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How to Hire Top-Notch Freelancers for Your Small Business

April 8, 2021 by Paul Edwards Leave a Comment

By Courtney Rosenfeld

When the time comes to hire help for your business, freelancers may be the perfect solution. According to Business Wire, there are over 50 million people in the U.S. who freelance, and other countries are quickly catching up. Tap into this extensive talent pool to find the expertise you need at a price you can afford.

When you’re ready to start looking for quality freelance candidates, consider the following tips and tricks from Local Marketing Center to flesh out the best talent and help your company thrive.

Develop a Solid Communication System

Communication is vital in any team environment. When your team includes people who work remotely, it’s critical to develop a great communication system so that everyone is always on the same page. Miscommunication can cause all kinds of business problems, from missed deadlines to low morale. Avoid these issues by taking advantage of team collaboration apps like Slack and Trello. You can also keep your freelancers in the loop by having call notes transcribed and sent out to everyone on your team.
 

Know Where to Find Freelancers

There are several ways to find freelancers online, from classified ad sites like Craigslist to freelancer platforms like Upwork. Message people on LinkedIn, create posts on remote job boards, and peruse industry-specific sites. Online job boards help you connect with expert freelancers, whether you’re looking for help in sales, SEO and marketing, web development, or customer service. You can even look for freelancers on social media or ask for recommendations from other business owners in your industry. You don’t have to limit yourself to the U.S. either. There are plenty of freelancers around the world in countries like India, the Philippines or Serbia who can provide the expertise you need.

Make Your Expectations Clear

In your job ad, make your expectations extremely clear. Ensure that your freelancers know exactly what you aim to accomplish with their help. Give potential candidates context by explaining the big picture—not just the specific scope of work and time frame. Also, make sure you detail the skills you’re looking for and how you intend to apply these to your business.

You may also want to let your freelancers know what kind of availability you expect from them. Should they be able to hop on calls at any time? Do you require tight turnarounds, or can they complete work at their leisure? When your applicants know what you expect, they will be better prepared to meet your needs.

Lastly, clearly state how you will pay your freelancers, whether it’s through your payroll system, online payment platforms or remittance services. If you opt to hire foreign workers, you’ll need to have a plan for how to send their payments, which may not work with your payroll setup. For example, if you have a freelancer from the Philippines, using a transfer service can be more affordable and easier than Paypal. 

Screen Your Applicants Thoroughly

Screen your initial applicants based on their education, skills, work experience, or portfolio samples. As you go through your candidates, select your top picks and schedule an interview. The interview is important for avoiding incompetent freelancers who sound good on paper.

Ask your candidates tough questions about how they approach deadlines, how they respond to criticism, and what they think quality work looks like. Be sure to also ask about their availability. Many freelancers have more than one client and may not be able to dedicate all of their time to your company. Finally, request a paid test project so you can get a feel for the freelancer’s work quality, communication skills, and ability to meet deadlines.

It may take time to build the perfect team of freelancers for your business. It’s a good idea to start looking for candidates well before you need them to do any work. Be picky and don’t stop searching until you find freelancers with the expertise necessary to help your business prosper.

Filed Under: The Future Tagged With: hire freelancer, screen applicants

Seven Jobs Thriving During The Coronavirus Pandemic

March 29, 2021 by Paul Edwards Leave a Comment

By Artur Meyster

The year 2020 was a tough one but the hardship doesn’t need to continue into 2021. Many people who lost their jobs last year have decided to reinvigorate their careers in the new year. Despite the coronavirus-induced economic recession, some industries have thrived providing millions of people job opportunities. So, if you’re interested in changing careers because you need something more sustainable, this might just be the right time to explore your options. Below is a list of seven thriving career opportunities in the Covid-19 era.

  1. Speech-language Pathology

Contrary to popular opinion, speech-language pathologists don’t just help children. They help people of all ages who struggle with speech-related challenges like swallowing, cognitive-communication, social communication, and language, among other things. The demand for speech-language pathologists has been on the rise since the beginning of the pandemic. In the United States, you’ll earn at least $79,120 yearly as a speech-language pathologist. You’ll have to be certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

  1. Construction Management

There is currently a high demand for construction workers in the United States. Construction companies don’t have enough hands-on workers to complete their contracts. While the wages of an average construction worker is around $28,520 to $47,910 in the United States, managers make up to $95,260 annually. To be a manager at a construction company, you will need a bachelor’s degree and years of experience in the field.

  1. Software Development

You most likely already know that software development and all related fields are currently in high demand. This explains why millions of people are enrolling in online software engineering programs on Bootcamprankings.com and Computersciencehero.com. These websites offer remote job training courses in a range of tech fields. You will earn $108,080 yearly as a software developer.

  1. Nursing Practitioners and Registered Nurses

Diving into nursing might require more time than learning how to code but it is worth the time. Nursing practitioners and registered nurses are always in demand but the demand increased significantly in 2020 because of the Covid pandemic. The demand for these healthcare experts will only increase. Nursing practitioners earn more than registered nurses ($115,800 against $73,300) in the United States.

  1. Computer Customer Support Experts

As people rely more on computers and other digital devices for their daily needs, the demand for computer user support specialists is on the rise. You don’t need a college degree to become a computer customer support specialist in some companies. An associate’s degree in computer science will be just fine. You can earn over $52,270 yearly as a computer support specialist. Your primary responsibility as a computer user support specialist is to provide users with assistance when they have challenges using digital devices.

  1. Electricians

Electric lights and deceives are among the greatest advancements in technology. Since the first electric bulb was created on the 14th of October 1878, there has been a high demand for professional electricians. This demand remained high last year and will continue to rise in the years to come. With a diploma or an equivalent certificate, you can become an electrician. The average salary of electricians in the United States is $56,180 annually.

  1. Industrial Machinery Mechanics

While the industrial machinery mechanics industry suffered in the early part of the 21st century, modern companies created new jobs. The demand for people who will produce and maintain modern machinery will continue to rise after the Covid-19 era. The pay and requirements for industrial mechanics are similar to that of electricians in the United States. The more experienced you are in the field, the more money you’ll make. If you don’t feel like working with one company, you can become an independent mechanic who consults with companies on your terms.

Conclusion

The jobs listed above have been among the most resilient since the Covid-19 pandemic began. While many other companies shut down and laid-off workers, these industries were in search of fresh talent. In the years to come, these jobs and industries will continue to thrive. So, if you’re in search of a resilient job that would survive the tough economic crisis, picking one on this list might be a good idea.

Filed Under: Changing The Economic Direction Tagged With: good jobs, industrial, post-Pandemic

How Artificial Intelligence Is Shaping the Future

March 27, 2021 by Paul Edwards Leave a Comment

"Artificial Intelligence & AI & Machine Learning" by mikemacmarketing is licensed under CC BY 2.0When we talk about artificial intelligence, we usually speak as if it was a futuristic technology or as if it was sci-fi. However, AI has been in our world for quite a while. In fact, the term AI was coined in 1955. John McCarthy was the first one to talk about artificial intelligence. We’ve been dealing with artificial intelligence for a long time; yet, we would have never imagined the impact of AI in incumbent industries.

AI is taking over, and most industries are using this technology for their benefit. Artificial intelligence is the main ingredient of automation. Companies can automate their processes and make them more efficient. Today we’ll explore how artificial intelligence is making a significant impact in most industries.

Digital Marketing 

Digital marketing leverages artificial intelligence to automate the customer service system. Instead of spending hours picking up calls and replying to emails, digital marketers can work on something more relevant such as creating strategies. Chatbots reply to users’ queries in a matter of seconds without human intervention. Therefore, users have an immediate response and digital marketers optimize their time.

Financial Industry 

AI also disrupts the financial industry. Today, the most accurate form of artificial intelligence in the financial sector is biometric payments. In the past, it was something that we could only dream of, but it is happening today. Biometric payments help the financial industry be safer and simpler. 

Therefore, many banking companies are now implementing this trend; from eyeballs recognition to fingertips and even face recognition. Some companies have even used this AI application in their mobile apps. Companies like PayPal or Payoneer use fingertips recognition for mobile payments.

Automobile Industry 

The automobile industry is also using AI. Autonomous cars are the future of our roads. These cars are expected to make roads safer and more efficient. Although they’re still in the early stages, experts predict they will be part of our lives very soon. Autonomous cars might also work with IoT along with traffic lights so they can detect any changes in the traffic lights. With the rapid development of autonomous vehicles, the role of human drivers is less relevant every day. Therefore, autonomous vehicles have the power to disrupt the logistics industry, as well.

Education 

If you look at today’s education system, you’ll notice that we use technology more than we think. Kids today depend on tablets and computers, and they even get an education through interactive boards. But how do teachers leverage artificial intelligence? Administrative tasks require a lot of time and effort. Therefore by using AI software, they can automate these tasks. 

Things like assigning tasks or evaluating exams take a lot of time. By using machine learning-powered programs, teachers can assess and assign tasks more efficiently. 

But we can expect more from artificial intelligence and education. In Elon Musk’s city of the future, he believes that studying will be as easy as downloading files to your brain. By that time, artificial superintelligence (when computers are smarter than us) will already be a thing. 

Gaming

The gaming industry uses artificial intelligence to create a more personalized experience. AI is used to create adaptive and responsive behaviors in non-player characters (NPCs). This way, players have a more human-like experience. 

However, this isn’t the only implementation of AI in the gaming industry. Machine learning is now disrupting the animation industry, and the role of humans animators has been reduced. With machine learning animation software, animators only have to give instructions on how they’d like their characters to look. You may be thinking that these designs are not as realistic as the ones human animators generate, but you’d be wrong.

Conclusion

Artificial intelligence is a powerful tool that helps any industry automate its tasks. Therefore, it is no surprise to see that most companies use it for their benefit. However, it won’t stop there. Due to the rapid growth of artificial intelligence, we can expect to see more advanced tools powered by artificial intelligence.

 

Filed Under: The Future Tagged With: artificial intelligence, automotibles, education, gaming

Online Learning Today

March 25, 2021 by Paul Edwards Leave a Comment

Your house can be a schoolroom. Learning at home covers two populations – parents either forced or choosing to homeschool their children – and distance learning for adults.  In the last year, About 5.4 million students, or 25.8 percent of the college student population, took at least one online class.

Over two and one-half million students – 12.5% of all college students – took online courses exclusively, and the other 13.3 percent of students combined online studies with traditional courses. Students learn 5 times more than they do from a formal course in college.

The advantage of studying online is being able to take coursework from virtually anywhere in the world and to attend schools that far away from their homes.

Studying on their own schedules without having to work around a class schedule makes online learning ideal for working students as well as those balancing family obligations along with pursuing an education.

Distance learning’s other advantages are saving money by able to live at home without a commute.  Often they can graduate earlier. More than 500 colleges and universities show warning signs of financial stress that may result in closures and mergers. Distance learning offers a substitute for the campus experience. A higher education trade group has predicted a 15 percent drop in enrollment nationwide, amounting to a $23 billion revenue loss.

Online courses — some even required such courses — can be made available to all students. Computer-assisted and personalized learning can be particularly effective in closing achievement gaps, especially in math.

 Distanced learning would better enable students to learn. They would be better prepared for the learning platforms of college and the workforce. Teachers would be able to deploy more innovative and personalized instructional strategies. Distance learning has the capacity to help students go deeper where their interests take them and get more focused attention in areas where they are struggling.

Schools already have access to $4 billion a year, funded from Americans’ telecommunications and home cable bills, to close the digital divide. Congress should make this program more flexible so districts can deploy WiFi or mobile hotspots in student homes where there is a need.

Your house can be a schoolroom. Learning at home covers two populations – parents either forced or choosing to homeschool their children – and distance learning for adults.  In the last year,

About 5.4 million students, or 25.8 percent of the college student population, took at least one online class. Over two and one-half million students – 12.5% of all college students – took online courses exclusively, and the other 13.3 percent of students combined online studies with traditional courses. Students learn 5 times more than they do from a formal course in college.

The advantage of studying online is being able to take coursework from virtually anywhere in the world and to attend schools that far away from their homes.

Studying on their own schedules without having to work around a class schedule makes online learning ideal for working students as well as those balancing family obligations along with pursuing an education.

Distance learning’s other advantages are saving money by able to live at home without a commute.  Often they can graduate earlier. More than 500 colleges and universities show warning signs of financial stress that may result in closures and mergers. Distance learning offers a substitute for the campus experience. A higher education trade group has predicted a 15 percent drop in enrollment nationwide, amounting to a $23 billion revenue loss.

Online courses — some even required such courses — can be made available to all students. Computer-assisted and personalized learning can be particularly effective in closing achievement gaps, especially in math.

 Distanced learning would better enable students to learn. They would be better prepared for the learning platforms of college and the workforce. Teachers would be able to deploy more innovative and personalized instructional strategies. Distance learning has the capacity to help students go deeper where their interests take them and get more focused attention in areas where they are struggling.

Schools already have access to $4 billion a year, funded from Americans’ telecommunications and home cable bills, to close the digital divide. Congress should make this program more flexible so districts can deploy WiFi or mobile hotspots in student homes where there is a need.

If you have a degree in education or are interested in teaching kids online, you can make $50 or more per hour. Online teaching has advantages. You can choose your own working hours. There is an increased demand for online ESL (English as Second Language) teachers. This can mean no shortage of work.

Here are examples of online learning platforms

Coursera (accredited courses)

Kajabi

iSpring Market

LearnDash

Learnworlds

LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda)

Podia

Great for Digital Downloads and Webinars

Ruzuku

Shaw Academy

Skillshare.com

Teachable

Teachery

Thinkific

Treehouse

Udemy

 

Filed Under: Changing The Economic Direction Tagged With: distance learning, online education, study online

Picking the Life You Want to Live

September 7, 2020 by Paul Edwards Leave a Comment

COVID-19 has produced changes in our lifestyles and for the first time since the industrial revolution produced a majority of Americans saying they prefer to work at home.

Survey after survey show:

Metova’s April 2020 survey analyzed the responses of over 1,000 consumers. finding that 57% of respondents would prefer to keep on working from home. Almost half (48%) said they are more productive working from home.

An article in the New York Times asked “What if You Don’t Want to Go Back to the Office?

IBM surveyed 25, 000 people to gauge changes in perspective about work and found 54% of adults want to work remotely most of the time after the pandemic.

Other studies have shown that those who work from home full-time report being happier in their job 22% more than their counterparts who spent no time working from home.

Forbes magazine reported on May 20 that three out of five surveyed who had been working at home said they would prefer to continue working from home.

The Gallup Poll which tracks worker attitudes found three in five U.S. workers who have been doing their jobs from home during the coronavirus pandemic would prefer to continue to work remotely as much as possible.

Here are the reasons people prefer to work at home:

One study found 79% of workers say the quality of their work has improved.  Many other studies come to similar conclusions.

  • Cutting back on commuting time. The average American who drives to work spends 54 hours per year stuck in traffic, according to an analysis by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute.
  • Less pollution. American cities are less polluted because of reduced traffic.
  • Better health as people are exposed less to communicable diseases and have more time to exercise and stay physically fit, have fewer respiratory problems that come with driving
  • Global Workplace Analytics estimates that people can save, on average, $2,000 to $6,500 every year by not spending on things like gasoline and daycare.
  • Tax-wise, people who work at home can come out ahead. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 eliminated the home office tax deduction for employees (anyone who receives a W-2). However, if produce self-employment income at home, you can still deduct home office expenses.

One of the rewards of working at home is spending more time with your pets. Here’s a link to an in-depth guide for working from home with a dog.

If you are seeking a way to spend more time working at home for an employer or wish to produce extra income, take a look at whether the opportunities of becoming a Digital Document Creator.

Filed Under: Ways to Earn a Living, Whatcha Gonna Do to Stay Afloat Personally Tagged With: COVID-19, Digital Document Creator., self-employment income, tax cuts, work at home

The Economy is a calamity for most Americans; Why most people live paycheck to paycheck

August 30, 2020 by Paul Edwards Leave a Comment

Nearly a thousand Americans die of coronavirus deaths a day  – more than in any other nation.  While  Americans constitute 4% of the world’s population, we have suffered nearly 25% of the global number of COVID-D cases and almost 25% of the deaths.

It’s clear that many households were not prepared for the economic downturn The loss of income and the consequent economic crisis hit a middle class that does not have much of a cushion to weather a depression.

A Federal Reserve study found that 6 in 10 households do not have enough liquid assets to cover three months’ worth of expenses. Just five percent of middle-class assets are liquid while almost 60 percent of a family’s assets are tied up in primary residences, retirement accounts, and businesses. 1 in 6 Americans could go hungry amid the Covid-19 crisis.

Even if families could sell their assets, they would be risking their homes, security in old age, and, for some families, their primary source of income. The need for cash is causing people to sell and barter their possessions.

With 74% of U.S. families living paycheck-to-paycheck—including one in four households that earn at least $150,000 per year—the pandemic plunged millions into desperate situations overnight. The U.S. economy has been kept up by economic stimulus of funds, IRS reminds consumers that unemployment income is taxable, meaning the government will get back some of the money it has spent over the next year.

The Brookings Institution took a deep look at pay across the U.S. and found that almost half of workers — 44% — earn low wages. 12 percent of Americans say they can’t cover a $400 expense; the remaining 27 percent said they could cover the expense but would need to use some combination of a credit card, taking out a loan, or selling something.

Almost a third of low-wage workers were below 150% of the federal poverty level. The median pay among low-wage workers was around $10.22/hr. When wages stay the same, they’re not really staying the same.

Personal Savings

Before the pandemic, the overall personal saving rate was relatively low at just under eight percent. While the savings rate has increased since just before the 2008 recession, it is nowhere near historic highs of over 13 percent. The value of savings are they can be drawn upon in an emergency. Sixty-nine percent of Americans have less than $1,000 in their savings account. As the economy falters, many in the middle class will now need to draw on whatever assets they have.

“The real tsunami is coming,” Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, tells us “the labor market is set to start weakening again. That leaves us with very little job creation in the rest of the economy but with still high levels of layoffs.” “You’re starting to see unemployment spells last a long time. The longer you’re out of the labor force and disconnected from your prior employer, the harder it is to reconnect.”

Unemployment

Less than a week after President Trump touted a positive jobs report and claimed victory over the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the Department of Labor announced that more than 1.5 million filed new jobless claims in each week of June. Before the pandemic, the all-time weekly high was 695,000 in 1982.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the employment-population ratio, which is the percentage of adults in the U.S. population who are employed, fell to a record low of 52.8 percent. It was 61.2 percent at the start of the year. Doing the math tells us that nearly 48 percent of working-age adults didn’t have a job in May.

Economists say the employment-population ratio is a truer indicator of the health of the labor market because it counts the people who could be working but, for one reason or another, are not looking for a job. The monthly employment report only counts those who are looking for a job.

One in three Americans say a household member has been laid off or had their pay cut. What’s more alarming is that many jobs are disappearing. A recent report by Bloomberg Economics warned that up to a third of the job losses experienced between February and May may never return.

The real unemployment rate is 21%–and is heading higher. Government data available don’t account for many workers who are still on the job but are expected to be let go. For example, Boeing (BA) announced plans to cut 16,000 workers, with 12,300 of those job cuts already being identified through buyouts or involuntary permanent layoffs. But virtually all of those affected workers are still on the job as of today. United Airlines announced plans to lay off more than one-third of its 95,000 workers. Brooks Brothers, which first opened for business in 1818, filed for bankruptcy. Bed Bath and Beyond said it will close 200 stores.

Many retailers are in bankruptcy –such as Brooks Brothers. J.C. Penney, Stage Stores,  J. Crew, Nieman-Marcus,  Roots USA, Pier 1, Tuesday Morning, Barney’s, Charlotte Ruse, Destination Maternity, Diesel USA, Forever 21, FTD, Full Beauty Brands, Gymboree, Payless Shoes, Things Remembered, and Z Gallery, and Denim retailer Lucky Brands, Stein Mart. Many of these bankruptcies result in the closing all of their Stores.

Giant Macy’s announced it is cutting 3,900 corporate jobs — 3 percent of its total workforce — to reduce costs as it struggles with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. The cuts represent about a fourth of Macy’s corporate workforce. It expects to save about $365 million through the layoffs.  The cuts represent about a fourth of Macy’s corporate workforce. The department store chain said it expects to save about $365 million through the layoffs.

Other businesses are in trouble, too, such as Chuck E. Cheese files, which filed for Chapter 11. Microsoft will permanently close its retail stores and put its resources into online channels after closing the outlets in late March due to COVID-19. Nordstrom, a major retail tenant finds itself at odds with its landlords. The upscale department store chain has reportedly notified the property owners of its namesake and off-price Rack stores that it will pay only half of its rent costs for the rest of 2020.

The demise of America’s malls can deal a blow to the towns that depend on them.

Malls and shopping centers across the country provide $400 billion in local tax revenue annually, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers.

Millions of additional layoffs could come soon from cash-strapped state and local governments unless Congress provides additional relief and small businesses that have exhausted their borrowing under the Paycheck Protection Program. In a survey of its members, the National Federation of Independent Business said more than half of respondents had used up their loans and 22 percent planned to lay off workers as a result.

Temporary becomes permanent

People who are counting on businesses reopening their doors may be surprised to find that a temporary loss has become a permanent one, said Zandi. Millions of people remain unemployed and the number of jobs being permanently lost is going up each month. The rise in permanent job loss is the latest signal that the economic damage from the coronavirus is likely to be long-lasting. 6 million additional jobs lost may be a best-case scenario rather than the worst-case scenario

.An earlier University of Chicago study predicted that 42% of pandemic job losses would be permanent. These are not just job losses for millions of Americans but an even larger career existential crisis.

The “only way to have a viable economy and society is to control this epidemic.” “It was Trump’s defiance of science, his muddled messaging and his incessant vitriol that has plunged the country into a swamp of joblessness, receding labor participation and slumping business confidence unseen in other developed nations,”

“Here we are, a country so rich in expertise, in resources, in capacities, and yet we’re watching a complete failure of a political response — with a massive loss of life — in real-time,” Economist Jeffrey Sachs said. “It’s quite shocking because Trump not only does not know how to approach this issue but he blocks those who do.”

The nearly $3 trillion worth of pandemic relief measures approved earlier this year by Congress have clearly buoyed the economy, but the effect of those initial programs is ebbing. Many small businesses are running out of loans and grants that kept paychecks going out to at least some workers. State governments are financially distressed.  Unless more relief money comes from Washington, more people will experience no-pay paydays.

The first wave of the coronavirus pandemic caused the U.S. economy to shrink at its fastest rate on the record because of the virus. The U.S. economy shrunk at a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 32.9 percent during the second quarter of 2020 as spurred an economic collapse of record-breaking speed and size, according to the Commerce Department. It is the largest one-quarter plunge in economic growth since the federal government began reporting quarterly GDP data. The staggering contraction beats the last record set in 1958 when GDP shrank at an annualized 10% rate.

During the worst of the Great Recession, GDP shrank at an annualized 8.4% pace in the final quarter of 2008. Before that, the single largest annualized quarterly decline recorded by the Commerce Department was 10% in early 1958. the economy saw its worst quarter in at least 145 years. Federal regulators quietly shredded the most significant banking reform enacted after the 2008 financial crisis last month. When they were done, they patted banks on the back for continuing to shovel cash to their shareholders.

This downturn or depression is likely last well into the year.  The average duration of a recession between 1945 and 2001 was 10 months. The middle class faces its greatest threat since the 1930s. Any way you slice it, it’s an ugly, historic economic contraction.

The industries that have seen the most job loss, including hospitality, leisure, and retail are industries where a much higher proportion of women work. The job market is rough for recent college graduates, with 68% fewer entry-level positions available this year than last year.

Making the Mortgage Payment or Rent

Half of U.S. homeowners struggling with mortgages due to COVID-19, researchers say many Americans are thinking about putting up the “For Sale” sign. A survey of 2,000 American homeowners found that 52 percent are constantly concerned about making their mortgage payment on time. Forty-seven percent of the poll say they are considering selling their home because they can’t afford their mortgage anymore.

Researchers say 35 percent of U.S. homeowners admit they’ve missed a mortgage payment during the pandemic. The same amount of respondents said they worry about losing their home.  The poll, commissioned by the National Association of Realtors, also found that eight in 10 homeowners say the COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unexpected financial problem in their lives.

More than half of the survey admit they have cut back on their basic expenses to afford paying off their home. Seventy-one percent of homeowners have significantly cut back on buying clothes. Other habits the tough financial times have cut into include buying take-out food (66%), paying for a streaming service (46%), and buying groceries (45%). Another 53 percent of homeowners are selling their own possessions to make extra income.

A separate survey by Apartment List, a search firm, found that fear of eviction has escalated. More than one-in-five renters say they are “very” or “extremely” concerned about being thrown out in the next six months, up from 18% in June.

Thirty-one percent have asked a family member for a loan during the pandemic. Another 22 percent have reached out to friends for help with their bills. Some homeowners have opted for the real longshot, as 19 percent of homeowners admit playing the lottery has helped ease their financial burden.

What Jobs Are Coming Back

Eating and drinking establishments accounted for the bulk of the 7.5 million jobs the economy recovered in the past two months.

Yet restaurants still employed about 3 million fewer people at the start of July than they did before the crisis — a whopping 50% reduction. And the recent outbreak of coronavirus cases means many of those jobs probably aren’t coming back soon.st politics news.

A society in which the rich get richer as the poor and middle-class collapse is not a society that can sustain itself. The Fed and the financial regulators who stripped the Volcker Rule of its meaning are enlisting the country in a two-tiered future: one for the financial elite and another for ordinary citizens of a democracy. They are encouraging banks to take bigger risks as the economy collapses, without taking meaningful precautions. That cannot end well.

The Economy is Cratering. Welcome to the Trump Depression

Economists call 12.5% as the official unemployment rate or “U3” — but in these times, a better measure is “U6,” the statistic which includes “discouraged workers” and people forced into part-time work, or the underemployed. That’s closer to 20%, which is nearer to what you might expect after five months of unemployment topping a million people per week. And even that’s an understatement because none of this really measures the impact on the self-employed very well. The self-employed have come to be larger components of the economy, whether Uber drivers or Instacart deliverers — even the pre-Coronavirus economy was fully half “low-wage service jobs.” Nearly half of economists from leading association predict US economy won’t return to pre-pandemic levels until 2022. The patient wasn’t healthy to begin with.

Filed Under: COVID Economy Tagged With: depression, economic downturn, paycheck to paycheck, permanent job loss, recession, rent, Trump, unemployed

Commute Time Grows Longer

October 7, 2019 by Paul Edwards Leave a Comment

Filed Under: The Future Tagged With: American commute

TURNING HEMP INTO AN INCOME NOW THAT HEMP FARMING HAS BEEN LEGALIZED BY THE 2018 FARM BILL

January 5, 2019 by Paul Edwards Leave a Comment

Hemp is unique in that every part of the plant can be used and it’s extremely easy to grow in every state. In fact, the growing season is so short that farmers can plant hemp after harvesting their other crops. The plants deep roots help create ideal growing conditions for future crops, while its dense foliage chokes out weeds. These attributes make it a perfect cash crop for farmers throughout the United States and around the world.

In the past, hemp was world’s standard fiber with unmatched tensile strength. After removing the fiber-bearing cortex from the rest of the stalk, hemp can be used to make any fiber-based or cellulose-based product. The fiber was used to produce over 5,000 different textile products before prohibition. With recent advances in processing, these end uses could be rapidly expanded to applications like replacing many plastics.

Researchers have taken a growing interest in CBD due to its beneficial influence on the human endocannabinoid system, which is responsible for regulating a variety of physiological and cognitive processes. A growing body of research has found that CBD could help relieve pain, reduce inflammation, reduce anxiety, protect the brain, and even regulate blood sugar levels, making it a potentially valuable alternative to conventional pharmaceuticals.

Here are some of the products that can be sold locally or over the web: hemp paper products, hemp textiles,  course textiles like carpeting, 3D or 4D printing using molded plastics made from hemp, essential oils,  body care products, cosmetics, construction fiberboard, insect repellant, industrial oils,  livestock bedding, dog collars woven out of hemp, and green footwear.

Filed Under: Ways to Earn a Living Tagged With: Hemp

The Answer for America’s Energy Future

January 4, 2019 by Paul Edwards Leave a Comment

The United States can solve its own energy problem now that the productivity of American farmers and entrepreneurs has been unchained by legalizing the growing of hemp in the United States with the Farm Bill of 2018 for the first time since the 1930’s.

Hemp is essentially a weed but it is an exceptional plant because it is easy to grow in all states. Every part of the plants is usable. It can be grown in poor soil not suitable for growing food. It leaches toxins, like heavy metals, uranium, and arsenic from the soil and metabolizes them, revitalizing spoiled lands, as where coal has been mined and gas extracted. The Midwest has more than 11 million acres of poor land not being used for crops.

Hemp has a short growing season, which means it can be harvested 3 times a year. Or it can be planted after other crops, requiring no fertilizer, herbicides, or pesticides. It can be used as a rotational crop or planted after other plants are harvested. Because of its deep roots and dense leaves, it chokes out weeds.

Because the hemp plant has so little THC, not enough to get anyone high, the commercial growing of hemp should face fewer regulatory problems from the Food & Drug Administration.

The oil pressed from hemp seed can be converted into biodiesel and fermenting the stalks results in either ethanol or methanol or both. Of all the plant sources of energy that have been tried, hemp is superior to alternatives include algae, Carrizo cane, switchgrass, and food plants like corn, soybeans, olives, peanuts, and rapeseed.

Hemp produces nearly four times as much oil per acre as soybeans, which is currently the only crop grown on a large enough scale for biodiesel in the U.S. and ten times more wood pulp than trees per acre. While hemp has been used and can be used for canvas, rope, and clothing, it can also replace some plastics and its seeds, rich in omega-3 fatty acids vitamin E and minerals like potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, and zinc, can be used as food, its unique properties lend themselves to producing energy.

Farmers need to be made aware of the benefits to them of growing hemp. 

A national association, such as the National Hemp Association or Vote Hemp, needs to launch a campaign “Providing America’s Energy Future” to create a favorable climate for farmers to be aware of hemp’s benefit with the assurance they will enjoy long-term markets.  The timing is good as the oil and gas industry’s stock prices are down. A recent article is entitled “Bloodbath in Oil & Gas Stocks Could Continue.”

Critical masses of growers can be organized by county, multi-county or state to help them market their hemp, establish standards and provide a knowledge base for obtaining optimum yields.

Hemp can’t be beat as a cash crop. It turns out to be the most cost-efficient and valuable of all the fuel crops we could grow on a scale that will enable America to become energy independent on a sustainable basis.

Filed Under: The Future Tagged With: Energy, Hemp, switchgrass

How do we define middle class as we enter the second decade of the 21st century?

November 21, 2018 by Paul Edwards Leave a Comment

Fundamental changes in the structure of the U.S. economy, combined with increased health-care costs and lack of saving, have created a financial trap for millions of American workers heading into retirement.

Having healthcare insurance that covers most if not all the costs of healthcare – not the phantom policies with $5000 deductibles. In 2016, 37% reported having trouble affording health insurance premiums, up from 27% in 2015; 43% had trouble affording deductibles, up from 34% and 31% had trouble affording copays for doctor visits and prescription drugs, up from 24%.

In 2017, out-of-pocket medical costs, which includes health insurance premiums, copays, and prescription drug costs, pushed the incomes of 10.9 million people below the poverty threshold. That’s 400,000 more people who were impoverished by medical bills in 2017, compared to last year.

Significant equity (25%-50%) in a home or equivalent real estate.

The ability to be paying off all debt and expenses over for at least six months if one of the primary household wage-earners lose their job .

Income that enables the household to save at least 6% of its income.

Retirement funds: 401Ks, IRAs, pensions that will supplement Social Security.

Reliable vehicles for each wage-earner.

If a household needs government assistance in any form (housing, food stamps, Federal Energy), the household has likely slipped out of the middle class.

To be fully middle class, there are assets such as family heirlooms, precious metals and jewels, tools, etc. that can be transferred to the next generation and that will not vanish in an investment bubble or medical emergency.

The ability to provide for their children’s education, extracurricular activities, etc.

Sufficient leisure time to maintain their physical/mental, and spiritual fitness and to get training or otherwise learn new skills and find markets for one’ services in a technology changing economy.

To be middle class today is a continuing struggle for most Americans and yet the strength of America’s skills and the economic productivity of educated Americans is necessary for the nation’s survival.

Filed Under: Changing The Economic Direction Tagged With: leisure time, middle class

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About Me

Paul with his wife, Sarah Edwards, are award-winning authors of 17 books with over 2,000,000 books in print.

Paul provides local marketing consulting through the Small Business Development Center. He is co-founder of a new website: DigitalDocumentPros.com.

Prior to becoming an author, I practiced law, served as CEO of a non-profit, and operated a public affairs consulting practice. [Read more...]

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