A few weeks ago, I told you about an experiment I was trying out in order to make some extra cash: writing for eHow. eHow is a website that allows users to write how-to articles on any topic. The articles are published on eHow’s website with some ads alongside, and eHow shares any generated advertising revenue with its writers.
There are a few issues that I have with eHow. First and foremost is that Demand Media, which owns eHow, does not reveal how it calculates payouts to writers, so you’re completely at their mercy. The second is that eHow is pretty strict about the formatting of its articles. All articles need to have a step-by-step format, which restricts the author whose how-tos are more free-formed. But other than those complaints, eHow has presented a simple and solid way to make some extra money online. In fact, it’s probably the quickest and easiest way to do so if you have next to no technical knowledge. Read More…
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Back in the summer of 2000, I spent about 10 weeks in San Diego. The weather was beautiful every day, the people were friendly, and my weekends were filled with relaxation… except for one. On one Saturday morning that summer, I woke up to a pain in my chest, a broad tightness across the top of my torso. So I did what anyone would do. I freaked out. In the end, after a trip to emergency room, I was fine – it turned out to be a muscle pull in my back. It also turned out that the muscle pull would be the least of my pains from that day. Read More…
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As I wrote recently, I’ve been exploring ways to develop streams of passive income. One of my experiments is writing for eHow. Another is starting a niche blog.
For those that don’t know, niche blogging for income involves creating a blog on some topic, placing advertising on it, and earning money every time a visitor clicks one of the ads. There’s a lot to consider when developing a good niche blog. Choosing the right topic is very important, since the advertising will be related to the blog’s content, and I’d prefer a field in which advertisers pay a lot for clicks. Also, the niche has to be balanced between popular and unpopular – too popular and my content will be lost in a sea of other websites, too unpopular and I won’t have an audience. The trick is to choose a niche that’s juuuuust right. Read More…
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Who doesn’t love to save money? For most of us, there are likely several ways to cut out or at least save a chunk on our expenses. And as I’ve written before, saving even a small amount from your monthly expenses can make a big difference in the portion of income you can save.
There are a whole host of ways to save on your expenses, and trying to utilize them all can be overwhelming without an organized approach. For those who are looking to revamp their expense budget or to start saving a little (or a lot) of money on their monthly expenses, I recommend taking it slow at first. Good money management is about discipline, and you should approach it as long-term personal development and a lifestyle change, one that will allow you to live a better lifestyle in the coming years.
With this in mind, I recommend what I call the Top Down Approach to trimming your monthly expenses. Read More…
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About four weeks ago, I was rounding up my expenses for the month of February and tallying up how much my wife and I had saved for the month. We wound up saving about 9% of our after-tax income. Not too shabby, considering the national average is around 4%. Ever the optimist, I tried to figure out ways we could save even more, and I remembered a great idea. Read More…
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Recently, I’ve been exploring a few ways to develop several streams of income, passive or otherwise. In that spirit, I began writing for eHow a few weeks ago. eHow’s Writer Compensation Program offers writers the chance to publish how-to articles on just about any topic. Read More…
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April is Financial Literacy Month. In following effort to highlight financial education, the following describes some of the basics of stock options.
For some people, investing is as simple as buying and selling common stocks through their broker. But there are many more vehicles that one can use to take advantage of investment opportunities. Put options on common stocks are among them, and when used properly, can allow increased exposure to or protection against stock prices. Read More…
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Last week I filed my taxes on my own, first attempting to use TurboTax’s online software, which went terribly, and later downloading H&R Block’s TaxCut software, which worked out very well for me. If you are going to do your own taxes, I highly recommend downloading software rather than using an online tool, since the latter is very crippled compared to the former. With your own software, you can tweak and test different returns as you see fit. This isn’t always possible with online versions. Furthermore, the downloaded software usually costs the same price or less. This was the first time I filed my own taxes, and I thought it would be a breeze after speaking to a friend who has been doing it for years.
But I ran into a snag. Read More…
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About 6 years ago, I switched from using a PC to a Mac and I’ve never looked back, at least not with fond memories. Apple’s computers are so well-designed that I remember my Windows days with a bad taste in my mouth. The Mac user interface is built so cleanly that tasks you intuitively think should be simple are, well, simple. There are no cryptic error messages when something goes wrong – and things seem to go wrong much less often too. Plus, Macs are aesthetically nicer. But the best argument I can make in favor of a Mac is this. When I come home, I actually want to sit down and use my computer. The experience is great. When I had a PC, I never felt that way. Read More…
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For those of you looking to make a few bucks with all that time spent on the Internet, taking surveys for cash might be of interest.
There are several companies out there that will pay you for survey taking and for product evaluation. (Getting a free product that you would otherwise buy is like being paid all in itself). These companies allow you to register with them via their website. They’ll take your home address so that when it comes time to be paid or when they have a product to evaluate, they can mail you a check or the goods. Many also offer payment via PayPal.
Before taking a look at some of survey websites, let’s get one thing out of the way. Read More…
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