Hope for your financial life and beyond

7 Lucrative Side Hustles You Can Start Today

It’s a new day and time with a new breed of hustler in the workforce. Besides regular 9-to-5 jobs, many full-time employees are out looking for part-time jobs to supplement their income. There are many reasons for why this is happening. But there is one thing for sure – there are actually many lucrative jobs out there. 

Some require specialized skills with specific educational standards. Others do not. In our current economy at the time of this writing, it’s not uncommon to find jobs paying $15-$20 per hour. And those are at places like Target or McDonalds that require little specialized skill or specific educational background.

So, if you seek a side hustle that’s easy to master and makes good money, you are in the right place. Here you will find a listing of side hustle opportunities that anyone can apply for. A few of these may require a basic background or knowledge in the field. But if you have a willingness to learn, each could turn into a lucrative side hustle for you. 

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5 Money Tips for College Students

This article is for the college student looking for tips to help with the cost of school. The cost of college continues to climb year after year. It’s made going to school difficult for some and impossible for others. 

As a new college student, you probably have more responsibility for managing your money than you ever have before in your life. Up until this point, your parents have been overseeing your finances. Now you are on your own and you may not know what to do. 

You need to look at this experience in a positive way. This can be an empowering time that gives you the opportunity to set good habits for a lifetime. With the smart money management tips below, you’ll be able to make the right choices to stay on top of your finances and spend and save wisely.

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How to Know if Debt Consolidation Will Work for You

Looking to pay off debt? It can be quite the challenge. But it is one of the most rewarding journeys in the end once you are on the other side of it.

The problem with paying off debt for some is the amount. The sheer number of dollars one owes can paralyze you. That is especially true if that debt is spread out over many accounts. It can be overwhelming when so many different bills are coming at one time.

That is where consolidating debt may makes sense for some. Consolidating debts involves getting a single account to pay off multiple old loans. It’s also one of the common reasons people acquire a personal loan. It allows them to consolidate all of their existing loans into a larger one that offers the best repayment terms or a lower monthly interest rate.

However, before consolidating your loans, remember that this option isn’t for everyone. If you want to know whether or not debt consolidation is good for you, here are some ways to find out.

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Start Investing Your Money Smartly: 6 Common Investment Mistakes to Avoid

Have you decided it’s time to get smart and start investing your money in stocks? For those who are ready, investing is key to building long-term wealth. It’s hard to find another investing vehicle that has produced greater long-term returns than the stock market. 

Maybe you have invested in the past only to make mistakes. Perhaps you were disappointed with the results. But as they say in the investing world, “past performance is no guarantee of future results.” In other words, just because you’ve had one bad experience in your mind, doesn’t mean that you can’t succeed going forward with a different perspective. 

On the other hand, you may be relatively new to the world of investing and feeling a bit overwhelmed. There is so much terminology to learn. And, how do you sort through all the investing options? 

The good news is that you can do it. Millions of people have. The focus here will be on avoiding six common investment mistakes. If you can learn to steer clear of these issues, you’ll be much more likely to have positive results and meet your investment goals. Let’s take a look at how you can invest your money wisely.

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5 Benefits You Can Enjoy With an Increased Credit Limit

For those who use credit, having a high limit is important. You want to have as much access to capital as possible so that you can purchase what you need to purchase. So paying off your debt with regularity will increase the odds that creditors will increase your credit limit to give you the margin you need. 

For some people, having a high credit limit is also a status symbol. It’s a sign that they are doing well financially and that credit card companies trust them to use their products responsibly. That may seem like a shallow reason but many people view their credit limits this way. But even if you don’t care about status symbols, there are plenty of good reasons experts say to increase your credit limit.

Whether you’re trying to improve your credit score or simply want more financial flexibility, an increased credit limit can be beneficial. Here are five benefits you can enjoy with an increased credit limit.

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5 Tips to Manage a Joint Credit Card with Your New Spouse

Sharing finances is essential when building a strong relationship with a spouse or long-term partner. We wouldn’t have it any other way. There is much more benefit to managing your finances together as a couple than trying to have separate bank accounts with his and her money.

The best way to manage your money together is to get on a plan that gets you out of debt quickly and on a path to investing so that you can build extraordinary wealth. However, a good portion of society does not believe in living a debt free existence. So their method of payment for most things ends up being credit cards.

If you choose to go this route, there are things for newlywed couples or committed spouses to consider when merging their finances. You will need to learn how to communicate as you learn to share a credit card and pay bills for the first time together.

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How to Find a Good CPA to Do Your Taxes

Most people are capable of doing their own taxes. Almost 90% of individual tax returns were filed through the electronic system. According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), these are normally done by tax preparers. Regardless of that statistic, many people find filing their returns quite tedious and time-consuming. (1)

So, if you hate doing your taxes or have a complicated financial life, hiring an expert to work out your taxes is a wise decision.

A certified public accountant (CPA) has the skills, training and knowledge to accurately calculate your returns and submit them within a short time frame. Hiring their services can take the frustrations off your shoulders.

And. for some industries like HVAC, hiring a specialized CPA and accounting firm will come with the added benefits of working with someone who knows exactly how to navigate the intricacies of tax law for that specific industry.

However, giving the job to the wrong person could harm you more than good. With that in mind, here are some tips for finding a good CPA to do your tax returns.

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4 Ways to Take Control of Your Financial Wellness

When you hear the term “wellness,” you may understandably think of wellness of the physical, emotional, and/or spiritual variety. These forms of wellness are all important. Without wellness being present in those areas, life would be difficult.

However, there’s another type of wellness that is also crucial. It may not be on par in importance as the ones mentioned above but it can improve on your life. What we are talking about here is financial wellness.  

Money doesn’t solve every problem. However, it can solve some problems. If your financial life is not well, you will have difficulty paying for the things you need, raising a family, and saving enough money for retirement.

So what is financial wellness and how do you get there? Let’s define it and then look at some steps to get you moving in the right direction.

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How to Make Saving and Budgeting Easier

Many things can impact your financial world. But mostly it’s you. Winning with your money is only about 20 percent knowledge. 80 percent of your success will come from your behavior with money.

Your financial wellbeing is directly affected by how well you are able to manage your money and plan for the future. Each activity and decision can affect your future.

With that in mind, there are several ways to make the most of the income you do have. 

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6 Ways To Avoid Losing Your Hard-Earned Financial Assets

Starting your own business and investing in stocks are both legitimate and effective ways to make money. However, all your hard work at either of these two endeavors may wind up ending poorly if you mismanage the assets you gain. Legal action could come against you, for example, or you could lose the assets you’ve gained in other ways if you’re not careful with your money. 

Most people usually look to the big, leading banks to protect their hard earned money. There is nothing wrong with taking that path and parking cash in savings accounts or CDs. However, there are other things to do to protect your assets. Here are a few things to look at.  [Read more…]

7 Steps to Take to Alleviate Your Financial and Job Security Worries

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused severe and extensive damage to many people’s finances. Worse still, financial experts say the financial and economic effects could persist long after the pandemic ultimately subsides. It’s going to take some time for life to get back to what we would call normal. 

Aside from the obvious medical issues, the pandemic has shown us this – how an unanticipated event that is entirely out of our control can instantly knock us out. Emergencies are going to happen and we should always be prepared for crazy events in life. But for most that is not the case. They know these things are going to happen, but they don’t prepare for them.

There is a solution to the problem though, and it begins with addressing what you can do right now, in the moment. You don’t have to be left helpless by a negative life event. You can be prepared if you take the right steps.

What are those steps? Here are seven things you can do to be prepared as possible when life circumstances impact your income. 

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