Author: anwaryusef

Anwar Y. Dunbar is a Regulatory Scientist. Being a naturally curious person, he is also a student of all things. He earned his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Michigan and his Bachelor’s Degree in General Biology from Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU). Prior to starting the Big Words Blog Site, Anwar published and contributed to numerous research articles in competitive scientific journals reporting on his research from graduate school and postdoctoral years. After falling in love with writing, he contributed to the now defunct Examiner.com, and the Edvocate where he regularly wrote about: Education-related stories/topics, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), Financial Literacy; as well as conducted interviews with notable individuals such as actor and author Hill Harper. Having many influences, one of his most notable heroes is author, intellectual and speaker, Malcolm Gladwell, author of books including Outliers and David and Goliath. Anwar has his hands in many, many activities. In addition to writing, Anwar actively mentors youth, works to spread awareness of STEM careers, serves on the Board of Directors of the Friends of the David M. Brown Arlington Planetarium, serves as Treasurer for the JCSU Washington, DC Alumni Chapter, and is active in the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace Ministry at the Alfred Street Baptist Church. He also tutors in the subjects of biology, chemistry and physics. Along with his multi-talented older brother Amahl Dunbar (designer of the Big Words logos, inventor and a plethora of other things), Anwar is a “Fanboy” and really enjoys Science-Fiction and Superhero movies including but not restricted to Captain America Civil War, Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Prometheus. He is a proud native of Buffalo, NY.

Successfully Manage Your Suppliers With These Tips

Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Depending upon the type of business you’re running, you will be interfacing with suppliers which are critical to your operations. You further want to protect and manage your supply chains at all costs. The following contributed post is entitled, Successfully Manage Your Suppliers With These Tips.

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When you are running a successful business, you need to have positive, reliable and loyal suppliers working with you to get the best out of your business. Successful supplier relationships aren’t always easy to build, and there is communication and trust required to make it work. You have to treat your suppliers with respect, whether they are supplying packaging, IT services or equipment, and you have to respect the contract that you sign.

As a business owner, you need to consider that you want to get the best for your business to run smoothly. Assessing the suppliers out there will get you started, and managing your current supplier relationships is just as important. If you are looking for help in managing those same relationships, we’ve got all of the tips that you need below.

Image Source: Pexels

1. Understand Cost & Value. The supply chain is one that needs to run as smoothly as possible for your business to work well. You need to understand every single cost that you are paying, how it affects the product or service that you deliver, and what value is provided to your customers. You need to know how your suppliers are offering you value, and a true partnership involves you both understanding the cost of the service and the value it provides at the same time.

2. Focus On What You Do For Your Supplier. Your printer and copier dealer is working for you to get you the best deal, provide you the best equipment and more. But what are you doing for your supplier? You have to realize that this relationship goes both ways and you have to be in charge of the way that you behave in this relationship. If someone is going out of their way to offer you an excellent deal, then you need to go out of your way to pay your bills on time and turn to your supplier when you need an upgrade.

3. Plan Efficiently. All businesses, including yours, have to plan properly with their suppliers. You have to accept accountability for your needs and order what you need in good time. Piling on the pressure on your supplier to deliver when you haven’t given them the correct time frames is not the way to go. If you need to push through emergency orders, you’re going to be managing your business in a sloppy way, which is not what you need. Lack of thinking on your part does not constitute an emergency for your supplier.

4. Establish Service Levels. It’s so important that you incorporate the right service levels into your relationship with your suppliers. You can’t just base a relationship on a handshake, so both parties need to talk about their expectations and agree on it all.

5. Agree Your Contracts. Before you sign anything with your suppliers, you would have agreed terms for all of you to stick to. You agree on your payment terms and you need to uphold those terms. Your suppliers will give you the best discounts and deals, but you should spend time ensuring that all sides of the contract are agreed in advance!

6. Communication Counts. If there is a problem with a supplier, you need to share that with them as early as possible. If there is any information that you need to share, you need to do so as early as possible so that they can fix the problem. If you contact your supplier to tell them something has broken down, do it the moment you know that there is a problem. By communicating a problem, you can also communicate the good things. This will keep your relationship steady and working well.

7. Keep Planning. You want to manage these relationships well, and that means planning for the exceptions and not always the rules. Emergencies happen and in complex supply chains, you need to let them know ahead of time how the emergencies will be handled. It’s up to you to analyze why they happen so that you can minimize the number of emergencies possible. Every single strategy with your supply chain takes planning, and you need to agree a solution for emergencies with your supplier. If a copier breaks down and you work in reprographics, it would help to know what you should do in those circumstances.

8. Expect Honesty. You can expect your supplier to be honest with you, so you should offer the same in return. Mutual respect is so important with your suppliers, so make this happen!

9. Make It Work. Your relationships with your suppliers have to be meaningful at all times. When you meet, make a grand gesture! When there are issues, talk about them. Make it work and offer respect!

Prevent Cybercrime In Your Business

Two focuses of my blog are Business/Entrepreneurship and Technology. With so much business being conducted online, the potential for cybercrime has increased. It’s thus important for you to proactively take steps to prevent those cybercrimes for you and your customers. The following contributed post is entitled, Prevent Cybercrime In Your Business.

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It’s not unusual to hear reports of the big businesses out there being hit with data breaches and cyberattacks. Bizarrely, it has become the norm to hear these in the news, but most small businesses are not aware that cyber attacks can affect them, too. Consumers always wonder how these attacks keep happening, especially as every company should be taking their business security as seriously as possible.

You have to realize that your business can be on the receiving end of a breach no matter what size it is. You need to do all that you can to prevent cybercrime that could damage your business and there are six solid ways you can do exactly that.

Image Source: Pexels

1. Think about limiting the access that you have handed out to the most valuable data in your business. Every employee usually has access to all of the files in your business, so you need to pull this back a little and limit how many have those passwords of the most vulnerable information you hold. If you prevent as many people having that access, you can slow down how many people can pass off the info to outsiders.

2. Bringing in a team to help you with your cyber protection. You could look into a professional managed IT service provider to make sure that your business is covered 24/7. It’s one of the reasons that some companies are attacked online; they don’t have 24/7 security!

3. You are likely doing business with a wide range of vendors outside of your business. You need to know who these vendors are and how much access they will have to your information and you need to know personally the people who are working with you. If your delivery guy has had a previous record of theft, then it’s likely you won’t want to work with him!

4. Training is so important if you want to prevent cybercrime in your business. You need to make sure that you are not just leaving your employees to carry on and hope for the best. You need to take precautions and training and education are the best ways that you can do that.

5. Keep your software as updated as possible – this is another thing that IT managed services can do. You need to consider that an upgraded software base will keep your business safe. The more upgraded the software, the safer it’ll be.

6. Multi-factor authentication is important if you want to prevent people hacking into your systems. Your data has to be kept private, and if you have more than one layer of password protection, you can guarantee that it’s more private than usual. Cyber Breaches can often occur because there is not enough protection surrounding your online files. You don’t want people to steal your information, so have case-sensitive passwords as well as text authentication to make your business secure.

Cybercrime doesn’t have to be a problem in your company – with these tips, you can take the risk down as much as possible.

Ways to Enhance Your Blog for Modern Audiences

Two key focuses of my blog are Blogging and Writing, and Technology. For new bloggers, there is much more to blogging than simply having novel and exciting writing ideas. There are also strategic and technological considerations as well. Once you understand these elements, you can have a lot of fun and achieve your goals, whatever those are. The following contributed post is entitled, Ways to Enhance Your Blog for Modern Audiences.

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Things on the internet are constantly shifting and changing. So if you’re still blogging in the same ways you were 10 years ago, you’re probably not doing it right anymore. That might sound harsh but if you want to enhance your blog and reach an ever wider readership, you really do need to keep in mind the needs of modern audiences.

If you think now might be the right time for you to start making changes to your blog and how it operates, we’re here to help you with that. There are many ways in which you can make your blog more modern and meet the needs of modern audiences.

Each of the tips we’re about to discuss will help you get the fundamentals of good blogging right. And by doing that, you can ensure your blog is fit for purpose for a long time to come. So read on now to find out more about what you need to know about enhancing your blog for modern audiences.

Make Sure the Blog is Properly Categorized

First of all, you’re going to need to make sure that your blog is organized and planned out in the correct and proper way. That means putting proper categories in place and ensuring your posts are tagged correctly can be found in their corresponding category. It’s a simple thing but it matters.

It’s about making sure that people can find what they’re looking for when they visit your blog. If the task of finding content becomes difficult and frustrating for them, they’re definitely not going to stick around for long and you can be sure of that. So it’s worth taking the time to make your blog navigable.

Make Sharing Content Simple

You should also make it as easy as possible for people to share your content. If people are having difficulties finding that share button, they won’t share your post; it’s as simple as that. After all, they’re not gaining much by sharing your content.

It’s you who benefits when your readers enjoy a post and subsequently want to share it with their followers online. You should use share buttons and layouts that make it easy for them to do this. It’s not rocket science but it’s certainly something that you’ll need to go out of your way to put in place.

Use Clear CTAs

What do you want your readers to do? Calls to action are very important on most modern blogs and that’s something that can’t be denied. You should try to find a CTA that’s relevant to your blog and that your customers can get something out of.

Maybe you have an email list and you can use a CTA to prompt visitors to sign up to it. This is good for you because it affords you greater email marketing opportunities going forward, but it’s also something that can appeal to your readers too because they’ll then be able to read your regular newsletter.

Cross-Link to Other Relevant Content

As a blogger, you want to make sure that people are visiting as many pages on your blog and reading as many posts as possible each time they visit. Ideally, you don’t want them to simply read one post and then leave again. And cross-linking is the way to get this right.

So whenever you write a post, take the time to find other posts that are connected to it or relevant to the subject of the post in some way. When you do that, you can link to those posts within your current post. This will encourage clicks and encourage readers to stick around for longer.

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Use a Web Design Service if You Don’t Have the Necessary Skills

If you don’t have web design skills and you want to update the aesthetic of your blog, you should definitely think about using a web design service such as Caltech Web. These days, people expect a lot from a blog and they might be immediately put off if your blog looks outdated.

There’s nothing more revealing about a blog’s age and relevance than the design. If the design looks like it hasn’t been changed in 15 years or more, then you’ve got a problem. You should try to update it at the earliest opportunity.

Learn to Write More Appealing Headlines

It’s imperative to create headlines that are going to make people want to click and read your content. That doesn’t mean that you create headlines that are false and misleading because that’s not the answer to this issue either; a balance needs to be struck.

Learn to write headlines that are interesting, catchy and appealing. They should be relatively short and to the point, and you can then follow them up with longer subheadings that help to give the reader a better idea and understanding about what they can expect from the post.

Ensure There’s Great Visual Content

The right images and other kinds of visual content will be vital on your blog. If you want to make sure that people stick around and pay attention to your blog, you need to be using visual content in one way or another. This helps break up the text and keeps things interesting for the reader.

There are so many examples of visual content that can be used, from good images to video content to infographics. Make an effort to include as much of that stuff as possible in your posts if you want to keep them interesting and visually appealing.

Be Open to Collaborating with Others

These days, it’s very common for bloggers to collaborate with other bloggers and online personalities. This might not be something that you’re used to doing, but it can be a great way to keep your readership interested and to expand your reach and make your blog known to more people.

You should try to be more open to collaborating with others because there are benefits. It can be as simple as guest blogging, so if you haven’t tried that before, it’s a good place to start for you. It could do more for you than you might expect.

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Research What Your Audience is Interested In

These days, there are so many analytics tools out there to help you understand your audience better than ever before. You should definitely be making the most of these because you can then optimize and improve your content when you have a fuller understanding of what your audience actually wants.

Take the time to understand keywords and search terms that you feel are relevant to your blog and your target audience. You’ll be able to capture readers better and ensure relevant people have the chance to see and click your links via search engines with the right SEO approach.

Write About Those Things

Writing about the things you find out your audience is interested in is key. You need to be offering up content that’s relevant to your audience otherwise they simply won’t keep reading it. It’s as simple as that. Do your best to make sure that you don’t leave your audience behind.

Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t express yourself and explore new ideas through your blog content because you can. But the desire to do that also needs to be balanced with the needs and wants of your audience members.

Keep Your Content Readable

Readability is an important factor when it comes to writing blog posts. If your style or writing becomes too unwieldy and complex, people will likely turn away. Keep sentences relatively short and always read over your posts before publishing them, and do so with readability in mind.

You might even want to hire an editor or simply ask a friend to read the post over before it gets published. An outside perspective and an extra set of eyes can make a huge difference when it comes to assessing the readability of your work. That extra person might point out some things you haven’t noticed yourself.

Respond to the Responses

Interaction is key as a blogger. As your blog’s audience starts to develop and grow, you’ll find that people are interacting with you on social media before and maybe leaving comments under your blog posts. If that’s the case, you should try your best to respond.

People will really appreciate that added interaction that comes with doing so. They’ll see the human and personal side to you and as such they’ll feel much better connected to your personal brand and the blog you run. That can only be a good thing from the perspective of retaining readers.

Blogging is a challenge and there are no quick fixes or easy answers. If you want to get to where you need to be with your blog, it’ll only come about through hard work and action. Make the most of the ideas above, but don’t feel confined to these changes. Find your own way forward; it’s your blog after all.

HR Mistakes That Will Cost You Big Time

Two focuses of my blog are Business/Entrepreneurship and Organizational and Management Discussions. Whether you’re running a business, a government agency or nonprofit organization, your human resources (HR) component is critical. No matter what your business is, it’s critical that you get the right personal in to optimize your operations. The following contributed post is entitled, HR Mistakes That Will Cost You Big Time.

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Out of all the different facets out of running a business, human resources is probably the one that most employers could happily live without. Not only does it involve a lot of bureaucracy and paperwork shuffling, but it’s also highly regulated, meaning a slip up can land you in some particularly hot water. Here, we’re going to look at the HR tasks that so many employers slip up with, and how to make sure it doesn’t happen to you.

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Not acting on employee reports
If you want to keep your employees happy, then you need to consider their needs and challenges in the workplace. However, if an employee formally files a report on an issue, investigating and acting on it is more than a case of keeping them happy. If they report an issue that infringes on their rights, such as rights to workplace safety or cases of harassment, you can not only increase the turmoil in the office and the risk of employee turnover, but you can be found negligent and have to pay if the issue turns into a legal case.

Not having an onboarding process
When you need new labor in the team, it’s understandable that you might want to get them in their role as soon as possible. However, if you don’t take the time to create a proper onboarding process, they can lack the preparation they need to be as productive as possible. On-the-job training is not as effective as taking the time to help new hires feel at home and learn the ropes in a more relaxed environment before testing them for real.

Forgetting unemployment claims
Employees that are fired or who resign have the opportunity to file for employment, which you have to pay for if it is granted. However, a lot of business owners forget that this is a possibility, and might forget to push through a claim, which can cost them literally thousands of dollars. Software like https://unemploymenttracker.com/software/ can make you much less likely to forget it. You’re still going to have to pay unemployment either way if it’s granted, so make sure you pay it promptly to avoid the additional fees.

Failing to keep documents
Whether it’s documenting pay stubs, reported issues, past HR meetings, or otherwise, never underestimate the need to keep documents of every interaction between the team and the HR department (even if said department just consists of you right now.) Should there ever be a workplace dispute in how an HR matter was handled, you need to use document management software like https://www.quicksprout.com/best-document-management-software/ to be able to quickly locate the data you need to show what steps you have taken. Failing to have any records can mean not having any proof when you do act in accordance with best practices.

If your company is growing, then you need to think about investing in hiring people who are equipped to fully handle your HR needs. Otherwise, your chances of making mistakes can skyrocket, as can the resulting costs.

Minimize Moving Day Nerves With These Clever Tactics

A key focus of my blog is Home and Living Discussions. A key focus of living in your home or dwelling is moving in and out. Moving is not a particularly fun activity and can be highly stressful. There are ways to minimize moving-related stress. The following contributed post is entitled, Minimize Moving Day Nerves With These Clever Tactics.

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Even the calmest of people can have their nerve testing when it comes to moving house. After all, there is so much to consider, including making sure your furniture is transported and packed safely. Then you have the mammoth task of unpacking in your new property and getting things the way that you want them there too. It’s no wonder people tear their hair out. The good news, however, is that there are some tactics you can use to minimize your moving day stress. Keep reading to find out what they are.

Picture sourced at Pixabay – License CC0

Keep your essentials aside

Documents, jewellery, medication and most importantly of all, supplies for making coffee are all items that you will want to keep an eye on during a move. For the first three, it is a matter of access and security, while for the last one is more about energy and sanity!

With that in mind, making a pile of essential items that you want to keep with you is a smart idea. You can then quickly load them into your vehicle and be sure that they won’t get lost in the hustle and bustle of the move.

Make sure your move is smooth (ahead of time)

You can cut out a lot of moving day stress by doing as much as you can to make sure things go smoothly ahead of time. One option is to make sure you have packed and sealed all your boxes well before your moving team arrives. Marking them with the room they should be taken to in the new house is a smart idea as well.

Additionally, it’s a good idea to get all of your paperwork in order before the big day. Let utility providers know when you will be moving out ahead of time, and be sure to book any deep cleans so they can be done before the handover.

Finally, make sure that you have all your documents in order. After all, there is nothing quite as soul-destroying as packing up your old place and then being denied entry to your new property because of a problem with payment or references.

With that in mind, you may wish to take measures to do things like expunge your criminal record before you buy or lease a new property. Something that can help make the princess go much more smoothly, and without any unexpected hitches.

Make things easy on yourself

Finally, when it comes to moving home, remember that it can be both a physically exhausting experience as well as a mentally exhausting one. To that end, do all you can to help make the day as easy as possible, including asking friends and other family members if they will come and help with the heavy lifting.

Of course, if you haven’t got anyone close by that you can rely on, using a professional moving company can be a brilliant way of reducing the physical stress of moving day. Services such as Issaquah moving service can make your move go much smoother.

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Lastly, be sure to keep your strength up by regularly eating too. With that in mind, pack a bag full of snacks like cereal bars and a planet of drink to keep you hydrated. Additionally, expect to pay for takeout in the evening, as this means you won’t have to have your kitchen all unpacked by the time you get hungry.

3 Structural Defects That You Need To Fix Before Winter

Three focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Home/Living, and Home/Property Discussions. While homes are some of our biggest investments, they need constant care. Furthermore if maintenance is neglected, our homes can ultimately cost us more money. If you live in a region with a winter season, you want to consider making critical repairs before the change of seasons. The following contributed post is entitled, 3 Structural Defects That You Need To Fix Before Winter.

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This winter may be bleaker than others with the threat of coronavirus still looming for everyone. Christmas may be a Zoom meeting and you might be spending more time indoors than you would like, but there are ways that you can make your winter a little less worrisome. You need to think about how you can make your home structurally sound and fit for the harsher climate. Preventative measures are crucial because otherwise, you may find yourself with a hefty bill to fix issues in the depths of the cold season. Follow this guide and discover three structural defects that you need to check before winter.

The Roof

With rain, hail, and snow on the cards in the next few months, it is crucial that your home is watertight. Look up and check your roof tiles. Are they cracked or have any slipped? A bowing roof is a sign of water building up in your roof space. This can result in rot and damp entering your joists meaning that your home becomes structurally unsound. Check the flashing around your chimney. If there are any holes, leaks will develop resulting in a moist and unhygienic upstairs interior in your pad. This can be fixed with a simple membrane application or a replacement of the flashing. Get this sorted and renovate now and you will save yourself money on an entire roof replacement.

Subsidence Or Movement

Any movement in your home can be worrying. If your doors are starting to stick, there is a definite slope in your flooring, and you struggle with cracks in your home, you may be suffering from subsidence or heave. Heave is when tree roots begin to encroach on your foundations as seen at https://www.fridaysmove.com/. This can be rectified by chopping down your larger trees and repointing your brickwork. This is cheap to fix. For more serious subsidence, underpinning may need to occur. While costly, this is needed to ensure that the movement doesn’t spread and to keep your home mortgageable. Without it, you will be living in a money pit with no chance of being able to sell up and move onto pastures new.

Pipework

The pipework in your home can become less efficient during the winter months. Get a specialist out and inspect your pipes. Gas engineers will service your boiler and a plumber can check your heating system. If you do suffer from any burst pipes or leaks, you may need the services of https://www.hlrestoration.com/ to remove the moisture, damp, and mold from your dwelling.

Your gas pipes connected to your boiler can freeze in the colder months, resulting in them bursting or shattering eventually. To prevent this, put your heating on for twenty minutes every twelve hours before the colder climate sets in. Doing this costs nothing, but keeps your pipes warm and free flowing.

If you are eager to make your winter a little less bleak, you will need to spend money to save money in the long run. Follow this guide and you can make your home structurally sound this season.

3 Sure Fire Ways To Save Your Business Cash

Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. If you’re running a business, your goal is not only to generate cash, but also to save cash where you can so that you can generate as much profit as possible. The following contributed post is entitled, 3 Sure Fire Ways To Save Your Business Cash.

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As you enter the throes of a global pandemic, your business will undoubtedly suffer. Footfall in the high street is at an all-time low, you will find that your loyal customers are more hesitant to part with their cash, and your overheads are looking precarious. You need to think quickly to stem the outgoings and increase the income of your venture. This is difficult in a time of international crisis as you may need to shift business models swiftly. Follow this guide to discover three sure fire ways to save your business cash.

Supply Chain

If you are a venture that relies on importing components from other areas of the world, your supply chain may have been disrupted because of Covid-19. This could play to your advantage and give you the leverage to renegotiate a better deal financially for your imports. You need a reliable freight carrier that will ensure that you receive what you need on time to fill orders. Don’t simply opt for the cheapest supplier out there if the reviews are appalling. Consider the door to door services of an ocean freight carrier as seen at http://eplogistics.com/ocean_freight.html. These specialists will utilize their transport and logistics links to deliver your components direct to you from your supplier. Shipping container transport also allows you to buy in bulk to negate the potential disruptions your supply chain may face in the future.

Redundancies

While you may not wish to let any staff members go from your venture, this is often one of the only ways to ensure that your startup survives. While your orders remain low and you struggle to maintain a buoyant cash flow, you may need to make redundancies. This will save your business cash in the short term. However, you will also need to consider the hole that a staff member will leave. The work that they were responsible for will still need to be done and you will need to rely more on the staff members that you keep on payroll. This can result in low morale and a lack of motivation. Outsourcing is a possibility but you will need to be careful with your money to remain in the black.

Remote Working

More businesses than ever are having to resort to remote working as described at https://www.forbes.com/sites/amarhussaineurope/. This may lead to your heightened anxieties because you fear the lack of productivity from your staff when they have the option of watching Netflix shows all day. However, giving them the responsibility and freedom to work remotely can be empowering. Morale can increase and productivity can become more fruitful. Allowing working from home can also save you money as your largest overhead – the office lease – can be negated. By going wholly remote, you are welcoming in the future of twenty first century working. Google and Apple are already embracing this business model, so you should too in order to save your business cash.

A global pandemic is unprecedented in modern times. Follow this guide and save your business money to help your venture survive.

10 Investment Tips for a Successful Retirement

Two key focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Health/Wellness. As an employee, a key pillar of your financial plan and life should be your retirement savings. If you haven’t started, take the tips in this piece seriously. If you’ve already started, it’s always good to relearn and or solidify what you know. The following contributed post is entitled, 10 Investment Tips for a Successful Retirement.

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It might seem like a long way off but the earlier you think about saving for your retirement the better. Even if you simply want to start investing to give you a more comfortable life in the future, this is a good attitude to have. It’s also important to define your goals and budget and understand your options. There are several ways you can ensure yourself more financial security and with a little investment experience and know-how, you can even make a bit of money on the side. Here are ten investment tips for a successful retirement.

Get started early

The earlier the better. Even if retirement seems impossible to contemplate right now, you’re never too young to start investing in your future. This way you’ll be able to make saving and investing a lifelong habit and you’ll develop plenty of skills and knowledge along the way.

Understand the types of retirement plan

It’s vital to understand your taxes and what you’ll be entitled to. There are different types of retirement accounts and some are taxable and others tax-advantaged. Many people aren’t aware of the types of retirement plans available to them and how they work according to taxes. It’s a good idea to inform yourself about IRAs and 401ks along with company plans and pension schemes, so you understand all the options available to you.

Consider different investment options

Once you’ve got your head around the traditional investment options you can branch out and look for other opportunities. For example, investing in gold and silver has been proven to be very lucrative. This is due to the fact that precious metals aren’t as affected by the change in geopolitical circumstances in the same way that local currencies are. Before you invest in anything new, however, make sure you get as informed as possible and think it through carefully.

Diversify your investment portfolio

If you’re seriously interested in branching out and investing, you should always keep your options open by diversifying your portfolio. This is based on the idea of not putting all your eggs in one basket. Ideally, a balanced portfolio should have a mix of various assets such as stocks, fixed income, and commodities. These will all react differently to the same economic event, thus giving you more options. Also, rebalance your portfolio at least once a year. You want the right combination of stocks, bonds, and cash for your investment goals. Make changes by buying and selling shares to rebalance your portfolio.

Calculate your net worth

If you’re getting into investing, it’s also a good idea to calculate your net worth. You can do this easily online with a net worth calculator. Your net worth is figured out by calculating the difference between the assets you own and the liabilities you owe. These can include all your investments from property to company stocks and your other financial assets. Any debts will be counted as liabilities such as your mortgage, student loan, medical bills, and credit cards.

Clear your debts

Before you start investing for your retirement, it’s ideal to be in the best financial position possible. If you have any debts, don’t worry, you’re in the majority of the population, but it’s advisable to clear these before you invest. You can get professional advice online to help you choose the appropriate debt management plan. Once you’ve cleared your debts you’ll be in a better place to start investing. Certain debts are considered “better” than others, for example, it’s not a problem to have a mortgage or student loan outstanding.

Seek professional advice

It’s always recommended to seek investment advice, even if you’re an experienced investor. This way you’ll get all the information you need so you can start preparing for a successful retirement in the future. You can also get investment and other financial advice from apps known as robo-advisors. This is a great option if you haven’t got the time or money to sit down with a financial advisor every so often, but the service they provide is slightly less personalized.

Make a realistic budget

Once you’ve got as informed as possible you can finally include your savings and investments as part of a realistic budget. There are apps for this too and the latest budgeting apps can help you organize your personal finances. The most important thing is that you actually stick to your budget. If you’re finding that you aren’t able to do this then you probably need to reevaluate your budget to make it more realistic with your spending. You could alternatively look for ways to cut down on your spending. Ensure that you are always able to live within your means and put your savings to one side first.

Don’t let your emotions take over

When you’re investing or making financial plans for your future, try not to let your emotions take over. This might lead to you making poor decisions without thinking things through logically. Take your time, particularly with new investments, and never jump on the back of a fad without doing your research first. If a new investment sounds too good to be true then it probably is. Financial discipline is very important when dealing with the stock market and it’s crucial to keep a level head at all times. It’s very unpredictable and difficult to follow as it is.

Always have a backup

In order to ensure financial wellness, it’s always a good idea to have a backup. Create a contingency plan in the unfortunate case that you lose your job or are forced to take a pay cut. In these difficult times, anything is possible, so the more prepared you are the better. It’s advisable to keep some savings for emergency purposes, rather than investing them all, for example. You’ll have more peace of mind knowing that this buffer is there to get you out of a sticky situation if need be. With a backup plan in place, you can focus on investing for a successful retirement.

5 Steps on How to Buy Your Dream Home

Two key focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Home/Living/Property Discussions. While it sounds simple on paper, buying a home whether it’s finding or building a dwelling that suits your needs and preferences, or the financing transaction, it can all be very complicated and draining. If you a few basic things, the process can go much more smoothly. The following contributed post is entitled, 5 Steps on How to Buy Your Dream Home.

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Buying a home is an exciting experience and an involving one, especially if you are a first-time owner. There are basic steps you need to take for a great home buying experience, and a few are highlighted in this guide.

Image via Shutterstock by TijanaM

Get Pre-Approved for a Mortgage

While you may be psyched about owning a new home, don’t begin hunting for a home before getting pre-approved for a mortgage. You can still use mortgagecalculator.org to check how much you will pay back based on your lender’s time and interest rate. When you get pre-approved for a loan, it becomes easier for you to narrow down your search to a home that best fits your budget. Your pre-approval letter will indicate the maximum loan you can get.

With this information, you will instantly know your maximum price point.

List Your Essentials

Once you get pre-approved, the next step is to list the essentials you need to have in your new home. Put this in a list and make sure that you follow through. It’s also important not to have too many essentials so that you find it challenging to get a house in your area. By sticking to your list, you still avoid “list creep.” These are instances where you see particular objects in a home, and suddenly you want it included in your home.

Are You Moving In or Relocating

Based on your budget, you already know whether you want a move-in ready house or a fixer-upper, which will need some renovations. If you want to settle for a fixer-upper, you should consider those below your price range. This way, you will save enough for your preferred upgrades. It’s still advisable that you speak to your financier to learn more about the renovation loan process.

Document Your Walkthroughs and Settle On the Best

As you view different houses, the features can sometimes blend, and it can get confusing, which feature was in what house. To ease the confusion, be sure to take photos of the areas you love. If you are searching for a dream home, one of the things you should avoid is getting caught up in the listing. If you have narrowed down your search to ten houses, your choice should be based on your top three choices.

Quit Searching

Even after finding an ideal home, some buyers still want to keep browsing to check on more trends. Once you have made your choice, there is no need to keep checking for new listings. This can confuse you even more and delay the home buying process. Therefore, learn to be confident with the decision you make.

Wrapping Up

When purchasing a dream home, the initial step involves getting pre-approved for a home loan. Given that the loan will act as a guiding principle for purchase, your choices are to settle for a new or older home. Understand that issues with purchasing older homes range from simple renovations to remodeling. This means that you’ll have to spend less part of your loan so that you have enough for renovations.

Curb Appeal Tricks For Your Business

Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. If you have a ‘brick and mortar’ business, a key consideration is your curb appeal. New customers are more likely to wander in your business has a compelling appearance. The following contributed post is entitled, Curb Appeal Tricks For Your Business.

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The way that your business looks from the outside can make a lot of difference. Curb appeal is one of the many things you need to keep on top of as a business owner and can help to draw in potential customers. When customers or clients walk past or arrive at your business, an outside that looks tidy and smart makes a good impression before they even get inside.

Image – free for commercial use

1. Clean the pavement. Pressure washing is the easiest to thoroughly clean the pavement, your car park, or any paved area outside your business. If the outside is clean, your business will look a lot more inviting.

2. Add some plants. Greenery and flowers are a simple way to add personality and color to the front of your businesses. Fill some planters and put them on either side of your front door. This looks welcoming and also gives visitors the impression that someone is looking after the premises.

3. Give your signage a refresh. If your signage has seen better days or has become faded, it shows that the business isn’t being looked after and this gives a bad impression. Repair any signage that needs to be fixed, and repaint anything that has faded or looks like it would benefit from a refresh. Show off your branding.

4. Sweep outside every day. The outside of your business can easily start to look scruffy, with litter, dead leaves, and cigarette ends gathering. Someone needs to sweep out front every day to clear away this unsightly litter. Before you open for the day, sweep outside so your frontage looks cared for, clean, and ready to entice people in as they arrive.

5. Change your window displays frequently. If your business has a window at the front, make the most of your space for window displays. Show off different ranges of products, and change these displays on a regular basis. If you change the displays, people who walk past the store frequently, such as on the way to work, will notice that there is something different in the window to look at and they could notice something in the window that encourages them to come inside and find out more.

6. Make it obvious what your business actually does. Anyone walking or driving by your premises should be able to tell at a quick glance what your business does. Make sure that your signage makes this very clear.

7. Make sure your parking area is well lit and well sign-posted. If your customers can park at your business, clearly signpost where the parking spaces are so people can find them. Make sure any parking restrictions are also very obvious. Customers will be put off if think they can park, but then get hit with a parking ticket. Make your parking safe with well-maintained parking lot paving and plenty of lights. If people come to your business when it’s dark, they’ll benefit from the lights to help them feel safe. It’s also a useful addition for your staff when they leave at the end of the day.