When searching for success, one of the most important and talked about aspects of business is “the grind,” or the day-to-day hard work that must be put in to yield results. For many entrepreneurs, there is no such thing as part-time; in fact, overtime has become the new norm for people really looking to excel and push their vision to the next level.
For some, this means working multiple jobs or multiple projects until their dream gains enough momentum to stand on its own. At a glance, it’s easy to convince yourself that you can work a full 9 to 5 and focus on personal projects and ventures on nights and weekends. But what happens when exhaustion takes over and leaves you feeling disheartened and fatigued? This list offers day-to-day things you can try to keep you motivated and pushing through those downright terrible weeks while working towards your bigger goals. Have a “can do” playlist. A small daily fix is to compile playlists to help you out of any mood. Whether it be at your desk, during lunch, or on your drive to work, having a playlist of songs that brighten your outlook can do wonders for your mood and energy level. Whether it be heavy metal, rap, or even a playlist of your favorite Disney songs from childhood, having something prepared for when you’re feeling overwhelmed or stressed out will help refocus you with a new feeling of positivity. It can even be beneficial to have different playlists for different moods. They may be titled “Too Tired Today,” “I Need a drink,” or “Take Over the World.” Having the perfect song already prepared will be a huge load off when those moments of extreme fatigue hit. Read Entire Article: http://startupmindset.com/here-are-6-daily-tips-to-stay-motivated-during-rough-weeks/ Those mid-life years can be crazy. Between growing your career, raising a family, dealing with aging parents, paying off debt and saving for college, all while trying to just enjoy life while you’re still young, it can seem like you’ll never be able to retire. But trust me. Eventually, you’ll want to. Here are the five biggest mistakes I see people making in their 40’s that will limit their options in their 60’s and how to avoid them.
1. Buying the biggest house they can afford before maxing out retirement. I remember the excitement of getting my own apartment in my 20’s and making trade-offs so I could afford to live in a cool downtown loft, even though it was a big financial stretch for me. It’s easy to get into that mindset and adopt it as a lifestyle, but it’s important that it doesn’t become your long-term modus operandi. Eventually your housing expenses should feel very manageable and allow you financial wiggle room to work on other goals like retirement, college savings or even paying off your own student loans. Read Entire Article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/financialfinesse/2017/04/19/the-5-biggest-financial-mistakes-people-make-in-their-40s/?ss=personalfinance#82edffda530c The concept of financial health also acknowledges the forces beyond our control. Just as physical health is a combination of behavior, genes and access to good medical care, financial health is a result of personal decisions and abilities, the economy and access to good, unbiased financial services and advice.
“There is an element of personal responsibility, but it’s more than that,” Schneider says. Definitions of financial health typically have three factors in common:
How do you get there? These eight behaviors can help: Spend less than you earn. This is the foundation for financial health. You can’t get out of debt or save for the future if your expenses eat up all your available income. Pay bills on time. You manage your cash flow and meet your regular financial obligations. Missing payments costs you money in late fees, hurts your credit and causes stress. Have a decent emergency fund. “Decent” varies according to your circumstances. The Center for Financial Services Innovation, which developed ways financial institutions can measure consumer financial health, would like to see everyone have six months’ worth of living expenses set aside. But as little as $250 can be enough to save a low-income family from a serious financial setback, according to a study by the Urban Institute, a policy research group. What’s more important than the amount is developing a habit of saving regularly so you continually replenish your coffers. Read Article: http://www.jsonline.com/story/money/personal-finance/2017/04/15/eight-behaviors-lead-financial-health/100504300/ Miyako is a chemist at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Tsukuba, Japan. He became passionate about the loss of pollinators after watching a TV documentary. It showed him the value of pollination. It also motivated him to take action.
In 2007, he had tried to make a gel that conducts electricity. But it was “a complete failure,” he recalls. So he poured the liquid into a jar, put it in a drawer and forgot about it. Cleaning out his lab in 2015, he accidentally dropped the jar and broke it. Surprisingly, the gel was still sticky. It even picked up dust from the floor. Miyako realized that the way the gel captured dust was similar to how the hairs on honeybees trap pollen. At that point, a lightbulb went off in his head. Might this be the key to artificial pollination? Read Article: https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/fleets-flying-robots-could-pollinate-crops Let’s say you own a business that provides some type of service for a large company (you clean their offices, you cater their lunches, or whatever else you can imagine). Let’s say this particular customer spends $3000 a month with your company, and they have 30-45 days to pay. Suddenly, they get a little behind and after running the tab up to $4500, they file bankruptcy. Your immediate reaction might be, “Owe crap, I am out $4500.” The reality is, there is a good chance you will get paid at least something; you may not even have to wait that long.
Read Article: http://unusualinvestments.com/buying-and-selling-bankruptcy-claims/ Despite the many advances in portable electronic devices, one thing remains constant: the need to plug them into a wall socket to recharge. Now researchers have developed a light-weight, paper-based device inspired by the Chinese and Japanese arts of paper-cutting that can harvest and store energy from body movements.
Read Article: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/04/170412091118.htm Financial advisors will have a new regulation to deal with starting April 10: It's called the fiduciary rule, and it's the biggest legal change governing the financial advice industry in years.
Endorsed by former President Barack Obama's administration, the "fiduciary standard" will have significant implications for the investment world. Said differently, Obama pushed to require financial advisors to put the client's needs before their own. That's right. Until the rule goes into effect, your advisor may not have your best interests in mind. As the law currently stands, broker-dealers, insurance salespersons and advisors operating under the "suitability standard" are merely required to ensure an investment is suitable for a client at the time of the investment. Read Article: http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/the-smarter-mutual-fund-investor/2015/03/19/is-your-financial-advisor-a-fiduciary The increase in bankruptcy activity that began in 2015 accelerated in 2016. The number of publicly traded companies filing for bankruptcy this past year jumped to at least 95 from 79 in 2015, and the total assets of public companies going into Chapters 7, 9 and 11 during 2016 rose by nearly $27 billion to almost $104 billion. Both of these numbers were at the highest level since 2009. The 2016 crop of filings included nine with assets above $3 billion compared to six in 2015 and only two in 2014. Similarly, there were 25 bankruptcies with assets over $1 billion in 2016 versus 19 in 2015 and 11 the previous year.
Energy and mining companies dominated the large corporate bankruptcies once again in 2016. Eleven of the top 15 Chapter 11 filings were by companies in the oil & gas, mining and related sectors. This doesn’t even include the largest filing in 2016, SunEdison, which is involved with a different form of energy – solar. However, it appears that the energy-related bankruptcies are slowing and more filings are coming from other sectors. In the second half of 2016 more than two-thirds of the bankruptcies came from industries outside of energy. While we believe that overall bankruptcy activity will remain at a high level for the foreseeable future, we think that filings in the energy sector may have peaked. They won’t dry up overnight however, and we anticipate that energy bankruptcies will gradually decline over the next 12 to 18 months. Read Entire Article: http://www.turnaroundletter.com/bankruptcy-investing Despite the benefits of putting some money away, most people take a passing interest in actually doing it. If you'd like to make regular saving a part of your life, read on to find out how to conquer the first step: finding that extra money.
You can begin by paying attention to these top money wasting activities. Convenience Stores Many people don't think about the markup they pay for convenience store items. Here's a hint: it's huge. This is because, unlike grocery stores, convenience stores don't purchase food in large quantities, and also because they make you pay more for the convenience they provide. So, unless it's an emergency situation, avoid shopping at convenience stores. The premium you pay for convenience is not worth the assumed convenience you get. For example, a bottle of Coke at a convenience store might cost you around two dollars, while you can go to Amazon and buy a 12-pack for $16. If you tend to pull over for a drink, buy a 12-pack and keep it in your car. If you visit convenience stores often, the annual savings of cutting out these visits can be tremendous. Cell Phone Plans Take the time to check your monthly cell phone bill - you may be paying more than you need to. If you are using fewer minutes than your monthly plan allows, switch to a lower-rate plan. If you are using more minutes than your monthly allotment, then upgrade to a higher minute plan. Before making any changes to your plan, sit down with a list of your cell phone company's offerings and compare and determine which plan provides the most value based on your needs. You should also scan through your cell phone plan for added features like text messaging and mobile internet. If you aren't really using these features, get rid of them - they're costing you money each month! Soft Drinks This one is a sneaky money waster. Not only does ordering beverages along with a restaurant meal boost your total expenses, but soft drinks also have one of the highest markups of any restaurant item, and thus provide lower value for your money. Consider a typical family of four that eats out twice a week at fast casual restaurants. Assuming an average price of $1.50 for a fountain soft drink, that totals $12 a week, $48 a month, $624 a year. Just cutting out this one item from your meal could mean significant savings that could go into something much more productive, such as a retirement savings plan. If you invest $624 at a 9% rate of return year every year, you would have almost $32,000 at the end of 20 years. So dine out, but opt for water! Unnecessary Bank Fees Many people unknowingly pay a lot to their banks in the form of fees. If you don't know what fees your accounts are subject to, spend a few minutes finding out. Some banks charge ATM fees for using another bank's ATM, for example. These can be as high as $3! This amounts to a 15% one-time fee for a $20 withdrawal. The key with this type of fee is simply knowing about it. You would be better off using a credit card to make the purchase. Go back and examine the rules governing your checking and savings accounts. Also consider consolidating bank accounts, as often one account with a larger minimum can eliminate numerous fees that might otherwise exist. Magazines If you're the type of person who likes to occasionally pick up your favorite magazine from the local grocery store or newsstand, consider getting an annual subscription. Even if you don't want the magazine every month, a couple of issues at the newsstand are enough to cover the entire annual subscription. Annual Credit Card Fees Unless you have a poor credit history, there is no reason to pay annual credit card fees. A host of Visa, MasterCard and Discover cards have no annual fee, yet many people pay $100 or more a year for the privilege of holding a premium credit card. Unless you're a wealthy, exclusive holder of an elite-level credit card with exclusive perks, most people should not be paying annual credit card fees. And speaking of credit cards, make sure you make a payment on time every month, even if it's the minimum. Many credit cards charge high monthly late fees, charges which accrue interest along with your existing balance. Be Proactive Spend a couple of hours and go over the above categories along with any other regular habits you may have accumulated over the years. The time will be well spent as it could mean hundreds of dollars of recurring annual savings. The Bottom Line Shopping at convenience stores, wasting money on magazines, and high credit card and bank fees are easy ways to waste money. Taking some time to go over your spending habits could be well worth your time. Read more: Top 6 Mindless Money Wasters http://www.investopedia.com/articles/pf/10/mindless-money-wasters.asp#ixzz4devy8AqW Follow us: Investopedia on Facebook |
AuthorJoshua Nahas Archives
May 2017
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