I’m the first one to admit that insurance as a subject in general is pretty dull. You can say that comparing insurance quotes is anything but an exciting task. Despite the fact that insurance is dull, we all need some form of insurance – particularly life insurance. Up until a few years ago, I used to think that having life insurance was something that only parents, married couples or elderly had. This thinking was likely due to the fact that my parents got their first life insurance policy in their early forties. Sounds kind of late, but as new immigrants to Canada, they were well behind the ball on the ins-and-outs of life insurance.

Today I realize that having life insurance is more than just having an insurance policy, but rather it’s become a vital tool that’s become part of planning for a healthy financial future. After all the main goal behind having a life insurance policy is that in case anything happens, your loved ones will be taken care in case anything happens to the insured.

But obtaining a life insurance is the easy part, knowing what type of insurance product you’re purchasing is the challenge. Thankfully  you can find a knowledgeable insurance agent to help you find a life insurance product that suits your needs. But, who do you trust? Maybe what’s being pitched to you is not what you actually need.

Even though I can’t recommend who you should trust, I’d highly suggest to ask around within your circle and read around before signing on the dotted line. But for the purpose of this post, here’s why I’d recommend you get life insurance.

Benefits of Having Life Insurance

The benefits of owning a life insurance policy are immense, but even with all the upside, you need to take your time in selecting the right life insurance policy. Selecting the right policy is up to you, and as mentioned above, by simply choosing to work with a honourable and reliable insurance agent, you can obtain the policy you need. But that’s a given. Here are three benefits of having a life insurance policy:

Source of income – Generally anytime someone passes in a family, one income source is lost. By having a life insurance policy, funds are provided in order to supplement the lost income by deceased. And by having a steady income coming in, this will allow the family to continue living a somewhat normal life – at least from a financial point of view.

Funeral cost coverage – If you’ve ever been through it first hand or know someone close who has been through the funeral process, you likely know that the cost of a funeral can quickly add up. Having a life insurance policy will cover such final expenses.

Future Expenses – Having a life insurance policy will allow the beneficiary to cover ongoing financial commitments such as tuition payments for the kids, the mortgage or car payments. Simply put, it’s a form of security to continue to lead a normal life.

Final Thoughts

Shopping around for life insurance is not the most exciting process, but it is a process that needs to take place. Even though many don’t treat life insurance as a necessity, financial advisors and experts alike are the first ones to express the importance of having a life insurance policy.

Photo Credit (financialaidpodcast)

The Importance of Life Insurance is a post from: Finance Fox

The post The Importance of Life Insurance appeared first on Finance Fox.

Ever since I became credit card debt free, I’ve gone down from multiple credit cards to a single non-reward credit card with a very attractive interest rate of only 5.4 per cent. You can say that I never fully trusted myself with credit cards since I became debt free. I figured having only one credit card was good enough, especially for precautionary reasons. But having a small side business requires me to make multiple purchases of supplies and other stuff in order to effectively operate the side business. After all, not everything can be paid with cash, especially since I happen to order products and supplies online.

So for years I made purchases for my small side business with my personal credit card. It was simple and straight forward in the beginning, but as the business grew, so did the mess at tax time. As a small business owner, even with great caution I sometimes end up intertwining business and personal finances. But having pulled my hair out too many times at tax time, I knew I had to simplify my process. Eventually all the aggravation and hair pulling lead me to apply for my first ever business credit card a year ago and I haven’t looked back since.

Keeping it Separate

If you started a business tomorrow, one of thing that I’d highly advise you is to split up your personal and business finances. And in order to be fully effective in doing so, you must treat your business, no matter the size, as a separate entity. As someone who started a small business only a few years back, I knew that the credit card I was after didn’t need a lot of available credit. After all I was planning to pay for all my purchases at the end of every month, so a $1000 credit limit was more than enough for my small business.

Obtaining a Small Business Credit Card

I’ll be honest with you: getting a business credit card is not the easiest thing in the world. This is especially true if you have no financial data to show, such as previous tax return or banking statements. But don’t be discouraged, there are other ways to obtain a small business credit card with a little creativity and negotiation. In my case, my business was less than two years old, so with two previous tax returns and putting down a prepayment of $500, I was able to obtain my first business credit card. Eventually a year later after displaying a timely payment history, I was able to request my prepayment amount back and was granted my request.

Looking Towards the Future

A business credit card is no different than any other credit product out there in the sense that you and your business need to prove that you can be responsible. After a few years of displaying credit worthiness,  you can start looking into business cards that offer rewards or cards with better interest rates. But if you’re happy with your business credit card, you can simply ask for a higher credit limit.

Lastly, as your business grows, you’ll likely have employees that will join you at some point. So, rather than dealing with expense reports and the extra paperwork, you can give your employees credit cards to use towards work-related expenses.

Final Thoughts

Even though it might not be easy to obtain a business card when you’re a new business, I’d still recommend you try. Having a business credit card will simplify your work expense purchasing and in the process save you (and your accountant) a lot of aggravation at tax time. Even though a business card is tied to your personal credit, having one is an effective way to grow your businesses credit history.

Photo Credit (mrmio)

Using a Credit Card to Seperate Business and Personal Expenses is a post from: Finance Fox

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Clear your debt quickly

Did you apply for a credit card to pay for Christmas? If so, it’s wise to clear your debts as soon as possible. This might sound obvious, but the longer you’re in the red, the higher charges you could incur. If you can’t afford to pay off your bills in full, it might be worth making a balance transfer onto a card with a 0 per cent interest rate. Most banks charge a small transfer fee, but you should be able to pay off your dues quicker – without racking up excessive costs.

Check your Direct Debits

These days, it can be hard to keep track of your expenses – particularly if you have multiple Direct Debits leaving your account. That’s why it’s important to sit down and assess your outgoings properly. While you might not be able to cancel your phone bills or cancel tax payments, there might be a few expenses you can do without such as club memberships or magazine subscriptions. If there’s anything on your statement you don’t understand, or something’s still running that shouldn’t be, contact your bank immediately or use online services to make the change.

Compare insurance quotes

With so much to do on a daily basis, it can be tempting let your car or home insurance renew automatically to avoid any hassle. While this might seem like the simplest option, it could cost you a fortune if you don’t shop around. Prices differ dramatically between companies, so make the most of comparison websites and see what you can find. Loyalty doesn’t usually pay, but if you’ve been happy with your current provider, don’t be afraid to call them directly to arrange a cheaper quote. Arm yourself with quotes from other suppliers and you should be well equipped to negotiate the right deal for you.

Start a savings plan

Saving is easier than you might think. Not only can you download one of the many finance apps available, but you can also speak to your bank for information and advice. What’s more, private advisors are on hand to help you with a wide range of issues and will tell you the best way to make your money grow. They can also assist with credit card applications, mortgage repayments, debt worries and other concerns, so don’t hesitate to seek guidance if you need it.

As it snows and everyone hides from the cold, winter is the ideal time to get some basic tasks out of the way.

Top 4 Ways to Get Your Finances Under Control is a post from: Finance Fox

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But before I get into anything to deep, I’d like to say the following in the most heartfelt way:

“I apologize for what has transpired here. Copying the ideas of others, especially when it’s so noticeable is never acceptable. I fully take the rap on what has transpired five days ago. Even though what has happened was somewhat beyond my control, it was my duty to double check and triple check the work in order to ensure non-copying, uniqueness and maintain the credibility of this blog. Again, I sincerely apologize to everyone who has been affected directly and indirectly.”

Having said that, I also want to address a few other issues in this post, such as the massive amount of overlap in the world of personal finance, the usage of ghostwriting, cyber bullying and where Finance Fox will go from here.

Overlapping in the PF World

We are all unique individuals. Each and every blog that exists within the personal finance niche is unique because it brings something different than the next blog. Sometimes it’s very easy to believe that the content we produce is unique and that the solutions we might provide within the article are totally different from anything else out there.

Unfortunately, that’s not the case whatsoever. Likely that post you or I post on our blogs has already been written elsewhere before. Likely it has already been written hundreds of times already with different or similar views. That being said, sometimes it’s simply hard to ignore the commonalities two articles may share – after all you need to write that post now because you are desperately trying to get your idea, point or thought across.

In either case, it is our duty to ensure that the blog posts we write are unique as possible with our own thoughts and opinions. This is where I failed as the editor and writer of this blog. It was my duty, just as much as it’s yours to ensure that the articles we publish don’t overlap another similar article that has been published already. However, we also have to admit and be honest with each other at the fact that some articles will sound alike. This is simply because there’s only so many ways you can write an article titled, “5 ways to save for retirement.”

This leads us to excessively use other people’s ideas on our own content. No matter who you are (myself included), before we start writing a post, we likely snoop around the internet to find similar articles in existence in order to help us build our own post. Nobody is perfect in terms of how we go about using existing content to build our own and this leads to an epidemic of an overlap within the world of blogging and the personal finance community is certainly not immune to it.

The Use of Ghost Writers

Ghostwriting has been around for quite a while now. Even though it serves a great purpose, it does come with one major downside – if the piece is not carefully edited, reviewed and triple checked you as the author will be on the hook. Even though many believe that using a ghost writer is cheating in writing or blogging, I have a different view because I embrace ghostwriting. I think when effectively used, ghostwriting is a great way to get additional help with writing on your own personal writing projects.

Using a ghost writer serves many purposes. In my case, the usage of a ghost writer served the purpose of getting additional help in writing posts while utilizing my time towards growing the blog and others faucets of my personal life, such as my cleaning business and my full-time job.

But even when you have the best intentions, sometimes things don’t happen the way you envision them. I completely failed in setting the parameters for what and how I wanted the ghost writing to occur. It also doesn’t help when the ghost writer is someone from your personal life who’s willing to help and comes with decent writing skills, but has no prior experience with WordPress and blogging in general.

I discussed the idea of writing blog posts and that in order to sometimes craft our own posts, we need to read a lot along the way (which includes other posts) in order to gain ideas for our own pots. However, lack of proper communication on my end has led to overlapping content to exist on my blog and other blogs in the personal finance niche. I don’t blame my ghostwriter, but instead fully take the blame for not properly addressing the approach to writing the posts, what’s acceptable and what’s not and properly editing the posts that were written.

So, where do I go from here?

I’ll certainly be more careful in what I publish with ghost writers. Even though the accused posts are pretty generic, it is still my due diligence to ensure that they’re as original as possible. Even though I cannot change what has transpired up until now, I’ve done my due diligence of removing the accused posts and will take whatever is necessary from here on in order to ensure maximum originality. I promise to do a better job providing indisputable unique content, and encourage you to do the same in your writing. Even though my situation is unique and negative, use the positive side of this situation where someone else (myself) will endure the setback and how you can use this unique situation to better yourself and your blog at the same time.

Cyber Bullying

Wikipedia Translation: “Cyber bullying is the use of the Internet and related technologies to harm other people, in a deliberate, repeated, and hostile manner.”

I certainly don’t mind being called out, but there’s a difference between doing it in a professional manner and doing in a disgusting, deliberate and offensive manner. There’s always a way of going about things, but calling someone names, insulting them and kicking them while they’re down is certainly not the way go about it in my books. But that’s me and my thoughts on how to go about things.

Being a victim of cyber bullying is hard, especially when someone goes out of their way to make your life difficult. But who it came from isn’t surprising one bit as this person has done it on many occasions and will likely continue to do so in the future. When someone cyber bullies someone else, they’re likely doing is because of all or some of the following reasons:

• Resentment
• In Search of Authority
• Boredom
• Anger
• Frustration

In my bully’s case likely sexual frustration, as there’s often some form of sexual mention and an apparent fascination with women’s panties. But being an out of shape loner who stacks chips at grocery stores for a living will bring you to stoop to such low levels.

But I’m not here to judge, as I didn’t do it before and certainly won’t do it now, because one of the main goals of the cyber bully is to gain attention. So, was my cyber bully successful? Absolutely. In a single day he gained a massive ‘temporary’ following, and became a somewhat a rock star. But like with everything else in life, novelty eventually fades.

While I cannot change how the person doing the cyber bullying feels, I can change my behavior and actions to offset unwanted behavior:

• I respected everyone’s comments, warranted or not.
• I did not engage in an argument privately or not.
• I went on about my business and still continue to do so.
• Lastly, I did not engage into the desperate attention seeking ways of the cyber bully and will not engage in any of it, whether on my blog, theirs, social media or elsewhere.

So, where am I going with all this cyber bullying stuff?

The answer is simple: I  encourage you not to crucify others (not referring to myself) without knowing both sides of the story first. In every situation, good or bad, there are two sides of the story. I’m in no way saying that you should take my side or whatever side, but at least learn both of the story before formulating your opinion. Sadly many jumped the bandwagon like a pack of hungry hyenas on a piece of meat.

Many things can be repaired, altered and taken back. But one of the things that cannot be taken back are words. Once they leave our mouths, they can not be taken back.

Finance Fox Moving Forward

Despite all the negativity that I’ve brought onto this blog, I will get through this and move forward. Finance Fox will be around and isn’t going anywhere, with or without the negativity, cyber bullying and all the drama. Even though many will likely never forget this, I believe in second chances whether for this blog or most things in life….except for murder. But we all know that didn’t take place here.

Secondly, I realize that this has affected many people along the way, directly or indirectly. That being said, I’m also stepping down from the Yakezie network. It’s unfair for me to stay there with all that has gone on, especially with so many other bloggers who work very hard in order to get in to be part of the network.

Even though you’re likely concluding my above exit as a polite way of them kicking me out, that’s not the case at all. This is something that I’ve thought about since the drama began. And in all fairness to others who strive through hard work to become part of the network and those who are loyal to the network, it just seems like the right thing to do at the moment. Could I ask to rejoin in the future or enter the challenge again? Possibly, but I’ll cross that bridge if and when I get there. Even though a good chunk of Canadian bloggers dislike the Yakezie network (reasons are many), for myself being part of the network has been an amazing experience which has helped my blog grow in more ways than one.

Finally, thank you to those who’ve come out of the woodwork and openly shared how they truly feel about myself and my blog. The positive of this is that as much you discovered some things about this blog/myself, I’ve also discovered who you are in the process as well and in no shape or form want to be associated with some of you. The beauty of blogging is that even though we rely on one another for support to a degree, most of our readers are non bloggers.

To those who’ve withheld their opinions and especially to those who’ve reached out personally – thank you! Your words of encouragement and support are more than enough for someone who finds himself in these difficult times or as I call myself a ‘a piece of meat surrounded by a pack hyenas.’ But time heals all wounds. I’ll get through this and one day come back stronger than ever.

Thank you for reading and good luck to you on your future blogging endeavors. As for me, ‘here I go again on my own’ as I’m off to hit the road to redemption!

Photo Credit (petergorges)

The Road to Redemption is a post from: Finance Fox

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What is buyer's remorse? It's different for everyone but typically, it's that feeling of anxiety you get as soon as you make a large purchase. You second-guess your choice immediately. You're excited but you don't know if the item was really affordable. You feel remorseful. Generally, people with buyer's remorse develop several similar worries:

• Certainty that you'll ruin your credit
• Fear that you're living outside your means
• Concern that you'll have to sacrifice in other areas

Recognizing that these feelings are common is the first step in avoiding any remorse, along with taking steps to keep them at bay.

Differentiate Between Needs and Luxuries

Buyer's remorse often occurs after you've made an impulse buy or spent money on something you want but don't need. Knowing the difference is essential. When your hot water tank stops working, buying a new one is totally justified; you need hot water. If you want a new living room set because the old one's shabby but serviceable, that's a luxury.

Save Your Cash, Scrap the Credit

Before you have the chance to worry that you've spent too much, make a few promises to yourself. Avoid credit, financing, or leasing when possible. With houses and cars, that isn't always doable. You can, however, save up as much money as possible for a larger down payment. Your monthly payments won't amount to as much, nor will you have to make them for as long.

Whenever possible, though, pay cash. Budgeting is much easier when you pay for something all at once. You also have time to save up for your purchases, so you aren't shelling out money you can't afford. By taking time, you cut the risk of an impulse buy. While new hot water tanks or transmissions generally can't wait, you can definitely use your current furniture while saving up for something new.

Put a Cap on It

Only you know your budget. It's important to stay honest with yourself in terms of what's affordable. By putting a cap on the amount you're willing to spend, you're less likely to experience buyer's remorse. It's important to take a look at www.Pricegrabber.ca before making huge purchases that may cause buyer's remorse. Take time to shop around and find the best deal on what you want. If you know you only want to spend $700 on a new item, don't shop outside of your budget. Scope sales or start saving back more on www.Pricegrabber.ca, but don't talk yourself into spending more when you buy on the fly.

Buyer's remorse is common no matter what you buy or how much money you have. By making smart choices, however, you don't have to suffer through it.

The Key to Avoiding Buyer’s Remorse on Large Purchases is a post from: Finance Fox

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By RateHub.ca

With the March 1st RRSP deadline fast approaching, mortgage prepayment privileges are probably the last thing on your mind. For many families, it’s all or nothing when it comes to RRSPs and mortgages – they either choose to increase payments on their mortgage or save for retirement, not both. But with a balanced approach, you can do both. Far too many people aren’t taking advantage of their mortgage prepayment privileges – according to the Canadian Association of Accredited Mortgage Professionals (CAAMP), only a third of homeowners made additional payments last year. Let’s take a look at the three most common prepayment privileges and how you can benefit from them.

1. Payment Increase

Once a year, most closed mortgages will give you the flexibility to increase your mortgage payment amount. You can usually increase your payment by up to 10 per cent or 15 per cent. While your regular mortgage payments go towards principal and interest, your payment increase will go directly to principal – this can shave years off the life of your mortgage. For example, if your monthly mortgage was $1,000, increasing your payment by 15 per cent means you could contribute an extra $150 per month towards the principal of your mortgage.

2. Lump Sum Payment

For a number of homeowners, lump sum payments are what first come to mind when they hear “prepayment privileges”. Lenders typically allow you to pay 10 per cent to 20 per cent of your outstanding mortgage each year. For example, if you have a mortgage of $200,000, a 20 per cent lump sum payment would be $40,000. That may sound like a hefty amount, but if you are saving for it or come into the money some other way, it is an excellent way to save on interest and cut time off your total amortization period.

3. Increase Payment Frequency

Your mortgage is most likely the largest debt you will ever have. By increasing your payment frequency, you can save thousands in interest simply by paying the same amount more often. With accelerated payments, you can pay your mortgage even faster, because you end up making extra payments than you would if you were making your regular monthly mortgage payments. For example, if your monthly mortgage payment was $1,600, an accelerated bi-weekly payment would divide that amount in half ($800) and you would pay that amount every two weeks – in this example, you would make 26 payments versus 24 regular bi-weekly payments, or an extra $1,600 each year.

RRSP Contribution vs. Mortgage Prepayment

Even if your budget is tight, you can still make RRSP contributions as well as consider your mortgage prepayment options. By making an RRSP contribution, you could then use a portion or all of your tax tax rate of 31 per cent, you’ll receive a refund of $930, which can be made as a lump sum payment towards your mortgage. Mortgage rates aren’t going to be low forever, so take advantage of them now and pay down your mortgage aggressively while you can.refund as a lump sum payment. For example, if you make a $3,000 RRSP contribution with a marginal

Are You Taking Advantage of Your Mortgage Prepayment Privileges? is a post from: Finance Fox

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If you haven’t attended the Canadian International Auto Show before, here’s three reasons why you should visit next year:

1. Auto Exotica

If you’re into exotic cars, this event is for you. It has everything from the Ferrari’s, Bugatti’s to Lambos and Porsche. Exotics have always been a major attraction at the auto show and this year was no different. The exotics presented are some of world’s finest crafted automobiles and having one place to see them all is simply an amazing experience to take in.

2. Price Point

For less than a $20 cover charge you get to see over 300+ different cars under one location. But aside from the coverage, you get to experience the future and present of the auto industry. This is especially true if you’re in the market for that new vehicle. You can ask, try and get all the necessary information you’re looking for when researching your dream vehicle.

3. Beat the Winter Blahs

Not only is the Canadian International Auto Show a super friendly family event, but it’s also an ideal way to beat the winter blahs. This year Volkswagen offered a family admission package, where two adults and two kids could have entered the show for $44 and kids under the age of 6 always enter for free. Furthermore the show also offered professional daycare for free at the children’s play center where kids would have been engaged through activities such as face painting, colouring, dress-up, DVD movies and a lot more in between. This just shows you that the show is not only an adult only event, but extremely family friendly environment.

Eyes on the Dollar – I am an animal lover, and I especially favor dogs. And as someone who’s slowly entertaining the idea of getting a dog, Kim’s post on dog ownership hit a home run with me. I’ve often wondered which costs more puppy or older dog? Here’s the answer.

Brighter Life – The number of Canadians expected to retire by 66 has dropped dramatically within the last five years. So when do you expect to retire? This graphic will give you a pretty good insight on the retirement plans on average for Canadians.

Averex Money – Real Estate Investment Trusts, with their nice income yields, continue to be popular with investors. Avrex Money has compiled and ranked a complete list of all the Canadian REITs on the Toronto stock exchange.

My Own Advisor – Stress testing is about demonstrating the stability of a given process or system when that process or system is pushed beyond its normal operating means. Here’s a pretty cool personal finance stress test.

Young and Thrifty – Is post secondary schooling still a good investment? Depends how you look at the situation. The bad news for today’s students is that it does cost more to go to school than ever before. The newly published book, “More Money For Beer and Textbooks” answers some of those questions. Check out the book here and enter the giveaway to win a FREE copy of the book.

Za Vas – Some people live for their hobbies, loving every moment they get to spend participating in their favorite activities and pastimes. Hobbies can actually be profitable if taken on with the right approach. Check out these 8 hobbies that can earn you extra cash.

Passive Cleaning Income – I am a profound introvert, who has been in and around sale for nearly 10 years now. I have characterized myself as a ‘soft but persistent closer. So therefore I’ve done well in sales of services such as service contracts. Here’s a unique post on 6 ways introverts can become successful in sales.

Financial Samurai – If you don’t have your health, you might as well have nothing. This is true for the super wealthy or the poor. So, is there a correlation between physical fitness and financial health?

Canadian Budget Binder – Becoming a homeowner is a process that takes time. This post on Canadian Budget Binder looks at how to come up with your down payment and the type of property you are eligible to purchase.

Frugal Rules – Starting an online business is definitely challenging. I think if you first start out, you shouldn’t quit your day job. But with some right planning and reading posts such as 5 easy steps for how to set up your own online business, you can be on the right track.

Work Save Live – Should you invest in actively managed funds and attempt to get higher returns? Or should you stay with index funds and be content to reliably track the market? Here’s a post that may answer your question by explaining why you’re better off investing in index funds.

iHeart Budgets – As someone who still uses pen and paper for his budget, I wholeheartedly agreed with this guest post on why Mint may not be for you as a way to organize your finances.

Thanks for stopping by for this edition of Finance Fox’s weekend recap.

Eddie

Finance Fox Weekend Recap – Canadian International Auto Show Edition is a post from: Finance Fox

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When I started Finance Fox, it took me nearly a year to get onto the email marketing train. Looking back now I wish I started building my list from day one. Even though my blog at times is personal. I do, however, write a lot of non-personal yet informative posts. This has lead me to start my email marketing list about a year ago. If you’re looking for more direct and personal stuff pertaining to personal finance, I’d highly advise you to sign up on the top right hand corner of the main page. Not only will you be exposed to some pretty awesome stuff that I don’t publish here, but you’ll gain access to some pretty awesome giveaways.

Email marketing has been around for a while, but has only started to gain massive exposure within the last five or so years. Being a marketer by day, I get to see first hand the value it provides to large corporations if used right. Anytime we ran a “sales special” we posted staggering sales months. But more importantly this gave us another excuse or opportunity to get in-front our clients. Obviously not everyone was ready to buy at that instant moment of the sales special, but with some feedback we were able to gain leads that were buying in the near future of 3 to 6 months – something we wouldn’t have otherwise known if we didn’t run the email marketing campaign.

That’s why it was a no brainer for me to start my own email marketing list. I figured if I didn’t start it, then I’d be leaving money and visitors on the table.

How to Grow/Start Your List

It’s your job to make sure you’re constantly adding fresh contacts to your email campaigns so you can keep your numbers moving in the positive direction. So in order to keep the numbers on the plus side, here’s a few things you should consider:

1. Create regular online contests such as free giveaways, and have entrants sign up or submit with their email address.
2. Create a new lead-gen offer – like a free eBook  and require visitors to provide their email address in order to download it.
3. When creating content as a guest blogger, include a call-to-action and link for readers to subscribe to your site’s blog or email database in your author byline.
4. Use your Facebook page to promote an offer that requires an email address submission. In addition to creating a tab dedicated to email sign up, promote offers in your timeline and encourage your leads to share and like your offers on Facebook by adding a social sharing button on your landing pages and thank-you pages.
5. Lastly your content needs to be superb in order to have an effective email marketing list. If you want people to stay subscribed and if you want them to forward it to their friends, family, and colleagues that aren’t already on your email list – write amazing content that’s not already published on your blog.

Have a List?

Email marketing is a lot of work and dedication . Here’s how to make the most out of your email accounts:

1. Regularly send out emails to contacts. If you don’t contact your subscribers on a regular basis, then they will forget why they are only your mailing list. This is especially true if they signed up to your list because you offered an incentive to do so, like a free eBook or contest.
2. Offer a different look in your emails as opposed to what’s offered in your blog. Use the signature function provided to provide your contacts an alternative way to find you, such a possibly your social-media accounts or even a phone number in some instances. If you’re worried about the fancy signature graphics using up your email storage space, you can get extra email hosting space from 123-reg.
3. Encourage your current email subscribers to share and forward your emails by including social share buttons. This ties into the above point, and if used correctly, it will offer you additional promotion and new readers to your blog.
4. Run promotions that are geared towards your subscribers. But keep it separate from your website or blog. This will make your readers feel special. After all they did take the time to sign up, so they’re special to begin with.
5. Looking to develop an eBook? Your email subscribers will be your first customers.

Final Thoughts

Even though the hardest part is just finding the time to start building a list. But once you dedicate enough time to your email list,  staying in touch is simple – and most of all, rewarding if done right.

Thanks for reading & happy emailing!

Eddie

The Importance of Building a Solid Email Marketing List is a post from: Finance Fox

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Fame has its rewards. Big money, fancy hotels, large wheels, expensive homes and trophy wives. Notice I said wives as in plural and a girl in between on the side in every town from New York to Vancouver. Certainly this type of lifestyle is what many strive towards, yet forget that a lot of it smoke in mirrors.

Living a larger than lifestyle has a high price tag. The road from riches to rags is much traveled, yet when you arrive at the destination of a fancy lifestyle it consumes most as it’s quite difficult to keep up with.

Last week I came across another riches to rags story from the world of football. Surprised? I didn’t think so. The latest to fall from the world of bling is Jevon Kearse. Once a former star defensive end with the Tennessee Titans and Philadelphia Eagles earned about $45 million over 11 seasons. Evidently, this wasn’t enough, because Jevon is broke and has IRS on his ass.

Just four years after retiring, the IRS put up a tax lien against him for $432,015 in back taxes. But it doesn’t end there. The bank that granted Jevon a $25-million mortgage filled  a lawsuit against him just a few months ago. He only purchased a 6,064 square foot home in 2004 for $6.5-million.

Seems like someone making big bucks like that wouldn’t need a mortgage, but in 2006 he took out a mortgage on that same 6,064 square foot home and that was just after he received a $16-million signing bonus from the Eagles.

This story is sad in one aspect, yet funny in another, but it illustrates the problems that befall many athletes. Studies have shown that a staggering 78% of NFL players go bankrupt or experience money problems within two years after the last payday. Similarly, 50% of NBA players go broke five years after retirement.

Reasons include bad investments, gambling, excessive lifestyles, multiples wives and/or girlfriends, greedy family members and friends, horrible financial advisors. But mostly why they go broke is due to to lack of proper planning for the future and life after retirement.

So, what’s the moral of the story?

The faster you rise, the faster you’ll fall. If you don’t plan for your own future, nobody else will. So, my dear friends if you haven’t started planning for your future it’s never too late to start.

Happy Saving!

Eddie

Another Riches to Rags Story is a post from: Finance Fox

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I’m sure you can imagine how excited I was to get away for a ski weekend.

A few months ago my brother and some friends ended up renting a chalet at the Blue Mountain for a weekend of skiing, food and laughs between friends. Everyone got up to the Blue on Friday, but due to craziness at work and other responsibilities, I left Saturday morning and didn’t get back until early Sunday evening.

One night away may not seem like much but my goal was to stay as far away from my email as possible… and I was reasonably successful. As much as I normally hate taking long drives by myself, the ride home seemed to be when I found myself reflecting. And reflect I did, especially since three-quarters of my drive home I drove 50/km per hour in what usually is 100/km zone. I was trapped in a snow storm. What’s odd about this area, is while one city is getting plummeted with snow and winds, you take a 50 kilometers drive south towards Toronto where’s it dry, sunny and slightly warmer.

Anyways, here’s what my ski weekend cost me:

• Gas – $60
• Saturday Lift Ticket and Rental (Day and Evening) – $112.00
• Sunday Lift Ticket and Rental – $74.00
• Booze – $55.00
• Lodging and Food – $90.00

$391.00 is what it cost me to get away for one night and two days.

Quite honestly it was more than what I wanted to spend, but it was well worth it. The laughs, the food, drinks and some skiing in between made it all worthwhile. But, aside from all the fun stuff, I did learn three things while I was away.

Skiing is Expensive

Ski weekend was a zoo. Seems like everyone and their mother came out to ski the same time we did. We waited roughly 1 hour in line just to buy our passes and get our equipment. We discovered that you can rent skis for cheaper from the shops on Mountain Road (an offsite), and we would have been in and out in about 15 minutes. Next time I suppose.  The staff at the Blue Mountain Ski resort will discourage you from renting else where they’ll give you this speech about liability and so forth….but of course it’s a pitch in hopes of keeping you there to spend you money at their ski shop.

For $74 we got ski rental, beginner lift ticket. Some of us wanted to try snowboarding too and we were able to switch skis for snowboard for FREE. But, the killer for me was the wait times to get onto the hills. When I look back I think we spent more time at the bottom of the hill in line to get to the top. Certainty I wasn’t impressed, but what can you do?

I’m Impatient

Aside from being impatient in the lines to get to the top, I’m also impatient when it comes to waiting for others. Our group consisted snowboarders and the only skiers were my brother and myself. I’m far from a ski pro, but I’m also slightly daring and staying on bunny hills all day wasn’t my idea of a ski trip. So, when we (myself and my brother) wanted to get elsewhere and try a single black diamond…well let’s just say that others weren’t impressed. So, the moral of the story – establish skiing rules ahead of time or ski/snowboard with those on the same skill level.

Stuck in the Middle

Over the years I’ve thought about purchasing ski equipment, yet I’ve never been able to rationalize the purchase since I only make it up once or twice a year at the very best. However, I’ve thought about it on the ride home, because spending nearly $100 on rental of equipment over two days kind of left a sour taste in my mouth. Maybe I’ll look into buying second-hand and if I do go through with the purchase it might inspire me to go skiing more frequently.

Are you a skier or a snowboarder? Do you own or rent your equipment? Is there anything you dislike about ski trips?

Cheers!

Eddie

The Cost of a Ski Weekend Getaway is a post from: Finance Fox

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