As I work furiously to finish my thesis before the end of the spring semester, I haven't had much time to put into the blog. Priorities!...
Anyway, I have been on Twitter, sharing some of the best content I found. Here are my favorites:
-This one is targeted squarely at recent college graduates, who may be struggling with whether it's better to rent an apartment, or try to buy a home and take on a mortgage in addition to the student loans! A tough question, tackled here:
http://squaredawayblog.bc.edu/squared-away/grads-with-student-loans-rent-or-buy/
-These 15 money-saving hacks can apply to anyone! My favorites from this list are tips #1, 5, 7, 10, and 15.
http://fundingmyway.com/15-simple-money-saving-hacks/
-This is Investment 101: Investing for the Real World. Put some money into dividend-producing investments (as part of a properly diversified portfolio, of course!). Reinvest the dividends, and...poof! It's like getting free money!
http://misfitmoney.com/investing-for-beginners/dividends-are-the-easiest-way-for-you-generate-additional-income/ Remember,
millionaires make their money work harder than they do!
-What if you want to start investing, but you have barely any money to spare! On her excellent blog, author Stefanie O'Connell dug up a couple no-minimum investment options:
http://thebrokeandbeautifullife.com/where-to-start-investing-when-youre-broke/
-In fact, you don't have to be broke for years while taking on a monstrous student loan debt! If you aren't traditionally academic (you didn't enjoy your classes in high school, or you didn't do so well in tougher courses), you can take a quicker and cheaper route to a nice salary while solving people's practical problems! [The alliteration was unintentional, but I'm keeping it anyway!]
A number of blue-collar professions are in-demand and can't be outsourced. Some examples include electrician, mechanic, carpenter, roofer/builder, plumber, paramedic/certified first responder/emergency medical technician, or other professional trade. Don't count out working in the military, either--they need help in a number of non-combat areas, like working in logistics, intelligence, or repair.
You might find it more rewarding--on several levels--to work in one of these fields instead of trying to figure everything out while accumulating debt in a traditional four-year college. Stefanie O'Connell discusses that here:
http://thebrokeandbeautifullife.com/how-to-make-six-figures-before-thirty/ *Disclaimer: working in these fields won't guarantee that you'll make six figures. In fact, you probably won't, unless you start your own business. But the point stands that there are a variety of rewarding, well-paying alternatives to college--going into one of these fields can help you avoid burdensome student loans!
-Speaking of those student loans: are they worsening economic inequality? A French economist argues that they are:
http://bigthink.com/think-tank/hefty-student-loans-are-worsening-income-inequality
-Microsoft is finally surrendering to pirates!
They will reportedly allow people who pirated Windows 7 or 8 to upgrade to the legit Windows 10 when it becomes available--just like the people who are running the genuine versions! Microsoft appears to be bowing to the inevitable: nobody is willing to pay for an operating system anymore. Credit Microsoft for finally getting in sync with the times!
http://www.techrepublic.com/article/microsoft-gives-up-on-charging-for-windows-in-china/
Tech geeks might find it entertaining to debate whether or not this move will ensure that Linux never attains widespread use...
*UPDATE 5/24/2015: Despite numerous reports originally, it turns out that this is not true.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2484352,00.asp?
And, kids, this is your lesson:
-This teen has her stuff together! She's helping her mother with the family budget--kudos to this young woman whose heart (and mind!) are definitely in the right place!
http://canadianbudgetbinder.com/2015/03/16/ambitious-teen-helps-mom-with-family-budget/
-This is a common trait among entrepreneurs: they refuse to accept a "no." You might even say that entrepreneurs tend to have a lot of...
grit!
Barbara Corcoran, an investor on the very entertaining show "Shark Tank," wrote an example of how she refused to take no for an answer--and that's why she got a spot on Shark Tank!
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140906172705-264544111-the-best-entrepreneurs-don-t-know-when-to-quit
Speaking of Shark Tank--if you haven't seen it yet, you should!
Here's a link to an episode from season 6 (aired March 2015).
And, if you haven't heard, Bowling Green State University in Ohio has a similar production annually, called "
The Hatch." It's a great educational opportunity for students there (
and it's entertaining to watch)!
-Also on an entrepreneurial note, here's a peek behind the curtain of some of today's most successful and talked-about companies--before they were household names!
https://medium.com/@todfrancis/what-did-billion-dollar-companies-look-like-at-the-series-a-e53ea8043a85
-Diversification is just as important in marketing as it is in investing, as this article makes clear:
http://marketingland.com/unofficial-death-google-means-marketing-122696
There's one particular quote from this article that really struck me, and it dovetails nicely with an article that's been simmering in the back of my mind for months (but so far exists only as a title). The quote is, "...there's often more to be learned from failure than successes."
Very true--and, as many successful entrepreneurs will tell you, they often learned valuable lessons from starting businesses that failed early in their careers. [See the note on Barbara Corcoran's article two paragraphs above. Remember,
failure isn't final!]
-Need a new lock for a broken door? You can make one yourself, for the cost of a used fork from a thrift store:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lNFJt10w1E
-Sometimes, instead of trying to keep wages low and profits high while accepting an absurdly high salary, a CEO has compassion for employees and does something extraordinary to increase their happiness, like Dan Price of Gravity Payments! Read more here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/14/business/owner-of-gravity-payments-a-credit-card-processor-is-setting-a-new-minimum-wage-70000-a-year.html
Hope you found these links as interesting and helpful as I did! Happy saving!
