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Top dividend stocks for retired people

 

Retirees have a different set of needs than other investors. Rather than focusing on capital appreciation (i.e. investing in art, jewelry, small businesses), retirees commonly want an income from their investments, to help offset some of the income they are no longer receiving from employment. With rising costs of housing and health care, among other necessities, income is especially important.

 

But investing for income is no easy task nowadays, due to persistently low-interest rates and a stock market near record highs that has resulted in fairly low dividend yields.

 

Fortunately, there are still many suitable high-dividend stocks that provide attractive levels of income for retirees. These 15 stocks have above-average dividend yields that beat the S&P 500 average, safe dividends that are nearly recession-proof, and also have the ability to raise their dividends over time.

 

Retirement Stock #1: Chevron Corporation (CVX)

Chevron is a well-known dividend growth stock, as it is on the prestigious Dividend Aristocrats list.

 

The company has increased its dividend for over 30 years in a row. Chevron is an integrated super-major, with large upstream (exploration and production) and downstream (refining and marketing) segments.

 

In the 2021 second quarter, Chevron grew its production 4.6% over the prior year’s quarter. The average realized price of oil of Chevron essentially tripled over last year’s quarter and thus Chevron switched from an adjusted loss of -$1.56 per share to an adjusted profit of $1.71 per share.

Shares currently yield 5.1%.

 

Retirement Stock #2: Altria Group (MO)

Altria Group is a legendary dividend stock. It has increased its dividend for over 50 years, making the stock a Dividend King. The company manufactures tobacco products including the Marlboro cigarette brand in the U.S., as well as chewing tobacco and cigars.

 

In response to the long-running trend of declining smoking rates in the U.S., Altria has invested heavily in adjacent categories for growth. Altria purchased a 55% equity stake in Canadian marijuana producer Cronos Group, invested nearly $13 billion for a 35% equity stake in e-vapor manufacturer Juul Labs, and the company owns 10% of Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD).

 

Altria will also continue to expand its own heated tobacco products, IQOS and Marlboro HeatSticks, in 2021. Shares currently yield 7.7%.

 

Retirement Stock #3: Exxon Mobil (XOM)

Like Chevron, Exxon Mobil is also a Dividend Aristocrat and is a global energy super-major.

 

In the second quarter, Exxon’s production in the Permian grew 34% over last year’s quarter but total production dipped -2% due to maintenance activity. However, the chemical segment posted record earnings of $2.3 billion thanks to high margins.

 

In addition, the upstream segment thrived thanks to the rally of the price of oil, which resulted from the deep production cuts of OPEC and Russia and the recovery from the pandemic. As a result, Exxon switched from an adjusted loss of -$0.70 per share in last year’s quarter to an adjusted profit of $1.10 per share. Exxon Mobil stock yields 5.7%.

 

Retirement Stock #4: AT&T Inc. (T)

AT&T is a telecom giant with a 7.4% dividend yield. AT&T is a telecommunications giant, as its core Communications segment provides mobile, broadband, and video to 100 million U.S. consumers and 3 million businesses. In the 2021 second quarter, AT&T generated 7% growth in revenue and adjusted earnings-per-share.

 

AT&T has announced a deal to combine WarnerMedia with Discovery, Inc. (DISCA) to create a new global entertainment company. AT&T will receive $43 billion in a combination of cash, securities, and retention of debt.

 

We believe these various deals with allow AT&T to simplify its operations, become more efficient, and return to its core focus on telecom services such as the 5G rollout. Shares currently yield over 7%.

AT&T

Retirement Stock #5: Procter & Gamble (PG)

Procter & Gamble is a consumer staples giant with a large portfolio of leading brands. Some of its notable brands include Pampers, Tide, Bounty, Charmin, Gillette, Old Spice, Febreze, Crest, Oral-B, Olay, and many more. The company generated $71 billion in sales in fiscal 2020.

 

Procter & Gamble has paid a dividend for 130 years and increased its dividend for 64 consecutive years. This is due in large part to the company’s ability to withstand recessions.

 

In the most recent quarter, P&G grew sales by 7% year-over-year. Adjusted earnings-per-share increased 10.5% for fiscal 2021. Procter & Gamble also provided fiscal 2022 guidance, anticipating 2% to 4% sales growth and 3% to 6% adjusted EPS growth. P&G is a Dividend King.

 

Retirement Stock #6: McDonald’s Corporation (MCD)

McDonald’s is the world’s largest publicly-traded fast food company, with about 39,000 locations in over 100 countries. Approximately 93% of the stores are independently owned and operated. Its accelerated franchising activity over the past few years has helped boost McDonald’s profit margins, and overall earnings-per-share.

 

McDonald’s competitive advantage is its global scale, an immense network of restaurants, well-known brand, and real estate assets. McDonald’s is one of the most universally-recognized and most valuable brands in the world.

McDonald’s has raised its dividend every year since paying its first dividend in 1976, qualifying the stock as a Dividend Aristocrat. Shares currently yield 2.2%.

 

Related read: Diversify Your Portfolio With These Top 10 International ETFs

 

Retirement Stock #7: Verizon Communications (VZ)

Verizon Communications is one of the largest wireless carriers in the country.  Wireless contributes three-quarters of all revenues, and broadband and cable services account for about a quarter of sales.  The company’s network covers ~300 million people and 98% of the U.S, as it continues its rollout of 5G service.

 

One of Verizon’s key competitive advantages is that it is often considered the best wireless carrier in the U.S. This is evidenced by the company’s wireless net additions and very low churn rate.

 

In the 2021 second quarter, Verizon’s revenue grew 11.2% to $33.8 billion, beating expectations by $1.1 billion. Adjusted earnings-per-share of $1.37 was a 16.1% increase from the prior year, and $0.07 ahead of estimates. Verizon stock offers a high yield of 4.7%.

 

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Retirement Stock #8: 3M Company (MMM)

3M is a diversified global industrial manufacturer. Its most popular consumer brands are Post-It and Scotch tape. In all, 3M manufactures more than 60,000 products that are used every day in homes, hospitals, office buildings, and schools around the world.

 

3M reported second-quarter earnings results on 7/27/2021. Revenue improved 24.7% to just under $9 billion and topped expectations by $360 million. Adjusted earnings-per-share of $2.59 compared favorably to adjusted earnings-per-share of $1.78 in the previous year and was $0.31 above estimates. Organic growth was 21.4% for the quarter, with each segment posting at least a high-teens growth rate.

 

3M has increased its dividend for over 60 consecutive years, making it a Dividend King. Shares currently yield 3.3%.

 

Read more: Dividend Kings – The Complete List for 2022

 

Retirement Stock #9: Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)

Johnson & Johnson is a diversified health care company and a mega-cap stock with a market cap above $400 billion. J&J is a market leader in the area of pharmaceuticals (~49% of sales), medical devices (~34% of sales) and consumer products (~17% of sales). Johnson & Johnson generates annual sales in excess of $90 billion.

 

The company has built a dominant business model and has produced 8% average annual earnings-per-share growth over the past 20 years. Johnson & Johnson generated over $20 billion in free cash flow last year.

 

Johnson & Johnson has increased its dividend for 59 consecutive years. With over 50 consecutive years of dividend increases, Johnson & Johnson is on the exclusive list of Dividend Kings. Shares currently yield 2.6%.

 

Read more: Invest in Art like the Ultra-Wealthy Without Spending Millions

 

Retirement Stock #10: The Coca-Cola Company (KO)

Coca-Cola is a global beverage giant. It is the world’s largest beverage company, as it owns or licenses more than 500 unique non-alcoholic brands. Since the company’s founding in 1886, it has spread to more than 200 countries worldwide. Its brands account for about 2 billion servings of beverages worldwide every day, producing roughly $36 billion in annual revenue.

 

Acquisitions are a key component of Coca-Cola’s future growth strategy. For example, Coca-Cola acquired Costa in a $4.9 billion acquisition, which gave it instant exposure to coffee, a high-growth market.

 

Coca-Cola stock yields 3.1% and the company has increased its dividend for over 50 years in a row.

 

Read more: ​​Leaps Options: 2 Ways to Profit in a Bullish Market

 

Retirement Stock #11: PepsiCo (PEP)

PepsiCo is a global food and beverage company. It has a diversified business model that is roughly evenly split between food and beverages. The company’s major brands include Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Tropicana, and Quaker. PepsiCo has 23 brands that each generates at least $1 billion in annual sales.

 

In the 2021 third quarter, PepsiCo’s revenue grew 11.6% to $20.2 billion, which was $800 million above expectations. Adjusted earnings-per-share of $1.79 was a 7.8% improvement year-over-year and $0.06 ahead of estimates. Organic sales were higher by 9%. Beverages overall had an 8% increase in volumes while food and snack were up 4%.

 

PepsiCo has increased its dividend for over 40 years in a row and currently yields 2.7%.

 

Related read: Don’t Miss These 12 Stocks Pay Monthly Dividends

 

Retirement Stock #12: Consolidated Edison (ED)

Consolidated Edison is a major U.S. utility that delivers electricity, natural gas, and steam to its customers in New York City and Westchester County. It has annual revenues of about $12 billion.

 

In the 2021 second quarter, revenue improved 9.2% to $3 billion, beating expectations by $140 million. Adjusted net income of $183 million, or $0.53 per share, was $0.09 below expectations.

 

Utility stocks are widely purchased for their stable business models and reliable dividends, and ConEd is no exception. It has increased its dividend for over 40 consecutive years, making it a Dividend Aristocrat. Shares currently yield 4.2%.

 

Retirement Stock #13: Kimberly-Clark Corporation (KMB)

The Kimberly-Clark Corporation is a global consumer products company that makes disposable consumer products, including paper towels, diapers, and tissues. It manufactures many popular brands including Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kotex, Depend, Kleenex, Scott, Cottonelle, and Viva.

 

Kimberly-Clark reported second quarter earnings on July 23rd, 2021. Total sales were up 2% year-over-year to $4.7 billion, as forex added 3% to the top line, while organic sales declined 3%. Kimberly-Clark is being challenged by rising raw materials costs, but the company has the ability to pass this along through price increases.

 

Kimberly-Clark has increased its dividend for 49 consecutive years, including a solid 6.5% raise for 2021. With another yearly increase, Kimberly-Clark will join the list of Dividend Kings. Shares currently yield 3.5%.

 

Read more: How to Sell Covered Calls on Dividend Stocks

Kleenex

Retirement Stock #14: American Electric Power (AEP)

American Electric Power was founded in 1906 and has evolved its business model along with changing technologies to offer customers safe, reliable, and affordable energy. It is one of the largest regulated utilities in the United States and offers electricity generation, transmission, and distribution services in 11 states. Its energy sources are coal, natural gas, renewables, and nuclear.

 

The company serves 5.5 million customers and has over $80 billion in assets, with 40,000 miles of transmission. AEP has paid 444 consecutive quarterly dividends on its common stock. It has paid a cash dividend on its common stock every quarter since July 1910. Shares currently yield 3.5%.

 

Retirement Stock #15: AbbVie Inc. (ABBV)

AbbVie is a biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing drugs for immunology, oncology and virology. AbbVie was spun off by Abbott Laboratories (ABT) in 2013. Since then, AbbVie has become one of the largest biotechnology companies, especially following the closing of its acquisition of Allergan.

 

Since the spin-off, AbbVie has more than tripled its earnings per share, from $3.14 in 2013 to $10.56 in 2020. It has continued to generate growth this year. In the most recent quarter, revenue of $14.0 billion increased 34% from the previous year’s quarter. AbbVie earned $3.11 per share during the second quarter, up 33% year-over-year.

 

AbbVie stock has a high dividend yield of 4.7%.

 

This article originally appeared on The Financially Independent Millennial  and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.

 

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29 simple ways to retire early

 

 

According to the Federal Reserve, fewer than four in 10 Americans feel they are on track with their retirement savings, but some are bolstering their accounts through extreme savings strategies in hopes of retiring early.

FIRE, which stands for financial independence, retire early, is a financial movement based on three principles:

  • A significant reduction in spending
  • An increase in income
  • Smart investing

It’s important to make the right moves if you want to retire early. Most people need to make some sacrifices to their time and budget to achieve FIRE. You may have to pick up one or two of the best side hustles and completely eliminate discretionary spending, or you might take a more laid-back approach.

Whatever your tolerance for financial sacrifice, there are some simple actions you can take now that could add years to your retirement. There’s bound to be something on this list you could start doing today.

Related: 8 simple pieces of advice from Warren Buffett that any investor can use

 

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To get started with planning for retirement, you’ll need to know where your money’s going. Start by tracking your average expenses for a month, and use that information to create a budget:

  1. Add up your sources of income.
  2. Subtract your predictable expenses, such as rent or a mortgage.
  3. Allocate the leftover income to various spending categories.

Maintaining a budget might be difficult without the right tools, so check out the best budgeting apps and find one that works for you.

 

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It’s helpful to have a retirement age in mind and set a savings goal that will allow you to live comfortably through your extended retirement. A general rule of thumb is that you’ll need 10 times your annual salary invested to be able to retire at 67.

But if you want to retire early and maintain your current lifestyle, you’ll need to save more than that. Plan to have about 45% of your pre-tax, pre-retirement income saved for each year of retirement. Once you decide how much you’ll need, figure out how much you’ll need to set aside each year to get there.

 

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You might think your utility costs are fixed, but there are a number of ways you could save money on utilities. You might:

  • Install energy-efficient features in your home, such as a smart thermostat.
  • Find ways to reduce your usage, like bundling up instead of increasing the heat.
  • Check to see whether you can switch electric companies or switch to a renewable energy plan, either of which might lower your bills.

 

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Although the FIRE movement focuses on investing money, you’ll also need liquid cash stashed in a savings account that you can access in an emergency. This will help you avoid needing to withdraw from your retirement account or borrow money that will cost you in interest charges.

Experts generally recommend keeping three to six months’ worth of expenses in a savings account, but you might feel more comfortable with more than that during the current economic downturn. At a minimum, economists suggest having $2,467 saved in an emergency fund.

And if you open one of the best savings accounts, then your money can still earn some interest even though you’re not investing it.

 

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If you monitor your credit card statements, you might find charges you didn’t expect. Maybe you never have canceled that free trial of a streaming service you only intended to try out.

If you don’t want to analyze your statements, you can use a free app such as Truebill to cancel unused subscriptions on your behalf. Truebill’s team of experts can also help you negotiate your telecommunications bills and request refunds from your bank when you’re charged an overdraft or late fee.

 

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Have you ever purchased an item only to watch the price drop later? Many retailers have policies in place to refund you the difference when that happens. And retailers such as Amazon will even refund your order if your delivery is late.

But keeping track of these policies, while also tracking prices on items you already bought, can be quite a headache. Try using a free service like Paribus or Waldo to more easily find potential refunds. Both work by scanning your email for receipts and monitoring prices on items you’ve purchased.

 

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The more money you contribute to your retirement plans early on, the more your money will grow by the time you’re ready to retire. When saving for retirement, experts generally recommend stashing away 15% of your pre-tax income annually. But if you want to retire early, you’ll need to contribute even more.

You might consider going beyond just matching your employer contribution and trying to contribute up to the 401(k) limit. If you still have money to save, open an IRA in addition. If you’re self-employed, you can use a SEP IRA, which has much higher contribution limits.

 

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Every dollar you spend provides an opportunity to earn cashback and rewards, which can help you save more of your income for retirement. There’s no reason not to use a rewards card for all your purchases. There are plenty of annual fee-free cards to choose from, but you might also consider premium cards if you know the benefits, perks and rewards can offset the annual fee.

Which card will be the best rewards credit card for you will depend on your lifestyle and spending habits. And don’t be afraid to have multiple credit cards to make the most of different spending categories. Just make sure you pay your balance off each month to avoid any interest charges.

 

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If you have fair or bad credit, you may not be able to get a low enough rate on a personal loan to consolidate your debt, and you won’t qualify for a balance transfer card, either. But you can use a debt repayment strategy to get out of debt faster and start saving more.

The debt avalanche method involves prioritizing your highest-interest debt while keeping up with the minimum payments on all your other bills. Once you’ve paid off your highest-interest debt, whether that’s a credit card or a payday loan, you’ll move to the next highest-interest debt on the list.

 

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Why not get paid for the shopping you already do? With Ibotta, you can get automatic cash back for your online shopping when you use the browser extension or mobile app, and there are a few in-store options as well:

  • Purchase a gift card to use in-store and receive cashback instantly.
  • Link your store loyalty card to your Ibotta account for automatic cashback.
  • Select offers in the app prior to shopping, then submit your receipts for cashback.

Ibotta partners with more than 1,500 retailers, so you’ll be able to collect on most, if not all, of your purchases. Ibotta has dished out $600 million to Ibotta users since 2012.

 

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Find out how your salary compares to the average for your industry in your city. You may be able to find a new position at a company that pays better, especially if you’re currently earning below average. Even if you love your job, getting an offer at another company could give you some leverage to negotiate a raise.

You might even invest in some continuing education, such as professional certificates, to make yourself more marketable to future employers. Or you could train for a different career entirely if there are limits to how much you can earn in your industry.

There are plenty of affordable technology boot camps and professional certificates, and there are even paid apprenticeships for certain careers. Just be sure to evaluate the program thoroughly and calculate whether you’ll earn enough incremental income to offset the cost.

 

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If you’re paying high APRs on your credit cards or other debt, you might be able to save money and get out of debt faster by getting a low-interest personal loan to pay off what you owe. It’ll leave you with just one bill to worry about every month, and you’ll pay less over the life of the loan.

If you have good or excellent credit and can pay off your debt within 18 months, you might also consider one of the best balance transfer credit cards to help you pay off your credit card debt. These credit cards come with a 0% introductory APR, and some of them offer that for up to 18 months. This means you can devote more of your money toward paying down the principal.

 

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If you move to a city with a lower cost of living, you could potentially put more of your income toward retirement. That’s especially true if you work remotely, as your salary likely won’t change.

But where should you move? Start by checking out the 25 best cities for remote workers, which were chosen based on cost of living, housing affordability, Wi-Fi speeds and various amenities.

 

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Real estate investments can be lucrative, but they used to require large amounts of cash. These days, you can invest in commercial real estate with as little as a few hundred dollars — and there are ways to invest in real estate without buying property.

Thanks to crowdfunding, real estate investment trusts (REITs) and investing apps, we can now all make moves toward our dream of becoming real estate barons and build income for our early retirement years.

 

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Every insurance provider weighs your information differently, so you might be able to get a better rate by switching to a new provider. Even if you shopped around before you purchased your policy, it’s a good idea to compare prices across insurance companies every six months, especially if any of your circumstances have changed.

For example, to get the best car insurance, you can get quotes from individual providers’ websites, or you can use an insurance rate comparison tool to get multiple quotes at once.

 

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If you’ve already maxed out your contributions on your tax-advantaged retirement accounts, you may be ready to invest money in a taxable brokerage account. You’ll pay taxes on your capital gains with these sorts of accounts, but there’s no limit to how much you can invest, and you can withdraw your money at any time.

To find the best brokerage account, compare fees to get the best deal. From there, decide what combination of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or exchange-traded funds (ETFs) you’d like to purchase. Or you can opt to go with one of the best investment apps, which can make it easy to get started, often with a very small minimum investment.

 

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Don’t throw away your receipts because those slips of paper could be worth more than you think. With Fetch, you can earn rewards (think gift cards to popular retailers like Amazon and Target) just from scanning your grocery receipts.

You don’t need to pre-select offers, but you can view offers before you shop to maximize your rewards. You’ll earn a minimum of five points for every eligible receipt scanned, but you can rack up way more than that by taking advantage of bonus point offers. You’ll also get 2,000 points for referring a friend. One thousand points are worth $1 toward a gift card.

 

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It can be a smart idea to diversify your investment portfolio with an alternative asset class, such as blue-chip art. Investments in fine art have been known to outperform the S&P 500, and you no longer need millions to get a foot in the door.

With Masterworks, you can invest in shares of paintings at $20 each, with a minimum investment of $1,000. From there, you can choose to hold onto your investment for three to 10 years until the painting is sold, or sell your shares through the Masterworks secondary market.

 

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If you have an extra bedroom, a comfortable sofa, or even an attic space you don’t use, you can earn extra money each month by renting out your space. You might choose to get a roommate or use a platform like Airbnb, which can be one of the more lucrative side hustles in the gig economy.

If you don’t have sleeping space but you have storage space to rent out, check out Neighbor.

 

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Drop is a free app and Chrome extension that rewards you for shopping with hundreds of retailers. In addition to shopping directly from the app, you can link a credit or debit card to automatically get points when you make a purchase at a partner retailer.

Every 1,000 points equal $1, and you can redeem your points for gift cards at top stores like Amazon and Starbucks. Use those gift cards for your everyday purchases, and you’ll have more money left over from your income to contribute to a retirement account.

 

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As of December 2020, the national average annual percentage yield (APY) on a savings account is just .05%, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC). That’s not much compared to what some high-yield savings accounts offer. For example, a savings account with an online bank could earn you 1%.

Although your money will certainly grow faster in a retirement account, a high-yield savings account is a great place to keep your cash. There are even high-yield savings accounts with no minimum balance requirement, so you can open an account and start building toward retirement even with a small amount today.

 

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Bad credit can cost you thousands of dollars in interest charges on your auto and home loans, raise your insurance premiums and make it more costly to take out a personal loan or use a credit card.

Take steps to improve your credit score so you can avoid paying unnecessary interest. Set up automatic payments so they’re always on time, and try to lower your credit utilization ratio (the amount of available credit you’re using) by paying down debt, making payments twice per month, and asking for a higher credit limit.

If you have limited credit history, consider using a secured credit card to build credit, or ask to be an authorized user on a creditworthy relative’s account. Monitor your score regularly with a free service that can help you see simple moves to make that can continue building your score.

 

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It can be tricky to know how much to set aside each month, especially if your income or expenses fluctuate. Digit is an app that analyzes your income, spending and upcoming bills to determine a safe amount to save for you.

Your money is automatically deposited into an FDIC-insured account. Digit can also help you pay off credit card debt and invest to reach your retirement goals.

 

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A lot of people have unclaimed cash they’re not aware is out there. It could be a security deposit that was never returned or an overtime check you never cashed. Or it might be something more significant, like an unclaimed life insurance payout.

It’s easy to check for this money with the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators. You’ll need to search by state, so you should conduct a search for all the states you’ve lived in.

 

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If you throw away your old clothes, books, home items or used electronics, you’re throwing away money. It’s easy to resell your items online for cash. Check out the following platforms to get started:

  • Electronics: eBay, Amazon
  • Home items: Letgo, Craigslist, OfferUp
  • Clothing: Poshmark, Mercari, thredUP
  • Books: BookScouter, Amazon, Half Price Books

You can also use many of these same sites to find money-saving deals on secondhand items for your household, in addition to snagging items at local thrift stores.

 

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If you don’t use your car that often, you can potentially earn hundreds of dollars per month renting it out with a service like Getaround or Turo. You’ll need to keep your car clean and well-maintained but beyond that, not much effort is required.

Turo offers a contactless check-in process that allows you to do a remote identification of the driver. Getaround uses a device that allows renters to unlock your car from their phone.

If you’re a frequent commuter, you can also earn money from your car by displaying advertisements as you drive. Wrapify or Carvertise will place removable ads on your vehicle, and you’ll get paid according to how often and where you drive.

 

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The amount you can earn with most side hustles is limited due to time constraints. We all have only so many hours in the day. But passive income opportunities can be a way to earn money while you’re doing other things. Some require effort upfront, but very little ongoing work is needed to keep earning.

For example, ways to earn passive income might include:

  • Creating an online course and selling it
  • Creating a popular YouTube video
  • Becoming a peer-to-peer lender
  • Opening a dropshipping business
  • Monetizing your blog or social media page with affiliate marketing

 

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For many careers, there are opportunities to work freelance in addition to your day job. If you’re a writer, designer, web developer, photographer, assistant, accountant or any other job that lends itself to freelance work, try creating a profile advertising your skills on Upwork or Fiverr.

You can also check out freelance opportunities on FlexJobs or other job sites. Eventually, you may want to create a portfolio website showcasing recent work and testimonials from past clients.

 

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A spending freeze is a planned break from discretionary spending. That means you’ll only put money toward your necessary bills and expenses, such as paying rent and buying groceries.

You’ll cut out all spending on dining out, entertainment, subscription services, clothing and anything else you don’t need to live. It can be hard to keep this up in the long term, but if you plan on doing it for one or two months out of the year, you’ll save a significant chunk of change.

 

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The FIRE movement isn’t for everyone, but anyone can learn from its principles. When you’re about to make a purchase, think about whether you could divert that money to savings instead. If you value financial independence, frugality will follow. And if you have a savings goal in mind, you’ll be more motivated to earn extra income as well.

Even if you don’t want to retire early, this list of money moves can help you reach other financial goals and will contribute to your overall financial stability. In other words, these are healthy choices, especially during an economic downturn.

Whether you want to retire at 45 or 65, know that you have the potential to reach your goal. It’s going to take effort, and you’ll need to make sacrifices, but you’ll ultimately be rewarded with more time to spend however you wish. And these moves are a great place to start.

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This article originally appeared on FinanceBuzz.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.

 

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