New article posted at "Everything Finance"
Everything Finance
New article posted at "Everything Finance" |
|
|
3 Ways Being Superficial Can Help Your Career Posted: 30 Sep 2014 02:59 AM PDT 3 Ways Being Superficial Can Help Your Career is a post originally published on: Everything Finance - Everything Finance - Its all about Money! I recently got a substantial raise at work, for which I’m quite proud. I believe I earned that raise through hard work, talent, and superb execution, not to mention negotiating skills. While that’s the way I wish all raises were achieved, that’s not always the case. Sometimes you can be the best employee and still be passed up for a raise (or get a smaller raise than you deserved) for superficial reasons. Here are three ways being superficial can help your career.
Weighty IssueSeveral studies have shown that obese people actually earn less than their counterparts – and the issue is worse for women than for men. This study from George Washington University showed that obese women were underpaid by over $8,000 per year, with obese men being underpaid by “only” $4,772. Another study has even shown that obese people are more often passed up for job opportunities. Why are obese employees or job applicants so blatantly discriminated against? They are often stereotyped as lazy or sloppy. I’m not here to argue whether that’s right or wrong, but if you are already wanting to lose some weight, let this be extra motivation for you. In the meantime, wear clothes that fit well and have a sliming appearance to them. If you are happy with those curves, great! Be conscientious about the stereotypes, finding ways to showcase your energy and attention to detail. Looks MatterOther studies have shown that more attractive candidates have an easier time in their job hunts and they get paid more than their less attractive counterparts – by around 3-4%, which adds up over a lifetime! So what’s a homely individual to do? Don’t give up. Make sure your hairstyle is attractive, current, and easy for you to maintain. Invest in a stylish wardrobe, consulting a professional shopper if fashion is a foreign concept to you. If you are a woman who doesn’t know blush from mascara, you can get make-up lessons for free at many beauty stores or make-up counters. If you wear glasses, check into contacts or LASIK. If you absolutely will not do contacts or surgery, then at least make sure you are wearing flattering frames. Dress the PartIf you want to be a Vice-President at your company, look at what the Vice-Presidents are wearing and emulate their style. You are more likely to be overlooked for promotions if your superiors are worried that you cannot represent the company well. Note that this works both ways – don’t be underdressed for the part you want, but don’t overdress, either. If you come in wearing a suit and tie when the President of the company wear shorts, it will be obvious that you cannot read situations well. You might not be able to afford a new wardrobe, but you can focus on wearing items that are flattering. Also make sure your clothes are clean and wrinkle-free. Being Superficial Might Help You!You don’t have to spend a lot of money to implement these ideas, but any money you do spend could be considered an investment. If you get a raise or a coveted promotion, you’ll make back the money you spent quickly. In the end, looking your best will give you more confidence – maybe that’s all you need to put you over the top! What have you got to lose?
RESOURCE CENTER
    
|
| You are subscribed to email updates from Everything Finance
To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. |
Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
Everything Finance
|
Should You Be Investing While Paying Off Debt? Posted: 30 Sep 2014 11:30 PM PDT Should You Be Investing While Paying Off Debt? is a post originally published on: Everything Finance - Everything Finance - Its all about Money!
I did what many of the personal finance experts suggest, which was to cut expenses and find ways to increase my income. I even sold a majority of my furnishings and downsized my living environment in order to free up more money to get out of debt faster. Several personal finance experts advocate minimizing or temporarily stopping retirement, personal savings and investment contributions altogether during a debt paydown phase. I wasn’t convinced that this was a good idea, so I didn’t. Here are ways I managed to continue saving and investing money in the market while paying off $55K worth of consumer debt in 3 ½ years. Maximize the Company MatchThe company I worked for gave a maximum 4% match to employees retirement funds since they didn’t offer a company pension. By the time I started to seriously pay down debt, I was already contributing the required 4% in order to get the match. I didn’t believe in leaving free money on the table, for any length of time, so I stuck with my 4% contributions. If you participate in a company sponsored retirement plan, that matches a portion of your contributions, do your future self a favor by at least keeping up with the required amount in order to get the company match. If you are making contributions that exceed the company match, it’s a personal decision whether you want to temporarily redirect that amount to your debt payments. Take into consideration how long you estimate it will take you to pay off your debt before making any retirement contribution adjustments. Invest Pay IncreasesI was fortunate to have received merit increases during the debt payoff years. Instead of using pay increases to inflate my lifestyle or even apply them onto my debt, I decided to contribute the surplus to my retirement account. This way, the raises would be automatically contributed to my retirement account by my employer and I wouldn’t notice the difference – except in the growing balance of my retirement account. If you have recently received a raise but can afford to pay your expenses on your current after tax salary, you may want to consider investing the new found surplus. When debating to investing your raise pre-tax or redirecting it to your debts, in the latter case, calculate how much you would lose to taxes and see if it’s worth it for you. Treat Savings As An ExpenseAs I pared down unnecessary expenses and made the commitment to living with less yet still enjoying life, I started to treat savings as an expense category. Once I had saved up enough money to establish a sufficient emergency account, I redirected the majority of the funds towards debt and the remainder into investments. I viewed this method of consistent saving as one way to protect myself from getting into debt again. Should I have applied all of the extra money towards debt payment? Perhaps, but at that point, the interest rate on the remaining debts were lower than the rate of return that I could realistically expect by investing in the market. You may have heard the saying “personal finance is personal”. This is true because no two people share exactly the same financial circumstances or approach to dealing with money. Paying off debt is key to growing a positive net worth but I believe that saving and investing can and should play a role during a debt payoff phase, even if it’s a small one. |
|
How I Make a Profit at Kid Consignment Sales Posted: 30 Sep 2014 08:15 PM PDT How I Make a Profit at Kid Consignment Sales is a post originally published on: Everything Finance - Everything Finance - Its all about Money!
Buy Cheap, Sell HighBefore the consignment sale, I would visit several yard sales each weekend. I would buy a lot of children’s clothing, toys, and shoes. I discovered that baby items did not bring in as high of a profit because a lot of other people were selling the same stuff. However, when it comes to name brand kid’s clothes in sizes 5-10, there was not as much competition. This meant I could charge higher prices, and the pieces would sell. I try to buy kid’s clothes at garage sales for $1 or less a piece. I don’t even bother with generic brands, such as Wal-Mart, Target, or Carter’s unless the piece is very eye-catching and fashionable. Focus On Certain ItemsWhile I would buy several kid items and clothing pieces, I really tried to focus on three distinct items to bring in the most profit. First, I liked to collect popular kid books in series. If I could find multiply Magic Treehouse books or Junie B Jones book for .25-.50 each at a garage sale, then I could bundle them together for a higher sale. For example, 10 Junie B. Jones books will easily sell for $20-25, even though I only might have paid $5 for them. I also try to focus on good quality jackets for the winter time and nice dresses (for either season, since they sell for Easter or for the holidays). The Winter Sale is More ProfitableI have had success at both sales, but the winter sale seems to be more profitable. This is mostly due to the sale being near Christmas. It is very easy to sell a lot of toys, books, holiday dresses, and nice jackets for a higher price at the winter sale. I Shop the Sale EarlyI choose to volunteer to work the sale so that I can get into the sale at the earliest possible time. This allows me to shop for profit-makers while my items are also selling. Many parents will sell toys or baby items at a low price that can easily be flipped for a profit on Ebay or Craigslist. I made a quick $15 profit on a set of magnetic baby locks from the sale one season. Flipping used baby and kid items for a profit at a consignment sale can produce extra side money. However, do know that it can be time consuming and before the sale, your garage will look like a thrift store. |
Everything Finance
|
Top Five Tips for Hiring a Reliable Contractor Posted: 05 Oct 2014 04:26 PM PDT Top Five Tips for Hiring a Reliable Contractor is a post originally published on: Everything Finance - Everything Finance - Its all about Money!
Take It SlowWhen it comes to home renovations, it is normal to want the remodeling to go as quickly as possible. However, in your attempts to speed up the process, don’t be so quick to jump at the first contractor you find. Instead, take it slow. Interview several contractors and compare prices and experience. Do your research. It may take longer to do the research and meet with several contractors, but it will save you money and disappointment in the long run. Another thing to research is to find what kind of permits you will need from your local government. Talk with FriendsMost contractors will have referrals, but it is best to start with the recommendation from a friend, family member, or someone you trust. However, don’t just stop at a friend’s recommendation. The job still might not have been done right or your friend may have been oblivious to mistakes. You should still research other referrals and online reviews. Don’t be afraid to call up on all the referrals a few weeks after their job has been completed. Ask them questions, such as if they were happy with the job, how long did the job take, how long did clean up take, and more. Find a Contractor with the Right SkillsDespite popular belief, not all contractors are made the same. Some contractors specialize in renovations while others specialize in new home construction. It is essential to hire a contractor that has a lot of experience in the renovations that you want done. This will save time and money on the project because they are less likely to make mistakes. Ask More Than Enough QuestionsThose who are just pretending to be professionals will be nervous when asked too many questions. A true pro will answer all of your questions with ease because they do not have anything to hide. Also, it is a good idea to tell your future contractor that you will be checking in on the project every once in a while to make sure the progress is going according to your expectations. If that makes the contractor squirmy or uncomfortable, then find a new one. Remember, you are the one who has to live with the results of the work, so it should meet your expectations. Don’t Give Away Everything at OnceYou should only put 10% of the total cost of the job down for the contractors to start. Agree on a payment schedule with the contractor that allows you to pay as job milestones are completed. You should schedule for the last 15% of the job total to be paid 30-45 days after the job is finished. This ensures that the contractor will stay through until the end of the job. Also, if anything ends up being wrong with the job, your contractor will most likely be motivated to fix it while still waiting on the last payment. Finding the right contractor is important. Too many people have been cheated by an unreliable contractor. Don’t be one of them by doing the research and groundwork required to finding the right contractor for your budget. |
