The more interests you have, the happier you will be.  Imagine if one of your hobbies is analyzing clouds, or cumulonimbuses for the scientifically savvy.  You could step outside any time during the day and entertain yourself for hours.  There are so many things around us that our minds tend to filter things out so we can focus on more important tasks.  If we stopped to admire everything, we’d probably never get anything done!

Income diversification is important during weak economic times since you never know when one stream might dry up.  However, the funny thing is that I’ve never purposely thought about creating new income streams for the purpose of diversification until this year.  Instead, my diverse interests have lead me to have a diverse amount of income!  It never occurred to me to count up my non-job income and figure out what percent it is of total income.  But, as I started adding things up, I was amazed to realize some months would regularly achieve 25% and up to 50% of my gross base salary!

VARIOUS EXAMPLES OF INTERESTS THAT CREATE INCOME Read more…

According to the dictionary, “entrepreneur” is a term applied to a person who is willing to launch a new venture or enterprise and accept full responsibility for the outcome.  What the hell does that mean?  We all start things and accept responsibility for the outcomes, unless of course we don’t because we expect handouts if things don’t work out.

As far as I can tell, many of us want to be entrepreneurs because it sounds so sexy.  We dream of starting the next multi-million dollar company, get recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine, and earn a fortune in the process.  Yet, this type of success is unlikely for many of us.  We don’t have a great business plan, we run out of capital, we don’t have charisma, and we lack the perseverance to keep on going.

THE PROBLEMATIC ISSUE Read more…

Continuing in the series of helping people find jobs from a hiring manager’s point of view, I thought it helpful to offer some suggestions as to what to say if you’ve been out of the job market for a while.  Everybody knows 2008 and 2009 were atrocious years, so you don’t have to be defensive about your long employment gap.  Instead, be confident and truthful about your situation and woo your interviewer.  You should always be confident and truthful regardless, however in times of distress, you should be even more so.

We all feel we are special and deserve more.  The truth of the matter is, we’re likely not that special and deserve exactly what we have coming to us.  If the firm you were let go from is still in existence and has actually hired other people to replace you since your dismissal, it’s important to recognize you were at the bottom of the barrel.  An organization doesn’t fire its best people, they fire their worst people.  If you want to feel better about yourself, go visit the many self help/personal development blogs out there.  I’m not here to help you feel better about yourself, I’m here to help you find a job.

THINGS TO SAY IF YOU’VE BEEN UNEMPLOYED FOR A WHILE Read more…

Sunil is the author of the Extra Money Blog, a blog that discusses how to get more out of life, whether it is more financial abundance, freedom or the flexibility to design a life on your own terms.

Did You Know that you can make a lot more by working overseas and save a significant amount in taxes at the same time?

The US tax system is not the most lenient by any means. American tax payers shell out effectively almost 50% of their incomes to the Government year after year.

When a US Citizen goes to work abroad, the first $90k of income is shielded from income tax by the IRS. Married couples get twice the exclusion at approximately $180,000. And since a couple can live relatively well-off on just one US salary in most countries, many couples and families find themselves not paying US income taxes at all when working abroad.

Why Would Foreign Companies Hire Americans? Read more…

I had no idea what I wanted to do in the future.  I only knew that I didn’t want to continue working at the bank.  I needed some way to support myself, and it would have been foolish to just quit such a well paying job.  I needed to figure out a few things first.  I needed to figure out how much money I spent each month so I could comfortably build a sizeable savings in order to figure out what I wanted to do with it later.  I detail this process here:  How I Was Able to Retire at 24.

I threw around a lot of possible scenarios including starting businesses and biking across Africa, or moving to France to study French.  I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I knew in time an idea would come and then I would strike.

How much do you need to leave your job and start your own business? Read more…

I’ve heard this saying several times now from a bunch of buddies who’ve been married for over 5 years.  There’s a truth to every saying, just as there’s a truth to every joke.  Hence, I’m wondering if the reason why guys say this phrase so much is because as soon as the wife is not happy, she’s plotting to cut off your nuts, divorce you and take half!

Some view marriage as an outdated tradition that has lost its relevance in today’s society.  Does a couple need to get married if they are happily living together and making things work?  Not really, but it’s nice to do to show one’s commitment towards each other.  On the other hand, being a faithful, loving husband is also a great way to show commitment too.

Why Are There So Many Jokes About Marriage? Read more…

“Love is in the air, everywhere I look around….” John Paul Young.

If you’re single, maybe this song makes you sick?  If I didn’t have anybody to cozy up with at night, I’d probably randomly hurl at the site of lovers rubbing their noses and holding hands in public.  “Why them and not me?!”  Things would get especially tough during Valentine’s time.

Let’s face it, money is but a small shadow of importance if you have nobody to spend it with.  There can never be a debate about, “If you had a choice between finding the love of your life but always be dirt poor, or never finding the love of your life but have all the money in the world, which would you choose?“  I love asking people this question, especially women because it gets them all giddy.  I already know their answer, but it’s fun to hear the way they answer anyway.

THE ANSWER IS ALWAYS “LOVE & POOR” Read more…

For all those who didn’t perform well in college, don’t want to perform well in college, aren’t willing to go back to grad school to give yourself a second chance, and like to make excuses for not trying harder, you’re in for a real treat!  It’s clear from the comments in my article “Examples of Good Resumes That Get Jobs,” that your GPA doesn’t matter.  As someone who has participated in the hiring of dozens of individuals all these years, I’ve got it all wrong and I’m glad you called me out on it.

I’d like to think of myself as a very flexible person who sees both sides of the equation.  Hence, in this post, I want to highlight why your GPA doesn’t matter at all, and why you should feel confident in never putting your GPA on your resume.  Working hard is overrated and employers are certainly looking for as many C and B students out there as they are A students.

WHY GRADES DON’T MATTER Read more…