Trey LaRocca

What Can You Get From a My Puppy Wireless Plan?

September 22, 2020 By Trey LaRocca Leave a Comment

Cell provider giants continue to merge and expand, and consumers have been looking for smaller alternatives. My Puppy seeks to fill this niche, offering affordable quality with a less impacted customer service experience. To know if My Puppy is for you, it is important to know what they offer. How does a My Puppy Wireless Plan differ form the big players, and how is it the same?

The Basics

My Puppy offers prepaid mobile services, meaning that you pay up-front for your plan. They have plans that include all of your traditional cell services. The foundations like text, voice, and mobile data are all available, as well as the nice-to-haves like caller ID, call waiting, and three-way calling. Different plans will include different things, and this ensures that you won’t overpay for things you don’t even use!

You can also purchase Airtime Cards which allow for a la carte data usage for plans that don’t usually include a lot of mobile data. These are great if you have a month or two where you will need more mobile data, but don’t want to commit to it long-term.

Long Distance

My Puppy has integrated international long distance calling, and they have rates posted on their homepage. Domestic long distance is included in your regular voice and doesn’t cost extra.

Unique Structure

The things that set a My Puppy Wireless Plan apart are their affordability measures. No credit checks are required, and neither are contracts. Their overage fees are low, and they have quick and easy client support. All of this makes for a great cellular product directed at lower-income users.

You can even bring your own phone, so long as it is an eligible model. They have discounted accessories, and are looking to add equipment financing in the near future to make getting a new device more affordable.

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Should You Include Cryptocurrency in Your Retirement Plan?

September 15, 2020 By Trey LaRocca Leave a Comment

Retirement is often treated as a numbers game. The more diverse your investments, the “steadier” it is supposed to grow. There are a lot of different investments people use to achieve this aim, but cryptocurrency is a new one. While not too many are jumping on this train, there are some that think cryptocurrencies are bound to grow over time. To help you decide if this is right for you, it is important to know what your options are, and how cryptocurrency in a retirement plan differs.

Long-Term Investing Principles

Long term investments should be low-risk, low-reward. This means that you probably aren’t going to strike it rich in a year off of your retirement accounts, but you can count on slow, steady gains. The goal of a retirement account is not to really need to think about it. “Set it and forget it” is the MO here. So, while higher risk can lead to better gains in the short run, they also require more supervision that you may not want to deal with. This doesn’t mean you can’t invest in those things, but don’t dedicate your retirement funds to it.

Cryptocurrency Market Behaviors

This is a tough section to write, because there is no standard. Outside of the bigger coins, cryptos are all over the place. What you can see from looking at Bitcoin, the big kid on the playground, is sharp spikes followed by sharp downturns. They are relatively random, and pretty extreme.This makes them questionable retirement choices, and not particularly suited to the long-term safety goals of a retirement account.

The 30-Year Rule

A principle to keep in mind is that most investments will see a net gain after 30 years. While the research on this wasn’t done with cryptos, and they aren’t that old, take this with a grain of salt. Typically, though, this rule applies to almost everything. The reason for that is, despite ebbs and flows, the value of most investments trends upward. Ceilings get higher, and so do floors. That doesn’t mean that all investments are created equal, though.

This doesn’t mean that cryptocurrency in a retirement account is a good idea. Basically, it just states that you might not lose everything over time. You’ll want to optimize as best you can, though, so it would be a much better idea to invest elsewhere. Accounts like Roth IRAs and 401ks offer tax advantages that will make them a much more lucrative pick on average. Index and mutual funds offer higher average gains, and great diversification by their very design. All of these would be a better place for your retirement cash. You can save your gambling money for cryptocurrencies.

If you enjoy reading our blog posts and would like to try your hand at blogging, we have good news for you; you can do exactly that on Saving Advice. Just click here to get started. If you want to be able to customize your blog on your own domain and need hosting service, we recommend trying BlueHost. They offer powerful hosting services for $3.95/month!

How to Maximize Savings During a Pandemic

September 12, 2020 By Trey LaRocca Leave a Comment

The COVID crisis has been going on for so long, it almost seems like we will never be out of it. The good news is, we will make it out okay on the other side. To help make sure that stays true for you, you need to know how to maximize savings during a pandemic. The goal here is to build a budget that will protect you from going under while the economy recovers from the disease, and the measures made to respond.

Document Your Income

The first step in maximizing savings is to build the budget. To do so, you have to document all the money you have coming in. This means your main job, your side gigs– everything. Mark down what you take home after taxes every month, and if it varies, jot down the low end of what you make. This will ensure you down plan for the best and end up at a deficit. We want to plan for the worst, and be happily surprised by surpluses along the way.

Separate Money You Need to Spend

The next step is to document you spending. Separate spending into two categories: Needs and wants. Needs are anything you cannot go on without. These are things like rent, groceries, transportation, utilities, and internet. The wants include eating out (even at fast food spots), toys, cable, and anything else that you won’t exactly go under without.

Stop Eating Out

Once the budget is in front of your, you will probably notice that you are eating out more than you need to. While buying more groceries can seem expensive, it costs a lot less than constantly hitting the drive through for lunch. Get fresh ingredients to make sandwiches, chicken and rice, and other cheap meals that keep well in the fridge. This will ensure that you always have something prepared, or ready to prepare, in the fridge when you are hungry.

Cut Your Cable Subscription

In general, people pay way to much for cable. When compared to internet TV services like Hulu Live TV or YouTube TV, people often vastly overspend for a less convenient product. Not only are these services cheaper, but they offer better and more streamlined portable experiences on your phone or tablet. Plus, it helps that most of them offer free trials, so you can get yourself a free month of TV to try it out after you cancel that massive cable contract.

What Are the Common Traits of Millionaires?

September 11, 2020 By Trey LaRocca Leave a Comment

Getting to a net worth of one million dollars is a goal for a lot of people. Millionaire status is a hot topic on most finance websites, as it comes with the idea of long-term financial stability. Even those who aren’t obsessed with money have good reason to work toward it, as it means security for themselves and their family. While it seems that this goal is unattainable, there are common traits of millionaires that can help you get there. By implementing these in your life, it could make the road a little less scary for you.

Long-term Investing

There are a lot of “get rich quick” investment strategies out there. It seems that anybody who watches finance videos on YouTube is going to be targeted by ads covering things like drop-shipping and day trading. While there are a few people who famously made millions doing this, it isn’t the common factor among wealthy people. Their wealth comes from more conservative, reliable investment strategies. Accounts like IRAs, index funds, mutual funds, and others are great ways to create reliable growth over time. They are low risk, and therefore seem a lot less glamorous than their short-term counterparts. The issue with the “fast” ways of doing things is that most people lose money on them. Becoming a millionaire usually takes time, so don’t let yourself get distracted by the rush.

Budgeting and Financial Planning

To the majority of millionaires, knowing where your money comes from and where it goes to is of vital importance. Budgeting, whether you do so strictly or not, is almost a requirement to ensure you end up meeting your goal. You need to address how much money you are making, how much is going to taxes, and how much you actually need to spend. This will help you address issues of overspending, which is the trap most people fall into. Having a budget and a plan to increase your income is a great way to keep updated on how close you are to millionaire status.

Work With a Financial Advisor

The previous tip is so important, we even recommend that you get professional help if you don’t have much experience with it. Wealth management professionals, CPA’s, and other finance experts can all feed you valuable information that will carry you closer to financial freedom. Use these resources to build your financial plan, and get feedback on your budget.

Invest in Yourself

While it doesn’t look the same for everyone, self-investment is a major through-line among most millionaires. Whether it is spending on education, investing time to learn a skill, or getting quality tools and equipment, these investments can rapidly shift you in the right direction. High-level degrees can make you great money as a doctor, lawyer, or engineer. Time spent on a trade can make you a desirable mechanic, artist, or assist in many other occupations. For most of these jobs, reliable transportation, work equipment, and housing are paramount to maintaining your success. So, don’t be hesitant to invest in yourself, so long as you can afford it.

How to Furnish a Home Without Spending Too Much

September 2, 2020 By Trey LaRocca Leave a Comment

When buying (or renting) a new home, a sneaky expense that isn’t often planned for is furnishing the place. More square-footage seems like a uncontested bonus, it also means that it will cost a little extra dough to fill your home. New furniture isn’t cheap, and getting everything to go well together is a another task in itself. To make sure your new home doesn’t become more stressful than it is exciting, you’ll need a few tips. It isn’t impossible to furnish a home cheap, and but you’ll need to be smart to get what you need!

Buy Used

One of the best ways to get a great deal on furniture is to check places like OfferUp and Craigslist. While it may seem risky at first, there are ways to ensure you get a great deal without sacrificing quality:

Only buy things you can pick up locally and see in person before you pay
Take your time inspecting furniture
If the house smells bad, the furniture will too

Keeping those tips in mind, you can usually find great deals on some higher-end pieces through the secondhand market. The reason I put this one first is because you can probably find much higher quality for your money here than anywhere else. So, before you decide to settle on cheaper new options, see what you can land on these sites. Looking never hurts!

Amazon

That’s right, Amazon has furniture– nice stuff, too. Just like anything else, Amazon has offerings all the way from the designer-level sets to cheaper entry-level pieces. This is a great way to buy new, because it combines cheap and attractive furniture with the Amazon return policy! If something doesn’t look quite right in person, you can send it back without worrying about a return being rejected. Amazon has a lot of great brands that sell through them, offering very attractive and sturdy pieces that don’t break the bank. So, after you see what you can grab used, Amazon is a great place to look for cheaper new options.

Renovate Older Pieces

Whether you have some older furniture laying around, or it is all you can find secondhand, a little paint and sandpaper can bring new life to dilapidated furniture. Not only does this allow you to select a custom color palette for your home, but it ensures that you will have paint and tools left over to keep that furniture looking nice. Most of the time, the older stuff you still have is more sturdy and resilient than new, cheaper offerings. So, you can get high-end quality without paying luxury prices by slapping a new coat of paint or finish on pieces you thought you wanted to throw away. Maximizing customization for minimal expense makes it much easier to furnish a home cheap.

This makes the used market even more viable, as you can take advantage of others who haven’t read this article! If they are looking to offload sturdy antiques on the low, then one saver’s trash can be another saver’s treasure!

10 Ways to Make Money While Going to School Full Time

August 26, 2020 By Trey LaRocca Leave a Comment

With school starting, it means new expenses for a lot of you. Especially considering the pandemic shrinking wallets nationally, education costs can cause a lot of stress. Not only that, but student loans are some of the most common forms of debt acquired by young people. Debt and stress suck, and they make life far less enjoyable. So, it is important to know how to ease the load by working on the side! So, here are 10 ways to make money while going to school full time.

1. House Cleaning

One of the higher-paying independent gigs for newbies is house cleaning. Many house cleaners can easily land $25/hour, and landing a couple jobs over the weekend can add up quite a bit. You set your own schedule, pick clients you are comfortable with, and you help pay a few bills on the way. Just post adds on sites like Craigslist, and you can start to field offers and negotiate pay.

2. Landscaping/Mowing

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If you live in an area that sees a lot of rain, odds are you have many neighbors with overgrown landscaping. While this seems a little cliche, it is a classic independent job for a reason– people will pay for it. So, walk your neighborhood and see who’s hiring!

3. Personal Shopping

While this one is dwindling a bit in popularity given the online retail boom, there are still people that value personal shoppers. If you are interested in fashion, or just good at finding deals, try posting an ad and seeing if there is interest. Pay is all over the place, but you can usually ask for a flat fee or a percentage of the cart.

4. Art and Design Gigs

If you have any artistic talents, sites like Fiverr are great for getting your work out there. This is a great opportunity to grow a portfolio and make money for school. You can add tiers of service, and make sure that you are always getting paid enough for work you commission. With a great rating and sharing system, word of mouth can actually get you pretty busy.

5. Voice Over

There are many small projects that you can dip your feet in when it comes to voice acting. As far as remote opportunities go, it will usually be more independent projects. Fiverr works here too, but it is a better idea to look around voice over forums and find a few job boards that stay active.

6. Dog Walking

Apps like Wag! have made dog walking a much easier gig to start. All you have to do is make a profile, perform a couple of verification steps, and then you can look for jobs! If you love dogs, but maybe can’t own one in your dorm or apartment, this is perfect for you.

7. Pet Sitting

On the same app, you can even do home stays over the weekend and pet sit. These usually bring more money, and you get to enjoy the animals for a longer period of time.

8. Amazon Flex

The Amazon Flex program makes you an Amazon delivery driver. If you are in an area they are recruiting, you can pick some time slots and a block to deliver packages to for $18-25 per hour! That is a great wage for independent work, and it is pretty simple to get done. Overall, a pretty reliable way to make money while going to school.

9. Food Delivery

There are plenty of food delivery apps around for you to pick from, and they all pay a similar amount. Basically, you pick orders to deliver from the restaurant to the customer. The faster and more efficient you are, the more you can make!

10. Rideshare

Uber and Lyft are the dominant players in ridesharing, and you can make a decent chunk of change doing it. If you have a car that qualifies, you just need to apply on their websites and get through verification, and you can become a part-time cab driver (kinda).