened countless doors in my life. My personal curiosity caused me to completely switch directions in college and find shelter under the mentorship of a few amazing people. My lifelong learning practices were the core of how The Simple Dollar got started – the earliest posts were effectively my notes on and internal connections from the tons of personal finance material I was reading. Lifelong learning has helped me to improve myself as a person, has provided foundational material for countless conversations with people from all walks of life, and has helped me form friendships that will last forever.

In the end, though, it’s still just fun for me. I relish the feeling I get from understanding something that I didn’t understand before. I love the sense of understanding a topic a little more deeply. I actually love the rush that I get from realizing that there’s this whole cavern of unexplored understanding and knowledge that I just uncovered. I genuinely feel like I understand substantially less about the world as a whole than I did when I was younger because I understand how much deeper things go.

It’s a wonderful, wonderful hobby that has given me so much in my life, and the amazing part is that it can be so inexpensive. In the end, all you really need is a notebook, a pen, a book, and a bit of free time, and the world can be yours.

Good luck.

The post A Beginner’s Guide to Lifelong Learning at a Minimal Cost appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

Source The Simple Dollar http://ift.tt/2jdx1LZ

From Physics to Biology, These 10 YouTube Channels Have Your Science Fix

Science has been the downfall of many a good student. All those formulas and facts can make your head spin. Just keeping track of whether or not Pluto is a planet can be exhausting!

On the flip side, I found several YouTube channels that explain science in a way that makes it easy to understand. Plus, these videos piqued my interest because they’re about subjects that relate to my daily life.

But what I really want to know is, where was YouTube when I was in high school? I certainly could have used it.

Gross Science

Right off the bat, I was hooked on Gross Science.

Don’t let the name of the channel fool you. While some of the topics are gross to some people (like snot and menstruation), others are a lot tamer (like what really causes sunburns).

The show is hosted by Anna Rothschild. They’re a combination of her doing the ‘splaining, along with whimsical animations.

Listening to Rothschild is like listening to my best friend; she’s really personable and breaks down information into bite-sized pieces.

Unlike a lot of YouTube hosts, she doesn’t speak in a rapid-fire way. It’s like she’s really talking to you, not reading cue cards.

Veritasium

Veritasium is the kind of channel that made YouTube a big deal. Derek Muller, the host, takes his camera everywhere, so his videos have a homemade quality. Sometimes he interviews people on the street. Sometimes he takes you right into his own bathroom.

Muller does experiments to try to debunk theories or explain phenomenons. In one video he tests whether you’re really lightest in the morning, while in another he demonstrates an anti-gravity wheel.

Veritasium’s videos don’t rely on animation at all. Muller is constantly filming, so he has a lot of fun footage of himself and strangers.

Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell

Beautiful animation and original music sets Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell apart from other YouTube science channels. The artists use bright purples, reds, greens and yellows in five-to-10-minute cartoons that explore scientific questions, such as whether GMOs are good or bad?

Although the focus of Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell is science, the channel also has videos about other subjects, like Iraq and who invented the internet.

Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell only puts out one video a month because the creative team is “convinced that good things take time, care and precision.”

Vsauce

If you’re looking for a YouTube science channel that isn’t all uppity with itself, Vsauce is for you.

Why? Host Michael Stevens is goofy, and he’s not interested in the Big Bang or entropy. He wants to answer the kinds of questions toddlers ask, like why your bottom is actually in your middle.

Although Vsauce episodes tend to be long — 10 to 20 minutes — they’re perfect for kids. He doesn’t talk too quickly, and he doesn’t use enormous words.

minutephysics

minutephysics is exactly what you think it is: short videos that explain physics.

Henry Reich, the channel’s creator, explains big ideas about physics in videos that last one to three minutes. One of his most popular videos talks about whether it’s better to walk or run in the rain. (I won’t spoil the answer!)

minutephysics videos get right to the nitty gritty of a topic, without fancy introductions. Each concept is explained using time-lapse drawings, which are very entertaining.

SmarterEveryDay

SmarterEveryDay is a hodge podge of videos about all sorts of things. Destin, the host, talks about science that happens to him personally, like how his sister got malaria or his balloon’s baffling behavior.

Destin Sandlin is an engineer, so the majority of his videos explain how things work. He also researches questions that you might think of but have no idea how to answer, like what astronauts do with their pee or how to escape from a car through the windshield.

Destin is so personable that his Facebook page is full of family photos and friendly posts.

SciShow

If you’re looking for more gross science, SciShow has what you need. Hosts Hank Green, Michael Aranda and Olivia Gordon say they “hate not knowing things,” so they make videos about answers to their questions.

SciShow looks great, with really big production values. They use fun visuals to explain science, although a lot of it tends to be pretty gross, like why your pee is sometimes green.

Most of the time, SciShow answers very basic questions in under five minutes, like why humidity makes it feel hotter.

The hosts are clearly having a good time! Don’t miss their hilarious outtakes and bloopers playlist.

AsapScience

AsapScience is the perfect channel for when you need to answer a question about science right now. That means hosts Mitchell Moffit and Gregory Brown make videos that are usually around three minutes long and that get right to the heart of a topic.

AsapScience looks at science that affects your mind and your body. They ask common questions, like how much sleep do you really need, but they also ask questions most people are afraid to ask, like is masturbation good for you?

The two of them answer all their questions with colorful animations and fun music. In fact, they recorded their own Science Love Song.

Seeker

Seeker is another YouTube science channel that stars pleasant, young hosts. Trace Dominguez, Julian Huguet, Amy Shira Teitel and Crystal Dilworth seem really excited to talk about science, and their enthusiasm keeps my attention.

Seeker’s videos don’t have a particular style. Sometimes there’s footage of the hosts, sometimes they have cartoons and other times they just have photos or illustrations to make their point.

Like some of the other channels, Seeker’s videos are short. Unlike the other channels, Seeker covers cutting-edge science, like human head transplants. Ouch!

Reactions

Reactions, a channel that’s brought to you by the American Chemical Society, talks about everyday chemistry.

You would think an organization like the ACS would be all stuffy, but Reactions videos talk about everything from why avocados are awesome to the science of the Avengers to why your cat loves catnip.

The videos are made up of quick-witted narration that plays over images and video clips. Most of the channel’s videos are just a few minutes long, so they’re easy to watch.

Now you know where to turn the next time you’re contemplating the wonders of the universe or just thinking about why farts stink so much.

Nancy Basile has almost 20 years experience as a freelance writer for the web. She focuses on finding ways to squeeze more entertainment into your day for less. Catch her on Twitter @realmediamedusa.

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/2xX0fSS

Attention Writers: Idealist Is Looking for Freelancers for Its Careers Site

Here at The Penny Hoarder, we’re not only looking for full-time writers and remote freelancers to join our growing team — we’re also always looking to share good job opportunities, including other writing jobs.

Right now, Idealist is looking for freelancers to earn money from the comfort of their homes writing about social-impact and career development topics for its Idealist Careers publication.

If you’re not familiar with Idealist, it’s a site that connects people with information about jobs, internships and volunteer opportunities in the nonprofit sector or with other organizations that help society-at-large.

According to this job listing, writers will be paid $50 a post and are expected to write at least two posts a month, either from ideas they’ve pitched or topics assigned by an editor.

Idealist is looking for people who have experience writing for an online publication. They want fact-checking grammar whizzes who are detailed-oriented and yet have an eye for brevity.

It’d be a plus if you understand SEO fundamentals, have worked in the social-impact space before or have previous experience conducting interviews for articles.

To score this gig, you’ll need to submit a resume, cover letter and 400- to 600-word writing sample on one of two previously determined topics.

See here for more information on applying to be an Idealist Careers writer.

Nicole Dow is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She loves it when writing makes a positive difference.

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/2f9Qhpi

Equifax Exposed 143M People’s Data, Makes Infuriating Offer to Avoid Paying

Credit reporting bureau Equifax announced Thursday that approximately 143 million American consumers may be impacted by a cybersecurity breach.

Here’s what information got exposed: names, Social Security numbers, birthdates, addresses and some driver’s license numbers.

Another unlucky 209,000 or so people had their credit card numbers exposed. And 182,000 unlucky people had their dispute documents exposed.

U.K. and Canadian consumers may be affected as well, although Equifax doesn’t yet have details.

“Criminals exploited a U.S. website application vulnerability to gain access to certain files,” the company said in a statement.

Equifax has determined that breaches occurred between May and July 2017, although it says it “has found no evidence of unauthorized activity on Equifax’s core consumer or commercial credit reporting databases.”

Equifax learned of the breach on July 29.

What Equifax Is Doing to Save Face

Equifax plans to send notifications by mail to consumers whose credit card numbers or dispute documents were exposed.

Its dedicated website for this security breach invites you to input your last name and the last six digits of your Social Security number to learn if you were affected.

The bureau is offering its TrustedID Premier credit and identity theft monitoring to those whose information was compromised, complimentary for one year.

Here’s the Bigger Problem(s), Though

Consumers should be aware of a few extra issues related to this security breach.

1. Entering your name and Social Security number may not give you answers yet. Some Penny Hoarder staffers tried inputting their information only to be told to come back to the Equifax website on Sept. 11.

2. You may want to wait to see if you get a notice from Equifax in the mail, rather than check that website.

The website asks for your last name and the last six digits of your social. It then asks you to click a captcha box before submitting your info. But tucked at the very bottom of the site — nowhere near that info box — is a “terms of use” link.

Dig into those terms, and you’ll learn that enrolling in the complimentary credit-monitoring service waives your right to be a part of a class-action suit against Equifax.

“When I tried it out, it said I wasn’t impacted and then automatically enrolled me in a free credit monitoring service,” staff writer Lisa McGreevy said. “I later discovered the terms of service at this link says if you agree to accept credit monitoring, you waive the right to sue Equifax.”

A proposed class-action suit seeking a potential $70 billion nationally for damages was filed in Oregon on Thursday evening, Bloomberg reports.

3. Did we mention the shady executives?

CNBC reports that three Equifax executives sold some of their stock shares in early August, although Equifax told CNBC in a statement that those executives didn’t have any knowledge of the breach.

What to Do if You Don’t Trust Equifax Right Now

Want to figure out if your credit or identity is at risk, without turning to Equifax?

AnnualCreditReport.com allows you to access a credit report from each of the three bureaus once a year. If you haven’t used up your three for this 12-month period, it may be a good time to check.

You can sign up for a free identity protection service like True Identity, which will alert you if anyone applies for credit using your name.

Then, keep a close eye on your bank and credit account statements, email and mailbox. Staying vigilant can help you catch potential issues sooner rather than later.

Lisa Rowan is a writer and producer at The Penny Hoarder.

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/2wORyeN

Is Your Backyard a Hot Mess? The DIY Network Needs You for Its New Show

Earlier this week, I finally mowed the blanket of weeds grass in my backyard for the first time since moving in five months ago. I know.

But it just goes to show the sad truth: our backyards tend to get neglected.

I mean, no one’s looking at the backyard when they drive by, right? If the front yard looks a hot mess, everyone will notice.

But the backyard? It can stay a sand pit, thanks. I’ve got other things to worry about — things that aren’t half-crumbling, unused fire pits and overgrown bushes that no one will ever notice.

And sure, maybe a messy backyard could be remedied with a little bit of elbow grease. But beyond that? Fuhgeddaboutit. It’s the landscaping, the water feature, the stone paver path, the gazebo, the deck — the things that backyard dreams are made of but that are just a little too expensive (even as a DIY project) that make a yard a home. Right?

So if there was a chance to transform your backyard from a sad, overgrown, chaotic, hopeless backyard (their words, not mine) into a less-desperate landscape with the help of some DIY professionals, wouldn’t you jump at it?

Great. ‘Cause there is, and you can.

Do You Have America’s Most Desperate Landscape?

The DIY Network is currently looking for “fun, active homeowners with dreadful, chaotic, overgrown, under-tended, absolutely hopeless backyard landscapes” to apply to be featured on the show “America’s Most Desperate Landscape” in 2018.

The show is all about a “massive transformation,” so the network is looking for the worst backyard in the country to give it the “biggest landscape makeover of the year.”

The network encourages people to dream big, offering whatever it takes to make your rundown outdoor space into your dream backyard — perfect for relaxing, entertaining or just enjoying some simple family time.

Here’s How to Apply

You can go here to find a full rundown of details on how to apply via email, but here are the basics:

1. Include your name and contact info, along with a short explanation about yourself, your family and your (bummer of a) backyard.

2. Be sure to include at least three pictures of your backyard to prove just how dire the situation really is.

3. Create a brief video that shows both your sad backyard and your family’s fun personality. Be convincing and show the network that you’re the right choice for TV.

4. Post your video on YouTube and include the link in the email.

Then, all you have to do is stare forlornly out your back window imagining what could be while you wait to hear back from the network.

Good luck!

Grace Schweizer is a junior writer at The Penny Hoarder.

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/2wfscTv

New York City Launches Free Lunch Program for All Students

The New York City public school system announced Wednesday that it will offer free lunch to every student this school year.

The announcement came after widespread criticism of school districts nationwide for so-called lunch shaming when children don’t have money to pay for food.

Shaming tactics ranged from taking hot lunches from the hands of children and throwing the food in the trash to stamping “Need Lunch Money” on their hands to notify parents they need to pay up.

With this policy change, New York City’s district ensures that each of its 1.1 million students has access at least two hot meals — breakfast was already free for students — every school day. New York City joins Boston, Chicago, Detroit and Dallas in offering free meals to students, The New York Times reported.

Although each child will have access to free lunch, parents in New York City are still encouraged to fill out income forms so the schools can qualify for federal funding to help pay for the program.

This school year, the Department of Agriculture, which oversees school lunch programs, required all schools to create written policies for students can’t pay for their lunches. Although the USDA did not require programs like New York City’s, it did suggest that schools work with parents directly rather than involve the students when they have overdue balances on their lunch accounts.

Desiree Stennett (@desi_stennett) is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.

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/2wfoRE5

I Think My Data Was Hacked in the Equifax Breach: Now What?

The last 24 hours have seen quite the whirlwind of credit-related activity. Equifax announced on September 7th that they were the victims of a massive data breach into one of their systems. No big deal, right? I mean data breaches happen all the time. Target, Home Depot, Gmail, pretty much every college and university in the country… everyone’s been breached at some point.

But this Equifax breach is significant for two reasons.

The first is the size. An incredible 143 million consumers living in the U.S. have potentially had their information exposed to people with bad intentions.

The second is the value of the information. If your information was exposed, then it likely included your name, address, Social Security number, and date of birth. Those are the crown jewels of information for credit fraudsters because it’s everything you need in order to apply for credit.

The information exposed has what I call “perpetual value.” That means it’ll still be valuable to a fraudster in five years, because it’s not going to change. You’ll still have the same name, SSN, and date of birth. And you’ll likely be living at the same address. Point being, I’d much rather have someone steal all of my credit cards than steal my personal information.

What Should You Do?

The minute you get done reading this, you should go to this page on the Equifax website.

Here you’ll be able to see whether you’ve been impacted, or not. If you have been impacted, then I would highly suggest you place fraud alerts on all three of your credit reports. You can do that at any of these three credit bureau websites:

• Experian Fraud Alert
• TransUnion Fraud Alert
• Equifax Fraud Alert

The good news is that you only need to do this with one of the credit bureaus, and they are obligated under Federal law to notify the other two. The fraud alert will ensure that ANY lender that pulls your credit reports calls you and verifies verbally that you actually submitted a valid application for credit. For most of us, this will be good enough.

If, however, you want to ramp up your defenses a bit, you can “freeze” all three of your credit reports. The practical impact of a freeze is that your three credit reports will be taken out of circulation. That means no new lender (a lender that you don’t have a relationship with) can access your reports, period. You can learn more about how to place freezes on ALL of your credit reports at these credit bureau websites:

• Equifax Credit Freeze
• Experian Credit Freeze
• TransUnion Credit Freeze

Security freezes are not free unless you’ve been a confirmed victim of fraud, but they are very inexpensive. For example, I live in Georgia, and it’s $3 to freeze my credit report. That means I can freeze all three for $9, and that’s a one-time cost, not monthly. It’s the best $9 I’ll ever spend.

Should I Sign Up for the Equifax Fraud Service?

The service Equifax is giving away to basically anyone and everyone who wants it is called TrustedID. It’s a good service, nothing wrong with it at all. Having said that, here are some things to consider.

You’re only going to get it free for one year. That assumes the value of your personal information diminishes after a year, which it does not. If I were one of the fraudsters I’d disappear for a few years and let the heat die down, and then resurface to monetize your personal information.

It only applies to Equifax. The credit report lock aspect of the service only applies to your Equifax credit report, and not your credit reports at Experian and TransUnion. That’s like locking one of the three doors to your house.

You will waive some of your rights by enrolling in the service. I’m not a lawyer and I don’t know what that means exactly, but this has been brought up in tweets and Facebook posts numerous times already, so clearly this is something that’s troublesome to people. You can read more about your rights here.

Related Articles:

• Identity Theft Basics
• How to Dispute Errors on Your Credit Report
• Why You Need to Check Your Credit Report With All Three Credit Bureaus
• Best Credit Monitoring Service

John Ulzheimer is an expert on credit reporting, credit scoring, and identity theft. He has written four books on the topic and has been interviewed and quoted thousands of times over the past 10 years. With time spent at Equifax and FICO, Ulzheimer is the only credit expert who actually comes from the credit industry. He has been an expert witness in over 230 credit related lawsuits and has been qualified to testify in both federal and state courts on the topic of consumer credit.

The post I Think My Data Was Hacked in the Equifax Breach: Now What? appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

Source The Simple Dollar http://ift.tt/2xiIOPj

Don’t Let Your Body Language Trash Your Chances of Landing That Dream Job

My neighbor is a terrible liar.

My house is right in the path of Hurricane Irma so I popped next door to ask my neighbor if she needed help with anything.

“Oh, no. I’m fine. We’re fine. Everything’s fine,” she assured me. The staccato tapping of her foot and the way she kept twirling a lock of hair around her finger told me otherwise.

She finally admitted she’s a nervous wreck (me too!) but her body language gave her away long before that.

Bodies are funny like that. They can betray the words coming out of our mouth because some body language is an unconscious behavior.

With the possible exception of professional poker players, most of us don’t go around monitoring our body language all the time. There’s one situation, however, where you probably should.

Watch Your Body Language During Job Interviews

Hiring managers say body language mistakes are a huge deal-breaker during job interviews. As many as 30% of candidates display negative body language during job interviews, according to a recent survey.

Senior managers say several non-verbal cues can tell them a lot about the person they’re interviewing. Candidates who do things like cross their arms, play with something on the table or slouch in their chairs can torpedo their chances of landing a job.

The top behaviors that are likely to make or break your interview include:

• Eye contact

• Facial expressions

• Posture

• Handshake

• Fidgeting

• Hand gestures

“Providing thoughtful responses and asking intelligent questions carry a lot of weight during a job interview, but your body language can also speak volumes,” said Brandi Britton, a district president for staffing company OfficeTeam. “Candidates need to do everything they can to increase their chances of receiving an offer — and that includes avoiding negative and distracting nonverbal behaviors.”

Hiring managers expect candidates to be nervous during interviews. It’s how you manage your anxiousness that can make the difference between getting the job or getting passed over.

One way to take the edge off is to practice answering common interview questions before your appointment. It’s also a good idea to prepare a few questions for your interviewer to make a great impression.

The more relaxed you are going into your interview, the less likely you are to fidget, glance around or wear a terrified expression on your face.

Learning to control your unconscious body language has benefits outside the job interview process, too. It can help you keep your cool during negotiations like asking for a raise or buying a new car.

Lisa McGreevy is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. Her favorite expression about body language is “ she looks as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.”

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/2vTucpx

Understanding Medicare Supplement Plan J

One reason that it's so difficult to keep up with Medicare is that it's constantly changing. The government is always adding or taking away restrictions on health care. Not only does Medicare coverage continue to change, but supplemental insurance continues to cover as well.

Medicare is an excellent government program, and it help provide health care coverage to millions of seniors across the nation, but it doesn't cover everything. In fact, there are a dozen different expense categories that Medicare Parts A and B don't cover. Those expenses could leave you with massive medical bills and hospital fees.

Those massive bills could turn your retirement dream into a nightmare. It's important that you get the health care coverage that you need to ensure that you aren't responsible for hospital bills that would drain your bank account.

Every year, I get a lot of questions about Medigap Plan J, which is no longer available. It's important that you understand all of the plans, and if you have a Plan J, you will need to understand your coverage and some other similar options.

What is a Medicare Supplemental Plan J?

Medigap plans are sold by private insurance companies, and they work together with your original Medicare Parts A and B to give you additional coverage that you wouldn't get with just your traditional coverage. There are ten different supplemental plans that you can choose from, all of them are going to have different coverages and gaps that they fill.

Some plans are going to be more basic than others. A Medigap Plan A is going to be one of the most basic, and it's going to leave more gaps in coverage than other plans, like supplemental Plan F, which is the most comprehensive policy.

Plan J was one of the most popular options for Medigap coverage because of the additional insurance protection that it provided to enrollees. If you have a Plan J still, then you have the most coverage that you can buy. In fact, the law no longer allows you to get some of the coverage.

With your Plan J, you will get the basic coverage categories, like Part A coinsurance and hospital costs for an additional 365 days after your original Medicare coverage has expired. If you've ever stayed the night in a hospital for whatever reason, you know that it can be an expensive stay. With traditional Medicare, you will get some hospital fee coverage, but after that coverage ends, you'll be responsible for all of those bills out-of-pocket. With a Medicare Plan J (or any supplemental plan for that matter), you will get additional coverage that can protect your savings if you're ever in the hospital for several weeks.

Some of the additional coverage that came with a Plan J was paying the Part A and B deductible. The deductible is the amount that you have to reach before your Medicare coverage kicks in. If you had a Plan J, then you wouldn't be responsible for paying that bill. Every year, the Part B deductible changes. In 2017, this threshold is $183.

Plan J would also pay for any Part B excess charges. When you go to the doctor or hospital to get any service, there is a pre-determined amount that Medicare B will pay. The doctor is legally allowed to charge 15% more than that amount. Anything about that pre-determined amount is considered excess charges. If you don't have supplemental coverage, you will have to pay for all of those excess bills out of your pocket.

One of the unique coverage categories of Plan J was the prescription coverage that it provided. Plan J will help cover some of the rising costs of medications. The prescription coverage was one of the main reasons that Plan J was so popular.

What Happened to Medigap Plan J?

As I've already mentioned, Medigap Plan J is no longer available. There were several changes in the early 2000s that make these plans unavailable for new enrollees. Congress passed the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act, which changed the way that Medicare was structured. When this act was completed, the started Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage.

Once Part D began, it meant that Plan J was providing duplicated coverage, and that Plan J was now obsolete. The new law made it illegal for any supplemental coverage to pay for medication expenses, which meant like Plan J was identical to Plan F, and there was no reason for having two identical plans. If you held a Plan J at that point, you could keep your supplemental coverage, and you weren't required to switch policies.

After that point, nobody else was able to enroll in Plan J, but there were several other quality options that you could choose from. It's vital that you get the perfect supplemental insurance for your health care needs.

Alternatives

The obvious alternative to Plan J is to purchase a Plan F. The plans are identical minus the prescription coverage that Plan J is no longer allow to give to its enrollees. Plan F will give you all of the comprehensive coverage that the other plans won't provide. If you want to get the most coverage possible, then a Plan F is going to be the best choice.

On the other hand, if you decide that you don't want as much coverage, and you would rather save money, then a smaller plan is going to be a much better option. A Medigap Plan A or B will fill in a few of the gaps that Medicare doesn't pay for. With a smaller plan, you won't get as much additional coverage, but you are going to save money every month.

Deciding Which Plan

There are several different factors that you will need to consider when you're shopping for supplemental insurance coverage. The first factor that you will need to look at is your finances. Everyone would love to have a Plan F which gives the most coverage, but not everyone can afford that comprehensive plan. Before you purchase any additional coverage, take a look at your budget and decide how much you can spend every month on that supplemental protection. The goal of your Medigap policy is to protect your savings, but the plan shouldn't break your bank every month.

The next factor that you need to answer is your medical history and your family tree. The older that you get, the more that you're going to spend on health care, and those expenses could drain your savings account, but that's where your Medigap plan comes in. If you're in poor health, then you will need to purchase a comprehensive policy that gives you the most coverage possible.

Medigap Open Enrollment

One of the most important things to realize about Medigap plans is when you should purchase one of these plans. Once the month that you turn 65 begins, your Medigap Open Enrollment Period begins. During this time, the insurance company can't decline your application, regardless of your health or any health complications that you may have. If you're in terrible health, this could be the only chance that you have to get coverage.

Additionally, if you apply during the open enrollment, the company can't increase your premiums, even if you have health complications. If you want to save money, it's vital that you apply during the six-month window of open enrollment. After the six months is over, then your application will be treated as a normal application, which means that you could get drastically higher premiums.

Any Questions about Medigap Plan J?

Because Plan J is no longer available, I don't get a lot of questions about the plan, but there are still people with these plans.  It's vital that you get the perfect supplemental coverage. You've worked hard to reach this stage of life, don't let medical bills wreck your retirement dream.

If you have any questions about Medigap Plan J or any of the alternatives, please contact an experienced Medicare supplemental insurance agent or me today.

The post Understanding Medicare Supplement Plan J appeared first on Good Financial Cents.

Source Good Financial Cents http://ift.tt/2eSImQp

Understanding Medicare Supplement Plan D

Medicare is one of the biggest government programs in the United States. It provides health care to millions of senior citizens across the country. It gives them health care coverage that they would be able to afford otherwise.

While Medicare is an excellent program that helps protect seniors from massive hospital bills, but it doesn't cover everything. In fact, there are a dozen different expense categories that they don't cover. Those groups could leave you with thousands and thousands of dollars of debts.

Every year, the cost of health care continues to rise. There is nothing that you can do stop the rising costs, but there are some ways that you can protect your finances from being wrecked by those bills. One of the best things that you can do is purchase a Medigap insurance plan. These policies will give you additional health care coverage that will work with your traditional insurance policy.

What is a Medigap Policy?

Medigap policies are sold by private insurance companies across the nation. These plans work as an add-on to your Medicare Parts A & B. They don't replace the original coverage. You will still have to pay the monthly premiums.

The goal of Medigap plans is to fill in all of the coverage holes left behind. There are ten different Medigap plans that are sold, and they are denoted by a letter of the alphabet, A through N. All of the plans offer different coverage or cover portions of various expenses. Some of them are going to cover 100% of certain categories, while others are going to only pay for 80% of them.

Medigap Plan D

Now that you know the basics of Medicare Supplemental insurance policies, we can look at the specifics of Plan D. Before we get started, it's important that you understand the Medigap Plan D is not the same thing as Medicare Part D. These plans are very different, but a lot of applicants tend to get the two confused, for obvious reasons.

Medigap Plan D is one of the “middle of the road” supplemental plans. It's not the smallest, but it's also not the most comprehensive. There are a few key coverage categories that you should be aware of to ensure that you're getting the best supplemental plan for you.

Medicare Supplemental Plan D is going to pay for necessary expenses like your Part A hospital coinsurance and costs for an additional 365 days after your original Medicare expires. If you've ever spent a night in the hospital or several nights, then you know how expensive it can be to stay. If you're hospitalized for several days or even several weeks, you'll find yourself with a massive bill in the mail. Your original Medicare Parts A and B are only going to cover a short stay in a hospital, but depending on the condition, you could be there for a lot longer. That's where your supplemental plan will come in. It will give you the additional coverage that you need to offset those expensive hospital bills.

Your Medigap Plan D will also pay for Part A hospice care coinsurance or copayment and your Part A deductible. Neither of these is going to be massive expenses, but having coverage for them is going to keep more money in your pockets. More than likely, you won't be required to pay your Part A deductible. Depending on the services that you need from hospice, you could end up with thousands and thousands of dollars out-of-pocket, but that's where your Medigap coverage comes in.

Additionally, Plan D pays for your Part B copayments or coinsurance. If you go to the doctor or hospital, you'll be required to pay copayment fees, but if you have Medigap coverage, then your plan is going to pay for those bills. The more that you go to the doctor, the more that you're going to pay, and the supplemental coverage can help protect your savings account from being drained by hospital bills.

One of the most notable coverage areas of the Plan D policy is the foreign travel emergency costs. Technically, this plan is going to cover 80% of those foreign emergency costs. While it only pays for 80% of those costs, it's the most protection that you can get, regardless of which plan that you buy. If you plan on doing a lot of overseas traveling in your retirement, it's important that you have this additional coverage. If something were to happen to you while you were on vacation, your Medicare is not going to pay for any of that.

Some of the other expenses that you plan will pay for is the first three pints of blood for any medical treatment that you may need. After the first three pints, your Original Medicare should pay for any additional pints. Pints of blood can be expensive depending on how many that you need, but your Medigap coverage coupled with your traditional coverage will cover those bills.

The last portion of expenses that the plan will cover is any skilled nursing facility care coinsurance that you would be responsible for paying for. Depending on the type of skilled nursing facility care that you need, it could end up being a massive bill.

What Medicare Supplemental Plan D Doesn't Cover

There are also a few key expenses that a Medigap Plan D won't cover, and those coverage gaps could drain your savings account.  One of the most notable expenses is the Medicare Part B excess charges. When you go to a doctor or hospital, and you receive any service, there is a pre-determined amount that Medicare will pay for those services. Legally, the doctor or hospital is allowed to charge up to 15% more than that pre-determined amount, and the amount that is above the amount is called excess charges. Without Medigap coverage, you would be responsible for those bills, and because Plan D doesn't pay for those charges, you would have to pay for those out-of-pocket.

Deciding which Medigap Plan is Right for you

It's important that you choose which of the ten plans are going to work best for you. There are several key factors that you should consider to ensure that you're getting the best plan for you. I know that picking between these plans can be difficult, but there are a few key categories that you should review before you apply for any of them.

The first thing that you should look at is your finances. The primary goal of your Medigap plan is to protect your savings account from the mountain of debt that a hospital could give you. While it's one of the best ways to give you additional coverage, the supplemental plan shouldn't break your bank every month. Make sure that you look at your budget and calculate how much money you can spend on your Medigap plan.

The next thing that you should consider is your health. If you're in bad health and you have several dire health complications, then you should consider purchasing a more comprehensive policy that is going to give you the additional coverage that you need. If you're in excellent health with no pre-existing conditions, then you can consider risking a smaller plan with a cheaper monthly premium.

Open Enrollment

Enrolling in one of these Medigap policies is very simple. The Medicare supplemental agent can walk you through the whole process, but it's important that you apply during your Medigap Open Enrollment period. This is a 6-month time frame that beings the month that you turn 65. During this time, the insurance company can't decline your application, regardless of your health or any pre-existing conditions that you have. If you're in poor health, this could be the only chance that you have to get supplemental coverage.

Additionally, during your open enrollment, the company can't charge you more for your plan, even if you have severe health problems. If you wait to purchase one of these plans, it could cost you thousands of dollars more every year. If you want to save money, don't weight to apply for your coverage.

Any Questions?

Medigap plans are one of the best ways to protect your retirement savings and ensure that you can live out your retirement dreams. The older that you get, the more that you're going to spend on health care and related medical costs. Don't' let those expenses ruin your retirement.

If you have any questions about Medigap coverage, please feel free to contact an experienced Medicare Supplemental insurance agent near you or me today. It's vital that you get the proper coverage.

The post Understanding Medicare Supplement Plan D appeared first on Good Financial Cents.

Source Good Financial Cents http://ift.tt/2xRxJkm

How Important Conversion Optimization Is for Small Ecommerce Sites

There are no two ways about it.

If you’re in ecommerce, you’re in business to make money.

Sure, there may be philosophical reasons why you provide your customers with top-notch service.

But ultimately, your goal is to ensure money exchanges hands quicker and more often.

The way to achieve that is through conversion optimization.

This applies to all online businesses.

In the ecommerce space, it’s even more crucial.

In this article, I’ll explain why. I’ll also get into how you can make some adjustments to your site to improve conversions.

First, let’s take it from the top.

What is conversion optimization?

In layman’s terms, conversion optimization is the process of increasing the number of visitors who take a desired action on your site.

Any number of activities can count as a conversion. It depends on your goals.

Signing up to an email list, creating an account, making a purchase, and downloading software are all examples.

Here are some more examples:

The more often these conversions happen, the more revenue your business receives.

In theory, it’s pretty simple.

In practice, it’s a little more complex than just getting more people to take action.

Why so?

You need to get the right people to take the right actions at the right time.

That means there are quite a few pieces that need to be moved to ensure your conversion funnel is working as it should.

Here’s what prioritizing conversions can do for your business.

1. You can have a fighting chance against Goliath competitors

Every time I think of competition, I think of this simple yet profound quote:

The strong eat the weak.

It’s true in life, and it’s true in business.

Ecommerce is extremely competitive. Just look at the increase in sales within the industry over the span of eight years:

New players are entering your space every single day with the sole goal of snatching up your customers.

The only way to combat this is to make your customers so loyal to you that the competition doesn’t matter.

That can’t happen without first moving them through your sales funnel.

There’s one mistake I see small ecommerce businesses make all the time.

They focus on traffic generation without first having the systems in place to:

1.  convert that traffic into leads;
2.  convert leads into loyal customers.

If you already have some traffic coming in, I recommend you spend some time optimizing your conversion funnel.

Because guess what? You may not be able to bring in as much traffic as larger sites. They have more resources, larger teams, and bigger advertising budgets.

You may not even be able to compete on price.

But you can still have a competitive advantage if you make use of conversion optimization.

2. You can get more bang for your advertising dollar

Organic traffic outperforms paid methods, hands down. A ContentMX client saw an 84% increase in organic clicks.

Here’s the thing though.

Driving organic traffic is a difficult feat.

It’s why many ecommerce sites turn to paid advertising.

As more businesses use this strategy, the price goes up.

Now imagine this.

You’re spending thousands every month on paid campaigns.

Your ad copy, landing pages, and other elements at the top of your funnel are not optimized to convert.

Wouldn’t the result be catastrophic?

There’s no way you’d get a solid return on that investment.

Let’s just say your funnel is good enough to produce sales. What if your systems were leaner and more efficient?

You’d get better results out of the same ad spend.

It’s a no-brainer.

Before you launch a paid campaign, map every path your prospect would take after they click on your ads.

Then, improve every touchpoint so that it converts at a higher rate.

3. The CRO process gives you a better understanding of user behavior

The way users interact with your site is everything.

It’s the closest you’ll get to reading your prospects’ minds.

It tells you what they’re looking for, what they respond to best, and what turns them off.

This means you can give users exactly what they want when they get to your site. Conversions would happen much faster because web visitors would have what they need at hand.

But you shouldn’t just glance at your analytics and make changes to your site based on that one analysis.

You need to monitor user behavior over time.

It’s the only way to notice patterns you can capitalize on.

My advice?

Get a solid grasp on how to navigate Google Analytics. It’s one of the most powerful free tools for analyzing user behavior on your site.

Salesforce found that 56% of businesses rely solely on Google Analytics for their web analytics. Only about 11% don’t use it at all.

Here are a few things you can track right now:

• Where are your web visitors coming from? You can target these sources to get more visitors.
• Which channels are driving the most traffic? This will tell you where to focus your time and resources.
• Where on your site are visitors spending the most time? This will tell you where users’ interests lie.
• How “sticky” are your site pages? Check your bounce rates for that info. You want them to be low.

These are just a few ideas. User behavior has many aspects.

How do you get this info?

First, find the behavior reports within your Google Analytics account:

You’ll see several subsections, each with insights on how visitors interact with your site:

Hopefully, you already have Google Analytics fired up.

Go through the reports, and collect all historical data.

Identify what’s yielding the most results, and double down on it. Then, you can pinpoint underperforming areas and improve them.

These insights are crucial not only for conversions but for every aspect of your digital marketing.

Content, social media, and email marketing are all areas that can benefit from analyzing user behavior.

Here’s the other thing about using analytics for conversion optimization: It prevents you from making changes to your site based on a hunch.

You’ll have concrete data to base your decisions on, and that’s how you avoid making costly mistakes.

4. The weak elements of your ecommerce site design will be revealed

Design has a lot to do with how well your site converts.

You should have a simple, easy-to-navigate layout.

Conversion optimization almost always includes a site redesign to ensure these factors are at play.

You’ll pinpoint the weak spots, and your site will evolve to have a cleaner layout.

Here are some things you may consider.

Product Images

People underestimate the importance of images to boost conversions. This is the most life-like representation of your product.

Images should be high-resolution, large, and varied. This way customers can view your product from multiple angles.

It makes the product more tangible, which positively influences conversions.

Navigation

Users should be able to browse through your products quickly and conduct searches without fuss.

That’s where a prominently-placed search box comes in: 30% of site visitors use search on an ecommerce store.

The quicker you can get customers what they want, the quicker you make the conversion.

That’s the point of navigation.

As such, it should be simple and distraction-free.

Add-to-cart buttons and checkout signs must be clearly visible.

CTA

I’ll admit. The right-colored CTA button won’t make your sales funnel.

But it can certainly hurt you.

Don’t think this is a major problem?

These statistics show the many ways businesses neglect their CTAs:

If you don’t have a color that stands out and compels visitors to click through, it can take away from the user experience.

This is where color psychology can come into play. Make sure you choose the right colors for your ecommerce site, and your CTAs will perform as they should.

It’s not just about color though.

The words you use have far more impact. I recommend using words like “now” and “today” that convey urgency.

These are just a few elements.

Here’s a good rule of thumb for deciding how your web pages should be designed.

Step #1: Decide the primary goal of the page. Zone in on one thing.

Step #2: Decide on the secondary goals of the page. These should be related to your primary goal.

For instance, let’s look at product pages.

The goal is to get users to add products to their carts, right?

Your secondary goal can be a catalyst to get your primary goal moving along. For example, you may decide you want more persuasive product descriptions, more social proof, etc.

These will help advance your primary goal.

Makes sense?

Step #3: Make your primary call to action the most prominent element. This way you’re deciding for the user which action they should take.

Step #4: Include your secondary calls to action and nothing else. You don’t want to have anything on your page that doesn’t lead web visitors to your primary and secondary calls to action.

For creative elements, I always recommend split tests.

This is how you’ll know for sure which version of your site provides the smoothest user experience.

And that’s it!

5. Conversion optimization is a profit maximizer

Put simply, more conversions lead to bigger profits.

But know this: you need to tighten every aspect of your sales process.

There’s no point in optimizing for conversions at the top of your funnel if you can’t keep momentum as web visitors move through the funnel.

The best way to capitalize on all customer touch points is first to map your customer journey.

This is a map that illustrates the path your customers go through when they interact with your business.

Once you have that figured out, deciding what to optimize at each stage should be obvious.

Here’s an example of a customer journey map:

6. Your customer acquisition cost will be lowered

Conversion optimization is the silver bullet for reducing your customer acquisition costs (CAC).

Here’s the textbook definition of CAC:

In short, it’s the price you pay for acquiring a customer.

This one metric can make or break your business.

If it costs too much to convert a customer, your profit margins will be restricted.

Larger profit margins, on the other hand, give you more flexibility in your market. You’ll be able to serve your customers with more value and secure a spot as a dominant player in your space.

What does conversion optimization have to do with all this?

Here’s a scenario.

Let’s say you’ve decided to optimize your site for more conversions.

With a few strategic changes, you see a 3% bump in conversions.

The amount of traffic to your site hasn’t changed. Your ad spend is still the same. The only variable is what you’ve done to optimize your site.

The 3% increase in conversions means you’ll be acquiring more customers, resulting in more revenue, without employing more resources.

Granted, it may cost you to make changes to your site. However, the result is still the same.

Your CAC will decrease while your ROI increases.

Now, that’s a sweet deal.

7. You will have a more targeted customer base

When you optimize for conversions, everything about your marketing becomes sharper.

Your messaging and positioning will be hyper-focused.

This means you’ll attract the right kind of customers and repel those who aren’t your target audience.

The result?

You’ll be better able to serve your customers’ needs. This is bound to improve your customer lifetime value.

Here’s the other thing.

Businesses that master their markets, audiences, and positioning command more authority.

That’s ideal for the optics and even better for business.

Your perceived value will increase, which will no doubt give you the influence to land bigger profits.

Conclusion

If there’s one thing you choose to do for your ecommerce site today, let it be conversion optimization.

It’s an especially powerful tactic for small businesses.

Why?

Because you can get better results by using the same resources you have.

That’s golden.

It means you can start to scale your business and make headway on your competitors without outspending them.

I’ll say this though: conversion optimization is not about making a few tweaks to your site and watching conversions go through the roof.

It doesn’t happen that way.

This is why my focus in this article is on the areas of your business that can benefit if you prioritize conversions.

The way you go about achieving that depends on your business and your customers.

What objections do they have to your product? What prevents them from taking critical actions?

Consider these questions, use the insights in this article, and your ecommerce business will be better for it.

How did your business benefit from conversion optimization?

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