There are lots of myths about real men with regard to what they do and don’t do. For some reason beyond my comprehension, real men don’t eat quiche. Real men don’t cry, defying everything we know about biology. And real men don’t ask for help. Every one of these notions is patently absurd, especially the last one.

This streak of stubborn independence in the face of obvious need does not just run through the male population. Plenty of women would also rather drive in circles and risk running out of gas before stopping to ask for directions.

The problem is that somewhere along the way, asking for help has become associated with weakness. And in case you haven’t caught on yet, no man wants to be labeled as weak or incapable. But this ignores the reality that no one gets through life alone. We don’t generally make the clothes we wear, nor do we process the food we purchase, prepare, and eat. A lot goes into being human. And we don’t actually do most of it for ourselves.

As children, we have parents, guardians, and teachers to help us with just about everything. As adults, it is hard to know where to turn and when to ask for help. Here are a few tips for recognizing when you need help, and where to get it:

When You Get Hurt or Have Legal Trouble

No one needs an attorney…until they do, at which point it often comes as a shock to the system. Whether it’s a personal injury attorney in White Plains, New York or a traffic lawyer in Tuscon, Arizona, most will agree that the overwhelming majority of their clients are bewildered, embarrassed, or traumatized by their legal troubles.

Personal injury attorneys probably see this more than other types of legal professionals because no one ever expects to be personally injured. It is always a surprise. And people are always confused and at a loss as to what to do next.

Immediately following an injury, you are not going to be thinking about much besides getting treatment. But once the reality starts to set in, you will be in a better position to realize that you need a lawyer. Whether it be personal injury, divorce, or criminal accusation, you need help. When your fate is in the hands of a judge, you need an attorney. You don’t want to deal directly with someone else’s lawyer.

When You Have Enough Money to Get in Trouble

You should probably hire an accountant when you no longer trust the part-time tax preparer down the street. At some point, you will make enough money so that the EZ form isn’t going to cut it. Your business will get big enough so that you can get into real regulatory trouble if you don’t do things just right.

Financial advice goes well beyond taxes and business regulations. The role of a financial advisor is to help you meet your long-term goals based on your current level of income and investments. As a kid, you might have a job. But you have nothing like the responsibilities of an adult taking care of a family. There is nothing in your experience that will prepare you for that financially.

When you find that you are in over your head, that might be a good time to call for help. Financial advisors are there to help you make sense of the financial responsibilities and options they didn’t teach you in school. When you have enough money to get into trouble, you will have enough money to need a financial advisor.

When Chicken Soup Doesn’t Fix It

Many people have an aversion to going to a doctor when they are sick or injured. They will only go to the emergency room if things are dire enough. But this is an attitude that will end badly, if not for you, for the people who look up to you. Sure, your mother’s chicken soup has magical powers of healing. But when that is not enough, see a doctor, and teach others in your care to do the same.

There will never be a time when we no longer need the help of other people. Tell all the jokes about attorneys you like. Just be sure to keep one on speed dial. When you have enough money to dream about the future but not enough to afford that future, call a financial advisor. And for those health issues too big for chicken soup, call a doctor.

Very few of us will leave our homes in the same condition they were in when we initially purchased them. Even if we have taken care of our properties, life happens and sometimes our home experiences damage. Selling your home can be an extremely stressful experience. The whole process can be quite time-consuming and taxing. To compound this stress, you often have to deal with the worry that you won’t receive as much money as you possibly could for the sale of your property. There are things you can do to raise the selling price of your home. Here’s how to get the most money possible on the sale of your property, without having to spend a fortune.

Figure Out What the Most Glaring Issues Are

A home might have a myriad of defects, but some issues are larger than others. While the paint color in your kitchen might be a bit dated, it’s not going to stand out as glaringly as a severely damaged driveway. In this situation, it might be advisable not to worry about correcting the paint color and instead of contacting a Montreal concrete repair contractor. It’s essential that you fix the most glaring issues and don’t sweat the small stuff.

Increase Your Home’s Curb Appeal

We might always be told that “it’s what’s inside that counts.” While this might be true, good curb appeal can make or break a home sale. Buyers aren’t going to bother with a house that’s ugly on the outside, even if the interior is absolutely beautiful. Home buyers definitely judge a book by its cover and it’s important that you’re aware of this. Do everything in your power to make your house more attractive from the outside if you want to attract buyers.

Ensure That Your Photos Are Fantastic

In the old days, most home shopping was done in-person. While it’s true that buyers still visit homes that they’re potentially interested in purchasing, a lot of decision-making is done online based on photographs of different homes for sale. A fantastic property can often be overlooked because the photos on the house’s listing are subpar. Ensure that your photos are of the utmost quality and capture your home in its best light. This might mean moving furniture around or hiring a professional photographer. Do whatever you need to do to get the best shots of your home.

Consider Renting

If you’ve had your home on the market for quite some time and you’re not receiving any offers that you consider to be reasonable, it might be time to consider becoming a landlord and renting the property. While being a landlord can certainly be a challenge, it’s better to make a consistent income on your property than it is to take an extremely low offer that won’t help you to recoup your initial investment. After renting your home for a year, you can use the money you’ve earned to make improvements to the property and then attempt to sell it again.

Know When It’s Time to Find A New Real Estate Agent

There are plenty of great real estate agents out there, but there are also a lot of bad ones. Sometimes, a home won’t sell necessarily due to the home itself, but rather due to a subpar real estate agent who isn’t putting in the work needed to sell the home for the maximum profit possible. If you think that you have a gem on your hands but you’re not receiving any good offers, it might be time to find a different real estate agent.

Understand If You’re Asking for An Impossible Amount

Everyone thinks that their home is worth a nice chunk of change. However, sometimes homeowners simply aren’t being realistic about how much their property is worth. If you’re asking for an unreasonable amount of money for your home, all of the staging and strategizing in the world won’t get you to that offer. You want to get what your home is worth, but that’s simply not going to happen if you’re asking for too much money. Know when it’s time to back down and lower your asking price.

Selling your home can be stressful, especially in a competitive real estate market. However, if you follow these tips, you can get what your property is truly worth.

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.

Did you look for the finest payday lender when making use of for a quick cash advance? Do you even know what to look for? Many people will apply with the primary firm they discover and then proceed to make use of the identical company for repeat loans. The typical brief-time period mortgage consumer will take out 5-8 loans all year long. If the direct lender doesn’t supply one of the best rates, the interest fees will make paying off the loan that rather more expensive. Unlike banks and credit score unions that fluctuate their curiosity rates depending on a person’s credit rating, the payday mortgage lender has one set charge for all customers. There isn’t a credit score test, so even a credit challenged applicant has an opportunity to obtain a short-term loan. The high curiosity charge is often welcomed when emergency cash takes precedence. Applicants in a hurry don’t usually think about finding a better price for the mortgage, they are simply comfortable that they discovered one.

In just some quick weeks the borrower must provide you with the cash to repay the mortgage plus charges. If not, the loan is extended and more fees might be due in just one other few weeks. If this identical applicant shopped for a lender with higher charges, there won’t be as a lot to pay back. The financial savings is critical especially if the loan is rolled over for an additional time period. If you may discover a lender that expenses less than 25%, you might be saving much more and after some time you may catch yourself that you are thinking like a billionaire because you are managing your debts like a pro! For these borrowers who repeat loans throughout the year, the money saved by finding a better payday mortgage curiosity charge is a big quantity. It may doable even counteract in opposition to their need for a fast money advance and keep them from taking out so many in the course of the 12 months. Supporting your own emergency costs is probably the most value environment-friendly method to handle your expenses. If the interest is so expensive, how do these loans assist?

If the applicant is going through bank costs for NSF and/or overdraft fees or taking a look at potential late fees and then attainable penalties from them, a short-time period mortgage paid off quickly does help. Besides potentially saving money by using an emergency mortgage, these borrowers can even assist to save lots of potential detrimental stories onto their credit score history. If you may keep your creditor from raising your interest rate, you can be saving lots of cash over the long-run. Some creditors have penalty charges which can run increased than you payday direct lender’s rate. Excessive curiosity on a revolving account with a hefty stability is damaging to any finances. It makes good financial sense to shop around for one of the best payday loan lender charges. As a substitute of making use of for the primary lender you discover, make a list of 5 totally different lenders and name them. The extra questions you ask about their phrases and conditions the higher informed you will be when it’s time to use for the mortgage. You want additional cash fast and a payday loan will assist money matters so take a couple of moments to seek out one of the best direct payday lenders to work with.

Due to the absence of hard and fast earnings, senior residents may not be probably the most popular group of consumers. Nonetheless, a constant inflow of social safety income and other retirement perks show to be credible documentation for buying an auto loan. A very good credit rating is usually an energy is not just establishing goodwill but in addition to negotiating a decrease interest rate total. Once a senior citizen applies for an auto mortgage, they may discover that a creaseless credit score historical past and growing retirement accounts are usually not ample. As a rule, lenders look for purchasers with a steady revenue. That is to keep up the equilibrium between the debt owed to the lender and income earned by the senior citizen. Thus, disclosing income records becomes essential in acquiring an auto loan. With multiple incomes that are wholesome, getting approval for an auto loan turns into simple. As in some other loan, variable and fixed rates are the parameters on which the curiosity rate of an auto loan is based. When in comparison with other loans, considered one of the major advantages of automobile financing with a hard and fast rate APR or Annual Share Price shall be that the quantity will probably be fixed all through the term of the mortgage. This ensures that you may be shielded from any fluctuations in the interest fee. Subsequently, the uniform repayment together with the mounted APR induces extra confidence in opting for an auto loan than another type of loans. Furthermore, in your retirement years, it seems greatest to go for low risk mounted price loans. So if you are curbing your need to buy your dream automotive or simply holding again, when it truly is a necessity, making use of for auto loans seems to be the ideal transfer.

Your first concern after an auto accident in which you or a loved were injured must be for the safety and immediate medical care of whoever was injured. But as soon as convenient, the very next thing you should be doing is contacting a well seasoned car accident lawyer.

It’s not hard to find a personal injury lawyer Houston, but be sure you’re entrusting your financial future (which may depend on your claim) to a firm that has a long, local track record of winning maximum compensation for its clients.

With over 17,000 people seriously injured in car accidents in Texas in 2016, and 3,773 in-state auto accident fatalities, you can’t just assume “it won’t happen to me.” You need a financial survival plan laid out ahead of time.

Evidence Gathering Actions

If you are injured and rushed off to a hospital from the scene of the accident, you can’t be expected to take down names and driver’s license numbers and the like. But a loved one should act quickly, if you can’t, to gather all relevant information and evidence.

Call the police to report the accident if they weren’t seen at the scene. And contact them to get a copy of the police report too, if there is one.

Obtain the name, contact information, license plate and driver’s license number, and other critical information on the other driver. You will also need to find out who provides his/her auto insurance at some point in order to call them to file a claim. You will also need to talk to your own insurer about the accident as well.

Getting a chance to talk with any witnesses at the accident scene is also crucial. As is working to reconstruct the accident based on any physical evidence. A lawyer is often helpful in this step.

Be Careful Who You Talk To

Be tight-lipped about the accident. If you admit or imply an admission of guilty at the scene of the accident or later on to the other driver, the other driver’s insurer, your own insurer, or someone else, it could shrink or totally defeat your claim.

Be wary of giving an insurance company a statement without first consulting an experienced injury lawyer. Do be cooperative with police, and do show courtesy and politeness to all, but don’t give away extra information to those who might twist it and use it against you later.

Be Wary of Early Settlement Offers

If an insurer calls you and makes you a settlement offer, don’t immediately accept (or reject) it. A good injury lawyer will know whether or not it’s a fair offer. And he/she can help ensure you get the best quality medical treatment, full compensation for all property damage, and a reasonable non-economic settlement for pain and suffering.

Also realize that some injuries, like whiplash, don’t always show up right after the accident – it could take weeks before the true effects of the accident on you and the associated costs are known. So that’s another good reason not to quickly agree to an early settlement offer.

Keep Track of All Expenses

Finally, be sure to track your medical expenses meticulously from day one. You need to keep a detailed account of all treatments/prescribed medications. And you need a file full of all bills and doctor’s notes to serve as proof later on.

Keep a diary that can be used to help calculate non-economic damages. Write down how the injury has affected your daily life. And gather pay stubs, tax returns, and other evidence to show how much income you’ve lost due to the injury.

Be careful to methodically gather evidence and take actions to protect your right to full compensation as early as possible, and it will greatly increase your chances of receiving a maximized instead of minimized settlement.

Baby Boomers, the American generation born between 1946 – 1964, are retiring. In fact, a lot of Baby Boomers retire every day; however, research has found that, as a group, they are not very well prepared for their retirement. They don’t have the funds they need to lead peaceful, happy and content lives once they retire. Forget about the luxuries, many finance experts believe that Baby Boomers will be forced to give up on items such as  roomy houses, newer cars and other things which they have grown accustomed to. Sadly, many Boomers will survive with just the basic amenities.

Here’s an infographic that lays out the facts on Baby Boomer retirement.

Where Did Baby Boomers Go Wrong?

This is one of the most interesting analysis of what actually went wrong for Baby Boomers and why they cannot enjoy a financially stress-free retirement.

They Did Not Invest Wisely

Experts believe that perhaps the most common factor that put Baby Boomers in this dire situation is that they failed to make wise investments. They either believed friends or invested without carrying out apt research. Baby Boomers needed the right portfolio allocation, but instead many of them either did not invest much at all or invested in the wrong entities.

Secondly, Baby Boomers did not fully plan for their retirement. While Baby Boomers spent a lot on their kids’ education and supporting relatives, they failed to take the essential step of planning their retirement. The retirement funds which are highly popular these days were not very common one or two decades ago. The lack of awareness and availability impacted the Baby Boomer’s preparation for retirement.

Lastly, the other major hurdle Baby Boomers face is having to make monthly mortgage and home equity loan payments. The factors all add up and result in a large percentage of Baby Boomers not being able to use their pensions and superannuation funds to support their living post retiring.

What Can Baby Boomers Do Now to Find Money for Retirement?

Undeniably, Baby Boomers don’t have much time to make more money for retirement. , But, even now, this generation of people can improve their current situation. All they need is the right advice and an accurate evaluation of their current situation. This will allow them to understand where they stand and how they can improve their position. Baby Boomers need to make research-backed decisions which can help their financial situation without creating any further financial losses.

If you are also a Baby Boomer who is going to retire soon, it’s highly important that you prepare yourself well for that moment when you leave the workplace. There are a few new companies like Mason Finance offering the right set of advice to baby boomers that will enable them to strengthen their financial position as much as possible in retirement.

Getting into debt is much easier than getting out of debt, especially as it continues to build up with what seems like no end in sight. You aren’t destined to be in debt forever. Be proactive and take these easy steps to get yourself out from under the mountain of debt once and for all.

Take an inventory

Take some time to sit down and organize your debt. If it gets too bad, you might not even open your bills to look at the balance due, or glance at and pay the minimum. You can’t create a plan without first knowing exactly how much and who you owe. Create a list of all your debts and their balances to get a full picture of what you need to conquer to get out of debt.

Organize your debts

All debt is not created equal. Some debt, such as your mortgage, is paid before credit cards if you’ve fallen behind. Examine the interest rate on your debts. Some people prefer to pay off debts with the highest interest rate first, while others find that it’s more effective for them to pay the account with the lowest balance and then work on those with higher balances. It saves money to pay the debts with the highest interest rates off first, but some people like to focus on smaller goals and celebrate victories as they pay off their accounts.

Create a budget

Know exactly how much money is coming in and how much you need to pay out. Create a list of everything including your housing, utilities, food, gas, clothing, phone, and anything else you have to pay. See where you can cut down, such as eating out less, combining trips to cut down on fuel usage, or eliminating your paid television subscription in favor of free channels over an antenna. Every extra dollar you can cut from something else can go towards reducing debt.

Avoid scams

Avoid falling victim to a credit counseling or repair service. They cost money and do exactly what you can do on your own for free. There is no quick fix to getting rid of debt. It might be tempting, but avoid payday loans as an option. You’ll get money quick, but at an astronomical interest rate and they’re very risky. Payday loans put you at risk for losing a large sum of income if something happens and you’re unable to pay back what you borrowed. It only adds to your debt. You might want to consider a title loan. Try looking into Florence title loans for a less risky solution.

Snowball

As you pay your debts off, put the amount of the payment on the debt you paid off towards your next highest debt. If you paid off a credit card with a payment of $75/month, take that $75 and put it on another credit card or account to pay those off faster. Continue to follow this method until you pay down on your debt. Take any unexpected income, such as bonuses or overtime, and apply that to your debt too. You’ll save money as you pay your debts off sooner because you won’t incur interest on the balance.

Stop ignoring your bills and take charge to get yourself out of debt. Create a plan, adjust it as needed, and discipline yourself to follow the plan to get and stay out of debt.

Title loans in the state of Idaho are regulated by the Idaho Title Loan Act. Like other states, title loans in Idaho are secured short term loans based on an asset, in most cases a personal vehicle or car. The loan is not based on credit and hence the credit score or history of a borrower is not one of the criteria. The loan amount is determined by the market value of the car or vehicle. Since the car serves as the collateral, the loan amount cannot exceed its resale value. There are seventeen states in the country that have high annual percentage rates or interests on title loans, including Idaho, Alabama, Delaware, Arizona, Nevada and Georgia.

Introduction to Idaho Title Loan Laws

As stated on titlelo.com, all lenders offering title loans must be registered and licensed as per the Idaho Credit Code. Any lender who is not licensed cannot operate legally and any title loan offered by such a business or individual will be deemed forfeited. Borrowers don’t have to pay back such a loan, neither the interest nor any other charges. Unlicensed lenders cannot secure the title of a vehicle and cannot take possession of the car used as collateral.

All title loans in the state have a repayment term of thirty days. This is the maximum number of days or the longest term of repayment as mandated by the law. The repayment term could be shorter. In the event a borrower is unable to repay the full principal of the loan amount with the accrued interest and any other charges by the thirtieth day, the repayment term can be renewed. Such renewals are permitted as long as the borrower repays at least one tenth of the principal loan amount and accrued interest in the subsequent thirty days period. The subsequent interests as further renewals are approved would be calculated on the remaining principal and not the original loan amount.

Lenders are required to collect all relevant information from a prospective borrower. The vehicle details required include the model, make and year, vehicle identification number or VIN and license plate number. A borrower should provide their full name and residential address, date of birth and the original title of the vehicle. The loan agreement should have the date when the proposition has been executed, the date of maturity of the loan which is the end of the repayment term and that can be a maximum of thirty days at the outset, the full name and business address of the lender along with specific terms that govern the execution of the loan and its subsequent repayment and renewals.

Idaho does not have any caps on the interest or annual percentage rate. Any lender is free to charge as much interest or fees as they want. It is up to the borrowers to find the most reasonable rates of interest and other charges. Lenders are however required to make the consumers or borrowers aware of the fact that title loans are short term loans for temporary financial problems and that they are a high interest proposition.

Term Limits & Renewals in Idaho

All title loans in Idaho can be renewed at the end of the first thirty days. This renewal is automated unless a borrower has repaid the principal loan amount along with the associated charges or has already surrendered the car. The law is lenient for the first two renewals but it lays out obligatory terms applicable from the third renewal. Borrowers failing to repay the loan with interest at the end of the third term will need to pay at least a tenth of the original principal with pending fees to subsequently renew the repayment term for another period of thirty days. The lender will reduce the loan amount by a tenth or the amount a borrower has repaid in a renewed period and apply interest on the remaining amount for the subsequent renewed term.

All renewals must be executed in writing. Lenders must provide a notice within a fortnight when a term has been renewed automatically. The notice can be sent by mail or delivered in person. Borrowers can cancel any title loan they have signed up for within one business day from the loan being approved and even if it is disbursed. The borrower simply needs to return the check or give back the cash at the office wherefrom the loan was approved or disbursed.

Seizure and Repossession of Vehicles in Idaho

All lenders have the right to seize and repossess the vehicle if a borrower fails to repay the loan with the accrued interest by the end of the last renewed term. There is no need for lenders to inform the borrowers of such seizure and repossession. However, all lenders need to send a Notice to Cure Default. This notice explains how a borrower can repay the loan and get to keep the car. The lender should provide ten days to the borrower to repay the loan and reclaim the title.

Lenders can sell the car or vehicle to a dealer. They can also sell the vehicle at an auction. The proceeds from such a sale are used to pay for the loan and all costs involved in seizing the vehicle, including towing, selling and legal fees as charged by an attorney. If the proceeds don’t pay for the unpaid loan and interest, the borrower is still legally obligated to repay the difference. If the proceeds exceed what is owed, lenders must return the surplus to borrowers.

Entrepreneurship is not for everyone. In fact, it is not for a fraction of people on this planet. Sure, most people THINK they want to be business owners because of the freedom and flexibility that such a position allows, but the truth is, most people wouldn’t make it a day in the life of an entrepreneur.

If you’ve ever dreamed of owning your own business and want to know if you could cut it as a CEO, partner, or owner, keep reading. This post shares four telltale signs that the entrepreneurial life is right for you.

You’re Passionate About What You Do

Successful businesses are not founded by individuals who take a ho-hum approach to their careers. Successful companies are established by those who see an issue but who do not see a solution. They are founded by people who persevere despite the obstacles they will undoubtedly face, despite the long hours they may be forced to put in, and despite the huge emotional and physical toll bringing that business to life is bound to take. In short, they are founded by people who are passionate, people like Peter Foyo.

If you are passionate about the problem you intend to solve or the solution you hope to make better, then you have a very real chance at succeeding out on your own. However, if you’re luke-warm toward your field, you may find it difficult to succeed as a business owner.

You’re a Self-Starter

As a business owner, there will be nobody there telling you to do this, or to do that, or to check your bank statements. You need to do these things on your own. If you’re not someone who can see what needs to be done and does it without being asked, then you might not cut it as an entrepreneur. Scratch that—you won’t cut it. Most people go into business ownership because they cannot stand people telling them what to do. If you’re not one of those people, you might want to keep your day job.

You’re Resilient

According to Entrepenuer.com, over 50 percent of startups fail after five years, and over 70 percent fail after 10 years. While hard-times do account for some failures, they account for a small portion. The real reason startups fail is because the driving force behind them is broken.

Business ownership is not easy, and over time, you may discover that you are forced to restructure, downsize, change directions, budget more strictly or loosen the reins a bit. You will hit roadblocks and oppression, and you will face periods of no work and periods of too much work. Most people buckle at the first signs of adversity, but those people aren’t true entrepreneurs. True entrepreneurs persevere and succeed despite the odds. If you’re someone who can get back up over and over and over again, you might cut it as an entrepreneur.

You’re Competitive

As a business owner, you’ll discover that you’re not just competing against the competition to get the most customers—you’ll also find that you’re competing to get the best prices, work with the best vendors, and hire the best talent. Entrepreneurship is cutthroat, and if you’re not willing to bust out your claws every once in a while, or if you shirk in the face of rivalry, then business ownership may not be for you.

Business ownership is life-changing endeavor—but whether in a good way or a bad way is up to you. Just because you don’t possess all the traits of a successful entrepreneur now doesn’t mean that you cannot develop them. The thing about the entrepreneur life is that it is what you make of it. If you’re willing to mold yourself into a passionate, self-starting, resilient, and competitive individual even if nature says that you’re not any of those things, well, then, nature’s wrong.

A country’s interest rate will go through cycles, with higher rates yielding higher returns for savers. Unfortunately, inflation can devastate one’s savings if not accounted for. Therefore you must compare the rising interest rate with the inflation rate to see the true impact on the financial status of your investment savings.

Here are a few things to consider:

Account for inflation

Inflation erodes the buying power of your money. Many people know that their savings grow by the interest rate, but forget about the negative effects of inflation. If you want to maintain your money’s value, then your investment returns need to compensate for the time period of the investment. The interest rate is only attractive if it’s higher than inflation, otherwise your money loses value.

Real returns

To achieve any real returns your investment will have to grow more than inflation each year. Rising interest rates will not always protect your capital. This means, you may need to seek other alternatives to the bank in order to achieve any real returns. Equities have been proven to significantly outperform inflation over the long term. However, this performance comes with increased risk and short-term volatility. Long-term investors may benefit from the equity exposure if they can weather the short-term volatility.

The long-term tactic

Short-term underperformance will often surprise investors and can lead to emotional reactions like switching, which often results in locking-in losses. The only time to rethink your investment strategy is if your risk profile or objectives change.

Many investors opt to leave the asset allocation decisions to an investment manager by picking a balanced fund, which allows managers to allocate assets according to available opportunities. It is important to choose an investment manager who is experienced and who you trust. If any of this overwhelms you then consider visiting a good independent financial advisor to help formulate your plan.