Less than 50 percent of Americans currently invest in the stock market.

Are you part of the majority that’s wary of investing their hard-earned money? If so, what’s holding you back?

There are lots of reasons why people opt out of investing. Often, though, it’s because they’re not sure how to get started or they think they don’t have enough money to be an investor.

If you’re not sure how to start investing or are worried about your limited budget, keep reading. Listed below are some tips that will help you get started no matter how much money you have.

Reasons to Start Investing

Some people also hesitate to start investing because they don’t understand all the benefits that it has to offer.

There are lots of reasons to invest in the stock market, including the following:

• Grow wealth faster with higher interest rates
• Start saving for retirement
• Reduce your tax bill
• Support businesses you believe in
• Be part of something new and innovative

Now is also a great time to start investing because it’s easier than ever. You definitely don’t have to work on Wall Street to invest in the stock market.

How to Start Investing While on a Budget

If you’re looking to invest in the stock market but don’t have a lot of money to spare, don’t worry. The following are some tips that will help you begin investing even if you’re working with a very limited budget:

Start With a High-Interest Savings Account

A great way to dip your toe into the investment pool is to open a high-interest savings account.

There are lots of accounts, such as CDs, that have higher-than-average interest rates. Invest whatever you can spare — even if it’s only $5 dollars — in this account and watch it grow.

Use a Roboadvisor

If you don’t want to worry about managing your investments yourself, a roboadvisor is a great option. Roboadvisors make it easy for you to start investing even if you have no prior experience.

There are lots of low-cost online roboadvisors that will manage your money and provide you with the education you need to continue making good investment choices in the future.

Enroll in a Retirement Plan

In addition to opening a high-interest savings account, enrolling in a retirement plan is another great first-step to take when getting into the world of investing.

Everyone ought to have at least one retirement plan to which they contribute on a regular basis. Enroll in your employer’s 401(k) plan or open a traditional or Roth IRA if you’re self-employed.

Invest in Mutual Funds

Mutual funds make it easy for you to invest in a variety of stocks and bonds with one simple transaction. They’re perfect for people who want to start investing but don’t want to spend too much time thinking about the investment process.

Mutual funds often require higher minimum investments (between $500 and $1500). Some will waive the account minimums if you agree to make an automatic investment each month, though.

Use a Micro-investing App

If your budget is very limited, another good option is a micro-investing app.

Apps like Robinhood and Acorns make it easy for you to invest your spare change in stocks and index funds.

These apps lower the barrier to entry for many new investors, and they often have very low (or no) minimum balance requirements.

Common Investment Mistakes to Avoid

As you can see, there are tons of options out there no matter how tight your budget is. If you want to profit from any of these investment options, though, you need to make sure you’re avoiding these common investment mistakes:

Not Trusting Your Gut

It’s easy to let yourself be swayed by people who seem to know more about investing than you do.

There’s nothing wrong with taking advice from others, but don’t let them talk you into making an investment that feels wrong to you. Trust your gut and use caution when investing in a new venture or taking a risk.

Investing in Businesses You Don’t Understand

Be wary of investing in businesses of which you don’t have a thorough understanding.

It doesn’t matter if it’s supposed to be a hot new enterprise or is on track to become a billion-dollar company. If you don’t get it, your investment might come back to bite you later.

Not Staying Informed

Make sure you stay informed on how your investments are performing. Check in with them on a regular basis to make sure you’re on track to reach your financial goals.

Pay attention to stock market news as well. This will help you keep up with the trends and get an idea of whether you should invest in specific businesses or not.

Making Emotional Decisions

It’s important to stay informed. At the same time, though, it’s important to maintain a cool head when doing your research.

Don’t let fear cause you to make emotional decisions. Just because you see in the news one day that a company isn’t doing too well, that doesn’t mean you ought to go out and sell your stocks right away.

You also shouldn’t go out and drop a ton of money buying stock in a particular business just because they’re doing well right now.

Being Impatient

Finally, don’t be impatient.

New investors often become obsessive over watching their money grow. Remember, though, that it takes time to build wealth.

If you’re patient, you’ll see much more significant returns that if you’re always obsessing over the markets and trying to move things along at a faster pace.

Start Investing Today

There are tons of benefits that come with being an investor.

The sooner you get started, the better off you’ll be later on. Even if you only have a small amount of money to spare, you can benefit from investing those funds.

Now that you know how to start investing, it’s time to get to work!

Keep these tips in mind so you can start growing wealth and making your money work for you, no matter how tight your budget is.

If you want to learn more about wise investing, we’ve got plenty of resources available. Check out some of our other investment-focused articles today for additional advice.

Before you begin shopping for life insurance, you will want to know what you can expect to spend on life insurance. Often, people choose not to get life insurance because they think it will be too expensive for their budget. In reality, life insurance can be very affordable.

There are many different types of life insurance available, which can cause the cost to vary. Still, it’s a good idea to have an average in mind as you shop. This can allow you to spot good or bad deals right away. Then, you can save time as you search for life insurance.

If you are a healthy person between the ages of 18 and 70, you will pay an average of $67.88 per month for $250,000 worth of life insurance. For term life insurance, a healthy, non-smoking, 35-year-old male can pay as little as $10 per month. Term life insurance is one of the least expensive life insurance options, which is why this is so low.

One good way to determine whether life insurance is a good price is to get quotes from multiple companies. Be sure to compare these quotes based on what each policy offers. For example, get term life insurance quotes from several companies and compare them. Do the same for any other types of life insurance you may be considering

Then, you can look for similarities between the options. If you get a quote that is much lower or much higher than the other options, you should look into potential reasons behind this. It’s likely that similar life insurance policies will be around the same price. This can help you to know what to expect for your health, age, gender, and other information.

How to Determine How Much Life Insurance Will Cost

The best way to find out how much life insurance will cost is to get a quote. You should work with a life insurance agent who works with several companies. They can give you quotes from each company so you know your options.

It’s important to get quotes because they are based on your health status, health history, age, gender, and more. Life insurance costs are very specific and can vary greatly from person to person. Your individual information is a big factor when you are looking into life insurance.

You should also consider the possible discounts you can get on your life insurance. Companies may offer discounts on bundled insurance plans. You can get discounts for being healthy or not smoking. The discounts vary, but they can have a big impact on the price you end up paying.

Conclusion

Because there are so many different types of life insurance, it can be hard to know what you can expect to pay. Keep the averages mentioned above in mind. This can help you as you search for life insurance. It’s a good idea to know what you can expect to pay to see what types of life insurance are an option for you.

If you have just started your own business, you might be on a budget to tackle other expenses. Keep in mind though, that you will need to market your business to ensure a steady stream of potential clients and paying customers, whether online or offline. There are tons of resources available out there now for you to optimize your marketing efforts. If you are a small time business entrepreneur or are just on a shoestring budget, you can still make a big marketing impact with little to no cashout.

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If you’re like many parents, then you try your best to make your children feel special on their special day. Every year when their birthday rolls around, you take stock of what they like, look at what’s trendy, and put together an invite list for a birthday party.

However, there’s often one thing in your way, your budget. And you’re not alone. Despite what they show on reality television, the average American just doesn’t have the money to spend on elaborate celebrations.

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Everyone needs a vacation once in a while, but a family vacation shouldn’t put a huge gap in your wallet.

You deserve a vacation that is relaxing and not going to be a financial strain on your family.

Whether you plan on traveling near or far keep reading to see a list of 10 fun budget friendly family vacations.

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Bringing your family together for a weekly or monthly family night is so important. This is a time for you to spend quality time together without any distractions. But where do you even begin to plan a family night that will make every family member happy?

Keep reading to find out.

Consider Your Audience

When you’re considering your family activity, it’s important that you know your audience. For example, going around the table and reflecting on your week or month is not going to be a meaningful experience for your rambunctious three-year-old.

It can be challenging coming up with an effective family night for children of all different ages. Which is why you want to make sure your older children are on board with the plan. You might even want to let your older kids help with the planning so they feel purpose and ownership with this special night.

Remember the Point of Family Night

The point of the family night is to get everyone together once and a while. If you already have an incredibly busy schedule, it might be more realistic to do this special night monthly or seasonally instead of weekly.

You don’t want the family night to feel like a checkbox that you have to do that adds stress to your life. That’s not the point. Your family night should bond everyone and be something that the entire family looks forward to.

Collaborate!

It’s a good idea if your family night activity is something where you can all collaborate instead of competing, especially with your younger kids. No one likes to lose, and while losing is an important lesson in life, it might be best for a time when you’re not trying to connect as a family.

Pick a Night That’s “Family Night”

This can be weekly, monthly or seasonally, but it should be a time that works for all members of your family. Some families will make every Friday night family night, so all members of the family know not to make any plans that night.

Choose Easy Family Night Food

You don’t want to be slaving away in the kitchen on family night. Dinner should be an easy crowd pleaser, and you usually can’t go wrong with takeout. Especially if your family tends to eat healthy throughout the week, offering a pizza or Chinese takeout might be a welcomed treat the whole family will get excited for.

Ditch Your Distractions

This means no cellphones, computers, video games or any other gadgets. The point of the family night is to connect, and that is difficult to do with a screen between you and your family. It’s healthy to detox from technology once and a while and family night can be a good reminder to do just that.

Pick a Family Night Activity

Now the fun part, picking an activity the whole family will enjoy. Again, get the family involved with what activity they want to do. Or perhaps with each family night, it’s a different family member’s turn to pick the activity.

Here are some family night activities you can’t go wrong with.

Movie Night

A movie night might be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a family night activity. It seems so easy to make some popcorn, rent a movie or watch one that’s streaming, and get cozy under some blankets.

Perhaps you even choose an intellectually stimulating or classic film and discuss the plot, characters and what you did and didn’t like after the screening. Check this out for more about movie night.

Star Gazing

This activity can be so much fun on a warm clear night if you have the right outdoor space. Just spread out some blankets and watch the stars. You can even print out constellations and try to find them in the sky.

Game Night

A game night seems like another obvious family night choice, but there are ways to make it more interesting. Maybe to play for chores or other silly challenges. Try to choose games that let you work together like putting together a puzzle.

Arts & Crafts Night

Simply set out some materials like paints, brushes, glue, beads, etc and let the family go wild. You can even have an art show at the end and award the most creative or most colorful projects.

Write a Story

This is another great collaborative way to get the entire family involved. Let your collaborative creativity run wild as you pen a short story together. Come up with the plot and characters together.

Your kids can illustrate the story, and you might even want to get it laminated and bound later!

Go on a Nature Walk

Find a nice route in your neighborhood to go on a walk together. Give everyone a bag to take with them to collect items like rocks and other things they find along the way. Back at home, you can make a collage of all of your treasures together.

Puppet Show 

Make some puppets out of socks or you can even print puppets from the internet. Then let your imaginations run wild as you put on a puppet show. You might even want to record the show to enjoy when your kids grow up!

Cook or Bake Together

Cooking and baking together is a great bonding exercise. Put everyone to work and together you can whip up dinner or a yummy dessert. If you’re baking, everyone can help out with cookie or cake decorating.

You’ll feel accomplished making someone everyone can enjoy! What a treat!

Plan Your Family Night Now

Now that you know how to plan a family night, get to it! Make sure you find a time that works for everyone and set up this night consistently. Get the whole family involved choosing an activity that everyone will enjoy.

Make sure family night doesn’t seem like a chore, and everyone is having a good time. Have fun at your family night and make sure you take lots of pictures, so you can remember these memories for years to come.

If your family is like most American families, then your savings account is looking a little lean. In fact, nearly 70 percent of Americans have less than $1,000 in their bank accounts. That means, if a financial emergency rolls around, they likely won’t have money to cover those expenses.

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An addictive personality is a set of traits that make one vulnerable to addiction. While these traits can be recognized in people who are addicted. However, not everyone who has these traits becomes an addict to a substance or behavior.

Addiction is repeated use of activities that give you pleasure in order to escape stress or make money. What are the traits of an addictive personality? Do you have one? Discover the answers to your questions with our easy-to-understand guide.

Impulse Behavior

This is when a person acts with little or no consideration of the consequences of their behavior. These traits can be simple things such as drinking up till late when you know you have an early meeting. You believe in instant gratification rather than holding off and viewing the situation from a rational perspective.

If you have this trait, try slowing things down till the excitement dies down. 1st Step Behavioral Health rehab will help you take the steps needed to achieve a lasting change.

Mental Disorders

People who have mental disorders are likely to abuse and become dependent on substances. For example, people with schizophrenia tend to smoke more nicotine as a temporary way of reducing the symptoms.

However, not all people with mental illnesses have become addicted. This is just a guide for potential traits of an addictive personality.

Self-Esteem Issues

People who suffer from low self-esteem may indulge too much in an attempt to numb their feelings. They undergo some level of stress because of feelings of being isolated. This stress may change brain activity.

They may drink too much or take drugs in an attempt to reward themselves or boost their self-worth. These people tend to take drugs to improve socialization skills and feeling accepted.

The thrill of a new addiction provides a new high and their brain chemistry gets worse.

Adventurous Behavior

These are people who are constantly seeking a new thrill just for the adrenalin rush. This personality trait makes a person vulnerable to trying out new drugs. This is because they are open-minded and desire to experiment.

People with this trait enjoy the release neurotransmitters which are also produced when taking drugs and alcohol.

Weak Commitments to Personal Values and Goals

How you react to an impulse behavior shows your overall commitment to personal goals and values. If you have a weak commitment, you keep on jumping from one passion to another as you chase a new concept.

This personality trait is vulnerable to addictions as they cannot keep a commitment to stay out of drugs. If you have this personality trait, try shifting your point of view from short term to long term.

Traits of an Addictive Personality That May Lead to Addictions

Interpretations of some traits of an addictive personality are dependent on experiences and the response of friends and family on our behaviors. It seems that the idea of an addictive personality isn’t a universal character trait that is common to all.

However, it’s easy to identify these traits in children who tend to develop addictions. The presence of these traits makes it easier to spot who is vulnerable to addiction. If you see the above traits in a loved one, be aware of the situations that cause it and try to prevent that addiction as early as possible.

Keep tabs on our blog for more insights.

American is said to be the land of the free.

It’s also the land of the indebted.

The average consumer debt per capita stacks up to nearly $12,000. Altogether, that same source reveals how consumer debt amounted to a staggering $3.9 trillion by the end of 2018!

Clearly, countless households around the country are held captive by their finances.

Debt is a slippery slope. It’s all too easy to take on more of it to try and dig your way out. A simpler solution may be to get focused and get another job.

But what could you do? Read on to discover 5 side jobs that can help you get out of debt.

1. Virtual Assistant

Got a knack for administrative work?

Then why not take your skills online? Many businesses and individuals are outsourcing their admin to people online. All you need in an internet connection.

As a virtual assistant, you can expect a range of roles. From managing social media accounts to answering emails and doing research, it depends entirely on the needs of the client.

Expect mundane, tedious work, but regular payments! The more clients you get, the more money coming your way.

2. Tutor

Have you thought about teaching your way out of debt?

You don’t necessarily need to be an expert on anything. A bit of passion, a dose of enthusiasm, and a splash of insight, is often more than enough to make you a great tutor.

You could spend your evening tutoring on particular subjects. Paid by the hour, you can even do it online these days. Keep track of your payments with paystubcreator.net.

3. Start a Blog

Blogging is hard work.

But once you’ve learned the ropes and have yours set up, you can earn a steady stream of income from it. Expect it to take a while. But it’s a business model that takes nothing but time (and a bit of cash) to get set up.

From there, with advertising and affiliate marketing, you can say hello to passive cash coming your way.

4. Dog Walker

Dog walking is a popular side job all over the globe.

For one, it’s easy to get into.

You also get to hang out with man’s best friend, get outside and earn decent money in the process. Many people simply don’t have time to give their dogs enough exercise.

Advertise your services, develop a client base, and you can be doing it for them.

5. Hospitality

You may balk at the idea of hospitality.

All those forced smiles and customer-focused approach…It can be tiresome. But they’re also widely available positions that require no qualifications or experience to start with. A friendly demeanor and hard-working approach are all you need.

Apply to bars, cafes, restaurants, and hotels to see what’s going in your neighborhood.

Time to Get Out of Debt

There you have it: 5 side jobs to help you get out of debt without too much trouble.

Millions of Americans across the country are struggling with crippling debt. It’s all too tempting to buckle under the pressure and go into more debt to pay off existing loans. If at all possible, don’t do it!

Getting a second job may be a much better approach. Hopefully, the side jobs we’ve highlighted here have given you some ideas on what you could do.

Like this piece? Need some incentives? Click here to read why being debt free is so awesome.