December 2017 Free Money News

Wow, the holidays are fast approaching! Are you feeling merry? Or maybe stressed — and stretched — about your finances? It’s ironic that the season that’s actually all about wonder and joy is the one when we’re so likely to be crazy busy and maybe not so merry.

If that sounds like you then you’ve come to the right place. Whether you need more money just to get by or you want to do more for your family …. or start a business or go to school, then there’s something here for you. That includes a new article about how to make extra money — including some inside info about how much people actually make on average each month with some of the bigger names in the gig economy (think Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, TaskRabbit.…).

December brings more than holiday excitement — like the upcoming release of Start Wars: The Last Jedi. Opening mid-December, it picks up where “The Force Awakens” left us. And if social media buzz is any indication, it could be a box office blockbuster. It includes several returning actress and is actually the last film of Carrie Fisher, who died just a year ago. Could be a fun distraction from the stresses of the season. And be ready to tackle the season with this month's Free Money Highlights:

Wonder how to make extra money? We’re sure you’ve seen lots of come-ons about ways you can rake in the dough working at home in your pajamas, sky’s the limit, right? How many of them do you think actually deliver for the folks who probably fork over some major fees to get started? Many (most?) of them probably end up losing their investment or not making enough to cover their initial investment and leave enough to live on.

That has pretty much always been true — work at home schemes are not new. What is new is the internet and other technologies that actually do make it easier to work independently and earn some pretty good money. They call the new reality the “gig economy” — where people can sign up with outfits like Uber, DoorDash, TaskRabbit and many others. They work when they want to and get paid based on how much they do rather than receiving a fixed salary. Pretty attractive if you’re a go-getter and enjoy working on your own, setting your own hours, and making your own choices about how much and when you work.

Be sure to see at our newest article How To Make Extra Money to discover more and see if one of these options could actually work well for you — and help you cover those holiday shopping bills. Or even start to get rid of some of that credit card debt that’s holding you back.

A recent update in Black Business Resources highlights an inspiring story about a woman who turned a job loss into a business opportunity with great results. Worth reading for all entrepreneurs or would be entrepreneurs! Check it out in Black Business Resources.

If you have previously used — or tried to use — the government website BusinessUSA you may know that it no longer exists. The government has removed it and instead suggests you go to the USA.gov Small Business section. See more in our recently updated Grants to Start a Business.

Women in Business: there is one primary factor that studies have shown will determine whether a woman-owned business is successful or not. Find out about this important study — and see what you must take care to do to ensure the success to your business in the “Plan for Growth” section of Business Help for Women!

We can’t say this often enough —- the most important thing you can do to get help paying for college is to be diligent about filling out your FAFSA and remembering that you have to do it each year. You also need to stay up to date about important developments and changes to this critical application. Keep up with the latest at FAFSA.

Grants for Teachers: See our November update about a program to encourage teachers to put together innovative reading programs for their students. If that’s your thing and you teach grades K-9 you could win a $2500 grant. The deadline for applying is February 2018 so you still have time to get in on this — see our November update to Grants for Teachers for more.

There’s interesting news about unemployment benefits and the possibility that they could be provided to those who are self-employed or voluntarily quit their jobs. Not necessarily likely but there are moves in this direction in other countries — that’s bound to give people ideas here. Worth knowing about so check out the latest at Unemployment Benefits.

The economy is going strong and unemployment is low. If the economic upturn hasn’t caught up with you yet take a look at our article about Government Jobs. The freeze has been lifted and it’s easy to do a search for jobs that could match your skills and location.

If you’re interested in grants and you have some writing skills you might want to consider learning more about grant writing. There are some well paying jobs in that area. Find out more about this possible career path and the free resources available to help you become a skilled grant writer in our updated article about Grant Writing.

Important news for those of you who opened a myRA investment account or have been planning to open one. That program — aimed at helping more people save for retirement — is being closed down. There were simply not enough people signing up to make the costs of maintaining the program worthwhile. Don’t panic if you have a myRA, you can still access and manage your money. Find out more about what’s going on here in our recent news flash at Obama’s myRA and What It Means To You.

We wish you a very happy holiday season and a healthy and profitable new year!