Freedom Debt Relief Review

As of August 2019, the total consumer debt in the United States is $4.12 trillion. Are you among those in debt? is one of the largest debt relief companies in the United States and claims to have settled over $9 billion in debt for over 600,000 clients. Founders Andrew Housser and Brad Stroh started the company to “provide financial solutions, services, and education that enable people to reduce debt, build wealth, and achieve financial freedom.”

Freedom Debt Relief evaluates customers’ debts, customizes a plan to fit their needs, creates programs, negotiates with creditors and works with customers to reach a settlement. At the end of this process, customers will owe a single monthly payment over an agreed-upon period of time that will add up to less than what they owed before the settlement.

However, settlements are not guaranteed, and the process can destroy your credit. Debt settlement should only be used as a last resort. Make sure you’ve fully explored your options before moving forward with debt settlement.

Freedom Debt Relief claims to expertly negotiate with customers’ current creditors to get them to agree to settle for less than the amount of their debt. The company states it can resolve debt quickly and for a lesser amount than other debt solutions available with its 15 years of experience.

The company is usually successful at lowering debt, but there have been several complaints. The main complaint is that the process takes too long. Some creditors settle quicker than others and others don’t settle at all. In fact, some creditors might even sue you if they find out you’re working with a debt relief company.

The process of debt settlement through Freedom Debt Relief can take anywhere between three to four years as its staff negotiates with creditors and reaches appropriate agreements.

And when they do settle, Freedom Debt Relief is going to take a large cut of what they win for you. Often, the relief won’t be as much as was hoped because the company’s fees can be up to 25%. However, every little bit helps when paying off debt, and working with Freedom Debt Relief helps to remove a chunk of the burden.

	Minimum Debt	Fees	Average Savings	BBB Rating
Freedom Debt Relief	$15,000	15%–25%	20%–30%	B-
National Debt Relief	$7,500	18%–25%	30%–50%	A+
New Era Debt Solutions	No minimum	16%–20%	52%	A+

Using Freedom Debt Relief

Even though their fees are high, it’s still beneficial to have some of your debt settled if you truly can’t afford to pay it off on your own. has been doing it successfully for long enough that the fees are understandable. The company makes the outcome of its top settlements available for potential clients to review and better understand the impact of Freedom Debt Relief’s services.

They settle an average of 43,891 accounts a month, and because it is a well-known company that has had big successes in the past, Freedom Debt Relief is a popular choice among clients seeking alleviation from their debts. Freedom Debt Relief relies on a team of experts who negotiate with creditors to bring financial relief to consumers while promising no fees until results roll in.

The process can take two to four years, and you can slowly pay off your debt normally while the process takes place. By the time you’ve reached a settlement, your debt will be lower from normal payments, and you’ll be able to pay off the rest much more easily.

Freedom Debt Relief is also a founding member of the American Fair Credit Council. Business Wire describes the council as “the leading association protecting consumer rights for the debt settlement industry.”

Under the American Fair Credit Council, members are required to operate on a “no advance free model,” so customers of debt relief companies and other institutions within this council do not charge consumers until the debt is completely and successfully negotiated.

Freedom Debt Relief also uses a client dashboard so current customers of the company can track the progress of their case and view the accounts in which they deposit money.

In general, you should not use a debt relief company unless it is a last resort. It can make your credit even worse than it already is. If you truly think that you absolutely will not ever be able to pay off the debt or convince the creditor to reduce it on your own, then Freedom Debt Relief is an option as far as professional debt relief companies go.

Things to consider

One of the first things you’ll find when you do an online search of the company name is a 2017 lawsuit that was recently settled in July 2019. Freedom Debt Relief settled for a $5 million civil penalty as well as $20 million to the company’s affected clients.

The lawsuit was brought forth by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which alleged that Freedom Debt Relief “violated the Federal Trade Commission’s Telemarketing Sales Rule by charging people in advance of debt-relief services, which is illegal.” They also alleged that “Freedom charged fees — sometimes thousands of dollars — even when borrowers negotiated settlements on their own with their creditors.”

did not admit guilt but did agree to pay the settlement. This obviously calls several of their claims into question, and you should absolutely use this information when making your decision whether or not to use their services or any debt relief company’s services.

Freedom Debt Relief’s competition

Freedom Debt Relief’s competition mainly comes from the very council that it helped found, the American Fair Credit Council. As mentioned earlier, all of the members follow the no advance fee model. Under the American Fair Credit Council, charging advanced fees is illegal, making this statement not all that impressive.

National Debt Relief is one of its main competitors. is much more open about the fact that your creditor might just say no to settling at all. This honesty on its main pages is a good sign that the company itself is honest. National Debt Relief also offers debt consolidation and bankruptcy services.

If you’re wary of the AFCC, New Era Debt Solutions offers debt relief services and is not a part of the council. The company claims on its website that it is “not one of those companies,” that settles debt in less-than-ethical ways. It seems New Era Debt Solutions tries to distance itself from the big players in the industry that allegedly use questionable business tactics.

New Era Debt Solutions focuses on debt settlement specifically, instead of having multiple services. On the one hand, a company that offers multiple services can be seen as respected and established. On the other, a company that specializes in one thing can be viewed as an expert in that one service. It all depends on perspective and personal viewpoints.

Any company that you choose is going to use similar strategies. The relationships a company has built with creditors can be the most important factor to consider when choosing a debt settlement or consolidation firm. If it has a good reputation with creditors, then that company is more likely to be able to get you a settlement.

Unfortunately, it’s hard to know that information without being inside the company. Ask about real-life examples of their relationships with creditors when you call or inquire about services.

The bottom line

We can’t emphasize enough that this service is a last resort. The best decision you can make for your future is to find a way to pay off debt yourself.

Unfortunately, that is not possible for many people. While politicians talk about forgiving debt, the reality is that a debt relief company is probably your only option outside of paying off the debt or negotiating with your creditors yourself.

And those creditors are much more likely to say no to you than to a professional from Freedom Debt Relief. Do your due diligence to ensure that turning to a professional debt consolidation company is the right choice for your financial future.

The post Freedom Debt Relief Review appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

The Resident Season 3 Episode 5 Review: Choice Words

And we’re back to our regularly scheduled program.

In case you missed the dozens of ages the word was delivered, “choice” was the theme of The Resident Season 3 Episode 5.

All of our characters were doing choices, facing backlashes from those they stimulated, or exchanging some alternative utterances with each other. May whatever deity or entity have mercy on us all as we brave the Conrad/ Devon storm.

The abys between Conrad and Devon continues to expand and by now has most kinfolks firmly planted on “Team Conrad, ” some endorsement Devon, and countless necessitate them to stop being at odds with each other.

Some of us kids don’t like it when the bros fight.

Related: The Resident Season 3 Episode 4 Review: Belief System

Shows thrive off of relationship drama, and since the first two seasons situated CoNic through the wringer with theirs, it was time to spread relationship conflict out in brand-new and innovative ways.

Sure, you can argue that the team against the latest antagonist dishes as conflict, but it’s what one expects. You likewise need some friction amidst the protagonists.

Outside of CoNic, the next best relationship to screw with involving our conduct is Conrad and Devon.

Conrad: What about you? Devon: Long day.Conrad: Evey doctor has them. We go home. We learn from our mistakes.Devon: The thing is I didn’t make one. I was right not to report that pilot.Conrad: Incorrect. Drunk pilots should not be flying interval. Sixty-two traumata. Fourteen critical.Devon: Do I was all right about whatever happens? I do, but patients need to know that when they come to us that we will keep their medical history private good or bad. Once we lose that cartel we can’t help anyone and beings will die.Conrad: People did die. Because of your hand-picked, how do you not see it?

Permalink: People did die. Because of your alternative, how do you not see it ?

Added: November 05, 2019

It’s not amazing that there are fundamental differences between the two as medical doctors and also as humanities. They were always different from one another.

The abrupt nature of the segment between them is the odd part of the latest conflict. Yes, we know the tipping point for Devon was Conrad’s actions with the criminal patient.

At some part, something was going to lead to this predicament. But of all the things Conrad has done in three seasons; why that incident? Why now?

I can accept that Devon wants to draw a line.

Devon: I made an word. I get that you would have made a different choice.Conrad: The right one Devon: For you, but I don’t want to be the kind of doctor you are.Conrad: Well, clearly I’ve been wasting your time.

Permalink: Well, clearly I’ve been squandering your time.

Added: November 05, 2019

I can deal with Devon concluding that they’re different beings. Nonetheless, the execution of the conflict between them is shoddy because of the sudden antagonism Devon is displaying.

It feels thrust. Conrad is doing and being what Conrad has always done and been. They can disagree on how he does things, and it’s cool.

It get funny when Devon’s stance comes with mines about how he doesn’t want to be like Conrad.

It’s unnecessary and out of the blue.

It’s also hard to take their situations when Devon tacks that on as an aside needlessly. It’s grating because of what it does for him.

Related: Prodigal Son Season 1 Episode 7 Review: Q& A

Because, and many beings don’t like to hear this, Devon does have a leg to stand on now. He’s not incorrect for his opinion and his stance.

He’s not even an anomaly for its own position he comprises. He exclusively is on a display like The Resident.

Devon’s posture alone has deserved without undercutting it with biting commentary about Conrad. The question with having a protagonist like Conrad is anyone who challenges him is checked off as “wrong, ” and that isn’t certainly the case.

It’s something similar to a situation that is happening on Grey’s Anatomy or what happens routinely on Chicago PD.

Devon’s stance that he could not go along with certain things Conrad is saying or doing is valid on its own.

Devon behaving like he suddenly cannot be friends or respect Conrad with an addendum of claiming, with derision, he doesn’t want to be like Conrad is random and heavy-handed.

I’ll write your boss the best doctor’s note you’ve ever seen.

Conrad Permalink: I’ll write your boss the best doctor’s document you’ve ever seen .

Added: November 05, 2019

Their conflict can exist without it. It doesn’t help that Devon has already been to elaborate on what it means.

It’s like he’s withholding a deeper explanation about where he’s coming from, and their speeches feel incomplete.

As a arise, their conflict feels devised. It’s possible the show is biding time until it comes to a real head, but the idle season is disagreeable, and not in the manner of which it’s designed.

I do appreciate the line redoubling down on Devon’s stance.

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He wouldn’t acquire either way for some followers, but in Devon standing by his position, he distinguishes his intended goal from him has become a hypocrite because of previous actions.

It’s a word use loosely to describe him now. Nonetheless, a hypocrite would call Conrad out while doing the same as him.

Devon hasn’t accommodation himself or his new rigid ethics since he’s taken issue with Conrad.

This crash wasn’t my fault. The next one could be. I need assistance.

Pilot Permalink: This crash wasn’t my fault. The next one could be. I need assistance.

Added: November 05, 2019

If he “learned from his mistakes” during his previous controversial action, then the hypocrisy contention doesn’t hold.

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The client with the captain showcased that. He could have violated HIPAA by reporting the man’s alcoholism for the greater good or respected his patient’s rights and dealt with the aftermath.

He is worried about the pilot and worried about what would happen if the three men stepped foot into a cockpit.

He devoted most of the hour guilt-ridden about the plane crash and annoyed the captain was his patient. It devour at him, and Nic and Conrad tried to reassure him about it.

Every doctor has a patient in their past they want to go back to and treat in a different way. Focus on the ones who need you right now.

Conrad Permalink: Every doctor has a patient in their past they want to go back to and treat in a different …

Added: November 05, 2019

It was the perfect day for him not only to hesitate but succumb to circumvent ethics for righteousnes, but he didn’t.

Conrad expected Devon’s guilt was due to making a mistake. But Devon didn’t feel like he did, and in the end, his pilot wasn’t the one responsible.

It was like a permutation flip-flop during their final dialogue. They are on two different backs of something.

It’s an intriguing sport of moralities versus justice versus justice versus legality.

Related: Supergirl: Why Lena Luthor Needs to Forgive Kara

They’re both caught up on what’s “right.” The issue is that what’s morally right isn’t the same as what’s ethically right.

Devon: I made an promise. I get that you would have made a different choice.Conrad: The right one Devon: For you, but I don’t intended to be the kind of doctor you are.Conrad: Well, clearly I’ve been consuming your time.

Permalink: Well, clearly I’ve been squandering your time.

Added: November 05, 2019

What’s legal isn’t the same as what’s just.

Conrad represents someone challenging a flawed organisation, but Devon is upholding that system while working within its restrictions.

Conrad thought he coached Devon to buck against the bureaucracy, but to him, Devon is becoming another cog in the machine.

At the heart of issues and questions between them, discretion plays a role, very. Everyone has a different cable for that as well. Discretion doesn’t laded the same for everyone.

Related: Riverdale Round Table: Is[ Spoiler] Dead ?!

The contradictions between the mentor and mentee is messy. Devon has been ranked as a foil to Conrad, and it’s, I don’t know what it is.

But while we’re confused with Devon, it does seem like Conrad is taking more hazards and coming bolder.

It renders some credence to why Devon feels the way he does, despite it not being sufficient to make sense.

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Do you guys judge Conrad pulped the button?

He and Nic are determined to get to the bottom of the pharmaceutical visitation edition. They’re both willing to risk it all if it comes down to it. For Nic, it’s only if it comes down to it, though.

The marry going on the quest in Jessie’s memory may be the thing to draw RRMM to its knees.

If they are from their angle and Mina and AJ resume their position from the macabre township, then the takedown will be spectacular.

Conrad: Stimulating sure a drug is safe shouldn’t be this hard.Nic: If it is harming cases it’s simply going to get harder. Conrad: Red Rock Pharmaceutical company do you really want to take these chaps on? Nic: I save thinking what would Jessie want me to do? She made a lot of bad preferences but she was fearless. She ever demanded the truth.Conrad: Then we don’t stop until we get it

Permalink: Then we don’t stop until we get it

Added: November 05, 2019

All of the moving sections have to get into play, though.

Conrad can jumpstart it if he retrieves all the medical records of all the patients, so he can build up their case.

So far, Conrad has skated by facing few ramifications from his actions, and it seems like they’re building up to him taking a fall.

If CoNic makes down RRMM, it won’t be soon enough.

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Who the f ** k did Cain think he was talking to when he spoke to Kit like that?

How can someone so handsome be so freaking evil?

In this fandom, we protect Kit Voss at all costs, and what we’re not going to do is stand for any Voss disrespect.

Cain leaned good-for-nothing from its own experience with Hades. He was right back to being an asshole.

Devon: She needs you to operate.Cain: I’m booked five weeks out.Conrad: She’s get gold-plated insurance.Cain: Oh, okay. I get it, so you guys study I’m some Red Rock tool who only thinks about the money? I could have gone to any infirmary in “the two countries “, gentlemen. I preferred Chastain because I construed the opportunity to help as countless beings as possible. With a faculty that would support me or at least stay out of my nature. Coming at me like this is not how it’s done. Your patient needs my assist, I will operate on her because I care , not because she can pay.Devon: Maybe we underrated him. Cain[ to wet-nurse ]: Check her insurance.

Permalink: Oh, okay. I get it, so you guys mull I’m some Red Rock tool who only thinks about the money ?

Added: November 05, 2019

What was the item of him impersonating he yielded a damn about Sasha whether her assurance was good or not?

We know where he is. It was hilarious when he went on that spiel and then craved the nurse to double-check the insurance.

It’s the season of no one respecting each other’s techniques, and it continues with Cain and Kit.

She has her way of doing things, and so does he, but the lack of respect in the OR is appalling. Cain speaks to Kit like she isn’t a seasoned surgeon herself.

Related: The Good Doctor Season 3 Episode 6 Review: Communication Problems

You expect this kind of scalpel measuring and assertion of alpha status from different ranking physicians. Attendings arguing their ability over residents and interns is what you envision.

Cain judges his billables reach him superior, and they don’t.

Kit considered bequeath, and then she was back to wanting to stay. She cares about the people there, but with Cain travelling her ass and trying to push her away, she’s as good as gone.

Cain: So I guess you’re the Bell whisperer.Kit: Scarcely. I don’t repute anyone’s fairly figured out that guy yet.Cain: You talked an informed doctor out of proven medical intervention.Kit: Well, if Bell’s mastered one thing is self-preservation.Cain: Yes, and he also plays well with others which is more than I “ve said” for you. Don’t ever speak to me like that in the OR again.Kit: I can say the same thing.Cain: I can say whatever I want. That’s the difference between a surgeon who legislations 80 million dollars a year like me and one that statements two.

Permalink: I can say whatever I miss. That’s the difference between a surgeon who bills 80 million …

Added: November 05, 2019

What will Chastain do without the Bell Whisper? Will the reputation go to Grayson?

In Grayson’s security, the manager accommodating screwup is what saved Bell during the plane crash.

It’s a miracle he walked away with a herniated disc. Bell remains charming and plea this season.

The special interest he took in Jerry, despite the man irritating him on the plane, was touching.

This crash wasn’t my fault. The next one could be. I need aid.

Permalink: This crash wasn’t my fault. The next one could be. I need facilitate.

Added: November 05, 2019

Bell’s incident with Jerry’s feisty, pole-dancing wife was moving, too.

We all triumph when Bell takes special interest in cases. His bedside manner has improved drastically, and he’s genuine and authentic with patients these days.

Bell is such a complicated reputation and showed with such nuance that he grows more endearing with each installment.

AJ’s parents are captivating, more. Weren’t they they cutest?

Yi: Tell us everything. What was he like? No sense of humor like you? AJ: Well, he’s stubborn. He’s sensational, and he’s opinionated, so no, he’s nothing like me.

Permalink: Well, he’s stubborn. He’s melodramatic, and he’s opinionated, so no, he’s nothing like me.

Added: November 05, 2019

Malcolm-Jamal Warner used only to guest-star on The Closer and Major Crimes, so it was amusing that “his fathers” was played by Michael Paul Chan who was Lieutenant Tao.

His parents are lively and vibrant. “His fathers” clears Dad jokes.

They seemed like affectionate people, and you could tell AJ grew up in a love environment. He didn’t want to disrespect his mothers by experiencing his birth parents.

It weighed heavily on him. His parents didn’t mind it, though, which employed the decision back on his shoulders.

Mina: They are great people.AJ: They are astonish beings. Even when they don’t know what they’re saying yes to, they still placed me first. Even if it hurts. That’s family. The ones who relinquish for you out of enjoy. Who form the difficult decisions even if they have every reason to ignore them. I hope I can be the type of parent they are.

Permalink: They are amazing beings. Even when they don’t know what they’re saying yes to, they still gave …

Added: November 05, 2019

If AJ wanted to use his parents as an pretext, they didn’t allow it. It was his alternative to make it on his own.

His momma was the person who is seemed vacated over it, but when she spoke to him, it saw sense.

Moms always know. She wouldn’t feel evicted if he gratified his birth mommy. She didn’t want to make that opportunity away from him because of his concern about how she would feel.

It was cute when she laid down her ground rule, though. She got most of the time and all the days that mattered.

AJ’s Mom: Listen, you won’t know what you’ll find when you walk through that door. But you know exactly what you’ll find when you walk back through ours. No was important that, we will always be here for you. So when you’re ready, “theres going” visualize her my son. But I got a few ground rules. Birthdays and holidays are mine. You got it? And every other day in between. AJ: You got it.

Permalink: Birthdays and holidays are mine. You got it? And every other day in between .

Added: November 05, 2019

AJ’S panoramas with his parents opened a girl the warm fuzzies.

He is well-loved. As a result, he was able to pass some advice to Mina without “ve been meaning to” do so.

Family is important, and it matters. Family of hand-picked concerns, too.

Adaku, which was currently 75 months pregnant, craved Mina to be her child’s godmother.

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Mina should’ve seen it coming, and Adaku should’ve known Mina “couldve been” hesitant.

Adaku is a lovely girl and Mina’s best friend, but she’s confusing.

They’re supposed to be like sisters, and it implies a tier of lore she should possess.

Does Mina even like offsprings? She would affection her godchild, of course, but taking care of her is different.

Adaku; Mina Okafor, I want you to be my baby’s godmother.Mina: Godmother? Adaku: I’m cancer-free now, but we both know that that can change. If anything happening on me, I want my child to have a strong brilliant Nigerian woman to show her the way.

Permalink: I’m cancer-free now, but we both know that that can change. If anything happens to me, I require …

Added: November 05, 2019

Mina is an grandiose occupant. She has her nose on a fellowship. She’s devoted to her career.

The likelihood she could end up taking care of such children is higher than standards and norms given Adaku’s medical history.

It doesn’t feel exhibition that Adaku could decide to have a baby despite the risk. She chose to go through the process.

She preferred all of it, and predominantly against Mina’s concerns and advice. She made those picks and then resented Mina for fluctuating on has become a godparent.

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How is it different than person having a child against their spouse’s chooses?

Adaku expects and hopes that Mina will be there to take care of her child if something happens to her. Mina’s choice didn’t feel like it was her own. It seemed like she was strong-armed and guilted into it, which wasn’t fair to her.

Mina doesn’t even have a plan if the most difficult happens and she’s left to take care of her godchild.

The focus on that storyline and Adaku’s presence is concerning. Aunt Mina the single baby feels like a real possibility by intent of The Resident Season 3.

What happens if Mina “re going to have to” gave her life and dreams on hold if life hurls Adaku and her and curveball?

View Slideshow: 21 Male Characters Who Couldn’t Take No for an Answer

Over to you, Resident Fanatics!

Does the Conrad and Devon saga feel contrived?

Related: Get Comic Con HQ via Prime Video Channels to Stream Original Series, Past Comic-Con Panels& More !

Does anyone else want to kick Cain’s ass for disrespecting Kit? Will Conrad click “enter”?

Hit specific comments below!

You watch The Resident online here via Tv Fanatic!

———————————————

Editor’s Note: Our system came informed! Now, you’ll be able to scroll through countless articles at once. That necessitated a little bit of a change to the comments, though, and now you have to click the blue “comments” bar at the bottom of an article to access them.

We still have two segments to commentaries now. You can either comment abusing Facebook or Disqus. Either way, you can SEE both types of observations. We hope that will be more inclusive of our community at large and that these discussions will grow as a result.

Read more: tvfanatic.com

Papua New Guinea – Staging a Coffee Comeback

The formerly thriving coffee industry in Papua New Guinea( PNG) is now opportune for repair, and specialty chocolate is on the menu as demand for the liquor rises. With foreign purchasers scenting around origin countries, PNG’s coffee industry is once again stretching its legs, while the chocolate macrocosm waits expectantly.

Can PNG overcome its history of political and social instability and its current infrastructural, social, and frugal questions to be the next big thing in specialty coffee?

You may also like Coffee Origin Spotlight: Papua New Guinea’s Specialty Coffee

Millennials are increasing the demand for specialty coffee. Credit: Nicole Motteux

Who’s Driving The Demand For Specialty Coffee?

The demand for specialty coffee is increasing around the world. Global demand is driven principally by millennials’ thirst for’ relationship’ coffee- caliber chocolate that’s ethically induced and sustainably sourced. Today’s generation of alcoholics miss more from their coffee. They want to replace sips with experiences, brands with liaisons, and makes with stories.

This shift likewise manifests a germinating buyer awareness around issues of quality, flavor, health, environment, equity, and fair compensations. Coffee that supports ethical and agricultural standards symbolizes a higher priced concoction. People are willing to pay, and the burgeoning specialty chocolate marketplace has swung into action enthusiastically.

Currently, specialty uptake is growing by 7-9 % a year, and the USA is the largest consuming nation. Specialty coffee markets also have expansion possible in emerging business, where increasingly affluent middle-class populations are becoming consumers. This group now accounts for nearly 50 % of total world consumption.

Find out more in Why You Need to Offer Millennials More Than Just Coffee

Jiwaka Province’s rugged area originates some of the world’s finest coffee. Approval: Tim Bieber, Kopi.man

What Sees PNG Specialty Coffee so Special?

Blessed with the excellent climate and exceptional clay fertility, PNG coffee has all the natural, full-flavoured attributes of top-grade specialty coffee. Farmers can germinate many different and outstanding diversities including Blue Mountain, Catimor, Caturra, Mundo Novo, and Arusha.

“What determineds PNG coffee apart from other world-renowned coffee is that it is unique in many ways, ” says Mick Wheeler, an international advocate for PNG coffee with over 40 times experience in the industry.

“Coffee is so well suited to the climate here, it has that incredible meld of flavour, body and poise in the bowl that is found in chocolates from only a few cases other lineages. But more than that, PNG coffee has an incredible story to tell; it is full of likeness, ceremonies, dances, lilts, drama, costumes and colour.”

The growth in demand for specialty coffee means that for the first time in centuries, farmers and creators on the front lines are getting a foot on the ladder. Price fees of superior or differentiated chocolate can be 20 goes that of commodity coffee. The difference it is possible to acquire to farmers, coffee-growing societies, agriculture productions, and the economy is immense.

We spoke to Ian Mopafi, Chairman of the Coffee Industry Working Group, and coffee seller. Approval: Nicole Motteux

What Happened to PNG’s Once Thriving Coffee Industry?

Just a few decades ago, PNG had a thriving coffee industry which provided stable jobs, reliable incomes, and a light future.

Jamaican Blue Mountain seeds were first embed in the 1920 s in the foothills of PNG’s southeastern Sangara province. Early European planters worked with local farmers to establish reliable farming methods and grading plans, and PNG coffee speedily developed into a frequently high-yielding and excellence produce that was exported across the world.

In the 1960 s, coffee production was boosted when infrastructure development improved the transportation of coffee beans and equipment, allowing more raises to start trading.

“In the 1960 s, coffee was a strong industry and had a good honour, ” says Ian Mopafi, Chairman of the Coffee Industry Working Group. “Coffee gave us openings- it paid for our education and stipulated activities. Creators invested in the industry with stringent quality control systems. Then, in the 1970 s, when frost ravaged coffee in Brazil and world-wide furnishes were depleted, speculators turned to PNG. Coffee production made an all-time high of 87, 000 tonnes in 1999. ”

Since then, however, production has worsened, with costs for light-green beans plummeting so low-pitched that countless farmers are unable to cover their production costs and have been forced to supplement their coffee product by ripening other cash crop.

According to Mick Wheeler, “2 002 to 2006 toll disasters discouraged many growers from continuing in coffee and is the result of a lot of problems: the low price of coffee on world markets, shortcoming of investment and younger generation ascertain the very low returns offered by coffee. Coffee growers in PNG do respond to price incentives and we have seen product expand when prices go up.”

Transportation and infrastructure challenges in Waghi Valley, Jiwaka Province. Credit: Tim Bieber, Kopi.man

Barriers to Local Coffee Production

While PNG’s rocky grime and environment are perfect for coffee yield, its inclination for heavy rains and earthquakes offsets the remaining balance. Of the four regions in PNG, the Highlands account for the majority of national chocolate yield, but the arena shortcoming suitable infrastructure and equipment to ferry nuts to the West Coast export port of Lae.

“The coffee journey from the Highlands to Lae require the truck driver to brave long hours of navigating monstrous potholes and infuse escarpments, ” says David Hannon, CEO of New Guinea Highlands Company and a prime exporter of PNG coffee. “During heavy rains, it is barely passable. In some locates, they stop the trucks and people have to walk, carrying the ponderous sackings of coffee, to get it out.”

In other areas of the island, airplanes are the only mode of transporting coffee due to impassable terrain. Transporting beans over great lengths with poor transport infrastructure increases the risk of damage or pollutant, arising in loss of quality.

A 2018 PNG Coffee Market Study by the Pacific Horticultural and Agricultural Market Access Plus Programme marked further obstacles to production. These included political and social insecurity, language obstructions, unemployment, and insufficient law and order systems.

The latter has encouraged theft, forcing producers to pick their cultivate prematurely. This causes in unripe beans and a lower point of coffee.

Inequality is an issue, with close to 40 % of PNG’s population living below the poverty line of $ 2 per epoch. Around 80 % live in rural areas and over 40 % depend on coffee for the purposes of an income. The neighborhood is hazardous for women, creating an additional barrier to the specialty coffee market, where women make up the majority of those who harvest and process the crop.

Add to this challenges such as fluctuating world coffee tolls, complex and rigid regulatory organizations, foreign exchange controls, aging trees, and poverty-stricken pest and malady insure, and it’s evident to see that barriers faced by regional creators are significant.

Despite this, The study shows that buyers in Australia, Europe, USA, and Japan are very interested in PNG specialty coffee.

From left to right: Peter Yamane, Mick Wheeler, Pato Kakaraya, and Terry Lau gather as coffee makes, supervisors, and experts at the PNG National Coffee Symposium and Expo 2019. Credit: Nicole Motteux

Why PNG Coffee Leaders Are Uniting For Change

In May 2019, PNG accommodated its first National Coffee Symposium and Expo. It was the first time the country’s coffee industry leaders, makes, traders, authority, and stakeholders met in one home to discuss the future of PNG coffee. The purport was to discuss reducing poverty, enhancing environmental sustainability, and taking advantage of the coffee ranges available.

The event was attended by members of Parliament, key priests, coffee growers, cooperatives, sellers, processors, millers, service providers, and consumers.

At the phenomenon, Coffee Industry Corporation( CIC) CEO Charles Dambui stated that demand for coffee from PNG is set to grow even stronger in the future, as long as farmers capitalise on market trends and move to producing specialty, guaranteed coffee.

“Coffee is the country’s second largest agricultural export, ” said Steven Tumae, CIC General Manager, in his opening remarks. “We cannot rely wholly on volume coffee, playing against big, more effective and beneficial countries like Brazil, Colombia or Vietnam. We need to pursue specialty markets. Now is the time to take up this challenge to regrow PNG’s coffee industry.”

With this in sentiment, CIC announced their commitment to work with the World Bank funded Productive Partnerships in Agriculture Project to facilitate the rehabilitation of run-down blocks and plantations. Tumae hopes that “improving coffee subsistences will support makes to re-establish and even broaden their coffee holdings”.

Sallyn Lumotopa is the founder and farmer of GINIPA Single Origin Coffee, which triumphed Best Social Impact Project Award at a Russian awards phenomenon. Credit: Nicole Motteux

Women Are The Solution: Taim Blo Senis( Time to Change)

In PNG, women’s empowerment, lead, and human change is at rock bottom levels. PNG graded 159 out of 160 countries around the 2017 Gender Inequality Index. Endemic violence against women and a lack of rights mean that PNG dames are some of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in the nations of the world.

Yet against this backdrop of poverty and oppression it is PNG women who are moving things forward in the specialty chocolate manufacture. They know that it’s the best chance they have to lift their families out of poverty and supply a future for their children.

Women in PNG are engaged in coffee cultivation, gleaning and processing, but predominantly excluded when coffee is sold to exporters. Seven years ago, PNG women initiated the Women in Coffee( WIC) Association to get a better bargain.

WIC members access learning, information materials and skills through NGOs, internet, and increase works. They share their knowledge through seminars and emails, focusing on quality, role models, investment, establishing partnerships, and assembling certification programs.

In addition, they create dark-green nuts for export, cooking, cupping, and backpack. Their model of learning sharing and collective understand implies increased earnings for everyone.

“It has to involve the whole family- husbands, wives and children, ” says Sallyn Lomutopa, a specialty coffee farm owner and spokesperson for WIC. “Over the last five years, the CARE International program in PNG got us talking together about who does what, coin, expending, and proliferating our business. Their own families used to work a five year plan. And we currently ready. We have caliber stairs in place. Our coffee is meeting the international standards required for specialty coffee. We are ready to take our two tonnes to the market. We demand those individuals who drinkings it to feel our journey.”

WIC is emerging in different parts of the supply chain: buying, consolidating, and cooking chocolate for their own coffeehouses. Katerina Pianga, the co-founder of WIC and proprietor of the Mount Hagen Airport cafe in the Highlands says, “I pay the farmer another 2 Kina- up from 4 Kina( US$ 1)- for high-quality nuts because I can sell a really good espresso for 10 Kina( around US$ 3 ). Pilots come for their regular coffee. And our favourite recreation is watching barista proves. We desire determining coffee make a difference.”

In addition to the above, ladies are likewise pushing for participation in high-level powwows with priests, coffee board members, sponsors, and bankers to discuss quality, busines handling, and the value of attention to detail.

Baristas serve coffee at Jackson International Airport’s Duffy Cafe.Credit: Nicole Motteux

PNG Millennials Drive Change

Just as millennials in developed countries are demanding specialty coffee in their cafes, young PNG entrepreneurs are forging their own courses in the chocolate industry too.

Mark Munnull is General Manager of Kosem, a PNG export company. He has partnered with a young coffeehouse owned, Travers Chue, who recognised a big gap in world markets.

“In PNG we create excellent coffee hitherto it was hard to find good coffee to imbibe locally. So, Travers started an espresso table. It was literally exactly a hole in the wall. This arise into PNG’s first bond of specialty cafes, Duffys. Kosem supplies the coffee.”

Emma Wakpi is another young entrepreneur making a difference in the specialty coffee representation. Born on a coffee raise, Emma has dedicated her life to working in community health in remote locations and under-resourced health systems.

Backed by her father-god, she decided to re-open the family coffee mill, Jiwaka Coffee Ltd. in the rocky more fertile Waghi Valley in Jiwaka province. Now, Emma works with big magnitude growers to produce specialty coffee. She talks of research, coming every step right, and establishing back beings pride in their chocolate, with a focus on the community and the environment.

Specialty Coffee Roaster Gina Di Brita beakers a PNG specialty coffee. Credit: Numero Uno Coffee Roasters

Vision to Reality: Bringing PNG’s Specialty Coffee to Global business

“The specialty sector restraints a great deal of predict that PNG can and must access but to do so requires a change of approach to ensure consistency and quality, ” says Mick Wheeler. “Transforming the sector will require a tremendous commitment.”

This is the challenge the PNG coffee industry now faces.

For this to happen, there needs to be a progressive shifting to specialty coffee. Investing in this will open doors to increased income for small growers, intensify PNG’s export abilities, and increase its foreign exchange incomes. It is an indication that makes must deliver consistent aspect across processes and that smallholder creators must rein productivity across the industry.

A robust method of quality standards and firmnes will too be essential, involving everyone from farmers and cooperatives to roasters, purchasers, and traders. The ploy in cementing the alliance between consumers and producers lies in developing reliable, translucent systems and marketplaces that are easily accessible by all.

Linking PNG’s high-quality coffee to its heritage and combining this with a commitment to improvement across the industry, could be the path to a stronger future for its people.The dream seems closer to reality today and the future full of possible for PNG specialty coffee.

Enjoyed this? You are also welcome to like How The Malaysian State of Sarawak Is Rethinking Liberica Coffee

Written by Nicole Motteux, with input by Lilani Goonesena. Feature photo: A chocolate farmer collects nuts in Mount Hagen, in the PNG Highlands. Feature photo credit: Keith Halden

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Wealthsimple Review 2019 – Robo Advisor & Wealthsimple Trade [UNIQUE PROMO]

Now that Wealthsimple Trade has launched, and the robo advisor service has gotten so popular, I figured that it was time to take a serious look at the service. 

If you’re the TLDR type, then this Wealthsimple review might be a bit lengthy for your tastes.  Feel free to navigate using our table of contents to jump around.

• How the service works (spoiler alert: no actual robots involved)
• Wealthsimple RRSP, TFSA, RESP accounts
• Wealthsimple Fees and Costs
• Is Wealthsimple is safe?
• Wealthsimple discount code
• Wealthsimple Review Summary & Scoreboard
• Wealthsimple Trade

Below, you can find my Wealthsimple review summary and rating:

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Why is Wealthsimple Canada’s Leading Robo Advisor

There’s a reason why Wealthsimple is Canada’s biggest and most popular robo advisor. However, before I dig into what makes Wealthsimple such a standout in its field, let’s first take a second to explain what a robo advisor is and Wealthsimple’s approach as a robo-advisor.

Intro: What is a Robo Advisor?

The first thing you need to know is that a robo advisor, despite the name, is not a robot. The investment process is automated (after you set it up the first time) however, that automated process is created, run, and monitored by a team of very knowledgeable financial professionals who are also available for customer service and financial advice. 

Robo advisors have come to light over the last few years as a middle-ground for Canadians who are looking for an alternative to the big brick-and-mortar banks but are not comfortable using DIY methods. The goal is to create an easy-to-use investing process that will allow clients to make the most of their money without the hidden fees and costs often associated with traditional banking methods.  Perhaps the best part about robo advisors in my opinion is that they allow Canadians to setup a quick and easy way to automate their investing using an index-based philosophy..

The Wealthsimple Approach

The Toronto-based team behind Wealthsimple (wealthsimple.com) describes its mission as the following: 

The Nobel Prize-winning research they are referring to is the Modern Portfolio Theory done by Harry Markowitz.  Wealthsimple is quick to tell users that their approach is based on this tried and tested work. If you are familiar with ‘couch potato investing’, then you’ll have an idea as to how Wealthsimple manages your money. We’ll dig more into how it works later on in this Wealthsimple review. 

The Team Behind Wealthsimple

As mentioned above, robo advisors are backed by financial experts who create and monitor the algorithms. Additionally, there are financial experts to reach out to with any customer service inquiries or, even for financial advice. 

From wealthsimple.com

While robo advisors have been around for a couple of years now (Wealthsimple started in Toronto in 2014, and was founded by Michael Katchen), many Canadians are still hesitant to switch to one because they are still categorized as new. It makes sense, ‘new’ isn’t always a word you want to associate your hard-earned money with, however, you can breathe easy with Wealthsimple knowing that this particular Canadian robo advisor is “powered” by Power Financial – one of Canada’s largest and wealthiest companies.  As of 2019 Power owned 89% of Wealthsimple and had invested over $200 Million in the company! Plus, Canada’s largest robo advisor has grown up before our eyes and really isn’t that young anymore.

Wealthsimple Review: How it Works

To get started with Wealthsimple you can have an online, email, or phone discussion with an advisor to discuss what they think is the best option for you taking into consideration your goals and risk tolerance. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, remember that the Wealthsimple representative you are speaking to is an advisor and while they may not be able to answer everything off their head (mainly when it comes down to the more detailed, complex questions), they will answer your questions with your best interests at hand. 

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One of the reasons I’m such an advocate for Wealthsimple is because as a Portfolio Manager, they have a fiduciary duty, meaning that the company and their employees legally HAVE to give you advice and recommend investments with your needs and best interests in mind. Strangely enough, this is not mandatory of all financial advisors in Canada, and many people at big banks that recommend mutual funds have no fiduciary duty to you at all!

Once you have chosen your account (for example, RRSP or TFSA), your funds will be split into several different asset categories including both Canadian and international equities, real estate, and bonds. 

Wealthsimple Investing Approach and Returns

As I mentioned earlier our Wealthsimple.com review, the robo advisor approach is basically an automated form of couch potato investing. For those who aren’t familiar with this term, couch potato investing is a passive investing strategy that relies on building a diversified, low-maintenance portfolio. The goal is to deliver high returns at a low cost and has been shown to reduce typical investor costs by up to 90%. Not only does this strategy save you money, but it has also been proven to beat the vast majority of mutual funds and “money experts” that traditionally handle your investments in Canada.

The couch potato strategy (which has also been called index-investing or passive investing) is not new. It’s been around for ages, but is becoming more and more popular in part thanks to robo advisors like Wealthsimple, who allow everyday folks, rather than just finance experts, to build and maintain these types of portfolios. 

Personally, I’m a strong believer in taking this type of approach to investing, and I’m a fan of how transparent Wealthsimple is when it comes to their investment strategies. When asked what kind of returns to expect, Wealthsimple responded with the following:

While Wealthsimple makes it clear that expected returns are impossible to predict (this is the truth for any investor, don’t let someone try to convince you otherwise), they go an extra step in their transparency to show you how your investments are performing and what your returns actually are in their monthly statements and in your online account.

Wealthsimple Socially Responsible and Halal Investing

Investors may also be interested to know that Wealthsimple offers Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) as well. Socially responsible investing is becoming more and more popular these days, especially among millennials. 

To clarify, socially responsible investing is a type of investing that allows you to put your money towards companies and businesses that align with your environmental and social values. A Wealthsimple SRI portfolio will include the following ETFs:

• Low Carbon (CRBN): Global stocks with a lower carbon exposure that the broader markets.
• Environment (XEN): Canadian stock that prioritize environmental and social concerns.
• Cleantech (PZD): Cleantech innovators in the developed world
• Government Securities (ZFM): Canadian federal bonds with AAA rating
• Human Rights (VIDI): Global stocks with a positive record on human rights and corruption. 

I’ll admit that socially responsible investing isn’t at the top of my priority list, however, I do agree that it is a good concept and think it’s a great way to entice younger generations to become more involved in their money decisions. Of course, people tend to be more involved with SRI portfolios because some of the companies may not be up to your personal standards, so that is something to keep in mind. Additionally, there is an added premium to SRI, about 0.2% MER since it is much more niche. However, it’s great to know that the option is there should that be important to you. 

As well as socially responsible investing, Wealthsimple also offers Halal Investing. This portfolio is optimized for performance by using companies that align with Islamic law. This means no businesses that profit from gambling, weapons, tobacco, or other restricted industries. Additionally, this type of investing will not include any businesses that obtain a significant percentage of their income from interest on loans. All investments are screened by a group of Shariah scholars to ensure that they are up to the expected standards. 

Hallal portfolios include 50 stocks chosen based on the designated required principles as well as their ability to be optimized for diversification. Examples of these stocks include Pfizer Inc, Canon Inc, and Johnson & Johnson. As with other Wealthsimple investment portfolios, the goal of Halal investing is to minimize risk and maximize reward and, if you are wondering about the fees, there are no additional fees to Wealthsimple’s halal investing, it follows the same fee structure as other Wealthsimple investments.

 

Wealthsimple Review: Costs and Fees

Wealthsimple.com currently has three different levels: Basic, Black, and Generation. I’ll dig more into these in a minute, but when it comes to fees, the Wealthsimple management fees differ depending on which of these levels you choose. It will either be 0.5% or 0.4%.

Now, on top of the Wealthsimple management fees you need to include the MERs of the underlying ETFs. The total MER for your investment in a basic portfolio will be 0.5%-0.7%.

If you are looking into socially responsible investing (SRI), as mentioned previously, you will have slightly higher MERs, around 0.25-0.40%. This would then bring your total fees (management fees plus MERs) to 0.65%-0.90%. 

ETFs are known for having significantly lower MERs than mutual funds. To compare, consider Wealthsimple’s overall fees (0.5%-0.7% for non SRI accounts) versus actively managed mutual funds which are more like 2%-2.5%. That means the average Canadian is paying 3-4 times as much for their mutual fund investments, than they could be paying for an objectively superior investment product! 

Now that you have an idea of the Wealthsimple costs and fees, let’s take a look at the different Wealthsimple levels. 

Wealthsimple Basic

The Wealthsimple Basic Account is for clients who have up to $100,000. This account has a 0.5% fee which includes trading, account fees, rebalancing costs, and transfer fees. It’s a simple account, nothing too fancy. That being said, the fees are competitive compared to other robo advisors on the market, plus you also get financial advice included as part of the package.

Wealthsimple Black

The Wealthsimple Black account is a premium service for clients who have more than $100,000. If you have this account, your management fee drops from 0.5% to 0.4%. It may not seem like a lot, but trust me, that adds up quickly over time!

Black account holders receive all the benefits included in the basic account: trading, account fees, rebalancing costs and transfer fees, and free expert advice. 

However, Wealthsimple Black members also get a few additional perks including: 

• Tax loss harvesting: this can be tricky to figure out on your own, but if it makes sense for you, the Wealthsimple team will use tax harvesting strategies to create tax savings in your portfolio. For those who are unsure of how this works, essentially they will sell any investments that have lost their value, put in a tax deduction, and then buy a similar asset. It’s not for everyone, but if it applies to your financial situation, this can also save you quite a bit of money. 
• Financial planning sessions: book a 1 on 1 call to talk to an expert advisor about your financial strategy or plans for retirement. 
• VIP airport lounge access at over 1,000 lounges across 400 cities worldwide. These types of passes usually cost about $25+ per session, so if you travel a lot this alone could save you hundreds of dollars each year, plus make your travel experience much more enjoyable. 

Wealthsimple Generation

The Wealthsimple Generation account is the top tier, and is for those who have deposits of $500,000 or more. This plan has the same features as Wealthsimple Black: trading, account fees, rebalancing costs and transfer fees, free expert advice, 0.4% management fee, tax harvesting, financial planning sessions, and VIP airport lounge access. 

On top of the above perks, a Wealthsimple Generation account also comes with two additional benefits.

• 50% off the Medcan Comprehensive Health Plan: This includes an annual check up, up to 15 diagnostic tests, same day (or next day) appointments, travel health support both in Canada and abroad, and genetic tests. This 50% discount will save you over $2000. 
• Personalized financial report: the Wealthsimple team will help you strategize your financial goals and draw up plans for retirement, ways to preserve your wealth, and can analyze your cash flows and make financial projections to better help you manage your money. 

Both the Wealthsimple Black and Wealthsimple Generations platforms are excellent values.  The 0.4% MER means that costs are quite reasonable, and if you think about it, the tax harvesting feature alone can save you enough to cover that 0.4% fee. Plus, as a traveller, I can really appreciate the airport lounge pass. After all, who doesn’t want to feel like a VIP? 

Another thing to note, if you are thinking of switching over to Wealthsimple from your current bank, Wealthsimple will cover all of your transfer fees.

 

Wealthsimple RRSP Accounts and TFSA Accounts 

Wealthsimple offers a range of account types including:  

• RRSP
• TFSA
• RESP
• Joint
• Business
• LIRA
• Personal
• RRIF

Most Canadians are just looking for the easiest way to investment money within a registered account.  It is incredibly simple to open a Wealthsimple RRSP, TFSA, or RESP account. It can be done completely online, is almost instant, and after hooking up your chequing or savings account, you can conveniently set up an automatic contribution that puts your savings on autopilot.

No more worrying about RRSP season and last minute investment decisions.  Just a safe, simple, proven investment strategy that you can set and forget about until you’re ready to make a large-scale change.  While Wealthsimple obviously offers a wide variety of accounts, these three registered accounts represent the total investing activity for many Canadians, and are a main focus for Wealthsimple.  

If you have any questions about how the Wealthsimple RRSP or TFSA work, their online chat feature (or their old school phone assistance) will be able to efficiently answer any questions you might have about where to contribute or how to use the platform.  About the only questions their first line of assistance might struggle with is in-depth niche topic help for something like investment trusts. (If you don’t know what an investment trust is, don’t be alarmed – it’s very unlikely that you’ll ever need to.)

 

Wealthsimple High Interest Savings Account

Interestingly, Wealthsimple was the first Canadian robo advisor to offer a High Interest Savings Account (HISA). Personally, I’m not the biggest advocate for using HISA’s for long-term savings (such as retirement), however, for short-term goals like a vacation or buying a car, a HISA is a great option.

Right now, Wealthsimple offers a 2% interest rate for their high interest savings account. That’s a flat fee; it’s not a promotional rate, it doesn’t go away after a certain period of time, 2% is what you get. Additionally, there’s no minimum balance requirement (great for those just starting saving), and you’ll get unlimited transaction fees.  That 2% is about 1.95% higher than what you’re likely getting in your big bank chequing account, and 1.5% higher than what many big bank “savings accounts” offer.

While there’s no doubt that the Wealthsimple HISA is a good choice, one of the best advantages to Wealthsimple offering so many account options is that they make it easy to keep all of your savings and investments in one place, which in turn for you makes it easier to manage and keep track of.

The Wealthsimple App

Speaking of the Wealthsimple App, it’s actually pretty amazing. Launched in December of 2014, it was the first app of its kind; an app designed with the specific goal of making investing easier.

Wealthsimple describes their app as having a ‘financial advisor in your pocket’. The app allows you to get in touch with your wealth concierge at the tap of a finger, plus you can easily add funds, keep an eye on your asset allocation, and view your performance. 

On top of creating an easy and streamlined app, Wealthsimple also prioritizes privacy in their app. They go above the simple ‘create a password’ and allow users to use either TouchID or set a unique 4 digit passcode (for iphone) or lock pattern (for Android). This is true for both the Wealthsimple App and the Wealthsimple Trade app. 

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Wealthsimple Review: Is it Safe?

Because Wealthsimple is a still a somewhat new name to people, the most common question I get asked is, “Is Wealthsimple Safe?”

The answer?

Yes!

Wealthsimple is as safe as any banking and investment option in Canada.  They now have more than 100,000 clients from all over the world!

First of all, Wealthsimple is an online business. If they didn’t protect their customers, it would be an instant death for the company. As for how exactly they protect their clients? Wealthsimple uses bank-level security including a 128-bit SSL certificate. For those who are unsure of what this means, essentially it’s a program that will ensure that your personal information and passwords don’t get seen by prying eyes. 

Secondly, Wealthsimple indicates that they also use industry-standard backup programs and firewalls. These will prevent any large-scale problems from occurring as well as work towards backing up information automatically multiple times a day, every day of the week. 

Thirdly, your money invested with Wealthsimple is also protected by outside sources. When you invest with Wealthsimple, your money is insured by the Canadian Investor Protection Fund (CIPF) up to $1 million per account. On top of that, if you have a HISA with Wealthsimple, your money is insured by the Canadian Deposit Insurance Corporation (CDIC) for up to $100,000 (there is optional coverage for up to $800,000 per account, however, in my opinion, if you are keeping that much money in a HISA you may want to rethink your financial strategies). 

Finally, we need to remember the team behind Wealthsimple. These are career professionals who have years in the industry with reputations to uphold. The fact that these individuals have lent their names to the company also instils a strong feeling of trust. Additionally, Wealthsimple is made up of registered portfolio managers that have a legal fiduciary duty to clients. This means that, by law, they have to give recommendations based on the client’s best interest.

With Power Financial running the Wealthsimple show, there is no doubt that this company is in it for the long haul and is incredibly safe!  It should be noted that no investment company can guarantee the safety of investment returns. So within that narrow definition of “guaranteed investment performance” than Wealthsimple – as well as every other investment entity out there – is not 100% safe.  Your portfolio will always be subject to the general performance of the market, and anyone that promises you different is probably trying to illegally sell you something.

A Wealthsimple Promo Offer Coupon for You

Wealthsimple has provided me with a promotion code for readers to manage up to $10,000 free for a full year. This means you don’t pay any management fees for 12  full months as you test the platform out!try this top Canadian robo advisor. 

To take advantage of our Wealthsimple Review Coupon Code simply click below:

 

Wealthsimple Review: Summary

Wealthsimple isn’t the only robo advisor in Canada, but I can honestly say that as of today they are easily the #1 choice in most situations. Here’s what I think makes Wealthsimple stand out in the field enough to be worth considering:

• Wealthsimple is the largest robo advisor in the country
• Wealthsimple has a $0 account minimum
• Wealthsimple is CIPF-insured up to $1,000,000. 
• Their website and app are incredibly user friendly
• Wealthsimple will cover your transfer fees to switch over to them
• Wealthsimple offers easy to understand interactive statements that break everything down for you
• Wealthsimple is partnered with the Mint App
• Wealthsimple allows you to invest in fractional shares
• Wealthsimple automatically re-invests dividend income from your investments back into ETFs that have fallen below the portfolio target you originally set
• Wealthsimple offers HISA accounts
• Wealthsimple offers socially responsible investing (SRI) and halal investing

In other words:

OUR RATING:

Here’s the simple truth: Wealthsimple is the quickest and easiest way to take a piece of your paycheque every month, and automatically invest it into a diversified portfolio of ETF options from around the world.  I love the investment strategy, I love the simplicity of it. It’s not as cheap as opening a Questrade account and building your own ETF portfolio or purchasing an all-in-one ETF, but it is MUCH cheaper than traditional Canadian investment options.

Ready to start with Wealthsimple? Don’t forget to use our Wealthsimple review link to sign up today and save the fees on your first $10,000! 

 

Wealthsimple Trade – The No Fee Discount Brokerage

Everything we have discussed so far in our Wealthsimple review has been looking at an automated portfolio of basic index ETFs, and would be comparable to other Canadian robo advisors. However, if you are interested in trying to manage your own portfolio you might be interested Wealthsimple Trade. With this option, you make the decisions of how to invest; what to buy and sell on the stock market.

A brokerage account is where you will hold the money that you use to buy/sell stocks. Brokerage accounts with financial planners tend to cost more as you are paying for their investment advice and management skills. Online brokerage accounts, however, have much lower fees and allow you to buy/sell from the comfort of your home.  Wealthsimple Trade would be broadly comparable to Questrade as far as “apple-to-apples” comparisons go – although they have a ways to go before they challenge for my #1 discount brokerage award.

With Wealthsimple Trade, you can buy and sell thousands of stocks. It’s a relatively new platform, and still has a few bumps that they are sorting out and adding to, but one of the major draws of Wealthsimple Trade is that it is $0 commission, which means that they do not add any fees to buying and selling stocks. Most other online brokerage accounts charge for trades, so this factor definitely makes Wealthsimple stand out in the pack. If you are wondering that the catch is, and how Wealthsimple Trade actually makes money if they don’t charge commission, know that Wealthsimple does charge a +1.50% base conversion fee when you make US trades which. Considering that other brokerages charge about 2% on foreign trades, is very reasonable.

On top of the 0$ commission structure, Wealthsimple Trade also has a no account minimum, which makes it extra enticing to those who think they want to dabble with their own portfolios. However, it’s important to remember that this option is for those who know what they are doing. Buying and selling stocks just because someone told you to is not a smart investment technique. That being said, having the freedom to make your own investment decisions can lead to a bigger reward. Just remember to treat it as an investment, not a gambling experiment. 

Wealthsimple Trade has its own app, so you will need to download it as well as the original Wealthsimple app that you already use. However, your bank account will still be linked which means you can get started right away. 

 

The post Wealthsimple Review 2019 – Robo Advisor & Wealthsimple Trade [UNIQUE PROMO] appeared first on Million Dollar Journey.

LOWEST Prices on Polly Pocket Toys!

Krispy Kreme Tried to Shut Down Student Who Travels 270 Miles to Buy Doughnuts and Resell Them

A Minnesota college student recently has come forward with a intelligent — and appetizing — space is to make sure that he graduates debt-free while also satisfying the Krispy Kreme hungers of his fellow community members.

Since the time he was young, Jayson Gonzalez has been a major love of Krispy Kreme doughnuts, though there hasn’t been a single collect in his position for 11 years, Today reports.

“We’d used to always arrive, especially when I was little, ” Gonzalez, 21, recalled to the outlet. “There’s no other doughnut that compares. The glaze, the flavor, everything about it is just delicious.”

It wasn’t until last-place April when the Champlin native was preparing to coach his soccer team at a tournament in Iowa that he came up with an idea to combine his love for the dessert fellowship with his desire to make money for college.

“Me being a Krispy Kreme maniac, I knew there was gonna be a Krispy Kreme in Iowa, so I listed a Facebook post on the markets saying,’ Hey, if you crave some Krispy Kremes, let me know, ‘” Gonzalez said.

RELATED: Krispy Kreme Introduces Cake Batter-Stuffed Donuts for Their Birthday

And so began Gonzalez’s Krispy Kreme doughnut bringing business.

Each weekend, the Metropolitan State University student would drive his Ford Focus four hours and 270 miles to the Krispy Kreme in Iowa, acquire 100, 12 -count boxes of doughnuts, and then travel back to his home state and resell them back to the eagerly-awaiting Minnesotans.

Gonzalez charged his purchasers anywhere between $17 to $20 per casket for the sweetened plows, with some paying $100 each time he made the lengthy junket, the Pioneer Pressreports. He soon became known as the “Donut Guy.”

Saturday would’ve distinguished his 20 th consecutive drive for doughnuts — but before he could complete the achievement, Krispy Kreme putting a stop to his managerial efforts.

RELATED: A Massive Krispy Kreme Flagship Store Is Opening in Times Square, Complete with a Glaze Waterfall

In a Facebook post on his Krispy Kreme Run Minnesota page Thursday, Gonzalez explained that he received a announce from the Nebraska location, who told him “to shut down operations” because his auctions were creating a liability for their company.

“I know they told one of the big-hearted directors in Nebraska immediately, and he announced me, ” he told the Pioneer Press of the North-Carolina located corporation. “He said corporate told him to’ cease’ and’ desist.’”

The pushback from Krispy Kreme passed many of Gonzalez’s customers to express their disappointment on Facebook.

“A lot of patrons were pretty upset and I don’t blame them! ” he told Today. “I was pretty upset too.”

“Scrolling through all the comments has definitely been pretty upsetting with how disheartened everyone is, ” Gonzalez added to the Pioneer Press.

However, by Monday, Krispy Kreme questioned a statement to Business Insider announced today the selection board had overruled its final decision and would fully support Gonzalez working as an independent contractor.

“Today, we reached out to Jayson to express our appreciation for his love of Krispy Kreme and admiration for his entrepreneurial spirit, ” a spokesperson for the company said. “We are going to help him achieve his aims, which include being debt-free when he graduates in 2021, in part by selling Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. Our intent regarding the temporary stoppage of him selling doughnuts was to ensure product quality and regulatory compliance to protect both Jayson and Krispy Kreme.”

“Our main concern is that the doughnuts Jayson sells maintain our high-pitched product quality standards, given the distance and behaviour in which he is transporting and dispersing them, ” the spokesperson continued. “So, we are happy to work with Jayson as an independent operator to ensure consistent delivery of our high-quality doughnuts to our supporters in Minnesota.”

“We wish Jayson great success and we’re thrilled to help him achieve these goals by donating 500 dozen doughnuts when he re-starts his business, ” the spokesperson added.

A rep for Krispy Kreme did not immediately to be addressed PEOPLE’s request for comment.

RELATED VIDEO: National Doughnut Day, One Of More Than 365 Made Up Food Days

With the green light to purchase and deliver doughnuts, Gonzalez said he looks forward to continuing his managerial tries through graduation, while also bringing a smile to people’s faces.

The college student has also created a GoFundMe to raise money for a new automobile so he can travel safely and transportation 200 -3 00 dozens of doughnuts, as opposes it 110 dozens, back to Minnesota.

“I can fully operate as an independent motorist and start doing what I love to do, is delivering back doughnuts and making people joyous again, ” Gonzalez told Today.

“This never would have happened, or have been able to continue, without everyone’s help, ” he lent on Facebook. “The goal is to continue to do it until I graduate and hopefully pass it down to someone else that is in my location. It’s one of the first times in my life where it’s not just myself believing in me and my themes. It’s an incredible feeling, so thank you.”

Read more: people.com

From Kirby Jenner to Zac Efron, Here's Your Guide to Quibi's Star-Studded Shows

Where can you find Joe Jonas, Sophie Turner, Kirby Jenner, Darren Criss, Zac Efron, Anna Kendrick and a whole mess of other stars? On Quibi.
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How to Break Past the Feeling of Slow Financial Progress

One of the hard truths about turning your financial life around, particularly if you don’t have a high income, is that financial progress feels really slow. You do make progress in the right direction, but there’s a lot of “three steps forward, two steps back” mentality and the steps forward are incredibly slow. You can make good financial choices for months and feel as though you’re barely making any forward progress on your goals.

There are a lot of reasons for this. Here are three big ones.

First, many financial goals are quite big compared to the resources available. If you’re trying to pay off debts that add up to a year’s worth of income or more, it’s going to be slow paying it off no matter what you do. If you owe $50,000 in debt and work really hard to free up an extra $100 a month, you’ll get rid of that debt faster, no doubt, but the reality is that you’re only cutting away 0.2% more of that balance each month. It’s like chipping away at a boulder and knocking off pebbles with each swing.

Second, our forward progress is often hindered even further by unexpected events. It’s the whole “three steps forward, two steps back” problem. You nail everything for a couple of months, then your car breaks down or a bill you forgot about arrives in the mail, undoing a lot of your progress and leaving you feeling like you’re back at square one. It’s hard to feel like you’re making much progress when you’re taking almost as many steps back as you’re taking forward.

Third, even for people with a lot of income, financial success is achieved on a timescale of years and decades rather than weeks and months. People often want to feel success in a matter of weeks, but unless you have a huge income, you’re not going to feel a big financial change quickly. It takes months and years to fix financial issues for the vast majority of us. Our brains aren’t really wired to view our personal lives in that kind of timescale. Most of the time, we’re fixated on the next few days or the next week, not three years from now. That distance can feel like forever.

It’s no wonder that progress feels slow. It’s not uncommon for someone to have a big goal of paying off a $100,000 debt, but you can only cut $200 a month from your spending, no big leaps forward in your career are coming any time soon, and after three months you’re hit with a $500 unexpected bill. It can feel hopeless.

I won’t lie: financial progress is a long road. There’s no magic recipe that’s going to pay off your six-figure debt on an average salary in six months. That’s just reality.

So what can you do to break out of this feeling? Here are some strategies that have worked really well for me over the years.

Imagine what things would be like if you hadn’t been making good financial choices recently.

You make good financial decisions for three months, then you’re suddenly hit with a big unexpected bill, which gobbles up all of the money you accumulated over those three months. You’re back where you started, or you might even be behind where you were when you started. It all feels miserable and hopeless.

If you feel that way, ask yourself one simple question: where would you be right now if you hadn’t been making good financial moves recently? Let’s say you were able to save $300 a month for three months, then you were hit with a $900 bill. Yeah, you’re back where you started, but where would you be if you hadn’t saved that $900? Rather than being back where you started, you’d be $900 behind.

That’s progress. Good progress. That’s the kind of progress that isn’t glamorous at all, but it’s the kind of progress that is life-changing over time. Yes, that big step back stings, but if you weren’t taking steps forward all the way along, that big step back would take you into a very bad place.

Look at your financial state compared to a year or a quarter ago.

One of my favorite things to do is to take a monthly snapshot of my financial state. I’ll add up the value of all of our assets, subtract all of our debts (basically zero, because I usually pay off our credit cards in full just before doing this), and that remaining total is our net worth.

Why do I do this every month? It’s simple: I love comparing my state right now to how things were a year ago — or a decade ago. It reminds me that all of these little steps are really adding up to something big. It reminds me that my financial state today is better than it was a year ago and far better than it was a decade ago.

That glance into the past reminds me that all of those little choices are worth it, that it’s building into something life-changing.

Fill in a big piece of graph paper.

If you’re focused on a specific big goal, like paying off a debt, a really good way to visualize it and see your progress is to record it on a piece of graph paper.

Take a piece of graph paper and along the top write what your big goal is. Then, make a giant rectangle that fills up most of the rest of the page, containing many, many small squares on the graph paper. Figure out how many squares are in the rectangle by multiplying the length and the width. Then, take the total balance of your goal and divide it by the number of squares, and write that number somewhere on the sheet.

Each time you move toward your goal by that many dollars, fill in a square on the sheet. For example, if you have a goal of paying off $80,000 in debt, and your big rectangle is 80 by 100 squares, that means you have 800 squares to fill and each one represents $100 ($80,000 divided by 800 is $100). Whenever you move $100 toward your goal -—your total debt goes down by $100, or you have $100 more in your account — fill in a square on that sheet.

This serves as a nice visual reminder of your goal. The practice of filling in a square makes the progress toward your goal feel a lot more tangible than just watching numbers changes on your bills. It also creates a pretty sweet visual record, too.

You don’t have to color everything in using the same color or row by row or column by column, either. Color things in using Tetris pieces of different colors, or fill them in randomly like colorful stars in the sky. Do it however you like.

Focus on daily routines, not big numbers.

Many big goals that people have are actually best handled by having a daily system of routines and habits that guide you toward your big goal. If you set up a daily routine that constitutes a small step toward your goal and you stick to that routine every single day, then the goal becomes inevitable and all you have to really focus on is achieving that daily step. It turns the focus from the big goal to today.

Rather than worrying about your progress toward your goal, instead focus on whether or not you took the steps you need to do today. One great method for this is to get a wall calendar and put a giant X on each day when you achieve your daily steps. Soon, you’ll have a chain of those steps, that chain will feel really good, and you won’t want to break it.

What kind of daily routine lends itself to financial progress?

“Today, I won’t spend any money on anything frivolous outside of my pocket money (which I budget for each month).”

“Today, I won’t consume or buy any soda/junk food/alcohol.”

“Today, I will buy only generic brand household products and pantry staples.”

“Today, I won’t eat food prepared outside of my home unless I’m eating with a close friend.”

Figure out a few rules that point you in the right direction, one day at a time, and focus on achieving those things each and every day. Mark them with a big fat X on your calendar and watch that chain of Xs get bigger and bigger. Your progress toward that big goal will start happening automatically while you don’t even notice it.

Take on projects that will accelerate your progress.

This is another useful way to change your focus from the slow progress toward your goal toward something else while still moving toward that goal. Just figure out a smaller project that, if successful, will help you move a little faster toward your big goal.

For example, you might choose a side project that involves, say, selling off the 50% of your possessions that you use the least, or perhaps you might have a side project that involves getting a professional certification that will net you a small raise at work. Maybe your side project is to read one book a week from the library for a year — that’s a great goal that will cost you nothing but can fill up your hobby time and perhaps improve you in other ways.

As long as you’re focused on a secondary goal that will result in net financial improvement in your life if you succeed at it, you’ll find that progress toward your big primary goal comes naturally. You might be focused on selling off 50% of your possessions, but when you’re done with that goal you’ll discover you have a lot of cash in hand that you didn’t expect. You might be focused on reading books from the library but when you’ve achieved it you’ll find you’ve spent a lot less on hobbies this year and you’ll have more money in hand that you expected.

Reflect frequently on why you’re doing this.

Personally, I find this to be incredibly powerful, and it’s a technique I use all the time for various self-improvement projects. Why am I doing this? What is it that I’m hoping to achieve?

For me, it usually centers around a clear picture of what I want my life to be like in a year, or five years, or 10 years. Whenever I feel like a goal is too much work, that my progress toward the goal is too slow or I feel some other type of frustration, I sit down and think about why I’m working toward this goal and what that vision of my future is like.

For a financial goal, for example, I might think about no longer being stressed out about money and no longer having debt bills coming in the mail, or I might think about retiring while my wife and I are still relatively young so that we can spend our time on other life goals.

The more detailed those pictures of the future, the more inspirational they are to me, and the more drawn I feel to stick with my big goals, even if they’re going slowly.

Integrate a few “sprints” into the goal.

If you feel like your progress toward your big goal is going slowly, try “sprinting” toward that big goal for a short period. Set yourself up with a 30-day challenge that will accelerate your progress for a short time.

Perhaps you can give yourself a 30-day challenge of not eating out at all, nudging yourself into cooking more at home so it becomes a more natural choice. Try a 30-day challenge of not spending any money on entertainment, so that you explore some free options. Give yourself a 30-day challenge of going without cable/satellite, so you can figure out whether or not you can easily cut it out of your life. Maybe give yourself a challenge of filling a big box of stuff to get rid of, then selling off the contents of that box to accelerate your savings.

You can throw yourself wholeheartedly into these sprints and let them absorb your focus for a while, and then when you finish up and apply the results of that sprint to your big goal, you will have taken a larger step forward.

Look at a big change to turbocharge the goal.

Another approach that works well for kickstarting a big goal is to look at a big single change in your life and executing it. If you make a big change, one that either produces a big single burst of money or causes a significant cut in your bills, you can drastically increase your rate of progress toward your big goal.

For example, you might consider moving into a less expensive apartment or home. You might consider getting rid of a car and using mass transit, cycling or your feet for commuting. You might consider dropping your cable or satellite service. You might consider shopping around for all of your insurance packages and bundling them to get a far cheaper rate.

All of those changes will result in a serious decline in your monthly bills, an enormous burst of cash or both. In either case, your progress toward your big goal will start zipping along a lot faster!

A long journey takes a long time, and that’s okay.

In the end, nothing can really escape the fact that it takes a while to achieve anything worth achieving. If personal finance success were easy, we wouldn’t live in a situation where four in five adult Americans live paycheck to paycheck, and there would be no personal finance section at the bookstore or the library and The Simple Dollar wouldn’t exist. The ideas might be simple, but they’re not easy to execute.

Personal finance success needs patience above all else. The above strategies can simply help you make the journey more palatable.

Good luck!

The post How to Break Past the Feeling of Slow Financial Progress appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

Preview: Lois Lane #5 Fights Back Against ‘Fake News’ Ignorance

When DC announced Lois Lane would be getting her own comic book series, love expected to see a go of Lois on the job, shooting down decay like the awarding acquiring reporter she’s always been. That may only be how the Lois Lane series started, but now she’s in an investigation that’s putting her life in jeopardy–and not even Superman can talk her out of it.

The case remains the same, next following the embezzled money intended to build Trump-esque border camps for those seeking asylum. But when her lead purposed up get riddled with missiles, and Lois escaped the attack by inches, her attacks intended to send a message. Unfortunately for them, Lois came her own meaning loud and clear. She was onto a BIG story, and getting closer to the truth that got her Russian colleague killed to begin with. So in our preview of Lois Lane# 5, the woman sitting next to her on the flight residence picked the WRONG time to suggest journalists these days precisely ‘make up fake news.SSSS

RELATED: The Death of Superman Do Even DARKER With Lois Lane

The preview follows closely behind a scene in which Lois told some hard truths to her hired examiner, Renee Montoya a.k.a. The Question. Claiming that the truth is like medicine, Lois argued that giving parties all the truth they claim to want will stir them sick. But give it to them in smaller doses for their own sake, and they might just end up cured of their sickness( and the same leads for society ). Risking her life to be informed about a truth most people would prefer to ignore is a thankless task. So falsifications about ‘fake news’ may be just what Lois needs to remind her why she does what she does.

Readers can see for themselves in the preview pages from Lois Lane# 5, arriving in comic book supermarkets on November 6th, and embedded below 😛 TAGEND

The preview conclude with the promise of more war involving The Question, as Renee Montoya seems to pursue her own results into the apparent hit on Lois. Here’s hoping she knows who she’s dealing with–whether they’re professionals or not. To get those rebuttals, followers will need to wait until the full publication arrives this Wednesday. For now, spoke on for the full scheme synopsis below 😛 TAGEND

On the road and out of Metropolis-and carrying a secret that could disrupt Superman’s life-Lois Lane starts on a harrowing journey to discover a threat to her husband and a area that contacts the highest levels of international power broker and world leaders. Critically acclaimed and best-selling author Greg Rucka and ruler narrator Mike Perkins team up for a fiction of plot, plot and carnage that thrusts even Lois to her limits.

As Lois delves deeper into a mystery whose reactions could shake the part DC Universe to its core, the Question huntings the people responsible for an attempt on the famed reporter’s life. But do they demand her dead because of what she knows or to stop her from finding out more?

Lois Lane# 5 will be available on November 6th, 2019.

MORE: Superman’s Greatest Story Just Turned Into a Nightmare

Read more: screenrant.com

Mailbag: Questions About Job Searches, Extracurricular Activities, Temptations, Condiments and More

What’s inside? Here are the questions answered in today’s reader mailbag, boiled down to summaries of five or fewer words. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question.
1. Looking for new job
2. Extracurricular expenses
3. Basic end of life questions
4. More questions about fuel tracking
5. Handling the next temptation
6. Major redesign of life article
7. The “extra condiment packet” question
8. Snow removal strategy
9. Pocket notebook update
10. Relentless bills
11. Soup recommendation
12. Fantasy sports as cheap hobby

With the dawn of December comes the holiday gift-giving season for many families, and questions regarding gifts often dominate mailbag questions during December. Rather than having each mailbag this month drowning in questions about gifts, I’m going to instead spin them off into a small number of articles on their own that address most of the common questions I’ve already seen (and have often seen in other years).

On with the non-holiday questions!

Q1: Looking for new job

How “down low” should you be when you’re looking for a new job? I’ve heard that you should say nothing to your current employer until you turn in your notice, but how can you do that when you need them as a reference?
– Andrew

Great question. I think it depends on why you’re moving on.

Is the reason you’re moving on mostly due to factors outside of the workplace? If that’s true, I think it’s okay and even beneficial to be more open about the change at work. You can give plenty of notice and you’re likely to get good references from your employer. This also keeps the door wide open for future employment down the road. So, if you’re moving out of the area or if you’re making a notable career change, then you’re probably fine talking about it at work, especially if you give plenty of notice.

However, if you’re leaving because you’re unhappy at work, whether it’s because of salary, promotion opportunities, workplace issues or whatever, you’re better off keeping your cards close to the vest and not talking about it.

I’ve experienced this from lots of different angles. In general, if you’re leaving because you’re moving away or because of a career change, it’s better for everyone involved for you to be open about that change. This gives you time to wind down your job, set things up for your replacement and even make the transition smooth. I’ve seen situations where people have actually helped with the hiring of their replacement and even trained them, and then when they left, the transition was about as friendly as possible and the door was definitely open to them in the future. I’ve also seen the opposite, where someone popped up with a two-week notice and they were basically told to clean out their desk and leave the building immediately and the bridge was completely burnt.

It comes down to this: why are you leaving? Are you leaving because of an issue with your employer? Or is it because of issues beyond your workplace? That should guide you toward how you should handle things.

Q2: Extracurricular expenses

My daughter (7th grade) wants to be in several extracurricular activities at once. I don’t mind the schedule so much but the expense is kind of ridiculous. How do you handle it with your kids? You have two of similar age if I recall correctly.
– Bill

I have two middle-school-aged children. We encourage extracurricular activities provided that they keep their grades up. We basically allow them to each have one that they can be in regardless, but then additional ones require certain grade performance to stay in them because they need to demonstrate that they’re taking care of business on their studies before they can be in other activities.

As for the expense, we simply say “no” to activities that are just enormously expensive. Our daughter, for example, wanted to be in a rather expensive extracurricular recently and we simply told her no, that we would support other groups but the expense of this one was simply too much. We have a rough extracurricular “budget” for each child that enables them to be in a few activities and covers things like a musical instrument, but beyond that, there’s no need.

Now, if a child was extremely focused on one extracurricular and was really trying to become highly skilled in that specific activity, we might rethink it, but that’s not been true for any of our children yet.

My advice? Set a budget for extracurriculars, be open about it with your child, and stick to it. Say that you’ll pay $X per semester for extracurriculars and they can decide what clubs they want to be in based on that budget.

Q3: Basic end-of-life questions

I’ve entered the last quarter of my life and have a recent will and end of life paperwork in order. Recently my son asked me a few really good questions: How and what should he do when I die about my house and other assets? What is the best way to settle my estate? He also asked if I could make up a list with people I’d like him to directly contact to notify of my passing. It would be helpful to have a lesson on how and what to do when faced with taking care of estate matters after the passing of a parent.
– Marc

The questions your son is asking are good ones, but there aren’t easy answers to them. My honest advice would be for him to stop by the library and pick up a good guidebook on how to be an executor, like The Executor’s Guide: Settling a Loved One’s Estate or Trust by Mary Randolph. He will probably want to pair this with a book that’s specific to your state, as the specifics vary a little bit from state to state.

I’m assuming, of course, that your son who is asking these questions is the executor on your will. If not, he won’t be the person handling at least some of these issues; your executor will be. Any property of yours will be handled by the executor following the terms of your will to the best of their ability.

The list of people to contact is a really good idea and one that I will actually suggest to my own parents in the near future.

Q4: More questions about fuel tracking

Last week you advised a reader to track their fuel and maintenance for their car in an app. What are the benefits of doing this?
– David

I use the Road Trip app to record my car’s fuel and all maintenance done to it.

The big reason why I keep track of my car’s fuel is so that I can get some solid reliable data on its actual fuel efficiency. By that, I don’t just mean how many miles per gallon it gets, but how efficient it is with different fuel types. I’ve learned through the use of this app, for example, that 10% ethanol gas is not worth it for my car because the loss in fuel efficiency is so great, even if that 10% ethanol gas is 20% cheaper.

I’m currently trying to determine exactly what type of fuel is actually the most cost-efficient in my car, which actually isn’t very hard provided I record the data each time I fill up, noting the current odometer, the type of gas I bought, the amount of gas I bought, and the current price. With enough data, I can get an average fuel efficiency for each type of gas and then use that to figure out really quick which fuel is the most cost-efficient. (It’s never the ethanol blend.)

With maintenance, I have reminders for my full maintenance schedule in the app. Whenever a reminder pops up, I know I need to make an appointment or do that maintenance myself. Sticking to the maintenance schedule extends my car’s lifespan significantly, and entering the current odometer reading whenever I get gas causes the app to check and see if any maintenance is needed soon. It all works together.

Q5: Handling the next temptation

Here’s a situation that comes up often for me and my wife: We are tempted to buy by x, y, and z, but then when temptation Q comes up, we tell ourselves, “I already resisted buying x, y, z and so saved a bunch of money, so now it is OK to get Q.” Perhaps an idea to flesh out in a post. In other words, I give up some things (some of which I honestly would not have done in any case and so did not really sacrifice, or some of which were just to overambitious to begin with) and then I convince myself that I did something financially virtuous and so I can now splurge.

Sort of like having a feast to celebrate a month of dieting, except that the “month of dieting” was only in your head and was not actually any real thing you did, just things you wanted to do (and I want to do hundreds of things a day) but did not do, even though most of those I could not do even if I tried.
– Adam

I struggled with this for quite a while, and I think the solution to this conundrum is to have a monthly “free-spending” or “hobby” budget. Within that budget, you can spend money however you like; when you hit the limit, however, you have to wait until the next month to splurge.

I adhered strongly to this for several years and still do to an extent. I found that during most months I came in significantly under my budget total, often saving it for one or two big splurges during the year.

More importantly, I found that a lot of temptations simply faded away over time, or I became more careful about the things I wanted. Things that tempted me 10 years ago have no interest at all for me now. I attribute that mostly to being careful and thoughtful with my free/hobby spending for so long. It made a lot of lesser temptations simply vanish.

So, my main advice for you would be to give yourself a hobby budget and then start asking yourself not just to avoid splurges, but which splurges provide the most value in your life. You’ll find after a while that the lesser temptations just kind of fade away.

Q6: Major redesign of life article

Any thoughts on this article? Are mid-career sabbaticals a good idea? We Need a Major Redesign of Life (at Washington Post)
– Jenna

I feel like this article throws a lot of interesting ideas at the wall regarding several real problems in our culture, most significantly our relatively long and healthy lifespans compared to our forebears and the changing nature of employment. While I think most of them do make sense, they require some significant cultural shifts to work for most people.

I love the concept of a mid-career sabbatical or mini-retirement, but the problem is that it’s very difficult for many people to walk away from their careers for a few years and then just jump right back in. Ask almost any stay-at-home parent how that goes. It doesn’t go well.

I think a model where you effectively have two or three careers in your life, followed by some retirements/sabbaticals in the middle, might make sense for some people, but those people need to be high achievers to really pull that off.

In short, this article is great food for thought for people who are already high achievers, particularly those relatively young who might be interested in a different path than working until their golden years and then retiring.

Q7: The “extra condiment packet” question

When you get takeout or delivery food and there’s extra condiment packets in the bag, do you save them? What do you do with them?

OK more questions on the topic. Is it OK to ask for extra condiments if you don’t think you’ll probably use them on that meal? And what about when they have a big bin of them sitting out? Is it okay to take more than you need?
– Andy

If I’m in a restaurant and they have an open bin of condiment packets, I’ll grab as many as I think I’ll reasonably use on the meal. If that means I wind up with one or two extras, then I don’t feel bad about pocketing them. I would object to grabbing more than I think I’ll reasonably use on the meal.

If I’m going through a drive-thru and they ask if I want condiment packets, I always say yes. The number thrown into the bag is wildly variable — sometimes it’s not even as many as I want with the meal I have, while other times I have 10 extra packets.

Basically, I think it’s completely fine to take packets if they’re offered, and if there’s an open bin of them, I think it’s fine to take as many as you think you might use while eating that meal. Beyond that, it crosses a line into basically taking condiment packets that don’t belong to you.

If I wind up with extra condiment packets, I usually save those extra packets. I have a big Ziploc bag in our pantry with a bunch of assorted condiment packets in it. We usually use them when we’re traveling. For example, I recently went on a short trip where I made sandwiches in the hotel room a few times and I used a bunch of mustard and mayo packets that I brought from home.

Q8: Snow removal strategy

How do you handle snow removal? I recently moved to SE Minnesota and the snow is already ridiculous.
– Jerry

If the snow is about 4 inches or less, I use a snow shovel and get some exercise. I usually make the kids get out there and do it with me, taking turns with the shovels we have.

If it’s more than that, we have a snowblower. Without a snowblower, removing more than 4 incges of snow from our driveway would take quite a while and likely cause some unwanted back pain.

In a typical winter, we use the snowblower five or six times. We usually get about five snowfalls that are small enough to be handled with a shovel and five or so snowfalls that require the snowblower, though winters can vary a lot. Some winters seemingly require endless blowing, while others can go by with maybe one or two snowblower runs.

I don’t think things like a heated driveway are really necessary. Honestly, I probably wouldn’t have a snowblower if we didn’t have a wide driveway and a healthy section of the sidewalk to clear. The exercise from shoveling is pretty good for me (as long as I lift using the knees and not the back).

Q9: Pocket notebook update

Do you still use a pocket notebook for recording notes during the day or have you switched to an app?
– Kelvin

I still use a pocket notebook. The big issue is that I haven’t found an input method that’s faster for a small diagram or a few words of text than simply opening a notebook and writing it down. By the time I open a note app on my phone and start jotting things down with the keyboard or with my finger, I’m basically already done with using my pocket notebook.

I still vastly prefer simple side-stapled notebooks like Field Notes makes, though I have a motley assortment of those types of notebooks bought at various sales.

As for a pen, I still use Uniball Signo 207 or Pilot G-2 pens. They don’t leak in my pocket and always write well.

Q10: Relentless bills

I get so frustrated by relentless bills. Whenever I start to feel like things are doing okay another bill comes in and another and another. It feels like you’re on a long treadmill.
– Andy

That’s modern life for you. There’s basically no way off of that treadmill unless you adopt a very contrarian lifestyle off the grid.

The cycle of things like energy bills, insurance, food bills and so on are just a staple of modern life. You’re either paying them yourself or someone is paying them for you, or else you live completely off the grid and subsist on your own grown food or food given to you. Those are the options.

For me, the key is remembering what I get out of those bills. I pay the energy bill so that the lights stay on. I pay the insurance bill so that if our house burns down we’re not in a financial disaster. Remembering what I’m getting out of the bills makes them more palatable and less like a pure obstacle to overcome. It also helps me realize that some bills are much less necessary than others if I do feel overwhelmed.

Q11: Soup recommendation

What’s your recommendation for a cheap soup that is at least kind of healthy but still tastes good? Ramen is so ridiculously unhealthy.
– Erica

Honestly, I don’t really buy soup very often. My recommendation is to get a bunch of small resealable containers at the store, make a batch of your own soup at home that you like, and then fill up those containers and pop them in the freezer. Pull them out and heat them up when you want something to eat.

Two soups that work really well for this, in my experience, are chili and chowder. Both of these freeze really well and both are easy to make in large quantities. I’ve also made a killer potato soup that reheated really well, and my parents often make a bean and ham soup that reheats well from frozen.

When you make it yourself, you can control exactly how healthy it is and you can also decide what’s in there for your own taste preferences.

Q12: Fantasy sports as a cheap hobby

Just wanted to suggest starting a dynasty fantasy football league (or baseball or basketball) with some friends as a cheap hobby. I have a league with a bunch of friends and we each pay $20 as an entry fee each year. The amount of time I put into researching and planning and trash-talking is pretty incredible, but it builds a bond with those guys and gals and the $20 entry fee is paid out to the top three each season so after a while it’s fairly break-even. All of the tools for playing are free, too. Just thought I’d suggest it.
– Joel

I play a lot of dynasty fantasy sports for the exact same reason — it’s a very cheap hobby for the amount of time I put into it and the amount of camaraderie I get out of it. I’m currently in a dynasty baseball league, a dynasty football league and a dynasty basketball league with three distinct groups of people.

For those unaware, fantasy sports is basically a game where you pretend to be the general manager of a sports team. The players on your team are real players playing in that sport. You draft players and trade them, just like a real team would, and you accumulate points for your team based on the actual on-field performance of your players. So, if I have a fantasy baseball team and I have Mike Trout, he’s going to accumulate a lot of points for me. The same is true if my fantasy basketball team has LeBron James on it.

A dynasty fantasy sports league is one in which you keep your players from season to season. When players get old and retire, you just lose them, but you replenish through an annual rookie draft and through trades and through free agent signings (basically, a big pool of all of the players who aren’t on anyone’s team). There are lots of varieties of this.

The key to making this a worthwhile hobby is to do it with friends. It’s a great way to keep a bond going with some friends who aren’t nearby or to build a bond with office mates or new friends. Some people will play it really competitively, while others will just try to get their favorite players, and still, others will just be in it for the camaraderie and trash talk. It’s super inexpensive, too.

Got any questions? The best way to ask is to follow me on Facebook and ask questions directly there. I’ll attempt to answer them in a future mailbag (which, by way of full disclosure, may also get re-posted on other websites that pick up my blog). However, I do receive many, many questions per week, so I may not necessarily be able to answer yours.

The post Mailbag: Questions About Job Searches, Extracurricular Activities, Temptations, Condiments and More appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

Downsizing to Accelerate Other Financial Goals

One of the most effective strategies for really accelerating your progress toward your financial goals is to make a major downsizing move, one that will free up hundreds of dollars a month and/or quickly produce thousands that you can instantly apply to progressing toward your big goal, whatever it might be.

For many people, that’s retirement. A person in their 50s or early 60s with some solid money in the bank and a desire to have plenty of time to enjoy life without work while still in good health might want to take that final leap over the threshold to the amount they need to retire on while also reducing their monthly expenses.

For others, it might be something like a house down payment, the funds to go back to school for a few years or the funds to launch a business idea they’ve had for a while.

Whatever your big goal is, a significant drop in your monthly bills or a quick influx of cash can make all the difference, but the price can be costly, too. You don’t want to make a move that would make your life miserable or untenable, so the trick is to stick to just one or two that seem like they’re palatable to you.

Here are seven ways you can “downsize” to accelerate yourself toward your goal.

Cancel your cable or satellite.

The average American pays over $100 a month in cable or satellite bills, with many families paying well above $200 a month for packages laden with premium channels. Simply canceling the service means that you’re no longer paying that bill.

Cutting the cord isn’t easy. The free replacement is an over-the-air antenna, which can get you 15 to 20 channels of content in most cities. You can also replace the service with streaming options such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Instant Video and Disney+, but those come with a small monthly cost — much smaller than a cable package, to be sure, but still significant. If there is a cable channel or two you just can’t live without, take a look at Sling — it’s another monthly bill, to be sure, but you can at least retain a few cable channels that you deeply enjoy.

Currently, we have an over the air antenna, Netflix and Disney+, and we only have the latter because we got a deal on it for under $4 a month for the first three years. Our “television” bill is about $15 a month all told.

Cancel your cell phone and switch to a simple pay-as-you-go phone.

Cell phones are incredibly useful, but you don’t really need the latest smartphone with a huge data package under a long term contract. Rather, assess your actual needs and consider dumping that heavy contract by moving to a lighter pay-as-you-go service like Ting or even a much more lower-end option from your current provider.

The average cell phone bill in America is somewhere around $80 per month. If you can cut that to $20 or $30 (or even down to nothing), then you’ve made a significant change in your finances going forward.

If you find that you have tons of unused data each month, this is a change you should seriously consider making.

Cancel your home internet service.

If you’re a heavy cell phone user and the above option doesn’t seem to click with you, consider instead canceling your home internet service. The average home internet service is above $60 per month for people with broadband, and if you’re not using it frequently for data-rich purposes, your cell phone can likely provide all the internet you need.

One great way to figure out whether you need a certain service — whether it’s cable, internet or cell phone — is to intentionally go without it for a month, or to use it absolutely minimally. Does your life go smoothly without it? If so, it’s probably a service you can easily drop. Plus, you get a fresh view on any tired routines you may have built up over the years.

For many people, canceling either home internet service or cell phone service makes a lot of sense. Having only one of them enables the internet access that people often need, and the one you choose likely depends on your lifestyle.

Do a major “possession purge.”

A few months ago, one of my friends decided to do a thorough “possession purge” in which he got rid of 50% of his possessions. He took almost every type of possession he had, divided it in half based on which ones he actually valued and which ones he didn’t, and proceeded to sell off the 50% he decided to get rid of using Facebook Marketplace and other services.

While this might seem like a pretty radical step for some, for him it was quite freeing. He described his home as feeling completely uncluttered, he had tons of closet space again, and perhaps most important of all, he felt a lot more ready to move in the near future, as he’s considering moving within the next six to 12 months.

Even more important, he used that influx of cash along with a trade-in to ditch his old car and get a much newer and more reliable one. He now has stable transportation for a long while without adding another debt to his life.

If you simultaneously feel like your home is cluttered and your possessions take up too much space while also wanting to make big strides toward a financial goal, consider a giant possession purge. If you’re not sure how to start, consider simply dividing each type of possession you have in half, sorting by the value it has for you, and selling off the lesser half.

Sell your house and buy a less expensive one, either smaller or in a different location.

Many people, particularly people who have had children recently leaving the nest, have recently done a “possession purge” or have opportunities in other areas, find themselves with a bit more space than they need and thus the possibility of downsizing their home becomes real. The truth is that most of the space in our homes is used to store stuff, the vast majority of which we rarely use, so a smaller home isn’t really that big of a shift if you get rid of a portion of those things.

If you do decide to downsize your home or move elsewhere, you’re likely to not only recoup money from the value of your home, but you’ll also see reductions in mortgage costs, property taxes, insurance, utility bills, (possibly) commuting costs and home maintenance costs. The impact of a downsize in your home can be tremendous.

This is perhaps the biggest single game-changer on this list, but it’s not right for everyone. For example, we currently have a teenager, a pre-teen and a child nearly at the pre-teen stage in our home along with two adults, so downsizing would be a bit of a challenge for us right now. It’s possible, but not particularly comfortable. However, in 10 to 15 years, when it’s just Sarah and me under this roof, downsizing will likely be much more appealing.

Move into a cheaper apartment.

Moving to a smaller or more efficient place doesn’t just apply to homeowners. The same is true for apartment dwellers, too.

Moving into a smaller apartment means less rent, of course, but it often means lower utility bills and it can also often mean a reduction in the cost of commuting. If you can get a smaller apartment that’s positioned better to allow you to use mass transit, you can easily ditch your car, use mass transit for almost everything, and occasionally use rental services when you have additional needs, saving a ton of money.

This is a major transformative move, but it’s one that can save you a ton of money each month, turning a situation where you’re barely treading water into a situation where you’re getting ahead quickly.

Sell your car and use only mass transit.

Obviously, this can pair well with moving to a place that’s closer to mass transit, but it can be a smart move for anyone with easy access to mass transit systems in their city.

The act of selling off your car can directly raise some significant funds, but when paired alongside the elimination of the many expenses surrounding a car — registration, insurance, fuel, maintenance, parking — selling off a car can result in significant ongoing savings as well. The cost of a mass transit pass is only a fraction of those expenses.

If you live near mass transit, seriously consider selling off your car and relying on the mass transit system with occasional help from other services. It’ll produce a bundle of cash right now and save you money every month going forward.

The goal isn’t to do all of these things, but to find one (or maybe two) that make sense for you and actually do that one.

Doing everything on this list would be an enormous shock to most people and likely outside the realistic limits of their life choices, but for most of us, doing one or two of these things in the service of achieving financial goals and accelerating our progress toward big ones can be quite powerful.

Look for one or two items on this list that are in line with the realities of your life and then do those things. Don’t just sit around and think about it. Do it.

Good luck.

The post Downsizing to Accelerate Other Financial Goals appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

Buying A Home When You Work In The Cannabis Industry

If you’re working in the cannabis industry and hoping to make a home purchase, here’s what you’ll want to know about improving your chances of getting a mortgage.If you’re working in the cannabis industry and hoping to make a home purchase, here’s what you’ll want to know about improving your chances of getting a mortgage.

The post Buying A Home When You Work In The Cannabis Industry appeared first on Money Under 30.

Scared of money? (Why & how to overcome your fear today)

The more I see people talk about money, the more I see how SCARED we are of it.

How we let others poison our views of money.

And how easily we use negative words to describe it.

Here’s an email I got from someone who read my book, I Will Teach You To Be Rich. What do you notice?

“Frick it, I guess I’ll write the email…

Money stresses me out. My parents didn’t teach me anything about it and I’m very dependent right now. I did a year of nonprofit and made about 10k after taxes and it was miserable, so I figured if I can pull that off for one year then I can make it work. And I did! But I don’t know if I’ll hit it this year (it’s a bit depressing and a big source of anxiety). I think time is the name of the game though, the career is moving forward, hopefully, game sales will kick in passive income.

For the “rich life” I’m a simple person. I want enough money to be able to travel. I want to own a dog. I want a kitchen with an island. I want to have a nice desktop and a nice coffee table. My partner doesn’t want to own a house but I kind of do. Since I don’t have a full-time job outside of my freelancing which is currently in a drought period, I don’t have really ANY money, averaging about $250 a week.”

My response:

“Good stuff. Great to meet you

Now I want you to look at your email and count the number of times you use negative words to describe your life/money. How many do you count?”

His response (notice the skepticism):

“Ha, I can’t tell if this was an automated message or not but you got me there!

Depending on your definition, about 6-10.”

6-10 IN A SHORT-ASS EMAIL. (Well, compared to the kinds I write…like the one you’re reading. LOL.) Finally, my response:

It’s not automated.

Good!

Now, can you rewrite that entire email to be POSITIVE instead of negative? Send it over my way.

This guy didn’t even notice his reflexive negativity with money. It’s become like a dull toothache, something he gets used to. And since negativity is his worldview — the “lens” through which he views everything — I guarantee it’s an invisible “drag” on his entire life.

I asked him to rewrite his email to be POSITIVE instead of negative because sometimes, it takes someone pointing out your pattern to shake you out of it.

When I talk to people about money, here are the most common words they use to describe it:

“Anxious”

“Stressed”

“Is it too late”

(What words come to mind for you?)

But it’s even more revealing when you listen to the ways they talk about money.

What they say: “What’s my Rich Life? Well, I just want to go on vacation with my kids a couple times a year, nothing fancy…”
What they really mean: Notice those last two words — “nothing fancy.” When people talk about their Rich Lives, they almost always minimize their own dreams. When you’ve spent your entire life worrying about what can go wrong with money, it’s almost impossible to dream.

What they say: “How do I KNOW your programs will work?” OR “Will this book work for me if I live in Bolivia and I have a lazy left eye and I only eat mussels on Mondays?”

What they really mean: “I have a finite amount of money. If I spend it here, I need to know it will absolutely work, otherwise, I will have wasted my money…and there’s no way for me to ever earn more”

Are you about to say what I think you’re about to say?

What they say: “Even if I made $250,000/year, I wouldn’t eat out at a nice restaurant like that. What a waste!”

What they really mean: “I have never eaten at a place like that and I don’t want to be the kind of person who “has” to go there to enjoy food. I’m simple.” (One level deeper: “I’m nervous that if I ate there, I might actually like it. I don’t trust myself to avoid going there every single week and spending all of my money”)

What they say: “I shouldn’t get a credit card.”

What they actually mean: “I don’t trust myself to control my spending, therefore I need to restrict myself”

What they say: “I went to [ANY FOREIGN COUNTRY] and they tried to rip me off because I was an American”

What they really mean: “Well, yeah, I could have afforded an extra $5 for those postcards…but I HATE BEING RIPPED OFF. If someone else is winning and I am losing, I HATE IT”

So many of us make day-to-day money decisions, never understanding the “invisible scripts” that actually guide these decisions. And in America, money is driven by FEAR.

FEAR that we’ll never have enough.

FEAR that we can’t make more of it.

And FEAR that someone will judge us for our spending — or even what we want to spend on.

I hate this. That’s why I show you how to identify your Money Dials, the things you LOVE spending on, then I show you how to spend MORE on it.

Talking to a small group about money psychology. On book tour, I hosted private events in NYC event at Thompson Square Studios (NYC) and our Hills Penthouse (West Hollywood). As a reader of IWT, you can get your first month free at either of these locations. Please reach out directly to chelsea@thompsonhousegroup.com

I also show you how to get psychologically comfortable with the idea of changing your identity. People say “Money changes people,” in disgust, as if it’s a bad thing. Money should change you! It should let you dream bigger, it should let you live an easier or more adventurous life, and it should let you bring others with you (learn about the psychology of the wealthy).

But you can’t do that if you’re stuck thinking about money as a source of anxiety and fear.

An interviewer recently asked me what I would change from my 20s. I said, “I would have more FUN. I was too rigid. But the times where I had the most fun and I was the most successful was I just loosened up and tried a bunch of new things”

With money, try these different approaches.

Know that you can trust yourself. Know that you can eat at a really nice restaurant once for the experience — and truly enjoy it — but trust that I’m not going to trip and fall and end up going there every single week. You can also use credit cards without overspending (follow the systems in my book). You can pay off your debt and stay out of debt. You can become Rich and do good. Trust yourself.

Know that you can create more money. You can negotiate your salary — or find an entirely new job. You can start a business, even if you don’t have an idea. You can build your network to sidestep people with 10 years’ more experience than you — and get perks you’ve never dreamed of. All of those things can dramatically increase your income. Above all, your money is not a fixed pie that you have to exhaustively guard and protect. You can also expand the size of your pie.

Stop being afraid of waste. In puritanical America, one of the biggest no-nos is WASTE. Oh no! Ramit, if I start spending more on the things I love, I might “waste” some of my money!

How do I “KNOW” that your book will solve my exact, highly specific problem that I worry about every fucking day of my life? If it doesn’t, I’ve wasted $10!!!! Scammer!!!

Oh no! Ramit, what if I hire someone and they don’t handle my SEO, my WordPress uploads, design all my graphics, triple my conversion rates, write my entire email funnel, and create a new webinar system? I might have WaSTed the $13/hour I tried to pay them!!

Oh no, there’s so much government waste! We should ONLY focus on cutting government waste. Especially that one thing I really hate. What? It only represents 0.03% of total spend? No, that can’t be right. Anyway, we need to handle WaSTe. Also, don’t talk about raising my historically low taxes, you socialist.

If you spend your entire life worrying about waste, you miss a simple fact of life: In any system of sufficient complexity, there will always be waste. Yes, you should take measures to control it, but you should also accept that there will be a certain amount of waste — and move on!

I know that I’m going to buy courses and attend conferences that won’t be perfect for me. I know I’m going to eat at a restaurant that’s unmemorable. I know I’m going to make bad hires.

SO WHAT?

I’d rather try new experiences and learn with each one…than to sit back and let the bogeyman of “waste” scare me from doing anything at all.

So much of personal finance advice take your latent fears and heightens them.

NO! Don’t use a credit card, you might overspend a little!

NO! Don’t eat out at that restaurant, what a waste!

NO! Don’t try to negotiate your salary, you should just be happy you have a job!

If you spent the last ten years worrying about your waste and all the bad things you might do, you’ve accepted the message that you should be SCARED. That you’re an organism that simply reacts to whatever’s around you — that you have no agency or control.

Meanwhile, the people who have gone on offense have taken control of their own finances, their own psychology, started to earn more, and happily spend on the things they love. No anxiety. Just confidence and the systems to back it up.

You listen to these fears and end up frightened and anxious, sitting around worrying about all the things that can go wrong with money.

Or you can go on offense. You can take control of your money.

You can build a plan to spend extravagantly on the things you love.

You can EMBRACE making mistakes, knowing you’ll waste a little money, but it’s fine, because over the long term, those mistakes are minor, and you can create more wealth for yourselves.

You choose.

In my book, I wrote this:

Play offense, not defense. Too many of us play defense with our finances. We wait until the end of the month, then look at our spending and shrug: “I guess I spent that much.” We accept onerous fees. We don’t question complicated advice because it’s given to us in a language we don’t understand. In this book, I’ll teach you to go on offense with your credit cards, your banks, your investments, and even your own money psychology. My goal is for you to craft your own Rich Life by the end of Chapter 9. Get aggressive! No one’s going to do it for you.

My dream is for you to remove the shackles of negativity around money. To decide what you LOVE spending on, and spend more on it, so money goes from a source of anxiety and doubts to a source of joy and possibility and purpose.

Get my book here

And comment here if this resonates with you. I want to hear from you.

Scared of money? (Why & how to overcome your fear today) is a post from: I Will Teach You To Be Rich.

Diplomat William Taylor Had ‘Clear Understanding’ of Ukraine Quid Pro Quo: Transcript

WASHINGTON — A State Department envoy told lawmakers it was his” clear understanding” the U.S. government intended to withhold military aid from Ukraine until the country committed to investigations sought by President Donald Trump, including into a political adversary, according to a transcript of the closed-door interview exhausted Wednesday.

William Taylor told impeachment researchers he understood that the security assistance, and not only a White House meeting for Ukraine’s brand-new chairperson, was conditioned on the country committing to investigations of Joe Biden and also Democrat’ actions in the 2016 election.

” That was my clear understanding, protection relief money would not come until the president committed to pursue the investigation ,” Taylor said.

He was asked if he was aware that ” quid pro quo” signified” this for that .”

” I am ,” he replied.

The testimony from Taylor, the top U.S. envoy in Ukraine, further connects the Trump administration to a quid-pro-quo agreement involving Ukraine that is now at the heart of the House impeachment inquiry.

Release of the transcript came as the Democrat launched a major brand-new chapter of such investigations with public hearings scheduled to take place in next week peculiarity State Department officials, including Taylor.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, who is leading the impeachment investigation, said the committee would also hear from career department official George Kent and former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch next Wednesday and Friday.

All three has been previously witnessed behind closed doors in the first phase of the investigation. Yovanovitch, who was deposed in May at Trump’s direction, told inspectors she had been told to” watch my back” and that people were “looking to hurt” her. Both Kent and Taylor witnessed about their concerns about her rejection as the president’s lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, took a leading role on Ukraine policy.

Trump has revoked any wrongdoing. But despite those repudiations, Schiff said Wednesday that the bystanders goes to show that” the most important facts are largely not contested” in the inquiry.

” Those open hearings will be an opportunity for the American beings to evaluate the onlookers for themselves, to make their own findings about the credibility of the witnesses, but also to learn firsthand about the facts of the president’s misconduct ,” Schiff said.

The Democrats are investigating Trump’s requests for Ukrainian action as the U.S. withheld military aid from the country, which faces threats from its neighbor Russia. Trump, backed by Giuliani, requested new Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a July telephone call to probe Biden and his family and to investigate Ukraine’s possible role in the 2016 presidential election.

The Democrat are looking for connections between Yovanovitch’s dismissal, the holdup in military assistance for Ukraine and Trump’s push for the country to open investigations.

In his appearance last-place month, Taylor told lawmakers that it was the” unanimous opinion of all levels of interagency discussion” that the military aid should be resumed without delay. He said the Ukrainians recognized that they had to commit to investigations to get the aid.

” I think it was becoming clear to the Ukrainians that, in order to get this meeting that they craved, they would have to commit to pursuing these investigations ,” Taylor said. And they thought that opening the investigations, in particular on the gas fellowship Burisma, which had hired Biden’s son, would have involved Ukraine in the 2020 general elections in the U.S.

They didn’t want to do that, he said.

Taylor frequently given concerns with the “irregular channel” that Giuliani had set up at Trump’s instruction to bypass the embassy and the State Department.

” The regular direct is all of our interactions with Ukraine, and one of the very important components of that interaction with Ukraine is the security assistance. And the security assistance went blocked by this second channel ,” he said.

Taylor said he had precisely heightened his concern about the “irregular channel” with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and told him he would resign from the number of jobs in Kyiv if strong U.S. is supportive of Ukraine somehow evaporated.

” This would therefore be throwing Ukraine under the bus ,” he said.” And I told the secretary:’ If that happens, I’ll come home. You don’t want me out there, because I’m not going to defend it, you are aware. I would say bad things about it and you wouldn’t want me out there doing that.'”

Republicans, signaling a line of criticize they may pursue during the open hearings, minimise Taylor’s information by is considered that he received none of the information firsthand. Taylor said in the interview that he hadn’t spoken directly to Trump and Giuliani.

In the final stretch of questioning, Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y ., grilled Taylor on whether he had primary learning that Trump was involving that Ukraine investigate the Bidens. Taylor said he had heard from other mediators and understood that the demand had been communicated to them by Giuliani. Zeldin says that information was ” secondhand or thirdhand .”

The three committees that ought to have contributing the investigation appear to be wrapping up the closed-door testimony this week.

Democrats on Wednesday withdrew a subpoena for former lieutenant national security consultant Charles Kupperman, who filed a federal dispute striving lead on whether he needed to comply with House demands for his testimony. They have also invited former national certificate consultant, John Bolton, to appear on Thursday, though Bolton’s lawyer has said he would not come without a subpoena.

Democrats started secreting transcripts from weeks of private interrogations the coming week, part of the brand-new public stage of the probe.

In records secreted Monday and Tuesday, State Department officials detailed Yovanovitch’s ousting and Giuliani’s covers with the department, White House and Ukraine.

Gordon Sondland, Trump’s envoy to the European Union, said in an addendum to his testimony released Tuesday that military assistance to the East European ally was being withheld until Ukraine’s brand-new president agreed to release a statement about combat corruption as Trump wanted.

Taylor also detailed his thinking when he texted Kurt Volker, the U.S. special representative to Ukraine, and Sondland that he would discontinue if Zelenskiy sacrificed an interview promising the investigations Trump demanded and then the military aid was never released. That textbook, in which Taylor described that scenario as his “nightmare,” was previously released by congressional investigators.

In questioning, Taylor said that the” Russians are paying attention to how much is in favour of Americans are going to provide the Ukrainians .”

” The Russians want to know how much is in favour of Ukrainians are going to get in general, but also what kind of support from the Americans. So the Russians are adoration, would love, the humiliation of Zelenskiy at the hand of the Americans, and would give the Russians a freer entrust, and I would discontinue .”

____

Associated Press writers Colleen Long, Ben Fox, Laurie Kellman, Michael Balsamo, Matthew Lee and Matthew Daly contributed to this report.

Read more: time.com

Scared of money? (Why & how to overcome your fear today)

The more I see people talk about money, the more I see how SCARED we are of it.

How we let others poison our views of money.

And how easily we use negative words to describe it.

Here’s an email I got from someone who read my book, I Will Teach You To Be Rich. What do you notice?

“Frick it, I guess I’ll write the email…

Money stresses me out. My parents didn’t teach me anything about it and I’m very dependent right now. I did a year of nonprofit and made about 10k after taxes and it was miserable, so I figured if I can pull that off for one year then I can make it work. And I did! But I don’t know if I’ll hit it this year (it’s a bit depressing and a big source of anxiety). I think time is the name of the game though, the career is moving forward, hopefully, game sales will kick in passive income.

For the “rich life” I’m a simple person. I want enough money to be able to travel. I want to own a dog. I want a kitchen with an island. I want to have a nice desktop and a nice coffee table. My partner doesn’t want to own a house but I kind of do. Since I don’t have a full-time job outside of my freelancing which is currently in a drought period, I don’t have really ANY money, averaging about $250 a week.”

My response:

“Good stuff. Great to meet you

Now I want you to look at your email and count the number of times you use negative words to describe your life/money. How many do you count?”

His response (notice the skepticism):

“Ha, I can’t tell if this was an automated message or not but you got me there!

Depending on your definition, about 6-10.”

6-10 IN A SHORT-ASS EMAIL. (Well, compared to the kinds I write…like the one you’re reading. LOL.) Finally, my response:

It’s not automated.

Good!

Now, can you rewrite that entire email to be POSITIVE instead of negative? Send it over my way.

This guy didn’t even notice his reflexive negativity with money. It’s become like a dull toothache, something he gets used to. And since negativity is his worldview — the “lens” through which he views everything — I guarantee it’s an invisible “drag” on his entire life.

I asked him to rewrite his email to be POSITIVE instead of negative because sometimes, it takes someone pointing out your pattern to shake you out of it.

When I talk to people about money, here are the most common words they use to describe it:

“Anxious”

“Stressed”

“Is it too late”

(What words come to mind for you?)

But it’s even more revealing when you listen to the ways they talk about money.

What they say: “What’s my Rich Life? Well, I just want to go on vacation with my kids a couple times a year, nothing fancy…”
What they really mean: Notice those last two words — “nothing fancy.” When people talk about their Rich Lives, they almost always minimize their own dreams. When you’ve spent your entire life worrying about what can go wrong with money, it’s almost impossible to dream.

What they say: “How do I KNOW your programs will work?” OR “Will this book work for me if I live in Bolivia and I have a lazy left eye and I only eat mussels on Mondays?”

What they really mean: “I have a finite amount of money. If I spend it here, I need to know it will absolutely work, otherwise, I will have wasted my money…and there’s no way for me to ever earn more”

Are you about to say what I think you’re about to say?

What they say: “Even if I made $250,000/year, I wouldn’t eat out at a nice restaurant like that. What a waste!”

What they really mean: “I have never eaten at a place like that and I don’t want to be the kind of person who “has” to go there to enjoy food. I’m simple.” (One level deeper: “I’m nervous that if I ate there, I might actually like it. I don’t trust myself to avoid going there every single week and spending all of my money”)

What they say: “I shouldn’t get a credit card.”

What they actually mean: “I don’t trust myself to control my spending, therefore I need to restrict myself”

What they say: “I went to [ANY FOREIGN COUNTRY] and they tried to rip me off because I was an American”

What they really mean: “Well, yeah, I could have afforded an extra $5 for those postcards…but I HATE BEING RIPPED OFF. If someone else is winning and I am losing, I HATE IT”

So many of us make day-to-day money decisions, never understanding the “invisible scripts” that actually guide these decisions. And in America, money is driven by FEAR.

FEAR that we’ll never have enough.

FEAR that we can’t make more of it.

And FEAR that someone will judge us for our spending — or even what we want to spend on.

I hate this. That’s why I show you how to identify your Money Dials, the things you LOVE spending on, then I show you how to spend MORE on it.

Talking to a small group about money psychology. On book tour, I hosted private events in NYC event at Thompson Square Studios (NYC) and our Hills Penthouse (West Hollywood). As a reader of IWT, you can get your first month free at either of these locations. Please reach out directly to chelsea@thompsonhousegroup.com

I also show you how to get psychologically comfortable with the idea of changing your identity. People say “Money changes people,” in disgust, as if it’s a bad thing. Money should change you! It should let you dream bigger, it should let you live an easier or more adventurous life, and it should let you bring others with you (learn about the psychology of the wealthy).

But you can’t do that if you’re stuck thinking about money as a source of anxiety and fear.

An interviewer recently asked me what I would change from my 20s. I said, “I would have more FUN. I was too rigid. But the times where I had the most fun and I was the most successful was I just loosened up and tried a bunch of new things”

With money, try these different approaches.

Know that you can trust yourself. Know that you can eat at a really nice restaurant once for the experience — and truly enjoy it — but trust that I’m not going to trip and fall and end up going there every single week. You can also use credit cards without overspending (follow the systems in my book). You can pay off your debt and stay out of debt. You can become Rich and do good. Trust yourself.

Know that you can create more money. You can negotiate your salary — or find an entirely new job. You can start a business, even if you don’t have an idea. You can build your network to sidestep people with 10 years’ more experience than you — and get perks you’ve never dreamed of. All of those things can dramatically increase your income. Above all, your money is not a fixed pie that you have to exhaustively guard and protect. You can also expand the size of your pie.

Stop being afraid of waste. In puritanical America, one of the biggest no-nos is WASTE. Oh no! Ramit, if I start spending more on the things I love, I might “waste” some of my money!

How do I “KNOW” that your book will solve my exact, highly specific problem that I worry about every fucking day of my life? If it doesn’t, I’ve wasted $10!!!! Scammer!!!

Oh no! Ramit, what if I hire someone and they don’t handle my SEO, my WordPress uploads, design all my graphics, triple my conversion rates, write my entire email funnel, and create a new webinar system? I might have WaSTed the $13/hour I tried to pay them!!

Oh no, there’s so much government waste! We should ONLY focus on cutting government waste. Especially that one thing I really hate. What? It only represents 0.03% of total spend? No, that can’t be right. Anyway, we need to handle WaSTe. Also, don’t talk about raising my historically low taxes, you socialist.

If you spend your entire life worrying about waste, you miss a simple fact of life: In any system of sufficient complexity, there will always be waste. Yes, you should take measures to control it, but you should also accept that there will be a certain amount of waste — and move on!

I know that I’m going to buy courses and attend conferences that won’t be perfect for me. I know I’m going to eat at a restaurant that’s unmemorable. I know I’m going to make bad hires.

SO WHAT?

I’d rather try new experiences and learn with each one…than to sit back and let the bogeyman of “waste” scare me from doing anything at all.

So much of personal finance advice take your latent fears and heightens them.

NO! Don’t use a credit card, you might overspend a little!

NO! Don’t eat out at that restaurant, what a waste!

NO! Don’t try to negotiate your salary, you should just be happy you have a job!

If you spent the last ten years worrying about your waste and all the bad things you might do, you’ve accepted the message that you should be SCARED. That you’re an organism that simply reacts to whatever’s around you — that you have no agency or control.

Meanwhile, the people who have gone on offense have taken control of their own finances, their own psychology, started to earn more, and happily spend on the things they love. No anxiety. Just confidence and the systems to back it up.

You listen to these fears and end up frightened and anxious, sitting around worrying about all the things that can go wrong with money.

Or you can go on offense. You can take control of your money.

You can build a plan to spend extravagantly on the things you love.

You can EMBRACE making mistakes, knowing you’ll waste a little money, but it’s fine, because over the long term, those mistakes are minor, and you can create more wealth for yourselves.

You choose.

In my book, I wrote this:

Play offense, not defense. Too many of us play defense with our finances. We wait until the end of the month, then look at our spending and shrug: “I guess I spent that much.” We accept onerous fees. We don’t question complicated advice because it’s given to us in a language we don’t understand. In this book, I’ll teach you to go on offense with your credit cards, your banks, your investments, and even your own money psychology. My goal is for you to craft your own Rich Life by the end of Chapter 9. Get aggressive! No one’s going to do it for you.

My dream is for you to remove the shackles of negativity around money. To decide what you LOVE spending on, and spend more on it, so money goes from a source of anxiety and doubts to a source of joy and possibility and purpose.

Get my book here

And comment here if this resonates with you. I want to hear from you.

Scared of money? (Why & how to overcome your fear today) is a post from: I Will Teach You To Be Rich.

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10 Benefits of Keeping Your Credit Score in Good Health

[ Editor’s Note: Today’s patron affix was submitted by Jonathan Brozek, a Physician Mortgage Loan Specialist with US Bank and a long-time advertiser now. I think too many Americans, in the words of Dave Ramsey,” adore at the FICO altar”, but I think it’s a little naive even for someone like me who has no debt and never plans to borrow again to say I don’t care about recognition rating whatsoever. Life changes and perhaps you’ll need to borrow again. Maybe you want to get a special credit card deal. Or perhaps your employer or insurance company utilizes your credit compose to evaluate your trustworthiness. Either way, it’s probably a good suggestion to at least know what a recognition score is, who expends it, and check your score and recognition report from time to time. But don’t obsess over it. It’s one of those things that you need to keep ” good enough”( 740 -7 60) until you’re done getting mortgages and refinancing student lends. And once you’re past that part, your tally will probably be good enough to get all the loans you don’t want anyway.]

As a medical doctor or healthcare professional, you are focused on others’ wellbeing daily. But when it comes to your commerces, more importantly, your approval composition and approval protection, you may need a little checkup of your own.

Having a good ascribe compose is more important than ever because it prescribes just about every giving decision and bangs countless business dealings. This is especially true for high-income and high-net-worth individuals, who have far more at risk when it comes to identity steal and data hacking( predicted on to# 5 below ).

So, why should be used give your credit score and report a check-up once every six months or even more? Here are 10 intelligent and tangible benefits of maintaining a good credit compose 😛 TAGEND

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