Henry Ford figured it out a century ago: By automating repeatable processes, you’ll complete a project more efficiently. But you don’t need to be speeding up a production line and pumping out automobiles to use that insight for small business operations.

Many tasks around the office usually take more time than they should. By streamlining these seemingly minor actions, you can save time for what you really want to be doing: building your business.

Here are some areas where automation can create more effective operations:

Vendor Meetings

Depending on what type of vendors you have, meetings can take the form of in-person check-ins or email communications. Businesses often check in with vendors on the fly, which can add up to several interactions every week.

Automate: Schedule a time weekly or monthly, depending on your usual level of vendor interaction. Notify vendors that this will be a standing check-in time, even if it’s over email. This will not only concentrate all vendor interactions into a shorter timeframe, but also let you see trends in shipping, distribution, product quality and other issues more easily.

Most likely, this standing meeting time will get condensed as people become familiar with the system. So schedule a few hours at the beginning and set an ultimate goal (e.g., one hour every Tuesday morning).

Office Supply Orders

Checking on supply levels for office standards like printer cartridges, paper, pens, flash drives and other items might take only an hour or two, but it distracts you from more important work.

Automate: Create a system that automatically orders a standard set of supplies, based on your needs. If you’re unsure of what’s required, review orders from the past three to four months and track ordering of regular supplies (as opposed to one-time purchases like desk calendars or software packages). Consider using a single office product supplier to make the automated strategy even more efficient. Then, contact that vendor to set up a system.

Invoicing

Much like vendor meetings or office supply orders, some invoicing is done on a consistent basis every month. Creating each invoice from scratch and sending it to a vendor may be taking more time than you realize.

Automate: Several software programs let you streamline invoice management and automate payments. Although this approach might take a few hours to set up, it’s worth the time since it can free you up in the future. An added bonus: It tends to reduce errors and late payments, which means more cash in your pocket.

There are other areas where automation can be beneficial to the business as well. In general, take a look at your operations and see where you might be doing the same tasks every month. From there, aim to develop a system to increase operational effectiveness.

These recommendations are brought to you by Staples. We support small business owners and entrepreneurs by providing you with the tools you need to succeed. For more tips for the small business owner or entrepreneur, visit the Staples Business Hub.

Shorten Your Workweek by Automating These Simple Repeat Tasks appeared first on Planting Money Seeds.

One of my favorite books is The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin. It’s short and well written with good pacing and suspense. And it says something profound about gender relationships.

The biggest misconception about The Stepford Wives is that the book calls out housewives and makes fun of them. While the women of Stepford are, in fact, “perfect” housekeepers, they aren’t that way by choice. They’re (spoiler alert!) automatons created by their husbands to serve their whims.

The point of The Stepford Wives is not that there’s something wrong with a clean house and a devoted mother; the point is that many men have a hard time with strong, independent, successful women. The book was written during a time when women were starting to come into their own, and starting to explore their potential – and there was a lot of pushback from men who wanted to maintain the status quo.

As I read a recent article from The Atlantic, it occurred to me that not much has changed in the more than 40 years since The Stepford Wives was written. It still appears that many men resent being married to successful women.

What Happens in Marriages when Women Earn More?

I am fortunate. My husband is supportive of my writing career – even though we live in a very traditional community and he is sometimes teased for not earning as much as I do. Well, he’s sometimes teased by people who actually know who the primary breadwinner in our family happens to be. In reality, many of our neighbors assume that he’s the primary breadwinner. It doesn’t matter that I stay home while earning more. The fact is that I earn more, and some of the men around here think that reflects somehow on my husband’s “manhood.”

Even with the teasing, though, my husband doesn’t hide who earns more money; he acknowledges it comfortably. He grew up around strong women with jobs, and he is used to women who speak their minds and enjoy a certain level of financial success.

But not all men are comfortable with the idea of women as primary breadwinners. Gender roles seem to be changing a bit, but some things still seem to remain the same — at least according to the research cited by The Atlantic . In our society, men are still often associated with being “providers,” and providing is often associated with true manliness. If you aren’t earning a living for your family, how can you be a “true” man? And what are you supposed to do with yourself if your identity isn’t wrapped up in earning more than your spouse?

According to the research presented in The Atlantic article, marriages struggle when women earn more. This isn’t always the case, of course (my marriage is an exception), but it seems to be a reality. As a result, some women scale back their ambitions and give up careers. After all, says the article, quoting a paper on the subject, “husbands hate being out-earned by their wives, and wives hate living with husbands who resent them.”

It’s a very Stepford situation. In The Stepford Wives, the men are annoyed with having successful wives who have hobbies and interests outside the home. None of these women have jobs, though (after all, women in the workplace weren’t as common when the book was written). The men don’t want to share housework and child-rearing responsibilities. So, they are fine with killing their uppity wives and creating lifelike robots of them – altered to be at the peak of physical attractiveness – that are completely devoted to their own needs and wants.

We see something similar in the research presented, and in some of the teasing my husband receives for doing household chores (he doesn’t do them all; my son and I do our share, too). The article points out that not only are there women earning more than their spouses, but in many of those situations, the women actually do more of the housework, as if compensating for the fact that they are stepping on their husbands’ egos; they do more of the “women’s work” on top of working outside the home.

Can Marriages Where Women Earn More Be Happy?

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could be happy for each other? My husband doesn’t mind that I earn more, partly because we look at our combined earnings as a way to achieve our desired lifestyle. Sometimes we disagree about what to spend our money on, but overall we are working toward the same general goals and lifestyle.

On top of that, the fact that I earn more has allowed him to do what he really loves – teach. He’s a university instructor, and my income allows him to do that without having to worry about whether he’s making “enough.” I know women who insist that their husbands work at higher-paying jobs (that they hate) so that they can live their desired lifestyles while staying home and taking care of the house.

Don’t get me wrong: I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being primarily a homemaker/chief household officer/whatever you want to call it. I think we all have different goals and desires. What’s sad to me is when a woman (or anyone, for that matter) feels like she has to hold back for fear that her husband will resent her. Yes, we all make compromises in marriage, and we don’t always get exactly what we want all the time.

But worrying that your husband is going to be threatened by your earning power is a sad way to go about things, in my opinion.

Simone de Beauvoir, in The Second Sex, makes an interesting observation about the quest for the woman who wants to “emerge, herself, into the light of transcendence.” De Beauvoir points out that often, “it is with a bad grace that the man lets her go.”

What do you think? Is your income situation traditional or less traditional? How would (or how does) a less traditional earning situation affect your marriage?

When Women Earn More: Can This Destroy Your Marriage? appeared first on Planting Money Seeds.

One of the biggest scares of our modern world is identity theft. There’s so much financial information out there, and your identity is vulnerable. As a result, many people prefer to sign up for identity protection to provide peace of mind.

Among the sites that can provide you helpful information about identity theft and protecting your identity is Equifax’s Identity Protection site. You can also sign up for a product like ID Patrol (which costs $16.95 per month).

Identity Protection Products

The reality is that you don’t actually need identity protection products in order to stay on top of your situation. You can use AnnualCreditReport.com to help you keep up with your credit report information, and there are free credit score and credit information sites that can help you see how you stack up — and even help you keep track of what’s happening with your credit, staying on top of new accounts.

However, many people find free sites inadequate for their needs. For those who want something that is more active, sending alerts and keeping you on top of the situation, identity protection products can help. However, you have to pay for these products.

All of the major credit reporting agencies, as well as myFICO.com, offer identity protection products designed to help you keep track of what’s happening with your information. And, while you don’t need these products, they can provide peace of mind.

Learn More about Identity Protection

Even if you don’t sign up for an identity protection product, you should still keep up with what’s happening when it comes to your identity. A site like IdentityProtection.com can help you learn about the latest in identity theft news, as well as offer tips and tricks to protect your identity.

Unfortunately, there is no way to completely guarantee that you can protect your identity. In fact, for many people it’s not a matter of whether or not your identity is stolen, but rather when it happens. The faster you learn that your identity has been compromised, the faster you can take care of the situation and get your credit back on track.

This is exactly why many people like the ID protection products. Even though you can keep track of your own information as long as you are vigilant, paying for a service can help you receive alerts — without you having to actively keep up with everything that’s happening on your own.

What do you think? Do you like the idea of paying for ID protection? Or do you keep up with it through free products and services?

Disclosure: I was not paid by Equifax to write this post. However, I am paid to provide regular content to Equifax’s blog; this post in no way affects my compensation at that site.

Do You Need Identity Protection from Equifax? appeared first on Planting Money Seeds.

The roof. The roof is the most basic need a house provides, shelter from anything falling from the sky, usually rain. A good solid, non-leaking roof is what you want here. You should inspect the roof thoroughly, checking the ceilings, attic, and any skylights for water damage. A roof that has any buckling, rotting, algae growth, or blistering could be problematic as well. Although light coming through the roof may not be a problem if you have shake shingles, you should inspect areas where the roof deck is sagging. On the outside of the roof you should look for missing shingles, or shingles that are cracked, ripped, curling, or have damaged flashing.  It is important to examine the roof of a prospective house carefully, as it may cost more than $19,000 to replace one.

The Kitchen. Another feature to carefully asses on a potential home is the kitchen. You should walk around and inspect all the appliances, counters, floor, and cabinetry. It’s best to have newer appliances, making it less likely that they will break down right away and leave you, the homeowner, with replacement costs. It’s also important to take note of what your floors, cabinets, and counters are made of. Materials like solid wood are generally best for cabinets, while solid-surface counters like butcher block, stainless steel, granite, or engineered stone. For floors, wood, laminates, and cork are best suited, depending on what you find most comfortable.

The bathroom. In addition to the roof, and the kitchen, another key selling point of a home is the bathroom, or bathrooms. If you have 4 or more people you may want to consider a home with 2, or 2 & ½ bathrooms. You should inspect the tub for leakage or cracks, and the toilet should be looked over for the same things, as well as the plumbing, to make sure it’s not loose, or faulty. A major problem in a lot of homes is that when someone takes a shower, water gets on the floor and seeps through the floor sometimes into the basement, or even into the floors of adjacent bedrooms. You will want to closely look around the edges of the floor for places that may need caulking in the future

Temperature. Every home needs heat. Whether that heat comes from a furnace, fireplace, woodstove, or something else is something you will want to consider. Having a woodstove can save you money in the long run, but it requires you to go out and find your own wood. In my case, my family had to go out and cut down trees and split them into kindling. Most people choose to use a furnace, and if you do, you should know that an old furnace can eat up energy faster than newer models, and can cost $5000 or more to replace.

Basements. A basement can be a wonderful thing, furnished and livable. If not furnished or at least kept in a state of repair, a basement can be a homeowner’s worst nightmare. Anybody who has ever woken up after a night of heavy rain to find their basement floor under 2-3 feet of water knows what I mean. If your potential home has a basement you should carefully go along all the walls and look for leakage or improper construction, or areas where the ground has pushed the basement walls in. The number one thing you want to do with your basement is keep it dry. A dry basement is a basement with potential, but if your basement is damp and musty, you won’t want to do much of anything down there besides laundry, if that.

Simon Campbell is an expert in the real estate field based in Miami, FL. He is recognized among his peers as an expert in the foreclosures field. For more real estate tips check his blog or follow him on Google +

5 Things to Look for When Buying a House appeared first on Planting Money Seeds.

Not too long ago, I was offered gig. I quoted my price, and the blog owner came back with a counter-offer that was less than half my rate. I countered his counter in a way that split the difference. He accepted the new rate, and mentioned that if things go well, we can talk about raising the rate to something even closer to my requested rate in a couple of months.

Sometimes, I sign on to a job like that, and show flexibility in my rates, because it makes sense for me at the time. If it’s not working out after a couple of months, we can go our separate ways, and no harm is done.

But why would I take on more work at a time when I’m feeling a little frustrated, battling burn out, and working on my book?

Sadly, the answer is very straightforward: CASH FLOW.

Summer is coming on, and I know that I will be doing a little more in terms of travel and having fun. It also means that my husband has fewer classes to teach at the university. Since he’s an adjunct, and not a full-time professor, we can’t just take his salary and have it paid over 12 months (which is what we’ll do when he does get a full-time job). So, our cash flow is very irregular during the summer. We’ll be making less as a household, and limited by the unpredictable pay schedule that comes with being an adjunct.

This gig’s trial period will provide some extra cash during the time we need it most to smooth our finances. Do I need the money? No. But I like the idea of having something somewhat stable to make up for the irregularity of my husband’s pay during the summer months.

So I took the freelance job, even though it’s not strictly what I want to be doing right now.

What Makes You Take on a Freelance Job?

It makes sense to consider your motives when accepting a freelance job. Think about the why behind your decision. Some of the reasons to accept a gig include:

• Money: When you need the money, it’s hard to say no. If you really need the money, it’s especially hard to say no. In the beginning of my freelance career, I took on a number of jobs because the bills had to be paid. I don’t have to do that any more, but money still plays a role in which jobs I choose to accept, especially when it comes to timing.
  
• Beef Up Your Credentials: Another reason to take a freelance job is to beef up your credentials in a certain area. A few months ago, I accepted a gig for a little lower pay than normal because the blog focuses on a subject that I want to get more involved with. If you are interested in beefing up your credentials, and getting “out there” a little more, it can make sense to accept a gig.
• It’s Interesting: Perhaps the job seems interesting to you. If that’s the case, money might not be as big a deal. It can make sense to work on something you find worthwhile and fascinating.
• You Like Who You’re Working With: Sometimes, it’s all about who you’re working with. If you want to work with someone specific, and the opportunity arises, you can consider the trade-offs.
• It’s Easy: At times, I take on a job because I know it will be easy.

Think about your motivations. When you get right down it, there is a good chance that the reason for accepting a freelance job just aren’t compelling enough to go through with it. Often, the first impulse is to say yes — no matter what.

Take a step back. Think about your goals and motivations. Then make your decision based on that information, rather than just settling because “it’s something.”

What do you think? What are your reasons for accepting (or rejecting) a freelance job?

Why are You Taking that Freelance Job? appeared first on Planting Money Seeds.

Once you start investing in individual stocks, it becomes important to learn more about companies, and the financial foundation on which they are based. When trying to identify value, disclosures can help you determine what’s a solid investment, and what you might want to pass on.

One investing tool that can help you accomplish this task is DisclosureNet. This site makes it easy to find disclosure filings. Public disclosure documents have to be filed properly, but that doesn’t mean it’s always easy to find them. You can also use the company profile search feature, and see news releases. You can also receive real-time alerts regarding what directors and officers are doing with their shares, and get information on the latest filings. If you are interested in keeping up with the fundamentals of a particularly company, and doing your due diligence before you invest, an investing tool like DisclosureNet can help.

Yes, you can find this information elsewhere. It’s public. However, DisclosureNet keeps it all in one place, easy to find, and easy to receive alerts.

It’s possible to access DisclosureNet via mobile device, with the iPad app recently developed.

If you are really serious about investing, it might be worth it to check into DisclosureNet.com and decide whether or not it makes sense for your investing research efforts.

Investing Tool: DisclosureNet Helps You Find Company Information appeared first on Planting Money Seeds.

“When people have clutter in their lives, it leads to late payments and fees, and that can lead to credit problems,” Vera Gibbons tells me.

Gibbons is a fellow personal finance journalist based online at VeraGibbons.com. “Financial organization can reduce the clutter.”

If you are concerned about missing payments, it can help to get digitally organized. “People who haven’t digitally organized their finances don’t realize what tools are out there,” Gibbons says. “There are tools to help you budget, pay bills, and pay others. There’s a lot of stuff that’s free.”

She points out that a recent survey shows that most office workers spend 30 hours a week hunting for paper on a disorganized desk. If you don’t organize your finances, that could be you at home.

Tools to Help You Organize Your Finances

I know that it can be a real help to use digital methods to organize your finances. I like using automatic payments, and I rarely print out bank statements anymore. I can quickly and easily reconcile them online without too much trouble at all.

While I don’t use a budgeting tool, there are plenty of people I know that like to use budgeting tools in order to help them stay on top of their spending. These tools can be helpful when used properly. “Many people are fully aware of what’s coming in,” Gibbons says. “The mystery is where it’s going. You can use budget apps to see where your money went, and then see how you can spend less and save more.”

Other tools that Gibbons mentions include:

• Google Calendar: “For bill paying, Google Calendar is helpful,” Gibbons says. It helps consumers see when their bills are due. “Create a date and the calendar sends you a reminder,” she continues.
  
• Smart phone keychain apps: “You have all these membership programs and rewards cards on your keychain,” Gibbons says. “Do away with the clunkiness. You can use a smart phone app like KeyRing or CardStar to create scannable versions you can keep you your phone.”
• PopMoney: “This is a P2P payment service,” Gibbons explains. “You can send money to people you know quickly and easily. Pay the landlord, divvy up costs with your friends. All you need is an email address or a cell phone number.”
• CamCard: “If you go to a lot of business meetings and collect business cards, this ca be a great way to scan cards into your phone,” Gibbons says. “You can take notes on the cards. Perfect for someone who is always networking.”

There are plenty of other tools for digital organization, from wallet apps to your bank’s own app.

How to Start to Organize Your Finances Digitally

Taking the steps to get your finances organized digitally can be a daunting task. That’s why Gibbons recommends that you carefully consider your first steps. “Start slow,” she suggests. “Start baying bills online. Set it up with your financial institution.”

Then, once you see that you can use online bill pay with the help of Google Calendar and other alert systems to stay organized digitally, you can expand your efforts. “Start with the basics, stay organized, set up alerts,” Gibbons says. “Beyond that, you can start looking at your overall financial picture, and start adding other digital tools.”

“Once you have the system down, and you’ve gone digital, it’s so much better.”

Digitally Organize Your Finances and Save Money appeared first on Planting Money Seeds.

For many college graduates, it means no longer living at home with their parents or moving from that cheap off-campus apartment as they strike out into the real world. Living on your own does offer independence, but it’s also much more expensive.

Luckily for young adults on their own for the first time, past generations faced similar financial concerns. A few old saving strategies with some 21st-century techniques will keep your bank account intact as you set out on your own.

Shop for Savings

Familiarize yourself with the weekly ads from your local grocery store. Food will command a significant slice of your budget, but limiting your purchases to whatever is on sale from one week to the next can help you get the most bang for your buck. Save coupons whenever possible. You can get them in the mail, the newspaper or off various websites. This will help you get an even better discount on sale prices. You can also link a store loyalty card with Savingstar and other similar sites that offer automatic discounts on purchases each week and credit cash back to your card.

Make a Budget

Bankrate.com conducted a recent survey that found 40 percent of Americans do not track their monthly spending. If you want to find ways to save money, that’s a stat you don’t want to join. Setting a monthly budget will help you get the most out of your paycheck. You can set aside what you need to pay rent, utility bills, food and other necessary monthly expenses. After meeting your cost of living, you can create a savings account to cover emergency expenses and spend what is left on whatever you want. Using a budget will help you show restraint on spending and eliminate unnecessary debts.

Shorten Your Commute

The Atlantic identified commuting as the one daily activity most detrimental to a person’s happiness. With that in mind, try to take commuting out of the equation and rent an apartment closer to your job if possible. It will save you time, money and aggravation. You can boost the savings by ditching the car and walking or riding a bicycle to work. It is good for the environment and your wallet.

Stream Instead of Buying Cable

Cable bills cost an arm and a leg. You can reduce costs dramatically, according to Internetserviceproviders.com, simply by streaming movies and TV shows to your computer from online. Streaming is killing videos and DVDs. Services like Hulu, Netflix, Amazon and iTunes offer a convenient, inexpensive alternative to cable. Subscriptions to many of these services offer unlimited streaming of content and more viewing choices than a typical cable channel.

Put the Credit Card Away

Saving money is infinitely easier if you make a habit of not using a credit card to cover every random purchase. Credit cards won’t drain your bank account, but late-payment penalties will. A credit card should only be used in emergencies and the balance should be paid in full by the due date.

Maria Porter is a bank manager who loves helping clients learn more about saving and investing for retirement.

Life After College: Living on a Budget appeared first on Planting Money Seeds.

Career Strategies of High Earners at Get Rich Slowly:  Do your tactics and mindset match those of high earners?

Five Very Simple Truths about Saving for Retirement at The Simple Dollar: It’s always hard to save for retirement but this post helps demystify some aspects of it.

Can You Increase Your Credit Score in One Month? at Bargaineering: It may take you more than a month but there are some great ips and steps to take in this article.

The Ten Best States to Make a Living at Mint Life Blog: Earning more, whether as a home business or a freelancer, may be as simple as moving.

Best Discount Brokers: Lowest Trading Fee for Stocks and ETFs at Moolanomy: If you’re looking for new investments, you’ll want to read this post.

Is Being Too Honest Bad for Business? at Budgets Are $exy: Are you driving potential customers away by being too honest?

Are You Spending Too Much on Your Hobbies? at MoneyNing: Sometime it’s important to take a step back and analyze just how much you’re spending on your past times.

How to Immediately Become a More Productive (and Better) Writer at Copyblogger: For freelancers, the faster and better they can write an article, the more money they make.

Money Blogging Roundup: Better Your Finances appeared first on Planting Money Seeds.

I’m not going to lie; I found it a little…weird.

But oddly compelling.

And, of course, the idea of a smaller bank or a credit union is appealing to many. I know that we enjoy a nice, low interest rate on the credit card we have through the university’s credit union. It’s our emergency card, and the low rate has been extremely helpful in the past.

Many people have been considering credit unions as a result of the betrayal many felt after the financial meltdown in 2008.

What do you think of this video? And do you use a credit union? Why or why not?

QuitTheHit Attempts to Educate Consumers about Credit Unions appeared first on Planting Money Seeds.