Getting ahead planning your retirement in your 20s - TheJobNetwork

Getting ahead planning yur retirement in your 20s - TheJobNetworkHave you ever heard the old saying that its never too early to start planning for the future? If so, you may have decided to ignore it, or just worry about it laterafter all, when youre young you feel as if you have an endless amount of time to plan your life and that your time is better spent having fun and living for the moment. But the truth is, the future is coming faster than you might realize. When it comes to retirement planning, the phrase never too early to start planning can be the best advice youll ever get. googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) Sure, there are a lot of reasons why its especially tricky to start planning for such a far-off elendion like retirement. The truth is, youre likely just getting started in your professional journey, and you may have little to no idea where your climb up the career ladder will take you. Also, if youre like most of us, the money youre earning when youre new to the work world doesnt exactly leave you with a ton of options for saving and investing for the future. On top of all this, it is much more fun to be carefree and live for the moment when youre young, and many of us make a deal with ourselves to start taking money matters seriously when we reach a significant (and distant) milestone in our lives (age 30? 40? 70?).That said, you really dont have to completely overhaul your life or give up on fun in order to start planning for retirement but the more prepared you are for this inevitable end to your career journey the more confident and relaxed youll be about money matters at every phase of your life until then. Taking baby steps toward greater financial responsibility while youre in your 20s will bring you that much closer to whatever your retirement goals turn out to beand help you avoid (or at least minimize) the amount of fear, worry, and anxiety you feel when youre focused on your financial health a nd future. And trust us, if those days arent here yet, theyre right around the corner.If youre ready to take the next step and get serious about your retirement planning, then consider the following strategies to move you in the right direction.4 steps to planning for retirement now1. Develop a saving mindtischset.Sure, when youre in your 20s its hard to take savings seriously. Most likely, your main focus is on getting your bills paid and being able to afford the basics, and that makes total sense. However, even saving just a little bit can go a long way.Lets take a look at a small examplesuppose you enjoy a mid-afternoon latte each workday. The average price of a latte is around $2.50. Now, instead of buying the latte, imagine taking that money and dropping it into a savings accountin 5 years, youll have saved $3,250 just by making this one small life change. Are there other small savings changes you can make to help you build your nest egg? Probably, and the more money youre able to divert to savings the better off youll beboth for short-term needs and for long-term health as you creep closer to retirement. But perhaps more importantly, just getting into a savings mindset early on in life will set you up for being a more financially responsible adult as you get olderand your ability and desire to save and spend wisely will set you up for a great financial future.2. Take advantage of work resourcesMost of us arent thrilled to have to work, but one of the good things about having to hold down a job is that it can often come with some useful employee benefitswhich may include a retirement benefits plan. These days, more and more companies are offering a 401(k) plan to help employees save and prepare for retirement, which often provide some incredible perks like employer fund matching (which is as close to free money as most of us will ever get).Taking advantage of investing in a 401(k) is so universally recognized as beneficial (and often essential) that many companies automatically enroll employees in plans to help them start saving their money wisely. If your company offers this benefit, there is absolutely no good reason not to take advantage of iteven if its just a small percentage of your paycheck. Dont worry if you dont plan on staying at your current job foreveryou get to take your money with you.3. Explore other investment optionsIn addition to the retirement benefits that your employer may offer, consider exploring other investment options available to you IRAs, mutual funds, CDs, and the stock market. Sure, its a little scary to jump into the world of investing as a newbie, but there are a wealth of resources available to you, including online tools, wise and trusted friends and family members, and investment professionals tied to your bank (assuming you have a savings or checking accountand if you dont, consider opening one). Do some research and start small. Youll be amazed by how well a few wise investment decisions early on in life can set you up for a comfortable retirement.4. Decrease debtDebt is not your friend. Even though its often an unavoidable part of adulthood, be sure to make every effort to decrease your debt burden as you move closer and closer to retirement age. The truth is, some forms of debtlike a home mortgageare indicative of financial stability and solvency. But other forms (like credit card debt) are best left avoided or eradicated as quickly as possible. If you have a credit card (or multiple cards), avoid using them unless its an unavoidable emergency, and pay off what you owe as quickly as possible. Nothing creates a financial headache and panic attack faster than an unwieldy amount of unhealthy debtso be sure to avoid drowning here.

7 Tips For Successfully Freelancing

7 Tips For Successfully Freelancing Working from home, finding your own balance, having great autonomy... freelancing sounds dreamy, right? Sure. But landing a sweet gig like this doesnt come easily. In order to be a freelancer whos successful and sought-after, consider these helpful steps that will get you from sipping coffee at your office job to brewing it yourself at home.1. Redefine Your Work/Life Balance PursuitBalance doesnt necessarily mean day-to-day harmony, though wouldnt it be nice if it did? Come to terms with the fact that some seasons are busier than others and replace the lofty idea of achieving day-to-day balance by looking at your work/life scenario as a whole. Get yourself in the mindset of considering balance as the big picture type instead of constant and perpetual. How do you get yourself there? Adopt the change is as good as rest mentality sometimes switching up your work can be as therapeutic and corrective as unwinding.2. Adopt a Project Management ToolOrgani zation is one of the primary tools to success. Keep everything youre working on just so with tools like Evernote, Asana, and Trello. These platforms help you keep your projects and to-do lists organized. If you choose to bring other people in on your work, tools like these can help you easily share your workflow and projects. The best parte? You get to skip writing that dreaded, lengthy email explaining all the updates.3. Touch it Only OnceNot twice. When you open an email, respond to it right away. Skimming it and then responding at a later time is only doubling your work. If youre not in a position to respond, resist the urge to read it immediately upon receiving it. Productivity hacks like this one will help you in busy freelancing seasons.4. Choose Your Clients CarefullyNot every customer who comes knocking at your door will be beneficial or a good fit. Dont be afraid to say no to those who dont align with your values or business mission. As you grow in your career, remember to revisit and tweak your values and mission--they change as you do.5. Collaborate with Other FreelancersNever undervalue the meaning of learning from others. Get together with those who are like-minded and swap ideas in one of many coworking spots around the country New York city, for example, boasts tons of coworking spaces for freelancers and remote companies alike. Share success and failure stories while building a supporting network. Though it may seem counter-productive, referring one another is beneficial to everyone youre helping someone out while also making yourself open to be referred.6. Dont Determine Your satz Based Around ExpensesI get it its tempting to place a high value on yourself when there are bills to pay. But theres a better way. Instead, use the following formula to determine your fee Take your cash compensation and divide by 250 (which is the number of billable days after factoring in vacations, sick time, and typical downtime) and then add 25 to 50 percent, d epending on your years of experience.7. Learn Your Tax ResponsibilitiesDont get an unwelcome surprise in April. Discipline yourself throughout the entire year by paying taxes quarterly at 30% of your income. When tax season comes around, youll be happy you did. Added bonus? This also helps you remain disciplined in other financial areas, like budgeting and saving.Now, go grab your yoga pants and Macbook and get to work.--Allie Hofer, a self-proclaimed career matchmaker and work-life balance enthusiast, is a Professional in menschenfreundlich Resources (PHR), Society of Human Resource Management - Certified Professional (SHRM-CP), and Recruiter Academy Certified Recruiter (RACR). After having her first child, she opted out of the traditional office setting to work from home. Since then, she has been consulting with organizations in the public and private sectors to support the Human Resources function in recruiting, compensation, training and development, and performance management.S he started Office Hours with the belief that instead of creating resources and companies to help women return to work, we should help themfind flexible opportunities so theynever have to leave.Fairygodboss is committed to improving the workplace and lives of women.Join us by reviewing your employer

The Death of Apps for Writing Resume

The Death of Apps for Writing Resume Odds are you may end up excluding some essential locations and such as other folks that are not that needed. A restart means plenty of time setting all my apps up again the following morning. It can be quite cumbersome attempting to make the resume by yourself. While finding and applying for jobs is the most important reason many folks utilize the site and app, it is possible to also use it in order to create a Monster profile that is essentially an online resume that potential employers can see. Using Apps for Writing Resume Resume Maker is a top-notch app which allows you to make appealing CV with min work. Thus, you have to be aware of about the very best Resume Apps out there. Its full of ideas and techniques to get the absolute most out of Resume Star. So, My Resume Builder is very helpful in creating a wonderful ready-to-go resume. My Resume Builder can help you create a fantastic resume with the support of its tools. The Intera ctive Resume Builder will make it simple for you to earn documentation for your job assignments in addition to your abilities and training to think of a professionally looking html file. You are able to have the ideal college admissions resume on the planet. Before you make an application for work, or put in an application for a graduate school or generally, prior to starting your career, acquiring a fantastic and professional looking resume or curriculum vitae (CV) is needed. Next, you will learn how to earn a college resume prepared for the big leagues Someone states that resumes are dead and its important to have social media, but practice indicates that recruiters continue to find applicants resume, choose more relevant ones and just then connect with applicants. If youre sending a resume to a company, it needs to be a given that youre offered for an bewerbungsinterview and you will provide references if requested. Create numerous resumes with varying styles for every ty pe of position you need to submit an application for. For first-time users, theres a guide which makes the practice of producing resumes and cover letters easier. In the Monster app, you may make a resume with all your job history, professional abilities, and other relevant info about yourself. But What About Apps for Writing Resume? Inside this app, you merely fill in the normal items with your information and after that, it is going to be automatically formatted to a resume thats simple yet visually appealing. Quick Resume has an easy interface without a lot of extra options which can make things complicated. The app keeps gaudy colours and styles away to make certain the CV has the expert appeal. In general, it is a fantastic app for producing a good-looking document super-fast