Sunday, December 29, 2019

8 simple things you can do today to be richer in 2019

8 simple things you can do today to be richer in 20198 simple things you can do today to be richer in 2019Building wealth is all aboutplanning for the long run.Thats why small, simple decisions you make today - like where you stash your savings or how much of your income youre spending on housing - are so important.When John, anearly retireeand blogger,interviewed 100 millionaires, he disdeckblatted many of them did the exact saatkorn thing to get there They earned a lot, saved a ton, and invested for a long time.Below, weve rounded up eight things you can do right now to set yourself up for a rich future.platzset up automatic savingsYou can take the biggest step toward building wealth in 10 minutes at your computer.Setting up auto savingstakes the effort and thought out of saving money.If you set up a 401(k) through your employer, your contribution will typically be automatic, so thats a great distributionspolitik to start. If you want to save a portion of your after-tax income, y ou can connect multiple accounts to your direct deposit and designate how much money from every paycheck will move into each account.By saving off the top, an amazing thing will happen,saidSean, a 28-year-old blogger who goes by The Money Wizard and has saved over $260,000. You wont even notice all the missed money, and you wont even have to adjust your lifestyle to meet your savings goals. Your spending will instead mold around whats left, leaving you feeling like youre living just as great of a lifestyle, all while saving a fortune.Ask for a raise - or change jobsHourly wages for US workers have risen less than 1% in the past year,according to the Economic Policy Institute. And despite the average Americanbelieving they deserve a raise, more than70% arent asking for one.Negotiating your starting salary - and continuing to negotiate every few years or when you start a new job - could makea $1 million differencein your lifetime earnings.Take a page out ofsupermodel and entreprene ur Tyra Banksbook whenasking for a raise You need to sit there and talk about your value. Talk about what you have done that has increased revenues, increased engagement, or how youve been working from nine to nine, even though you are only supposed to be working from nine to six. You dont need a raise, deserve a raise.The key to earning more money may be switching jobs, according to an analysis from financial services companyNomura. Employees who changed jobs earned about 1% more year-over-year than those who stayed with the same employer.Job switchers likely experience stronger bargaining power and greater salary increases when more opportunities are available or they find a new higher-paid role that better matches their talents, according to the report.Put your money in a high-yield savings accountHaving too much money in yourchecking accountcould hold you back from building wealth.Keep about a months salary in your checking account so you can easily pay your bills each month. O nce you have that, start building up at least three months worth of expenses in an emergency fund.Allowing your checking account to overflow beyond whats necessary means youre missing out on the benefit ofcompound interest, which is the snowball effect applied to your money.Store your savings in ahigh-yield savings account, where you could be earning 1% interest on your money, rather than the 0.01% earned in a traditional checking or savings account.Or invest it in the stock marketIf youre part ofthe 46% of millennialsstaying out of the stock market because its too risky, you could be leaving millions of dollars on the table.Based on average market returns and interest rates from the past 40 years,NerdWallet calculatedthat investing in stocks (including in retirement accounts) would lead to $4.57 million by age 65. Thats accounting for annual investment fees of 0.70% but not adjusted for inflation.Keeping the money in a traditional savings account - which 63% of millennials are doi ng today,according to a NerdWallet survey- would result in $1.27 million by retirement, before adjusting for inflation.The potential opportunity cost to staying out of the market over four decades? About $3.3 million.Low-cost index and exchange-traded funds are great options if you want to be more hands on target-date funds and robo-advisers might be a better fit if youd like someone or something else to do the work, says Arielle OShea, the investing and retirement specialist at NerdWallet.The most important thing is to invest now. Wasted time now equals less money later.Find cheaper housingIf youre part of theone-third of Americans who overpay for housing, start by looking for a place that meets the standard meaaya of affordability 30% or less of pretax income.But if you can find a place that allows you to spend 25% or less of your after-tax income on housing, your savings account will thank you.Sean, aka The Money Wizard, said finding cheap housing in an affordable city was one o f the best financial moves hes made. His advice? Youll get more bang for your buck if you live outside the trendy areas - and you probably need less space than you think.Even billionaire Warren Buffet keeps his housing costs low.Buffett lives in a modest housethats worth .001% of his total wealth.Buy a rental propertyInvesting in real estate and buying a home to live in aretwo very different things. When you buy a home to live in long term, youre not guaranteed to earn a return on your investment, especially in the near future.If you have cash to invest, buying a home or apartment building as a rental property gives you, the investor,the power to determine your profits.In the end, the rental income you earn may be enough to cover the mortgage and possibly more. Thats different from expecting a big return when it comes time to sell a home. And its a great way to make money off of real estate now rather than down the road.Increase your 401(k) contributionOne of the best parts about s aving in a 401(k) is that the contributions are taken directly out of your paycheck, before you have a chance to spend the money elsewhere. Youll also get tax benefits, and, if your company offers it, free money in the form of a 401(k) match.It takes very little time to log in to the online dashboard for your companys plan to change the percentage youre contributing. Push the amount as high as you can realistically handle, up to the annual maximum of $19,000 if youre under age 50 ($25,000 if youre 50 or older) in 2019.A good starting point, if youre new to this, is to save 5% more than youre doing today. If that amount is 0%, then go up to 5%. If youre already saving 10%, push it to 15%. If youre afraid to go that high, try something smaller to start. Its easy to log in and increase it again once you adjust to the slightly smaller paycheck.At a minimum, if your company offers a match, make sure you contribute enough to get it. If you hit the maximum amount, dont stop saving for reti rement there. You cancontribute to an IRA in addition to your 401(k).Try a backdoor Roth IRA if your income is highTheRoth IRAis a popular retirement account recommended often by financial experts, but it presents a challenge for high earners thanks to IRS-imposed income restrictions for who can contribute, and how much.To directly contribute the maximum amount to a Roth IRA - $6,000 in 2019- you have to earn less than $122,000 as a single taxpayer or $193,000 if youre married and file taxes jointly with your spouse.If you earn more, a strategy called the backdoor Roth IRA could help.UsingRoth IRA conversions, the strategy allows you to contribute to a non-deductible traditional IRA and then convert the funds to a Roth IRA. You wont get two tax benefits today - the first contribution to a traditional IRA wont give you a tax break, but at least it gives you the long-term benefit of tax-free investment growth in a Roth IRA.If you already have tax-deductible traditional IRA accounts, this strategy becomes a lot more complex. In that case, its worthwhile to reach out to an accountant or financial planner for guidance.This article was originally published on BusinessInsider.

Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Why Employers Should Consider Sabbatical Leave Programs

Why Employers Should Consider Sabbatical Leave ProgramsWhy Employers Should Consider Sabbatical Leave ProgramsThe word sabbatical comes from the Old Testament practice of letting fields lie fallow every seven years. It welches like a sabbath, a day off that lasted for an entire year. Companies that offer sabbatical leaves now, dont generally give you a year off to let your brain (your modern day fields) rest, but they do allow for more time off than youd get for a regular vacation. While United States law doesnt require any vacation time, most companies offer it, with people new to the workforce averaging 11 days per year, and move up to 17 or more after 10 years of experience. But, what if you got six weeks or more vacation, all in one lump? Thats what is known as a sabbatical leave. Who Offers Sabbatical Leave? Surprisingly, many companies in a wide variety of industries offer employees sabbatical leave during which they arent expected to even check their email. From restaurant Cheesecake Factory to tech giant Intel, employees get the time off to do what they want to do. University and College professors often have the opportunity to take sabbatical leave. The nature of their work allows them to take a full semester off without disrupting their colleagues too much. Although, many professors on sabbatical leave are expected to do work related to their field. They just do not have to show up in the classroom. While that definitely offers a break of sorts,its not a full break. Who Benefits From Sabbatical Leave? Of course, the person who gets to take six weeks off in a row gets a lovely break, but David Burkus at The Harvard Business Review, found thatthe whole company benefitted from a leaders sabbatical leave. He found that the time away allowed people to generate new ideas for innovating in the organization and helped them gain greater confidence in themselves as leaders. That is a great thing, but the research found something else as well those who f illed in while the boss was away on a sabbatical leave, gained a variety of skills while the boss was out. They often exceeded expectations, which helped the business in the long run. Because sabbatical leaves are so helpful for developing talent, companies should also abflug looking at the benefits of maternity and paternity leave, not just for the new parents, but for people who are allowed the opportunity to grow and stretch their skills. Just like with a sabbatical, you have plenty of notice before a baby comes. While the new parents arent getting the refreshing mind boost theyd receive on a true sabbatical leave, those who take over their duties are. Looking at parental leave as a benefit rather than a burden can also change how organizations approach it. What Should Your Sabbatical Leave Program Look Like? Each company has different needs, so there isnt a one size fits all solution for a sabbatical leave program. But think about the following issues as youre developing you r policy. How long does an employee need to work before being eligible for a sabbatical leave? Many companies require five years or more. You most likely want to make it part of your retention strategy. Think about whether paid time off for such issues as parental leave or a long-term illness will continue to accrue time.Howlong does the employee have to take the sabbatical after gaining eligibility? To have an effective leave program, its better if the employee has time to prepare and plan. This is helpful to the company and the employee. How long do you give the employee before they lose the days? One year? Three? Many employers require the use of the sabbatical leave before the employee becomes eligible for the next sabbatical. How often are your employees able to take a sabbatical leave? Every five years, every ten years? Do you want to make them recurring?Are all employees eligible, or only people in certain roles? Is this a perk for executives only, or are administrative assis tants eligible as well? Keep in mind that you may experience benefits for people at all levels of your organization. But if a sabbatical leave is limited to a certain set of people, does the clock towards eligibility start when they enter a sabbatical leave-eligible position, or when they were hired? Does the employee have to repay her sabbatical salary if she doesnt come back to work after thesabbatical leave? What if she leaves within six months? Do you want to require partial repayment? The sabbatical leave is a bonus to the employee, but it needs to serve the business as well. No business benefit exists in a situation where you give an employee six weeks off work with no obligation to come back. (For example, many tuition assistance programs have a length of employment requirement contingency.) Will your sabbatical leave count toward the employees years of service and when you determine employee seniority and eligibility for salary increases.Is the sabbatical leave provided at f ull pay or partial pay? If the latter, how much? Keep in mind that without a paycheck, very few people will take advantage of this perk. Sabbatical leave is an excellent way to give employees a break and a reward for their hard work and years of service. Just like farm fields that need a rest, employee brains do need some time to relax as well. A sabbatical leave may serve as your answer about how you can support employee rest. However, if a sabbatical leave program wont work well for your company, you may wish to re-evaluate your vacation policy to ensure that your employees do get smaller breaks. Its great for everyone when employees have some time away.

Thursday, December 19, 2019

How to travel the globe without leaving your job

How to travel the globe without leaving your jobHow to travel the globe without leaving your jobIntrigued by the idea of making the world your playground and your workplace? While such a lifestyle doesnt fit every person, this career option is becoming increasingly plausible thanks to technology and greater employer acceptance of remote work.

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Changing Shirts How to Approach a Federal Career or Series Change

Changing Shirts How to Approach a Federal Career or Series ChangeChanging Shirts How to Approach a Federal Career or Series ChangeChanging Shirts How to Approach a Federal Career or Series ChangeLets assume youve decided the timeis right for a change andhave determined you may qualifyfor a different federal occupational series. Youre tired of your current jobs winter doldrums and wish to move to a warmer career climate. Congratulations on the successful soul-searching and necessary research/consultation. Now it is time to set your plan in motion and land a fresh job with a new set of challenges in the different series youve chosen. At The Resume Place, we refer to your discrete job duties and competencies as the hats you wear at work. Switching occupational series is analogous to changing the shirt on your back. We can help you ditch the old duds and move into some new threads. Recombining what you needA degree of overlap between your previous experience and the requirements of the j ob you seek will be necessary. In crafting your mosteffective resume- your ticket to an interview- you must bring this overlap to the forefront while minimizing or outright eliminating content that does elend overlap. This may sound trivial, but it is actually a difficult task for many series-switchers. Finding and articulating relevant overlap is not as easy as it may seem. Years of experience in a given federal occupational series can impart significant knowledge and skills, but it also can create process, procedural, and linguisticblinders. You have likely grown accustomed to doing certain things a certain way and relating to them using certain words and phrases. No matter how current and complete your resume may be, series-specific words/phrases/structure have a tendency to ossify your apparent qualifications and make referrals to a different serieshard to achieve. Overlap between the job you have and the job you want must be found and leveraged to the maximum extent. This will likely involve rethinking, rephrasing, and generalizing specificity and jargon. This can be very difficult, especially if it has been a while since you have thought outside your series box. Resume Placewriters and consultantsexcel at approaching your career change with the necessary clean slate thinking. Were experts at matching existing experience. Were experts on specificrequirements within federal job series you seek. And we approach your project with clean slate thinking, detached from lingo baggage. Youre heading toward something new and it requires a new resume wardrobe.And leaving behind what you dont.But there is a finite space in your resume closet the other difficult part of writing the most effective andbest read resume for a series switch is letting go of irrelevance. Most people are rightfully proud of their experience and its reflection in their resume. Experience takes years to develop, and documenting it all within a resume can be arduous. And with lengthiness accept ed and even encouraged in federal resumes, it can be tremendously difficult to trim and feel unnecessary to leave out experience. You certainly need to impart experience and tenure. But irrelevance is irrelevance. The truly unnecessary should be trimmed as it hurts readability. It can be difficult to part with that hard-won experience on paper. Its likethe hesitation of donating yourfavorite old sweater when you have set your sights on moving to the tropics. The old sweater is the unnecessary, datedstuff in your resumethat doesnt apply to your future (tropical) job. Tailor your wardrobe, combining exiting and new pieces, with an eye to where you are going- not from where you came.My Shirt-Changing StoryI have a good example of a series change which is near and dear to me my own. Newly married and facing a Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) situation complete with an entirely undesirable relocation, I made the leap in 2010 from a very narrow, technical, specialized occupational seri es (0855 Electronics Engineer) to a slightly mora general acquisition/business series with its own unique requirements and qualifications. The locations and agencies I shopped suited me better than BRACs forced option. This involved much unraveling of old sweaters and sewing of new clothes. Previously, my resume prominently featured jargon-y technical experience that would have substantially limited me even in the 0855 series. But after the help offered through anon-site Resume Place course, I filtered out and recombined my experience with an eye toward specific positions I had in mind. For exampleThese old wooly yarnsServed as section lead for contract actions and micropurchases involving in-service engineering support for Mk 45 Gun Weapons System.Maintained Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) configuration matrices for componentry included within the Mk 45 Gun Weapons System, Mk 119 Gun Computer System Cabinet and Mk 46 Optical Sight System.Contracting Officers Representative for gun computer system hardware contracts.Developed engineering diagrams and configuration lists to be published in engineering technical manuals.Were re-knitted into these snazzy Hawaiian shirtsACQUISITION ANALYSIS AND PROCUREMENT Procurement expert for code/branch with extensive knowledge of management processes, organizational structures, and funding guidelines. Knowledge of and adherence to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). Procurement experience with standalone contracts as well as larger, omnibus contract vehicles. Developed expertise in federal stock system, micropurchase, task bestellung authorship, budgetary documentation, and financial functions. As technical representative on numerous contracts, monitored progress from requirements formulation through post-award. Compared and validated contractor performance and deliverables.TECHNICAL PROCUREMENT OVERSIGHT Planned and executed highly technical life-cycle and end-of-life technology procurements. Made critical acquisition decisions concerning technology obsolescence and Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS), end-of-life procurements. Helped implement new ideas, procedures, and processes for organizational-level program operations in ad hoc COTS working group. Managed contracts from requirements definition to post-award with special attention to technical specification as well as strategic budget planning. Prepared Statements of Work (SOWs) and evaluated contractor proposals. Developed innovative procurement strategy for a system test and evaluation facility utilizing an efficient mix of government furnished material (GFM) and local contractor services to meet time, urgency, and budget constraints. Advised contractors in obtaining Data Universal Number System (DUNS) numbers and registering with the Central Contractor Registration (CCR). Experience with Wide-Area Work Flow (WAWF) as certifying official.CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT Identified obsolescence issues and hardware conflicts in order to maintain highest system capability and prevent incompatibilities. Utilized Integrated Product Data Management (iPDM) software suite to maintain documentation, logistics, and revision information and assure its availability to all necessary stakeholders for a joint Army-Navy program. Assisted with lifecycle management processes and helped align organization to the complexities of COTS hardware. They became less technical and narrowly focused- generalized enough for better applicability to my desired series/jobs and yet targeted inOutline Formatto the requirements listed in announcements.We can help you ditch the threadbare sweater and root through your closet of experience to find some Hawaiian shirts. Youll need them, figuratively speaking, at your new job. The Resume Place, Inc., CFJST/CFCC Federal Resume Writers specialize in career change challenges for current federal employees, first-time private sector, government contractor professionals, and transitioning veterans wishing to start a new car eer with new missions, organizations, and daily responsibilities. We can help you rethread your resume and leave behind old skills for new. Send your request for help here. About the AuthorJeremy Mottis an experienced technical writer with significant analytical and organizational expertise, ideally suited for federal resume writing. Jeremy changed his agency, occupational series, country and mission with his USAJOBS federal resume and applicationWith 12 years in the federal government serving as a Management and Program Analyst, Contract Manager, and Electronics Engineer, his diverse experience is reflective of- and a great asset to- the broad range of Resume Place clients. Now as a Management Analyst within a Programs and Manpower division, he has benefited from much exposure to the inner workings of OPM occupational standards, the tailoring of interview questions, applicant selection, and the critical importance of quality recruitment.Jeremy has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and a Masters of Public Administration, both from the University of Louisville. He also received a Graduate Certificate in Public Management from a NAVSEA-sponsored program with Indiana University. He lives in Germany with his wife, son, and daughter.

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

The Benefits of Resume Summary Example

The Benefits of Resume Summary Example The Advantages of Resume Summary Example Your resume has to be simple to read. You should also make certain to list any prior customer service positions youve held. It is possible to also take a look at training sites like DaleCarnegie. Perhaps you are in possession of a long list of rather impressive customer service accomplishments and abilities. At the peak of the resume is a list of someones skills and qualifications. Awards are proof of your abilities and ought to be showcased. Choosing Resume Summary Example Some of the major elements of a summary statement can include things like indicating your career direction (instead of objective), highlighting the quantity of relevant experience that you have, and mentioning the qualifications that will separate you from different candidates. Boring works as soon as it comes to the majority of resumes. If you choose to include many positions, as its applicable to the specific teaching job youre applying for, then you could always elaborate on three experiences and just list the rest of the positions. It is possible to also hunt for similar positions on LinkedIn and discover the core skills that might be required. Resume Summary Example Ideas Youve fine-tuned your abilities and proofread your resume over a dozen times. In that situation, you could say that you collaborated with a team on several different projects. Project managers are those in charge of creating a shift. They arent just limited to a single field of work either, in fact, fruchtwein industries will require a project manager at some point. Attempt to compose a targeted resume for each and every job. Along with helping your resume get selected, it will likewise help hiring manager see how your abilities and experiences make you a perfect candidate for the particular job. As a project manager, your primary duty is to communicate to your teams, verbally or written if a specific sort of communicat ion is mentioned in the work description, make sure that you use the stated one. Hiring managers and recruiters skim resumes to choose if they wish to interview you and interviewers skim to choose what to speak with you about. Every working professional has produced a resume for their very first job sooner or later. Remain active on the website even if youre not trying to find work or an internship. Keeping your education at the very best signals to recruiters that youre new to full-time employment. To begin with, dont neglect to clearly explain how you fulfill every one of the requirements listed in the work description. For instance, a current high school graduate applying for a nursing program might want to incorporate a resume objective, while a seasoned registered nurse should decide on a summary statement. The position youre applying for is your objective and it ought to be listed above your profile summary for a title. In general, the above mentioned outline is remark ably simple because the work search procedure, despite all of the anxiety and confusion, is remarkably straightforward. The Lost Secret of Resume Summary Example From researching the organization and scouring job posting youll uncover company-specific info and requirements you ought to include. This summary needs to be placed at the peak of your resume, right beneath your name and contact details. If essential information is tough to find in your resume, you will probably wind up in the reject pile. Utilize your judgment, and as always, you always need to prepare numerous resumes for numerous kinds of companies. What Resume Summary Example Is - and What it Is Not If you are in need of a gripping and an effective story to be told, you are going to require space. Clearly, somebody with no former experience, or searching for a work switch, must rely on general traits and goals than any past experience. All experience ought to be listed in reverse-chronological order, meaning that your latest experiences ought to be listed first. Rather than having a work history section on top of your resume, you may have an expert experience or accomplishments section that lists various skills which you have developed over recent years. Skills section is ordinarily an uncomplicated portion of your LinkedIn profile. Your true experience shouldnt be continued on the second page. Show employers you can identify issues with minimal details. The response is 6 seconds for the very first pass.

Thursday, December 5, 2019

The Idiots Guide to Curriculum Vitae Plural Explained

The Idiots Guide to Curriculum Vitae Plural Explained If you anticipate writing a curriculum vitae, for instance, you would not have to change information and details as you might have to set it uniformly for your readers. When some men and women forget about them altogether, others attempt to produce their applications more impressive by littering all of them over the area. In any instance, you will wish to be sure the information which will be most helpful in determining your qualifications for the job for which youre employing comes before information which will be less helpful. In order to shield you, all of the info submitted in the engineering is going to be kept secure and in strict confidentiality. Along with the skills its also wise to include your achievements. Curriculum is indeed Latin, but its neuter. North Seattle College has many heights of math and English classes to fulfill a wide variety of educational and individual targets. CVs are often tailored to mo dify the emphasis of the information according to the specific position for which the work seeker is applying. The best means of going about its including skills that are related to the position which youre applying for. To avoid getting discarded you ought to highlight similar positions youve handled before. While both are tools that may help you land a particular job position, an individual must know the difference to distinguish which to utilize in various job application circumstances. Top Choices of Curriculum Vitae Plural When applying for certain positions in the usa, and jobs internationally, you might be asked to submit a curriculum vitae instead of a resume. Its also wise to be careful to keep your CV professional concerning the title. CVs are normally much more common in academic and scientific fields than in business, particularly in the usa. In a few nations, a CV is typically the very first item a prospective employer encounters concerning the job seeker and i s typically utilized to screen applicants, often followed by means of an interview. Naturally, nobody claims that. In some countries a cv is typically the very first item a possible employer encounters concerning the job. Every cv resume is a significant portion of warwick.