Category Archives: Finance

The Top 5 Flexible Side Hustles You Can Start Today

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If you’ve clicked on this blog, you’re probably thinking of starting a side hustle. There are a lot of reasons why you may need a side hustle. Maybe you want to pay a loan, cater for extra expenses, or save for a big purchase. Ultimately, a side hustle is a fantastic way of achieving financial independence.


According to the Bankrate survey, approximately 45% of American citizens have a side hustle due to the rising living cost. Nonetheless, starting a side hustle is not easy. It can be nerve-racking during the initial stages of finding a market, but your side hustle can turn into your full-time job with persistence and commitment.

Before you even begin, consider picking something flexible that you love or enjoy doing as a side gig. You don’t want to be sacrificing your free time for a hustle you hate! That said, let’s look at the top five flexible side hustles for men in the US.


The Top Five Side Hustles for Men


Tutoring


If you are highly educated, skilled, or experienced in something, you have some knowledge to share. Although certifications are not necessary when becoming a tutor, the best tutoring jobs require advanced qualifications such as a degree or a Master’s.

Depending on your schedule, you can decide to tutor offline, online, or even both. You can do this by tutoring students around your local area or enrolling in an online course provider. However, technological advancements have made online tutoring highly popular among students and tutors.
Online Platforms such as Skillshare enable tutors to upload a course and sell it to students. Although tutoring allows you to set your prices, your earnings will depend on your specialty, experience, and education level. The pay for elementary subjects such as English might be less than college specialties.


Dogsitting


Pet adoption is at an all-time high in the US. One thing about millennial men, they are dog lovers! Most dog owners have full-time jobs. Therefore they might not get the chance to groom, feed, or walk their dogs as often as possible.
Dog sitting is a great side hustle with so much income potential if you love dogs. Although larger dogs require an experienced trainer, the entry barrier is low. Since dog owners have different styles of pet care, you need to be an animal lover and have basic skills such as dog grooming and dog walking.

You can register on petcare sites that connect dog owners with sitters to kick start your dog sitting side hustle. In addition, you can take a look at your neighborhood and target the busy professionals or frequent travelers and offer your dogsitting services.


Online Freelancing

 

The sky is the limit when it comes to freelance. There’s an endless list of online freelance jobs available today. If you enjoy having flexible working hours, freelance is one of the most flexible and fastest ways of making more income.

Although some freelance gigs require advanced qualifications, most of them can be taught and learned within a short time. You need to be creative and brainstorm the current skills that are in high demand.
Freelance requires a strong internet connection, phone, and laptop to be effective. There are hundreds of online marketplaces that connect freelancers with clients. Consider joining some freelance sites like Fiverr to start your freelancing career. Examples of freelance side hustles include:
• Online writing
• Virtual assistance
• Graphic design
• Voiceover acting
• Web development
• Online surveys
• App testing
• Chat moderation
• Social media marketer
• Editing
• Dropshipping


Become a Handyman


You’ll probably find yourself handy around your household as a man. Whether mounting a TV, repairing broken pipes, or assembling furniture, you don’t need special skills to become a handyman.

Property owners frequently need some work done in or around their homes if you look around. If you like to use your hands, you can offer services such as:
• Painting
• Tile installation
• Carpentry
• Moving
• Gutter and roof cleaning
• Carwashing
• Plumbing


Content Creation


Content creation is one of the highest-paying jobs in the US today. In addition, it’s also one of the lowest cost alternatives for making passive income. If you like to hold conversations, share opinions, or document your life through videos, you can create content to sell.

Before starting your content creation hustle, ensure that you learn some digital skills such as editing and find a suitable audience and a niche that intrigues you. You can create niche-specific content based on topics such as sports, DIY things, and gaming.
Although building an audience takes time, it’s possible to multiply it within a short time. Examples of content creation ideas include:
• Starting a youtube channel
• Blogging
• Starting a podcast
• Social media influencing


Conclusion


Side hustles are a great way to boost your sources of income. Even better, most side hustles don’t need huge capital or experience to start. Either way, you need to look at the side hustle’s earning potential, scheduling, and growth potential before starting.

Factors You Should Know to Improve Professional Growth

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Advancing in your professional career is never easy, but can be well worth the time and effort you put into it. You will likely be working 40 hours a week or more at a job, so you need to make the most of it. Here are a few helpful factors you should consider to improve professional growth and advance your career.


Factors to Improve Professional Growth

Improving in your career has a lot to do with your mindset and how you approach challenges in your working environment. Factors like your long-term goals and personal expectations can impact the path you take to improve. So here are some major factors you should consider:

Weigh the Training Opportunities You Have

One of the best ways to improve your career is by going through a dedicated training program. These programs are designed for the sole purpose of improving professional growth. Experienced professionals often lead these seminars.

They can offer useful tips or can provide methods to improve your professional skills. If you’re looking to specialize in a specific field, these classes can be especially important. Luckily, you can often learn about seminars and lectures online through websites and various other influencers.

Learn New Skills

Personal development and professional growth often go hand in hand. Therefore, learning a new skill will not only help you grow personally, but will also help you diversify your skills. You could learn skills in a new field to switch to a new job. Or you could learn skills that can help with the wave of automation that is coming soon.

One of the ways that you can improve professional growth is by recognizing jobs that could be taken over by automation. If you feel this may be the case for your current job, then get ahead of the curve by learning a different skill or by choosing a career that will still thrive during automation.

Determine Your Expectations

Having personal expectations is never a downside and instead just means that certain things take greater priority over others. You might want a longer lunch break, more vacation days, better tech, a better workspace, better pay, or better insurance. These are reasonable expectations to have when looking for a new career to improve professional growth.

However, it is often difficult to find a job opportunity that can fit all of your specific expectations. Therefore, you should put them all in a list in terms of priority. There are certain things you need to be willing to compromise on in order for you to get the essentials that are most important to you.

Improve Professional Growth by Focusing on Long Term Goals

Finally, the best way to improve professional growth is to create long-term goals and follow through. Everyone has an end goal to work towards, whether it’s a specific savings goal for retirement, higher income, or financial independence. Having that long-term goal in mind fuels your creativity and gives the work, you do more meaning. These long-term goals also tend to determine future job opportunities and the skills you want to focus on.

So if you want to improve your mindset around professional growth, we recommend focusing in on your long-term goals, as it affects every other decision you make.

5 Career Options Men Should Choose in 2022

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We live in a modern world and it is changing quite fast. While this has introduced new opportunities, it has also increased the challenges that we have with our lives. Therefore, we men need to consider our career choices carefully.

Several new trends like NFT selling/purchasing, Metaverse, and others have all unlocked a new world for us. However, it is still important to choose a career option an individual can thrive. We are going to talk about interesting career options in 2022. Let us begin.

Career Options Men Should Choose in 2022

Following are the top career options that you should consider in 2022.

Healthcare

Healthcare is one of the most in-demand fields globally. While the current pandemic may have something to do with this, it is also because healthcare is always required.

Many people are considering switching their jobs, which could increase the chances of landing a satisfactory job as a healthcare worker. These job options pay well and statistics reveal that the average pay of these nurses is as high as $112,000 per year.

Information Technology

Information technology (IT) is a fast-growing sector considering most experts believe it is the currency of the future. The demand for software engineers and developers has increased for this reason too. All of this has made IT one of the best career options men should choose in 2022.

The Occupational Outlook Handbook claims that there could be an increase of 22% in demand for IT professionals in near future.

Supply Chain Management

Factors like panic buying in recent years, higher demand in online sales, and many others contribute to the importance of supply chain management professionals in recent years.

Most of these professionals start working with a bachelor’s degree but continue learning and gaining experience to reach a satisfactory educational qualification. Therefore, it would be best if you understand how the supply chain industry works.

Financial Management

Careers in financial management could grow by nearly 15% in demand and value in the upcoming years. This is because business processes are becoming too advanced. There are billions of dollars worth of transactions every day globally. Therefore, companies require professional financial management to take care of things and maximize probability.

The financial management industry is quite competitive even right now. This is the perfect time to learn about the field and develop practices that can help you grow as a professional.

Actuarial and Statistician

Professionals in this field enjoy over a 6 digit salary and a low saturated industry at the moment. These professionals are in high demand because of their skills and qualifications. You can choose an opportunity after learning Actuarial Sciences and passing all licenses.

Statisticians will also provide a future prediction for sales, profits, and much more. Therefore, almost every business requires expertise.

Bottom Line

You can find a wide range of career options men should choose in 2022. However, it has a lot to do with keeping your skills in mind and maintaining a good look. You should choose a field that you have an interest in, and can thrive in. It may take some time to make the decision, but we suggest researching these career option suggestions.

Steps to Set Your Financial New Year’s Resolution

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If you are the kind of person who needs a New Year’s resolution as motivation, then you are at the right place. With the combined wisdom from our many failed resolutions, you can learn from our mistakes while setting your financial New Year’s resolution and staying committed to your progress.

Create a Personal Budget

For many people, keeping track of a budget is not an easy task. However, taking control in some way over your spending and earnings is a must. A monthly budget will help you identify things that you cannot afford and things that you should add to your buying list.

To create a personal budget, you should list your fixed expenses such as bills, rent, groceries, and even savings. This gives a realistic idea about what you have left over. You can use the leftover cash to put extra down any debts you may have which will put you in a better position this time next year. If you need any idea about your spending, consider checking your previous credit card and bank statements. Many of these accounts have free spending breakdowns which can be helpful if you take the time to review them.

Clear Credit Card Debts on Time

Balance transfers can save you from extending debts. But, instantly paying off the balance before the time ends would be a wise choice. Before balance transfer, check the expiration date for interest-free payments. That way, you can save significantly on interest. When you know the date the 0% APR ends, create a plan to aggressively pay down your debts. If the plan goes well, you will be debt-free, or at least very close when the period ends.

Improve Credit Score

If your credit score is below 700, you should create a strategy to raise it this year. There are many ways for improving your credit score. Some of the effective ways are:

  • Pay bills and payments on time
  • Don’t open new accounts
  • Reduce expenses
  • Pay off debt
  • Reduce unnecessary credit inquiries

Optimize Your Financial Portfolio

Every year, we set investment goals and hope to generate more revenue. But, research suggests that choosing the right time to invest is counter-productive and difficult to predict in real-time. Therefore, you should stay disciplined and create an effective monthly plan. When you follow a plan, make sure to stay on track even if things didn’t work out your way. Also, you can easily adjust the plan and maintain your financial portfolio without losing track.

Prepare for the Unexpected

When it comes to finance and investments, risks are inevitable. You should stay ready for all types of surprises such as job loss, illness, disability, lawsuits, or natural disasters. When you have a contingency plan to deal with risks, even the major ones won’t move you from a successful path. Insurance protects you from unforeseen events. However, paying for insurance is an additional expense. Here are some tips to plan your insurance expense:

  • Protect large medical expenses
  • Purchase life insurance
  • Protect earning power during a long-term disability
  • Have easy-to-get-to emergency savings

Conclusion

In the end, you should remember to take things one step at a time. When you manage everything at once, things can get out of hand. The advice mentioned above will help you create an effective Financial New Year’s Resolution. So get started right now to make real progress this year.

The 8 Best Apps for Micro-Investors

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The stock market is a volatile and unpredictable place, even for seasoned investors. This is where micro-investors come in. Micro-investing apps make it easy to invest as little as $5 or $10 at a time to build up wealth over time.

But first, what is micro-investing?

Micro-investing is an increasingly popular, low-risk investing strategy that allows small investors to build up their portfolios over time gradually. It involves investing in stocks, ETFs, and other securities through apps or websites with low minimum investment requirements.

Let’s say you can start investing $100 per week in your early 30s. By the time you retire at 67, you would have invested a total of $40,000, and your portfolio could be worth over $600,000, depending on the rate of return and the amount you reinvested along the way.

That’s why micro-investing is a great option for anyone who wants to get started investing but doesn’t have a lot of money to spare. And there are now several apps that make it easy to do this on your phone or computer.

What are micro-investing apps?

Micro-investing apps work a lot like other investment platforms, but they have low minimums, and you can start investing with as little as $0.01 or even less. The idea behind many of them is to give you the chance to build up a portfolio little by little.

Here are some examples: Acorns was one of the first micro-investing apps, and it’s still very popular today. The app rounds up your everyday purchases and invests the spare change in a diversified investment portfolio for you. So if you buy a coffee for $0.95, Acorns will invest the extra $0.05 in your account.

Another popular app is Stash. It has a minimum investment of just $25 and lets you invest in various stocks and ETFs. You can also choose from a range of “themes” or investing strategies, like clean energy or medical innovation.

So, now, since you’ve read about the best micro-investing apps, why not try one out? In this blog post, we will explore eight different apps that offer variations on investing strategies and risk levels so you can find the one that suits your needs best.

Acorns

Acorns is an app that rounds up your purchases and puts the change in a portfolio of low-cost index funds. The app charges $1 per month for accounts with less than $5,000 invested and 0.25% (or $2) per year on accounts over that amount. There is no minimum balance requirement or account opening fee, and since it invests in index funds, there are no fund management fees either!

Robinhood

Robinhood is a zero-commission stock trading app where all trades happen online — making it great for instant buys or quick trades. It also has a web-based platform that allows users to track stock prices between devices and make paperless dividends or corporate actions requests. Robinhood is also one of the few brokers that provides cryptocurrency trading.

Public.com

Public is an automated investing app that allows you to automatically invest in stocks, ETFs, and mutual funds with as little as $1. Its target market is millennials and Gen Z-ers who want to invest but don’t have the time or knowledge to do it independently. Fees range from 0.35% – 0.50%, and there are no minimum account balance or investment requirements.

Stash

This app is also geared towards beginning investors but with a broader range of investment options that include real estate and precious metals in addition to stocks and ETFs. You can start investing with as little as $5, and there are no account minimums or fees (except for the cost of whatever you buy). The app also offers a retirement account option and custodial accounts for investors under 18.

M1 Finance

This app is a bit different from the others because it lets you invest in individual stocks and ETFs and create custom portfolios that include both. You can also choose to have your portfolio automatically rebalanced for you or do it yourself. There are no account minimums, trading fees, or commissions.

Wealthsimple

Wealthsimple is another app designed with millennials in mind. It has a streamlined user interface and low fees, so you can invest your money quickly without worrying about missing opportunities due to commissions or minimums. Wealthsimple also offers tax-efficient portfolios, goal-based saving strategies, and retirement planning tools.

Greenlight

Unlike other apps, Greenlight is an investment account for kids that comes with a debit card, bank account, and investments. It’s an excellent option for parents who want to teach their kids the value of saving money early. Moreover, it also offers financial education tools and resources that can help them learn more about investing and managing money as they get older.

Webull

Released in the market in 2018, Webull is a free-trading app that offers real-time market data and detailed charting. It also provides users with analysis tools, customizable price alerts, and educational resources to teach them how to trade profitably in the financial markets.

Final words

So, there you have it! Eight different apps to help get you started in micro-investing. Whether you’re looking for a commission-free option, an app that invests in real estate and precious metals, or one that’s designed specifically for kids, there’s sure to be something here for you. What are you waiting for? Get started investing today!

*We may receive commission on a few of these recommendations

How to Keep your Wallet Full through the Holidays

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Every holiday season we see a lot of people stressed out about how they will be able to afford presents and food for the holidays. It’s an understandable worry, especially when it seems like money is so tight. But there are some ways that you can keep your wallet full this Christmas! In this blog post, we’ll explore some tricks on how to not go broke during the holidays.

Plan and start saving now

Sometimes it’s easy to think you’ll be able to save up enough money before the holiday season comes. But if you wait too long, you might find yourself in a tight squeeze. So, start saving now!

Put away $20 out of every check — or even less if it’s easier. And if you can find ways to cut back on spending now (like cutting back your gym membership or getting rid of cable), then that’s even better. You’ll feel much more financially secure come Christmas time.

Make a list of what you want to get for Christmas

A good way to keep your wallet full is by making a list of what you want to get for Christmas. That way, you can budget and shop around so that when the time comes you know exactly how much money you have to spend. Making this list will help prevent getting broke during the holidays because it keeps track of prices which helps determine how much money you have to spend.

This list can also be used for other holidays like birthdays, anniversaries, or Valentine’s day! By keeping track of all of these prices and dates on one document, it will help keep your wallet full during the entire year instead of just in time for Christmas time!

Get the best deal possible

One way to save money this holiday season is by using coupons. The best time to use coupons to get the most out of your shopping trip is in the weeks leading up to Christmas. As sales increase, so do coupon offers to make sure that there are people buying products.

Another way to make sure you don’t go broke during the holidays is by waiting for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which are days when all sorts of items are sold at great discounts.

If you are buying Christmas gifts for everyone on your list, then it would be best to buy everything at once. There are usually more discounts right after the holidays because of the leftover inventory that needs to go before January rolls around.

To get the best deal for Christmas, you can combine all of these methods. For example, buying a few items online and getting some in-store with coupons is a great way to save money this holiday season.

Shop at thrift stores or garage sales

When it comes to Christmas, many people are tempted to go for the big-ticket items. But if you’re trying to save money, instead of thinking about how much you can buy when you shop at a department store, you should think about how much you plan on spending.

If the amount in your wallet is dwindling, try shopping at thrift stores or garage sales. These stores often have great deals on clothing and furniture that are in perfect condition. This way, you’ll be able to enjoy the holiday season without going broke in the process.

Use cashback apps

This is a great way to earn cashback on items you are buying anyway. For example, Ibotta will give users cashback for purchasing specific products at specific stores. The user can get money by taking a picture of the product’s barcode or scanning it if available in-store. Some retailers also offer bonuses to shop online through them or using their app, like Ebates.

Not only do these cashback apps help you stay within your budget, but they also give users the ability to shop around which helps them find the best deals.

You can find these on your app store or search “Cashback App” on Google to find more.

Shop for food beforehand

If you are hosting Christmas dinner, make sure to shop for food before the holiday. This way, it’s already paid for and won’t take away from your budget. A quick, easy way to make sure you don’t overspend is by making a shopping list.

Include everything that you need for your holiday meal as well as any stocking stuffers or gifts that you want to buy for others. Write down what you need and stick to the list.

Another great tip is to shop online for cheaper items, but make sure to factor in shipping costs when adding up your total expenses.

Try using cash instead of credit cards

If you tend to spend more than usual during the holidays, try using cash instead of credit cards. Not only does using cash help you stay within your spending limits, it also makes you think twice before making a purchase.

When deciding how much to spend on gifts for friends and family members, create a budget that includes the amount of money in your wallet as well as any credit cards or other forms of payment that are available to you. Stick to your budget to avoid overspending.

Sell unwanted gifts on Poshmark or Facebook Marketplace

No matter how much you spend on gifts, there are sure to be some things you don’t want at the end of the day. Consider selling them! Some people make extra money this way every year.

You can list them on Facebook Marketplace or Poshmark. There are lots of ways to sell your stuff online these days. Take great photos of your items and write a good description. Make sure the price is a good deal and do some research on similar items to help you set that value.

People are usually more inclined to buy during this time of year, so don’t be afraid to offer free shipping if you’re feeling generous.

If you have a lot of gifts to sell, however, it might be more worth your time and energy to donate them directly. Find out if there is a Salvation Army or Goodwill in your area that will take donations for their stores this holiday season.

Splurge on family time with loved ones instead of material items

There are many different ways to make the holidays special and one of these is getting together with family and friends at a great restaurant, spending time doing activities you all enjoy, watching movies together in bed on Christmas morning (with hot chocolate!), or even going for a walk through your city (if it snows). It is important to spend time with family and friends during the holidays, not just buy them material items.

This is a great way to show loved ones you care and it will not break the bank.

Conclusion

We are sure that you are not the only person out there that has worried about this. We all know that it can be hard to keep our wallets full during the holiday season, but with a few changes in your mindset, you can easily increase your spending power. Change your beliefs about what Christmas is for and learn to enjoy the experience of giving, and you’ll find yourself with more money than you need to spend.