Entries Tagged 'Income Streams' ↓
August 13th, 2008 — Diversification, Income Streams, Money, Personal Finance
For many, the concept of prosperity is foreign and unreachable. If you are stuck in a dead end job or your bills haunt your sleep, it’s easy to feel as though you will never be able to break free. As the baby boomer generation nears retirement, it has become essential for millions of people to find a way to have enough money to retire. The good news is, prosperity can be attained, even by the poorest people. It may take a lot of patience, and it may not happen over night, but you can become prosperous. Here are some tips to get you started on your way.
1. Become enthusiastic about your job.
It may not be the most glamorous job in the world, but it’s yours. Start getting pumped up about going to work, even if you hate it. That enthusiasm will show in the quality of your work and you’ll be moved up in line for promotions and raises. It may not be easy to get excited about a lousy job, but find at least one thing about it that you like and then go from there. If it helps, make a list of jobs that are worse than yours and start thanking your lucky stars that you don’t have to do those.
2. Perseverance is key.
There is a saying that success comes to those that were able to hang on just a little bit longer and this is certainly true of prosperity. Let’s look at it this way. Have you ever invested in a stock, only to have it drop. You get scared and cut your losses. Three months later, it jumps back to the highest levels ever and you’re out all of those profits. You’ve got to know when to hang on and when to cut and run. Develop those instincts and learn from your mistakes. Hanging in there may be the best thing that you have ever done.
3. Create more income.
You may not be able to give yourself a raise, but you can work on creating new modes of income for yourself. Let’s say that you are a minimum wage worker with little experience, but you have an incredible green thumb. You could open up your own weekend landscaping business, or start a greenhouse. On the flip side, let’s say that you have a nice little savings account, but it’s not earning enough. You could put that to work in a smart investment or in a higher yield savings account.
The bottom line is that it doesn’t matter how much schooling you have or how much money you have. Everyone of us as a talent that we may not be using or a special skill and that talent or skill could provide security for the future. If you have a dream job, shoot for it. The sky is the limit for each and every one of us, if we take that chance and believe in ourselves.
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August 12th, 2008 — Budget, Diversification, Financial Security, Income Streams, Investing, Money, Personal Finance
The housing crisis has a lot of people taking a closer look at their finances and worrying about whether they too may be at risk for losing their home. There are a lot of great lessons that can be learned from this crisis, and they can be applied to all areas of your finances. Let’s take a look at some of these important lessons.
1. Don’t overspend.
It is vital to know and understand your own limits. We all know that overspending is not the smartest thing to do, but it’s so easy to get lured in. Many of the homeowners that are now homeless knew very well that they were overbuying their house, but they fell in love with it. Main point to learn: Emotion has no place in your finances. It doesn’t matter if it is the perfect house – or the perfect whatever. If you cannot afford it, you cannot afford it. It’s not a matter of life and death. In your retirement years, you’ll thank yourself.
2. Financial disasters can happen to anyone.
Everyone from the worst subprime customer to big sports stars have been affected by this housing crisis. When financial disasters occur, it doesn’t matter who you are. If you are not prepared, you will not be able to weather the storm. Never fall into the trap of thinking “it won’t happen to me.” The fact is, financial disaster is looming for each one of us, without proper planning and without the right management of our finances.
3. Having more than one stream of income is vital.
You may be set right now with your job, but what if you lost it tomorrow? What if you got sick? Relying on one stream of income is not smart, especially if you are dealing with a mortgage payment. You’ve got to be able to bounce back from a financial disaster. The best way to do that is to cut your reliance on your paycheck by creating more than one stream of income.
4. There is no safe investment.
Some of the most expensive houses in the best neighborhoods are now sitting empty. While there are good investments, there is never a sure bet in life. Always make contingency plans and never put all of your eggs into one basket. The only sure things in life are death and taxes, and it’s best to be prepared for the worst.
5. You can’t rely on anyone else to bail you out.
While big plans are in the works for bailouts, there is a lot of opposition and even if they pass, they will not be able to help everyone. You can only rely on yourself – not the government, not your family. By taking responsibility for your finances, you’ll be able to get through any financial problem with grace. Always have a backup plan and never rely too heavily on your income or on an investment. You never know when the bottom may drop out.
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August 6th, 2008 — Diversification, Financial Security, Income Streams, Investing, Long Term, Money, Personal Finance, Standard of Living, passive income, retirement
One of the hottest concepts right now is the premise of creating multiple streams of income. While everyone wouldn’t mind making a little extra cash, there are even more benefits that can be reaped from having more than one source of income. Let’s go over just a few of them.
1. Help save for retirement.
The average person needs to have more than $500k put aside for their retirement in order to live in comfort and without worries. Unless you have a job that pays incredibly well, this is going to be a pretty daunting task. You cannot rely on social security payments to secure your future. Whether you’re 25 or 55, it is never too early or to late to put aside money for your retirement. Unless the thought of working until you drop dead appeals to you, you’re going to have to find ways to supplement your current income.
Multiple income streams can be incredibly beneficial not only for retirement planning, but later in life. Smart investments will continue to reap rewards for many years to come and you’ll have that nice supplemental income that will make your life easier far past the retirement age. A good concept to try to is put all of your multiple income streams into a high interest account to make even more money for your future.
2. Layoffs and downsizings happen every day.
No matter how secure you think your job is, there are still chances that you could get laid off. There are very few guaranteed jobs in this world that provide lifelong security. If you are relying solely on the income for your job to pay your bills and make ends meet, you are literally one paycheck away from financial ruin.
It’s a stark reality that all of us face. However, if you have multiple streams of income coming in, you won’t have to worry so much. You’ll have a cushion that will tide you over if you do get laid off or lose your job. In some cases, lucrative streams may even replace the need for your job entirely.
3. Accidents happen.
Even if you have insurance – what would happen if you were injured today and no longer able to work. Could you pay your bills? This happens to thousands of people every year and they risk losing their homes, bankruptcy proceedings and worse. By having that extra cushion with several different streams of income, you are reducing your reliance and making sure that no matter what happens, you’ll be ready to face it.
If you don’t have health insurance, it’s even more vital to have steady streams of income coming in each month. You may be the picture of health right now, but what if you get hit by a bus on the way to work tomorrow? Unless you have thousands of dollars in savings, the answer isn’t pretty. Even if you do have a savings account do you really want to use it for that? What will happen when it runs out? The best kind of insurance you can have is a steady stream of extra income.
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August 1st, 2008 — Book Review, Income Streams, Personal Finance
This was an absolutely fascinating read and its one of the few books that we truly recommend, especially to those with families. The main premise of the book is that our current system of having to have two incomes to make ends meet is what is driving individual family economic meltdowns. How can more money end up being a bad thing?
Warren, who is a professor of economics at Harvard, and her daughter Amelia, a business consultant, present a very strong case, backed up by numerous statistics that show we really are in trouble as a society, but it’s not our fault. Instead of falling back into the old line of complaining that American’s are overspending and dripping in debt, the two show that it’s not that at all.
According to the Warrens, it is what we’re spending that second income on that is the problem. The main case in the book is that the push to send our children to good schools has led to an incredible jump in real estate prices, especially near the best schools. In order to get into those schools, hefty tuitions must be paid. This system is perpetuating itself and creating a problem that many families cannot break away from.
Who wants to send their kid to a bad school, right? They claim that in the past, Mom was the financial “safety net,” where as now, most of her salary is going towards inflated house payments, car payments, and school tuitions, instead of into savings or investments as it should be.
With 80% of Americans living paycheck to paycheck right now, this book raises some very valid concerns. Unfortunately, there really is not a solution, barring sending your kids to public schools as avoiding pricey neighborhoods. However, if more families did that, it would free up more disposable income that could be spent freely.
We would have liked to have seen the book focus more on having “Mom” work on developing passive streams of income that would replace the need for that second salary, but overall, we found that the book was a refreshing and thought provoking read. If you are one of the millions of families that is struggling to make ends meet on two salaries, it is well worth the read.
It is rare to find a personal finance book that doesn’t encourage over-frugality, or get rich quick schemes that never work. We found this book to be hard hitting, filled with all the right facts (that were verifiable) and certainly well worth the time spent reading it. It may just open your mind up to some new ideas and help you develop a plan to break free of that trap, start creating a more passive stream of income and figure out how to get your family’s finances back on the right track. All of this boils into a lot less stress and financial hardship and that is something every one of us can use.
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July 31st, 2008 — Debt, Diversification, Financial Security, Income Streams, Investing, Leverage, Money, Mortgage, Personal Finance, Real Estate, good debt
Not all of us have had the luxury of spending the last 20 years to secure our financial future. Most of the time, through no fault of our own, putting aside money for retirement takes a back seat to handling emergencies or schooling for our kids, or simply the daily expenses of life. If you’re looking down the barrel of 65 and you don’t have anything put aside yet for your retirement, don’t worry. It’s never too late to start planning for your retirement. It may take a little extra work, but you can secure your financial future.
Let’s look at one of the best ways to ensure that you’re going to have a steady income coming in after you’ve retired. Millionaires across the world have used this technique for centuries to produce multiple streams of income. When you are no longer reliant on your 401K, or even your social security check, you’ve got a lot more freedom and a lot less worry.
This technique is called debt leveraging. Simply put, you got into a little debt in order to create a new stream of income. One of the easiest ways to illustrate this is through the purchase of a new second property. Let’s say that you find a great deal on a house that is in pretty decent shape. It’s in a good neighborhood and it’s close to good schools. You don’t have the money to buy it outright, but you don’t want to let this chance pass you by.
You can go to the bank to get a mortgage on that property and then start renting it out. Make sure that the monthly rent exceeds your monthly mortgage payment. Now, you’ve got a new stream of income coming in and you’re really not working for it. If you clear an extra $1500 a month, that’s an extra $18,000 a year on top of what you’re already making – and that’s just for one property.
Now, multiply that by a few properties and you’re making enough to really start planning for your retirement. However the key of good debt leverage is to make sure that you are not too heavily invested in one area. You’re going to want to change things up a bit to make sure that if something goes wrong you won’t take a big financial hint.
In addition to that rental property, you could put some of the profits you’re making or even get a new debt loan to put money into a high interest bearing account. Now, you’ve got a second stream of income coming in that will shore up your financial defenses. You can just keep perpetuating this until you are making enough every year to easily put aside quite a bit of money for your retirement. The best part is, this money will continue coming in, even after you’ve left your regular job. The key to a happy and fruitful retirement is having multiple streams of income that keep paying off, even when you’re not working.
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July 29th, 2008 — Cash Flow, Income Streams, Investing, Money, Personal Finance
One of the main problems facing Americans today is a lack of cash flow. As the economy gets worse and gas prices go up, it is getting harder to make ends meet. If you are completely reliant on your paycheck each month, the last few days or weeks of the month may be getting pretty tough. The best solution to solve this problem is to increase your cash flow. This will require a little bit of effort, but it can be very helpful. Here are some tips on how to increase your monthly cash flow.
1. Clean out your house.
Have a bunch of stuff sitting around your home that you don’t need anymore? Join the world’s biggest yard sale on Ebay and start getting rid of it. You’d be surprised at how much money you can make just getting rid of all of your old stuff. You never know when someone may want that old lamp, or even your old pair of shoes. Many people have found that turning to Ebay is a great solution, especially when they need extra cash in a hurry.
2. Start a side business.
Have a hobby that you’re really good at it? Turn it into a small side business. For example, if you are an excellent cook, think about opening a small catering business on weekends. Got a knack for making candles? Sell them in your local area. If you can do anything, chances are you could be doing it for money. Hit up your local flea or farmers markets and see how well you can do. The online world is also full of opportunities for small businesses. From selling ebooks to making your Ebay career shine with drop ship products, there are many different avenues that you can explore to increase your cash flow.
3. Consider making investments.
One of the best ways to get more cash coming in every month is by making strategic investments. Start small by depositing money into a high interest bearing savings account. If you don’t have money on hand to make an investment, considering leveraging some debt to help you start earning more money. This can pay off, especially if you make the right investments.
4. Consolidate your debts.
If you are striking out on all of these tips, you can free up a lot of cash each month by consolidating your debts. If you have a lot of credit cards, it is much easier to make one payment per month and a lot cheaper as well. Try getting a debt consolidation loan or if all else fails, transfer your high balance cards to one single card with a better rate. You can save quite a bit each month and that money can be used for investments or just to pay the bills.
Each one of these tips has the potential to increase your cash flow if you take them seriously. Everyone has a talent for making money, they just need to take the time to make it work.
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July 28th, 2008 — Budget, Cash Flow, Debt, Financial Security, Income Streams, Long Term, Money, Personal Finance, retirement
Whether we realize it or not, many of us face financial risks every single day. From the high powered investor, to the minimum wage earner, every one of us has the potential to lose everything we own. How can you evaluate your financial risks and find ways to secure your future? Let’s take a look!
First, it is important to figure out exactly how much you spend in a single month. Get a notebook and write down everything you spend over the space of one month. Include everything from the smallest item to the largest, and don’t forget to include your monthly bills as well. At the end of the month, total up everything you spent and compare it to how much you make.
If you are overspending or cutting it close, you are definitely at risk for financial ruin. If you have more than enough left over at the end of the month, your risks are quite a bit less, but they may still be there. One of the best ways to tell how close you are to the brink is to experience what it is like when your paycheck is a few days late. Do you panic? Do your bill collectors panic? If the answer is yes, you may be cutting things a little too close.
Not many of us realize how much we depend on our paychecks every month. We may think we’re doing ok, and we have plenty of stuff to make us comfortable. Few of us put aside anything and before we know it, we’re living paycheck to paycheck. Add in credit cards and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.
Now, let’s look at the other end of the spectrum. Let’s say you’re financially well off, you’ve got plenty of investments bringing in some pretty decent returns. You’ve come to rely on those returns and you’ve always got the back up of your 401k, right? Now, let’s say the market takes a nosedive, ala Black Monday or the dot com fallout. How well off would you be then?
No matter if you make $800 a month or $8000, diversity and multiple streams of income are the best answer to shoring up your defenses against financial ruin. Let’s face it, most of us would not turn down more income every month, especially if we didn’t have to work hard to get it.
By reducing your reliance on your paycheck, or your standard investments, you are increasing your chances of being able to withstand a finance shattering event, such as a market crash or the loss of a job. The more ways you have to make money, the less likely you are to fall into financial ruin.
One of the secrets that millionaires have is leveraging debt to create a new stream of income. For example, let’s say you take out a loan to use to buy an investment property that you rent out. This is now an income producing property and you’ve got more money coming in. As you pay off that loan, the profits keep rolling in, and you’re less reliant on your standard means of income. That is one powerful way to avoid financial ruin.
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July 23rd, 2008 — Diversification, Income Streams, Leverage, Personal Finance, passive income
Right now, more than 80% of households in the United States live on a paycheck to paycheck basis. This means that a lost job could result in financial disaster for a large chunk of the population. Once you get into the trap of relying so heavily on one paycheck, it can be pretty hard to break free from that cycle. There are ways however to reduce your reliance on that paycheck and get other streams of income rolling in.
Whenever we get a job, we get excited about that paycheck and the temptation is there to get a nicer car, or a nicer house or just to spend more than we should. Before we know it, we’re stretching our limits. If you get a raise, the same thing usually happens. Instead of taking that money and using it to make more, we simply throw it out the door on things that we don’t really need.
We’re not saying that you have to live your life like a Spartan – far from it. However, you should never rely solely on one income to meet your needs. This is a recipe for disaster, and for thousands of Americans, this can be the risk of ending up homeless. So, how do you break free from this cycle and open up more streams of income?
The easiest answer is to get a second job so that you have more income coming in each month. The only problem is that most of us are spread so thin that it is just not feasible to try to work more. You can try starting your own little side business, but again, if you don’t have a lot of time, this can be more trouble than it is worth.
The second choice is to find a way to create passive streams of income. This is money that you don’t have to “work” for. In essence, you’re not doing anything, but you still have money coming in. Examples of passive income include investments, interest payments and dividends. You make that initial investment and then sit back to watch the money roll in.
This is the most ideal means of making more money to reduce your reliance on your paycheck. However, there are times when you may not have enough cash to create a new income stream. In this situation, you can try what is called leveraging debt. This means getting a loan that will be used for an investment to create more income.
Now, we do not recommend leveraging debt on risky investments, this is just a bad idea. It is best to start small, with something that you feel comfortable will have a good rate of return. This may mean a high interest bearing savings account or something similar that has less risk than a stock.
Whatever you decide to do, the important thing is to stop relying on that paycheck. Once you do get more income coming in, don’t fall into that same trap of overspending again. Put it aside, or use it to invest in new income streams.
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July 17th, 2008 — Budget, Income Streams, Personal Finance, bad debt
When you’re trying to save for the future and still manage to eat, it can be tough to find that right balance. We all need to plan ahead and having a savings account really is essential. This can be a cushion or that “rainy day” money that you need, and it is never too late to start putting away money towards your retirement. However, a lot of us can get bogged down when it comes to handling our own finances and it is all too easy to be like the grasshopper in Aesop’s Fables and put it off until tomorrow.
You can’t put off saving for your future until tomorrow, because there is a good chance you’ll keep putting it off until you wake up one day and it’s too late. However, there are a few easy tips that you can use to start saving for your future today. It may be a little tough at times, but like anything, practice makes perfect. The more you practice saving, the easier it gets. Eventually, managing your money will come naturally.
Let’s start off with setting a budget and finding which expenses are not necessary. Add up everything you spend over the course of a month. Put all of your necessary expenses, such as groceries, rent, utilities and phone into one column. Now, put everything else in the other. You may be surprised at just how much you are spending every single month. If you have credit cards, it’s very easy to spend more than you’re making. This sets you up to enter a bad debt spiral that will eventually get out of control.
Now, let’s take a look at everything in the second column. Add up how much you spend on things such as partying or shopping. These are items that should be the first to go. Sure, you don’t want to become a recluse, but when you get tempted to go out and spend a bunch of money ask yourself – will I still be able to wear this shirt when I’m broke at 65? Do I want to work until I’m 80 simply because I want to go have a few drinks?
It’s a bit extreme, but these little spending habits can end up giving you that result. Find ways to do things a lot more cheaply and you’ll end up saving a few hundred dollars every month. Put that money into an interest bearing savings account and we guarantee, by the end of the year, you’ll be amazed at how much money you were able to put aside.
Next, you’ll need to focus on ways to create more money than just your standard income. 80% of all Americans live paycheck to paycheck. This means that one lost job can result in becoming homeless. To break that cycle, you need to create multiple streams of income so that you’re not relying on that one source of income to meet your needs. This is the key towards planning for your future.
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July 14th, 2008 — Diversification, Financial Security, Goal, Income Streams, Personal Finance, retirement
Most of us think about retirement and panic. It can be tough trying to figure out how we’re going to survive and plan for our futures when we’re just trying to make ends meet right now. If you’re strapped for cash at the end of every month, chances are you are not saving anything for retirement or for that rainy day. Although many of us have 401k’s, we cannot rely on these for our sole source of retirement money.
It’s easy to think that your 401k will always be safe, but this is not always the case. Companies go under, investments go bad. Never rely on this, or your Social Security benefit as the sole source of your future income. The key to planning and financing your future is creating multiple streams of income right now.
80% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck right now. That means that millions of us are facing homelessness if we lose our jobs. This is a startling figure and it really drives home how important it is to have more than one stream of income coming in every month. If you are relying on your paycheck right now and it barely meets your needs, think about what would happen if that paycheck disappeared? How would you pay your bills?
Setting up multiple streams of income can be a bit daunting, especially if you have no capital right now to invest. There are many different ways that you can create multiple streams of income, even if you don’t have much money. First, let’s look at creating active streams of income, then we’ll move onto passive. Active income is something that pays you money for work that you do. This can mean getting a second job for a few hours every week, or channeling your talents into extra work.
For example, if you’re handy at fixing cars, consider setting up your own little shop in your garage. Only take on as much work as you have time for, and you’ll be bringing in extra money every month. If you’re good at something, and most of you are, there is a way to leverage that into more income.
Now, let’s look at passive income, or income that comes in requiring no extra work on your part. This is the best kind of income and it’s important to have at least one passive stream. Passive income includes returns from investments, or dividends that come in. If you don’t have any money right now, consider getting a small loan to invest in a proven stock or to put into a high interest bearing account. This is called leveraging debt and it is a concept used by millionaires across the world.
You can also get passive income from rental properties or from buying homes and selling them at a higher cost. Talk with a financial planner about your passive income options and take that step towards achieving your financial freedom. You don’t have to rely on one paycheck!
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