Can You Live A Debt-Free Life?

Many of us may feel like it is impossible to live without debt because of the way certain purchase experiences are structured in our society. For big-ticket items like cars, higher education and homes, financing with loans and mortgages is the norm. However, if you think there has to be a better way, you may be right. Read on for an examination of common borrowing situations and how you can avoid taking on stifling amounts of debt - or in some cases, any debt at all.

Daily Transportation
Most of us live in cities and towns where the automobile is considered the primary form of transportation; while there may be a bus system, most people consider it a subpar way to get around. Of course, even the cheapest new car can still cost over $10,000, which is more money than most people can afford to fork over at one time.

One alternative that many people do not consider because of their misconceptions about the experience is buying a used car (with cash) from a private seller. Issues with this choice often spawn from older cars being less reliable sometimes more costly to repair. Or, buyers may be concerned about getting ripped off by the stranger they purchase the vehicle from or worry that they'll unknowingly purchase a stolen vehicle. However, if you do some research and choose a model known for its reliability like a Volvo or Honda, you can have a reliable older car for less. There are simple precautions anyone can take to avoid getting ripped off, like verifying that the VIN on the dashboard matches the VIN number on each of the front door stickers; you should also take the car to a reputable mechanic for an inspection.

Another thing to consider is that the salesman at the car dealership is no less a stranger to you than the person from the classified ad. Sites like Craigslist make it easy to find vehicles for sale by individual owners in major cities. It's true that you might have expensive repairs from time to time, but if you choose your car carefully, you'll still come out ahead over the much higher expense of buying a car new and paying 5% or more in annual interest on an auto loan. (To learn more, see Car Shopping: New Or Used? and Wheels Of A Future Fortune.)

Travel
There are some purchases for which you are seemingly required to have a credit card, such as staying in a hotel or renting a car. Some businesses, however, will accept a debit card with a major credit card company logo on it in lieu of a credit card. Be aware, however, that to use your debit card in these situations, most companies will place a hold on a portion of your funds in the amount of several hundred dollars so they can collect payment if you damage their property. This means that if your checking account balance hovers near zero, you won't be able to use your debit card in these situations.

Even if you do keep a comfortable amount of money in your checking account, you'll want to do some advance planning to make sure enough funds will be available to cover any outstanding or upcoming payments while the hold is on your account. The best way to do this is to find out in advance how much the hold will be for and then treat this as an expense. When you've safely returned the car or checked out of the hotel, you can then "refund" the held money back to yourself. (For related reading, see Credit, Debit And Charge: Sizing Up The Cards In Your Wallet.)

Not all rental car companies and hotels will accept debit cards, so you'll need to do some calling around to find a place that will. Keep in mind that some national chains are franchises and payment rules can vary by location, so instead of calling a hotel's national toll-free number to inquire about payment, you should call the front desk of the specific location where you want to stay.

School
According to CollegeBoard.com, a four-year degree at a private institution is topping out at more than $26,000 per year. Even state schools cost more than $7,000 year according to the same report, which is beyond the reach of many families.

While it may sometimes seem like everyone is going straight from high school to college, many students actually don't take this path. Many start working during and after high school to save up money for college, or work part-time while attending classes.

Scholarships are always an option, but they often aren't available to people who don't stand out in some significant way. If you're not the Alabama Jiu-Jitsu champion or a breeder of rare lizards, but rather a straight-B student who plays acoustic guitar, you'll probably get stuck footing most of the bill for school.

If your family's income is on the lower side, you might qualify for enough need-based aid (in the form of grants) that can help pay for a four-year university, but to increase your odds of getting that aid, you'll have to apply to a lot of schools, which is both time-consuming and expensive. However, if you can find a school that needs someone like you, you may be able to get a significant scholarship even if your credentials aren't extraordinary. For example, perhaps there is a small university in North Dakota that would happily pay to have you because they aren't highly competitive academically, they don't have enough students from Florida, and they're looking to expand their music program.

What about paying for expensive post-graduate programs like medical school and law school? While the costs of these programs may be insurmountable (by the time you saved up enough to pay for law school outright, you will have wasted many years of your potential career), you can at least try to ensure that the cost will be worthwhile by getting some practical experience in your chosen field before you commit your time and money to another degree. If you think you want to be a doctor, try working as a receptionist in a doctor's office, as a volunteer in a hospital or nursing home, or even getting a less time-consuming and less-expensive nursing degree before committing to med school. Postponing your educational plans by a few years isn't such a bad thing when you're gaining practical experience in the field. Most importantly, if you discover that you hate it, you won't have wasted all that money and effort on school, and you'll be one step closer to figuring out what you really want to do. If you really want to go now, don't expect Harvard to foot your bill for law school, but as in the example above, a lower-tier school might give you a scholarship, or at least have lower tuition costs. (For more on college planning, read Invest In Yourself With A College Education and Graduate With A Degree In Financial Security.)

 

A Place to Call Home
In some areas, prospective tenants must pass a credit check, which usually means that you'll need to have a credit history. How can you have a credit history if you don't have any credit cards or loans? It seems unfair to require a person to prove his or her financial responsibility by forcing that person to incur debt, however temporary. Most people would argue that the complete absence of any debt also proves a certain amount of financial responsibility, but if your landlord isn't one of them, you can always sublet a room from an individual who doesn't care to perform a credit check. You might also have better luck renting in a part of town near a college, because many college students don't yet have credit histories and area landlords will be used to this. It is possible to rent an apartment without a credit history, but your options may be somewhat limited. (For more on getting an apartment, read Are You Ready To Rent?)

As far as buying a home, if you want to pay all cash, you'll almost certainly need to choose an inexpensive area to live, at least initially. For example, most people will never have enough money to pay cash for a two-bedroom starter home in even the suburbs of a pricey city like Los Angeles, where most homes can cost well over $500,000 dollars. People who have that much money saved up are often near retirement age, which is longer than most people want to wait to become homeowners.

On the other hand, if you choose to live near the far edges of some major cities, it may easier to buy a home for closer to $100,000, which makes saving up to pay all cash a more reasonable (but still a fairly difficult) goal. Not having to shop for a mortgage will take a lot of the stress out of shopping for and owning a home and might even give you an advantage as a potential buyer over someone who can only put up a down payment. (To learn more, read Be Mortgage-Free Faster.)

Conclusion
There's no question that avoiding debt involves a certain amount of sacrifice, but it is not as difficult as you may think. Then again, when everyone around you is buying things they can't really afford, maybe you're not sacrificing anything except trying to fit in - and running the rat race with the Joneses is no way to become wealthy, anyway. Although you'll have to go off the beaten path to live a debt-free life, the peace of mind and financial security it can give you may be well worth the extra effort.

More at: http://www.investopedia.com/articles/younginvestors/07/debt-free.asp

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10 top UK entrepreneurs who started with less than £25k

Sir Phillip Green has topped Britain’s first ever Rags to RichList, closely followed by Sports Direct owner Mike Ashley and Virgin billionaire Sir Richard Branson.

Start Up Loans (a government-funded scheme that provides advice, business loans and mentoring to startups) compiled the Rags to RichList after researching leading entrepreneurs’ start-up capital and the current value of their businesses.

With just a £20,000 loan to start his first business, Sir Philip Green went on to take over the Arcadia Group and is now worth a staggering £3.88bn. Similarly, Mike Ashley used a £10,000 loan to start Sports Direct and is now worth £3.75bn, while Sir Richard Branson’s startup capital was a mere £300, which he used to start building an empire now worth £3.6bn. Read on to find out who else made the list.

More at: http://www.startupdonut.co.uk/blog/2014/10/10-top-uk-entrepreneurs-who-started-less-%C2%A325k

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Why SME owners need to be more focused on management not leadership

Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. These are the people that many business owners aspire to, leaders with incredible vision who have built empires through their powerful leadership.

But while Steve Jobs was envisioning the iPhone, Steve Wozniak was building Apple. While Bill Gates imagined a PC on every desk, Paul Allen was building Microsoft. Next to these monolith leaders was an equally monolith manager – and that's really important.

Leadership and management are NOT in competition. One is not better or more important than the other. Each has its own required functions and activities and both are essential for success.

In fact, if you have leadership in an organisation with ineffective management, it could be much more disastrous than the other way round.

As the business owner, many of us must wear the hats of both the leader and the manager. Therefore, it is critical to make a distinction between your roles, and be aware of what you're doing and how you're doing it.

Here are three essentials in every business and how the roles of leader and manager differ for each:

1. Deciding WHAT needs to be done.
2. Creating NETWORKS OF PEOPLE who can accomplish this.
3. Ensuring these people ACTUALLY DO their job.

In these three essentials, as a leader and manager, you will play very different – but equally critical – roles. Let's look at each in turn:

1 Deciding WHAT needs to be done

Leader – sets the direction of the business and develops the vision of the future.

Manager – sets targets, creates plans and allocates resources to achieve that future.

2 Creating NETWORKS OF PEOPLE who can accomplish this

Leader – aligns people and communicates the direction to the key personnel who create leverage and move the vision forward.

Manager – creates the organisational structure, including a set of roles that will be required to achieve the goals.

3 Ensuring people ACTUALLY DO their job

Leader – motivates and inspires people by tapping into emotions to get them moving in the right direction and get them excited about getting there.

Manager – controls problems and systemises the solutions, as well as monitoring the plan in detail and identifying, and correcting, any deviations.

Leadership is overrated in SMEs

In an SME, the management side of things is actually the more critical part of running the business. Most large corporates are over-managed and under-led. Managers will sit at various levels of the company, monitoring people. There is usually no one relaying the purpose, re-energizing the motivations and inspiring the employees to align with the company culture.

Most SMEs, however, are undermanaged and over-led. SME business owners are inspired, excited entrepreneurs who overflow with passion and charisma. The leadership comes naturally – people are automatically inspired. If you, as a leader, are undermanaging your employees, you could end up with a team who are really excited to be working with you, but who are simply unable to deliver. That's because they need systems to deliver. And the manager builds the systems: so you need to be the manager.

SME leaders need to become more focused on management, not leadership, if they want to start seeing the visions they have for their business become a reality.

More at:http://www.startupdonut.co.uk/blog

 

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How to Shift Your Mindset Toward Saving When You Have a Spending Problem

A few weekends ago, as I awoke to a day that was blissfully void of deadlines to meet and projects to produce, my first thought was what I needed to buy and what stores I could visit to fill my time. Given the newfound breathing room in my budget, this would be relatively okay — except I had acted on that thought the previous three weekends in a row. (Or maybe four. Okay, possibly five.)

In the wake of work pressure and moving stress, I had somehow shifted from a shopping only when necessary type of a person to shopping when induced by any type of uncomfortable emotion type of person.

And that, as many of us know, can quickly spiral out of control – without any of those feel-good endorphins you hope to experience when you whip out your credit card and purchase the latest _______ (enter your vice here).

So, I’ve been working on returning to a mindset where saving takes center stage and spending takes a seat in the back row. Here’s how I’m making it happen.

 

Recognizing Triggers

One of four emotions pop up any time I’m tempted to spend: boredom, anger, stress, or sadness. Here’s my thought process:

Boredom: Being bored triggers my fear of missing out which in turn makes me think that I need to spend in order to participate in all the awesome things the world has to offer.

Anger: I generally try to limit my spending and save as much as possible, so when something triggers my anger, I suddenly start sporting a “screw it” attitude and feel entitled to spend anything I want (even though I pay for it in the end).

Stress: Stress makes me want to make my life as easy as possible, so I’ll resort to anything that can make that happen – regardless of the price and exorbitant nature of the purchase.

Sadness: Sadness creates an overwhelming feeling of emptiness, which in turn pushes me to fill the void in a wide variety of unhealthy ways. Spending and eating seem to be the quickest remedies (even though the relief is short-lived).

What emotional triggers do you have when it comes to spending? Take some time to really sort through each and every one. Reflect on the past few times that you went overboard with your spending – what was going on in your life at the time and what emotions did it bring up?

Replacing the Habit

After working in the past to get rid of bad habits, I’ve learned that stopping cold turkey only ensures that the journey ahead will be entirely uphill. Instead, bad habits must be replaced – not just abolished.

Since you already know what your spending triggers are, it’s time to decide what action will now serve as a remedy in place of shopping. And no, simply deciding to talk yourself out of it isn’t enough of a replacement. After all, it’s clear that willpower is already taking a snooze on this one.

Here are my replacements (and this is still a work in progress):

Boredom: I notice that I feel particularly bored when I’m experiencing a lack of human connection. I generally always feel more alive after spending time with, or even just talking to, friends or family.

Anger: Anger tends to make me feel very trapped, so getting away somewhere out of my normal environment is key for me. Going for a drive and blasting angry music is far more productive and less guilt inducing than shopping.

Stress: Stress is something I need to confront head on with people that can help lighten my load. Once the conversation is had, meditation serves as a reset button that always makes me feel better (without fail).

Sadness: For me, sadness dissipates with gratitude. So, depending on the depth of my sadness, I start with a mental list of what I have to be grateful for and move towards something more tangible (journaling, etc.) until I feel better.

Start Getting Excited About the Bigger Picture

Saving is not something most of us naturally do. If we find that we are rockstars at socking away money at specific points in our lives, it’s generally because we were working towards something we were particularly pumped about. Even working to pay off debt can spark a certain type of excitement if we think of freedom as the end goal.

So if you aren’t hitting your savings benchmarks, it might just be because you find spending more thrilling than some nameless or somewhat boring financial goal you feel like you should be reaching.

Now is the time to either establish or reevaluate your money goals. Paint such a vivid, exciting picture in your mind that, even if it doesn’t completely stop your urge to spend, it at least makes you think twice before you do so. Better yet, announce them to those closest to you so falling short no longer seems like an option.

More at: http://blog.readyforzero.com/shift-mindset-saving-spending-problem/

 

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How to Pay Off Credit Card Debt (Faster)

 

It always helps to start with a plan. And while it used to be a real hassle to create a debt free plan, it’s much easier now that we have tools like ReadyForZero. You can sign up for ReadyForZero (a free tool) and in just a few minutes you will be able to make a plan based upon how much you are able to pay each month toward all your debts.

When you make a plan, be realistic about how much you can pay. If you can only pay the minimum payments for now, that’s okay. But if you can pay a little bit extra, dedicate that amount to the debt with the highest interest. Try to focus on that high interest debt like a laser until you get it wiped out, and then you can move on to the next one.

Use Your Peers for Competition (or Support)

Some people are motivated by trying to outpace everyone else. Other people are motivated by encouragement and collaboration. No matter which one you are, your friends can help you stay motivated to get out of debt. If you like to measure your progress against others, it will be easier to talk about money with your friends and family if you make a competition out of it. How? Make a game out of how much you can save this week. Ask for a few overtime hours at work and compete with your friends on how much extra you can throw at your credit cards this month. Then whoever pays down their balance the most this month will win a cool reward, or at least bragging rights.

On the other hand, if you are more motivated by encouragement, then share your goal with your friends and family and ask them to keep checking in and offering their advice and words of wisdom. You can use their support to keep you on track.

Negotiate a Lower Interest Rate

If you want to see more of your hard-earned money going towards the principal balance and not interest payments, then listen up. Take a quick minute to call your credit card company and ask for a lower rate on your account.

This could potentially save you hundreds of dollars on interest payments and knock months off your debt-free date. Be sincere in your request and kindly ask to have them review your account for an interest decrease.

What’s the worst thing that could happen? The credit card issuers could decline your request and you’ll transition to another strategy — no harm done. So why not give it a try?

 

More at:http://blog.readyforzero.com/how-to-pay-off-credit-card-debt-faster/

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5 Tactics to Keep Your Visitors Satisfied

Google uses over 200 ranking signals, updates its algorithm over 500 times a year, and employs thousands of engineers.

But there is one factor that is trumping everything in 2013.

That factor is…satisfy the user.

Let’s go over how Google measures and predicts visitor satisfaction.

Unlike other ranking factors, this one is hard to measure because it’s based almost entirely on search engines’ own internal data — something they don’t share. We do know search engines both measure and reward satisfaction in very significant ways.

In fact, I highly suspect satisfaction is one of Google’s most important metrics used to judge the performance of its own search results.

Satisfaction is very difficult to game; perhaps that’s why search engines place so much emphasis on it.

These are 5 ways you can improve visitor satisfaction:

These are 5 ways you can improve visitor satisfaction:

1. Remove Barriers

This is simple…don’t make it hard for a visitor from search engines to consume your content.  This includes forced registration, popup ads, etc.

Remember, people searching are looking for an answer to a question…make it easy for them to get the answer from YOU.

2. Increase speed

Steve Austin was pretty fast…and it sounded really cool when he ran too.

Site speed has been an SEO ranking factor for a long time…so no surprise.

But it is worth noting that site speed also has a HUGE affect on visitor satisfaction.

Personally…that is the #1 thing that can make me ditch a site.  I’m not a site speed nazi…but I won’t wait 10 seconds for a page to load either

Here are some steps to boost your site’s speed:

Step 1: Compress Images
Step number one is to compress all images for web-based quality. We can do this by using the default image compressor built into Google’s Page Speed plugin. Save the compressed version of the image into your local folder on your computer and re-upload the image in place of the uncompressed image.

Step 2: Scale Images
After compressing images, we then need to modify our images so that they are scaled properly for the website. This avoids server lag needed to re-size images. You can scale images in a photo editor by adjusting them to the same pixel dimensions that they will be in your HTML code.

Step 3: utilize browser caching
Browser caching stores cached versions of static resources. This speeds up page speed tremendously and reduces server lag. To enable caching, you will want to add the following code to your .htaccess file:

# EXPIRES CACHING #
<IfModule mod_expires.c>
ExpiresActive On
ExpiresByType image/jpg “access 1 year”
ExpiresByType image/jpeg “access 1 year”
ExpiresByType image/gif “access 1 year”
ExpiresByType image/png “access 1 year”
ExpiresByType text/css “access 1 month”
ExpiresByType application/pdf “access 1 month”
ExpiresByType text/x-javascript “access 1 month”
ExpiresByType application/x-shockwave-flash “access 1 month”
ExpiresByType image/x-icon “access 1 year”
ExpiresDefault “access 3 days”
</IfModule>
# EXPIRES CACHING #

(this may or MAY NOT work on your site/server…Im not a programer or server expert. Get advice from your host before attempting to use this code)

Step 4: Minify HTML, CSS, & Java Script

HTML, CSS, and JavaScript can all be “minified” or compressed to speed up their loading time. There are a number of resources on the web that minify these types of files, minifier (http://www.willpeavy.com/minifier/) is an excellent example.

3. Show Empathy

You accomplish this by:

• Answering their questions
• Employing intuitive layouts
• Giving them relevant links and resources to click
• Surprising them with extras

While it’s difficult to prove a relationship between improved user experiences and rankings (because we can’t measure user behavior like Google can) there’s strong anecdotal evidence that search engines aggregate these factors into their algorithms.

4. Linking Out

It’s far better for users to click away to another URL from your site than for those same users to return to Google to try again. In the first instance, you are the AUTHORITY hub, in the latter, Google is the authority.

Stop thinking about optimizing your page and think about optimizing the search experience instead.

5. Subtly Show Your Expert Status

I use this EVERYWHERE. Its the most powerful weapon in my arsenal for getting instant credibility.

If people land on your site and instantly see that you are an expert in your niche…they are more apt to give your content a chance.

More at:http://theauthorityexpert.com/blog/

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The Secret of Using the New Google Trends

Google recently announced three powerful new ways to explore what is trending on Google within Google Trends.

These tools will come in handy when you need fresh ideas for blog posts or newsjacking angles for press releases.  These are the hot news stories of the moment, and give you key topics to weave into a content idea you already have in order to ride the wave of a particular trend.

Here are the 3 new ways to use Google Trends.

1) Trending Top Charts

Find out what is trending overall on Google in the USA (more countries on the way soon apparently) for a wide variety of categories on the new Top Charts section within Google Trends.

We can see in the current trends above that Miley Cyrus, Lamar Odum and Alex Rodriguez are huge topics right now in the search stream.

Based on that information perhaps you decide your next article on social media reputation management will focus on Miley Cyrus so you can capitalize on all of the search interest she has drummed up.

Or maybe you are doing a PR for your reputation management service, and you tie in how Alex Rodriguez is managing his scandal.

You also can drill down in each term to get trends over time, regional search volumes and related search terms:

Its an AWESOME tool to get a quick snap shot of what’s trending right now, where and why.  Powerful stuff.

2.) Hot Searches

This is a list of the top 16 trends of the day, and a link to a story of “why”.  Another great place to scan and look for stories to tie into other content you are creating.

3) Past 30 Days of Hot Searches

If you click on the calendar icon near the top of the page you will see the hottest searches for the past 30 days.

Take the earlier example of using Miley Cyrus within your copy and take it a step further. Perhaps you decide it is worthwhile to do a larger article on the social media ups and downs of celebrities in the past month.

Using the 30 days of hot searches you can identify a ton of different stories you can use to compare and contrast throughout your article.

Just looking above, I can see tie ins to Johnny Manziel, Ben Affleck and Sydney Leathers

This proposed direction will add more depth to the article and it will often require enough work and writing talent that it will stand out from the rest of content online; no easy feat, nor one to downplay.

After all, the more powerful and well devised the content the better chances it will have to be shared and ultimately build a ton of viewership.

More at:http://theauthorityexpert.com/blog/

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How I Paid Off My Debt in Less Than Two Years (and You Can Too)

Being in debt is something we all have a love-hate relationship with. We love the vacations, clothes, cars and stuff it can buy, be we hate to pay the bill at the end of the month.
After finally coming to grips with my dysfunctional relationship with debt, I decided to get out of debt once and for all. Here’s how I paid off $14,000 in just 14 months, and how you can too!

Step #1: Understand Your Money Personality

The first step that I had to take when facing my debt problems, was to understand my personality with money. Was I a spender? A saver? A combination of both or something totally different? Once I understood the way I handled money, it made it easier to overcome those temptations, or even head them off before it became a big deal.
The way we handle and view our finances depends on many different factors: how you grew up, what you learned from your parents and all the good or bad habits you picked up along the way. It’s vital we understand our own personalities and mindsets if we want to manage our money successfully.
If we can embrace both our weaknesses and strengths about ourselves, we can quickly create better financial habits. And that’s the key to accomplishing your financial goals — changing bad habits and reinforcing good ones!

Step #2: Create a Realistic Plan

Once I understood my mindset with money and what my debt pitfalls were, I created a get-out-of-debt game plan. I signed up for ReadyForZero and started plugging in my accounts so I could see an accurate picture of all my debts.
Yes, the amounts were overwhelming and the interest rate on some of the accounts were more than alarming. But then I realized how fed up I was with paying the banks and funding other people’s pockets with my hard-earned cash.
It was time to change!
If it was up to me, I would have been debt free within six months or less, but with an income of 36k per year, that just wasn’t a realistic goal. It’s important to create both an inspiring but realistic plan if you want to be debt-free. Otherwise you might set yourself up for failure and end up going in the wrong direction.

Step #3: Get Pumped Up

Being in debt has a way of dragging you down, both emotionally and psychologically, so instead of letting it weigh on your mind, day in and day out, it’s better to get pumped up and tackle your debt head-on.
How do you do this?
Well there are many different ways, depending on your likes and dislikes. For me, I liked having a visual aid, something I could look at every day to remember why I was making the financial sacrifices and that it would all be worth it in the end.
Some people call it “Dream Porn,” others call it a “Vision Board,” but whatever your method is just make sure that it gets you pumped up and excited about your debt goals.
If you and your significant other are working towards debt freedom together, turn it into a fun competition. See who can pay off the highest amount of debt each week. Get your whole family involved and make a game out of how much extra money you can find each month. Which brings me to my next point…

Step #4: Use the Power of Peer Pressure

Good peer pressure is a powerful thing, and can be used to your advantage if you learn to properly harness it. To really be successful with your financial goals it’s a good idea to get your friends and family on board with what you’re doing. In the very least, tell them about your goals and plans.
When you share your goals with your friends and loved ones, they can help keep you accountable — and maybe even become your biggest cheerleaders. The truth is no one achieves financial goals entirely on their own, so open up to your peers and allow them to help.
I can attribute a lot of my financial success to the support of the ReadyForZero community along with my amazing community of blog readers. Without the support of your peers, it makes an uphill battle seem nearly impossible. This kind of good peer pressure is what will help you succeed much faster and ensure your goals are accomplished.

More at: http://blog.readyforzero.com/how-i-paid-off-my-debt-in-less-than-two-years

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Here’s How Online Poker Changed How I View Money, by Kevin Yu

I was introduced to poker back in 2007 while I was in college (back when it was legal).  It started from a friendly $5 buy in and quickly climbed up to $500 sit-ins.  The sound of shuffling poker chips were music to my ears.
Learning how to play poker definitely changed how I view money. I was your typical broke college kid looking forward to $1 beer specials at the bar, and in short time frame, I was the guy ordering a Grey Goose and Red Bull.  You could say that I had a pretty lucrative poker run while in college, but as they say, all good things come to an end.

Spending Money Is Way Too Easy

I had my first “big score” when I played a live cash game at a friend’s place.  It was a $20 buy-in  and the total pot quickly rose to over $400.  By the end of the night, I vividly remember cashing out around $300.
I remember going back home, still filled with adrenaline.  It was the fastest and easiest money I’ve ever made. So what exactly did I do with the winnings?  I went to Wal-Mart and bought a flat screen TV for my dorm.

Lesson #1- Learning How to Save Money

Many of you can attest to this. You get a nice bonus, you win some money at the casino, or you somehow come up with extra cash in your pocket. What do you immediately think about? Maybe that nice vacation you always wanted to take, or a down payment on your dream car, or splurging on a juicy $70 rib-eye steak.
Bankroll management was never my forte back in college. Instead of setting aside a portion of my winnings, I would immediately think about what my next big purchase would be.

Every Penny Adds Up

When I was playing online poker, I would mainly play in MTTs, or multi table tournaments.  These would consist of 100s of players, sometimes even thousands!  It was like winning a jackpot.  You could walk away with a 50-100x return on your money if you took down first place.

I found myself playing in a lot of small tournaments.  It didn’t seem like a lot of money at the time, but playing twenty $10 tournaments per week costs me $200.

Lesson #2- It’s the Small Purchases That Really Matter

It’s hard to imagine a few things here and there making a huge dent in your budget. When you look at it holistically, it’s always the little things that add up. You’ll always remember your big purchases but never the small ones. For example, one of the biggest changes I’ve made is by always buying generic brands over brand names. I have a tendency to always look at the ingredients and 9 times out of 10, you’ll realize that it’s all the same thing.
I also started taking public transportation to work. It would cost me about $12/day to park at a nearby lot all day, which turned out to be $240/month. It was super convenient especially during the brutal Chicago winters. Instead, I decided to commute to work for $4.50/day round trip.  This saved me $150/month.

Depositing Money Was a Button Away

Perhaps the reason why I played in so many tournaments was because of how simple it was to deposit money. The poker site had my debit card information stored, so all I had to do with enter three little numbers (CVV code) from the back of my credit card, and voila!

Lesson #3- Be Careful with 1-Click Buys

The other day I was on my Groupon app.  I was sifting through to see if there were any interesting deals.  I stumbled on a deal that was pretty useful and I went through the checkout process to see what the total purchase price would be.  Before I even knew it, I had already completed the purchase.
Same goes with Amazon.  Everyone makes it dead simple to complete a purchase, mainly because they already have all the necessary information from you if you’re a returning customer.

Play Within Your Boundaries

During the peak of my short lived career as a poker player, I was making a little over $7,000 per month.  I decided to play in higher stake games, thinking that I would make more money proportionate to what the buy ins were.
I was wrong.  The nature of the game changed dramatically.  I was up against better players and I had no reason to be playing these type of games. My bankroll had a steady downward decrease until I had rock bottom.  I busted out.  I got caught up in the moment and literally drained my account.

Lesson #4- Live Within Your Means
When I first started making real money in poker, my expenses quickly followed. I spent more money on clothes, electronics, and eating out. One of the toughest things to do is to save money when you have money.  It’s easy not to spend money when you don’t have anything to spend, but it’s easier to spend money when you have more money to spend.

Nothing is Ever Guaranteed
When you have a hand in poker that’s almost guaranteed to win but you suffer a lose, it’s called a bad beat.  You’ll flop the best hand but the turn and river will paint a completely different outcome.  It happens more than you can imagine.  The opponent will have a 1-2% chance of winning and they beat the odds.

Lesson #5- Save for the Unexpected
You’ll never know what kind of curve balls life will throw at you. In a blink of an eye you could lose your job or have an unexpected medical expense. That’s why it’s super important to keep an emergency fund or contribute to your savings account.

If I had better bankroll management in playing poker, perhaps I would’ve been on the cover of Card Player magazine, but that certainly isn’t the case. For all the poker players out there, what was the biggest financial tip you’ve learned?

More at: http://blog.readyforzero.com/how-online-poker-changed-how-i-view-money/

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How Do Car Loans Affect Your Credit Score?

How Do Car Loans Affect Your Credit Score?

We all know there’s good and bad debt. Mortgages are sometimes referred to as “good” debt, while credit cards tend to be referred to as “bad” debt because of the high interest rates and large amount of fees attached.

But where do car loans come in?

Some people argue that since auto loans are backed by the value of the car and the interest rate is very low, it makes good financial cents (ha!) to buy them. Others say it’s better to buy a used vehicle.

Whichever opinion you side with, car loans are still considered consumer debt, but they’re in a category all their own. Here’s how car loans affect your credit score:

A New Mix of Credit on Your Report

Your overall credit score is made up of several different sections, and about 10% of your credit score reflects the type of credit you’ve utilized. For instance, credit cards represent one type of credit usage, car loans make up another portion and mortgages round out the bunch.

The overall goal is to mix up your credit with different types of loans, so you can increase your credit history and subsequently your credit score.

Having a car loan on your report shows a new mix of credit, and can help improve your overall credit report. Additionally, if you make payments om time it shows you’re less of a risk to loan officers and banks.

 

More at: http://blog.readyforzero.com/how-do-car-loans-affect-your-credit-score/

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5 Big Mistakes Keeping You in Debt (and How to Overcome Them)

 

Okay, so you have debt. It's frustrating sure, but it's not the end of the world. Millions of people are in the same boat right now, and many of them are steadily working their way toward being debt free. You can do it too. No matter how you got into debt, you can make it out.

This post originally appeared on ReadyForZero. 

Maybe you bought a car on credit, maybe you paid for your education with student loans, maybe you used credit cards at the mall one too many times. Whatever the cause, that's all in the past. Now it's time to move forward. But how?

As it turns out, the key to reaching debt freedom is to avoid making these five common mistakes that some people make with their debt:

They Don't Negotiate

It's surprising how many people don't think to negotiate the terms of their debt repayment. If you have credit card debt, it's one of the first things you should try. Here's how: you start by calling up your credit card company and asking for a lower interest rate. It sounds simple, but lots of people never do this–and it can save you hundreds or thousands of dollars in some cases. You can use this handy guide to lower interest rates to prepare before you make this call.

Here are some other instances when it helps to negotiate: if you have medical costs and can pay a fraction of the amount up front (in cash), try negotiating for a lower payment. Certain health providers will agree charge you a lower amount if you can pay with cash right at the beginning. Read our complete guide to negotiating medical debt to learn more.

You should also know that if you're struggling to make payments, there may be help available if you ask for it. For example, federal student loans are eligible for the Income-Based Repayment plan, which can drastically lower your monthly payments. And you can always ask for forbearance on student loans, car loans, or even credit cards.

They Think "Everyone Is Doing It"

One of the ways people get into trouble with debt is by assuming that "everyone is doing it." This can come from seeing your friends and family getting themselves in debt or from going to the mall and seeing everyone buying expensive clothes and gadgets with a swipe of the ol' credit card. It can be tempting to think "I guess everyone else is in debt, so it's okay if I am too." But that's an impediment to becoming debt free. Instead, you should take on the belief that you will not be satisfied until you have paid off every cent of your debt—no matter what anyone else is doing.

They Assume They Can Pay Off Debt Without Having a Plan

Too many people think they can pay off debt without having a plan. But usually, you can't! We recommend using ReadyForZero to make a personalized plan for paying off your debt and building wealth. The reason this is so powerful is that you actually create a plan to show you how much money to pay toward each of your loans and credit cards every month. You also get email reminders sent to you from ReadyForZero that ensure you will not forget any payments. Don't make the mistake of failing to pay off debt because you never made a plan.

They Forget to Change Their Attitude

This can be one of the hardest mistakes to make and one of the hardest to learn from. The reason is that humans don't like change. For the most part, we're comfortable with where we are right now. But for those of us in debt, usually we have to change our attitude to change our outcome. We have to start thinking in a new way and change how we look at money. The best way to accomplish this is to proactively decide how you'll incorporate new beliefs about your finances into your daily life.

They Juggle Other Priorities

When your goal is to get out of debt, it's usually necessary to make it your #1 priority. Too often, other things—like convenience, new toys, travel, etc.—can get in the way of your debt payoff. As fun as it is to take a vacation or buy the latest tech gadget, these things slow down your debt repayment and may keep you in debt indefinitely. You'll need to do without these things and focus 100% on your debt if you want to pay it off as fast as possible. To help you keep your priorities straight, it's always a good idea to rely on a budget. And remember, your budget should empower you to spend on the things that are important to you. If becoming debt free is important, then you can make it a priority.

More at: http://lifehacker.com/5-big-mistakes-keeping-you-in-debt-and-how-to-overcome-1467734451

 

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10 Bank-Breaking Money Myths

Unfortunately, one of the factors that will prevent many people from becoming financially successful is a false belief about money. In fact, widespread financial myths can negatively impact both your short- and long-term net worth. Throw away these top 10 money myths, and you'll avoid the consequences of believing them.

1. If I get a raise that bumps me into a higher tax bracket, I'll actually take home less money.
Thankfully, this isn't true. Moving into a higher tax bracket only increases the rate of tax paid on the last dollars you earn. Suppose you're filing single, your old salary was $30,000 a year and your new salary is $33,000 a year. According to the IRS's 2007 federal tax rate schedules, when your salary was $30,000, your marginal tax rate was 15%. With a salary of $33,000, your marginal tax rate is now 25%.

The key to unlocking this myth is the word "marginal". In this scenario, your first $31,850 of income is still taxed the same way it was before you got your raise. With a $30,000 income, your take-home will be $25,891.25. If you make $33,000, you will take home $28,326.25. This is because only the extra $1,150 above $31,850 is taxed at 25% - not the whole $33,000. (To learn more, read How does the marginal tax rate system work?)

2. Renting is like throwing away money.
Do you consider the money you spend on food to be thrown away? What about the money you spend on gas? Both of these expenses are for items you purchase regularly that get used up and appear to have no lasting value, but which are necessary to carry about daily activities. Rent money falls into the same category.

Even if you own a home, you still have to "throw away" money on expenses like property taxes and mortgage interest (and likely more than you were throwing away in rent). In fact, for the first five years, you are basically paying all interest on your mortgage. For example, on a 30-year, $250,000 mortgage at 7% interest, your first 60 payments would total about $100,000. Of that you "throw away" about $85,000 on interest payments. (To learn more about mortgage payment schedules, read Understanding The Mortgage Payment Structure.)

3. You get what you pay for.
Higher-priced items are not always higher quality. Generic drugs are medically considered to be just as effective as their name-brand counterparts. A million-dollar home that falls into foreclosure and is repurchased for only $900,000 may still have $1 million worth of value. When the price of Google's stock drops on a random Tuesday because investors are panicking about the market in general, Google isn't suddenly a less valuable company..

While there is sometimes a correlation between price and quality, it isn't necessarily a perfect correlation. A $3 chocolate bar may be tastier than a $1 bar, but a $10 bar may not taste significantly different from a $3 bar. When determining an item's value, look past its price tag and examine its true indicators of value. Does that generic aspirin stop your headache? Is that home well-maintained and located in a popular neighborhood? Then you'll know when paying the higher price is worth it when it isn't (and you'll be on your way to understanding the venerable Benjamin Graham's principles of value investing, too). (To learn more, read Guide To Stock-Picking Strategies: Value Investing.)

4. I don't have enough money to start investing.
It's true that some brokerage firms require you to have a minimum amount of money to invest in certain funds or even to open an account. However, if you wait until you meet one of these minimums, you may get frustrated and have a harder time reaching your goal.

These days, it's easy to start investing with very little money thanks to the proliferation of online savings accounts. While traditional bank savings accounts generally offer interest rates so low that you'll barely notice the interest you accrue, an online savings account will offer a more competitive rate based on how the market is currently doing. In 2007, it was common to find online banks offering 5% interest, which is a pretty good return on your low-risk savings account investment when you consider that stocks historically return an average of 9-10% annually. Also, some online savings accounts can be opened with as little as $1. Once you're in a position to start investing in stocks and mutual funds, you can transfer a chunk of change out of your online savings account and into your new brokerage account.

Alternately, you could open a brokerage account with minimal funds through one of the online trading companies that have cropped up. However, this may not be the best way to start investing because of the fees you'll pay each time you purchase or redeem shares (generally $5 - $15 per trade). While these fees have been drastically reduced from when you had to trade through human stockbroker, they can still eat into your returns. (To learn more about getting started, read Start Investing With Only $1,000.)

5. Carrying a balance on my credit card will improve my credit rating.

It's not carrying a balance and paying it off slowly that proves your credit worthiness. All this strategy will do is take money out of your pocket and give it to the credit card companies in the form of interest payments. If you want to use a credit card as a tool to improve your credit score, all you really need to do is pay off your balance in full and on time every month. If you want to take it a step further, don't charge more than a small percentage of your card's limit because the amount of available credit you've used is another component of your credit score.

6. Home ownership is a surefire investment strategy.
Just like all other investments, home ownership involves the risk that your investment may decrease in value. While commonly cited statistics say that housing appreciates at somewhere between the rate of inflation and 5% per year, if not more, not all housing will appreciate at this rate. In fact, it is perfectly possible for your home to lose value over the years, meaning that if you want to sell, you'll have to take a hit. The only way you'll avoid realizing a loss in such a situation is if you continue to own the home until you die and pass it on to your heirs.

Even in a less drastic situation, a job transfer, divorce, illness or death in the family could compel you to sell the house at a time when the market is down. And if your house appreciates wildly, that's great, but if you don't want to move to a completely different real estate market (another city), the profit won't do you much good unless you downsize because you'll have to spend it all to get into another house. Owning a home is a major responsibility and there are easier ways to invest your money, so don't buy a home unless you are attracted to its other benefits. (For more insight, check out Measuring The Benefits Of Home Ownership.)

7. One of the major advantages of home ownership is being able to deduct your mortgage interest.
It doesn't really make sense to call this an advantage of home ownership because there is nothing advantageous about paying thousands of dollars in interest every year. The home mortgage interest tax deduction should only be looked at as a minor way to ease the sting of paying all that interest. You are not saving as much money as you think, and even the money you do save is just a reduction in the costs that you pay. Interest tax deductions should always be considered when filing your taxes and calculating whether you can afford the mortgage payments, but they should not be considered a reason to buy a home. (To learn about this popular tax deduction, see The Mortgage Interest Tax Deduction.)

 

8. The stock market is tanking, so I should sell my investments and get out before things get any worse.
When the stock market goes down, you should really keep your money in. This way, you can ride out the dip and eventually sell at a profit. In fact, stock market lows are a great time to invest even more. Many seasoned investors consider a decline in the market to be a "sale" and take advantage of the opportunity to pick up some valuable investments that are only experiencing a temporary dip. Believe it or not, investors who continued putting money into the stock market during the Great Depression actually fared quite well in the long run. (To find out more on investing in a down market, read Survival Tips For A Stormy Market.)

9. Income tax is illegal.
Sorry, folks. There are quite a few different arguments here, but none will hold up in court. One is that the tax code says that paying taxes is voluntary. Another is that the IRS is not an agency of the United States. The IRS considers all of these arguments to be tax evasion schemes and will punish so-called tax protesters with penalties, interest, tax liens, seizure of property, garnishment of wages – in short, whatever it takes to get tax evaders to pay the full amount due when they're caught. Most tax protester arguments and the IRS's rebuttals can be found on the IRS website. Don't fall for this shenanigan - it will ultimately cost you much more than you were hoping to save by not paying your taxes. (To learn more, check out the Income Tax Guide.)

10. I'm young - I don't need to worry about saving for retirement yet. / I'm old - it's too late for me to start saving for retirement.
The younger you are, the more years of compound interest you have ahead of you. Compound interest is like free money, so why not take advantage of it? Someone who starts saving and earning interest when they're young won't need to deposit as much money to end up with the same amount as someone who starts saving later in life, all else being equal. (To learn more, read Why is retirement easier to afford if you start early? and Compound Your Way To Retirement.)

That said, you shouldn't despair if you're older and you haven't started saving yet. Sure, your $50,000 nest egg may not grow to as much as a 20-year-old's by the time you need to use it, but just because you may not be able to turn it into $1 million doesn't mean you shouldn't try at all. Every extra dollar you invest will get you closer to your goals. Even if you're near retirement age, you won't need your entire nest egg the moment you hit 65. You can still sock away money now and make a considerable sum by the time you need it at 75, 85 or 95. (For tips, see Playing Retirement Catch-Up.)

The Bottom Line
Just because a belief is common and widespread doesn't mean that it's true. So, if you hear something about money or finance, give it some thought before taking it to heart - financial myths will only stand in the way to your financial success if you believe them.

 

More at: http://www.investopedia.com/articles/basics/08/financial-myths.asp

 

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5 Ways for Entrepreneurs to Build Wealth Faster

by Paul Scolardi

 

Most people today spend more than they earn and also have credit card debt that is spinning out of control.
As an entrepreneur, it’s especially easy for expenses to spin out of control and cause instability in your personal life. No matter what kind of business you own, and how much money you already earn, its always important to go back to the basic principals of building long term wealth.
Many times, the process doesn’t even involve as many difficult sacrifices as people might think. It can require some patience and a little planning, but with these five tips any person can find themselves on the road to building a strong foundation of wealth.

1. Save More

This tip should come as no surprise. If you want to have more, then you have to save more. The goal should always be to save 20% of the money you make every month. For some people, this simply is not possible, so shooting for 10% (or even less and than scaling up each month until hitting 10%-20%) is acceptable.
Remember to be conservative both in your small and large purchase decisions. The old idiom to not be penny-wise and pound-foolish is very important for business owners. It’s an easy tendency to look for the hardest bargain on paperclips and office supplies while recklessly spending larger amounts of bigger expenses before they are even necessary.
Wait 30 days to make a large purchase and this will give you the best clarity in your decision making.

2. Invest Right Now

Saving money is a great first step, but no one becomes wealthy from putting their money into a savings account. As soon as you set money aside for the month, invest as much of it as you can.
The sooner you start earning returns on your money, the faster you will build wealth. Invest in a variety of different assets, and create a diversified portfolio.
Also, never spend your investment principal.

3. Pay Off That Credit Card Debt, Now

Credit card debt means lots of credit card interest. Many times that interest is as high as 21%. Avoid the damage this high interest is likely doing and start paying off your credit card debt as fast as possible, and keep your charges to a minimum.
It can really add up over time.

4. Track Your Expenses… And Take Time To Review Them

Write down every expense down to the penny. Do this every day, and at the end of the month take the time to review it. You may be surprised to see how much you are spending on things like eating out or shopping.
For some, these expenses can add up to more than their ‘big items’ like utilities or mortgage payments. Look at areas you can cut and think about places where you are spending money wastefully.
A few simple cuts here and there can really go a long way.

5. Set a Monthly Goal, and Stick To It

At the beginning of every month, you want to set what is known as a “wealth goal” for how much money you want to have in your savings and investment portfolio at the end of the month. Write it down somewhere where you will see it and look at this goal every day. Put in the work, hustle and do what it takes to meet that goal.
At the end of the month, you will love the feeling of satisfaction you have over meeting your goals and will find that you are quickly building up a great deal of wealth.

More at:http://addicted2success.com/life/5-ways-for-entrepreneurs-to-build-wealth-faster/

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3 Simple Ways to Use LinkedIn to Boost Sales

Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google+ and Pinterest. These are the platforms many social media experts claim can be the linchpin in developing your online presence. While all of them can be useful marketing tools, there's another social network that can be more effective in generating leads and sales: LinkedIn.

While your competitors are busy spinning their wheels getting "likes" on Facebook and sending a barrage of tweets on Twitter, you can use different tactics on LinkedIn to build an online presence and generate profitable prospects.

Here are three steps to help transform your LinkedIn profile into a lead generating machine:

1. Create a call to action.
Don't just list your name and title in your headline. Instead, tell your network whom you have helped and how you have helped them. Explain the benefits you can provide because that's what really communicates who you are and what you do -- not a title.

Next, write a clear, concise call to action in the summary section, telling people in your network exactly what you'd like them to do. It may be a phone call, an email or just a visit to your site to sign up on the mailing list. Even a message as simple as "First Time Home Buyer? -- Click HERE" can have significant impact for real estate agents. You can't simply expect someone to call or email. You have to ask them. Also, be sure to collect their personal information so you can continue to connect with them.

2. Create an industry-specific LinkedIn group.
Forming a LinkedIn group is one of the most effective ways to get your network excited and engaged about a specific topic, all while driving traffic to your site and increasing sales. For example, I started the Sports Industry Network group in 2008, which has grown to 90,000 members.

As the group was getting off the ground, members began connecting and helping each other, but I wanted to add even more value to it. So I began hosting networking events and free webinars where I interviewed sports business leaders. During the interviews, the experts offered free advice and spoke candidly about various best practices. Eventually, the webinars attracted hundreds of attendees, and that's when I started thinking about how to make money from them.

The strategy I devised was simple: Promote free webinars to my LinkedIn group and then make an offer at the end for further education or assistance, including live events, private consulting or access to my membership site.

Based on my experience, here are five lessons for creating a group of your own:

• Identify the type of group you'd like to create and give it a name that communicates the topic clearly.
• Reach out to well-connected people within your industry to let them know you've started a group and would like to feature their expertise in live webinars.
• Do something special to show your appreciation to experts who join your group, even if it's just sending them a thank you card. Then, you can ask if they'll post the group link on their social networks and spread the word to like-minded people.
• Continue to add value by hosting webinars or in-person get-togethers.
• Provide a premium to members by offering some of the your business services at a special discounted rate.

3. Be active in LinkedIn's 'Question and Answers'
No matter what industry you're in, strategically participating in LinkedIn's Questions and Answers can be another effective way to develop stronger connections and boost sales.

The Q&A area is where users can post questions and get answers from others on the network. While this is an opportunity to demonstrate your industry expertise, you should tread lightly and avoid hyping your brand. Be a resource that answers people's questions without pitching your company, product or service.

Here are three tips for answering questions on LinkedIn:

• Find a question you feel confident answering and give a concise response.
• Click on the "reply privately" button to let the questioner know you've responded. There can be multiple answers posted so this helps draw attention to yours.
• Tell the person you'd be happy to have a quick phone call to help solve his or her problem and offer more detailed suggestions or strategies. At the end of the call, offer to provide more solutions at your normal rate if further assistance is needed.

The key to using LinkedIn as a sales-generating tool is to always ask, "How can I add value?" With that mindset, you're on the right path to attracting new customers.

More at:http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/224219

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6 Steps to Launching Your Social Sales Campaign on LinkedIn (Infographic)

Social selling is all the buzz these days, but what is it, who’s doing it and why is it so important right now?

But first, hold the phone. Thankfully it has zero to do with dialing for dollars (old-school cold calling). Put simply, social selling is when salespeople -- and marketers, recruiters and account reps -- use social media platforms to directly interact with sales prospects.

“Social selling has the power to help establish a positive reputation, unearth hard-to-find information, and make important contacts in a scalable way,” LinkedIn vice president of sales Mike Derezin told Entrepreneur. “In today’s digital and data driven age, online is how perceptions are shaped, so for anyone working in sales today, it’s a real miss to not make it core to their strategy.”

More at: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/243770

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Five ways to get heard when everyone else is shouting

You’re nobody if you don’t have lots of Twitter followers, and unless you share every detail of your life on Facebook you might as well not pollute this planet with your presence. Right? But when everyone else is shouting about their lives, how do you get heard above the clamour?

If you’re an individual with an awesome idea who’s struggling to get noticed in our bragging culture, then why not try going back to basics? Here are five tips for getting your ideas heard above all the noise...

1. Listen rather than shout

When everyone’s shouting out loud about their achievements it can be hard to get a word in edgeways. Be the person who listens and reflects and it’ll help you get noticed. One journalist says: "I knew somebody who whenever they interviewed somebody would try to chat with them and show off about their own achievements too, forgetting that the story was about the person they were interviewing. They’d miss small details. By listening and giving the person 100% of your attention you’ll pick up the small things, for example, an emotion, or understanding where they’re coming from better."

2. Invite your hero for coffee

If there’s somebody who could help your business idea go further, or who you’d love to collaborate with in the future, then go further than liking one of their Facebook posts or retweeting something witty they said on Twitter. Why not pick up the phone and give them a ring? You’ll always develop a closer bond with somebody when you hear their voice.

Or why not go a step further and invite them out for coffee. I once plucked up the courage to invite an editor out for coffee after a stream of rejected article pitches – I wanted to ask him for constructive feedback and get on his radar. It turns out he was rejecting me because I was still an unknown writer to him, and now I had invited him out to coffee he could now put a face to my emails.

3. Network face to face

It’s easy enough joining LinkedIn and following the companies you’d like to work for. Many companies post job adverts on social media; job sites that are easy enough to fire a quick CV off to. But if you’re the one at every industry event, asking intelligent and thought provoking questions to the panel, then chances are you’ll stand out and get noticed way more than if you’re just one of thousands on LinkedIn. If there’s a company you’d like to work for, or somebody you’d like to get to know then keep your eyes peeled for events or workshops they’re running. Turn up, and make sure you look smart and presentable and you’ll stand out.

4. Solve the world’s problems rather than complaining

Some people vent their frustrations on Facebook and twitter. There’s always a problem: not enough car parking spaces, or bad cyclists. But why not make your moment by pausing before you complain and think instead about how you could solve the issue?

Cyclists causing a problem in the town centre? Then why not help campaign for better cycling lanes or start up some cycling proficiency lessons for kids? Considering how to solve the things that irritate you could help you create a business or become a community champion – both things way more worthwhile than moaning on twitter!

5. Save news for one to ones

It’s seen as sexy to work in a digital industry. Being online and having a platform to shout at the world is seen as a mark of success. Those who work hard and get on with life . Jenny is a teacher: "I don’t have Twitter and I don’t even have Facebook because I don’t want my kids to keep tabs on my life. This means I don’t tell the world about my successes and promotions all the time, so when I meet up with friends face to face they’re always really surprised that I’m doing so well.

"I think they underestimate me, but in reality, it’s just because I don’t shout about my successes to the world. I’ve just become the youngest head of a department that my school has ever had, and yet nobody knows until I tell them face to face and then I can experience the pleasure and joy from my friend’s and family. I thought I would hate going offline, but I can honestly say it’s enriched my life.”

More at: http://www.virgin.com/entrepreneur/five-ways-to-get-heard-when-everyone-else-is-shouting

 

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