The 3 Money Mistakes Newlyweds Make

Marriage is an exciting milestone for couples, but after the cake is consumed, the guests go home and the honeymoon ends, the minutiae of paying bills and saving for the future may seem less than glamorous. Nowadays, many couples cohabitate before marriage, so they may already have joint bank accounts or even a mortgage together. Some couples wait until after the wedding to pool funds, while others choose to keep their money entirely separate.

For those who combine at least some of their finances, there are likely to be a few hiccups, especially when spouses are further along in their careers and may have money habits already ingrained. eHow talked to Susan Zimmerman, a Chartered Financial Consultant and a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist who runs Minn.-based financial planning firm Mindful Asset Planning, about potential pitfalls for newlyweds to avoid.

Treating money as a “one and done” conversation.

If you and your spouse participated in premarital counseling or signed a prenuptial agreement, you probably discussed your assets, liabilities and financial goals. But the conversation shouldn’t end there. “Couples who are anticipating a life together should look at what kinds of messages and lessons did they get growing up and were those lessons useful,” Zimmerman says. “Start by understanding that about each other.” Your financial goals and attitudes may evolve, so keep the lines of communication open and check in with each other so you’ll understand where the other person is coming from.

Hiding purchases from each other.

Zimmerman says gaps in financial knowledge can be overcome, but deceit is much worse. And it’s a lot more common than you might think: a study published on Valentine’s Day 2014 by the National Endowment for Financial Education found that one in three adults admitted to committing “financial infidelity” against a partner. “When you’ve picked up on ways you might be different and instead of talking about it, you then decide to be untruthful with each other,” Zimmerman says. “Bad habits tend to get worse, not better, because new circumstances arise.” For instance, a wife who worries her husband will disapprove of her shoe habit might order online and have the shoes shipped to her office. Or a husband might hide a gambling habit from his wife. Some couples avoid this guilt by setting a dollar amount that the other person can spend guilt-free but agree to consult each other on larger purchases.

Jumping into home ownership without understanding the costs.

A growing number of couples are buying real estate before they tie the knot, and those who haven’t yet may see home-ownership as the next logical step. But just because your parents had the idyllic suburban home with the white picket fence doesn’t mean it’s right for you … right now. “Our culture has a fondness for this American dream of owning your own home, but there are real pains and consequences that come from it,” Zimmerman says. “You no longer have somebody else paying for the maintenance and care of it. We’ve seen many people get into trouble [with real estate purchases].” Just because you pay X amount in rent each month doesn’t mean you can comfortably afford the same size mortgage payment, because you’ll have property taxes, maintenance and other costs that aren’t associated with renting. Consider running the numbers with a fee-only financial advisor before you start shopping for your dream home.

How to Make the Most of a Job That’s Not A Good Fit

Does a wave of dread wash over you when your alarm goes off in the morning? Do you spend Sundays sulking about the week ahead pretty much every week? The feeling of knowing you’re spending 40+ hours a week at a job that’s not quite right for you can permeate your entire life and make you miserable, whatever the reason for the bad fit.

However, sometimes it just doesn’t make sense to make a change right away. Maybe you’re sticking it out to see if things get better, or maybe you’re worried you won’t be able to find another job at all. Maybe this really feels like the best you can find with your current skills and experience. Perhaps you are actively looking, but the job search is taking a while. Or maybe you want to develop some tenure on your resume. In any case, you need a strategy – not just to survive, but to squeeze every last drop of career value from your current situation so that when you look back later, it’ll have felt somewhat worthwhile. But how do you do that without going crazy in the meantime?

Devise your exit strategy now.
Getting a jump on getting out will give you a light at the end of the tunnel to work towards. This is the time to figure out what your next move is. Is the role itself not a good fit? Do you want to have different responsibilities? If you’re not sure what your dream job is or have any idea what kind of work you’ll find most enjoyable, take personality assessments. Research what others with similar backgrounds have done. (See also: 3 Ways to Use LinkedIn to Break Out of Your Career Rut.)

Do you love the type of work you’re currently doing, but the company culture isn’t a good fit or you’re working under someone who isn’t that skilled at managing people? Figure out where you’d really love to work, and use LinkedIn to see who in your network might know someone there, and facilitate an introduction – whether or not there’s an actual job opening.

If you’re not challenged enough at work or your skills are underutilized, consider that a blessing in disguise; use that extra brainpower to dive into your job search.

Reframe your experience.
Part of any good exit strategy is reframing your current experience in a way that benefits you later. If you’re not attempting to change roles or industries dramatically, this should be relatively easy – you already know what accomplishments will make the most sense to highlight, and you might simply say you’re looking for new challenges at a different company. If you’re moving laterally or up to a new role or industry, you’ll need to do a bit more digging and reflection to draw connections between your current role and the one you want. What responsibilities do you have that are similar, or even that simply require the same characteristics and traits? If asked why you want to make a change in interviews, you’ll need to have a very clear answer that conveys your motives effectively, so be very thorough about this. Surface only the most relevant responsibilities and accomplishments for your resume. If it’s not relevant to the job you’re aiming for, don’t include it.

Build relationships with your coworkers.
Don’t worsen a less-than-ideal job situation by burning bridges. Keep your job search private and focus on strengthening the good relationships you do have at work. Go out of your way to be friendly and polite to everyone. You want your coworkers to remember you in a good light. Your current coworkers likely won’t be at that company forever, and there’s no better job reference than from someone you worked with. You never know who will succeed, or who can be a major career connection in the future.

Work on something outside of your job.
Don’t succumb to the energy-suck that comes with not enjoying your work. Having something on the side to focus your abilities on, whether it’s a hobby, side project, or volunteer work, will lift you from your funk. Active work and interests outside of your day job may even help you expand your professional network, or help you build the skills you need to make the leap to a new type of role. Moreover, employers want to see that you’re multi-faceted with broad interests. And anything that gets you excited about working on something will help you understand and uncover what kind of job will really make you happy.

9 Mobile Apps That Can Actually Make You Money

It’s easy to mindlessly spend money on mobile shopping apps or games that allow in-app purchases, but did you know there are also smartphone apps that pay you money instead of helping you spend it? They’re unlikely to net you enough money to quit your day job (I’d be wary of apps that charge money upfront with the promise of a big pay-off later), but here’s a look at several free apps that could help you earn a little extra cash from your phone.

Pact (available for Android and iOS): I used Pact several years ago when it first launched as Gym-Pact — collecting a dollar or so each week when I checked in from my gym. The idea is to keep people accountable for following through on healthy habits (exercising or eating healthfully) by charging them a small, predetermined amount when they fall short of their weekly goal (called a Pact). The people who actually meet their Pact get a portion of the money collected from those who don’t. It won’t make you rich, but if you already go to the gym or need a little motivation to work out or eat better, it’s worth trying. You can also schedule breaks from your Pact if needed.

Checkout 51 (available for Android and iOS): Instead of clipping coupons, new grocery receipt apps like Checkout 51 let you scan your receipts from any grocery store to get cash back on certain items (for instance, certain brands of cereal, ice cream, toiletries or cleaning products). Checkout 51 updates its offers each Thursday, and the offers are in limited supply, so don’t wait until Wednesday night to upload your receipts. So far, I've earned $17.75 and will be able to request a check once my balance reaches $20. Groupon recently released its own app called Snap by Groupon. Another grocery receipt-scanning app, Zweet, is currently only available in Canada but plans to launch in the United States soon.

gapNsnap (available for iOS only): To help retailers stay on top of inventory issues, snap and upload photos of empty shelf tags on your next shopping trip. In exchange for your “snaps,” you can earn prizes and, in some cases, money transferred to your PayPal account.

Fronto (available for Android only): Fronto places sponsored content on your Android’s lock screen and rewards you for swiping. According to the website, advertiser’s rewards range in value from a penny to as much as $2. You can redeem rewards for gift cards or money deposited into your PayPal account.

Field Agent (available for Android and iOS): According to the Field Agent website, users who've downloaded the app and filled out a profile can sign up for micro tasks (for instance, snapping a photo of a product in your local drug store or filling out a survey) that pay between $3 and $12 per task. They can later cash out via PayPal or Dwolla. I’ve downloaded the Field Agent app and filled in my profile, but the app hasn’t located any jobs near me yet. Other smartphone apps that offer payment for similar micro tasks include GigWalk and Mobee.

3 Ways to Use LinkedIn to Break Out of Your Career Rut

If you dismiss LinkedIn as just a social media network for job-seekers, you’re missing out. LinkedIn is also a great tool if you find yourself in a career rut. Here are three major ways LinkedIn can help you get un-stuck:

1. Research

If you’re stuck in a job you hate and aren't sure how to move forward in your career, researching the career paths of others can be incredibly illuminating. Understanding how someone got from point A to point B in his career might open your eyes to different ways you can move up the ladder — or closer to a career that excites you — in your own way.

Before LinkedIn, we didn't really have a way to do this, but now it’s even easier with LinkedIn’s new Field of Study Explorer. Simply select a field of study (if you’re logged in to LinkedIn, it will automatically select the field you studied in college, but you can change this under “Explore More”), and LinkedIn will tell you what others who studied that field are now doing — even where they’re living and working. It also shows you profiles of people who studied that field, starting first with your own connections and then moving on to people you don’t yet know but with whom you have connections in common. Don’t be afraid to click around and read what people have chosen to make publicly available. Reverse-engineering the career paths of others can be helpful if you’re not even sure what the possibilities are, much less how to accomplish them. 

2. Re-brand yourself

Your LinkedIn profile tells a story about you: your history and path, your skills and interests and where you might go next. If the experience section seems like just a list of jobs, your summary is where you tie everything together. It’s your opportunity to connect the dots for your reader while articulating the best of your achievements. Your summary will go through many revisions as you gain new experiences and evolve personally and professionally. Writing about yourself forces you to consider things from someone else’s perspective and think objectively about your past. This can open your eyes to new possibilities.

Don’t discount the power of a good headline, either. Most people just default to using their current position and company, but there are better ways to make a fuller, more encompassing statement about yourself professionally. And if you’re job-seeking, don’t put that as your headline! As the first thing people read about you, it positions you as a beggar — not a chooser — and makes people worry you’ll just ask them about jobs. A better option is to describe yourself as the professional you are, whether or not you have a job. If you were recently laid off from a job as a marketing manager, you might choose to use something like “Proven marketing manager with eight years of experience.”

How you choose to portray past experiences is also important. Let’s say you’re that laid-off marketing manager and you’d like to work on more digitally focused campaigns at your next job. In that case, you might highlight the digital aspects of your prior projects by pointing them out first in the experience description.

3. Reach out

What’s the point of a network if you don’t connect with others? This is where you take your research a step further and actually connect — in real life — with people in your industry or who started from the same place. There’s definitely a right and a wrong way to do this, but most people are happy to help others; they’re flattered you want their advice, and if you end up being successful, they get value from the relationship as well. Making it easy for them to say yes is the tricky part; you don’t want to burden them with a long email or ask for too much of their time. Ramit Sethi’s blog has smart advice on how to approach people the right way for mentorship.

Thinking creatively and proactively about your trajectory is a necessary part of moving forward in your professional life, and LinkedIn can be an excellent resource and tool to help you map your career.

5 Dollar-Store Halloween Costume Hacks

Intro

Here's the bad news: Halloween is a 7 billion dollar industry in the United States. That's big money, and sometimes it seems like you need those kind of big bucks to outfit yourself or your kid in a costume good enough for them to hold their head high the following day at school. The good news? The demand for low-cost solutions to all things, not just Halloween, means that there are more dollar stores (and, sometimes, slightly less than a dollar, wink-wink..) than ever before. And these places are an absolute gold-mine for your Halloween costume toolbox. Nevermind the pre-mades they have on their shelves. Here are 5 fun, creative, and absolutely easy-to-make costumes with the most affordable ingredients imaginable. Trick or Cheap!

Carmen Miranda shaking her maracas. (Carmen Miranda Costume)

Things You'll Need

·         Robot:

·         2 Silver sun shades for the car

·         Hot glue gun

·         12 inch plastic basket

·         Colored duct tape in red, yellow, black, and turquoise

·         Black 1/4 inch tape

·         Dark shirt and pants that fit child

·         Scissors

·         X-acto Knife

·         Wax paper

·         Carmen Miranda:

·         Rectangular plastic tablecloths in 3-4 assorted colors

·         Plastic fruit

·         Fake flowers

·         Hot glue gun

·         Large beaded jewelry

·         Duct tape

·         Apron

·         Small basket with a handle

·         Scarf to tie hair with

·         Ribbon

·         Crop top

·         Scissors

·         Spaghetti with Meatballs:

·         Yellow yarn

·         Plastic baseballs

·         Air dry clay

·         Yellow fabric or ribbon

·         Double stick tape

·         Needle and thread

·         Brown craft paint

·         1/2 inch sponge brush

·         Scissors

·         Shackled Ghost:

·         Pipe insulation or pool noodle

·         White glue

·         Scissors

·         Black fabric

·         Mask

·         Garden Party:

·         Fake flowers

·         Skirt

·         Top

·         Scissors

·         Hot glue gun

How to Ace the Final Interview

Making it past the first round of interviews offers a sense of satisfaction and gets you one step closer to landing the position. The final interview is your last chance to prove your qualifications and push yourself into the lead candidate position. The initial sessions give you an idea of how the company interviews and what they're looking for, but additional preparation for the final interview readies you for a more in-depth questioning session with the hiring manager.

Instructions

1. Confirm the time and location of the final interview. Don't assume it will take place in the same location as your previous interviews. Verify the format of the interview so you can prepare for the number of people sitting in and understand what will be expected of you.
2. Replay all of the previous interviews with the company in your head. Make notes about your answers so you can respond consistently. Identify questions and answers that stumped you or didn't go as well as you'd hoped so you can practice those areas before the final interview.
3. Research the company if you haven't already. Even if you researched before your first interview, review the information and read more on the company. Show you care about the company by being able to tailor your answers to the company's vision and goals.
4. Talk to any acquaintance you know who already works for the company to get a sense of what to expect from the final interview. Ask for any insight into exactly what the hiring manager is looking for.
5. Write down specific examples from your prior work experience as a review for the interview. The final interview often involves more in-depth questions and answers. Having ideas in your head to show you possess the necessary skills makes answering those questions easier.
6. Prepare yourself to show the hiring manager how well you'll fit into the company. Use the specific examples from your experience and your knowledge of the company to demonstrate that you're a qualified candidate who will excel in the position.
7. Consider your requirements and desires for salary and benefits. Questions about these topics may arise in the final interview. Preparing yourself to answer the questions helps you avoid being caught off guard and giving a salary range you later regret.
8. Bring extra copies of your resume in case there are additional people sitting in on the interview. The hiring manager should have a copy of your resume available from the previous interviews, but being prepared with extras shows you're on top of things.

Smart Tips for Using Your Debit Card

INTRO

Debit cards function similarly to credit cards except that debit cards allow you to withdraw funds directly from a checking account. In other words, when you use a debit card you are spending money you have already earned. Responsible debit card use can help you avoid fees and dangers that may end up costing you money

Check Your Account Balance Regularly

Since debit cards draw money from a checking account, you can only draw as much money as you have in your account. Overdrawing your checking account may result in fees from your bank. Many banks allow users to check account balances online, which can make it easy to keep tabs on how much money you have to spend. Some accounts also offer overdraft protection to protect you from fees if you happen to draw more than your balance.

Cancel Lost Cards Immediately

Debit cards and credit cards are easy to misplace. If you lose your debit card, call your bank and cancel the card as soon as possible. Unlike credit cards, it may be difficult to recoup fraudulent debit card charges because money is withdrawn directly from your checking account. For this reason, consider using a credit card instead of a debit card for normal use and online purchases and then use your debit card to pay off the credit card.

Destroy Old Cards

If you never use a certain card or receive new cards in the mail, destroy your old cards. New debit cards may have new expiration dates and security codes, but the card number will usually be the same.

Memorize Your PIN

Debit cards allow users to set up a personal identification number (PIN) that must be entered when withdrawing funds from an ATM. Set up a PIN as soon as you receive your debit card and commit the number to memory. Bankrate recommends that debit card users never write their PIN on their card.

Keep Your Card in a Safe Place

You should treat your debit card as if it were cash. You probably wouldn't leave $3,000 in cash sitting on the kitchen counter, but that's essentially what you are doing if you leave your debit card on the counter with a checking balance of $3,000. Keep your card with you in your wallet or purse when you are out and put it in a safe, drawer or other hidden location when you are not using it. Never leave the card sitting out where others can see it.