Credit card processors are integral for businesses in this digital age. More shoppers prefer to use credit cards over cash, and businesses that don’t accept them can lose potential sales. Credit card processors make it possible for businesses to take advantage of this trend by allowing them to process credit card payments quickly and securely. [Read more…]
Online shopping has come a long way in a very short time. If you’re not careful, though, it’s easy to end up spending a lot more money than you should. Read on to see some of the money-saving tips you can use to ensure that your online shopping sprees are cost-effective.
The very first thing you need to do is to make sure that the sites you’re shopping from are legitimate and secure. This will enable you to get what you pay for rather than potentially falling victim to a scam. While in some instances you may recover your money, in some others, you may not. Avoid going down this road in the first place by checking to see if the website has a locked padlock on the url tab on your browser. This is in the event that you’re not shopping at a well-known site. With 60% of jobs found through networking rather than online, this may also be true for new shopping sites. If you want to buy a certain item, ask friends and family if anyone has bought it successfully of late so they can link you to their source.
Following company social media accounts can help you save money when you follow them. This is because they will often share information about the latest products, events, and deals that they have. When a deal is available in limited quantities, you will have the advantage of being among the first to hear about it, so you can make some savings from shopping for it right away. There will also be contests and giveaways on these accounts, and as much as you may feel like it’s hard to actually win, there’s often nothing to lose by entering them.
Cashback websites will generally offer you a percentage of your money back for every purchase made. This ranges between 1% to 8%, and you can actually save more from stores you would have been shopping from anyway. You simply need to find a cashback website, create an account, and then start shopping. The amount you collect will depend on the size of shopping that you do, so over a few months, you will make some nice savings that you would not have had if you didn’t shop through the website. With the volume of cyber insurance expected to reach $15 to $20 billion in 2025, you can also be sure to enjoy a secure experience when you shop on a good cashback website.
You could also shop for discounted gift cards, which would be the ultimate money-saving tool. You can get bonuses and deals on the gift cards you buy depending on where you get them from. Using them is easy enough as some sites, like Moola, let you redeem them easily by copying and pasting the gift card numbers from the app. Because you can also give gift cards as gifts, it will also be a cost-effective way to save money while putting a smile on the faces of those close to you.
Finally, you could leave items to sit in your cart for a few days before paying for them. This will have the double benefit of helping you avoid buying items on impulse, as you have a longer time to think about the necessity of the purchase, and you may also get a deal. Online merchants will generally try to close a sale fast to avoid having the items abandoned, so you can make some savings in this way. They also know too well that over 34% of desktop searches and 62.5% of mobile searches end up being zero-click searches.
When you follow these tips, you will maintain a good command of your finances while enjoying the benefits of online shopping.
Owning a home is a goal that many people have for themselves. It is a place to call your own, decorate exactly how you want, and set down roots to start a family. However, there are a lot of costs involved in buying and owning a home. It isn’t cheap, and many people may struggle to afford it in some cases. [Read more…]
For many households, groceries are a big line item in their budgets. Overall, the average amount households spend on food at home came in at $4,942 in 2020, which is a substantial sum. That breaks down to about $411 per month or around $95 per week. However, that doesn’t mean it’s the amount a household should spend on groceries every month. In some cases, less may make sense. In others, it could take more. If you’re wondering how much you should spend on groceries each month, here’s what you need to know.
It’s critical to understand that there isn’t one figure that’ll work for everyone. Instead, you need to look at the situation in the context of your household. That way, you can find a reasonable approach that lets you handle your needs without breaking the bank.
Above all else, you need to know that average spending levels aren’t right for everyone. For some households, spending $411 a month is completely reasonable. However, dedicating that much to food could break the budget of lower-income households, while it may be far less than a large family might need to spend to maintain proper nutrition.
Using percentage-based averages isn’t necessarily better. For example, in 2020, consumers spent an average of 8.6 percent of their disposable income on food purchases. With that, you may assume that spending 8.6 percent of your budget on groceries could be a reasonable figure from an affordability perspective.
However, every household is different. For example, if you’re working full-time and earning minimum wage, that leads to an annual income of just $15,080, or around $1,256 before taxes and other withholdings. In that case, $411 per month is clearly unreasonable. However, 8.6 percent is only $108 a month, or around $25 per week, which might be far less than you need to spend.
Since that’s the case, it’s important to realize that averages alone aren’t a good indicator of what you should spend. Instead, you may want to try another approach.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) created eating plans designed to meet health standards while respecting that households have different budgets. That can make them solid reference points when you’re trying to decide how much to spend. Plus, it can help you figure out what to buy to maintain good nutrition.
The four categories available through the USDA food plans are thrifty, low-cost, moderate-cost, and liberal. When it comes to the costs of the thrifty plan and the other three plans, they’re broken down by age and sex, allowing families to estimate how much they’ll need to spend to support each household member’s nutritional needs.
By reviewing those figures, you can see how much it typically costs to create nutritious meals at home. Essentially, they can serve as baselines, allowing you to see how much you might need to spend based on household size.
The main problem is that the plans don’t factor in cost differences between locations, dietary restrictions, or similar issues that may harm the accuracy of the estimates. Since that’s the case, it’s best to consider them guidelines and not hard-and-fast rules.
However, if what the USDA lists is genuinely unaffordable, then it’s okay to make a budget that involves less spending. The trick is to ensure you can dedicate enough to address your nutritional needs reasonably well. Then, you can use other techniques to keep your costs down.
First, if you qualify for any food-related assistance, such as SNAP or WIC, make sure you apply for those benefits. That’ll give you more money to direct toward your food budget, helping you spend less out-of-pocket.
Typically, the application process is reasonably simple. Additionally, using the benefits is straightforward. Just make sure you read the rules regarding qualifying products. That way, you can incorporate the right items into your food plan and grocery list.
Once you know how much you can get through food-related assistance, it’s time to set a target. Use the USDA guidelines and examine your other financial obligations. You need to determine how much is reasonable for you to potentially spend, effectively setting an upper limit that serves as a maximum. That way, you know that you need to aim below that number every month.
Once you set a budget for your groceries, you’ll want to use a range of strategies to remain on target. Use a combination of sale flyers, rebate apps, and coupons (either physical or through websites and shopping apps) to find exceptional deals. If you can couple a sale with a rebate or coupon, your total cost may go down dramatically.
Just make sure you calculate the per-unit cost to determine if it’s actually a deal, as not all discounts are created equal. Further, don’t let a coupon tempt you into getting anything you don’t actually need. It’s only a deal if it reduces what you’ll spend overall.
Once you dig into the sales and other discounts, use that information to create an official shopping list. Outline all of your meals based on the available discounts, recording the ingredients you’ll need to make those specific dishes. Then, when you shop, buy only those items.
If you have trouble with impulse shopping, you may want to try online grocery pickup instead of heading to stores. With that, you can focus on precisely what you need, potentially making it easier to resist impulse purchases.
For stores with loyalty programs, make sure you sign up. In many cases, you can earn points that can reduce your grocery bill directly by saving you a specific amount on your next purchase. In some cases, you can cash out points for free items, lowering your bills further.
Like sales, coupons, and rebates, you don’t want to buy anything you don’t need purely for the points. Instead, it should simply be part of a broader saving strategy.
Finally, it can be wise to create a routine when it comes to eating plans. If you rotate through the same breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals, you’ll have an easier time predicting your monthly grocery costs. While it may seem like this doesn’t work with a coupon, rebate, and sale strategy, it actually can if you’re brand flexible. You just choose the lowest cost version of the product you need.
If you’re new to budgeting, it’s crucial to recognize that adjustments are often necessary. If you initially set a grocery spending target and determine it doesn’t reasonably meet your needs, change might be required.
Review your grocery spending patterns to determine if the budget isn’t working or if buying non-necessities is actually the issue. If it’s the former, look at your overall financial plan and see if you can adjust your budget to give you the room you need.
Initially, you might need to review your budget every month to make sure it’s working. That way, you can make changes until you find the proper target, allowing you to develop a spending plan that will work long-term.
How do you decide what to spend on groceries each month? Do you have a system that helps you stay on budget, or do you plan on the fly? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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Tamila McDonald is a U.S. Army veteran with 20 years of service, including five years as a military financial advisor. After retiring from the Army, she spent eight years as an AFCPE-certified personal financial advisor for wounded warriors and their families. Now she writes about personal finance and benefits programs for numerous financial websites.
Have you ever had unexpected auto repairs enter the picture? When incidents occur, depending on what’s wrong, the cost to fix the issues can sometimes leave your head spinning. For example, the various components within the suspension system prevent you from feeling every little bump when going down roads. They also ensure the car doesn’t bounce all over the place, putting you and others in danger. Therefore, if a piece goes out or malfunctions, it is in your best interest to fix it promptly. [Read more…]
Your website is your greatest marketing tool. Most consumers look at a company’s website before they decide to do business with them. Your website is your first and maybe only chance to make an impression on a customer. In addition, you have a ton of competition with other businesses. There are about 900,000 domains are registered each week. As technology improves, websites must advance right along with it. Your customers want a website that will inform but also entertain, provide quality and an intuitive interface. There are some ways to make your website user-friendly and offer an enjoyable experience for your customers.
Your users will tell you want they want. All you have to do is ask. Get direct input from your target market to understand what is missing from their experience. If you provide them with what they want, they will continue to do business with you. When visitors to your website tell you what they like and do not like, listen and turn those comments into action. These can be easy changes that do not impact your finances.
Customers want your website to be fast and responsive. If it takes too long, they are likely to leave your website. This is especially true when looking at a webpage on a mobile device. It only takes seconds to lose a visitor to your website. Not only does technology allow for fast load time on your website, but people are busy and do not have time to wait. About 29% (65 million people) of the population in the U.S. are caring for a chronically ill, disabled, or aged family member. They spend an average of 20 hours per week providing this care. They do not have time to wait around for your website to load. It would be best if you spent more of your finances on a faster website.
When someone visits your webpage, they want to find answers to their questions. They most often want to make a decision about a service or product. They want to find information on your website that helps them do that. They do not want to have to hunt for it. They want it to be accessible and easy to locate. Keep in mind that you cannot take someone else’s information and pass it off as yours. A trademark infringement is a violation of the rights of the trademark owner. You want your information to be 100% your own and credible.
Your visitors want a navigation bar or some other way for them to orient themselves with your site. A navigation bar is an excellent way for visitors to navigate your site and always find their way back. You want to spend your finances working on the navigation of your website. If your visitors get lost in an endless circle without being able to find their way around, they will become frustrated and will leave your website. You want to consider testing your navigation bar with a user group to see how they like it. Play around with the positioning of the bar and move it around to see where it works best.
Your website can make or break the succes of your company. Therefore, you want to ensure you are marketing your business in the best way possible with your website. These are just a few tips that can help you in making a more user-friendly website. If you follow these, you will be much closer to a site that will work for you. In addition, you should consider testing your website with a group of your target group to get immediate feedback.
In the long run, adjusting your small every day habits can save a lot of money. Unnecessary expenses do add up faster than you may realize and make a significant dent in your finances over time. As the old wisdom goes, even small changes like making your coffee at home and taking it with you instead of purchasing it each day can add up to hundreds of dollars left in your pocket over the space of a year. Here are some simple habits you can get into to save more money.
Cutting down on the electricity you use isn’t just a good way to save money, it also helps save the planet. With the cost of power and fuel only going up, developing good habits when it comes to utility use can serve you well for years to come. Make a habit of turning off the lights in each part of the home when you aren’t there or use timers to turn the lights off automatically. Use the heating and cooling as minimally as possible, as changing the temperature inside the home makes the HVAC run more. Install window coverings that help keep the sun out, so the temperature in the home stays stable. For example, aluminum blinds are long-lasting window treatments that come in all sizes to accommodate any window.
Not everyone can afford to purchase a home, leaving many people with renting a home or apartment as their only option. When you consider what rental property to make your home, try to pick a place that you can see staying in for many years. Staying in the same place will help you save money in the long run. Over 30% of renters move every year, paying the expenses associated with moving and putting out money for new damage and utility deposits.
While streaming services, food delivery places, and other subscriptions may seem like they aren’t adding up to much if you add up all of them you might be shocked to see how much it works out to be. Try canceling these services and seeing if you miss them. You might find you don’t use them as much as you thought initially and the money you save can be used for other activities or paying down debts that carry a high-interest rate. If you have services you just can’t bear to live without, see if you can split them with a friend or family member, or use a promo code to save money on the monthly fee. In some cases, once you cancel a monthly subscription, the company will email you a special offer of a reduced price to re-subscribe.
Online purchasing can help you cut down on how much you spend on a purchase in more ways than one. Not only can you easily compare prices for the same product in different stores, but you can also look for promotional deals or coupons to save even more on the item you want. Many retailers offer special deals and coupons via their websites and social media networks like Instagram. According to research done by HootSuite back in 2019, over one billion people use Instagram regularly, and 90% of users follow a business account. Retailers and service providers have noticed this uptick and aim to connect with potential clients via this platform.
Incorporating these small money-saving habits into your life can help you get more money in your savings account, which can be a lifesaver in your unexpected times of need.
When most people start a career, they hope they can earn a solid income while pursuing their passions. However, there are situations where a dream job simply doesn’t measure up financially to an alternative. In that case, professionals often have to decide whether they want to follow their dreams or a high salary. While there are pros and cons to both approaches, there are situations where doing the former is best. Here are some points to consider.
One of the biggest reasons to pursue a dream over a particular salary is that money isn’t a guaranteed path to happiness. For many professionals, their work is a major part of their identity. If you’re in that group, choosing a path simply for the paycheck isn’t going to lead to fulfillment on an intrinsic level.
There can be arguments against pursuing a dream job is it can’t sustain a reasonable lifestyle. For example, if following your passions leads to housing or food insecurity, an inability to access critical medical care, or similar issues, it’s wise to pause and consider those drawbacks. That’s particularly true if the period of time where that situation exists is long-term.
However, if the role you’re passionate about can meet your financial needs on a basic level, that may be sufficient for you. Many people can thrive even if they’ll never end up with an elevated lifestyle. Simply being able to keep a roof over their head, food on the table, and other core needs covered is effectively enough in their eyes. Ultimately, that’s a personal choice.
Along a similar line, raises aren’t necessarily going to increase your level of fulfillment. It’s normal for a pay increase to give anyone a quick boost, particularly if they had any sort of financial struggle previously. However, that feeling may not last long if there is nothing else about the position they enjoy.
At times, professionals progress through high-paying career paths and never feel satisfied with their job simply because the work doesn’t align with their passions. When that happens, pay increases won’t necessarily prevent issues like burnout.
If you pursue your dream job instead, your odds of feeling fulfilled from the work you do are often higher. That can make you happier on the job and overall, which is a point that shouldn’t be ignored.
Even if you decide to follow the money, there’s no guarantee you’ll reach a high salary quickly. Additionally, roles where the pay rates are higher right from the beginning often require a significant financial investment, such as in education and training.
While that may be a non-issue if you can cover the cost of schooling without debt, that isn’t a reality for most. As a result, you still have a long road before you feel the benefits of the higher salary. If your duties aren’t fulfilling, trudging down that path may be particularly difficult.
With a dream job, the road may also be long. Additionally, it may require education and training and, therefore, debt. However, the journey may be easier to walk, simply because the work you do makes it feel worth it.
When a person burns out, staying even moderately productive gets challenging. Resentment and frustration typically cause a person’s performance to drop. When that happens, any future opportunities to advance may effectively evaporate. As a result, they ultimately don’t reach the level of success they were hoping they’d hit.
By pursuing your dream job, your odds of staying focused and dedicated to the work increase. In turn, the quality of your work may remain higher. While you may not hit the same salary point that you could have in the other field, you could potentially still rise up the ranks, securing a solid salary that’ll leave you reasonably comfortable.
If you follow your salary, money needs to be a prime motivator for you. If that’s the case, you may be able to overlook some of the drawbacks of working in a field that doesn’t align with your other passions. The salary increases can simply serve as a driving force.
The issue is that most people aren’t motivated by money alone. While everyone may want to achieve a salary that lets them live comfortably and happily, they also want to find work that’s meaningful to them on another level. This could include jobs that support their communities or let them make a difference in a specific area. For these professionals, even if the salary that comes with a particular position is stellar, they won’t find their work rewarding.
Generally speaking, not pursuing a dream job that was reasonably an option can leave people with regrets. They may wonder, “What if I had the career I actually wanted?” with surprising regularity.
While it’s true that people who pursue their passions – and those roles come with smaller salaries – may also think about what earning more money would be like, if their job is otherwise fulfilling, those moments may pass more quickly. However, if they’re earning high salaries but are miserable, thoughts back to the road not taken may be harder to shake.
Ultimately, whether you follow your dreams or a salary is a personal choice. For some, financial security will outweigh every other potential factor. If you’re in that group, that’s fine. Just make sure that you have other opportunities for fulfillment, such as a rewarding hobby or volunteer positions.
If pursuing your dreams means having a meaningful life, and you’re comfortable with the lower-earning potential, letting your passions guide you may be a better option. For this road, you want to develop a comprehensive financial plan. Along with a solid budget, outline any savings goals right away. That way, you can begin pursuing them immediately, too, increasing the odds you can live comfortably.
Are there other situations where you feel it’s best to follow your dreams instead of your salary? Are there times when going for the salary is the better option? Did you choose one path and want to tell others about your experience? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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Tamila McDonald is a U.S. Army veteran with 20 years of service, including five years as a military financial advisor. After retiring from the Army, she spent eight years as an AFCPE-certified personal financial advisor for wounded warriors and their families. Now she writes about personal finance and benefits programs for numerous financial websites.
The world is crazy right now. The war with Russia and Ukraine has created investment risks and opportunities with commodities, specifically. Inflation is also an issue. What do you do with all of these moving parts in the global economy?
Gold has only gone up since the war began, up over $2,000 for the first time since 2020. The reason being is that gold is a store of value and is often seen as a safe asset during times of uncertainty, like war, inflation, or a pandemic.
Gold isn’t the only asset that’s used in times of uncertainty. Cash, bonds, and other precious metals have also seen a massive inflow lately.
Cryptocurrencies have also seen a run-up in recent weeks, for two reasons. One, some people do see cryptocurrencies as a store of value like gold. And two, cryptocurrencies have played a role in this war. Because Russia has been cut off, financially, from the rest of the world, they’ve used crypto to finance operations. Ukraine has done the same, but for the reason of being able to raise money from different channels.
The price of oil has been on a roller coaster since the war began. Russia supplies a lot of energy to the world. It supplies the U.S. with just 3% of oil, but it supplies Europe with most of what they use. That said, the price of oil went up very fast to about $125/barrel because the US and other countries blocked them off to further disrupt their finances.
It’s come back down since then thanks to OPEC+. They pledged to increase production to make up for the loss in supply.
Inflation is off the charts right now. The most recent reading came in at 7.9%. There are quite a few things that are seeing the effects of it. Food is getting more expensive. Gas, obviously, due to supply constraints and inflation is getting more expensive. Property is also getting more expensive. Interest rates are going up as well. My wife and I refinanced late last year and locked our rate in at 3%. The most recent reading came in at 4.5%.
The FED is going to make some moves as well. Because of the war with Russia and Ukraine, they will take a more measured and conservative approach, so it’s possible that inflation is a problem for longer because the FED won’t hike rates as quickly as they may have previously intended.
There are some other commodities, besides gold and other precious metals, that are feeling a pinch due to the war between Russia and Ukraine. Wheat is the biggest example of this because between Russia and Ukraine, they produce and ship a third of the world’s wheat.
Even though the war is between two countries, it’s affecting everything (though differently than how it’s affecting Russia and Ukraine). There are logistical problems that are delaying shipments of things. The air space above the scuffle is off-limits, so flights around the area are taking longer than they previously would have. Longer flights = more fuel and reduced volume on flights = increased costs.
There are a lot of investment risks and opportunities due to the moving parts in the world right now and the market will continue to be volatile until things settle down. If you have time to ride out some ugly markets, stick to your plan. If you’re in retirement or close to retirement, reducing your risk might not be a bad idea.
How to Invest in Gold: 5 Ways to Get Started
How Inflation is Changing Our Lives and Not for the Better
Weekly Wrap: Crypto Aids Ukraine Putin Aids Inflation and Russian Investments Tank
Safeguarding Your Future: A Comprehensive Review Of Augusta Precious Metals
**Securities offered through Securities America, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Securities America Advisors, Inc. Securities America and its representatives do not provide tax or legal advice; therefore, it is important to coordinate with your tax or legal advisor regarding your specific situation. Please see the website for full disclosures: www.crgfinancialservices.com
Jacob Sensible is a financial advisor with decades of experience in the financial planning industry. His journey into finance began out of necessity, stepping up to support his grandfather during a health crisis. This period not only grounded him in the essentials of stock analysis, investment strategies, and the critical roles of insurance and trusts in asset preservation but also instilled a comprehensive understanding of financial markets and wealth management. Jacob can be reached at: jake.sensiba@mygfpartner.com.
Many businesses are unaware of the r&d tax credit and how it can benefit their company. This blog post will answer the question, “Can state-level r&d tax credits be used against payroll tax credits?” The answer is yes! Read on to learn more about this valuable credit and how you can take advantage of it. [Read more…]