Guest Contributor on Money Questions and Answers Blog

How to Get Rewards When Spending with Your Business Credit Card

Credit card companies often use rewards and bonuses to attract private clients, but even business products are now starting to come with the same additional benefits. While individuals rack up points and cashback one pound at a time, business credit cards have developed a whole line of innovative programs, offering multiple ways to earn valuable rewards. How To Earn Rewards With a Business Credit Card Points Points-based rewards systems provide attractive flexibility, giving business customers access to a bonus system focused on things they actually need. Points can be earned on most important company expenses, including everything from car rentals to office supplies and insurance to repairs. Once accumulated, these points can then be used against future purchases, helping to bring … Read more

How To Launch An Online Business On A Budget

by Guest Contributor

The following guest post by Kimberly Palmer is based on her new book, “The Economy of You: Discover Your Inner Entrepreneur and Recession-Proof Your Life.”

When you’re launching a new online business, it’s tempting to spend a lot of money getting it going. You might want to pay for a professionally-built website, the perfect logo, public relations services and maybe a lawyer’s time to help you get your paperwork in place.

Here’s my advice: Don’t do any of that. At least, not until you launch your shop and have a steady stream of revenue coming in.

There are some exceptions, of course. Certain types of businesses require some hefty start-up costs. A custom cake baker needs an oven and a fridge (and the required licenses); anyone selling products that could potentially lead to injuries needs to make sure they are protected legally.

But for most of us launching online businesses, we can do it on the cheap. Here are five tips to help you keep your own costs down as you build and launch your online business on a budget:

1. Use existing e-commerce sites.

E-commerce websites like Etsy, Fiverr, Elance and Freelancer make it easy and virtually free to create a profile, describe what you have to offer, and start looking for customers. It took me about two weeks to officially open my shop after I first got the idea.

That’s because the infrastructure already exists, you just have to tap into it. There’s no need to start from scratch and create your own e-commerce platform, or even your own website.

Sure, you might want to consider hosting your own site once you get bigger, but to start out, you can simply piggyback on the ones that already exist. An added bonus is that it gives you a built-in customer base of people already browsing those sites.

2. Stick with digital products.

I made the mistake of launching my planner shop with the idea that people wanted to buy bound, printed copies of my planners. I was wrong. The printed planners that I paid hundreds of dollars to create are still sitting in my closet, unsold.

What did sell was the digital version of my planners. Not only does that option save me money in printing costs, but it also saves me time and postage on shipping. Digital products can download automatically, too, which means you’re not keeping your customers waiting.

Exploring The Resources Necessary To Manage Your Company’s Finances

by Guest Contributor

Managing your company’s finances should always be a top priority that is handled efficiently throughout the year. This is one of the most important things that you can do in order to keep your company afloat, especially since the cornerstone and foundation of your business is your cash flow. The mismanagement and mishandling of your revenue and expenses can quickly spell disaster for your company, which is why it is imperative that you take full advantage of several key resources that are available to you. Invest in Quality Accounting Software There are quite a few software choices that are available within an expanding catalog of options that are used by business in different industries today. Finding the perfect one to … Read more

Five Regulations Landlords Need To Know About Renting To Tenants

by Guest Contributor

Regulations Landlords Need To Know In the midst of the UK’s housing crisis, it’s difficult to be a tenant. That’s widely acknowledged. It can also be difficult to be a landlord in this climate though. Pressure is building on all sides and now, more than ever. It’s vital to know your legal duties and rights as a landlord.

Though many landlords are crystal clear on their duties according to the tenancy agreements they have drawn up, relatively few know what is supposed to be in every tenancy agreement, and what is generally required of them by law. Clarity on these matters should allow you to protect yourself more effectively with safeguards such as landlord insurance.

Moving In

First things first: the deposit you take from your tenants when they sign your tenancy agreement must be secured in one of the three government-approved Tenancy Deposit Protection (TDP) schemes.

Landlords are also required to supply their tenants with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) when they move into a property. This will give the building an energy-efficiency rating from A down to G, based on the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) for energy-efficiency (which is a score out of 100).

Setting Resolutions For Affordable Dental Insurance And Care

by Guest Contributor

Dental Insurance With the holidays approaching, families across the US recognize that one of the most expensive times of the year is upon us once again. The budgets will likely get tighter, while thoughts and resolutions turn to the new year, often with commitments to live healthier lives.

One important but often neglected method of living healthily is in regards to dental care. Many families struggle to afford the cost of routine dental work, which is all the more expensive without a comprehensive dental plan.

While dental work is technically a part of healthcare, standard health insurance plans omit coverage for oral care. However, dental work is provided as part of oral health insurance, or through an annual dental plan.

Believe it or not, there are notable differences between dental insurance and dental plans. There are typically more restrictions for you as a patient when you acquire dental insurance, along with high annual rates, and potentially long waiting periods to see a competent dentist.

On the other hand, a dental plan is more affordable and frankly, a much simpler option to maintain quality oral care. Most dental plans are independent from an insurer, which eliminates the administrative headaches of filing insurance claim forms, and paying for high clerical fees.

There are also discounts for most dental plan members, though you should verify that your dentist is part of the discount dental plan network. For families on a tight budget, particularly after the holiday season, this can be very important for the oral health of the children.

Salaries Of The Five Most Traditional Professions

by Guest Contributor

Salaries-of-Traditional-Professions The following article is a guest post. If you would like to write an article for Money Q&A, please visit our Guest Posting Guidelines page.

The following traditional professions are so integral to our society we can hardly imagine them ceasing to exist. Each serves an integral role, and demands a great deal from those that pursue them. In other regards, they are high dissimilar. They all have widely varying salaries, work environments and amounts of respect and prestige associated with them.

Salaries Of The Five Most Traditional Professions

1. Doctor

The profession of doctor has always been one that carries a certain level of respect. The profession is one that is difficult and expensive to obtain but usually comes with one of the highest payoffs of any of the five traditional professions discussed.

A doctor’s salary can vary widely depending on his place of employment and his specialty within medicine. The median annual salary for those considered “physicians and surgeons” in 2010 was $166,400 a year, or approximately $80 per hour.

2. Lawyer

The lawyer profession is one built heavily around prestige. The type of law an attorney specializes in can have a great effect on their potential income due to the types of clients and cases it attracts. Generally, those in corporate or personal injury law earn the most, but the salary is healthy regardless of law type. The legal system is constructed in such a way that an attorney is required for most legal matters, regardless of their scope.

The median pay for lawyers in 2010 was $112,760, or about $55 per hour. A lawyer may be hired by a large firm, or they may pursue private practice. Experience as a lawyer also opens up other legal professions, such as judge, that may come with higher salaries.