Replacing your car with a new one or getting your first ride is an essential purchase, especially if your budget doesn’t leave you much wiggle room. In most cases, buyers have one strict requirement: getting a reasonable price without ending up with a car that’s below their needs and expectations. It can be quite tricky to find something that meets this criterion.

Canadian car dealers know how to exploit buyers’ desire of getting a good price on their ride and allure them with incredible deals. However, these offers often come with hidden costs. Buying from a private owner can be even more problematic as they tend to over-evaluate the car or hide costly faults or past accidents.

Here are some tips to follow when buying a car from Canadian dealerships.

Do thorough Research

Online research is the best way to begin your hunt for a good car that fits your budget. Check local dealerships to get familiar with their offers and decide what you want and what compromises you are willing to make. The more informed you are, the better you can combat aggressive sales tactics and negotiate a reasonable price.

When doing your research, make sure to compare offers from different shops and get an idea of the price range you will play with for the car you want.

Send an Email or Call the Dealers That Got Your Attention

Once you have a few dealerships on your shortlist, take your time to test the waters and start sending them emails. Or call them, if that makes you more comfortable. Ask about any current offers and promotions for the car model you are interested in, check if it will be available for sale at the date you need it and get as much general information from the dealer as you can.

You might come across some pleasant surprises or, on the contrary, notice red flags that you didn’t notice during your online research. Getting to know more than meets the eye about the dealership will also give you more power when it comes to negotiating a good price.

Buy from the Stock the Dealer Already Has

So far, we have assumed that you already know what car you want to buy. But if you are not sure yet what would suit you best, let us suggest a perfectly valid way of saving money on your new purchase: buying from the dealer’s stock. This option will give you an advantage and here’s why. The dealer most probably wants to get rid of the Winnipeg used cars taking up space in his car park, so he will be willing to negotiate the price down and make you a good offer.

Choose a Stripped Down Car That You Can Add to Later

If money weren’t a problem, of course, you would go for the fully-loaded model. But that’s not the point of this article, so here is a highly effective, no-risk method of saving money on your purchase: get the stripped model or something in between. As long as you can add the upgrades later, it’s worth it, and it will save you hundreds, even thousands of dollars.

Pay with Cash

When it comes to the payment method and financial plan the dealer offers, you need to keep your eyes open. The dealer may try to persuade you to accept a deal that’s not good for you on the long-term. Your best option is to pay with cash and avoid any loans. If you can only pay with credit, then choose the plan with the shortest payment term possible. Stay away from “cozy” programs that extend for years, but will keep adding huge interest rate to the initial plan.

Keep in mind that an informed customer is a strong customer. Be aware of how the car selling business works and make it work to your advantage. Good luck!

Your business thrived because of your aspirations, focus on consumer needs, competitiveness and marketing niche. But will your business survive if large-scale factors begin to pose severe risks for your company? Is your business resilient enough to withstand harsh economic conditions, a financial crisis, environmental disaster, and even other heart pounding scenarios?

Business’ resiliency can be defined as its ability to withstand epic scenarios factored out by consumer perception, significant interest rates, inflation, labor, natural calamity, and political issues. If let’s say, a big tariff change is about to be implemented, will your business be ready for its repercussions? If a tidal wave hits the city where your business is centered, will you be able to start production and operations back up promptly? A resilient business is capable of bouncing back from any adversity. To help you weather any proverbial storm, here are some ways to make your business resilient.

Make A Business Continuity Program

Create a plan that is focused on the processing and steps of your very own business continuity program. Unlike risk management, that is used as a first aid to any situation, or an immediate control or response to any condition, a business continuity program is about being able to minimize production impact, and prevent extensive loss.

For example: a hurricane or typhoon is about to hit your city and you can’t afford to stop your business because the service you offered is on a 24/7 demand configuration. Rather than announcing that there will be no work for your employees, you ask them to stay in a nearby hotel, or similar accommodations, to ensure that they can immediately go back to work the moment the weather has passed.

Create an Inspiring Business Mission

A mission statement is a short description of your business goals and focus. It is composed and directed at the main demographic who will see it done – the employees and individuals who make up the business. Its main purpose is to have an inclusive and collective understanding about the company’s direction and goals.

An inspiring business mission can help your business be resilient by attracting the right talent, and enhancing focus when challenges arises. People, subtly, can be persuaded by your business’ mission statement. It makes them rally for something when they do personally believe in it. An inspirational mission statement can help build the right mindset, attention, and focus, when corporate challenges like economic downfall, market competition, or production failure. It can help them be motivated, and get the sense of feeling that they belong to a group of dedicated people.

Flexible Supply Chain

As a business owner, you must know that being reliable to one, or several, vendors, suppliers or customers is a downfall in the long run. Not only does it keep you limited and restricted from achieving business growth, but it also puts you at risk for problems associated with limited reach.

For example: if you heavily rely on a vendor or supplier based, in a region hit by economic turmoil, a natural disaster, or grief-stricken by a worker’s strike, then you are bound to have disrupted production. It is important to learn how to properly distribute your needs, and ensure that you have a protected supply for the production of your products.

It also pays to keep your supply chain system in check. Be open to other strategies like having like back up transportation, rather than pleading for the pity of logistics companies, or keeping an open mind and network of other courier services or delivery platforms.

Have Cyber or Online Presence and Security

Businesses having some form of online presence is nothing new today. In fact, it has become a necessity for a business to have a cyber presence, in order to stay afloat in the competitive market. Not only are you able to attend to your client and customers’ need 24/7, but also get the chance to reach out to markets that are widely dispersed geographically.

In addition to having an online presence, it is also important to always have an up-to-date cyber security protocols and standards. A digitalized company has a lot of critical information available in the cloud, making them vulnerable to cyber-attacks from hackers. To prevent loss from hackers, it is important to practice strong cyber protection and practice.

If you ever wanted to earn more money, now is the best chance to do that. We live in a world full of possibilities, where it’s gotten a lot easier to start a business or acquire a secondary stream of income. Likewise, there are also many possibilities to make sure you’ll have more money by spending money wisely. Now because of the internet and globalization, we can easily make physical business by learning success from the best online. Moreover, we can even crowdfund our idea, to start without it without a massive need for money.

Physical businesses, unfortunately, still needs quite a lot of money and a good team, that’s why many young entrepreneurs are making a living from online business. There are many online businesses that you can start with almost no money. Most of the people start just by making an extra income, but in time if those side hustles and jobs turn into a full-time job. Since there are many options to choose from, here’s a list of 6 side business ideas and keep in mind the fact, that while it doesn’t require money and is easy to start, it still demands a lot of hard work.

1. Uber/Taxify

Image credit:  Dan Gold

Ever wanted to make money while meeting new people? Well if you own a car and know your city streets well, you can become an Uber or Taxify driver. The most amazing thing is that most active times to work per week are Friday and Saturday nights when people are going from bars, clubs, and events. That’s why you won’t need to spend a lot of your time working this side business. Usually, there’s such a high volume of customers, that you could easily make a few hundred bucks per week.

2. Blogging

If you think you have something interesting to tell the world – start a blog. There are many ways to get money from blogs. You can earn it from sponsorships, affiliates, Google AdSense and SEO links. The hard part of doing this business, that it really takes quite a lot of time to build a profitable blog, since the market for blogs is a bit crowded. Despite that, all that you would need is some creativity, to write about something that no one else does. Maybe you’ll be writing stories about your dreams? Maybe you’ll be talking about anime? Or maybe you’ll be writing about your research about thermonuclear fusion reactor and how it will change the world? Additionally, if you’re out of ideas, install a plugin to your blog like wordpress form builder plugin and ask your readers what they want to see!

3. Concierge Service

People these days are always in a hurry because they all need to do so many things but have so little time. It could be seen the most in big and affluent areas. Sometimes, you would be surprised what some people are willing to pay so that they wouldn’t need to do their boring chores themselves. This can be anything from grocery shopping to booking a doctor’s appointments. Again, this is not something everyone could do, but to keep you motivated, people who started online grocery stores with the home delivery, had to start from somewhere to see that there was a demand for their service.

4. E-Commerce Business

Image credit: rawpixel

E-commerce business is really popular these days because it’s just so easy to start your online store. On the other hand, since it’s popular, it also means that the market is rather competitive. That’s why only two types of people succeed: who work really hard or who are very creative with their products and marketing. Despite that, if you have an idea of a slogan, pun, saying or some sort of design you like, you can start making your online unique t-shirt business. All you need is a free website like on WordPress, have a nice-looking theme, have a few plugins and a marketing plan. Moreover, you can even use a tool like a mockup creator to create beautiful t-shirt visuals for your ads or in-store product images that could help you convert better.

5. Pet Sitting

Image credit: Avi Richards

Remember when we said that people are busy? Sometimes, they can even be busy to take a good care of their pets from time to time. If you love pets, you can start selling your pet sitting service to the people who need it. Moreover, there are even platforms and mobile applications, which can help you get started. You can also think about this side job as a time to play with cute puppies and kitties, have a good time and get paid for doing that.

6. Selling Your Crafts

If you are talented in some crafts, try selling them to people online. You would be surprised to see how much potential has hand-made crafts. Especially if the crafts are eco-friendly and are in high quality. Moreover, there are many ways and channels to sell your crafts. One of the examples would be using Facebook groups. Furthermore, if you’re lucky someone might find you and offer you to make a custom deal.

The distance between present and the future seems short when considering retirement. At this point in time, you are too busy to consider saving up for your autumn years. That distraction could end up keeping you struggling well past your sixties.

If you are not saving for retirement, then you must start now! Nearly 30% of private sector workers do not have a retirement savings plan. Moreover, even fewer than half know how much they need to invest for a 401k plan. Build peace of mind as you earn to support yourself and your family. All you need is careful investment and consideration to ensure you live comfortably in your golden years.

Here are a few tips that will help you maximize your retirement savings.

Play Catch-Up

Even if you’re heading into your 50s without a retirement plan, there’s still time to save. While it’s common to start investing at age 25, older clients may have to contribute large to meet an equal balance.

If you were to invest $75 per month at a rate of 8%, then you would earn $263,571 by age 65. Contributions are often limited to those under 50. Those reaching 50 or older are able to go above the $1000 dollar limit. Catch-up contributions made by older investors can go anywhere from $4,000 to $6,000.

Open an IRA

You might be familiar with 401k and 403b company matches. As long as you contributed 5% worth of your yearly earnings, you should be getting tax-free money from your employer. Not all jobs last forever though, and you’ll need to roll those stagnant earnings into an Individual Retirement  Account.

A Traditional and Roth IRAs are perfect receptacles for your savings. Contributions to a traditional IRA are tax deductible, but retirement withdrawals may be taxed. Roth IRAs, on the other hand, offer tax free withdrawals. Taxes will be charged if you are not 59 years or older.

Health Savings Accounts

Budgeting for health coverage becomes increasingly vital as the years wear on. It’s possible to combine your retirement savings with health needs by registering for a Health Savings Account.

The first step is to apply for a High-Deductible Health Plan. Through this you can apply for an HAS if you are not on Medicare or claimed as a dependent on someone’s income taxes. Deductibles cannot exceed $12,700, but monthly premiums remain low. A spouse or family member can contribute to your account that can be used to cover most major medical expenses. Any funds contributed will rollover into the next year.

Choose the Right State

When people talk about moving to Florida for their retirement,  they aren’t going just for the warm beaches. States like Florida, Nevada, Texas, and Washington offer significant tax breaks for pensioners.

Before you go looking up houses for sale in Colorado Springs, it’s important to consider the prospective state’s tax laws. While Social Security is relatively tax-free, dividends and interests might be. Any state is a good choice if you’re savvy about savings.

What are your financial goals? Perhaps you want to save for retirement or your child’s education – it’s better to start sooner than later.

The ‘I’m young. I still have plenty of time to save money’ attitude could end up costing you a lot more time and money in the long term. Rather, speak to a financial advisor and with their guidance, decide on an investment or retirement product that will suit your needs.

The true cost

Every month that you choose to spend money that could potentially be saved, increases the amount that you’ll need to save to reach your ultimate financial objectives. There will also be a concurrent effect on when you will reach your goals. This is the case no matter which investment product you choose.

When it comes to investing, time can be your best friend or worst enemy. For example, if investments are returning 9% per year and you need to meet your objective in 10 years’ time, delaying saving for just 18 months will increase the amount you need to save per month by more than 25%. In addition, if your timeframe is five years, an 18-month delay results in more than a 50% increase in the amount you will have to save on a monthly basis.

One of the key factors to extracting maximum benefit from your chosen investment is to understand that this is a long-term commitment. Market fluctuation can influence an investor to panic and cause them to sell or switch accounts too quickly.

Fluctuation exists on paper and is not a risk in itself unless you withdraw or switch when your investment has lost value. If you do this, and reinvest when the market has improved, you’ll be starting from scratch. Rather, keep a level head and stay focused on your long-term objective.

Long-term objectives beat short-term gratification

You want to make significant returns on your investment and that’s why the combination of having a clear plan of your financial objectives and choosing the right unit trusts and/or investment product(s) are important.

For example, if you’re looking for a short-term investment that is stable but can still offer greater returns than a bank deposit, a money market fund is advisable. There is potential to make some short-term gains even if you’re making small contributions. The money is preserved and is accessible. However, it’s important to understand that the size of the returns is relative to the size of the contributions.

If you then decide to take that money and switch to a long-term investment fund such as an equity or balanced fund when the market looks appealing, you’re going to have to re-think your financial objectives. These funds require a long-term investment commitment, being comfortable with short-term ups and downs in order for compound interest to increase the value of your money over time.

In summary, whether you have short-term or long-term financial goals, starting to save as soon as possible can be beneficial when combined with a sound investment strategy.

Your Internal Revenue Service – Employer Identification Number – Tax identification number or your IRS-EIN-Tax-ID is very easy to obtain. You can apply for this nine-digit number via a very easy five-minute process online or via fax.

Top 5 Benefits

To Establish the Legitimacy of Your Business With the IRS

Your EIN number is the easiest way that the IRS can confirm your identity as a business entity. It goes directly to establishing the legitimacy of your business. This is the top benefit of acquiring your EIN.

Through the course of your business, you will have to deal with the IRS a lot of times – at least once a year to pay your taxes — or to declare why you won’t be paying your taxes. It would be such a hassle if you have to prove the legitimacy of your business every time you have a transaction with them.

To Protect Your SSN

Your business entity is legally required to use your Social Security Number (SSN) or an EIN to conduct all transactions.

Like the EIN, your SSN is also a nine-digit number. However, the SSN is associated with you personally. Thus it would be dangerous if many people knew about it. If people knew your SSN, there would be a few transactions that they could make on your behalf.

That is why sole proprietors, while allowed to use their SSN for their official documents and transactions, are now also given the option of applying for and using an EIN instead.

To Apply for a Business Permit and to Hire Employees

Your business permit is another important document. It tells your customers that you have fulfilled all the requirements that the government has set for business entities. It certifies the quality and safety of your products. You cannot obtain your business permit without your EIN.

An EIN also allows you to hire quality employees who will help you expand your business.

To Apply for a Loan or for a Credit Card

Aside from the IRS, your business also needs to establish its legitimacy with the bank and other financial and lending institutions. This is important because there will be many transactions you will need to make with the bank.

Using your EIN, you may open a bank account; apply for loans, establish corporate business credit or apply for a credit card; establish pensions, retirement, or trust plans for your employees; and purchase another business.

To Make All Tax-Related Transactions

Let us expound on the importance of establishing your legitimacy with the IRS.

First, you need an EIN to file your tax return, specifically paying federal taxes online and filing annual tax returns. It is also needed to establish that you are qualified to withhold taxes.

To Create a Trust, Estate, or Non-Profit

Sometimes, your business has the capacity to branch out to give back to the community. You would think that the government would allow you to do this with the thanks of your fellow countrymen. You would be wrong. For this, you would still need to learn how to get an EIN for a trust, estate or non-profit.

So all in all, your EIN is not only beneficial but in fact essential to exist as a business entity.

Being in your 20s is a wild ride. For one, you’re too old to still be dependent on your parents, but also too young to face the pressures and figure everything out. But the pressures of adulting demand that you figure it all out on your own. Then you reach your late 20s, and you’re expected to have mastered it all.

But what is all this adulting about anyway?

Well for one, it’s building that discipline needed to focus on the most important tasks at hand. It’s realizing that, you only really need to do things one at a time. But of course, the pressures and surge of hormones in our youth lead us to succumb to all kinds of distractions and it all gets tangled up into the blackhole of existential crisis.

So, in line with being focused and disregarding all the nonsense, I present to you the way you can manage your budget like an adult. If you’re still in your early 20s, well, awesome. Enjoy all the fun, confusion, and take all the lessons you can get. But, as tita as this may sound, it’s best that you learn all these values now, so you can get ahead of everyone in ‘adulting’. You’ll surely thank yourself later.

Consolidate All Your Monthly Bills

How much are you really paying every month? This should be your top priority, and not your FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) — on parties, scenes, and events. There’s no better feeling than the peace of mind that comes with being able to pay your bills on time. And with this practice comes the fulfilment of being financially independent, too.

If you’re still short on your monthly income and have a credit card, you’re lucky to have something to help you out on those Petsa de Peligro days. But learn to use your credit card wisely so you don’t get caught up in debt. Another solution for this is to look for side job opportunities on the internet, so you get to earn more money. Maybe even in US dollars, too, as most freelance contractors from the likes of Upwork are from the USA.

Setting Both Long and Short-Term Savings Goal

You’ll often hear this at job interviews. What are your goals five, ten years from now? And the right answer should be to see yourself climbing the corporate ladder in that company, to let them know you’re not going anywhere. That thought can change, sure, but the question is still important. What is all this hard work for without a goal, right?

Entry-level salaried employees should never set their goals merely based in their income.

Set bigger, realistic goals and a specific timeline. Do you want to own a house before you’re 30? That’s possible. Set bigger goals and your paycheck will follow. This is because you’ll program your mind to work double to get to that goal.

Start Investing

Entrepreneurs and financial advisers will have you know, letting loads of money sit idly in your bank would be a waste. If you have enough money saved up in the bank, find the right investment venture for you.

Invest in something you’re interested in, e.g. Stock Trading, or maybe a business you can start, with partners or by yourself. You can even opt for a personal loan to get that jumpstart if you already have a solid business plan.

Find ways to earn extra income

Let’s be honest, it wouldn’t be cool if you just kept living on a tight budget. If you’re the spaghetti head type who can’t be bothered to set a budget, then grow your money instead. If you have a skill you can monetize — web design, graphic design, writing, or being a consultant in your field of expertise, you get it — make money out of it.

Your 20s is about laying a solid foundation for your future. There will be a lot of distractions. But you wouldn’t want to get too caught up in those that you forget about your own well-being and future.

Becoming unemployed suddenly can have devastating effects on you and your family and knowing how to cope with it doesn’t always seem possible. From the risks of stress and depression, to the simple fact you don’t have an income to cover your outgoings, there is a lot to consider as far as you and your finances are concerned. While same day loans UK services could be available in a financial emergency, this isn’t always possible without a full time job and so understanding how best to manage your finances is key – and we’ve pulled together five things you need to do to give you a head start.

Know What You Have

First thing’s first, you need to stop and work out what you do have. Whether its savings, a retirement fund, your final pay check or other smaller income amounts, knowing what you have from the very beginning could better help you prepare for organising how much of that will need to go towards your outgoings and how much you’ll have to spare to pay off necessary debts or to put towards finding new work.

Work Out How You’re Spending

Next, you need to work out how you’re currently spending and how that needs to change in order to better manage the money you have to last longer. Initially, it’s best to work out what the necessary outgoings are first. This can include anything from bills to mortgage payments and, of course, food and other utilities. Excess spending should also be documented, whether that’s your monthly subscription to Netflix or a morning coffee on the way to work. Next, it’s time to start cutting that down.

Cut Back

You’ll need to work out a realistic budget by cutting back on most of your unnecessary expenses. Subscriptions you don’t use, magazines you don’t really read and that gym membership you never utilise are all ideal ways to cut back on your outgoings. However, it’s also important that you don’t cut back on your entertainment spending completely. You need to keep your spirits up and avoid that aforementioned stress and depression, so try and reduce the cost of your entertainment without taking it away completely.

Avoid Any Major Purchases

This may seem obvious, but now really isn’t the time to invest in that expensive purchase you’ve had your eye on. You might want that new car or those expensive jeans, but if they aren’t necessary it’s best if they’re kept as a dream for another day. Instead, put your money towards paying off credit card debts or consolidate your loans into one monthly payment with a lower interest rate where possible.

Try And Find Part Time Work

While you may feel like you’ve been kicked to the curb, it’s important to get back up again and get searching. If you just need money to keep you going until you can get back into full time work, why not opt for a part time remote job, or working for a company such as Uber or Deliveroo? These companies are constantly looking for new employees and you’ll often have the opportunity to work as much or as little as you like.

Losing your job has the potential to have devastating effects, but hopefully with our guide above, you can better manage the money and the finances that you do have. Good luck.