Unroll Me App Review – The Best 5 Minutes for Your Email’s Inbox
This Unroll Me App Review is going to show you why you should spend 5 minutes every month using this tool to clean up your email inbox. At the end of each month, your inbox will be writing you a thank you letter.
I wonder if it will send the thank you via email or snail mail?
Well, today we will talk about Unroll Me and really just how easy it is to use!
What is the Unroll Me App
To start off this Unroll Me app review, let’s answer a couple of questions as to what the tool does and who the company behind the tool is.
Unroll Me is a free service that allows you to easily (an understatement) unsubscribe from all of those pesky email subscriptions.
After signing in, the algorithm scans your inbox looking for e-commerce emails. Once found, the application lists them out allowing you to decide what to do with the subscription.
Who Is Unroll Me
Slice Technologies is the parent company that owns Unroll Me. They are able to make Unroll Me a free service because they collect data on the e-commerce emails you get. They use this data to, “build an anonymized market research products that analyze and track consumer trends.”
Slice says they strip all of the personal information (name, email, address, or anything else that could identify you) from the data collected. The technology behind Unroll Me is designed to determine if the email is personal or e-commerce. The algorithm completely ignores the personal emails as it searches your inbox.
You can read their blog for more information to see what the data is used for. Some of the research they post is actually pretty fascinating but I am a nerd when it comes to data.
How to Use the Unroll Me App
It literally took me five steps and less than five minutes of my life to unsubscribe from 74 subscriptions. I really could not believe that I was done already!
Choose your email provider and click through the prompts.
The algorithm will run. It searches through your inbox for subscriptions and then spits out a list of them.
Click either ‘Keep in Inbox’, ‘Unsubscribe’, or ‘Add to Rollup’ (I’ll explain that later) for each subscription on the list.
Success!
Was that not super easy? I know! Right?!?!
Oh! I mentioned I would talk about what ‘Add to Rollup’ is. The Rollup is a single email that Unroll Me will send to you at the end of the day. This email will consist of all the content from every email that is a part of the Rollup from that day. I have not personally tried this yet but they say the Rollup email is very digestible and easy to read.
One final tip. If you would like, you can have Unroll Me notify you on a particular schedule to check for more subscriptions that were not in your inbox at the time. I decided to do the monthly reminder.
Why Unsubscribe?
We now live in a world where we are completely submerged by advertisements. The design of these advertisements is to tempt us to spend our hard-earned money on materialistic items.
These ads do not stop with commercials, billboards, or temporarily tattooed to the back of that guy’s head on the bus. Subscription emails also drown us every day with more temptation.
Using the ease of Unroll Me to unsubscribe from these emails trying to derail us from our financial goals allows us to stay focused. This is why you should unsubscribe to these emails.
Also, they are just annoying. Unsubscribing will also help keep your blood pressure down.
Final Take
To wrap up this Unroll Me app review I must say that I really enjoyed my experience with this tool to free me from those spammy email subscriptions.
Look, I understand if you are skeptical because of the data collection. You are entitled to have those feelings!
The algorithm design to strip out my personal information is what sold me to try out the Unroll Me app. I understand if you are still skeptical after hearing that. But hey! As a data guy myself, I do know this technology exists and it is pretty amazing.
Overall, this is a great free service. If you can get over the data collection thing, then I think you will enjoy it just like I did.
We live in a world where productivity while working at home is essential in today’s world. COVID-19 forced companies to send employees home to work remotely. In 2021, 1 in 4 Americans worked remotely (CNBC).
As some companies recall their workforce back to the office, many opt to make the remote working move permanent. For me, this is the case. My company’s VP was mostly against remote working until the pandemic happened. Since then, he has changed his mind as he could see all of the positives that have come from it.
One of the biggest surprises he had was productivity while working at home. In this article, I want to go through things I did to increase productivity while working at home.
1. Create a Distraction-Free Environment
One of the most important items to increase productivity while working at home is a distraction-free environment. There are so many more distractions while working from home.
Some distractions include:
Large house chores
Easy access to the TV
Lack of peer accountability
Pets and kids
It is crucial to set up boundaries with all of these distractions. Try to complete larger chores the night before work. It is okay to do small chores throughout the day as a quick break between projects.
Try unplugging the TV, so it is harder to turn it on.
Set up breaks that include your pets or kids, letting them know you are unavailable at other times. I have set up a two-sided green/red sign on my office door. Green tells my kids and wife I can be bothered. Red signals that I am unavailable.
Most importantly, make sure your workspace is set up in an area cut off from the rest of the house. Sometimes this is not possible, though. Try finding a corner of your home that is out of the way from these distractions.
2. Have a Dedicated Workspace
As mentioned above, distractions can decrease your productivity while working at home. Having a dedicated workspace in the corner of your home away from heavily trafficked areas is very important. This dedicated space is important because it helps get your mindset to work. For example, if you are working from the couch one day, the dining room table the next day, then the porch table another day, your brain will have trouble being fully engaged.
Of course, there are exceptions that we will talk about in tip #19.
3. Take Frequent Breaks
I like to take a quick five to ten-minute break from everything every 60-90 minutes. I try to give my brain and eyes a break from the computer during this time. These short breaks allow me to return rested to focus on the project.
4. Be Sure to Move
Sitting all day is horrible for our bodies. One thing to do on your breaks is to get up and move. I make sure I do some movement for some breaks, such as pushups, jumping jacks, high knees, or jump rope. You could do all of these movements in five minutes easily. The goal is to get your heart rate up and get your blood flowing again. This movement stimulates your brain and helps wake you up.
5. Eat Healthily
My wife and I eat reasonably healthy throughout the week. Since starting this routine, I have noticed that my energy levels are high. I love it!
Try eating more fruit and vegetables instead of munching on chips, cookies, and candy bars throughout the day. I have found that these keep my cravings more satisfied because I can eat more without feeling too guilty.
6. Create a Morning Routine
One thing that has helped me is my daily routine. This routine helps set the expectations for the day.
I start the day off at 4:45 am with a 45-minute workout. I then get the kids ready for the day, followed by a shower. Once my family is out of the door, I make breakfast and work on Wallet Squirrel for an hour. Then, at 7:30 am, I am at my dedicated workspace to start my 9-5 job. This last step leads me to my next tip to increase productivity while working at home.
7. Write Down Your Tasks For the Day
At 7:30 am, I always start my workday with emails and figure out what I will tackle during the day. I try not to overfill my day because random interruptions or fires need to be taken care of. This task list helps me stay focused on what needs to be done for the day. If I did not have this list, my mind would wander all over the place, and nothing would get done.
8. Find an Accountability Partner
Accountability partners at work are a great thing to have. I recommend leaning on a teammate or maybe your boss to help you stay accountable on your daily or weekly goals. This partner can help you stay focused or help you improve if you do not make your goals.
You can also return the favor to your teammate.
9. Experiment to Find What is Right for You
What works for me might not work for you. It is essential to keep your options open to determine what works best for you. For instance, most people only have one dedicated workspace. I have two dedicated spaces that I bounce back and forth between. This movement helps me stay focused.
Don’t be afraid to experiment if something is not working out for you.
10. Make Sure You Get Out of the House
I have to be purposeful to make sure I get out of the house. I didn’t leave the house for three weeks when I started working remotely. I didn’t realize how hard this was on me until I went to pick up groceries for the first time. My brain loved the exposure outside.
Now I make sure I drive somewhere at least once a week. I also take a two-mile walk around the park by our house every day. These trips help clear my mind.
11. Use the Flexibility to Your Advantage
I have noticed that I am happier because of the flexibility that working from home allows. This happiness has converted into an increase in productivity while working at home. I can easily step away at appropriate times to take care of an appointment or get a quick chore done. But, of course, I need to make up the time, but this flexibility saves me from taking PTO. I can then use the PTO when it matters.
Of course, not every employer is flexible like mine is, so I highly recommend taking advantage of this new workspace benefit.
12. Standing Can Help Regain Focus
I have been using a standing desk long before the pandemic came around. When I start losing focus or sleepiness begins to settle in, simply standing up can fix that. If you can, I highly recommend investing in a standing desk. They are very beneficial beyond regaining focus or helping wake you up. They also have health benefits such as helping stretch those muscle groups that get shortened while sitting.
This muscle shortening could be one reason why you have hip and lower back pain.
Music can change your mood. I am listening to music as I write this post. For me, it helps me stay focused and energized while working. I like to switch between music and podcasts, depending on what I am working on. Spotify is an excellent service to help you out!
I have noticed that I can focus better on new music that I do not know and mix up genres almost every day.
14. Dress Like You Are Going to the office
Dressing like you are going into the office can help put your brain engaged in work mood. Simple queues like this can help you get ready to work like you are in the office. You do not have to dress formally to get this effect but wearing something more formal than your PJ’s, or athletic gear will help out.
I have also started wearing shoes in the house, another one of those small queues.
15. Set Up a Solid Work Schedule
As mentioned before, I like to start my workday early. I am a morning person, so the earlier I can start, the better I can be. I have noticed that my productivity goes down as the afternoon gets later. Currently, I work from 7:30 am till 4:00 pm with a 45-minute lunch. This schedule is a happy balance between my needs and my customer’s needs. I am not there too early, so I can be there for them in the afternoon if they need anything.
16. Practice Hyper Focus
Hyper Focus is a fantastic book about focusing on your projects. One of the principles within the book was to turn off everything for a work session. I look at this session being 60-90 minutes. During this time, you rid yourself of ALL distractions to stay focused on the project at hand.
The theory is that you will get more done by going into hyper focus for one task at a time. I have found this to be true.
17. Engage With Co-Workers
While you might not be in the office anymore, it is still important to engage with your co-workers. For example, we have a Zoom chatroom just for that ‘watercooler’ talk. We also do a monthly meeting just for reconnecting and playing some virtual games.
These engagements help boast spirits, which can increase productivity while working from home. Well, unless you do not enjoy your co-workers. In that case, I’m sorry.
18. It’s Okay to Move Around the House Sometimes
While we talked about having a dedicated workspace in your home, it is okay to move around the house sometimes. I will move around a couple of times a week for an hour or two. The change in scenery helps me regain some focus when I am struggling. It helps break up any ruts that I might get into.
My favorite place to go is out on our back patio when the right temperature allows.
Not happy with your job or looking to earn some extra money? Over the years, Andrew and I have put together a massive list of ways to make money. I highly recommend you check out this list to see if anything catches your eye!
Wallet Squirrel is a personal finance blog by best friends Andrew & Adam on how money works, building side-hustles, and the benefits of cleverly investing the profits. Featured on MSN Money, AOL Finance, and more!
At the end of last year, I was in a career funk. So I considered going back to school to get my MBA (Master’s of Business Administration). I figured with an MBA, you can practically do anything from advancing in your current field or make a complete switch to a new one. Every company values an MBA.
I was so excited! I previously considered the possibility of getting an MBA and my life was in a good position to do night classes. So I began picturing myself adding the letters “MBA” behind my name on business cards and looking up schools.
However, I quickly hit the brakes!
Ask These 2 Questions Before You Pursue an MBA
With many of my friends going back to school or are currently in school. I ALWAYS ask them these 2 simple questions that BLOW THEIR MINDS.
So I decided to ask myself these 2 simple questions to see if I can pass my own “Should You Get An MBA” test.
1. What is the EXACT dream Company and Job Title you want after graduation?
You should know this.
Most people get an MBA because they want to do something in business. They think they need an MBA for potential promotions or career growth.
However, what you should do is FIRST figure out what your dream job is.
You can’t just say “something in business”. If you are going to spend $140,000 or more on an MBA (average MBA costs according to Investatopia). Plus years of your life. You should identify the exact company and job title you want before you even start school. Come on, it’s your DREAM job.
This is a role you’ll potentially be doing for the rest of your life. You should have a clear idea of what it should be. Knowing this will guide every future decision you make within your MBA program, including the electives you take and the networking events you attend.
What’s the point of getting an MBA if you don’t know what you’ll do with it? Seriously? So take a moment and write down your dream job title and company.
2. Have you reached out to your dream company yet?
Once you can identify the exact job title and company you want, you should reach out to that organization and ask what they look for. This should ideally be less intimidating than pondering a future $140,000 MBA student tuition bill.
Usually, a company’s Human Resources department would be willing to meet with you if you tell them you’re considering going back to school to gain the skills necessary to work at their company.
When you meet with your dream company’s Human Resources Department (or any department), you should ask them some of these questions.
My dream job at your company is a Marketing Manager (or whatever it is), what is the typical salary range they get paid?
You should ABSOLUTELY know how much your future job pays because this will inform you how long it’ll take you to pay off your newly acquired student debt. Plus it’ll give you an idea of the lifestyle you can expect once you graduate with an MBA.
While it’s not all about money, you should be aware if your post-MBA salary can cover your student loans for the next 20 years. Are you ok with only eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?
What degrees or education do your current Marketing Managers have (or whatever your dream job is)?
This will give you an idea of the education level of their current employees. Some employees may have MBAs and some may not. You should probe deeper into what the HR team looks for in your dream position. Perhaps you don’t need an MBA and you may have the necessary experience to apply that day.
If you need to get an MBA for that position, ask if they have a preferred school or partner with any specific schools. If your dream job regularly partners with a local university and hires exclusively from there. That university may need to be on your radar for potential schools.
Does your dream company offer internships?
Yes, you’re getting an MBA but knowing if your dream company has an internship program is huge. Many companies will hire interns who are working towards their degree and help them grow into the position. There is no reason to wait till after you receive your MBA to apply to your dream company. You should use every opportunity to start making connections.
What does career growth look like at that company?
If your dream job is to be the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), they won’t just hire you out of school. What entry-level roles will you need to start off with and how does one become a CEO? How did the current CEO get his role and what did they do before that? Some jobs aren’t attainable right out of school, even with an MBA. You need to understand what your career path would look like moving into your dream position. You should understand what this looks like.
When I considered an MBA, I failed this checklist
Last year when I considered getting my MBA, I went full-throttle and visited 3 different universities. This included dropping in classes and meeting with professors.
I received all the brochures, met with all their “advisors” and compared costs ($39,000 – $80,000). I did soft applications and confirmed I would be accepted to each of them.
I was so freaking close to full-out applying.
I knew I wanted to do something in finance because I LOVED writing about finance (hence why I started a blog). So I figured I’d get an MBA focused on finance.
This is how most people start the MBA journey. They love the idea of a degree, so they first get an education THEN figure out where they want to work.
I know this because that’s how I choose my bachelor’s degree. I went into Landscape Architecture without actually knowing if it was my dream job. I just thought it would be fun to draw and select plants. I didn’t learn till after internship opportunities and after graduation that it’s not what I wanted.
So I took this MBA checklist and failed.
When I looked at my dream job, there were some finance positions like Financial Planner, Mutual Fund Manager, Financial Analyst that sounded interesting. Yet when reviewing, I wasn’t drawn to them with such vigor that I could stomach another $140,000 in student loan debt.
Only one position that I was excited about, sounded fun, but it earned even less than I was making now. So I had to ask myself if I would be willing to take on $140,000 debt for a lower-paying job? It wasn’t a great option even with all the extra ways to make money out there like selling photos and earning money from walking.
Do the Math on your Future Tuition
According to Investatopia, the average MBA program costs $140,000, with higher-ranking schools costing more. They’re factoring in tuition, living arrangements, books, and peripheral expenditures. That’s more than the average night-only MBA program I was looking at.
Now factor $140,000 student debt at 6.8% interest which is the average Subsidized Federal Stafford Loan according to Federal Student Aid. Having that kind of student loan debt is similar to buying a house or literally thousands of lego technic sets for my kids.
However, the common response to seeing these numbers is that you’ll be paid more after your MBA. That is perhaps true. The average salary of MBA graduates in a full-time program was $126,919. This was taken from US News when they interviewed companies mainly on the east/west coasts which usually provide a higher salary than the Mountain States and Midwest.
Conclusion
Most people like me had to make an insane decision in high school to pick a college major before entering college. So at the same time, I was focused on rehearsing for the school musical and wondering if the homecoming queen liked me (she didn’t). I was asked to choose a degree that would affect the rest of my life. I was not ready.
Going back to school for your MBA doesn’t have to be like that. There isn’t any timetable, no matter what college recruiters try to tell you about upcoming semester deadlines. You have all the time in the world to choose if an MBA is right for you.
So if you’re considering going back to school for an MBA, you should have an idea of what your future will look like. You should identify your dream job at your dream company. This is your opportunity to do WHATEVER you want in the world, and create a plan that extends after graduation.
Wallet Squirrel is a personal finance blog by best friends Andrew & Adam on how money works, building side-hustles, and the benefits of cleverly investing the profits. Featured on MSN Money, AOL Finance, and more!
If you have ever wanted to be your own boss, then you’re in the right place. There are plenty of things to consider before branching out and starting your own business, no matter what that business is.
Before we get to the list, let’s talk about some pros and cons of being your own boss.
Pros of Being Your Own Boss
Your Wage Cap is Yours to Control
With every 9-5 job comes a limit of how much money you can make. Sure, you can discuss a raise every few years, but ultimately, your boss is in control.
When you work for yourself, you determine the amount of money that you can make.
You Can Choose Your Hours
Most people who work a scheduled shift will tell you that life would be easier if they could control their hours.
As your own boss, you have the freedom to do that. You can control what days you take off and what hours you work throughout the week. You won’t have to miss those important family gatherings or doctor’s appointments because you can plan around them.
You’re Responsible for Your Own Business Decisions
Being your own boss means that you get to make important decisions about your business by yourself. The only boss you have to answer to is you! You get to design your business the way you want without worrying about upper management’s opinions.
You Don’t Have to Worry About Getting Fired
There are many reasons people lose their jobs, especially in an at-will state. There doesn’t even really need to be a good reason. Being your own boss means that you can’t be fired or let go.
Starting late today? No problem! Don’t feel like putting on a suit today? No big deal.
Being your own boss allows you the freedom to make your own decisions without fearing the consequence of losing your job.
Cons of Being Your Own Boss
No Monetary Guarantee
This con is hard for many to accept. The reality of being a business owner is that money is not guaranteed, and generally speaking, running a business is expensive.
Your income isn’t going to be steady like your full-time paycheck. You may not see a profit right away and may face times where you can’t cover your expenses or pay yourself.
You’ll Put in A Lot of Work
Again, this isn’t a 9-5 job where you can leave work at work. Being your own boss means that you will be responsible for your business all day, every day.
Any order that comes in or any issue that pops up needs to be dealt with within a reasonable amount of time to ensure customer satisfaction.
Success is Up to You
This can be considered both a pro and a con, but this is a con for my fellow lazy people out there.
Your success is measured by how much time and effort you put into your business. Having that much responsibility can be overwhelming.
Even if you’re doing something you love and are passionate about, it’s not as simple as showing up every day and doing enough work to keep your boss happy.
10 Things to Consider if You Want to be Your Own Boss
Now that we’ve covered some pros and cons, it’s time to get into the details of what you can expect when working for yourself and why it may or may not be suitable for you.
What Are You Going to Do?
One of the hardest decisions for some people is deciding what they are going to do.
If you already have this figured out, then you’re ready to go. If not, that’s okay. But you need to have a plan before you start.
The best type of business for you to start will involve something you are passionate about and interested in. So to be your own boss, the first step is to find what that passion is. Maybe it’s art, writing, or music, or perhaps it’s something completely different.
Whatever you love is what you should frame your business around. That way, you should never have to worry about finding motivation.
What Can You Afford?
We all know and understand that running a business costs money. You’re going to need start-up capital if you want your new venture to be successful.
Supplies, marketing, shipping, and hiring help are going to be out-of-pocket costs as you begin to get your business up and running. So, when you are starting a business, make sure you have the funds available to afford these things.
Working for yourself means that you alone are responsible for financing your business until you get a decent clientele. You need to be financially prepared to pay for things upfront in hopes that you can at least make that money back.
How Much Time Do You Have?
Another important factor to consider is how much time you have to devote to your business, especially initially. If you want to be profitable quickly, you will need to make your business your priority while getting started.
Once you figure out how much time you have and want to devote to your business, it will be easier to determine how successful you can be.
When considering how much time you really have to spend working on your business, factor in family and social obligations, basic household tasks, self-care, and whether or not you’ll keep working another job.
Will You Keep Working?
Are you interested in starting your own side hustle business to make some extra money and learn new skills? Or are you hoping to quit your day job to embrace entrepreneurship fully?
This decision will also tie into financing because your availability will depend on how much money you have to put toward your business.
If you plan to keep working while your business is growing, be aware that you’ll be putting in many extra hours. It may be exhausting to work all day on your business needs and then work a night shift job, but it ensures that you still have a steady income.
If you choose to go for it and work on your business full-time, make sure you have enough money to support yourself and your business. You also need to consider your options if your business doesn’t take off right away because you don’t want to accumulate debt.
What Experience Do You Have?
You may have a fantastic business idea, but how much experience do you have in that field?
For example, opening a catering business might be something you’re interested in, but have you ever catered for an event before? Do you have experience in volume cooking? Or budgeting food costs?
As your own boss, you are responsible for making all of the business decisions. Having some experience in whatever craft you choose can jumpstart your success.
What Do You Know About Running a Business?
On that same note, having some knowledge about running a business can certainly help you along the way, too.
Studying business can help you take care of minor struggles with ease and motivate you to be successful. Whether you learn more about accounting, marketing, or business management, a little bit of education can go a long way when it comes to real-life experience.
If you don’t’ have a lot of experience, learn as much as you can. Take an online course to learn new job skills. Talk to other business owners, contact a small business development center, or find a mentor. They can help you register your business, write a business plan, and secure the proper licenses and permits.
Is There Demand or Competition?
If you have your product or service figured out, then it’s time to research whether or not it’s in high demand and if competitors are already meeting that demand. This can be the difference between earning a profit in your first month versus not seeing a profit for a couple of years.
For example, if you decide your business will be making coasters by hand, then you need to consider how many you’ll be able to sell. Your target market will be small. Your friends and family will not want a constant supply of new coasters, and neither will your customers. You may want to consider trying something in higher demand or expanding from a niche product to help sales and repeat customers.
You also need to look at your competitors. Can you do a better job than they already are? If you can’t beat their prices or level of quality, it will be hard to convince their customers to switch.
How Will You Find Customers?
This is a challenging part of starting any new business, but it’s important to consider where you will find your customers and potential clients.
Will your business operate online, or will you open a physical location?
Will you promote your products and services through your own website, or will you use a platform like eBay or Etsy?
Finding customers can be a challenge, especially if you don’t have many friends or family willing to spread the word about your small business. So, you’ll need to come up with creative ways to build a customer base.
What About Supplies?
Supplies are an essential aspect of your business to consider. In addition to the cost of supplies, you also need to find out what exactly you’ll need and where you can get it. Don’t be afraid to shop around for better prices or discounts for buying in bulk.
When first starting, you’ll need to make sure you are staying on top of your supplies and keeping track of what inventory you have left. Not having enough supplies means that your customer waits longer for their product, which can negatively affect customer satisfaction.
Even if you are offering a service and not a physical product, you will still need some basic supplies to run your business (such as setting up a home office). More importantly, though, is your time. If you cannot supply enough time to meet your customer’s needs, they won’t stick around.
Trust me. If customers aren’t satisfied, then they’ll tell everyone who will listen. So, take care of your customers by ensuring you have the proper supplies (and time) to fulfill orders, and your customers will thank you.
Will You Work Alone?
Being your own boss is great, but you need to decide if you can really operate your business on your own or if you need help.
Take blogging, for example. Yes, you can successfully turn a blog into an online business that you run on your own. But this means you are responsible for: web development, solving technical issues, marketing, branding, copywriting, social media management, customer service, data entry, bookkeeping, content creation, photo editing, graphic design, selling, data analysis, networking, proofreading, negotiating, market research, and more!
Can you really do all of that by yourself? Do you want to?
Not every business will require all of these skills, but I guarantee you that there will come a time where you will need help from someone else – especially the more successful you get. So it’s a good idea to keep this in mind because this will come at a cost.
You may be ready to be your own boss, but are are you prepared to manage employees, too?
Why Do You Want To Be Your Own Boss?
This is a fundamental question, but proper motivation can be what makes or breaks your business. So it’s important to consider why you want to do this in the first place.
Do you actually want to be your own boss, or do you hate your job and want to do something different?
Your motivation only needs to matter to you, but be sure you aren’t making any rash decisions. Otherwise, you may get stuck doing something you don’t want to and run out of money before you know it.
Make sure you are doing it for the right reasons.
In Summary
Starting your own business and being your own boss is your choice to make, but hopefully, these considerations have given you something to think about before you move forward with your plan.
Being your own boss and running your own business is not easy, but it can be gratifying if done carefully and involves your passion. So, consider these tips, but don’t be afraid to branch out and try something new.
Money plants are famous for the exciting myths around their benefits, but their recent popularity on social media has brought a new wave of interest for home offices. As personal finance enthusiasts, we can’t help but cover the benefits of money plants, different types of plants considered “Money Plants,” and their exciting history around wealth.
6 Chinese Money Plant Benefits
These are the most widely known Chinese Money Plant benefits on the internet. The benefits apply to both money trees and money plants (more on the differences later). We’re not here to say if they’re right or wrong, but simply enjoy the lore around these fun plants!
1. Brings Prosperity and Wealth – Money plants are most widely known to bring good luck and wealth to the homeowners that take care of the plant. The healthier the plant, the greater prosperity it will generate!
When you give a clipping of your money plant to friends, it’s believed that you are giving your friends wealth and prosperity. The clipping will grow with little effort and bring great joy to whoever receives your generous gift.
On the other hand, some lore suggests a power to growing a money plant from clippings stolen from another homeowner. In this case, the thief will gain wealth while the previous homeowner will lose their wealth. It’s like stealing someone’s luck, so some homeowners are protective around their money plants.
2. Reduces Marital Problems – Whether it’s the calming nature of plants or the unique properties of this plant, money plants are known to minimize marital problems.
The five-leave patterns of money trees relate to the five fundamentals of Feng Shui, so many people associate the properties of money trees with the properties of Feng Shui. In this case, money trees kept in the southeast direction of the home help maintain peace and a healthy environment for marriage. This positive environment reduces bad luck, thus providing good fortune and wealth for your marriage.
3. Creates A Positive Environment – This is similar to #2, but we wanted to stress that you don’t need to be married to enjoy the positive environment that money plants create. Plants brighten the atmosphere of any room. Studies have shown that biophilia or viewing nature can positively impact people’s health, so having an actual plant in your home can only help create a more positive environment. You’ll feel calmer, happier and those feelings will lead to a more positive life!
4. Health Benefits – There are many myths around the health benefits of money plants in reducing stress, providing an atmosphere, and bringing calm. Often referred to as biophilia, viewing nature has many health benefits. Many hospitals are filled with photos of nature because it helps feel good and improves recovery.
PLEASE KNOW we’re speaking to the calming effect these plants have. Some plants considered money plants are, in fact, poisonous if ingested. Often they won’t kill you but will cause vomiting and illness symptoms if ingested by dogs, cats, or tiny humans. Check each species of the plant before bringing it into your home.
5. Purifies The Air – In 1989, NASA was involved with a study that tested plants’ ability to filter the air onboard space stations. It was a small study and contained a controlled environment, but the study showed that plants clean the air! Further studies showed that plants could help remove harmful gases in the air, which helps improve health. These studies created a surge of house plants during the 1990s.
Later, reviewers argued you would need hundreds of plants in your house to achieve the same level of air quality that the small NASA study achieved. However, if we take the benefits of money plants to heart, any in your home could improve your health and wallet!
6. Helps Fight Radiation In Your Home – Many people often forget a small amount of electromagnetic radiation radiates from the gadgets in our homes. From wifi, phones, TVs, and more, we’re bombarded with signals regularly. In most cases, these signals are harmless and nothing like standing next to a nuclear reactor. However, some people claim to have electromagnetic hypersensitivity and express symptoms such as headaches and sleep disorders when surrounded by these EMF fields.
Luckily money plants and other anti-radiator house plants help absorb these electromagnetic fields with no harm to the actual plant. You’ll see some people place their money plants by their computer, wifi router, and TV. Their money plants help protect them from the EMF radiation they may be hypersensitive to. Cool right!
Money Plant History Around Wealth
History around the Money Plant has several iterations, as any myth does, but all these myths agree that it started initially from the Money Tree. A petite Asian tree that, when its stems were intertwined, the tree would continue to grow in this pattern on its own.
The unique braided stem of the money tree stirred massive popularity and speculated many myths around its mysterious nature. Some of these myths connected the tree’s five-leaf pattern and the five fundamental Feng Shui elements (wood, water, fire, earth and metal), which symbolized good luck and good fortune. While other wives’ tales speculated, its leaves resembling the shape of paper money could bring wealth to the home.
Types of Money Plants
Numerous plants represent wealth and prosperity as wive’s tales have spread over the years, and it’s easy to get confused. We find it simpler to focus on the Money Tree, whose leaves are said to represent paper money, and the Money Plant, whose circular leaves are believed to represent coins.
Pilea Peperomioides (Chinese Money Plant)
Pilea Peperomiodies is the botanical name of what many consider the Chinese Money Plant due to its circular leaves resembled the leaves of the Money Tree but in the shape of coins. Other names for this plant include the coin plant, the friendship plant, the pancake plant, and the UFO plant.
This plant is excellent for beginners as it’s easy to care for, usually only grows 12 inches tall, and maintains beautiful dark green leaves to decorate any home!
The Chinese money plant creates lots of little offshoots to collect and give to friends. However, getting your hands on one can be difficult as not many nurseries keep this plant in stock. We’ve found the Chinese Money Plant on Amazon as the best option to start with a single plant.
Chinese Money Plant Care
To help your Chinese money plant care, beginner houseplant owners need to keep their money plant in a bright room but away from any harsh rays piercing through windows. Usually, watering once a week will be perfect in well-drained soil. A rule of thumb is the 2” of topsoil should be dry between waterings. Also, consider periodically rotating your plant so it’ll grow symmetrically.
To help gauge the health of your plant, here are a couple of guidelines.
Money Plant Leaves Turning Yellow
If your money plant leaves turn yellow, it’s likely due to overwatering, or your pot isn’t draining well. Your money plant roots could be waterlogged and may rot in the damp soil. Simply let your soil dry out before you water again, or if the problem continues, you may need to replace the soil.
Money Plant Leaves Curling, Drooping and Wrinkling
When your money plant leaves are curling, droopy or wrinkling, it’s likely thirsty for water. Think of it like a sponge wringing itself out to get every last drop of water stored. This plant needs lots of light, but direct light may be harsh and drying it out. Give the poor fellow a deep watering.
Give Money Plant Cutting To Friends
These plants are perfect for giving to friends as they produce lots of little offshoots that can be easily separated to place in a new pot. Simply find an offshoot on the edge of the massing and get enough of the offshoot that includes some roots with a clean sharp knife. Place the offshoot in a pot at least 2” wide and care for it as usual. Give it as a perfect gift to friends and wish them a good fortune!
Pachira Aquatica (Money Tree)
The Pachira Aquatica is the botanical name for the Money Tree and one of the most popular indoor houseplant trees. As we stated in the history of the money plant, the Money Tree and its mysterious ability to braid its stems are what started the myths bringing owners good luck and good fortune.
Another reason leading to its popularity is its easy care. The money tree needs little water (once a week), will grow in most pots, growing up to eight feet tall.
An exceptional little tree for people to start their house plant collection, the money tree will bring a little wealth to your life. We’ve found several retailers selling them online and found the Money Tree on Amazon one of the best places to start your money tree journey.
Money Tree Care
The money tree is easy to care for as it requires little water (usually once a week) and loves bright light while avoiding direct sunlight. To help grow the money tree, add fertilizer no more than once a month.
To help gauge the health of your plant, here are a couple of guidelines.
Money Tree Leaves Turning Yellow
If your money tree leaves turn yellow and fall off, it’s usually a sign of overwatering or a problem with the light. Remember, the money tree only needs water once a week, so if the soil is always wet, the roots may be waterlogged and leading to root rot. Let the soil dry completely before watering again, and feel free to prune any overly yellow leaves on the tree.
Overwatering is usually the problem, but it may be over or under-lighting. Make sure the tree is placed in a bright area of the house while avoiding direct light.
Money Tree Shriveled Leaves or Trunk
If the money tree has leaves shriveling up or its trunk becoming wrinkly, soft, or shriveled, the problem may be underwatering. Think of it like a sponge where the tree is trying to wring itself out for any last water storage. Use this as an indicator to give it a deep watering.
Wallet Squirrel is a personal finance blog by best friends Andrew & Adam on how money works, building side-hustles, and the benefits of cleverly investing the profits. Featured on MSN Money, AOL Finance, and more!
In the United States, there were over 550,000 people who tested positive for COVID-19. A number that reached 180,000,000 people worldwide, according to the CDC. While symptoms varied, a common (and weird) symptom became loss of smell. Afterward, some people noticed after their smell came back, it was distorted, making some food smell and taste rancid. This phenomenon spiked thousands of Google searches for the term “Parosmia”. I was one of those who dealt with Parosmia, and while it’s nearly gone. I wanted to talk about Parosmia after COVID and how Parosmia is changing people’s food budgets.
I’ll start with I’m one of those unlucky few with jacked-up smell and tastebuds. I can no longer eat my favorite foods as they now taste like rancid trash. My go-to budget food like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are now a pipe dream as peanut butter tastes like Styrofoam. It’s a rough life, but smells and tastebuds do come back.
When our smell first started to go south for Parosmia, we tried everything to get it back. Including home remedies on Tik Tok which included eating a burnt orange. It did nothing except taste like a burnt orange.
Parosmia Is Just Screwed Up Smell and Taste
Parosmia is common after a viral infection like colds but became more popular due to COVID-19. WebMD says perhaps up to 7% of the people who had COVID-19 developed a distorted sense of smell called “Parosmia.” People discover it about 2.5 months after the initial COVID-19 infection, and it can continue for at least six months.
What’s frustrating is how closely your sense of smell is tied to taste. When your smell and taste are off, it’s surprising how much it affects your entire life.
Imagine 30% of Food Tasting Like Garbage, That’s Parosmia
Here’s the deal. Having a screwed-up sense of smell is terrible, but Parosmia takes it to a new level. For most people, it takes the scent of specific food profiles and replaces them with the smell of rancid garbage.
Weirdly, the smell is of the same rotten garbage. Like my brain forgot what 30% of food smells like and replaced it with a generic smell of rotten garbage. For example, I’ve noticed that everything from Pizza to a McDonald’s Big Mac to a moldy wet towel has the same horrible garbage smell.
When things smell like rotten garbage, they also taste like rotten garbage. This has significantly changed my weekly grocery list!
Everyday Foods That Smell & Taste Terrible With Parosmia
Here is a list of foods that smell and therefore taste terrible, taken from my personal experience and the numerous Parosmia Facebook/Instagram Groups that have popped up since 2019.
Each person seems to have slightly different degrees of how bad foods are and what causes their rancid smells, but here are the common culprits.
Foods That Smell & Taste Terrible
Chicken
Eggs
Bacon
Onions (bye-bye Pizza & Pasta)
Garlic
Fish
Beans
Peanut Butter
Coffee
From personal experience, these foods taste terrible. Even if you force yourself to eat through the terrible rancid taste, I’ve learned your body still finds a way to reject it. I won’t go into more detail there but think bathroom.
Bacon was terrible with Parosmia. I could immediately tell while cooking, but I had to try. I can confirm the normally delicious bacon tastes awful with Parosmia. Life Sucked.
Most of this is trial and error, as the Parosmia community cannot find a common denominator for what makes certain foods smell rancid.
Even if you remove all of these items from your house, it’s still a challenge ever going out with friends.
I find myself at restaurants going through the ingredients of each dish and trying to avoid those mentioned above. A tedious process where onions and garlic make most dishes impossible to avoid. Then the process of explaining the complex nature of Parosmia to your waiter in hopes of substitution is enough to make me want to crawl under the table.
Foods That Seem To Be OK With Parosmia
I’ll start that most food will always taste a little off with Parosmia. There is no way to get around it. Simply your nose is broken so that food will feel a little off.
The best you can hope for is food tasting tolerable because asking for food to taste good again is like asking to fly.
Here is my weekly grocery list with parosmia. It’s nothing special but has become a safe haven for my deteriorated taste buds. It’s heavy on fresh fruit, ramen noodles, and protein shakes.
When we first got parosmia, we did a lot of charcuterie boards. We incorporated lots of fresh fruit and experimented with different combinations to see what worked for our smell and taste buds.
Here is my Parosmia grocery list for my family:
Bread
Milk
Apples
Strawberries
Grapes
Cuties
Diced Tomatoes
Mozzarella Cheese
Potatoes
Eggs
Mac & Cheese
Ground Beef
Cereal
Protein Shakes
Ramen Noodles
These have seemed pretty safe for my family, but I’ll add that anything sugary like cereal is also OK. It appears that sugary foods mask any rancid taste.
I know most people will balk at the surgery cereal, but it pretty much saved me when my smell and taste first started to skew. It was the only thing I could eat without gagging. I used sugary cereal as a base and started to branch out and experiment with other foods from there. However, as you may expect, the sugary cereal was KILLER on my diet, and my workouts had to compensate heavily, which was great for walking with Stepbet. So learn from my mistakes for your grocery list.
I’ve added a protein shake to most of my meals to get my daily protein since I can’t eat chicken like I used to.
Bland Food Is Your Friend, But So Is Spice
At first, I only ate bland food with simple ingredients. I figured I could swap out ingredients to find which foods caused the worst reactions. Learning from trial and error became second nature during Parosmia.
HOWEVER, as you may expect, my family had a short tolerance for bland food. It was safe, but the monotony was draining our morale. So we discovered an unexpected craving, spice.
Let me preface, myself and my family is NOT a fan of spicy food. We were total wimps when it came to any heat levels. Yet, spice became a welcome addition to all our meals that breathed new life into our meals. We used bottles of spices like red chili pepper for the first time since we bought a spice rack. It was an incredible discovery!
Our Favorite Meal During Parosmia
In addition to buying Ramen noodles in bulk for their bland, safe flavor, we practiced with different recipes at night to find new flavors that friendly to our pallets. Here is one of my family’s favorite recipes.
Homemade Pizzas – Take Nann Bread as your crust. We usually top with store-bought pasta sauce, but it’s packed with onions and garlic. So we create a homemade sauce with a can of diced tomatoes and blend them into a sauce with red pepper flakes. The heat helps with the bland flavor. Then add fresh mozzarella and oven-bake for 12 minutes. It’s great!
BONUS Tiramisu Crepes – I honestly don’t know the recipe because my girlfriend did them as a surprise and they were amazing. However, if you message us on Twitter I’ll see what I can do.
My girlfriend made these amazing tiramisu crepes. The sugary treat was perfect for parosmia but perhaps a little unhealthy. However, it tasted wonderful, and that’s a rare luxury for when everything else tastes terrible.
Expect Your Food Budget To Increase
One of the most significant ways my food budget has increased is that meal prep has become significantly more complicated.
It seems that anytime I reheat meals in a microwave or oven, the reheating causes food to have more pungent rancid tastes. So we no longer do many leftovers. Most of our meals are cooked the night off.
Also, purchasing all the ingredients from scratch makes food taste a little fresher but comes at a premium price. It’s not terrible, but something to be aware of. Luckily we have a couple of different income streams that make this easier.
Parosmia Makes Eating Healthy Difficult, but Not Impossible
Admittedly Parosmia initially caused me to gain significant weight because the foods I’m used to eating, Pizza, Pasta, Chicken, became intolerable.
I clung to the sugary foods that provide some sense of flavor. Eventually, as I learned more, I introduced more fresh fruit and learned to cook meals from scratch to control all the ingredients.
So I turned a horrible Parosmia experience into a learning experience teaching new skills and introducing more fresh ingredients into my diet.
Wallet Squirrel is a personal finance blog by best friends Andrew & Adam on how money works, building side-hustles, and the benefits of cleverly investing the profits. Featured on MSN Money, AOL Finance, and more!
Child psychologists and pediatricians have recognized that today’s lack of play contributes to children’s overall lack of well-being. An increased focus on academic activities, overly structured family, school, and extracurricular schedules have led to less playtime for kids.
If you’re looking to give your child a strong foundation for academic success, it may be shocking to hear that the best thing you can do is allow them to play more every day. Playing develops strong social skills, which in turn gives them the best footing for learning. It’s been proven that the best predictor of academic performance in eighth grade was a child’s basic social skills in third grade. Research shows that play is beneficial for kids’ development and learning, yet they aren’t getting enough.
So what’s an affordable change parents can make that doctors recommend and kids will put their device down for? It’s a 4,000-year-old invention that everyone can agree on – Board Games. They are such an effective tool for developing social skills that leading experts and therapists have played board games with kids for decades. It’s why Dr. Jon Freeman, Clinical Psychologist, Neuroscience Researcher, board-and-card game enthusiast, and Founder of The Brooklyn Strategist, offers an after-school social skills program at his Board Game cafe.
“After we observed a shortage of social skills in kids, we realized how much work there was to be done,” he said. “Our programs focus on neurodevelopment by having fun and developing and articulating strategic approaches through socialization and gameplay.” It’s such a game-changer that New York school administrators recommend kids play at Brooklyn Strategist after school.
Wait, So Playing is Actually Learning?
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), playing is serious business for a child’s health and development. Their report, The Power of Play: A Pediatric Role in Enhancing Development in Young Children, explains how playing with both parents and peers is essential to developing thriving brains, bodies and improving social bonds. It’s so critical the AAP is encouraging pediatricians across the country to write Prescriptions for Play at well-visits to combat the decades-long decline of playtime for kids.
Play is not just an important teaching tool. It’s the best teaching tool. “The seemingly simple activities that kids enjoy most help them explore and understand the world around them,” says Anna Yudina, Senior Director of Marketing, The Toy Association. Their Genius of Play program celebrates the 6 Benefits of Play: Physical, Emotional, Social, Cognitive, Creative, and Communication by giving parents and educators ideas on incorporating more play into the day.
How Do Board Games Actually Teach Kids Important Social Skills? 4 Experts Explain
What if I told you that playing board games can help kids in both school and life? As well as teaching kids about money. Well, after decades working with kids and families, that’s the recommendation from Leading Emotional Dynamics expert, Erik Fisher, Ph.D., aka Dr. E, Keri Wilmot, Occupational Therapist, and Toy Expert aka Toy Queen, Dr. Amanda Gummer, Founder and CEO of Good Play Guide, and Dr. Jon Freeman, Founder of Brooklyn Strategist.
Board Games, Basic Social Skills and Young Kids
Playing preschool-level board games may seem so simple on the surface. When you look closer at what’s going on, it’s providing teachable moments, improving social interaction, and developing good social skills amidst all the fun!
“As an occupational therapist of 20 years, I’ve played a lot of board games with kids of all ages and abilities,” says Keri Wilmont. “Board games are a great way for kids to alternate going first, taking turns, listening, and learning how to cope when others might not want to follow the rules and try to cheat or bend the rules in their favor.”
“Therapists aren’t playing games with kids by accident,” adds Dr. E. “Games can be an avenue for them to build many of the cognitive skills required for successful academic performance, as well as life. Games practice and build attention, concentration, memory, critical thinking, reasoning, and problem-solving skills. And as a bonus, it helps them “learn how to manage losing and gives them a chance to see that failure tells us when it is time to learn.”
Board Games, Great Social Skills and Older Kids
Playing board games presents an opportunity to understand group dynamics, practice interpersonal skills, improve social skills, practice specific social situations and develop the all-important skill of working well with others. With high school, college, and the working world full of group projects, playing board games helps to improve emotional intelligence and develop essential life skills.
“Making new friends and being able to collaborate with another person is important in a school environment. Board games allow kids to rehearse basic social skills through play,” said Dr. Amanda Gummer, widely considered the go-to expert on play, toys, and child development. “Fast-paced, luck-based games with a focus on fun can be a great way of getting children more opportunities to play with others and begin to develop an understanding of friendly competition.”
“More recent games have introduced cooperative elements, and that’s a great game-changer (no pun intended) regarding social dynamics. Instead of the neurotransmitter reward (e.g., dopamine) coming from being declared the winner at the expense of everyone else, the reward is now associated with working as part of a larger group,” explains Dr. Jon Freeman.
An example of cooperative games that build strong social skills is Role-playing Games (RPGs), like Dungeons & Dragons and Pathfinder. Players meet in small groups and work together under the game’s rules to accomplish imaginary tasks, but they’re using tons of interpersonal skills too.
“By RPG games’ very nature, players are required to interact with others, problem-solve how to attain a shared goal, and then divvy up the treasure when the goal has been attained. Very often, survival requires help from another player,” says Dr. Jon Freeman. “So, throughout the experience, players are simultaneously considering their own characters plus how their character interacts with other players in the group and how others perceive their character. If we can teach kids to verbalize thoughts and practice conflict resolution in games, the hope is they will have better outcomes later in life in difficult social situations.”
Heather Bernt-Santy, M.A.ED., aka That Early Childhood Nerd, sums it up when she says, “If you limit the play, you limit the learning.” So, shall we play a game?
10 Best-Selling Board Games That Teach Specific Social Skills
If you’re sold on the idea but are unsure what to play next, here’s a list of 10 beloved board games that experts recommend, kids love, and are favorites in our house. If you want to test drive some of these before buying them, many libraries have board games you can borrow for free, just like books!
1.Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game
2-4 players | Ages 3-6 | Social Skills: Waiting Your Turn, Perseverance, Sportsmanship
For five years, it’s been the best-selling preschool game for a reason. It’s easy to play. Little kids love to spin the spinner and feed their squirrel five different colored acorns. While you might be in the lead one minute, you may get a strong breeze next and have to return your acorns and start again. It’s a big winner with the four-year-old in our house!
2. Candyland
2-4 players | Ages 3+ | Social Skills: Waiting Your Turn, Perseverance, Sportsmanship, Following Instructions
For over 70 years, this adored, easy-to-understand game set within a kids’ dreamland of candy has been a go-to for families. While it seems simple, it introduces the concept of rules, turn-taking, following directions, and winning and losing to preschool-aged kids. All the candy-themed elements are a hit with any treat-obsessed kid, too!
3. Zingo
2-6 players | Ages 4+ | Social Skills: Sportsmanship, Following Instructions, Attention Skills
It’s Bingo with a Zing! Fifty million families have purchased this kid favorite, award-winning Toy of the Year. Slide the zinger, make a visual match, and fill your picture bingo card to win! We’ve been playing this game regularly for years in our house, and it’s so much fun no one realizes it’s teaching reading fundamentals as well.
4. Richard Scarry’s Busytown, Eye Found It
1-6 players | Ages 4+ | Social Skills: Collaboration, Teamwork, Following Instructions
If you want to introduce your young child to the fun of board games but they are still getting used to losing, this game is for you. While the game’s goal is to move your piece through the board, no one wins until everyone gets to the end. This approach focuses the fun on playing and not necessarily winning, keeping the tears away.
5. Ticket to Ride
2-5 players | Ages 6+ | Social Skills: Sportsmanship, Following Instructions
This award-winning board game is so popular that they released a Juniors version so younger kids can get in on the fun (and improve their social skills too). If your train-loving toddler is now older, give this beloved cross-country train adventure board game a try! Players collect and play cards to own railway routes connecting cities like Miami and Seattle all across America.
6. Uno
2-10 players | Ages 7+ | Social Skills: Sportsmanship, Following Instructions, Attention
This classic game that’s “easy to pick-up and hard to put down” has been played for 50 years. While it seems like a fun, competitive race to get rid of your cards first, kids are practicing laser-focused concentration, following directions, and being a good winner and loser. This game is perfectly sized to bring along on your next family trip! The size of a phone, you can even fit it in your carry-on for in-flight fun!
7. Lattice Hawaii
2-4 players | Ages 8+ | Social Skills: Attention, Following Instructions, Sportsmanship
With more than eight awards to its name, this game is beloved by people of all ages. Described by the creator as a mix of Rummy, Sudoku, and a Rubik’s Cube combined with inspiration from Hawaiian myths, give this fast-paced tile-based game a try.
8. King of Tokyo
2-4 players | Ages 8+ | Social Skills: Following Instructions, Sportsmanship, Confrontation
Created by the same game designer behind Magic the Gathering, it’s not a surprise it’s won many awards, including Best Family game. My eight-year-old loves the chance to fight mom, dad, and his sister in an acceptable manner! The fact that you’re playing mutant monsters, giant robots, and weird aliens destroying the city to become The King of Tokyo doesn’t hurt either.
9. Pandemic
2-4 players | Ages 8+ | Social Skills: Teamwork, Collaboration
There’s nothing like the challenge of saving humanity from a pandemic to get a family or group of friends working together! This multi-award-winning cooperative board game gives each player a role like a medic, scientist, quarantine specialist. The group recognizes and applies the strength of each player’s part to cure a deadly disease before it’s too late.
This 25-year-old board game, bought by 20 million people, has been called the most beloved board game of all time by table-top enthusiasts. And it’s definitely one of the favorites in our house. The countless ways you can develop the Island of Catan lends to endlessly fun replays of the game. Players as young as six can enjoy Catan with their Junior pirate-themed version with a simpler playing style.
This article originally appeared on Your Money Geek and has been republished with permission.
“I want to quit my job. It’s time to become the CEO of my own life. I’m going to take control.”
I’ve heard this many times from friends. Quitting your job to pursue your passions could be the best thing you ever do. It could also totally screw up your life.
Do you want to quit your job in the near future? Before you quit your job I want you to look at a few potential issues (along with solutions) so that you don’t end up broke and begging for your old job back.
In movies or in motivational videos on YouTube, the story is usually the same.
The person quits their job with no safety net or any sort of backup plan. They tell their boss off and leave their job. They’re confused for a few days or possibly a few weeks before meeting a guru who changes their life. They usually end up starting some billion-dollar business or things just work out for them. Now they’re rich and married to a gorgeous partner.
This person then goes on to live a successful life where they share nonstop memes about how self-employment is the best thing ever.
In reality, it doesn’t work like this.
Quitting your job to work for yourself is very scary and intimidating. You’re going to experience many issues that won’t just go away. You’re going to be challenged like never before. You’re going to regret making the jump almost daily.
Let’s look at the issues (and solutions) associated with quitting your job to work for yourself…
What issues will you experience when you try to quit your job?
Before you quit your job, I want you to think about these issues. I’m not here to glorify working for yourself. You already know how much you hate your job and how badly you want to work for yourself.
I’m here to help you work self-employment on issues I had to figure out on my own.
What are the common problems that you’re going to experience when you start working for yourself?
Issue #1: You’re going to struggle to find a new schedule.
When you have a job, you have a set schedule. You’re told when you have to be there, when you can go for lunch, and when you can go home. You have to abide by the schedule or else you’re going to be fired. You never think about your start time or finish time.
When you work for yourself, you’re the boss. You get to decide when you start work, when you go for lunch, and when you’re done for the day. There’s a lot to think about.
You might be thinking that you’re going to be a productivity machine now that you have all of this free time.
I have some bad news for you. More time doesn’t equal more work done. I usually loiter around most of the day until it’s time to get some serious writing done at the worst times possible. I usually find myself working on the weekends when everyone wants to have fun since they don’t have to work.
Issue #2: Dealing with family and friends who want to interrupt you or give you unsolicited advice.
“Can you help me move since you’re free during the day?”
“I’m going to be in your area around noon, let’s do coffee!”
“Why would you quit your day job? That’s crazy!”
Those closest to you want what’s best for you. They also will think that you have all of the free time in the world now that you don’t have a traditional 9-5 gig.
You’ll have friends scold you, you’re going to have friends who think that they can just ask you for anything now since you don’t have a job, and you’re going to find that those around you may think that you’re not making the best move.
Dealing with close ones becomes even trickier when you have a family that you’re responsible for. It’s not exactly easy to give up a guaranteed income to chase the unknown.
Issue #3: Being in charge of everything is a lot to handle.
You’re in charge of everything from marketing to accounting. It may feel exciting to put “CEO” in your social media profile, but this means that everything falls on you now.
You have to deal with the following when you work for yourself:
Design work.
Accounting.
Sales.
Marketing.
Human Resources.
Technical support.
Customer service.
You can outsource most of this, but that won’t be free. You also have to decide what gets outsourced and what you’re going to do on your own based on costs and your skills.
Issue #4: Making money.
How are you going to make money on your own? How will you match your previous salary and everything that goes with that (retirement plan, health benefits, etc.)?
When you have a job, you know when you’re going to get paid and you know how much you’re going to get paid.
I have friends who are on salary who know exactly what they’re going to get paid and the exact moment that they’re going to be paid.
When you’re on your own, you have no idea when you’re going to get paid or how much you’ll be making. Sometimes, vendors will delay payment or people will try to get you to “work for exposure.”
You can also lose a major client due to no fault of your own. You can find yourself scrambling for money to just survive.
Issue #5: Your benefits and retirement planning.
I know many friends who stay at their jobs simply for the benefits and retirement planning. When you’re on your own, you have to figure out all of this.
How do you overcome these struggles of working for yourself?
Now that we looked at the most common issues with working for yourself, it’s time to overcome these struggles.
Solution #1: Trying to find a new schedule.
You have to tackle this first if you want any chance of surviving self-employment. You need a schedule because it’s far too easy to take a Monday off or to binge watch Netflix. You then end up catching up on the weekends and pissing off everyone around you.
How do you set a schedule now that you’re on your own?
Find an “office” space. This could be an extra room in your home or the local shop. You need to go somewhere to get in the zone.
Create work hours. You need clear working hours so that you’re not always on.
Focus on the work that brings in the money. It’s easy to get caught up in social media filters and things that don’t mean anything. You have to focus on what’s going to bring in the majority of your revenue.
Know when to stop working. You have to know when to stop for the day. You can’t always be working.
It won’t be easy at first, but hopefully, you can get into a decent routine.
Working for yourself doesn’t mean that you have free-time 24/7. You just have control over when you get to work and when you get to take some time off for yourself.
Solution #2: Dealing with friends and family.
It’s critical that you set expectations with your friends and family. There’s no other way around this. You have to sit those close to you down and explain what you’re doing.
On the flip side, you don’t have to explain yourself to every single friend or acquaintance from work. You don’t have to justify your decision to Steve from Accounting or some random dude from the gym.
Solution #3: Being in charge of everything.
The good news here is that your small business can stay small. There’s no rule that states you have to hire a whole team. Here’s how I deal with being in charge of everything.
Outsource everything that you can’t do easily and use tools to make your life easier.
Solution #4: Making money.
How do you handle this issue? This is where things get interesting. At your job you likely know that you’re going to get paid. You know when you’re going to get paid and how much you’re going to get paid. I have friends who know to the penny what their paycheck will be.
Here are a few financial rules that you should follow before quitting your job:
You have to be making money with your business before you quit your job.
To ensure that you can survive the lean times, it’s important that you save up six months’ worth of expenses in an account.
I’ll say it again: prepare your finances before you quit.
Solution #5: Your benefits and retirement planning.
There’s no easy solution here. You’re going to want to take care of this paperwork before you quit your job. You’re going to have to reach out to other self-employed folks and you’re going to have to do your research.
You should absolutely take care of this before you quit your job. I just don’t want you to quit your job and then realize that you suddenly have no retirement plan.
Bonus section: A few other things to keep in mind before quitting your job…
As I finished writing this article on quitting your job, I realized that I missed out on a few factors that you should consider.
Here are 4 more bonus considerations before quitting your job:
Job searching. Will you be looking for another job in the near future? Are you taking a career sabbatical to work on your own business?
Updating your social media. Don’t forget to update your social media information to reflect your new situation.
Interview skills. What will you do about your interview skills? The further removed that you are from the interview process, the more difficult that it will be to maintain your interview skills.
Your social life. What will you do for your social life? Many folks only hang out with co-workers. Will you make new friends now? What will you do to combat the loneliness that comes with working from home?
That’s what you absolutely need to think about before quitting your job so that you don’t end up feeling overwhelmed. This may be a lot to think about but that’s because quitting your job isn’t a decision that you should take lightly.
Martin of Studenomics makes personal finance fun since you have enough to stress about. You can click here to check out the wide range of content on everything from student loans to getting paid to drink coffee.
Three weeks ago, a friend asked “What happens to debt when you die”. Now, this wasn’t a morbid question, I’ve simply just become the personal finance guy in my little group of friends, and they wanted to know what happens. The incorrect answer is “You’ll be dead, why do care?”.
What essentially happens when you die is “Probate”. It’s the process of paying off outstanding debts and distributing your wealth to your beneficiaries with your “estate”.
What’s in my Estate?
Your estate is essentially your net worth. This is made up of your home value, bank accounts, car, boat, RV and all your smaller assets as well such as paintings, flat screen tvs, etc. Essentially everything you have to your name, including your name. (source)
Your estate is everything you have, to pay off your debts first then distribute to your heirs as dictated in your Will. However some people don’t have enough money to pay off all their debt first, so I’m going to focus on what happens to your debt when you die that you can’t pay off.
Credit Card Debt – What If I Can’t Pay This When I Die?
Millions of Americans have credit card debt, so I was curious about this first. If you’re the only name on the card, the debt stops with you. So if you don’t have enough assets (money) to pay off your credit card debt. Then the Credit Card company simply has to take the loss and move on and your heirs aren’t responsible for paying it off. (source)
They can though, go after a “co-signer” on your credit card. So always be careful of co-signing anything. However, if you’re just authorized to use the credit card, you’re not liable to pay off the debt because you’re not the actual owner of the credit card and don’t carry the financial liability.
Student Loan Debt – What If I Can’t Pay This When I Die?
If your estate can’t cover your student loan debt, then that’s where the buck stops. Unless you had a co-signer on the account, no one else including your heirs, are responsible for that debt.
It was interesting to hear though that according to Nerd Wallet, collection agencies may still legally contact your family members to “discuss” student loan debt, but they can’t mislead your heirs into thinking that they’re responsible for your student loan debt (source). Not sure why they would do this unless they were trying to guilt your poor grandma into paying off your student loans for moral reasons. Those bastards. Be sure to send them a letter asking them to stop and request a read receipt.
Car Loan Debt – What If I Can’t Pay This When I Die?
This was interesting. If your estate can’t pay off your car loan debt then they can repossess your car. This makes sense, it’s a tangible asset that can be taken back if not fully paid off. How I paid off my car.) However whoever inherits the vehicle can just continue making payments on their inherited Ford Fiesta and the bank is unlikely to take any action as long as they continue to receive money. Remember it’s all just business. (source)
Home Loan Debt – What If I Can’t Pay This When I Die?
This is really the least of my concerns since I rent a studio loft downtown, but for some friends who recently bought a house, let’s chat. Due to the 1982 federal law, the surviving spouse may continue to make payments to the mortgage without having an issue (source). They can simply continue to make payments similar to how the recently deceased did or sell and keep the difference in monetary value.
Things get a little murky with mortgages with a “home equity line of credit”. These are usually paid off during the probate process but may involve selling the house if your assets don’t cover the debt. If you’re worried about this, I highly recommend you consult a local attorney.
Is anything safe from debt collectors?
In my research, I’ve found a few things that appear to be safe from debt collectors. These are IRAs, 401(k)s, brokerage accounts, life insurance and pension plans that don’t go to probate, so they won’t be considered a part of your estate to pay off debt collectors. So your heirs may be left with something. (source)
Sometimes people get life insurance to help their loved ones (often co-signers) with the debt they leave behind. Since life insurance is exempt from some estates, it can be used by your heirs and loved ones with the burden of any debt you accumulated together.
Conclusion
In short, your debt belongs only to you, it is not passed on to your family when you pass. (source). As long as you didn’t have any co-signers for your Student Loans/Credit Card Loans and your estate can’t pay them, those debts die with you. Home Loans and Car Loans are tangible assets that can be taken back if not paid off or have someone take over the payments in order to keep them.
If this research taught me anything, it’s to be very aware of what I co-sign. Debt dies with the deceased, unless there’s a co-signer.
Wallet Squirrel is a personal finance blog by best friends Andrew & Adam on how money works, building side-hustles, and the benefits of cleverly investing the profits. Featured on MSN Money, AOL Finance, and more!
Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, has a net worth of over $78.2 billion and is known as one of the greatest investors of all time. So when he speaks, people take note.
Here are some of the top 22 Warren Buffett Quotes the internet can’t get enough of.
Top 22 Warren Buffett Quotes The Internet Can’t Get Enough Of
Here are some of the top Warren Buffet quotes found on every list of Warren Buffet quotes around the internet. These quotes range in wisdom on investing to regular life. I try to live by these quotes on my own investment portfolio.
Warren Buffett Quotes
1. Rule #1: Never lose money. Rule #2: Never forget rule #1
One of my favorite Warren Buffet Quotes. The fastest way to grow your money is to never lose it in the first place. This applies from saving on your groceries to focusing on less risky stocks of well established companies.
2. It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently
Think about the Wells Fargo or Equifax scandals. It takes years to build enough trust for someone to have brand loyalty. Warren Buffet quotes it takes 20 years, but it takes 5 minutes or less to destroy all that goodwill you’ve built. People are quick to revolt if you’ve done anything to betray their trust.
It is infinitely harder to build trust than destroy it.
3. Diversification is a protection against ignorance. It makes very little sense for those who know what they’re doing.
Multiple studies show that diversification in the stock market will help protect you against market falls. Or it could be summarized in the old proverb “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket”. Unless you have insider information that a stock is going do really well, maintain a diversified portfolio to protect you. No one knows what they’re doing all the time.
4. If you aren’t willing to own a stock for ten years, don’t even think about owning it for ten minutes. Put together a portfolio of companies whose aggregate earnings march upward over the years, and so also will the portfolio’s market value.
Unless you’re a day trader (I will never be), you should only be investing in the stock market with the intention to hold those stocks for a long time. You can do really well as a beginner if you’re buying stocks and not planning on selling till you retire. Those are where you get the best returns. Warren Buffett is infamously known for rarely selling stocks.
5. It’s far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price.
When you buy a stock, you should think of it as owning a piece of that company. You should be looking at wonderful companies that have a competitive advantage in the industry. Those are the companies that will do well over the long run. You may find a wonderful price on a mediocre company, but really what are you getting? A mediocre company that will likely be edged out of the market by a better company.
Many of the famous Warren Buffett quotes are about investing in strong companies with a competitive advantage and strong brand loyalty rather than cheap companies where you think you can make a quick buck. Warren Buffett is never into buying a company for a quick buck.
6. Be fearful when others are greedy. Be greedy when others are fearful.
During the 2008 financial crisis when investors were all exiting the market, Warren Buffett invested in a few large companies even though their stock prices were falling. Those deals made Warren Buffett over $10 billion dollars when the market stabilized and it’s continuing to show dividends. When the market goes upside down during world events, politics, market forecasts, those are the times when everyone else is fearful, that Warren Buffet sees an advantage when the markets crash.
Think about it this way, the New York Stock Exchange has been around since 1817, it has always recovered. Chances are, minus a world apocalypse, that the market will always bounce back. Those who capitalize on those downturns are usually rewarded.
7. The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.
One of my favorite Warren Buffett quotes because it has so many applications. You will see many opportunities in your life and you may want to jump on everyone, but it’s ok to be selective and say no. You’ll burn yourself out if you say “yes” to everything. This also applies to going out on a Saturday night with friends drinking. It’s ok to say “no” to save a few dollars or have a night to yourself to finish your article on Warren Buffett quotes. =)
This also applies to going out on a Saturday night with friends drinking. It’s ok to say “no” to save a few dollars or have a night to yourself to finish your article on Warren Buffett quotes. =)
8. Develop and build the habits you admire in others.
Remember all those times that your parents wanted you to hang out with those “good kids”. The habits of the people you surround yourself with rub off you on, consciously or unconsciously. When you find people like Warren Buffett, the Oracle of Omaha, who is one of the greatest investors of all time. You should find out what makes him so successful and learn those traits to improve yourself.
9. Passive investing will make you more money than active trading
Oh my goodness, fees are the WORST! Active trading requires more work and more fees, so more of your money will be paid to your broker. Yet studies have shown over and over that passive investing where you set your money and forget it are far more successful for growing wealth. I don’t plan to ever touch my stocks currently making dividends.
10. There seems to be some perverse human characteristic that likes to make easy things difficult.
Great quote, people always imagine things are more difficult than they really are. When I first considered starting investing, I thought there were so many hurdles and financial experts I would have to pay. Yet, when I finally decided I wanted to start investing in the stock market, I just downloaded the Robinhood App and started investing. It took 10 minutes to sign up and buy my first stock when I worried about investing in the stock market for over 5 years. Things are often more simple than you think they are.
11. Tell me who your heroes are and I’ll tell you who you’ll turn out to be.
This is similar to the Warren Buffett quote “Develop and build the habits you admire in others”. If you want to be an entrepreneur, start joining local meetups of entrepreneurs. You learn SO MUCH MORE when you surround yourself with the people you want to be like. You can learn A LOT in a book, but you’ll learn even more by surrounding yourself with people you admire.
12. We have long felt that the only value of stock forecasters is to make fortune-tellers look good.
No one can predict the stock market, no one. Not even Warren Buffett. Anyone who says they know exactly how the market works is trying to sell you something. You can lump stock forecasters being as accurate as the carnival fortune-tellers. You know the ones with 3 teeth, crystal ball and you’re going to die in 2083.
13. When we own portions of outstanding businesses with outstanding managements, our favorite holding period is forever.
If you invest in an outstanding company, even if the stock price goes up, why would you ever sell it? No matter when you sell it, outstanding companies will continually do better and better. Don’t sell until you absolutely have to, otherwise, you’ll just be losing money in the long run. Many of Warren Buffett Quotes are like this, they are all very Anti-Day Trader.
14. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist. Investing is not a game where the guy with the 160 IQ beats the guy with 130 IQ.
If you follow the basic principals of Warren Buffett and buy outstanding companies with strong competitive advantages like Apple (AAPL). You don’t have to be a genius. Just buy and hold forever, you literally don’t have to do anything until you sell.
Many Warren Buffett quotes are similar to this because he stresses that anyone can invest in the stock market. The simplest way is just to invest in index funds that follow the market. Set it and forget it. The market sees an average increase of 7% per year and that’s WAY better than a savings account.
15. I try to buy stock in businesses that are so wonderful that an idiot can run them. Because sooner or later, one will.
Look for companies to invest in that are so strong that they can weather any storm because soon enough they will have to. Think about Apple (AAPL), as long as they keep pushing out iPhones it doesn’t matter who runs the company, they’ll continue to do well. People were worried when Steve Jobs passed because they didn’t know the future of the company, but Tim Cook stepped in and maintained the same Apple legacy. As long as Tim Cook sticks to the secret Apple recipe, they’ll be in good shape.
16. Buy into a company because you want to own it, not because you want the stock to go up.
If you see a company that you think is going to do well or heard will do well, don’t buy it unless you’re willing to hold it for awhile. If something goes wrong and the stock dives, you’re stuck with a company you don’t believe in and will likely sell at a lower price to get rid of it, ruining the reason you bought it in the first place.
17. Wall Street is the only place that people ride to work in a Rolls Royce to get advice from those who take the subway.
This is just a funny Warren Buffet quote.
18. Charlie and I have not learned how to solve difficult business problems. What we have learned is to avoid them.
I’m sure Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger have learned how to solve difficult business problems, but the best way to navigate murky waters is to avoid them all together. The more problems your business can avoid, the better shape you’ll be. You can avoid a lot of problems from being proactive instead of reactive.
19. Long ago, Ben Graham taught me that “Price is what you pay; value is what you get.”
Ben Graham, Warren Buffett’s mentor had this popular quote. I always think about it simply. Price is what you buy a stock for and Value is what you sell that same stock for.
20. It’s better to hang out with people better than you. Pick out associates whose behavior is better than yours and you’ll drift in that direction.
If you can’t tell, Warren Buffett believes in surrounding yourself with the right people. He credits much of his success from surrounding himself with smart, good people.
21. If past history was all there was to the game, the richest people would be librarians.
When you analyze a stock based on its historical performance, it’s called technical analysis. Yet past performance does not necessarily mean future performance. Just because you know what the stock has done in the past doesn’t mean it’s going to follow that same trend.
22. You only have to do a very few things right in your life so long as you don’t do too many things wrong.
It’s ok to mess up, focus on learning from those mistakes for the next time. It just sounds cooler when Warren Buffett quotes it. Or you can take this as no matter how many mistakes you’ve made in the past, you always have a chance to do more good. It’s one of those life quotes that can go many ways.
Wallet Squirrel is a personal finance blog by best friends Andrew & Adam on how money works, building side-hustles, and the benefits of cleverly investing the profits. Featured on MSN Money, AOL Finance, and more!
Unroll Me App Review – The Best 5 Minutes for Your Email’s Inbox
Unroll Me App Review – The Best 5 Minutes for Your Email’s Inbox
