I love it when I save a bunch of money! For me, hundreds of dollars saved is a monumental feat; let alone a thousand dollars. I finally did it once, then twice. And I have to admit there is a high I get when I save money like this!
Now I am not saying there aren’t many important things I could use that money for – there are always great uses.
But a few decades ago I read this book called “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” It’s been over 20 years, and I still cannot believe how many applications that one book has had on my life! You gotta get it and read it right now!
Ha ha. Or, when you get some money saved up right!
Okay here are the 4 Quadrants from Steven Covey.
Perhaps the most powerful part of that book is Covey’s teaching about the FOUR QUADRANTS. You see – you and I have 4 quadrants in terms of what we choose to do on a given day. Basically how we all spend our time is going to result in the level of success or “effectiveness” of our life choices.
The four quadrants are URGENT and IMPORTANT, URGENT and NON-IMPORTANT, NOT URGENT BUT IMPORTANT, and the NON URGENT and NON IMPORTANT (Did he study my first year in college or what?)
The thing is – URGENT THINGS always get the attention of our minds. The problem is some of these things are important, and some not so much.
But the hardest quadrant to deal with in our 4 Quadrant lives is the NON URGENT but IMPORTANT one. (SEE QUADRANT 2!)
Do I need to tell you that SAVING & INVESTING MONEY is one of those Non Urgent but Very Important actions? Saving and Investing will never come at you and scream “Daddy Daddy! I got a zit right on my forehead!” Well. If it does, I would go to the doctor and get that checked.
Now as irony sometimes has it’s way – I am screaming in your ear right now, almost as loud to “Invest some of your saved money right now!”
That way – you will more likely act upon it, if nothing else you will keep me quiet for a few more weeks. Uh, gee. I didn’t realize how you really felt about me.
What’s the next step you should take? What are some specific things you can do to take your finances to the next level?
We’ve got some ideas for you:
1. Open A Free Checking Account & Make $100 Just For Doing It!
Now some places are even offering $200 and $300 but you have to wait for those deals. However there is one Checking Account offer I know about that gives you $100 free just for opening an account. How’s an extra $100 sound? For free? Seriously. It’s called Aspiration.
The debit card companies that offer sign-up bonuses of $200-plus often require you to qualify first by accomplishing all kinds of minimum requirements. When I say minimum… think – maximum.
However – with Aspiration, all you need to do is open your Aspiration account and deposit at least $10. Then set up and receive three direct deposits of at least $500 each from your paycheck or government benefits. That’s it! Then just wait for your check.
I know. Sounds like highway robbery! (Well, that would be bank robbery technically.) But no – it’s too legit to admit! Your debit card gets you up to 10% cash back on your purchases.
Enter your email address here, and link your bank account. And don’t worry. Your money is FDIC insured and under a military-grade encryption.
If you don’t know what all that means, just do what I do – smile, nod and act like you do know.
2. Buy an Apartment Building – One Step At A Time
Okay. So talk about overstepping it so quickly! I know what your thinking: “How can I jump from saving $100, to building an entire apartment building!”
The answer is simple, my friend. Baby steps. Rome wasn’t built in a day, so chill out – Mister or Misses OVER-REACTION! Historically, though, real-estate investing offers the best long-term returns.
But if you really want tiny baby steps, and still the ability to invest in the most time-trusted area in history – I give you DiversyFund. Now I don’t actually “give” it to you. It’s not yours to keep. Thank you.
DiversyFund allows you to make long-term investments in apartments and office buildings all over the country — and you don’t have to be a millionaire. You can get started with only $500!
Seriously! This is unprecedented! 100 years ago you actually needed to own a small planet to invest in real estate. Now anyone can invest in real estate. You can see exactly which properties are included in your portfolios — like a 150-unit apartment complex in Rochester, Indiana or a 50-unit building in St. Paul. You don’t have to be the landlord — DiversyFund does all the heavy lifting.
As a partial owner, you make money on rent payments and when property values go up. Historically they have seen annual returns of 18% but that’s not promised. It takes just a few minutes to sign up and own your first apartment building.
So what say you?
3. Snatch Up a Share of Google, and Stash Away Your Cash
I love snatching anything. What if you and I, much lower on the Totem Polls of life, were able to actually own a company? What! But we work for a living and don’t happen to have millions of dollars lying around! Well, I’ll speak for myself anyway.
That’s why a lot of people use the app Stash. It lets you be a part of something that’s normally only for the rich — buying pieces of other companies for as little as $1.
That’s right — your dollars can make sense! (Had to get that in there somehow!)
You, or I, can invest in tiny portions of well-known companies like Amazon, Apple and Google for as little as $1. The best part? When these companies profit, so do you! Some companies will send you checks every quarter for your share of the profits, called dividends!
Let me just go lay down in a corner with my blankey and stuffed animal and DREAM about Dividends for a while!!!
Okay I’m done.
I never even knew what dividends were until this blog! The only thing I knew even close to the word “dividends” was the time I got this really bad virus and had what I thought were “dividends” for like – 3 days straight!
Now here I am told dividends is a good thing! No wonder!
Seriously for a moment – rich people think one way. Poor people (like I used to be) always thought another way. What is that “way” you ask? Well that is why I post these newly discovered revelations about the way I used to think about things I had no understanding of (like Dividends) and then how that thinking has slowly changed.
It takes two minutes to sign up, plus Stash will give you a $5 sign-up bonus once you deposit $5 into your account.
4. Insure Your Life’s Passing Wont Hurt Your Family
Nobody wants to die.
Now, somebody may want YOU or I to die. But that is different. As long as it isn’t your spouse or next of kin!
But if you or I were to die, what would actually happen to the people you love so much?
Could they afford the mortgage? Pay the bills on time? Handle the cost of childcare or college? Yes? No?
Well, there’s a way to make sure all of this is taken care of — and it only takes two minutes to get started.
Through a company called Policygenius, you can find and compare term life insurance policies for up to $2 million in coverage from multiple insurers at once to find your best rate.
Yes. Just a few dollars a month now could mean millions for your family when they’ll need it most. Totally affordable and totally worth it.
With Policygenius, it takes about two minutes to enter some basic information, then it’ll search the marketplace for the best rates. If you’re not sure how much coverage you need, their licensed experts will guide you and help you compare your options.
Once you find a policy that fits your needs, you’ll easily apply online.
Normally, larger policies require in-person medical exams and lab tests, but Policygenius has an option that can get eligible applicants covered with a simple phone call. No visit to the doctor (or needles) required!
My wife loves that part about “no needles!”
Tonight, you’ll be able to sleep easier knowing your family will be taken care of financially.
Do It!
5. Save Hundreds Buy Switching Your Car Insurance
I feel like I am watching a commercial on TV right now. And out of nowhere someone says “I don’t know about that Fred – but I do know that you can save hundreds buy switching your car insurance!”
Try this at home. Ask a significant other to ask you anything. No matter the questions, just say this instead – “Oh I don’t know about that _______ (their Name) But I do know that you can save hundreds by switching your car insurance.” Watch them turn speechless before your very eyes.
It sounds like a goofy joke. But 7 years ago, I decided to see how much I was paying for my car insurance. And then I thought, I wonder if another company could give me a better rate. And you know what?
I SAVED HUNDREDS BY SWITCHING MY CAR INSURANCE!
So can you. You should be shopping your options every six months or so. It could add a whole lot more money to your checking account.
A company called Gabi will do this for you. It makes it super easy to compare car insurance prices in a matter of minutes.
I was paying double each month to insure one Ford Escape. Then I made the ole car insurance switcheroo – and saved $50 a month! That is $600 in savings per year. Just Wow.
Wondering how much you could save? Head over to Gabi for a free quote. It takes all of two minutes.
6. Consolidate Your Cards & Crush Your Debt
You’ve finally got some money in the bank, but do you still have some lingering debt? You know – debt never really leaves, or stays. Debt likes to just linger, and eventually linger longer. It likes to linger – longer and longer.
But I found a company that will pay your credit card bill this month. No, like… the whole bill.
Your credit card is getting rich by ripping you off with insane rates, but a website called Fiona wants to help.
If you owe your credit card companies $100,000 or less, Fiona will match you with a low-interest loan you can use to pay off every single one of your balances.
Why would you want to do this? Well you see – you’ll be left with one bill to pay each month. I know you probably enjoyed paying all those bills. But now – just one. And because personal loans have lower interest rates, you’ll get out of debt that much faster. Plus: No credit card payment this month.
It may hurt some at first. You and your debt have been together for years and years I would guess.
Sometimes parting is sweet sorrow.
Fiona won’t make you stand in line or call your bank, either. And if you’re worried you won’t qualify, it’s free to check online. It takes just two minutes, and it could help you pay off your debt years faster.
*Your Dollars Make Sense is a Paid Affiliate/partner of Stash. This material is not intended as investment advice and is not meant to suggest that any securities are suitable investments for any particular investor. Investment advice is only provided to Stash customers.
**You’ll also bear the standard fees and expenses reflected in the pricing of the ETFs in your account, plus fees for various ancillary services charged by Stash
