Posts Tagged ‘ work at home ’

Which Parent Should Stay Home With the Kids?

By Kevin M

An excellent post appeared on Financial Highway dealing with the various considerations faced by a working couple when a child arrives in the family. In Which Spouse Should Stay Home? Miranda Marquit does a stellar job of presenting the variables involved in making the right decision. And that’s not at all surprising since Miranda is on the frontline of this issue herself as a work-at-home mom.

There was a time—only a generation or so ago—when it was considered the natural order that the wife worked until the first child came along and then promptly exited the workforce to assume the role of full-time mom. Today however, the situation is complicated by (at least!) two major factors:

Most households need two incomes, and
Instability in the job market has led to dual incomes as a necessary component of family income security.

Each reason is compelling by itself—but I think that the second one has become the more important of the two, at least in the past few years. It’s easier to lose a job than it has been in at least 60 years, and harder to replace one for all the same reasons.
Read more »

Are You Preparing for Higher Gas Prices?

By Kevin M

$55.12. That’s what I just paid to fill the tank of my Nissan Maxima—a mid-sized car. I generally view $50 fill-ups as the tipping point on gas prices. You can buy dinner for four at a moderately priced restaurant for that kind of money. That’s the kind of money that makes noticeable dents in a budget. And it’s ongoing; you’ll pay it every time you fill up.

Most of us seem to get seriously concerned only when gas prices set a new record. When prices pull back—even a little—we settle back into the comfort zone we call “normal”. Right now, with gas prices hovering in the $3.50 to $4.00 range—we seem to be right about on the border of the “serious concern zone”. We’re watchful, but not overly concerned.

Despite all of the rosy predictions of energy independence in the nearly 40 years since the 1973 OPEC Oil Embargo, we’re more tied to oil from unstable sources than at any time in history. The current rumblings in the Middle East and the gas price spikes they’re causing make our inability to deal with our energy problems on a collective basis painfully obvious.

That means we’re on our own folks!

China is the No. 1 energy user – what does that mean for your car?

By Kevin M

What does energy use in China have to do with your personal financial situation here in the Western World?

Many of us prefer to believe this is an issue best left to politicians or economists, but hardly worthy of serious analysis or concern by the rest of us. After all, things will play out the way they will right?

Maybe not. We spend time and money planning for any number of future outcomes—our retirement, our health, our careers, paying off our mortgages, our children’s futures—why not map out and plan a viable energy future? World leadership hasn’t done such a good job of this so far, and if energy follows the pattern of the last few years with steadily rising prices over the long term, it won’t be politicians and economists who will suffer the brunt of the problem—it’ll be us.

Making Work-At-Home Work For You

By Kevin M

There probably isn’t a soul in the workforce who hasn’t dreamed of or at least contemplated the possibility of working from home. There are many benefits to this arrangement but it’s important to understand the limitations as well.

I’ve spent a good deal of my life working from home and I strongly recommend it as a preferred work style. But I’ve also become quite familiar with both the advantages and the downsides of home basing. For years I worked from home as a mortgage loan officer. It was a natural advantage because it provided the ability to concentrate all of my efforts on serving my customers. It also forced me to learn to work independently and to identify and utilize outside sources who could enable me to do that fully.

Over time I became comfortable with the proverbial “chief cook and bottle washer” aspect of self-employment, and was able to transfer those skills to subsequent businesses, including recruiting and this weblog.

One element of work-at-home that I know to be absolutely critical above all other concerns: your contribution must add tangible value to your employers business.

Work-at-home isn’t about us nearly as much as it’s about our employers and what we can do for them through the arrangement. Never forget this.

Become a “Call Center” for Small Businesses

By Kevin M

Friday Income & Cash Flow ForumThis is a weekly open forum dedicated to increasing income, cash flow and customer base, for anybody who needs to increase business or supplement a paycheck. Salaried employees, homemakers, small business owners, commissioned sales people, entrepreneurs, retirees—this is FOR you, and we’d like to hear FROM you. What works in one household or business may not work in another, but then again it might. Or it might be modified and adapted to different situations.

Nothing contained in today’s post is likely to make you rich, but it can put some extra cash in your pocket if you’re a homemaker, retiree, currently unemployed or already working from home and looking for an additional revenue stream. It doesn’t even require you to leave your home.

Even as weak as the economy and job market are, businesses are often in need of all kinds of services. Finding out what those services are, how you can provide them and how you can market your business are all that you need.

Note to small business owners: you might consider taking someone on in this capacity as a way of freeing up your time and improving your sales process without spending a lot of money.

Pages

Posts Tagged ‘ work at home ’

Which Parent Should Stay Home With the Kids?

Are You Preparing for Higher Gas Prices?

China is the No. 1 energy user – what does that mean for your car?

Making Work-At-Home Work For You

Become a “Call Center” for Small Businesses

Financial Management