5 Steps to Take in The Year Before Retirement

It’s almost time for you to take a step back from the grind of working your normal 9-5. You’ve been working almost your whole life. Finally, it’s your turn to relax and enjoy your retirement. Though you’ve made a career, diligently saved, and taken all the right steps to make sure you may be secure, you’re still a little weary about what comes next. 

It’s normal to feel a little overwhelmed, there’s not much out there about what to do in this final stage. In order to make your last year in the workforce go smoothly, we’ve put together this list of five steps you need to take in the year before your retirement.

Be Debt Free

Though your savings have taken priority over the last few years, it may not have occurred to you that it would be best for your financial future to be completely debt free before retirement. There are several things that you can implement in your daily life to overcome financial stresses and gain a little peace of mind. But being debt free is one of the most important things to do for yourself during this period of time.

Because you’ll be on a stricter budget during your retirement, be certain to pay off any outstanding loans, mortgages, or any other debt if you can. If you are not in a position to completely pay off these debts, then think about consolidation before retirement. That way you can budget one, easy to remember payment! Do your research and learn more about personal pension options, facts and answer any questions before you start planning.

Income Estimates

Run the numbers for your monthly income from your pension account. Then, run them again. Be absolutely certain of the allowance you will be able to give to yourself, because financial surprises like running out of money in the middle of the month are not an option!



Find a reliable pension provider to deal with your savings and make certain you are taken care of in your golden years. Do some research to find the right private pension firm for your needs, or make certain to speak with someone from your company’s pension program before you retire. This way you have all of your financial information ready for your fun retirement plans!

Create a Detailed Budget

One of the most important, if not THE most important, things to do in the year before retirement is to sit down and create a detailed budget. You’ll be on a fixed income and unnecessary spending isn’t really an option for most. Here are a few things to consider while making a detailed monthly budget:

• Food
• Bills
• Car/House payments
• Holiday expenditures
• Self-care needs
• Transportation
• Entertainment

Any important personal needs

These are, of course, very basic needs, but being prepared with a detailed budget is extremely important. Be certain to include any “fun” expenditures like going out to dinner, seeing a movie, or even a big fishing trip! You may also look into ways to supplement your retirement finances to make certain that everything is taken care of so that you can relax!

Insurance and Investments

One thing that no one really talks about is how you’ll be receiving insurance benefits during your retirement. If you have had health insurance through your company for the last several years, you’ll need to find either a way to extend that insurance, or a new way get benefits. That way there are no unexpected medical incidents without proper coverage!

Make a List!

Saving money, finding ways to supplement your income, being budget wise, all of that is great preparation for your retirement. However, your priorities should also be on finding ways to ENJOY spending your days living a life of leisure.

Make a bucket list of all the things you would like to see, all of the foods you’d like to try, all of the places you’d like to visit. This will be helpful for your budget, yes, but this bucket list will also give you something to look forward to next year!

Our 5 Steps to Help You Before Retirement Next Year!

Whether you make a list, or a tight budget, these five steps are essential for planning for your retirement. This is your last year working, and after you’ve taken all of the steps we’ve laid out for you, you’ll be ready to sit back, relax, and really enjoy your retirement!

Making Some Extra Moola! How to Increase Your Income as a Stay at Home Parent

Being a stay-at-home parent is a full-time job, but instead of earning a paycheck you are compensated with “the wheels on the bus” running on a loop in your head, sticky jelly covered fingers, and the ever-dreaded potty training. 

Silliness aside, the ability to stay-at-home with your children and be a part of their day to day lives is a gift but doesn’t always come easy. Most likely you were a two-income household before you had children, and while you can still live on one income having some extra money can make a huge difference, in not only your finances but also knowing that you are not just Mommy or Daddy.

Writing for Money

Writing from home can be done in many different ways. You could write a blog. Typically, people make money from their blogs by having sponsored advertisers or affiliate markers on their blog. 

If you would like a little more direction when you, write there are many online sites that pay for specific articles or website content. There is also a need for resume writers, proofreaders and copywriters.

Turn Your Hobby into a Business

There are many ways to monetize your hobby. There are online shops were people sell their handcrafted items. These sites don’t just offer sewing and crochet items. Many people sell artwork, premade scrapbook pages or kits, jewelry, handmade soaps, or candles. The possibilities are endless and you get to spend some time doing something that makes you happy and fulfilled.




If your hobby is more computer-driven, then there are many ways to make money from behind your screen. There is freelance graphic designing, creating websites, creating printable planner pages, launching and monetizing your own game, or organizational charts.

Do you like to cook? You could write and sell an eBook full of your favorite recipes. If a book seems overwhelming, you could sell individual recipes. There is a real need for recipes that follow a special diet (vegan, gluten-free, nut-free). You can also sell baked goods or specialized candies online.

Selling Old Items for Fast Cash

If you are looking to make some money quickly because your car is making a thumping noise, or your dryer seems to be taking a really long time to dry, then look no further than your very own house. 

You probably have toys that are no longer played with, clothes that have been grown out of, or gifts that you are just not going to use. Snap a picture and upload them to an online auction site or marketplace or gather them up and have a garage sale. 

They always say “one person’s junk is another person’s treasure.” You could be sitting on a gold mine and not even realize it.

These ideas just scratch the service of what you can do to earn some extra cash. A little thought and some determination can have you working in no time.

Why Planting a City Garden is a Great Idea

There are plenty of things that can be done to make the world a better place, but one of the brightest and most cheerful acts is planting a community garden. The colors and fresh greenery make for a prettier, cleaner stretch of land than a slab of pavement. 

 Band together with your friends and neighbors and create beauty in a negative space. It is one of the best things that you can do for the area you live in. Try to choose a spot of the city that is, for lack of a better word, ugly. The transformation of a city-wide eyesore makes such an impact!

Build Friendships

Investor Neill Sullivan Oakland is a great example of how a common goal brings people together. The neighborhoods that he has invested in have a fantastic sense of unity. Use these Oakland neighborhoods as an inspiration when working together. Collaborating with people you don’t know well breaks barriers and creates a new appreciation for them. 

Think about the number of people who live in your city that you don’t even know yet! As the bulbs you plant will turn into beautiful flowers, so strangers can become friends. The positive shockwaves of this undertaking can continue even after it is completed in the new bonds you have forged.

Stay Busy

You know the saying about idle hands. Keep them from becoming the devil’s playground by keeping many people busy at once. This sort of project isn’t restricted to any age or gender; anybody can work on it! It can be a fantastic school project for all ages during the day and a way to keep kids out of trouble after school. 



It can be a moment of quiet for retirees who enjoy creating. It can just be a pleasant way to spend an afternoon. Since the garden doesn’t belong to any one person anybody can work on it, anytime!

Unexpected Leadership Roles

Taking on an endeavor like this is not something that can be done overnight. There are legal matters as well as planning to take into account. Many city council meetings will probably need to be had before this idea can become a reality. Once it is approved, there is the task of designating who will be in charge of what aspects. 

This is not a bad thing! If you are not usually one to take control of a situation, this is the ideal moment to do so. Volunteer for a spot on the team that helps hone your leadership skills. An opportunity to learn is never wasted.

Pride

Once it is completed, you and your friends and neighbors can step back and look at a job well done. The sense of accomplishment in the flower beds, newly painted benches and freshly-spread bark make this project all worth it. 

What was once a vacant place in the city has become something entirely new. The sweat, long days and hard labor result in a lovely place in your community that you can be proud of! Best of all, it is a spot that many people will enjoy for many years to come. 

Imagine quiet walks, weddings, first dates that will happen here down the road. Life began in a garden, and you have created magic through this one!

It is not an easy task, but planting a garden within your city is worth it in the end. Seeing people enjoying the result of all your hard work ignites a flame of pride and respect for the place you live in. Do your small part in making the world a better place by contributing something beautiful and well-made to your city.

Grab the Advantages of Selling Home and Auto Insurance Policies

The top notch insurance agents have a clear idea about selling insurance. In general, selling auto insurance and home insurance is hyper-aggressive. Despite the fact that referrals can assume a key job in aiding agents to gain believability with prospects, choosing when to request them is a key choice.

In case you and your group are not going to be forceful in your sales, dealing with your group and determinedly seeking after new policies, you won't succeed. Agents can ask for referrals at the wrong time — soon after winning the record.

Sure, you can buy exclusive home insurance leads and it is very much effective.

Why buy exclusive home insurance leads?

It implies not tolerating the norm and attempting new techniques to drive your sales. At the time of the selling procedure, the agent's consideration is on approaches to get the record. Being forceful methods never tolerating those things are sufficient. At that point, when the sale is bolted up, the agent turns the focus on himself by requesting referrals. 

In case you will likely form a self-supporting agency, that can out last any one individual, you have to book staff, train, and agent and consider them responsible for accomplishing results. That may not sit well with another customer. 




In case you don't come to get an affordable auto insurance leads for sale on the initial time, check out once more, until you contact them, email them or even send them content. When you have the correct individuals, in the correct employment, you will accomplish your ideal outcomes. Prior to following referrals, exhibit that choosing you were a top notch business choice by performing in the customer's best advantage.

Such a large number of agency proprietors will book their companions or family for open positions and afterward not consider them responsible for results. There's a superior time. Prior to following referrals, exhibit that choosing you were a top notch business choice by performing in the customer's best advantage.

Impact of cheap home insurance leads:

Rise early, work persistently during that time and into the night. Doing this is a misstep. Set sales targets, income objectives and persistently seek after them. At the point when a cheap home insurance leads for agent does this present, it's a great opportunity to spend the capital you developed and request referrals. 

In case you and your group don't get the sale, it is heading off to your opposition. While productivity says it may not be important to visit a home, it tends to be foolhardy if an agent needs to manufacture an enduring relationship. To be effective, you and your group need to work keen and hard regular.

The auto insurance leads for agents likewise the best approach to study new clients, just as help with misfortune control and an approach to telling a customer you give it a second thought. Purchasers looking for insurance have a lot more alternatives than any time in recent memory, particularly the most alluring ones. 

The clever agent perceives the significance of seeing how customers think, especially as far as what has noteworthiness for them. The days when insurance purchasers had a couple of alternatives are gone until the end of time.

4 Steps for Getting Back on Track Financially after an Accident

After you've had an accident at work that's put you temporarily, or entirely, out of commission, you're going to be hit financially. For one, you're going to be out of work for a while to give you time to heal. 

For many families, this means a reduced paycheck coming in to pay for bills. You'll also be faced with medical bills dealing with your injury that you have to pay for. This can make getting back on track financially quite difficult. These four steps can help.

Get Compensation

This is especially important in cases where your employment is to blame for your accident. You can often receive compensation for your missed time at work and the injury that you received. However, earning that compensation can be quite difficult. 




You need a compensation lawyer in order to help you jump through all of the hoops that insurance companies are going to put you through. Winning your case, however, can give you a nice financial cushion to rely on while you get better.

Use Governmental Resources

If you're laid off for a time because of your accident, then you should look into getting unemployment pay. While the amount may not be that much, it should cover some of the basic expenses while you heal up and get back to work. You also don't have to pay that money back, so it's better than taking out a temporary loan.

Do Odd Jobs

If your injury didn't completely wipe you out, then you should try to take a few odd jobs here and there to bring in a little extra. Flex jobs can be a great way to bring in some cash and cover those bills and expenses, so you don't fall too far behind on any of your bills or the mortgage. Once you're back at work officially, you can rely on your normal paycheck again.

Set Up Savings Account

Once you're back at work, you should prepare yourself in the event that an accident or injury ever happens again. You can do this by regularly putting money into a savings account. This can be your financial cushion in case something happens and you're unable to work for a period of time.

Being unable to work due to an accident is a terrible and frustrating time. With these four steps, you can limit the financial burden that you place on yourself without requiring the use of loans.

4 Reasons Startups Stop Growing

It has been a few years since you got your startup running. At the beginning it felt like things were moving so fast, and you were already in your second location by your second year of operation. Today, your business has slowed down considerably. 

At this rate, you do not see yourself able to grow your startup bigger any time soon. The following are four reasons why your startup has stopped growing.

Lack of Funding

When it comes to a startup’s ability to grow, a general lack of funds can hinder this process. Money makes things happen, and when a company does not have enough of it, this stands in the way of any plans to branch out into a new location or hire on a dozen new workers, for example. 

So, you will want to be on the lookout for how you can obtain the necessary business funding to make startup growth a possibility. One idea might be to hire someone who is an expert at fund raising for startups and small businesses.

Lack of Vision

Many entrepreneurs branch out into a couple different locations with their startups. After experiencing growth once like that, they find themselves less likely to want to rush into another growth phase any time soon, or worse, they do not understand how to implement the next phase of growth. 




Over time, these entrepreneurs put off planning, and forget how important it is for their company to have real vision to achieve greater levels of growth. Without a solid leader to provide genuine vision, there is nothing prompting them to take their business into a direction where meaningful growth can happen.

Inadequate Tools

You might want to push your start up to grow, but you may not have the tools on hand to ensure that growth will happen. For example, take a new Instagram boutique in Arizona. 

You may lack the equipment to outfit a new location, or your operations may be impacted negatively by using a slow Internet provider or not having enough warehouse space. Investing in the tools you need for growth like Phoenix, AZ fixed point wireless or adequate space will make it far easier for your employees to help you come out on top.

A Labor Shortage

Sometimes your startup is ready to leap forward, but you are hindered by a labor shortage. You want to grow by hiring more employees to increase production and hit your local market hard, but getting the employees necessary to do the job can be tricky. This is especially true in a good economy where you are unable to provide competitive wages to new hires.