Ways To Make It Big Without Stepping Foot In An Office

Not everyone wants to work at a nine-to-five job sitting in an office all day. Fortunately, there are other ways to succeed. You may, however, have to be willing to learn some new skills or even take a few risks. If you are open to less conventional possibilities, however, there are many ways to make it big on your own terms. Let’s look at four alternatives.

1. Earn Your Fortune in Real Estate

There are a couple of ways to make money in real estate. If you have a little money to invest or good credit, you can become a home or property flipper. This takes some research, as you want to be able to identify properties with good potential for fast turnover. If you can make improvements to the property, or can afford to have someone do this for you, you can often make a fast profit.

If you don’t have money to invest in real estate, you can become a real estate agent and earn commissions on properties you sell. It’s even possible to earn real estate commissions without becoming a professional realtor. Some people make money by “bird dogging” for real estate agents. This is where you identify properties with good potential and tell the realtor about them. You then earn commissions when the properties are sold.

2. Become a Consultant

Consultants can earn a good living and often travel all over the world. This is a good choice for someone with expertise in a field with high demand, such as helping businesses become more profitable. Many consultants specialize in certain areas such as finance, education, entertainment or technology. Consulting is a good business for people who want to live an independent lifestyle and set their own prices. You do, however, have to be good at networking and marketing yourself.

3. Become a Professional Gambler

While gambling is usually thought of as games of chance, there are people who master certain games and make a good living from them. Poker players are the best known examples of this. There are also, however, people who become skilled at casino games such as blackjack, craps or roulette.

If you want to become a professional gambler, you will need a lot of discipline. You’ll have to master your game of choice and find an effective strategy. This is a good choice for people who like the glamor of casinos. You can, for example, find an attractive setting such as Viejas and make it your workplace.

4. Start an Online Business

There are many ways to make money with an online business. You could, for example, start an e-commerce site and sell physical products on eBay or Amazon. If you don’t want to stock your own products, you can use drop shipping. An even simpler option is to become an affiliate marketer, where you earn a commission for selling other people’s products.

The above are just a few of the ways many people have found success without a traditional office job. If you find something that you are passionate about, you have a good chance of making it work. You do, however, have to take the time to learn how to turn your passion into a real business.

Planning an Early Retirement? Managing Legal Matters Wisely

Retirement (Photo credit: Tax Credits)

It’s safe to say that most people would like to retire early, but how many people will actually be able to do so; moreover, how many will retire early and do so comfortably, i.e. without regretting not staying at work for a few more years?

Unfortunately, most people will continue to work until they have no choice but to retire, though if you believe that you’ll be in a position in which it’s feasible to retire early you’ll need to plan for retirement and plan well. 

Dealing with Debt

Retiring when you’re burdened by outstanding debts is impossible so you must ensure that all your outstanding debts are resolved well before you retire.

Many people slide into debt upon retirement because of a reduction in earnings, though provided you’ve planned your retirement well and you have surplus savings, there’s no reason why you should be at risk. 

Combining Pension Pots

If you’ve worked multiple jobs over the course of your working life your pension fund might be spread across multiple pension pots. If that’s the case, you need to find out where your pension is located and consider your options, including rolling them over into one pension fund. 

Are You Claiming the Benefits You’re Entitled To?

Whilst you might not be entitled to all if any of the benefits that senior citizens are entitled to because of your current age, you should still make the effort to find out what benefits you’ll be entitled to claim upon retiring early.

As much as £5.5 million pounds goes unclaimed by pensioners annually and if you’re not claiming the benefits you’re entitled to, the Government certainly isn’t going to let you know what you could be claiming.

There are a number of benefits made available for retirees – Council Tax Support, Housing Benefit, Winter Fuel Payment, etc. – and although you mightn’t be eligible to receive these benefits just yet, you could be at a later age. 

Considering Annuity?

Annuities convert pension funds into retirement income and despite receiving some bad publicity in recent years they’re still the best option available for the majority of retirees.

It’s important to understand that once you’ve decided on an annuity provider your decision can’t be reversed, so get it right the first time.

Couples need to think about joint annuities or single life annuities for each of them, and everyone needs consider the three annuity varieties – level annuity, escalating annuity or inflation-linked annuity – and buy according to their needs.

If you’re retiring early you might not be able to convert your pension funds into retirement income because of your age, or if you are, you might have to settle for an annuity for a specified period of time. 

Don’t Forget About the Taxman!

You’ll need an income to retire early and although you won’t be receiving a wage from an employer that incurs income tax, you still need to pay tax on the money you receive from stocks and shares, savings accounts, term deposits and income derived from investment properties.

Some sources of income aren’t taxed, most notably pensions, Government benefits and ISAs (Individual Savings Accounts); however, it’s important to ensure your tax matters are in order before retiring early because the taxman will catch up with you sooner or later and you don’t want that to happen after you’ve retired. 

Wills, Estate Planning and Powers of Attorney

Thoughts of dying are naturally far from your mind when planning for an early retirement, though you need to give some thought to the inevitable at some point in time and contacting a legal firm like Hanne & Co to create a will, engage in estate planning and discuss lasting powers of attorney needs to be taken care of sooner than later.

These legal matters must be attended to regardless of whether you have dependents, especially lasting powers of attorney, because you need to consider what would happen to your finances and wellbeing if you were no longer able to make your own decisions.

There’s a lot to prepare for an early retirement but there’s also a lot to look forward to, so take care of your legal matters early on to enjoy the early retirement you’ve worked hard for.

Author: Cheryl M. Graham is a freelance writer for Hanne & Co, a law firm in London with an outstanding reputation and a long history in offering services in various areas of law. The company is made up of individuals who actually care.

Trade Show Wars: Making an Unbelievably Effective Booth for Cheap

When it’s time to take your product out into the wide open world of trade shows, you have many things to consider in order to be successful. A lot of people focus exclusively on the product itself and, while absolutely essential, it is not by any stretch of the imagination all that you need to consider when getting your ducks in a row for having a successful trade show. You need your product to be great, but you also need your marketing and your image to be honed and expert. Don’t let your product fall by the way side to inferior competitors simply because you didn’t know to spend time and effort and even money on presentation. Presentation is so key, so take some of these tips before heading to the trade show.

First of all, you do not want to scrimp and save on the marketing materials and the booth’s appearance itself. That said, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to look presentable and professional. For example, there is a trade show pop up display available at The Display Outlet that is not only affordable, but high quality and professional. These displays are also extremely easy to port around, and are reusable. So this one time cost is going to pay for itself for many months, years, and trade shows to come. The importance of a pop up display cannot be underestimated. You appear like you know what you’re doing, and the appearance of confidence and savvy is more important than actual confidence and savvy. In fact, that’s all confidence is: appearing confident, whether you are in your brain or not! 

Another seemingly no brainer type idea that many over look and has to do with presentation is taking care to find the right person to be behind the booth. It’s too bad, we can argue about that if we want, but having an attractive female behind the booth simply works. Men and women alike will be more inclined to approach a both of an attractive and smiling woman is there ready to talk to. Men will of course feel the carnal draw, and women will feel the safety of talking to another woman instead of a man who feels that carnal draw. Of course she has to be knowledgeable about the product as well, so hiring someone like this to be a part of your team is a crucial idea. Sure, it’s too bad that this is still the case in 2014, but to be stubborn and think that we are in different times so this shouldn’t be so is only going to hurt your business. Don’t let your personal wishes about how society should be affect your bottom line.

You also would be wise to have something small that customers can take away with them. Something more than a business card is idea. A little bottle opener or a light for the key chain, emblazoned with your company logo and website is all you need. Some little souvenir of visiting your booth and reminding them later about you is crucial. If you want to get more creative and make some more off the beaten path type of giveaway, go for it. The more creative, the better.

These Five Tips Could Save Seniors Big Money on Car Insurance

We’ve written in the past about strategies that people over the age of 50 can use to save money when insuring a vehicle. In this article, we’ll expand on that with a few extra tips that seniors can take advantage of when purchasing coverage for an automobile. 

Tip #1: Ask for a Senior Discount.

Each insurer is going to have different policies in place, but if you are over the age of 50 and own one or more vehicles, it certainly doesn’t hurt to ask for a senior discount. Generally speaking, seniors are some of the safest drivers on the road. They drive defensively and are less likely to drive over the speed limit or take risks. Insurers are well aware of this, and some offer discounts as a result.

In some places, there may be incentives in place for taking a course on defensive driving. Even if you believe that you already incorporate all of the safe driving tactics, it never hurts to brush up on your skills. And even if you don’t learn anything new, the discount you receive is enough to justify enrollment-. 

Tip #2: Know Your Expected Mileage.

As drivers get on in age, they tend to spend less time behind the wheel. This is especially likely after retirement, when the daily commute is cut out of the picture. Lower mileage will most likely qualify you for a more affordable plan, so keep track of your odometer over the course of a standard month and see how this projects over the course of a year. Ring your insurer and ask them about discounts for low mileage. They will be able to advise you about the availability of cheaper plans with mileage caps. 

Tip #3: Choose the Appropriate Coverage.

These days, you’ll find as many policies and coverage types as there are vehicle types to carry them. Many people over the age of 50 have vintage hobby cars that they plan to work on in retirement and take out for the occasional leisure tour. In this case, you are going to be much better off with classic car insurance. Policies like this are often more affordable than standing coverage, because insurers know that hobbyists take excellent care of their vehicles. Their vintage vehicle is their pride and joy, and that means that the owner is not going to take any unnecessary risks. On the contrary, they’ll pamper their vehicle and treat it with the utmost care.

Note: It may be possible to insure multiple vintage vehicles on a single policy.

Tip #4: Purchase a Vehicle that Suits Your Lifestyle.

Hot rods and sports cars are for the young and reckless. Mature drivers are happier in vehicles with higher safety ratings. As it turns out, insurers prefer these vehicles as well. Flash, high-performance vehicles may turn heads, but they also have a knack for being involved in accidents.

Each year, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety releases a list of the safest cars on the road. You’ll find a range of vehicle types on the list, one of which is sure to catch your eye. Cross-reference this list with that of your insurer’s and see if a low-risk policy applies. There’s a good chance that you could save some money by driving one of these cars. 

Tip #5: Be Mindful of Your Driving Ability.

This is one of the toughest tips for mature drivers. While those who are over the age of 50 are classed as some of the lowest-risk drivers on the road, it’s worth noting that there’s a limit. At some point, ageing drivers become a higher risk due to a range of factors such as deteriorating vision, delayed reaction time and the onset of dementia.

Remain mindful of your driving record, and be advised that a series of scuffs and bang-ups will eventually lead to higher premiums. Put a priority on your safety—as well as that of those with whom you share the road. Likewise, if family members and loved ones are becoming increasingly concerned with your driving ability, take note. Giving up your position behind wheel can be tough, and it may feel like you’re giving up independence—but don’t let that get you down. This is simply a milestone of ageing.