For many young people – as in, 20-somethings – the idea of investing money is a relatively new one. Sure, you may have toyed with some minor investments in your younger years, or you may have taken classes that familiarized you with the stock market and general economic system. But to actually consider where to put your money and why to choose certain investments is a whole new ballgame, and it is one that requires a great deal of thought and preparation. Investing money can be an extremely beneficial practice if gone about properly – it’s figuring out just how to go about it properly that presents a challenge.

Particularly in today’s economic client, investment strategies are very tricky. In the U.S. for example, the economy has been relatively unstable for quite some time now, which directly translates to a generally difficult and unpredictable stock market. It has been very hard, even for experienced investors, to make money in the U.S. stock market in recent years. However, this is not to say that there are not opportunities available for young investors. In fact, it simply means that young people looking to invest a bit of money might want to diversify their options and look to less traditional types of investment.

One specific type of investment that comes to mind is gold bullion, which has gained some popularity in recent years. This may seem a bit strange, but if you head to a site like bullionvault.com, you will quickly find that gold bullion investment is a very legitimate and developed practice. Keep in mind, investing in actual gold bullion is entirely different from investing in gold mines. However, it still represents one way to manage your money, and one that might be particularly strategic under a turbulent economic climate.

Generally, people invest in gold as a means of protecting their wealth from currency value depreciation. As economies surge and struggle, their respective currencies gain and lose value accordingly, which means that without even spending or losing any money, you may lose value if your currency drops. Gold, on the other hand, is an extremely stable resource in terms of value, and is thus less prone to sudden gains and losses. So, the theory is that if your economy is weak, you can protect the value of your money by putting it in gold bullion, which should remain relatively stable even if your economy drops. This does not mean that gold investment is always a good idea, but if you are a young person concerned with the state of your currency and economy, you may want to look toward this type of investment, rather than something more traditional.

Guest Post

Source: bullionvault.com

Guest Post: The lending industry has undergone many changes during the last few years. Lenders are having difficulty meeting their obligations, and many have filed bankruptcy. Some loan programs are being eliminated making it harder for people with poor credit to get good loans.

Factors that Led to the Decline of Bad Credit Mortgage Lenders

• Increasing interest rates

• High foreclosure rates

• Loan buybacks

• Defaults on commitments

People with bad credit have fewer options for obtaining mortgage loans today. Some loans are requiring larger amounts of cash for down payments making these loans impossible for some people to obtain. Lenders are setting harder guidelines for first time homebuyers since they have been identified as being high risk for mortgage loans. Individuals who apply for bad credit mortgage loans can expect to wait longer for approval.

For some individuals, the only choice for a first time homebuyer’s loan is with a hard moneylender. Individuals can go to www.badcreditloans.com to see if they qualify for a loan.

What to Expect from a Bad Credit Mortgage Loan

• Individuals who do qualify for a typical bad credit mortgage loan can expect to receive their first mortgage with high interest rates, and if it is the second mortgage, they can expect the interest rates to be even higher.

• Some of these loans will offer fixed payments for the first couple of years, and then the payment can change to a higher amount.

• These bad credit loans will usually have a prepayment penalty attached preventing an individual from getting out of the loan without a large price.

Even though some lenders are offering bad loans to individuals with bad credit, some lenders offer loans with better terms. These good loans allow individuals better opportunities to acquire money to become a homeowner.

Good Loan Options

• Some lenders do not base the loan on an individual’s credit score, and these lenders are more willing to lend almost all the money necessary for the home.

• Alternative ways are used to cover the closing costs and other expenses for obtaining the loan instead of the buyer having to come up with large down payments.

• Someone can assist in helping the borrower become qualified by becoming a co-borrower on the loan.

• Grants are available to help with down payments.

• Some good lenders welcome first time home buyers.

• Loans are available with no penalty for prepayment. This allows individuals to be able to refinance once their credit rating is improved. They can refinance with lower interest rates for a better loan option.

Miscellaneous Things to Consider When Choosing a Bad Credit Mortgage Loan
Some lenders offer two options for interest rates. One is the fixed rate, which remains the same percent throughout the loan. The other one is the variable rate, which is flexible. When the market rate changes, it will cause the interest rate on the loan to change as well.

Some mortgage loans will allow individuals up to thirty years to pay back the money. However, it is better if an individual can pay the loan back sooner. A property that is not completely paid for will be harder to sell if someone chooses to put the property on the market. In addition, if an individual fails to meet the payment obligations, the loan will be in default and the bank can take possession of the property.

Before financing a property, an individual will need to do some research to find the best lender. By researching loan terms, an individual can find better choices for bad credit mortgage loans. The lenders will need to be investigated to ensure that they are reliable.

While in college I really screwed up my credit score.  Just like many college students, no one taught me how to manage my money or the importance of a personal credit score.  Who knew how much impact your personal credit score would have on your life?

I never filed bankruptcy or defaulted on a payments.  I just worked out exactly how to pay back the debt and get my score back to a solid number “800″.

Yahoo Finance asked me to tell the full story, so I did and you can read all about it…

Click Here to read the full article on raising your FICO Score

If you believe the doomsday prophets and the naysayers, you have no chance of landing a dream job within the first five years after graduating from college. This kind of sensationalized approach to a generational problem is not only inaccurate, it has a downward pull on graduate motivation and optimism. If you’re going to land your dream job, you need to set the statistics aside, set your sights on the future, and determine to get ahead quickly.

It’s possible to land your dream job right out of college. Doing so takes a lot of hard work, some knowledge of workforce tactics, a good handle on the job marketplace, and even a little bit of luck.

8 Tips to Land Your Dream Job

If you want to land that dream job, here are some things you’re going to need to do:

Dream Job Tip #1

Target specific positions at specific companies. This is going to require you to do some legwork. You’re going have to make some phone calls, do some reading, and maybe even become a bit of a Facebook or LinkedIn snoop. Figure out what position it is that you want. Even if there’s already someone in that position, identifying what it is will help you as you develop your resume and your job pitch.

Dream Job Tip #2

Forget geographic limitations. If you’re single and don’t have kids, you’ve got a lot more flexibility than the guy with an infant son and a wife. If you really want to land that dream job, there’s a good possibility you’re going to have to go somewhere else to do it. For example, if you want to work in finance, you’re probably going to need to go to New York, Chicago, or San Francisco. If you want to work in Tech, Atlanta and Raleigh-Durham have been hot for the past few years. If you’re willing to take a job in Alaska or Texas, you’re more likely to get hired.

Dream Job Tip #3

Learn to master the interview. If you’re one of the lucky ones that gets an interview, you need to make it perfect. Dress to succeed. Have a positive attitude. Develop nonverbal communications skills like mirroring and matching. Beyond all of that, however, you need to be honest and authentic. Employers know when someone who’s fresh out of school is embellishing. Be honest about your limitations, but then demonstrate your desire to overcome them by working hard.

Dream Job Tip #4

Don’t beg. You don’t need a job. You need a few basic things like food, water, and shelter. But you don’t need a job. If a company isn’t the right fit even though it seems like your dream job, it’s time to move along.

Dream Job Tip #5

Ask questions. Gather all of the information you can. This goes for before, during, and after the interview. Don’t ask questions about benefits or pay on the first interview; if it’s truly your dream job, those things will work themselves out later on. Get the interviewer to talk as much as possible, and consider taking notes.

Dream Job Tip #6

Don’t make assumptions.  You might get the impression from the start of the interview that the position has already been filled, and that the interviewer is just going through the motions. You might be dead wrong. On the other hand, the position could be filled, and the candidate could fail within a few weeks. You want to be next on the list.

Dream Job Tip #7

Don’t be afraid to take an internship. Because of the lagging job market, the fact is that your dream job might just already be filled. That doesn’t mean you give up; you need to stay as close to that dream job as you can. Consider doing an unpaid internship in order to build up significant experience, and maybe even get your foot in the door when a position does open up.

Dream Job Tip #8

Rely on your network. Your professional network is probably pretty small when you’re still in school, but it’s growing. Talk to those professors with whom you have rapport about identifying leads. Ask for introductions to key players that they may know. Get your name out there by connecting with your network via social media. LinkedIn has led to more than one recent graduate getting a dream job offer.

Getting your dream job takes patience, but more than that it takes dedication. Don’t let yourself languish in a dead-end position while you wait for a dream job to open up. Chances are that, by the time it does, you will have lost that passion. Stick to it, and don’t stop until you’ve got the job you want.

GUEST POST: Author bio

Dominick Frasso is the SEO/SEM Specialist at Vistage International, an executive coaching organization that helps CEO members build better companies through unique executive development opportunities. In order to provide a powerful learning environment for members, Vistage identifies qualified mentors seeking CEO jobs and positions them as leaders of CEOpeer groups. Dominick leverages his experience in multiple marketing roles, including advertising, media buys, direct mail, email, marketing analytics, and SEO / SEM to help Vistage acquire qualified Chairs and recruit members with a high potential for success in the program.

You would have thought that it is about time the UK had some good news and indeed something positive to talk about.  Aside from the Queens Jubilee and the Royal Wedding, the news has been full of negativity surrounding the recession in the UK and the impact that this has had on our ability to survive financially.  Therefore the news this month that the UK has officially returned to a recession is met with sighs and a scratching of heads by the British public.

Two consecutive quarters of negative growth means that the UK is officially in a double dip recession following the first recession in 2009. There is not one single person who has avoided the effect of the first recession, therefore what can we expect following the news of this second recession?

The first thing to note is that we are still suffering the after effects of the first recession in that in the UK, every month over the last few years, it has become progressively more expensive to heat up your home, put food on your table and fill your car with petrol.  Unemployment has been rising and there are fewer and fewer jobs available for people to apply for.  Therefore it may seem like nothing will change as we are so used to these factors.

It does however have an impact on what you need to do in order to survive this latest news as it does cultivate a situation of ‘survival of the fittest.’  It is advisable to build a ‘pot’ of money equivalent to six months wages in an accessible savings account so that if you are made redundant for whatever reason, you will have resources available so that you can continue to meet your outgoings.

It is worth revisiting your finances to make sure that every utility bill is the cheapest possible and that your outgoings are as refined as possible. If there is any way that you can possibly reduce your debts, this too is recommended.  This means that you should consider consolidating loans etc. to ensure that your outgoings are as small as possible.  Avoid signing up to any long term debts be it a credit card or even a mobile phone as your future is uncertain.

In summary, whilst you may not feel any immediate effects of the double dip recession, unfortunately it does mean that the situation is very serious.  The negative impact of redundancies and increased cost of living is here to stay at least for the next couple of years.  Therefore the best thing any UK citizen can do is take steps to make themselves recession proof by building up savings, reducing outgoings and rationalising outstanding debt.

Guest Post by: Laura Susstance is an experienced financial writer from The United Kindgom, When not writing content on a freelance basis she writes content for her payday loans review website.

Guest Post: How I Made a $20/Month Blog into a $350/Month Blog In One Day – A Lesson In Monetizing

If you are a blog owner, you certainly understand the value of web traffic, but are you letting your web traffic go to waste? I was.

Here is a quick lesson in monetizing and how you may be able to dramatically increase your online profit without increasing the amount of visitors you receive.

First, An Introduction

Before I begin, I think it is proper to introduce myself to the 20sMoney community and say thank you to 20sMoney for the opportunity to contribute!

My name is Jason Habing, and I have been writing for and contributing to online marketing/SEO blogs for the past 2 years. I work for an SEO Consulting Company and enjoy working on my own projects on the side.

I don’t want to waste time going into my personal details, but feel free to comment with questions. Now on to the meat of the post:

The First Step Is Knowing – Consider ALL of Your Options

The first thing I urge all of my consulting clients to realize is that there are multiple ways to monetize a website, and each should be carefully considered. Here are just a few ways to monetize your blog:

AdSense – My personal least favorite. Sure, it can be very easy to get going, but you are really missing out on a TON of money by using the Google platform.

Banner Ads – This can work out great if you are able to find some direct ad buys, but I personally don’t like CPM networks because they offer such low rates.

Affiliate Marketing Through Networks – My personal favorite. Affiliate marketing allows you to match your audience to a product with precision, and affiliate networks make it ridiculously easy to offer products. (More on this later in the post)

Affiliate Marketing Through Strategic Partnerships – Know of someone producing a product that your readers would love? Consider a strategic partnership whereby you offer their product to your readers for a commission. It’s a win-win situation!

Again, these are just a few ways to monetize your blog, but you should be carefully considering which of these matches your site!

Here’s how:

How To Find The Perfect Match For Your Website

Each website is going to have a different sweet spot for monetization. Perhaps it’s a combination of banner ads and AdSense, or perhaps it’s a combination of Strategic Alliances and Affiliate Network Advertising. It is up to you to find the balance. Here’s how:

1. Decide if your buyers are in the buying mindset or the information mindset when they enter your website. Are they searching for “New Shoes” when they search for you? They are probably close to a buy. Are they searching for “Funny Shoe Pictures”? They probably are just browsing.
2. If you have a buying mindset searcher, it makes sense to offer them a product as QUICKLY as possible. This is when it might make sense to run an affiliate offer.
3. If you have an informational browser, this is when AdSense or banner ads might make sense. Since these browsers are not likely to buy something, your best hope of monetizing them is through a banner ad click or AdSense click.

Get into the mindset of your visitors and monetize accordingly.

Let me show you an example:

$20/Month to $350/Month Overnight – My Success Story

To show you how to put these thoughts into place, here is an example of how I dramatically increased the value of my website through about 3 hours work.

One of the websites I own is focused on “online jobs.” Not that ​specific keyword but a few long tail keywords related to it. It gets about 2000 unique visitors per month.

Earlier in the year, I was monetizing the website with Google AdSense. This was producing me anywhere from $15 to $25 per month. Nothing exciting. Then I decided to take a closer look at my visitors and improve my earnings.

I realize that my visitors were looking to make money online. One of the methods I have always suggested for making side income is taking surveys online, and I send tons of traffic to survey sites that I recommend. So I thought… why not get paid for all of this referral?

With some quick research I found that there are plenty of referral programs for survey sites, and I chose to use MaxBounty to place affiliate links for the survey sites I refer.

The result? Great success.

Literally the next day I noticed that my daily earnings had jumped from $1 – $2 per day with AdSense to $10 – $15 per day with Affiliate Offers.

Conclusion:

The takeaway from this article should be that you should never underestimate the impact that your monetization strategy has on your bottom line. Many people are much too concentrated on traffic, and are thus blindsided from opportunity.

Consider taking 30 minutes to review your website and brainstorm other potential ways to make money on it. You may hit a goldmine that was sitting right beneath you all along.

About the Author: Jason Habing is the author of numerous blogs focused on making money online. His most recent project is Survey Examiner, which is a blog focused on teaching people how to get paid to take surveys.

After your employees, data is likely to be one of the most valuable resources that your organisation has. This means that it needs to be managed carefully so that it can be of the most use to you, and in many cases, streamlining your data could well help your wider business processes. Read on to find out why this is the case and how ERP software could well help you to streamline your data more effectively.

Quicker update times

One of the very best reasons to streamline your company’s data is that it means you can update it much quicker than previously. This is one of the ways in which good ERP software can help you; it enables you to integrate all of your data into one central database, which enables you to make changes quickly and easily. If you are able to update your data quicker while still be certain of its accuracy, this then has a knock-on effect for the rest of your processes, giving you more scope to deal with them.

Better security

Another reason to streamline your data is that doing so can offer you better security. For example, let’s say you don’t currently have an ERP system in place but your company deals with lots of different data across departments. If this is the case then you are likely to need lots of different kinds of software with which to manage that data – any one of which could potentially go wrong or cause a fracture in your security processes. By contrast, a single ERP system that enables you to deal with data through one piece of software offers you security benefits; as long as it is properly managed, there are fewer ways in which your data could be lost.

Coherence across the board

This links to the idea of creating greater coherence throughout your organisation and its processes, which is another very good reason to consider streamlining your data. If you are able to use a single, secure central system, it means that everyone in your company will have access to the same information when they need it. This is in contrast to other cases where different departments might have different data management systems, which is not only cumbersome for processes that require the cooperation of multiple departments, but can also lead to conflicting data. It definitely makes much more sense to streamline it.

Better, more accurate reports

ERP solutions that help to streamline your data also enable you to produce more accurate reports on what your business is doing. By having more accurate data, your reports will inevitably be more useful. This is beneficial for your business processes as you will have a better idea of what’s working and what’s not, and implementing any necessary changes will be much more straightforward.

Better productivity elsewhere

Finally, if you are able to streamline your data through ERP solutions, all of your other business processes could benefit. After all, if employees are spending less time on data management, they’ll have more to spend on areas such as customer service or sales, all of which is beneficial if you are hoping to improve your business further.

Even though most consumers don’t get into debt overnight, they are looking for instant solutions to resolving their financial problems once they occur. Although we live in a society of instant gratification, it is completely unrealistic to think you can undo what may have taken years to build up. Anyone buried under mountains of debt cannot expect to simply walk away unscathed without making an effort to resolve the issues.

It is important to first realize that most of the time there is at least one solution to debt problems but it may take setting realistic goals to work your way out of it. Some young couples are delaying marriage by as long as three years while newlyweds are waiting an equal length of time to start families.  All because they want to get their financial life in order.

According to Clare Francis, a respected consumer finance expert, more and more people are putting off major life events in order to avoid further debt while giving them time to work their way out from under the debt they are currently in. Traveling is another area in which consumers are not spending money since they would rather chip away at debt or save money for the future.

Many experts are concerned that the number of Americans furthering their education may suffer given the fact that student debt is becoming a nightmare as American tuition fees rise. The cost of a US university degree has left people’s finances squeezed and the duration for borrowing loans has grown. In 2010 the total outstanding student debt in the United States reached $1 trillion, according to the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys. The cost of education is being measured but it shouldn’t be a deterrent to better yourself in life.

Too many people feel that they can seek the advice of a debt adviser and be free of debt when they wake up the next morning. Even in bankruptcies this is unrealistic and it’s why it’s so important to pick a financial adviser who will help set realistic goals. Whether they advise filing bankruptcy, an IVA, a DRO or a debt management plan, things will take time. We have heard it said that “Rome wasn’t built in a day”, the financial rebuild won’t be either.

Certainly all that debt most families have accumulated didn’t just appear overnight and it will not go away overnight either. Setting realistic goals is the surest way to working to a debt free life.  Seeking professional advice can help you set those realistic goals.

Burying your head in the sand won’t make your debts go away. Use 2012 as a stepping stone to getting your life back on track but make sure you remain sensible in the number of objectives that you can complete. You are more likely to succeed by setting reasonable and achievable aims.

Bio: Debt Free Me is not only a founding member of the prestigious Debt Resolution Forum but one of the leading debt management companies in the ​UK. Advice is always based on the particular circumstances for each individual consumer and fees are only charged when services are provided. Advice is always free of charge.

There is a growing trend of people becoming self-employed and this is translating across the world. Since the economic downturn began in 2008, unemployment has remained high in America as well as the UK.  It’s no wonder why so many individuals are taking their finances into their own hands by starting their own businesses, turning into entrepreneurs and working independently.

Regardless of the sector that you are qualified and trained in, there is the possibility to get ahead and start out on your own by becoming self-employed. Becoming a freelancer or contractor in a field of work does require self-confidence and a lot of hard work but the benefits far outweigh the initial travail including freedom and flexibility.

Whether you’re looking to be self-employed to keep your head above water during such difficult times or you want to take on the challenge of being your own boss, you do need to seek expert advice.  One of the first steps many experts will share is to devise a plan before heading out into the freelancer world without a clue.

To develop yourself as a successful self-employed contractor, the biggest skill needed is perseverance. You are not going to be given the opportunity as easy as a click of the finger, and no-one else is going to put in the effort to help you. Only you can put in the heavy labor of contacting clients, emailing prospective customers and engaging in forums to get your name known and start building a brand for yourself.

Breaking into the industry can be daunting but if you are passionate about what you do and willing to put in the hours, you will reap tons of advantages. It is often said that “it is not what you know but who you know” in order to get ahead.  So build your thriving freelancer career by networking with professionals in your sector on social media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. Another tip is to show people examples of your work, gain exposure and make yourself stand out.

Distinguish yourself from the rest by following an email up with a phone call so they get to know your voice; stay in regular contact, not just to ask for work but to ask how they are doing. Soon your personality will shine through and they will get to know you as a person rather than a stranger and therefore will be more inclined to work with you long term.

It can be scary starting to work on your own as a freelancer and not have a steady paycheck.  Freelancing is simply not for the fainthearted. However, the returns on the investment of your time can be great.

If you are contemplating the leap to starting your freelance career this year make sure you manage your money well and make use of a self-employed accountancy service to help track all your income and expenses.

Bio: This post was written by nixonwilliams.com, an expert contractor accountant who can offer more tips on starting out as a freelancer at his website.

What is often overlooked by young entrepreneurs who are worried about the success of their business loan applications is that banks want and need to give loans. Their own business models demand these kinds of investments in order to generate revenue flow. Banks need businesses to flourish and they want to handle the finances of successful new enterprises.

And there is no end to the types of new businesses that need startup capital. A entrepreneur looking to market a new mobile app, a criminal defense attorney looking to start a new law firm, a middle-aged woman finally setting out and launching her own bakery. In many ways, this is part of the American Dream, the idea that a hard worker with a good idea can create a new company.

While the environment for small business loans has certainly grown colder in the recession era, new businesses are still the lifeblood of banks and if you can present a good idea with a solid plan and the appropriate collateral, you still stand a fair chance at being approved. Here are a few ways of maximizing your chances of having your loan approved:

Research banks that specialize in small business loans.

Some banks are more amenable to small businesses and local communities than others. Target these financial institutions first. Present yourself as someone who has been involved with his/her community for years and demonstrate a track record of entrepreneurial actions that make you uniquely qualified to start a new business in your area. Explain how this business will benefit the community. A bank that prides itself on catering to a certain community is more likely to lend money to someone who has strong roots in that area.

Know what you’re asking for and be prepared to explain why.

Concrete numbers is the name of the game here. How much money do you need? What will that money be spent on?  How quickly will you be able to turn your business into a profitable one and repay the loan? What are your cash flow projections for the first few years? These are the types of questions a bank will ask you. Be able to answer confidently and truthfully.

Get a referral from an entrepreneur with good standing.

Added on to neatly and precisely completed paperwork, a solid plan, a good idea, and a stellar credit history, this could be the factor that pushes you over the edge. If you have a friend or associate who is a prized customer of the bank and can provide a glowing business reference for you, your chances of success will improve dramatically.

Applying for a small business loan can be a powerfully intimidating task.

Many young entrepreneurs will give up before they have even started, simply out of anticipation of some impossible Herculean challenge. While you will need to do plenty of research and put your best foot forward, think of acquiring a small business loan as a science, not a dice roll. If you present an organized plan and target the right banks, loan approval is in your future.