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[ad_1] Today the Census Bureau reported 863,000 new home sales in April 2021. This was a miss from estimates and revisions for the previous months were all negative. From Census: “Sales of new single‐family houses in April 2021 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 863,000, according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This is 5.9 percent (±11.2 percent)* below the revised March rate of 917,000, but is 48.3 percent (±24.5 percent) above the April 2020 estimate of 582,000.” Data from the previous months’ report was a beat of estimates with positive revisions. The difference in the two reports is not surprising; new home sales tend to fluctuate wildly month to month on both the positive and the negative. A more reliable and stable indicator of the housing market is the monthly supply of new homes, averaged over three months. As long as the three-month average is under 4.3 months, the builders will have the confidence to continue to build. With this report, the three-month average is up to 4.23 months. This puts us on the verge of the housing market turning from solid to just okay. I know it might not seem like much of a move, but, trust me you want to keep an eye out on this data line. This content is exclusively for HW+ members. Start an HW+ Membership now for less than $1 per day. Your HW+ Membership includes: Unlimited access to HW+ articles and analysis Exclusive access to the HW+ Slack community and virtual events HousingWire Magazine delivered to your home or office BECOME A MEMBER TODAY Already a member? log in The post New home sales trigger concern over lumber prices appeared first on HousingWire. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] There are an endless number of ways you can make money online, and sometimes I feel like I have tried them all. I have built digital products, and of course, I have a blog that has helped me earn millions of dollars over the years.  I’m also a YouTuber with more than 370,000 subscribers to my channel, called Wealth Hacker. After years trying nearly everything, I have found that most online income strategies can work — that is, if you understand upfront that you’ll probably fail a few times along the way. Not everyone knows this, but I also have an online course that is geared to financial advisors who want to build up their online presence. I created this course since that’s exactly what I did.  Believe it or not, but I was once a financial advisor who wore a suit everyday and met with clients in-person. But thanks to the internet, I sold my financial planning practice and focused on blogging and other online work instead. Why I Created an Online Course While my online course is targeted at a niche group of people (financial advisors), I was still able to earn more than $200,000 over the course of a few years. That’s pretty amazing when you think about it, mostly because I didn’t really know what I was doing at first, and because I had to make quite a few adjustments along the way. Why did I originally create an online course?  To be honest, I got the idea from Ramit Sethi. If you’re not familiar with him, he’s a personal finance expert and New York Times best-selling author who is known for his books and his website, I Will Teach You to Be Rich. Sethi has a ton of courses, and I know all about them because I bought his first one.  That made me want to build my own course, but I just wasn’t sure about the topic at first. The thing is, I was eventually shown very clearly what my first course should be about.  Recognizing the Demand At the time, I was getting contacted by financial advisors from all over the United States who wanted to know how I broke into the online space. And since I was so excited about blogging and my success, I would frequently get on the phone with people for 30 or 45 minutes — and all for free! But over time, I started recognizing that most of the people I spoke to weren’t doing anything with the information I was sharing. Some of them would even come back again and again with more questions, yet they never put anything into action.  At one point, I started just charging for those phone calls… starting at $100 per hour until I got up to $500 per hour and then $1,000 per hour. At that point, I realized people were more than willing to pay for the information I was sharing. I also realized the type of people who were willing to pay were also the most likely to implement the strategies I suggested. From there, my first successful course was born — The Online Advisor Growth Formula. I built the course to help financial advisors figure out how to build an online brand they could use to grow their business and build new revenue streams. I started with a beta version that cost just $500, but I wound up charging almost $2,500 for the final product.  The rest is history. Over the course of two years, I made more than $200,000 with this course, and I learned a ton in the process. How You Can Build an Online Course It is definitely not too late to build an online course that people are willing to pay for. In fact, a recent study of the global e-learning market showed that this industry is expected to be worth $374.3 billion dollars by 2026, up from $144 billion in 2019.  Imagine if you could get just a little slice of that money, from a few thousand to a few hundred thousand bucks of your own. That amount of money could be enough to change your financial situation forever, or even enough you never have to work a regular “job” again in your life. But, how do you create an online course? In my mind, there are nine main steps you need to take to turn your dream into reality. Here’s exactly what you need to do to get your course off the ground, and to start making money while you sleep. Step #1: Pick a Topic The first step you need to take is figuring out what your course should be about. This will all depend on your area of expertise, as well as the topics you’re passionate about.  You could create a course that explains how to get started in your favorite hobby, but you could also build a course that relies on your professional credentials. The choice is really up to you, but you should make sure you’re not afraid to think outside the box. For example, you can find online courses on cooking and baking, investing, pottery, photography, or podcasting. There are popular courses that teach watercolor painting, cake decorating, and the art of paper flowers. To come with the best course for you, you have to think about what you’re good at. What do you know that other people want to learn? Step #2: Market Research Once you have an idea or two, you need to do some market research. For the most part, this means validating the idea so you know people will pay for the expertise you want to offer.  Funny enough, there are courses you can take on how to do market research! However, there are plenty of ways to do some market research without a financial investment. For example, you could: Create a simple questionnaire using Google Forms and share it on social media, including LinkedIn Look for other courses on similar

[ad_1] The post How to Live Without a Job appeared first on Millennial Money. Most workers dream of the day when they no longer have to work, either by striking it rich or retiring with a hefty amount of money in their accounts.  As it turns out, living life without a job is possible. In fact, many people do it! It’s just a matter of putting the right plan in place.  Keep reading to learn more about how to live life without a traditional job. Making a living without a job    The only way to make a living without a job is to generate passive income. You can’t just charge everything to a credit card. What is passive income? Passive income is money you generate without having to consistently work for it.  It typically involves making an upfront investment in the form of time or labor.  For example, you might buy a rental property.  After that initial investment, you should continue to produce income on a steady basis, enabling you to take a hands-off approach and focus on other things. Imagine sitting at the table reading the morning paper while you steadily generate money from e-commerce sales. This is an example of passive income that for many people is increasingly becoming a regular job.  Passive income ideas  Now that you have a better idea of what passive income looks like, let’s take a look at some of the more popular ways to earn passive income. Open a high-yield savings account (HYSA) Consider opening an HYSA from an online bank to maximize interest returns from money you stash in savings. Online banks typically offer much higher interest rates than traditional savings accounts, making them a better option for storing money.  At the time of writing, most HYSAs are hovering around 0.40% to 0.50% APY, while some traditional savings accounts are as low as 0.01%. Invest in the stock market  One way to earn passive income is to invest in the stock market and live off of dividends and capital gains. You’ll need to generate a substantial lump sum and put the money into stable investments that generate strong returns.  Suppose you have $1 million making 5% in the stock market. That’s enough to pay a salary of $50,000 per year, which could be enough to live off of in some areas.  You probably won’t live a rich lifestyle on this income. But if you’re good with managing money and careful not to go overboard and dip into the principal balance, it could work. Learn more: Stock Fundamentals: A Beginner’s Guide 15 Best Stocks to Buy For Beginners How To Invest In Stocks – A Beginner’s Guide Get a pension You may be able to secure a government job when you’re young that offers a lifetime pension upon retirement. Some public officials are able to retire at 40 or 50, enabling them to go on and do whatever they want during retirement with a steady income and health benefits.  Of course, this requires years of sacrifice and hard work—and potentially dangerous jobs (e.g., being a soldier or firefighter). Sell media assets Talented writers, artists, photographers, and musicians can create works and sell them through various online channels like Amazon Kindle Direct and Shutterstock. And graphic designers can sell designs on Amazon Merch for other vendors to buy and put on products like T-shirts, hats, and mugs.  The idea is simple: Spend some time producing work, and sell it, possibly in perpetuity. Rent your car on Turo Most cars sit in a parking space all day without being used.  People in this situation should consider renting their car out on Turo to bring in extra cash when their vehicle isn’t being driven.  Rent your space on Airbnb People who own a house or rent an apartment should look into Airbnb, a site that allows you to post your private space for tenants to rent on a short-term basis. Renting on Airbnb is a great way to bring in extra cash from time to time without doing much at all. You can also hire a cleaning service to deal with upkeep and maintenance, making your job even more passive. Learn more: How to Make Money With Airbnb (Over $10,000 Per Month!) Top Income Generating Assets for 2021 Top 33 Ways to Make Extra Money Become a landlord  Another way to earn passive income is to buy a rental property and become a landlord.  By owning a rental property, you can earn monthly rent payments from tenants.  You can also use a property management company to deal with tenants and repairs, making the job easier and putting more time back into your schedule.  Jobs that don’t feel like work If you truly love what you do and don’t have the pressure of working for a company, then your work won’t feel like a job.  Here are some jobs you can take on to earn income that may not feel like work. Freelancing If you love writing or graphic design, consider becoming a freelancer.  You can make media assets for companies and work flexible hours. If this sounds up your alley, check out a site like Fiverr or Upwork to get started. Learn more: How to Become a Freelance Writer Best Side Jobs Online High-Income Skills to Earn More Money Pet sitting  Another job that doesn’t feel like work is pet sitting. You can get paid to spend time with animals, take them out for walks, and feed them. If you’re an animal lover, it’s a no-brainer to give this work a try.  Travel blogging or vlogging  It’s also possible to get paid to travel around and document your experiences on a blog or vlog. Just imagine backpacking around Spain, visiting popular destinations, and sharing them with your followers. These are just a few examples of jobs that don’t feel like work. Other examples include teaching subjects you are passionate about, creating artwork, and cooking for a living.  Think about your passions and what it

[ad_1] These Learning Resources & Educational Insights toys are so fun! Zulily is having a huge sale on Learning Resources & Educational Insights toys and you can save up to 45% off! There are so many fun items in this sale. These innovative hands-on products help build skills through imagination and exploration. Choose from building block sets, arts & crafts, puzzles, games, math & science activities, alphabet toys, and SO much more. They sent some products to our team members, so be sure to keep reading for some of our favorites! Gretchen here! They sent us several toys to try and my boys were so excited! This Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game has been a HUGE hit. Even my 3-year-old can play it so we’ve had a lot of fun playing it multiple times each day as a family! It’s only $12.78 right now, plus there’s an extra 5% off coupon to clip making for an even better deal! If you have preschoolers, I would highly recommend this game. These Jr. Kidnoculars were also a favorite and have also been put to good use by all three of my boys. We’ve even taken them along on hikes and the boys have loved discovering more of nature with them. Meg here! One of the most popular items in this sale is the Design & Drill Activity Center for $20.89 after the 5% clipped coupon! I received this to give to my nephew for his 3rd birthday, and he went absolutely CRAZY for it! He immediately started playing with it, asked to go to bed with the drill, and then immediately asked to play with it upon waking the next morning! In fact, his mom sent me photos this week of him continuing to play with it non-stop. It’s really cool, because it actually drills the screws in! It’s just just “pretend” because you have to use the drill to screw the bolts on and off. It’s great for learning colors and fine motor skills! This is just a small sampling of some of the products available in this sale. You’ll find all kinds of other great educational items in this sale, too! Shop quickly, because the best items will probably sell out quickly. Shipping starts at $5.99. But if you place one order today, the rest of your orders will ship for FREE through 11:59 p.m. PT tonight! Shop the entire educational toys sale here. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] Europe weighs risks, benefits of vaccinating kids against COVID-19 [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] According to the proposal, it will employ one dependent family member in a suitable role and pay `15 lakh as ex-gratia to the nominated family member of the employee who died after March 2020. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] HousingWire recently spoke with Trevor Gauthier, CEO of ACES Quality Management, about the effects of 2020 on loan quality and what lenders should expect regarding loan quality and risk management this year. HousingWire: What did the mortgage industry learn from the past year from an operational perspective? Trevor Gauthier: 2020 was a wake-up call in terms of building a roadmap to increase your organizational efficiency and how technology needs to be a cornerstone of that plan. Navigating a remote work environment on a never-before-seen scale and maintaining long-distance collaboration while maintaining operational efficiency, compliance and data security was foreign territory for most, requiring the industry to be flexible in a way it hasn’t before. Furthermore, after lenders tapped the well of available talent dry in the midst of last year’s skyrocketing volumes, many were forced to acknowledge how massively inefficient the “hire-and-fire” strategy for dealing with volume fluctuations is and begin thinking long and hard about how to break that cycle. Overall though, I believe many lenders took last year’s difficult circumstances and used it as fuel to invest for the long-term health of their organizations. Of course, the pandemic wasn’t the only event in 2020 that had an effect on our industry, as we also experienced a transition of power in both the White House and the Senate this year. Given the seemingly more relaxed attitude towards enforcement from federal regulators under the Trump Administration, it was easy for lenders to let their guard down in terms of compliance. However, industry oversight can also be cyclical to a certain degree, and rather than following the tides of political transitions and regulatory enforcement, lenders need to focus on maintaining a level of compliance that passes muster regardless of the party in power or how strenuously regulators may or may not be directed to hold lenders accountable. Fair Lending is a great example of this. Even though the Trump Administration rolled back the disparate impact standard, amongst other changes, the need to comply with Fair Lending regulations and requirements did not change. Now that the Biden Administration has singled out Fair Lending as one of its top enforcement priorities and put disparate impact back into play, lenders are scrambling to ensure that they are in compliance. Even though last year’s circumstances were extraordinary, the fact that we operate in a cyclical industry did not change, and while the peaks and valleys seem to get more extreme each time they come around, we should be long past the point of being caught off guard by that volatility. If your organization hasn’t already begun laying the groundwork for long-term operational improvement, now is the time so that you’re prepared for the next up-cycle. HW: What effect did the pandemic have on loan quality in 2020? TG: While we’ve only seen the data from the first three quarters of 2020, those results tell the story of the pandemic over the first nine months of the year. In Q1, the industry saw the critical defect rate fall 9.5% over Q4 2019 to 1.56%, matching Q3 2019 and representing a multi-year low. With the pandemic not hitting the nation as a whole until the end of the quarter, we only began to see a hint of what was to come, with early payment defaults (EPDs) emerging as the major area of concern. In Q2, we began to see the number of EPDs rise as the pandemic’s impact on employment grew more pronounced and more Americans took advantage of forbearance options provided by the CARES Act. The critical defect rate also rose to 1.88%, and given the chaos surrounding the swift transition to remote work, it came as no surprise that income/employment defects were largely to blame for the increase. Because of the potential impact to lenders, we began tracking and reporting EPD numbers for the early months of Q3 in the Q2 report and saw a nearly 200% increase by Q3 over pre-pandemic levels. Thankfully, that number began trending downward in Q4, though it remains to be seen if this trend will continue as borrowers began coming out of forbearance plans in the early months of 2021. However, Q3 also brought the highest quarter-over-quarter increase in critical defect rates (25%) since ACES began issuing its QC benchmark reporting in 2016, with the overall rate hitting an industry-high of 2.34%. This coincided with the massive spike in volume lenders experienced starting in July. Adding fuel to the fire was the “adverse market refinance fee” announcement from FHFA, which was shared with the industry in August and originally scheduled to go into effect in September. Because of the short lead time and expensive repercussions of the fee, lenders had a frenetic couple of weeks figuring out what to do with loans that were already locked but not able to be delivered to the agencies prior to Sept. 1st. Of course, the fee was later deferred to December 1st so I think we’ll still see the effects of this in the data from Q4 and the early quarters of 2021. HW: What adjustments did ACES make to its technology to help lenders maintain loan quality and mitigate risk amidst last year’s skyrocketing volumes? TG: As a company, we are always looking at what our clients’ areas of concern are and where we can help. By keeping our ear to the ground and being responsive to our clients’ needs in as close to real-time as possible, we were able to roll out several major enhancements last year to help our clients keep their eye on loan quality. Most immediately, we launched a new question set category within the ACES Managed Questionnaire functionality to house all temporary regulatory provisions issued by state and federal agencies and the GSEs in response to the COVID-19 crisis to ensure our clients were auditing to the most current regulatory standards.  We also created an EPD-specific audit module to bolster lenders’ existing audit programs and maintain a closer eye on this growing area of

[ad_1] Whoa!! This is a hot deal on Gap Factory Men’s Jeans! Right now, Gap Factory is offering an extra 40% off clearance items when you use the promo code GFBONUS at checkout! Plus, sign up for their email list and you’ll receive an extra 15% off your next order plus free shipping. And yes, these codes can be stacked! As a deal idea, you can score Men’s Jeans for as low as $12.73 shipped: Gap Factory Men’s Jeans – As low as $24.97Use promo code GFBONUS (40% off)Use unique promo code for signing up for email list (15% off + free shipping)$12.73 shipped after codes You can also get these Women’s Gap Factory Mid-Rise Jeans for just $14.98 shipped: Women’s Gap Factory Mid Rise Universal Legging Jeans With Washwell – $28.97Use promo code GFBONUS (40% off)Use unique promo code for signing up for email list (15% off + free shipping)$14.98 shipped after codes Hurry – sizes are selling out quickly. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] Mali's former coup chief takes power after military arrests president [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] Apart from these two locations in Greek islands, the carrier will be operating flights to Turkey’s Bodrum and Trabzon, Tivat in Montenegro and Georgia’s Batumi. [ad_2] Source link