Top 5 Reasons I Prefer To Rent My Rentals On Airbnb

Is Airbnb Worth It?

Do you want to learn how to make money with Airbnb? Today’s guest post comes from Dave B., who is an investor and owner of the Afford Everything blog where he shares how he and his fiancée went from living paycheck-to-paycheck to building wealth. If you’d like to submit a guest post on Money Q&A, please check out the site’s guest posting guidelines. Last year during the renovation of a 1940’s bungalow my fiancee and I purchased, we learned about Airbnb. We had just come back from a vacation in which we stayed in one as guests. As an investor, the Airbnb business model intrigued me. This got my wheels turning, “Could I be an Airbnb host?” How To Make Money With Airbnb This question was … Read more

How You Lose Money With Bad Windows

Stop wasting money

Stop wasting moneyOf the many unforeseen and hidden monthly costs that creep into higher monthly household expenditure, windows ranks up high. Windows affect your home value, your electricity usage as a result of heating/cooling required and also personal safety. To be entirely honest, it’s the single most overlooked household fixture however one of the most important.

Bad windows allow for weather infiltration that can adversely affect a home. Be it with weather that leads to wooden window rot or rain entering through poorly insulated and misaligned window frames. The fact is that, as is the case for many things, you get what you pay for!

Speaking of paying, windows poorly insulated directly influence electricity usage that increases your bill as colder months sees the cold air entering as would be the same for warmer months with warm air. Either way heating or cooling of the rooms dictate usage and impacts month end expenditure on bills.

Windows certainly also determine the selling price of a home. It affects the aesthetic which can either increase or decrease the asking price of the home based on quality, look and feel. Buyers or long-term rental candidates will expect the windows to be of the best standard, clean without discoloring, well insulated and safe to the outside world.

In the case of DIY solutions in respect of home window repairs or replacement, its only suggested in consultation with an expert. Regardless of the attempt, nothing beats the finish of a reputable and well regarded windows specialist company or expert.

The window of choice may also need a long term approach than that of a quick fix solution so instead of going for an easy and cheaper window solution, look at long term benefits of a professional approach. Its been said nothing worst that unevenly align window frames or skew windows altogether. This not only interferes with having an aesthetically superior home, but also with the cement refurbishment costs to architecturally redesign a window frame and fitting.

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Putting together a Great Investment Strategy for 10% Returns

How To Not Let Investing Intimidate You with Wall Street Survivor

Do you have a great investment strategy? The following is a guest post by Joseph Hogue, CFA is an investment analyst and blogger. Joseph runs the blogs My Stock Market Basics and Peer Finance 101.  If you’d like to submit a guest post on Money Q&A, please check out the site’s guest posting guidelines.

Motif Investing offers a low-cost way to put your investment strategy together to meet your return goals.

I loved Hank’s list post on ten ways to earn a great rate of return on your investments. The post offers some great ideas for investing including stocks, real estate and bonds that can make 10%+ on your investment.

I thought I would combine some of the ideas from the post with my favorite investing tool to show you how you can put it all together in a simple investing strategy.

Not only will this simple strategy help you invest across some of the most important asset classes but it’s also a low-cost choice and can help reduce the risk around investing.

But first, a little about the investing tool that makes it all possible.

How Motif Investing Can Simplify Your Investment Strategy
Motif Investing

Motif Investing is an online investing website allowing investors to group up to 30 stocks and exchange traded funds (ETFs) into one fund and then buy the entire group with one trade. Compared to other discount brokers, it can save you a lot of money investing.

Consider investing in 30 stocks on any other website would cost $300 or more. Investing in that same group on Motif would cost $10 with one trade.

Beyond saving money investing, Motif offers a way to put together your entire investing strategy in one simple investment. You choose a combination of 30 stocks and ETFs that include asset classes like stocks, bonds, and real estate. You can customize the fund to buy more of some stocks and less of others each time you invest more money.

Instead of getting caught up in the ups-and-downs of one particular stock, panic-selling when the market tumbles, your investment fund rises more smoothly over time since it’s diversified across asset classes. Learn more about MotifInvesting.comGreat Investment Strategy for 10% Returns.

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Cash in a Flash: Why You Need to Start an Emergency Fund Today

Dave Ramsey’s Baby Step One - $1,000 Emergency Fund In The Bank

One of the most important pieces of financial advice around there is to start an emergency fund. Most people are aptly aware of it but still choose to do nothing about it. They are not sure how to start an emergency fund. There could be many reasons for this as to why no one has acted on this advice yet. But, because of this over a third of Americans are unable to pay for unexpected emergency expenses, as their savings is simply not there. There is a lot of reasons to start an emergency fund today. How to Start an Emergency Fund Starting the Fund There are strategies and various reasons behind starting an emergency fund. You’ll need to stack … Read more

Saving Money Everyday – How To Save On Everyday Expenses

Saving Money Everyday

Saving Money EverydayWe live in a world where the cost of living is going up each day. In order to keep up, we either must find a way to earn more or find a way to reduce our expenses. These are a few tips to help you save on your everyday expenses.

Make a list

Before you go shopping, make a list and make sure to always stick to it. Pick out everything on the list first before anything extra. Do not go window shopping because you might end up impulse buying. Get everything on the list and leave the store.

Discounts

Look out for great discounts. Learn all there is to know about promo codes and always be keen so that no deals go by. You can get great deals by watching out for these. Do not rush for these offers though, note that they have no refunds and the sale is final. Be very sure about your purchase.

At Amazon.com, you can also enjoy discounts once you sign up for their “Subscribe and save programs”. Goods are also usually shipped to your location for free. Save a few dollars a week.

Splitting bulk goods

When you got to Costco with a friend, you can buy a product in bulk for a cheaper per unit price and split the items. The both of you can save a lot of money by doing this every time you go shopping together. Pair up with a friend and do this on a regular basis.

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Investing Demystified – A Five Video Series from Popular Investing Book

Investing Demystified by Lars KroijerYou may unnecessarily be paying the equivalent of five Porsche sports cars to the finance industry over your working life! Check out this investing video series on www.kroijer.com by Lars Kroijer, who used to run a hedge fund in London and wrote the book, “Investing Demystified: How to Invest Without Speculation and Sleepless Nights“. Basically, it says you can’t beat the market, and explain why that is important.

It’s as easy as watching a cute cat video online, except it’s about index funds! But if you spend six minutes watching the first video it could well change how you think about investments. Also, it may save you reading 200 pages of an investment book or give you a good riposte for next time a broker calls you with a hot stock tip.

Investing Demystified

The series consist of five videos – here is a bit on each:

Video 1: Investing Demystified – (Intro Overview – Part 1 of 5)

The Investing Demystified video series is based on the premise that most investor can’t beat the market (or pick investment funds to do so for them). Those investors should only buy world equity index trackers for their equity exposure, and can easily implement the simple and cheap portfolio tailored to their risk profile. They will most likely be far better off in the long run as a result! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_chiIIxMGl0

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