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How to use Twitter to boost sales if you’re not already

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Have you ever thought about using social media to drive traffic to your website? Is it not working as well as you thought it would? With the knowledge that most people who use a mobile device have some sort of social media account or another, taking advantage of the multiple social media platforms has quickly become one of the most popular ways for business to market their content and products.

One of the most prominent reasons it has become popular is because when used correctly, it can boost your sales dramatically. Not to mention that it gives you the ability to directly interact with your consumers, which allows for increased engagement from the followers and encourages them to visit your website. Here is how you can boost your sales by marketing yourself on Twitter.

Create a unique hashtag

We all know that hashtags are a fun thing to put in your post that somewhat relates to it, but did you know this this could be a very important tool when it comes to marketing your business and starting marketing campaigns?

Hashtags are a fantastic way for you to guide your tweets in the direction of your target demographic; the audience you want to gain. They allow you to increase your coverage and reach while also letting you see what other users are posting about your brand.

Not only is it good to use a hashtag in your posts, but creating your own one is even better. This will make it easier for you to relate it to your brand and keep it original and interesting, which ensures that all the attention goes to your brand.

Don’t forget to keep it simple and easy to remember, and make sure that it is relevant to your business. This allows for your post to remain relevant and keep your followers engaged with your marketing campaign 

Be interesting to get real followers

First and foremost, Twitter is a social media platform used mainly for entertainment purposes. This means that the content you are creating and posting should not just be limited to advertising your products or services.

When posting to twitter about your brand you should keep it interesting by using different forms of multimedia, such as memes, videos, and Gifs in order to keep your posts relevant and allow for engagement with followers. If you choose to just advertise your brand, followers will soon become bored and no longer be enticed to interact with your account.

If you are struggling to increase your follower base, there are organic marketing services that are out there to help you with just that. Try using something like Twesocial to get legit Twitter followers, they will handle every aspect of your twitter account from deciding what to post and when, to choosing hashtags that will help increase your follower base, as well as engaging with your followers through likes and comments. All you have to do is supply the content!

Use discounts to drive traffic to your website

One thing that everyone loves, no matter who they are, is free stuff. A super effective way of driving traffic to your website is by offering coupons and discounts to your twitter followers. On average, 43.5% of twitter users follow brands just to see what special offers and deals they have available.

By sharing coupon codes and discounts with your followers, not only will you probably gain a whole bunch of new followers, but if you link the website in your bio, these followers will have to visit your website in order to make use of the coupons, which will, in turn, expose them to more of your products.

Check out the competitors

One way to increase your sales, even if you are following all the tips imaginable, is to scope out what your competitors are doing. Have a look at others who have accounts that are performing better than yours and analyse their tweets to see what they are doing differently. Have a look at what they are posting, how they engage with their audience, and how often they post.

Don’t, however, just copy what others are doing, use their tweets for inspiration and find a way to implement what they are doing into your own tweets and promotions.

How eCommerce Retailers Can Increase Sales with the Help of Fraud Management

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Statistics project that the global e-commerce retail industry will approach the $5 trillion mark. But even as sales are set to increase, fraudsters are evolving daily to keep up with changes in the industry.

With the increase in fraudulent e-commerce transactions, more sellers are placing up fraud management systems to stop the crime. However, in the process, these businesses could flag honest purchasers.

When your fraud management system flags legitimate buyers, you stand the risk of more than 60% of these customers never doing business with you.

Preventing fraud and increasing sales is a delicate game of balance. You have to use systems that protect you without compromising a customer’s experience or your sales.

Common Ecommerce Fraud

Understanding the common e-commerce fraud will guide you in developing fraud management systems to protect your business.

The common types of e-commerce fraud include:

  • Card-not-present fraud in which the fraudulent customers uses stolen credit cards and credentials to place an order from your store. The credit card owner will dispute the transaction, and you must issue a refund.
  • Return fraud where the customer tries to get the product for free. In this scenario the buyer will create multiple accounts, purchase merchandise, return the original packaging empty and sell them elsewhere. 

You could detect e-commerce fraud through the following indicators:

Preventing Ecommerce Fraud

When retailers are the victims of fraud or want to prevent fraud, they take it to the extreme and put up as strict measures as they can.

The result is a system that filters out all customers who, for any reason, fit the description of potential fraud. Such strict screening is the leading cause of false declines and major losses in sales and customer experience.

Smart fraud management allows e-commerce retailers to have the best of both worlds: reduced losses due to fraud and increased customer retention and experience.

Look at the big picture

Too often, you might be preoccupied with analyzing every single transaction that you miss the patterns that fraudulent transactions leave. At one point, a legitimate transaction is likely to fit the description of a fraudulent one, leading to a missed sale.

As a business owner, have an expert reviewing the patterns fraudsters follow so that you can catch fraudulent transactions at different stages. For instance, a fraudster could have the credit card details, CVV, address, and real card owner details.

However, after the transaction, he or she will change the shipping address and effectively defraud you. If you have identified this as a pattern, you will have a system in place to confirm via telephone or email about the change of shipping address.

As part of the big picture, you have to keep evolving as e-commerce fraud management measures evolve. Keep your software updated and employees educated to ensure your business is as safe as possible.

Have a strong-password policy

Customers with weak passwords put both their information and your business at risk of loss, with account takeover fraud costing more than $5 billion annually.

As a business, you must enforce strong password policies so that your customers’ data is safe. Encourage them to use long passwords with a combination of lower and uppercase letters, numbers, and symbols.

It might be frustrating for them, but it is safer than losing their information or accounts to fraudsters.

Use best practice transaction security

Payment Card Industry data security standards guide e-commerce retailers on the standards to follow when storing, processing, or transmitting credit card information.

Ensure your store complies with these standards to prevent data loss, fraud, and financial losses due to fines for non-compliance.

If you are using an e-commerce platform, learn the PCI standards they have in place, and add any missing requirements.

Work with experts

Most merchants are not equipped to handle fraud detection or security of their e-commerce stores, leaving enough loopholes for fraudsters.

To mitigate this risk, work with security experts to manage every transaction stage, detect fraud, and test your system to catch vulnerabilities that expose you to fraud.

Use fraud monitoring systems

Most e-commerce software or processing platforms have alert systems that you can set up to notify you of suspicious activities like:

Use tracking numbers for your orders

Some unscrupulous customers will receive a product and file a chargeback claiming they never received the product. However, a tracking number ensures that the customer received their product, which you can use to defend a chargeback request.

In addition to the tracking number, request your customer’s signatures upon delivering the requested product.

Key Takeaways

Fraud management in e-commerce is about assessing risks, developing systems, and adopting best practices that reduce fraud without reducing your sales or customer experience. Approach fraud management with the big picture in mind, learn fraud trends in your niche and develop measures that mitigate these risks.

How to limit losses from water damage in your home

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Record rainfalls, mega-storms, flash flooding, bursting riverbanks. As we experience ever more extreme weather conditions, growing numbers of people are experiencing the heartache of water damage in their homes.

However, water damage can occur in your house from all sources, it doesn’t have to be from a flash flood, or the nearby river that has burst its banks and destroyed your beautifully decorated home.  

Your washing machine, dishwasher, heating system, a rogue water pipe, and even your overflowing bath can cause horrendous water damage to your house. It’s only at this point that most people wake up to the fact that water destroys houses.

However, it doesn’t need to mean complete renovation is needed. If you take the correct action, you can minimise the damage, and even save your beloved home or furnishings from being condemned. 

Tips to limit losses from water damage in your home

Here are our seven top tips to limit losses from water damage in your home.

Speed

Speed is of the essence.  Make sure you have switched off your water and electricity supply.

Water damage can cause serious problems with mold etc, if not dealt with within 24 hours.

Assessing where the damage stems from is the first port of call.  Is it clean water?  From your pipes, rain, condensation etc.  This water is relatively easy to clean up yourself, damage dependent.  ‘Grey’ can be slightly more tricky water, this comes from your appliances such as washing machines and dishwashers. Grey water will contain some contaminants but as long as you are wearing protective clothing you should be able to clean this up yourself. ‘Black’ water is the nasty stuff and requires professional help. Sewage and harmful bacteria are lurking in the water and a professional team will ensure that your home is properly treated. Failure to treat black water properly could lead to illness and infection, not to mention a real stink in your house.

Damage Assessment

As upsetting as water damage can be its essential to document the damage to the property. Take photos and videos. This could be very important if you later need to use an insurance company and you have the unfortunate experience of dealing with a Loss Adjuster.

Check your insurance

If the water damage is significant – check your insurance. Some insurance companies will only cover certain types or leaks.  Burst pipes are more likely to be covered than the slow drips, so act quickly. It goes without saying that being pro-active is key, so check you are covered by your insurance policy before the worst happens.

Dry / blow / dehumidify

Now is the time to dry the area out as fast as possible.  For small leaks this can be relatively easy, even a hairdryer can help.  Larger areas may require the hire of a dehumidifier or if you have a professional company assisting you, they will normally supply their own.  The priority is to get the house dry as quickly as possible.  Carpet cleaning companies can also help with excess moisture trapped in your carpets and rugs. 

Mould and mildew

Check your belongings.  Mould can start to develop in as little is 24 hours.  Mould can be extremely toxic to humans and the mold is also extremely damaging to the surface it infests.  If the mould is small enough to deal with, cut out the offending area, bag it and remove it. However, larger areas (lofts for example) require professional help.  Remove yourself from the area and reduce the airflow as much as possible.  Bear in mind mould that can grow and hide inside walls and under floors once you have experienced water damage.

Get sterilizing

Before you return the area to its normal function, make sure it has been thoroughly disinfected.  A bleach solution should take care of any remaining spores.  Get your carpets professionally cleaned to ensure that any nasties lurking inside are destroyed from your carpets, rugs and even your sofas.

Prevention

Even living in a low risk area your home could still, one day, face water damage. Electrical sockets and switches should be at least a foot above any expected water line.  If water does breach the house, take some last-minute measures such as moving furniture, switching off electricity and shutting off your own water supply.  You can even roll up carpets and rugs, moving them off the ground if you are expecting the worst. These steps can help reduce damage.

VPN protection is not just for the office

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The number of cyber-attacks on businesses is increasing. As more of us rely on remote working, protecting our work life from sophisticated cybercriminals is becoming more important than ever.

Businesses do everything they can to keep cybercriminals at bay while working in the office. Security software, firewalls, and VPNs’ play a major part in keeping office systems protected from hackers and scammers. But what about employees who are working from home, or work remotely? The pandemic has forced businesses to up their privacy game as many have left their office desks behind. VPN protection is not just for the office. Making sure your external devices are protected is essential too.

Working from home

One adjustment many of us have had to make is working from home. While the commute is significantly shorter, other important factors may have been overlooked. It’s unlikely that your Wi-Fi at home has the same level of security as a business network, but you will still be working on the same projects. So, how can you protect yourself when working from home?  A VPN establishes an encrypted connection to the server, which makes it impossible for cybercriminals to access it. It will also hide your IP (Internet Protocol) address which details your location. This means your home address is not exposed, and your real location is kept private. Being able to work safely from home means you have one less thing to worry about in these uncertain times.

Public Wi-Fi

Businesses may not realise the risks when staff use public Wi-Fi networks when they are away from the office. Public Wi-Fi is widely available in places that are popular with business people such as train stations, coffee shops, and airports, but they have very little security protection. They are a hot spot for cybercriminals looking to take advantage of the lack of protection. Accessing emails, customer data, and financial information is easy for professional hackers and scammers when you use a public Wi-Fi network without a VPN. Using a public Wi-Fi VPN protects data, keeps personal and business information private, and ensures your browsing activity is anonymous.

Remote working

Installing a VPN will allow employees to connect to a company’s server securely. Even if they are halfway across the world. This is a very useful feature for those who travel for work or regularly visit countries that enforce censorship. A VPN will allow you to connect to a server back in the UK, so you can access everything you need without any geo-restrictions or delays. You can work on documents, send emails, and use company databases securely with a VPN on your device. For businesses, it is essential to protect every device. It only takes one cyber-attack to cause a multitude of problems for the individual and the company. If your company issues smart devices such as laptops, phones, and tablets to employees, it needs to be protected with a VPN.

Company confidentiality

A VPN will protect your company’s confidentiality, no matter where your employees are working from. The projects, documents, and emails you are working on are private – so you don’t want any prying eyes to see anything confidential. Any data travelling through your internet connection while you are connected to a VPN is completely private. From banking to budgets, the only people who see it will be those who need to.

Think about the implications

If your devices are targeted by cybercriminals when using public Wi-Fi at a coffee shop, there could be serious implications. Unfortunately, cybercriminals are very skilled at what they do, and financial information, customers details, and company passwords could all be exposed before you even know it has happened. A VPN will scramble your connection so your online activity cannot be tracked, and private information will not be compromised. A data breach would also impact brand trust and customer loyalty. This can take its toll on your reputation, which can be hard to recover from. Financially, a loss of customers or lack of new ones could affect the company profits.

Setting up

Don’t worry. Setting up a VPN is not as daunting as you might think. You won’t need to contact your IT department or spend hours searching for tutorials online. In a few clicks, a VPN can be downloaded and installed onto your device seamlessly. As well as increased privacy, you’ll get peace of mind knowing your work life is protected, no matter where you are working from.

Parimatch Tech Company

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The modern world is filled with different areas of business and entertainment. The same happens with Parimatch. This company is known in every country for its breakthrough in the industry of gambling. For many companies in such directions, Parimatch history has become a role model. But the main highlight of this company is its Parimatch tech platform.

First of all, it is worth mentioning that this is the R&D holding in which the best software developers work. Through the use of advanced technologies, the team was able to bring this platform to the top level and does not stop improving. A huge number of satisfied users, which is increasing every day, confirms the quality of the teamwork.

A special feature of Parimatch is its educational component. Very often, the company conducts webinars for testers and developers. By taking these steps, the team shows that it is ready to train and accept new talent into its team and improve the product together.

Benefits of Pm Tech

The demand for using the platform is explained by many advantages that are confirmed by the facts.

1. The security

One of the main benefits of a successful and stable sports betting and gambling platform should be the provision of security of user data. Pm tech provides multi-factor protection for all customer data and financial information. Thanks to the clear and well-thought-out system, all information is stored under several levels of protection, including the stage of the user logging into the account.

2. Age control

Another advantage and technological advancement of Parimatch are restrictions for minors. The team of professionals created several levels of verification and blocking in such a way that even high-quality photoshopped documents will not be verified. Such an important nuance will protect not only young players but also their parents because early addiction has a detrimental effect on family relationships.

3. Addiction obviation

The topic of addiction has also become one of the important directions for Parimatch Tech. The employees were able to establish close cooperation with partners that help people in situations with gambling addiction. This is very valuable for such companies because bookmakers are mainly interested exclusively in their profit, forgetting about the problems of users.

4. Around-the-clock support

Nowadays it is hard to surprise anyone with the support chat, but not all companies spend a lot of effort to provide high-grade technical support.

Parimatch tech has organized a high-speed communication between the client and the worker for quick answers and solutions to problems that arose when using the platform. The company provides high quality not only for customers but also for employees by providing each co-worker with a separate electronic account, so that external factors do not distract from work.

The Parimatch history impresses everyone who gets to know it. The use of the latest technologies highlights this company apart from all similar platforms.

Compulsory Liquidation vs. Voluntary Liquidation: What are your options?

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There are several reasons a company might liquidate. It might be the case that the company is insolvent and no longer has a viable future, it cannot pay its debts, or perhaps it is sustainable but the director has chosen to retire.

Whatever the situation, it is important to understand the differences between compulsory and voluntary liquidation. After all, although both are formal insolvency processes that will wind-up and dissolve a business, they involve different processes that will impact a business in different ways.

To help you understand the key differences between voluntary liquidation and compulsory liquidation, Clarke Bell has put together this handy guide, to help keep you informed on the best route forward.

What is liquidation?

Liquidation is a formal insolvency process that officially winds up a company’s affairs and finances.

There are two main types of liquidation, compulsory liquidation and voluntary liquidation.

Although they both have the same outcome of liquidating and closing the company, the main differences between the two are around how the liquidation process is brought about.

First let’s look at compulsory liquidation, what it is and how it is initiated.

Compulsory liquidation

As the name suggests, compulsory liquidation is when a company is forced to liquidate. This is a process that is initiated by creditors who are owed money.

This occurs when a company can no longer afford to cover its debts, leading to a creditor taking legal action against it in order to get back what they are owed. A creditor can only issue a winding-up petition if the company owes them over £750 and has had their repayment demands gone unfulfilled for 21 days.

To begin the process of compulsory liquidation, the creditors will issue a winding-up petition to the court. If this is successful, the court will appoint a licensed Insolvency Practitioner to put the company into liquidation. Here, the company’s assets will be sold to raise the funds to repay outstanding debts.

Finally, the company will be dissolved after 2-3 months meaning it will be removed from the company register.

This is the most serious form of liquidation and can have a range of negative consequences on the business and director:

  • Bodies and professionals such as banks, accountants and solicitors can share a dim view on directors who let their company go into compulsory liquidation
  • The director’s own credit rating can be badly impacted
  • Some may take the view that the director was complacent about their legal duties as a company director

Voluntary Liquidation

Unlike compulsory liquidation, voluntary liquidation is a completely voluntary process that is initiated by the company directors.

There are two types of voluntary liquidation, Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation (CVL) and Members’ Voluntary Liquidation (MVL.)

Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation

First, let’s look at Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation.

This is an option open to directors of insolvent companies. The company will no longer be able to cover its daily costs and pay their bills and will have liabilities that are greater than its assets.

Although this is a completely voluntary process, it is prompted by the fact that the company does not have a sustainable future. It is a way of closing an insolvent company and liquidating its remaining assets whilst paying back creditors what they are owed.

If your business is experiencing financial distress, it is always better to act quickly and take a route such as Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation before things get worse. Otherwise, you could find yourself being forced into compulsory liquidation which can have negative impacts on you as a director.

A CVL is the better option as it protects your personal finances, will not harm your reputation as a director and will mean that should you wish to open another business in the future that you are free to do so. This is a clear indication that you have dealt with the problem and taken the necessary steps to pay back creditors.

Members’ Voluntary Liquidation

Unlike with Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation, Members’ Voluntary Liquidation is an option available only to solvent companies.

There are many reasons a director might choose to close their company with an MVL. This could be because they no longer have a need for the business, they are retiring or they are moving abroad.

Whatever the reason, this is a hugely popular option for solvent companies with assets over £25,000 as it allows them to close the company in a tax-efficient way.

This is because through an MVL, any funds taken out of the business are subject to Capital Gains Tax rather than Income Tax.

What’s more, there are additional tax advantages for companies that qualify for Business Asset Disposal Relief which was otherwise known as Entrepreneur’s Relief prior to 6th April 2020.

With Business Asset Disposal Relief, eligible entrepreneurs that sell all or part of their business will pay just 10% in Capital Gains Tax on profits over the lifetime of the business up to a limit of £1 million.

This is significantly less than the level of income tax you would otherwise pay which stands at 18% for the basic level and 28% for the higher level.

As you can see, this is a great way of closing a business in a tax-efficient way that is completely approved by HMRC.

What’s more, this is totally voluntary, meaning it can be done at a time that is convenient and right for the director.

The beginners guide to running a business

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When looking at starting your own business, it can be daunting. But the potential rewards can be incredible.

Learning how to start a new business can be confusing, so we have put together these 3 key points to follow when considering the task. From whether it’s right for you, to which type of business to register.

So, let’s take a look…

1.   Confidence is key

Running a business isn’t for everyone. Some people prefer the security of a regular, guaranteed payslip.

When starting a new business there is no space for apprehensiveness and doubt. Starting a business takes guts and confidence breathes success.

When making the step to becoming a business owner you need to determine whether it will really suit you and your lifestyle. Can you afford to take the risk? Do you have the confidence to speak to clients? Can you deal with the stress and anxiety of the uncertain times to follow?

Determining whether or not you have the right qualities to start your own business, will allow you to determine whether or not you should make the leap.

Building a business can be extremely rewarding if you can make it a success, but it is always important to fully understand what is required when setting up a business to get the best odds.

2.   Research your competitors

Competitor research when looking at starting a new business is three-fold. Firstly, it will allow you to determine how likely you are to make a success of a business within the existing marketplace.

Long standing marketplaces with strong established competitors can be much harder to enter. Many customers are likely to have experience with the existing big players, and therefore, have built-in loyalties.

Whilst upcoming, new marketplaces may have a larger amount of new businesses, making your potential client base more diluted.

That said, neither type of marketplace is impossible to enter, it’s simply a case of being clever about how. Carrying out competitor research will allow you to see gaps in the market, existing pains of customers and allow you to establish a unique selling point (USP).

This will ensure that your business stands out from your competition and increases the likelihood of drumming up new business.

Secondly, competitor research can help you to determine important aspects about the running of your business. For example, how much you charge for your services and the processes you use.

This can ensure you are well-priced, and provide a service to rectify any existing pains your potential customers may be experiencing from competitors.

Lastly, competitor research will allow you to see what it is your competitors are doing well and replicate them. For example, is there a particular element of their marketing strategy which works really well?

3.   Register your business accordingly

When registering your business, there are 3 different options you can take. These are;

  • Sole trader
  • Limited company
  • Partnership

Sole Trader

A sole trader is the easiest type of business to register. With this type of business, your personal finances will be tied to the business, meaning that if your business goes into debt, your personal possessions can be taken to cover the value.

Limited Company

A limited company comes with financial advantages, in the sense that it separates your personal finances from your business. Whilst it can require more paperwork and ongoing management, it does mean that if your business goes into debt, your personal finances will not be at risk.

When choosing to open this type of business, you may benefit from employing an accountant to manage your finances.

Partnership

Similar to being a sole trader, a partnership involves joining forces with another person whereby both of your personal finances are tied to the business. It means that the liability for business debts are shared between the two of you, however, it is essential when entering into this business type that all parties are aware of what is at stake.

Choosing which business type to register as is an important decision. Whilst it is possible to switch from one business to another, it is not the easiest process. Therefore, for ease, you should consider where you see your business in it’s future years.

For example, becoming a limited company is harder to register and requires more transparency when filing your accounts. However, limited companies are more tax efficient, protect your personal possessions and tend to be more trusted by other companies.

Setting up as a sole trader, on the other hand, is much simpler, completely free and protects your privacy as you are not required to register your details with Companies House. But as a sole trader it does mean that you are personally liable for company debts, less tax efficient and may not be seen as professional by potential clients.

Registering your new business doesn’t have to be difficult, and whilst it can be done through the Gov.uk website directly, there are also helpful apps that can register your company for free.

Summary

Whilst there are many other elements to consider when starting your business, following these three points will help point you in the direction. So, good luck and get started.

Investing 10k Like a Pro

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What would you do if you somehow came into 10, 000? Would you invest it, blow it, go on a holiday, or enjoy a luxury shopping spree? Well, whatever your answer is, the most valuable and recommended way to spend it is to not really spend it all, but actually invest it!

If you have 10, 000 just hanging around, then it is not only time to begin investing, but also time to use it! However, not everyone has invested before, so you may have one big question. What is the best way to invest 10k?

It may surprise you to know that you will have several great options when it comes to investing and the one you choose really depends on what is best for you. It depends on your preferences, investment experience, and of course your tolerance for risk. Risk tolerance is highly important when it comes to investing as investing can be highly volatile at times.

Determining your tolerance for risk is one of the first things you should know and recognize when investing. If your risk tolerance level is high, it is a good idea to favour choosing your own investments, such as individual stocks. If that is the case, consider a real estate crowdfunding platform such as Fundrise, which will make investing in real estate a breeze.

However, if your tolerance for risks is low and you don’t have a lot or any experience in investing, you should favour more managed options. This includes ETFs (exchange-traded funds) and mutual funds. If you’d prefer not to have anything to do with your investing at all, you can always choose a fully managed option, such as a robo-advisor. This is where the industry leader Betterment can help you with its low-cost and user-friendliness.

How consistent investing can help you

It is human nature that we treat large sums of money a lot different than we treat smaller, monthly amounts of money. When it comes to larger amounts of money, people are more careful and tend to want to be more thoughtful about how they spend it. Using this information, maybe it would be a good idea to begin treating smaller sums of money in a more thoughtful way as well.

When you begin thinking of how to thoughtfully and responsibly handle your smaller amounts of money, you will be surprised about how those small amounts can turn into large amounts. Contrary to popular belief, small decisions made daily can make a huge difference to your overall wealth and personal finance.

Decide on your goal

You can start in any way you want, after all, you’re a responsible adult. However, when you decide on a goal and begin your investing journey with that goal in mind, everything changes. If you want to get the best out of your $10, 000 investment, you need to understand what end result you are hoping to achieve.

If you are leaning towards a short-term goal, it isn’t recommended to invest, instead, look at putting your money into a high yield saving account. However, if you decide that you’re in it for the long run, your investing journey is ready to begin. When you invest your money, it will have the chance to exponentially grow and expand over a longer amount of time.

Emergency Fund

If you don’t already have an emergency fund, now is the perfect time to begin, and if you do, expand it! If your emergency fund it non-existent, that is likely the first thing you should do with your $10, 000. You never know what the future holds for yourself and your family, so having an emergency fund is an essential part of your life.

An emergency fund is liquid, so should you need to draw from it at any time, you are able to. It may not be considered the greatest investment, but it would be far worse if something were to happen and you have nothing to fall back on.

Invest with Betterment

Being an industry leader, it is no surprise that one of the best ways to invest is with Betterment. Betterment is an amazing way to invest in a low-cost, reliable, and user-friendly way. There are no minimum requirements for Betterment, so it is an ideal way to get started.

With Betterment, you will also be walked through the step-by-step investment process in a comfortable and knowledgeable way. Then, when your account is set up, Betterment will rebalance it and reinvest your profits automatically.

Pay off high-interest debt

If you are after a great and guaranteed return, paying off a credit card that charges double-digit interest will do just that! This is an investment that has no risk of going down in value which makes it a reliable option. You will also be saving a small fortune on interest when you pay off your high-interest credit card.

If you want to be able to supercharge your already great investment strategy, it is a great idea to take advantage of zero interest rate balance transfers if that is an option available to you. This is an amazing way to save on interest and help you pay off your debt in a fast and efficient way.

There are plenty of great ways to begin investing, and the options are endless. By the time you have $10, 000 to spend freely, investing is your best option and an even better way to build your wealth.

Six Ways to Add Value to Your Property in 2021

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Following the unexpected boom in house sales throughout the pandemic, some people may read this who are considering a jump on the bandwagon by selling their own property. While this is not the case for everyone, due to a remaining level of uncertainty, those inclined to up stakes this year might be thinking about getting the process moving sooner rather than later.

If you are one of the people who fall into this category, you may well have begun thinking of how you can add value to your property before listing it on the market. You want to maximise how much you are getting, and of course, want to get some sort of profit too!

For those who are in this position, you are in luck, for we have compiled a helpful list for you below. Detailing things you need to know and the different ways that you can add value to your property in 2021, you can go forth with the confidence that you will be getting as much money as you can for your property. Remember to jot some notes down and keep reading for more!

Home Improvements

For those with a bit more time and money on their hands, there are numerous home improvements, both internally and externally, that you can do in order to add value to your home. That being said, do not feel like you have to complete all the suggestions that are on offer. Sticking to a budget that you have already set will make the process a lot easier, and we are confident that there will be things that you can do within your budget to add value.

Modernising Your Kitchen:

Generally speaking, most new builds have modern kitchens, fitted with all the new mod-cons. While that is the case for most homes on the market, it is not the case for all, and you should not feel pressured to redo the kitchen in the property you are selling completely. By simply ensuring that any appliances (if you are selling the property as furnished or part-furnished) are to working standard and replacing those that are not, you will contribute to the modernisation of the property. Furthermore, consider the material you are using for countertops; marble and quartz are popular choices, firstly for their elegance and secondly, for the way they are easy to clean and wipe down. What’s more, ensuring that the kitchen is clean, and has been redecorated accordingly, will undoubtedly add a bit more value to the property. Regarding decorating, this leads us to our next point.

Redecorating the Property:

When wanting to sell your property, and when seeking to add value to the property before listing, you want to ensure that the décor inside is one that is appealing. While most homes nowadays seem to have neutral colour schemes throughout, this is not due to it being the favourite colours of the person selling it; it is merely a way of maximising the value of the property, and is, therefore, something that you should consider when selling your own property. Bold colours in a home could put some people off, not to mention, dated décor. By avoiding bold colours and eccentric textures, you should find it easier to get the property off the market; some homeowners who see bold colours and textures overlook a property’s personalisation. Instead, they focus on the potential renovation costs. Not something that you want when trying to get the property taken off your hands.

Exterior and Garden Improvements

While the interior of a home requires attention when wanting to increase the value of a property, it is essential not to forget the exterior of the home. Particularly, if you are selling a house which is boasting a decent sized garden, you will want to ensure that this too is up to standard. Like the interior of a home, some things can be done externally to increase the value of the property you are selling. This includes:

Adding a Shed:

While this is not the first thing that people think of when considering how they can add value to their home, it has been found that this is one that can have a considerable impact on the value of a property. Experts have revealed that adding a shed to a property is single-handedly the most significant way to add value to a home, with an estimated 5-20% value added to a property be putting a garden shed on your land. If you are considering adding a garden shed to your home, check out selections that are provided by companies like Shedstore. Providing buildings that are big and small, find out more about garden sheds here.

Focus on What Can Be Seen:

This is a bit of a given, but you want to ensure that your property looks appealing to those viewing it. If your home is not appealing to the people who are enquiring about purchasing it from you, it will be hanging around on the market for longer than you want. Ultimately, this will result in you getting less money for it then you intended. Not what you want when looking to increase the value of the property. By ensuring the front garden – if you have one – is as appealing as possible from the first glance, you are sure to have your property taken off your hands in no time.

Styling the Garden with Furniture:

Adding a focal point to the garden is also a great way of adding value to your property, and an easy way of going about this, is by adding some garden furniture to a patio, or other outdoor areas. Garden furniture can make the outdoor areas seem more enticing and provide those potential buyers with a vision of what to expect if they were to live in the property themselves.

Painting Goes a Long Way:

It goes without saying, both for the interior and exterior of your home, but ensuring that any tired or dull paintwork is touched up, really goes a long way. By giving any outdoor buildings, fences, and other exteriors a lick of paint before listing the property on the market, you are sure to be adding a little value to the overall price. Furthermore, it will give the property a fresh lease of life and make it appealing to those who are viewing it. You could even match the paint colour to items of furniture in the garden, or to other components of your garden; really tying it together to become a relaxing oasis. Not to mention, there are a handful of other benefits to properly painting the exterior of your home too.

We hope you have enjoyed reading but some of the available suggestions to add value to your property when looking to sell. Whether you choose to do just one or two or work through the list one-by-one checking them off; the choice is entirely yours. By putting in hard work now to ensure that the property is the best that it can be, we are confident that you will make a hearty profit on it when eventually sold. Furthermore, this doesn’t need to be a tedious process! You are ultimately closing one chapter of your life to begin another. Making this process fun will make a world of difference and make boring meetings and paperwork a bit more bearable.

5 Reasons Bonuses Attracts Customers

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Introduction

The bonus structure that casinos offer is one of the most critical aspects of online gaming. Among online casinos, this is so popular that those who do not give any interesting incentives have difficulty recruiting potential customers. Bonuses not only bring excitement to the experience of gambling, but they also make the process more enjoyable.

A substantial majority of clients agree that one of the most important and highest discrepancies between online casinos are the incentives and exclusive deals offered. Many different forms of bonuses are given by casinos. Bonuses for registration are a very common method of recruiting new players. This is basically some amount that’s fully free of charge, although carries terms and conditions, which is deposited directly into the player’s account after their registration is confirmed.

Keep reading to find out more about why casinos offer free spins and other incentives.

To Give You a Head Start

If you’re an amateur player, certain incentive deals will give you a fighting chance and time to learn fundamentals. Offers such as free spins or cash backs build rewards for new players by allowing them to practice without wagering their own money. Bear in mind that incentives don’t mean you can earn millions without investing a single cent. They just give you a chance to win something with a lower probability of losing too much money. Study the casino withdrawal rules closely to understand how to use and maximize the benefits of these offers.

Lower Your Chances Of Losing Too Much Money

The gambling rules are simple. The more money you bet, the more money you’re likely to win. However the more money you bet, the more money you’re likely to lose, as well. That’s the beauty of it, and that’s why many people find it so enticing. But not everybody supports the thrill of a possible win. Some people may want to try playing a few games, but they are driven back by the risk of losing cash. Casino bonuses reduce the risk and even increase your chances of winning sometimes. They’re great, especially for people who, without losing too much money, want to see what’s attractive about gambling. The money earned from the bonus is directly payable through platincasino payment methods after the terms and conditions have been met.

They Allow You To Play New Kind Of Games

Online casinos offer a large variety of games for players to enjoy. With a vast quantity of games to choose from, trying your luck in all of them is quite challenging. Thankfully, online casinos have you covered. When a casino launches a new game, they often offers individuals who wish to play them unique incentives. This provides an opening and encourages players to do something new. It provides a sense of variety and highlights the opportunities online casinos provide to try new games.

Get You To Deposit More

While incentives from the player’s viewpoint can sound like free money, it is more lucrative for casinos to give them than not to. Many incentives have terms that only allow players to realize any winnings after a certain sum of the player’s own money has been invested. Since the risk of losing a bet is higher than the chance of winning, most clients choose to deposit some amount of money to add to the bonus given in order to instantly withdraw the winnings in case of a loss.

Encourage You To Play More

Loyal customers are often rewarded with exclusive rewards. For starters, you get a few free spins or cash prizes when you play a certain number of games. The more you play and invest cash, the more incentives you get. These prizes are a smart way to keep players happy and improve their chances while trying new games. These incentives improve your odds and raise the total amount of money you will win if you play consistently. These bonuses produce a sense of dedication for players enabling them to play more.

Conclusion

There are several factors why individuals enjoy bonuses from casinos. But carefully reading the specifications and terms of use whenever you plan to choose a game is of great importance. Factors like set time, cashout limits, or terms and conditions for placing a bet may affect the amount earned in the long run. Please review everything outlined about the casino before you select a bonus. Your sole purpose to compete is in order for you to win, and if you want to enjoy the full benefits of any casino’s bonus, you should be well informed about the terms and conditions before settling to put a bet. That said, be wary of casinos that offer bonuses that seem too good to be true and read reviews first. This will help you avoid fraudsters who want to steal your personal information and put you at risk.

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