Category: Savings

4 Ways To Start A Business When You’ve Got Bad Credit

bad money businessWhen you get yourself into financial trouble, your credit score is going to suffer. Having a bad credit score affects in so many ways and it’s not a position you want to be in. Trying to borrow money or buy things on credit is a nightmare so your dream of starting a business seems so out of reach. But there’s no need to give up on your dreams just because you’ve got bad credit. It’s going to be made more difficult by your low credit score but if you’re serious about it, there are ways to deal with it. If you’re worried about your credit score affecting your business goals, check out these tips to get around it.

Increase Your Score

The first thing you need to do is to try to increase that credit score, even the smallest increases will help your situation no end. Paying down debts is the simplest way to do it. If you’ve borrowed a lot of money, seek the services of companies like consolidation.creditcard who can help you to combine all of those separate debts into one easy to manage payment. Clearing those debts will put you in a better financial situation and improve your score so it’s easier to borrow the start-up capital that you need for your new business.

Find A Partner

Having a business partner is always a bonus. Two heads are better than one and it also helps to reduce the financial strain that starting a business will put on you. If you’re struggling to get loans in your name, consider collaborating with a business partner that has better credit than you. They will be able to borrow the money that you need for start-up costs but make sure that you make clear agreements beforehand because they will be shouldering the lion’s share of the risk so you need to be bringing something to the table as well.

Crowdfunding

The internet has given birth to lots of alternative lending streams that aren’t bothered about your credit score at all. Crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter are perfect for your situation because they offer a platform where you can showcase your business idea. If people like it, they can make small donations to help towards your costs. It runs solely on the quality of your idea so you aren’t hindered by any financial mistakes you’ve made in the past.

Peer To Peer Lending

Another new lending stream that has started to become more relevant in the past couple of years is peer to peer lending. These sites pair up investors that are looking for opportunities with entrepreneurs that are looking for alternate lending streams. Again, you won’t be bound by your credit score and you can find investors that are willing to take a chance on you based on your ideas rather than your financial history.

Having bad credit makes it more difficult to start a business, but there are so many successful businesses out there that are run by people that have been bankrupt multiple times, so don’t give up on your dream of owning your own business.

Cost Effective Life Hacks When You’re Out Of Work

financial life hacksWe always want to know little hacks for daily life, usually in the form of needing less effort to accomplish something or finding a cheaper way to fix or obtain items. However, situations vary a lot and the more serious the issue, the more we search desperately for ways to get around it. So what can you do if you’re out of work? First of all, don’t worry. If you’re out of work, whether it be your fault or not, there’s plenty of things you can do to make ends meet each month. There’s never any shame in needing a little help, even in the form of looking to someone else for answers, so read on for a few good ideas that can bring in some easy cash to make the hard times a lot easier.

Important First Steps To Take When Out Of Work

First of all, considering hiring a service such as LaPorte Law Firm if you think you were unfairly dismissed or aren’t getting the benefits you’re legally entitled to. It’s the best move in a situation when you’re out of work and your dismissal doesn’t feel right. Finding someone who specialises in social security means bills will also be a lot cheaper!

Also, try digging into your savings account if you have one. It can help pay off any debts if you’ve been laid off, and keep a few things at bay, most of all any collectors. Your number one priority at this kind of time is looking for a new way to bring in a stable income; in other words, a new job. Make sure you’re getting all the help you can with things like rent and mortgage most of all, so see if you’re owed any back pay or deductions in terms of tax.

If You Have The Commitment, Join A Blogging Platform

Making money at home couldn’t be easier when you have an internet access and some spare time. Vlogging and Blogging means you’re exposing yourself to some kind of audience, which also means advertisers will be exposed to them as well.

One of the main ways you can start bringing in extra cash every month is through placing ads on your pages. The most popular way to utilise an ad is to host a CPC (cost per click) banner or sidebar. Every time a visitor to your site turns into a customer by clicking through the ad, you get paid for it. It’s that simple!

Yet depending on the amount of visitors you have to your blog, some advertisers may even approach you with exclusive offers. If you can offer them exposure then you’re guaranteed a few offers from all different kinds of products, whether they be big companies or small. You can even write sponsored posts to advertise something in the form of reviews, and they’ll often send you the product for free!

Sell Off Your Surplus

So this category is going to have a lot of stock to it, but that’s just representative of how much you can sell off if you don’t want or need it anymore. So, got some clutter laying around the house? Spruce it up and put it on an auctioning platform! This can seem a lot like common sense, after all, everyone uses a yard sale or Ebay at some point to get rid of something. However it’s a much more lucrative market than you may have first thought.

We need to get into a lot of detail here. A lot of specialty stores and sites exist for each kind of item, so look around for a good place to get the best money for value. DVDs and CDs are one of the main sources for this, so polish up any old records and get rid of them.

You can even use social media to find the best market place and the most competitive prices. It’s also a lot easier to talk to people in real time. Facebook is good for this kind of selling, as it is specialised for this kind of action.

You can find cash for clothes centres, meaning you can just fill a sack with any clothing items you no longer want or fit you and finally get rid of them. It even means you get money in hand on the same day.

If you have a vegetable patch in your garden, now’s a good time to harvest and sell off what you don’t need at places like farmer’s markets, if you like being surrounded by competitive prices and the good smelling produce. However you can once again sell off anything you’ve grown online, and find advice on making the most money for value.

Write Your Own eBook Or Make Images

If you have some writing skills or photoshop proficiency, then you can sell anything you craft from these online as well. Creating products in a digital format means anyone will be able to access them, immediately increasing the market you can sell to.

With an eBook, you should have a good amount of time to work on writing a story if you’re out of work. Don’t just rush something out because you need the money and think people will be interested in whatever you have to offer. Making quality content is the best way to get visitors and potential customers to click on you. Similarly, drawing in photoshop takes some time to do well, and you can even take commissions from people.

It’s even better if you already have a blogging platform to work off of, as you can introduce your products to loyal readers and have them interested from the start, which means word of mouth advertising in real life as well.

So there you have it, a few hints as to what you can do to bring in some money when you’re out of a stable income. You can do any and all of these things, so don’t panic about how little each one seems to make alone.

3 Ways You Must Protect Your Earnings

Knowing how to protect your earnings is an absolute must if you’re going to avoid bad financial situations befalling you both now and in the future. Luckily, we’re here to give you a few ideas on how to do just that. Here are 3 ways you can protect your earnings:

Have A Savings Safety Net

Having a savings safety net is crucial, whatever job you do and however much you earn. Consider every eventuality for a moment. Is there a chance somebody could fall ill? Could you take a pay cut? Could you lose your job? Many of these things can happen to anybody at any time. A savings safety net takes a while to build up, but when you experience an emergency, you’ll be glad it’s there.

Take Out Income Protection Insurance

Income protection insurance will help you if anything happens to your income in the long run. This is especially helpful if you are a contractor or a freelancer who could fall ill and lose out on cash. You’ll be seriously glad you got the appropriate insurance cover, even if just for peace of mind.

Use Your Money In Smart Ways

Make sure you use the money you have in smart ways. You should invest as well as save, as investing is one of the only ways to make a great return on your cash. You should also know when to lease or buy, as this can make a huge difference to your finances overall. Take a look at the infographic below for more information:


credit to auto.loan

Difference Between Saving and Investment?

savings for investmentsWhen it is time to decide what you would like to do with the extra money leftover after paying off all your bills. You can either save it or invest it. Although savings and investment are sometimes used interchangeably, many people confuse savings and investment for the concept – however, they are not the same. Both savings and investments can be used for meeting various expenses in life, there are some major differences between them.

The primary difference between savings and investments is that while saving money generally implies putting aside a part of your income regularly in order to meet unforeseen expenses, investment means putting your saved money in various financial instruments in order to maximize your returns and grow your wealth.

Another key difference between savings and investment is the appetite for risk that you are willing to take when putting aside money for savings and investments. It might not make sense to park your savings in long term instruments with a lock in period that does not allow you to access them during a financial emergency – what savings were designed to do in the first place.

At the same time, keeping all your money stored in a safety vault might be very safe, but will not generate any returns over the years. On the other hand, if the money invested in various products like stocks, mutual funds, gold, etc. you may have to take on more risks, but there is potential for your investment to grow over time. If invested wisely, your money can grow over the years. If planned smartly, then investment in stock market can make your invested money grow manifold.

People typically save for meeting short term needs – a set target or objective. However, investment generally entails a longer horizon of six months or more. It is designed to provide returns and grow your money over a period of time.

Paving the Road to Financial Security

financial safetyFor many people, financial security is something that always seems to be just out of reach. And while there is no doubt that it cannot be achieved overnight (unless you have a big lottery win) paving the road to financial security is something that you should be aiming for your entire life. Ultimately, it is all about getting into some good habits and making some savvy decisions. So, here a few financial points that you should consider whatever point of life you are at.

Recognize Yourself as Your Biggest Asset

Developing your skills, knowledge and experience will stand you in good stead when it comes to your financial future. You never know when you may need to call on these things that you have learned over the years. Rather than squirreling away that extra bit of money every month, you will be far better off treating yourself as an investment. So you could decide to complete a course or have some lessons in something instead.

Set Short-term Goals

Many people have long-term financial goals that they aim to achieve, but it is impossible to predict what twists and turns your life will take. Instead, you should choose some measurable and attainable short-term goals to focus your time on. As an example, you could aim to pay off your credit card debt. Make sure that you set a specific time limit on this, as you are much more likely to enjoy success if you do this rather than letting it drag on indefinitely.

Become Financially Literate

Saving money every month is obviously a good habit to get into, but it is not helping you to become financially literate. For example, have you done the necessary research that tells you that this account is giving you the best return on your investment? Are you aware of the other investment opportunities that are out there? People who keep up with the finer details of finances are much more likely to enjoy financial security in the future.

Keep an Eye on Your Lifestyle Costs

Making sure that you aren’t living beyond your means is one of the best habits you can get into during your life. The best way of doing this is by keeping a close eye on your expenses. Write out a list of your regular outgoings so you can decide whether or not there are any savings that can be made. As your living situation changes and your expenses adjust, it is important that you reassess and reapportion your expenses.

Don’t Borrow to Finance a Lifestyle

If you decide that you want to start a business, you may well find that you need to borrow some money to finance your venture. This is an example of a calculated financial risk. If you want to buy a new car, you shouldn’t be racking up credit card debt in order to do this as this will never stand you in good stead in the future. Not buying what you can’t afford is one of the most important financial lessons you can learn.