Category: Personal Finance

For today’s guest post on paying the bills while you’re unemployed, please welcome Linda Chase from Able Hire.

The U.S. unemployment rate was 4.8% as of September 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Most people don’t pay attention to those statistics until they become a part of them. When you’re out of work, affording the essentials can seem impossible. Making changes to your spending and finding temporary income sources can help offset lost wages.

Make Money Online

The internet offers ways to make quick money to cover bills. One easy option is to sell items you don’t need through Facebook Marketplace. Once an item sells, you get instant money to cover immediate needs. Longer-term ways to build an online income include offering blog writing services, affiliate marketing, starting a YouTube channel, and selling online courses. Signing up with a platform like Upwork will have you offering your services and landing clients in no time.

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Defining the middle class has become a slippery slope for just about everyone these days including economists. That’s because since the pandemic began almost two years ago, people with money, jobs, and a lifestyle a la the “rich and famous” have been out of work, earning little or no income, becoming dependent on government programs, and may even have hit bottom and fallen through the floor.

When you think “middle class” you never think that would mean standing in line at the food bank or waiting for a check from Uncle Sam so you can get through the next month, would you?

Continue reading“Defining the Middle Class: What It Really Means”

Financial planning for 2022 now is not thinking about it too early. Planning for the future is complicated at best and can be a stressful, challenging process. There are so many events and deadlines to keep track of. And when it comes to personal finances, missing an important date could be very costly. To add a little sanity to your life, start planning now with a personal finance calendar covering all the essential dates for 2022.

What Does a Personal Finance Calendar Look Like?

A personal finance calendar lists monthly and other money and financial events, tax deadlines, holidays, and other important dates. Whether you’re a novice investor or just trying to save as much money as possible, it’s worth comparing your calendar of birthdays, anniversaries, and personal events such as weddings or retirement plans to a real list of key dates. This will ensure you won’t miss anything that might impact your finances. That’s why I recommend it and why you need a calendar.

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When COVID-19 hit us all back in the beginning of 2020, we were shocked, surprised, endangered, and depressed. It seemed like the world was ending or at least that it might be as we stopped being the people we were and fear took over. If you were lucky enough not to actually get sick, you still probably stopped working, stayed at home, and hunkered down waiting to find out when life would resume to being normal again. We are still waiting for it even though over a year and a half has gone by. In our lifetime, this is the biggest disruption we’ve ever experienced. But with the financial challenges facing us in 2022, could it become the worst year ever?

What Happened?

First of all, I do not want to minimize the fact that 700,000 Americans have died during this pandemic and millions more around the world. That is the definition of a disaster. Millions more were and are ill and who knows the ultimate long-term effect these health problems will wreak in the end. No one does.

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It seems every week we are hearing news about inflation and coming up with new names for an old problem. It is something to worry about especially when you may not be keeping pace with the rising cost of so many of the items you buy…if you can find them these days. So now a new one, shadow inflation! What is it?

Less Is Not More “Bang for the Buck”

Consumers may be getting less “bang for their buck” as companies have now begun to offer fewer services in lieu of raising prices. Yes, paying the same or slightly more for something, but getting less, can fly under the radar and some companies are starting to figure that out.

Continue reading“Shadow Inflation Is Costing You and You Might Not Even Know It”