Interested in Bitcoin? Here are 4 Ways to Get Started

Bitcoin is one of the hottest assets of the last 10 years, and many people are still interested in getting started. With the cryptocurrency experiencing another record surge, getting into the Bitcoin market has the potential to be more profitable than ever. Here are four of the best ways for beginners to get started with Bitcoin.

Invest Through Your Existing Brokerage Accounts

If you have a digital brokerage account, there's a decent chance you already have the ability to invest in Bitcoin. Several popular trading platforms, including Robinhood, allow users to invest in Bitcoin. 

If your brokerage offers cryptocurrency trading, you could have your first Bitcoin investment in place in a matter of minutes. You may even be able to buy Bitcoin using cash you already had saved for investing.

Create an Exchange Account

Like most assets, there are special exchange platforms for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Getting an account on a Bitcoin exchange is a quick and easy way to start investing without the hassle of setting up a wallet entirely on your own. 

Exchanges will also give you access to multiple cryptocurrencies if you'd like to dabble in other digital currency assets.

Freelance in Exchange for Bitcoin

If you'd rather earn Bitcoin than buy it, there are plenty of ways you can start getting paid in cryptocurrency. A few niche freelancing platforms exist that allow digital workers to get paid in Bitcoin. You can also find private clients online who are willing to pay Bitcoin for whatever services you offer. 

While you won't earn huge amounts of Bitcoin this way, you can definitely scrape together enough to get started and learn what the cryptocurrency market is all about.

Mine Your Own Bitcoin

Although Bitcoin is much harder than it was in the early days, the rewards are also larger thanks to higher prices. If you don't mind putting some money up for mining hardware, you can still earn a considerable amount of Bitcoin through mining. 

This is one of the best ways to get started, as it will give you a comprehensive view of the Bitcoin ecosystem and how the currency really works. Most mining hardware can also be used to mine other cryptocurrencies, meaning you can try your hand at other emerging digital coins if you want to.

Any one of these four strategies will allow you to get started with Bitcoin, even in today's high-price environment. Whether you use just one or all of them, Bitcoin is well worth getting into.

How to Improve Your Ecommerce Without Spending a Fortune

Getting your e-commerce business off the ground is not a walk in the park. The process is frustrating and expensive at the same time. No matter how hard you encourage online users to buy from your business, most of them still go for established brands in the industry. 

There is compelling evidence to show that even if you sell high-quality products and have impressive layouts, you have to put a lot of work to drive traffic to your online store. 

Luckily, there are multiple effective techniques for driving traffic to your website without spending a fortune. Here are some of them.

Leverage Social Media

Did you know that a third of the world’s population uses social media daily? Make better use of social platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram to generate traffic for your e-commerce. 

Post regular updates on all social platforms to keep your audience engaged. Besides convincing people to buy from your business, take time to express your gratitude to your viewers and people who comment on your posts. 

Frequently posting engaging content and images is essential. To make sure you close as many deals as possible, include a call to action at the end of every article.

Improve Your Ecommerce With SEO

Acquiring knowledge about search engine optimization on the internet is absolutely free. Mastering SEO and learning how to improve your ecommerce goes a long way in helping increase traffic to your online store using organic results in search engines. 

Although numerous businesses hire experts to handle this task, you can perform your keyword research, create blog articles, or publish guest articles on other people’s websites.

Liaise With Influencers

Influencer marketing has gained immense popularity in the past couple of years. Recent studies show that numerous shoppers are likely to be influenced by an actual person than a company name or a brand. 

 

For impressive results, reach out to bloggers, Instagrammers, or vloggers with a massive flowing. Sending a free sample or providing mutual exposure are some of the ways to work with influencers without spending a dime.

Request for Customer Feedback

Normalize requesting reviews from your customers. Reviews not only help you receive feedback on your product and customer service, but they also influence potential customers. A large number of millennials consider online reviews when making a purchasing decision. 

When you receive a bad review, start by owning up to the mistake and apologize to your customer. Then use the negative reviews to design a solution.

All these methods are free and can generate your online store as much traffic as a paid promotion.

4 Hobbies To Start In 2021 That Won't Empty Your Pockets

A new year signifies a fresh chapter for many people. It's when new ideas are formed, new relationships are forged, and new hobbies are explored. Frequently, however, discovering a new hobby can be expensive. 

If you've ever tried to do a different sport or activity in the past, say kickboxing or professional cosplay, you already know that these activities cost more than an open mind and the courage to venture off into the unknown. While these activities make cost money, here are four that won't burn a hole through your pocket:

Build a Business

Starting a business as a hobby isn't just inexpensive; it’s also potentially lucrative. And since it's a hobby and not some chore or work assignment that's forced upon you, you'll still enjoy doing it continuously. 

Some low-cost and low-effort businesses enough to be categorized as a hobby include digital content creation, pet care services, and consulting. Even if you don't end up building an actual business, reading about potential money-making ideas and testing them out can still be a fun and productive hobby altogether. 

If nothing else, attempting to build a business as a hobby can instill an entrepreneurial mindset that can help you flourish in other life endeavors.

Collect Currency

Although there are still traveling restrictions in place, the roll-out of COVID vaccines may lead to greater leniency in terms of countries reopening their borders to travelers. If you consider yourself a travel bug, currency collecting is a great low-cost hobby that allows you to preserve your travel memories. 

You can collect low-value coins or bills from the cities you've visited. Consider investing in a currency album to help organize your memorabilia and to avoid misplacing them.

There are two main ways to collect currency - travel or purchase it directly. Of course, of the two options, traveling comes as a more enjoyable way of collecting currency. Be sure you know the basics of currency collection, such as collections, interesting serial numbers, star notes, and misprint errors.

Hike

Hiking is beneficial for a myriad of reasons. Not only is it physically exerting and mentally de-stressing, but hiking also allows you to minimize contact with other people amidst the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. 

All you need to hike are some hiking shoes or boots, weather-appropriate clothing, and transportation. Regardless of where you live, there is bound to be at least one hiking trail you can trek on. Consider inviting family or close friends when you hike to maintain social distancing measures while also satisfying your basic need to socialize.

To pull off a fun and safe hike, remember to bring plenty of food and water as well as a first aid kit. If you need special accommodations, such as RV parking or disability ramps, be sure to call the local park authorities in advance. Lastly, be sure to tell someone exactly where you plan on hiking or, better yet, provide a map with an outline of your planned route.

Play Video Games

Playing video games has had a bad rap in the past. Since they were relatively new, video games were demonized as being too violent or negatively affecting one's cognitive function. Modern studies, however, reveal that indulging in video games in moderation can have positive effects on brain function. 

For instance, studies found that video game players displayed improved attention span, resource management, and decision-making skills compared to their non-gaming counterparts.

Furthermore, studies also show that playing video games improved the person's visuospatial skills or capacity to determine visual and spatial relationships between objects. 

And of course, playing video games with other players can help improve your ability to work in teams and communicate with others to accomplish a collective goal. Today, most online games are free to play, so you won't have to spend a dime to play them.

Starting a new hobby is exciting, even more so when it doesn't cost you a great deal of money. These four activities mentioned above are only the tip of the iceberg of low-cost hobbies you can try this 2021. 

Other low-cost hobbies to consider: learning a musical instrument, cooking, learning magic tricks, cycling, etcetera. The choices are endless as long as you are willing to keep an open mind.

6 Ways to Make This Year's Tax Season Easier

The new tax season is upon us. For 2019, almost 31 million Canadians filed their taxes by mail or electronically. This was despite a global pandemic that virtually stopped citizens from doing anything. 

The upheaval of the previous year could result in an abnormal tax filing season. There are ways to make it easier so nothing is left out. Here are six tips to consider.

1. Get Organized

The organization is a top priority to receive the maximum refunds and avoid potential audits. All of your paperwork must be ready so you can efficiently file your taxes. If you didn't have your work organized already, then you must take time to do so now.

Ensure receipt of your T4 slips before the due date when it's supposed to be delivered. Pull out all receipts and invoices related to business expenses. Locate bills for university tuition or student loans. Finally, organize the paperwork related to tax-deductible donations.

Once the information is gathered you want to separate it per its section on the tax form. Thus, income, interest, and dividends are first. Deductions and credits are underneath that information. If anything is missing, then see if it can be retrieved online.

2. File As Early As Possible

You don't have to wait for your T4 slip to arrive before you file your taxes. You can start as early as 12:01 a.m. on January 1. As long as the government offers updated tax forms, you can start adding information when it comes to deductions and tax credits. 

You actually don't have to wait for your T4 or T4A to include income information. You'll be able to pull the data from your last pay stub or year-end investment statement. The one thing you'll need to close things out is the employer's or investment firm's government ID.

3. Have Funds Available For Payments

Unfortunately, there are times where you'll owe taxes. This is something you might be aware of before the new tax season. Especially if you collected non-taxed unemployment or ran your own business. 

For these situations, you want to have the necessary funds to pay taxes due at the time of filing. If you don't have them available when you complete the forms, then work to get the funds so they're available when the official filing date comes around.

4. Invest Maximums Into Retirement Funds

One way to reduce your tax values is to maximize your retirement investments. This should be done at the end of the previous year for some. Other types, like a tax-free savings account (TFSA), might allow you to make contributions at the time of filing. Take advantage of this to minimize tax liabilities.

5. File Online

There are plusses to file taxes online Canada style. First, your fear of on-time delivery by mail is minimized. Online filing through companies like Cloudtax sends your information directly to Ottowa and the provincial governments. 

Second, you receive your refund much faster. If you decide to file online then watch out for underlying fees. There shouldn't be any if you file a standard T4. However, companies might charge extra if you need to file line-item taxes for your business.

6. Let Someone Else Do It

Having a professional handle your taxes takes a huge burden off of your shoulders. They not only put together the documents but they also review information to see if any further reductions can be made on your taxes. 

In the end, they can help increase the refund you thought you'd receive. Yet, this doesn't happen without following step one in this process. 

You still need to organize all of the required paperwork. The tax professional can't produce the best outcome for you without the necessary T4 & T4A slips or the required invoices and receipts.

The above steps might seem daunting at first. However, you don't have to implement them all at once. Regardless if you file on your own or through a tax service, preparation is at the heart of everything. 

When you have all of the required documents, filing your taxes is much easier. On top of that, it results in a maximum refund that can help support your family in the new year.