With much of the U.S. retirement conversation often focused on the increasing challenges of maintaining a quality of living into older age, a law passed by Congress in 2022 could be a positive sign.
The Securing a Strong Retirement Act of 2022, known by its moniker “SECURE 2.0,” includes provisions including automatic enrollment of more workers into retirement savings plans, matching certain student loan payments in a 401(k) plan and tweaks to required minimum distributions (RMDs) in existing retirement plans.
“[A]s pensions become rarer and Social Security benefits lose purchasing power, SECURE 2.0 could be the foundation modern workers need to save for retirement while covering their everyday expenses,” according to an overview of the law published by personal finance website Money.
The automatic enrollment provision could have a notable impact on U.S. retirement. While not expected to kick in until the final day of the year, “most new 401(k) and 403(b) plans will automatically enroll employees unless they opt out,” the overview explained. “This is expected to drastically expand the number of people enrolled in employer retirement plans.”
Starting this year, borrowers of certain qualifying student loans can have those payments matched in a 401(k) or 403(b) account by their employer. This provision is not a requirement but could assist those aiming to establish a more secure retirement in the future.
“Instead of matching workers’ contributions to retirement accounts, participating employers match the same amount of money that workers pay toward their student loans,” the overview said. “All workers have to do is make sure they opt for the new benefit (if applicable) and make timely payments.”
Those with tax-deferred retirement accounts who must make RMDs — annual withdrawal thresholds — will also see the starting age for RMDs rise from 72 to 73 this year. By 2033, that age will rise again to 75.
“The law also reduced the penalty for not withdrawing the required minimum from 50% to 25% of an account holder’s RMD (and, if corrected within two years, to 10%),” Money said.
Retirement challenges persist, however. Recent data shows that older Americans are at risk of becoming their adult children’s biggest expense, and a January survey from AARP shows that over 60% of seniors have not sought out retirement advice from a financial professional due to trust issues.
Generation X’s savings levels will fall short of what is required according to recent data from Schroders. Observers and aging advocates continue to detail why aging in place could be an important element for stabilizing retirement finances.
Dallas is a fast-growing and highly desirable city to live in. It’s ranked city No. 24 on U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Places to Live” list for a good reason. In Dallas, you can find big-city vibes as well as toned-down suburban-style living depending on where you settle down — making it suitable for any lifestyle.
The cost of living in Dallas is 7.7 percent higher than the national average, but it still costs less to live here than in cities like Los Angeles, Boston and Chicago. Within Dallas, the average rent is declining year-over-year, and if you have ever considered moving to Dallas, now is the time!
Before moving to Dallas, you should consider some basic expenses like housing, food and utilities. These are all common things to think about before making your move. The below sections will help you determine if living in Dallas makes sense for you.
Housing costs in Dallas
Experts predict the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex to rank as the sixth-hottest housing market in the nation in 2021.
With that being said, you should know that the cost of living in Dallas for housing is 15.9 percent above the national average and properties do not sit on the market long. Don’t let that deter you from rolling your sleeves up and going after what you want. Just keep in mind that the market is pretty competitive.
Some of the most expensive neighborhoods to live in Dallas are Knox/Henderson, East Dallas, Main Street District and Vickery Place. To reside in one of these neighborhoods, you will find yourself paying $2,000 to $2,500 on average monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment. Don’t worry though — you get your money’s worth. These neighborhoods are known for their walkability factor, unique restaurant options and upscale services.
On the other hand, you can live in neighborhoods like Highland Hills, Southeast Dallas or Riverway Estates and rent a one-bedroom for under $800. It depends on which amenities are important to you and the lifestyle you want to live within the city.
If you’re house hunting, you’ll also find a vast range of options. According to Redfin, the Dallas home market is up 17.1 percent since last year, and the median sale price is $410,000 — well above the national average of $353,000.
Food costs in Dallas
Food costs in Dallas are right around the national average, making it very reasonable to fill your belly and not break the bank. You can balance dining out at fancy rooftop restaurants with cost-effective home-cooked meals since groceries here remain fairly priced.
If you’re shopping for supermarket staples, you’ll see ground beef costs $4.42, a half-gallon of milk costs $1.97 and eggs are $1.15 for a dozen. There are also farmer’s markets on the weekends, specialty grocery stores for unique items or low-cost grocery stores for everyday essentials.
The foodie scene here is incredible, too. The benefit of living in Dallas means the meal options are endless — you can find something to fit any budget. You can score a food truck meal for under $5. Not into that? Scour the city for the best burger and pay $18 a pop.
Living in Dallas means getting used to having casual eateries, mid-priced options or five-star restaurants with highly accredited chefs right at your fingertips.
Utility costs in Dallas
What you pay for utilities will rely on usage, but you can expect them to run 8 percent above the national average. In case you haven’t heard, Texas summers are sizzling hot.
A monthly energy bill is close to $200, higher than in New York, Atlanta and even Los Angeles. Trying to stay cool in Dallas is no joke so just prepare to crank up that A/C.
The monthly cost of a phone bill is around $185, the internet is $45 and water bills are usually under $100. The cost of water is high in Texas due to the dry climate.
Transportation costs in Dallas
It’s very reasonably priced to get around Dallas, whether you own a car, take advantage of public transportation or use ride-booking services in the city. Dallas has a transit score of 45, a walk score of 57 and a bike score of 56.
There are newly built highways and toll roads that make getting from one side of Dallas to the other a breeze. If you own a Toll Tag, you get a special toll rate of 19 cents per mile — worth the initial $40 payment.
Dallas also has the DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) system, so if you don’t want to get behind the wheel, you buy a daily pass for $6 or a monthly pass for $96.
Transportation costs in Dallas are 6.8 percent under the national average. A gallon of regular unleaded gas costs $1.92 and is cheaper than in other large, popular Texas cities like Houston and Austin.
Healthcare costs in Dallas
Healthcare requirements vary so much from person to person, so it’s tough to come up with an average for overall healthcare. Just know that whether you are seeking a general family doctor, an emergency comes up or you need special medical attention, Dallas has elite healthcare providers, services, hospitals and facilities.
Medical City Dallas is an example of a leading health care provider. It’s one of the largest in the region and includes 16 hospitals employing over 17,000 employees.
Healthcare costs in Dallas remain steep — 13.8 percent higher than the national average. A doctor visit will run you $121, a trip to the dentist costs $134 and seeing the optometrist is $98.
Goods and services costs in Dallas
Aside from the essential bills, the goods and services category encompasses anything that is not consumable.
Dallas ranks 7.1 percent higher than the national average in this category. Examples include office pens, a new hairbrush, a movie ticket and services like dog grooming, landscaping and home repairs.
Dallas is a very pet and dog-friendly city but just know that a trip to the vet will set you back $64
A trip to a beauty salon averages $45, a movie ticket runs $11 and a yoga costs about $21 per class.
Taxes in Dallas
Fun little fact: There’s no state or local personal income tax in Texas. That means that there are no taxes at a state level for Social Security benefits, pensions, 401(k)s or any other type of retirement income. This helps save a bit of money and offsets the high property taxes, but you don’t have to worry about that if you’re renting.
Texas’ statewide sales tax is a modest 6.25 percent, but total sales taxes, including county and city taxes, sit at 8.25 percent. So, f you spend $100 in Dallas, you can expect to pay $8.25 in sales tax or less.
Dallas residents also benefit from three Texas tax-free weekends where the state and local taxes get waived for specific items.
How much do you need to earn in Dallas?
Experts suggest you not spend more than 30 percent of your annual income on housing.
If you take the average rent price for a one-bedroom in Dallas, which is $1,390, and multiply that by 12, you get what you need for housing for the year — $16,680.
So, to cover for housing that is 30 percent of your annual income, you need to earn at least $55,600 annually in Dallas. For more specific needs you can use our rent calculator.
Living in Dallas
While there are many things to consider before moving to Dallas, this vibrant city has a lot to offer. From budget-friendly living to lavish lifestyles and everything in between, Dallas is a great place to plant your roots and call home.
Cost of living information comes from The Council for Community and Economic Research.
Rent prices are based on a rolling weighted average from Apartment Guide and Rent.’s multifamily rental property inventory of one-bedroom apartments in April 2021. Our team uses a weighted average formula that more accurately represents price availability for each individual unit type and reduces the influence of seasonality on rent prices in specific markets.
The rent information included in this article is used for illustrative purposes only. The data contained herein do not constitute financial advice or a pricing guarantee for any apartment.
The internet has done wonders in the world of Investment Tracking. With websites like Mint and now Power Wallet, tracking your finances for free online is a snap. But one thing that’s been missing is a robust tool to automatically track your investments.
Best Investment Tracking App
Sites like Mint do allow you to link your investment accounts. But they don’t help you understand your asset allocation or investing expenses in any meaningful way. And that brings me to a site I’ve recently starting using called Empower.
Empower is the best investment tracking tool that I’ve ever used. It solves several problems for me:
It automatically links to my investment accounts, keeping my holdings updated throughout the trading day;
It tracks the fees I’m paying for each mutual fund and ETF I own;
It provides detailed asset allocation data for my investments, much like the X-Ray feature of Morningstar;
It alerts me when my asset allocation is over or under-weighted as compared to a target asset allocation model determined based on my age and tolerance for risk; and
It offers retirement income calculations and projections based on your investments, projected social security, pensions, annuities, and other retirement income sources.
I’ve enjoyed the tool so much, that I thought a detailed review was in order.
Getting Started
Empower is a free tool. To get started, you simply create an account with your email address and password. Once you have access to the site, you can connect just about all of your bank and investment accounts into Empower.
I had no trouble connecting accounts from Citi, Capital One 360, Scottrade and Fidelity. And once all of your accounts are connected, the fun begins.
The Dashboard
The Dashboard is the one place you’ll find high level information about all your finances. While I use Empower primarily for my investments, you can also track your checking and savings accounts. In fact, they offer what is called a Cash Manager that lets you see all of your spending in one place.
Investment Tracking
Empower does a great job of tracking investments real-time. And just as importantly, the layout of the site and the way in which information about your investments is displayed is the best I’ve seen (note, the image is not of my personal investments):
What you can’t see from the above screen shot is what happens as you roll the cursor over parts of the screen. On the graph at the top left, you’ll see your investment balance by date. And as you roll the cursor over the colored ring top right, you’ll see details about each of your investment accounts.
And what’s really cool is when you click on an individual account in the list at the bottom. As you can see from the screenshot above, the graph highlights the portion of your total attributed to that account, and the colored ring breaks out the portion of the circle related to the selected account.
Now the truth is that while the above is really cool, it’s just information. It doesn’t really give you any analysis that you can actually use. But the next few features do.
Mutual Fund and ETF Expenses
As I’ve said many times, keeping investment expenses low is one of the most important factors for successful investing. And Empower gives you two tools to help you. The first is a breakdown of your investment costs by mutual fund or ETF.
In my case, total investment costs are a real eye-opener. Empower breaks down the cost by fund or ETF, so that you can focus your analysis and determine whether you need to make any changes. Through using the tool, it became clear to me that there are a couple of funds I need to dump for less expensive alternatives.
Cryptocurrency
Empower now offers the ability to track your cryptocurrency within the dashboard. Since last year, Empower saw its users increase the value of linked accounts by about 28% – so they’ve decided to start including the ability to track crypto now, too.
Since more people are starting to invest in things like Bitcoin, it only makes sense that you’d be able to track your tokens. Currently, you have the ability to track thousands of tokens across hundreds of different cryptocurrency exchanges. This is, of course, in addition to the loads of other benefits you’ll get from Empower.
401(k) Fee Analyzer
The second tool to help fight the high cost of investing is revolutionary. It’s called the 401k Fee Analyzer.
The first time you run this tool, it will base its analysis on data not specific to your retirement funds. But you can get additional data on 401k expenses from your employer or broker to get more accurate results.
What’s so great about the analyzer is that it doesn’t stop with just the expense ratios of the funds and ETFs you own. That part’s easy. It also looks at the costs funds charge you for trading, which aren’t reflected in the expense ratio. And it looks at administrative costs charged to run the 401k, which are often passed down to employees.
If you have a 401k, this tool by itself makes it worth checking out Empower. And it’s a good reminder as to why most folks should transfer their 401k to a rollover IRA when they leave their employer.
Asset Allocation Tools
The next handy tool is its asset allocation feature. The first thing it does is breaks down all of your investments by their asset class. And if a single fund or ETF contains investments that span more than one asset class, as most do, Empower slices and dices the fund to apportion your account into each relevant asset class.
You can click on each investment in the box chart at the top or the list at the bottom to get details of your asset classes. This is extremely helpful when it comes to rebalancing your portfolio.
Investment Checkup
With the click of a button Empower will analyze your investments. It compares your actual asset allocation with your target allocation, and flags asset classes in which you are over or under-weighted. It’s an easy way to see if you need to rebalance.
Note that in the above screenshot heading is a reference to my “target allocation.” You can set this by entering your name, how many years to retirement, and your investing style (e.g., aggressive, conservative). It takes all of 10 seconds, and Empower then generates a target allocation for you.
Robust Retirement Calculator
Finally, Empower offers a free retirement calculator. The tool takes into account your current investments, age, projected social security, projected savings, and just about any other information you want to include. Using monte carlo analysis, it then determines whether you are on track to retire.
As you can see from the screenshot, the retirement planner displays the results in easy to understand graphs. It also makes change the assumptions (e.g., inflation, social security) very easy.
So what’s not to like?
Frankly, not much. One thing I haven’t mentioned is that an advisor is available for a call or a live chat. When you log into your account, you’ll see a picture of your advisor, his or her name, and telephone number. And even better, they don’t hound you. I’ve not heard from my advisor, and that’s how I want it. If I need to speak to him, I’ll give him a call. But it’s good to know that’s an option.
Empower also has mobile versions of its site for iPhone, iPad and Android. I use the iPad app and have had no issues. I’ve not had any issues with linking accounts. Occasionally I have to provide or confirm my login credentials for certain accounts. But that’s it.
But there are three things that could be improved:
You can’t enter your own target asset allocation model. Empower creates one for you based on your age, time to retirement, and investing style. This is probably fine for the majority of investors, but a custom option would be nice.
The daily updates on stock and bond prices is a bit slow. As compared to Wikinvest, another tool I’ve used before, Empower could be faster
It does not include the cost basis of your investments, which would be nice.
So there you have it. Its an excellent tool. If you want to give it a try, visit the Empower website.
Check It Out: Empower Review
Learn More: The Best Stock Tracking Apps
Empower Personal Wealth, LLC (“EPW”) compensates Webpals Systems S. C LTD for new leads. Webpals Systems S. C LTD is not an investment client of Personal Capital Advisors Corporation or Empower Advisory Group, LLC
Rob Berger is the founder of Dough Roller and the Dough Roller Money Podcast. A former securities law attorney and Forbes deputy editor, Rob is the author of the book Retire Before Mom and Dad. He educates independent investors on his YouTube channel and at RobBerger.com.
About one in seven Americans has unclaimed funds lurking somewhere. In fact, there’s an estimated $70 billion in unclaimed assets in the United States. Typically, the amounts people receive when retrieving this money can be small (say, $20) or, in rare cases, it can be a significant amount of six figures or higher.
States typically manage these funds, which can come from forgotten bank accounts, pensions, insurance benefits, wages, savings bonds, and other sources.
If you’re wondering whether there’s any money out there that belongs to you, read on. This guide will walk you through where unclaimed money may be hiding and how to claim it.
Get up to $250 towards your holiday shopping.
Open a SoFi Checking and Savings Account with direct deposit and get up to a $250 cash bonus. Plus, get up to 4.60% APY on your cash!
How to Find Unclaimed Money 5 Ways
Money usually remains unclaimed because owners have no idea it exists. That’s why it may be worth searching for unclaimed funds in your name just in case. So how do you go about it? Unfortunately, there’s no single place you can look for all potential unclaimed cash. It may take some work, but here are some steps you can take to help make sure you’re claiming everything that’s yours.
💡 Quick Tip: Banish bank fees. Open a new bank account with SoFi and you’ll pay no overdraft, minimum balance, or any monthly fees.
1. Searching State Databases
A good first step may be to hunt for unclaimed funds at the state level. Each state has an office that oversees unclaimed property, typically housed in the state treasurer’s, controller’s, or comptroller’s office. You can link to your state by visiting the website unclaimed.org, which is run by the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators.
Don’t forget to search your name in the database of each state where you have lived, not just the one where you live now. Make sure that you are searching the official state site (it should have .gov in the URL) to avoid scams. If you are married and changed your name, you may want to consider searching under your maiden name too.
You can continue your search by checking MissingMoney.com, which offers a multi-state database endorsed by the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators.
All of these searches are free to complete. If someone asks you for money to complete a search, that’s a red flag. There’s no reason to pay to access money that’s yours, unless there is a small processing fee.
If you happen to find unclaimed property, each state has its own process for proving that you’re the true owner and getting your hands on the cash. Many states allow you to file a claim electronically.
Usually you need to provide some kind of official documents to prove that you’re the person named as the owner. Luckily, there is typically no time limit for claiming the money. If the owner has died, you can often claim funds from a deceased relative. You can typically file a claim if you’re an heir, trustee, or executor of the estate.
2. Looking for Unpaid Wages and Pensions
Here’s another possibility in terms of how to find unclaimed funds: Hunt for back pay. If your employer owes you back wages, you can search the Department of Labor’s database. Start by inputting the name of the employer. You typically have to move quickly in this case, since the agency only keeps unpaid wages for three years.
You can also look for pensions from a former employer. Pension funds may be unclaimed if a company closed its doors or ended a particular pension plan. You can look for funds through the website of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, which is a government agency.
3. Checking for Unclaimed Tax Refunds
If you think you may have failed to receive a tax refund at some point, you can track that down through the Internal Revenue Service’s website. Keep in mind that you will need to know the exact refund amount in order to conduct the search.
4. Searching for Insurance Funds
Many insurance companies transfer unclaimed funds to states, but a couple of federal government agencies maintain their own unclaimed funds databases. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs holds onto unclaimed VA life insurance funds for most policyholders and, if they’re deceased, their beneficiaries.
People who had mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration can check for potential unclaimed refunds on the website of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
5. Finding Savings Bonds
Another potential place to find unclaimed funds could be in forgotten or lost savings bonds. To check whether you have a bond that has reached maturity, check the government’s website Treasury Hunt. You’ll be prompted to enter your Social Security number and your state.
The site also offers advice on finding lost, destroyed, or stolen savings bonds.
• FDIC and Closed Banks You may also want to see if you have any money that is in a lost bank account or one that was held at a now-closed bank. It’s a very rare occurrence, but bank failures do occasionally happen. If you believe you had funds in one that you never received, you can contact the FDIC Claims Depositor Services at 888-206-4662, option 2.
💡 Quick Tip: Want a new checking account that offers more access to your money? With 55,000+ ATMs in the Allpoint network, you can get cash when and where you choose.
Being Aware of Scams
Where there’s free money, there are bound to be con artists trying to take advantage of it. Some companies may offer to help you find unclaimed funds and recover the money for a percentage of the amount owed you. Be cautious: These can be scams. Paying these fees is pointless, since you can search for unclaimed property and reclaim it for free (or perhaps for a small processing fee to the state).
The IRS recently warned of another kind of unclaimed money scam, in which a letter arrives, claiming to be from the government, alerting you to a refund you have not yet accessed. This fraudulent communication then says that your banking details are needed to receive the money. If you send that sensitive information, you could end up losing money and having your accounts compromised.
Using Your Unclaimed Money
If you happen to be one of the lucky people who finds cash waiting for them, what should you do with it? You may be tempted to blow the surprise windfall on those new shoes you’ve been eyeing or on a dream vacation.
But depending on the sum you receive and your financial situation, there may be smarter ways to put the unexpected money to use. Consider these possibilities.
Paying Off Debt
If you have high-interest debt, many people suggest putting much of your extra cash toward knocking it out. That’s because interest rates can cause a balance to balloon significantly over time, meaning the longer you wait to pay off your high-interest debt, the more you’ll likely pay overall.
Credit cards and payday loans tend to have high interest rates, but you may also want to check the rate you’re paying on your student loans, car loan, personal loan, or mortgage. One method for potentially paying off your debt faster is to tackle your highest-interest debt first, while staying on top of minimum payments for your other liabilities.
Building An Emergency Fund
Once you’re on top of your debt or at least the highest-interest liabilities, it may be a good idea to establish or pump up an emergency fund.
Financial experts suggest having enough saved to cover three to six months’ worth of living expenses.
It may be a good idea to keep this money in a safe place, like a high-interest savings account, for unexpected emergencies such as car repairs, medical bills, or a layoff. Having an emergency fund may help you avoid getting into high-interest debt in the future since you have that cash cushion to see you through challenging times.
Saving for a Goal
Once you have a basic emergency fund, you may want to start setting aside money to get closer to a big financial goal. Maybe you want to have a wedding, travel, start a business, or buy a home.
Saving in advance means you may need to take out less in loans or pay less in credit card charges. Or you might be able to avoid them altogether, keeping more of your money in your pocket.
Investing for the Future
Another option is to invest your money in an individual retirement account, college savings plan, brokerage account, or another financial vehicle.
Investing your money for the long-term could allow you to take advantage of the power of compounding returns and potentially increase your chances of reaping solid growth over time. It can be tempting to spend your lucky find on short-term fun, but investing may set you up for financial freedom in the future.
Recommended: Weird Ways to Make Money
The Takeaway
How do you find unclaimed funds? Typically, it involves searching on websites to see what pops up. These are usually specific to the kind of money that is sitting unclaimed, whether that means going searching for tax refunds, the contents of closed bank accounts, back wages, or insurance payments.
Whether it’s deciding what to do with reclaimed cash, if you’re owed any, or figuring out how to afford a big goal, life poses plenty of personal finance challenges. Finding the right financial partner can be an important step in making your money work harder for you.
Interested in opening an online bank account? When you sign up for a SoFi Checking and Savings account with direct deposit, you’ll get a competitive annual percentage yield (APY), pay zero account fees, and enjoy an array of rewards, such as access to the Allpoint Network of 55,000+ fee-free ATMs globally. Qualifying accounts can even access their paycheck up to two days early.
Better banking is here with up to 4.60% APY on SoFi Checking and Savings.
FAQ
What is the best website to find unclaimed money?
Using a website to find unclaimed money will depend somewhat on the source of the unclaimed funds, such as whether it’s from an insurance claim, a forgotten safety deposit box, or other source. One good place to start can be unclaimed.org, which is run by the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators.
What happens if money is unclaimed?
When money is unclaimed, it often goes through a dormancy period (perhaps five years), after which the state takes control of the funds.
How do you claim unclaimed money from the IRS?
If you were expecting a federal tax refund and didn’t receive it, visit the IRS’ Where’s My Refund page and/or call their helpline at 800-829-1040. For state taxes, contact your local Department of Revenue by checking this website.
The SoFi Bank Debit Mastercard® is issued by SoFi Bank, N.A., pursuant to license by Mastercard International Incorporated and can be used everywhere Mastercard is accepted. Mastercard is a registered trademark, and the circles design is a trademark of Mastercard International Incorporated.
SoFi members with direct deposit activity can earn 4.60% annual percentage yield (APY) on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. Direct Deposit means a deposit to an account holder’s SoFi Checking or Savings account, including payroll, pension, or government payments (e.g., Social Security), made by the account holder’s employer, payroll or benefits provider or government agency (“Direct Deposit”) via the Automated Clearing House (“ACH”) Network during a 30-day Evaluation Period (as defined below). Deposits that are not from an employer or government agency, including but not limited to check deposits, peer-to-peer transfers (e.g., transfers from PayPal, Venmo, etc.), merchant transactions (e.g., transactions from PayPal, Stripe, Square, etc.), and bank ACH funds transfers and wire transfers from external accounts, do not constitute Direct Deposit activity. There is no minimum Direct Deposit amount required to qualify for the stated interest rate.
SoFi members with Qualifying Deposits can earn 4.60% APY on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. Qualifying Deposits means one or more deposits that, in the aggregate, are equal to or greater than $5,000 to an account holder’s SoFi Checking and Savings account (“Qualifying Deposits”) during a 30-day Evaluation Period (as defined below). Qualifying Deposits only include those deposits from the following eligible sources: (i) ACH transfers, (ii) inbound wire transfers, (iii) peer-to-peer transfers (i.e., external transfers from PayPal, Venmo, etc. and internal peer-to-peer transfers from a SoFi account belonging to another account holder), (iv) check deposits, (v) instant funding to your SoFi Bank Debit Card, (vi) push payments to your SoFi Bank Debit Card, and (vii) cash deposits. Qualifying Deposits do not include: (i) transfers between an account holder’s Checking account, Savings account, and/or Vaults; (ii) interest payments; (iii) bonuses issued by SoFi Bank or its affiliates; or (iv) credits, reversals, and refunds from SoFi Bank, N.A. (“SoFi Bank”) or from a merchant.
SoFi Bank shall, in its sole discretion, assess each account holder’s Direct Deposit activity and Qualifying Deposits throughout each 30-Day Evaluation Period to determine the applicability of rates and may request additional documentation for verification of eligibility. The 30-Day Evaluation Period refers to the “Start Date” and “End Date” set forth on the APY Details page of your account, which comprises a period of 30 calendar days (the “30-Day Evaluation Period”). You can access the APY Details page at any time by logging into your SoFi account on the SoFi mobile app or SoFi website and selecting either (i) Banking > Savings > Current APY or (ii) Banking > Checking > Current APY. Upon receiving a Direct Deposit or $5,000 in Qualifying Deposits to your account, you will begin earning 4.60% APY on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% on checking balances on or before the following calendar day. You will continue to earn these APYs for (i) the remainder of the current 30-Day Evaluation Period and through the end of the subsequent 30-Day Evaluation Period and (ii) any following 30-day Evaluation Periods during which SoFi Bank determines you to have Direct Deposit activity or $5,000 in Qualifying Deposits without interruption.
SoFi Bank reserves the right to grant a grace period to account holders following a change in Direct Deposit activity or Qualifying Deposits activity before adjusting rates. If SoFi Bank grants you a grace period, the dates for such grace period will be reflected on the APY Details page of your account. If SoFi Bank determines that you did not have Direct Deposit activity or $5,000 in Qualifying Deposits during the current 30-day Evaluation Period and, if applicable, the grace period, then you will begin earning the rates earned by account holders without either Direct Deposit or Qualifying Deposits until you have Direct Deposit activity or $5,000 in Qualifying Deposits in a subsequent 30-Day Evaluation Period. For the avoidance of doubt, an account holder with both Direct Deposit activity and Qualifying Deposits will earn the rates earned by account holders with Direct Deposit.
Members without either Direct Deposit activity or Qualifying Deposits, as determined by SoFi Bank, during a 30-Day Evaluation Period and, if applicable, the grace period, will earn 1.20% APY on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances.
Interest rates are variable and subject to change at any time. These rates are current as of 10/24/2023. There is no minimum balance requirement. Additional information can be found at http://www.sofi.com/legal/banking-rate-sheet..
Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.
External Websites: The information and analysis provided through hyperlinks to third-party websites, while believed to be accurate, cannot be guaranteed by SoFi. Links are provided for informational purposes and should not be viewed as an endorsement.
Third-Party Brand Mentions: No brands, products, or companies mentioned are affiliated with SoFi, nor do they endorse or sponsor this article. Third-party trademarks referenced herein are property of their respective owners.
Tax Information: This article provides general background information only and is not intended to serve as legal or tax advice or as a substitute for legal counsel. You should consult your own attorney and/or tax advisor if you have a question requiring legal or tax advice.
As part of your Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) strategy, your organization, like many others, is likely developing a plan to attract and retain veteran talent. Many organizations have adopted dedicated veteran employee relations groups, specialized talent acquisition teams, or tailored onboarding programs. Perhaps overlooked, the financial well-being benefits you offer can add significantly to the success of these efforts.
Financial health is an important subject for everyone, but it can have some unique aspects for veterans. Despite the dedicated financial resources available to service members while serving, the transition to civilian life after years in the service can affect their short and long-term financial stability.
There are several noted reasons this may occur. Veterans have likely dealt with relocations, deployments, a lack of employment opportunities for their spouses, and, of course, war-related trauma. All of that can leave them vulnerable in certain aspects of their financial health.
That’s why veteran employees can use your help. Research published in 2020 by the research and advisory company Gartner, Inc. shows that veterans want three main workforce financial benefits — financial planning, financial education, and debt management.
With that in mind, SoFi at Work has published our Guidebook: “Are your financial well-being benefits veteran-ready?” to help HR and Total Rewards leaders design a meaningful and impactful program to support your veteran workforce.
The complete guide is available for download from our website, but here are the core components that we recommend be included in a veteran-ready financial well-being program.
Student Loan Employer Contributions
Despite having access to significant federal veterans’ education benefits, more than a quarter of veteran undergraduate students have taken out private and federal student loans (with a median amount of $8,000) to complete their education, according to The Pew Charitable Trusts. The fact of the matter is the cost of education has outpaced the support of programs that the GI Bill and SCRA Interest Cap offer service members, resulting in the need for additional funding. And veterans, who are often working and raising families while going to school, may take longer to finish degrees, meaning certain benefits will have expired before their coursework has been completed.
This is why well-designed employer-sponsored student loan offerings are critical for a successful veteran-ready financial well-being program. While there are several military student loan repayment and forgiveness programs, try to avoid the mistaken thinking that your veteran employee’s needs are fully met. Many of these programs are for fully disabled veterans only. Others have other specific and sometimes complicated restrictions.
Fortunately, recent legislation makes it easier for employers to help veterans — as well as all employees — pay down student debt. Thanks to the CARES act of 2020, employers can now support workers with direct student loan payments in the same tax-advantaged way they have supported tuition reimbursement for years. These changes allow employers to provide up to $5,250 tax-exempt annually toward a qualified employee’s student loan repayment through 2025.
In addition, the SECURE 2.0 Act (passed in the House on March 29, 2022) allows employers to address student debt in another way — by making matching contributions to retirement plans based on employees’ student loan payments.
The purpose of the law is to assist employees who may, because of their student loan debt, decide against making elective contributions by payroll reduction and as a result, miss out on employer matching contributions. The SECURE 2.0 student loan provision goes into effect on January 1, 2024.
Recommended: How Does an HR Team Implement a Student Loan Matching or Direct Repayment Benefit?
Emergency Savings Programs
Veteran financial wellness also suffers among those who have less in liquid savings or feel they could not absorb an unexpected financial shock. In a 2021 Military Family Advisory Network survey, 38.4% of veteran families reported that they have less than $500 in an emergency savings fund, or no fund at all. This suggests that employers can help relieve financial stress among veteran employees through automatic emergency savings programs.
These plans allow employees to contribute after-tax payroll deductions automatically into a customized savings account. Many employers also make matching contributions, much as they might with a 401(k). Depending on plan design, these funds can be available at any time and for any reason. In addition, most Emergency Savings Accounts (ESAs) are portable, meaning that veterans and other employees can take advantage of the program and retain its benefits even when they have a change in employment.
These programs gained popularity during the pandemic when it became painfully evident that many employees were not financially ready for an emergency. The same may hold for veterans transitioning to civilian life. When employers offer a trusted and easy way to save, they can help veterans with this transition.
Help With Debt and Negative Credit Events
Another factor that impacts veteran (and all) employee financial well-being is high-interest debt. While the intention might have been to keep this for a short period, many Americans face challenges with paying down that debt over time. The Military Family Advisory Network survey found that over three quarters (75.8%) of veteran families carry current debt.
High debt levels and other factors can have a negative effect on an employee’s credit rating, increasing the chances that they will be rejected for a variety of credit instruments. Research suggests that this type of adverse credit event can result in a significant drop in veteran financial-wellness perception. Here are some ways employers can help support employees facing negative credit events:
• Debt and Financial Coaching: Offer one-on-one debt repayment and budgeting counseling, including budget and spend tracking programs to help balance monthly necessities, debt repayment, and discretionary spending.
• Some Early Paycheck Programs: Not all of these plans are created equally, but a well-designed early paycheck program can help employees meet short-term financial needs without having to take out debt with excessive fees or interest rates.
• Credit Score Monitoring: Provide free credit score monitoring services and counseling to help veterans rebuild damaged credit scores or build new credit.
Recommended: How Financial and Mental Health Can Collide With Work
Balance Short-Term Needs and Long-Term Financial Goals
While we have mostly discussed programs that are designed to support the shorter-term financial needs of veteran talent, it is important that your overall program also helps veterans get ready for their top financial goal: retirement readiness. As Gartner found, veterans are 48% more likely to list getting ready for retirement as a personal goal than their nonveteran counterparts. Since they may be eligible for additional benefits, like pensions, this is another reason to include professional financial coaching or planning in your overall financial well-being strategy. This can help veteran talent navigate the increasingly complex retirement landscape.
The Takeaway
It’s essential to analyze your workforce — and the talent you’re looking to hire — to understand what programs will best serve your veteran employees’ needs. But implementing a few hallmark veteran-ready financial well-being programs can help you improve the overall financial wellness of your veteran workforce and help you attract and retain talent in this competitive landscape.
Learn how SoFi at Work can help.
Photo credit: iStock/SDI Productions
SoFi loans are originated by SoFi Bank, N.A., NMLS #696891 (Member FDIC). For information on licenses, see NMLS Consumer Access (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org ). The Student Debt Navigator Tool and 529 Savings and Selection Tool are provided by SoFi Wealth LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. For additional product-specific legal and licensing information, see SoFi.com/legal. Equal housing lender.
Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.
External Websites: The information and analysis provided through hyperlinks to third-party websites, while believed to be accurate, cannot be guaranteed by SoFi. Links are provided for informational purposes and should not be viewed as an endorsement.
Looking for jobs where you work alone? If you’re an introvert or simply want minimal human interaction, here are 40 ideas.
Looking for the best jobs where you work alone? If you’re an introvert or simply want minimal human interaction, here are 40 ideas.
With there being so many different types of jobs out there nowadays, more and more people are looking for jobs where they can be by themselves, away from the busy office or customers. They find comfort in jobs where they can do tasks on their own, letting them really concentrate and do well in what they do best.
For me, I have worked mostly alone for over a decade now, and I wouldn’t change it for the world. I enjoy the flexibility of working on my own and having less stress.
Jobs that let you work this way are usually appealing to introverted individuals, those who like a calmer setting, or people who just work better with more independence.
Knowing which jobs let you work alone is really important for those who want to find the right mix of being on their own and getting things done well.
Top Jobs Where You Work Alone
There are 40 jobs where you can work alone listed below. If you want to skip the list, here are some jobs that you may want to start learning more about first:
Benefits of Jobs Where You Work Alone
More and more people are looking for jobs where they can work alone, and I get it! I have been working mostly alone for over a decade and I really love it.
After all, a person spends so much of their time working, so you might as well like what you’re doing. If you’re an introvert, or if you like working by yourself, there are jobs where you can do just that.
Some of the positives of working alone include:
Less stress if you’re an introvert – If you’re an introvert, then you may feel stress when working with other people, such as coworkers and customers.
Getting more stuff done in less time – Working alone may mean that you can complete your tasks faster because there are fewer distractions.
Having a more flexible schedule – Some jobs where you work on your own sometimes let you choose when you want to work, as long as you get the work done.
If you’re looking for jobs where you work alone, think about what you’re good at and what you enjoy (and also think about what you don’t like!).
40 Jobs Where You Work Alone
Below are 40 jobs where you can work on your own. The jobs below range from earning a part-time to a full-time income too.
1. Proofreader
Proofreaders check and edit written content for errors and inconsistencies, and this job requires strong attention to detail and excellent grammar skills.
If you’re good at paying close attention to details, then proofreading could be an ideal work-alone job for you.
Authors, website owners, and students often hire proofreaders to improve their work. There’s a high demand for proofreaders, and you can find jobs through many different platforms.
Even the most skilled writers can make mistakes in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. That’s why hiring a proofreader can be very helpful for pretty much anyone and everyone.
If you want to find online proofreading jobs, I recommend joining this free 76-minute workshop focused on proofreading. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to begin your own freelance proofreading business.
Recommended reading: 20 Best Online Proofreading Jobs For Beginners (Earn $40,000+ A Year).
2. Virtual Assistant
One of my first side jobs was as a virtual assistant and it was a fun and flexible way to earn income. While you do have a boss when you are a VA, a lot of the tasks that you do will require you to take charge and complete them by yourself in your own home.
A virtual assistant is someone who helps people with office tasks from a distance. This could be from your home or while you’re traveling. It might include things like replying to emails, setting up appointments, and managing social media accounts.
This job can pay you more than $50,000 each year.
If you want to find part-time or full-time virtual assistant jobs, I recommend joining the free workshop called “5 Steps To Become a Virtual Assistant“.
Recommended reading: Best Ways To Find Virtual Assistant Jobs
3. Bookkeeper
Bookkeepers are people who keep track of all the money-related things for businesses such as writing down sales, keeping a record of expenses, and making financial reports.
This is a job where you can work alone and a typical salary is $40,000+ each year. Plus, you’ll mainly be dealing with numbers and not people.
You can join the free workshop that focuses on finding virtual bookkeeping jobs and how to begin your own freelance bookkeeping business by signing up for free here.
Recommended reading: How To Find Online Bookkeeping Jobs
4. Blogger
Blogging is a great way to make money while working on your own. It’s one of the reasons I really enjoy it, haha! I get to work by myself, for myself, and I can pick the projects I want to work on.
As a blogger, you write content for others to read online. You get to choose what you want to write about as well as how you want to make money blogging because there are so many different options (like affiliate marketing or displaying ads).
You can begin a successful blog about a specific topic like finance, travel, lifestyle, family, and many others.
Blogging is my main source of income, and it has completely transformed my life. I have the freedom to travel whenever I want, set my schedule, and be my boss.
Since I began Making Sense of Cents, I’ve made more than $5,000,000 from my blog. I earned this money by working with companies through sponsored partnerships, affiliate marketing, display ads, and selling online courses.
Learn more at How To Start A Blog FREE Course.
5. Delivery Driver
Delivery drivers pick up and drop off packages. And, they get to work by themself most of the time as they are in the vehicle alone.
A delivery driver may drive a car, truck, or even a bike, depending on the company they work for. They don’t usually have a boss watching them all day nor have to deal with very many customers for long periods.
6. Book Reviewer
Book reviewers read books and share their thoughts in book reviews.
There are websites where you can get paid for sharing your thoughts about books and you may earn money through PayPal or a bank transfer, and sometimes you get to keep the book you reviewed.
They don’t just want positive reviews either, they want to know what you really think! You see, authors and publishers like to send out free copies of their books so that they can get honest opinions. Just like us, they know it’s helpful to read reviews before deciding if a book is worth the time.
Some sites that pay for book reviews include Online Book Club, Kirkus Media, and BookBrowse.
Recommended reading: 7 Best Ways To Get Paid To Read Books
7. Deliver RVs or Cars
You can earn money by traveling across the country and delivering vehicles for people and dealerships. Sometimes you’ll be towing the vehicle, and other times you’ll be driving it.
If you want a job with minimal human interaction, this can be a good one to look into as you are mostly by yourself. You simply pick up the vehicle, drive by yourself, and then drop it off.
For this job, you need to have a clean driving record. Those who do this type of work can earn around $300 to $400 (or much more!) for each vehicle they deliver. It depends on the distance they are traveling and what is being transported.
8. Digital or Graphic Designer
A graphic designer is someone who creates designs for others, such as people and businesses.
As a digital designer, you may be making things like images, printables, planners, t-shirt designs, calendars, business card designs, social media graphics, stickers, logos, and more.
Recommended reading: How To Make Money As A Digital Designer
9. Pet Sitter and Dog Walker
Pet sitters and dog walkers take care of pets while pet owners are away, such as on vacation or in the hospital. Some of the tasks include feeding, taking dogs for walks, and playing with them.
You might have pets come to your home or you can go to their owner’s place (this is something that is agreed upon beforehand). Dog walkers earn around $20 for every hour walking a dog. Looking after someone’s pet overnight can earn a person around $25-$100+ or even more each day.
I have personally paid a person to watch my dogs overnight in their home $100 a day. She was so wonderful too and my dogs loved her.
Now, with this job, you’re not working entirely alone, because you will be with pets. But, they can be great friends and companions!
Rover is a company you can sign up with and list your dog walking and pet sitting services.
10. House Cleaner
House cleaners make sure homes and businesses are nice and clean. They might work alone or with a small group. They can earn between $25 to $50 an hour for cleaning for others.
You can work for a cleaning company, but you’ll likely make more money if you have your own business.
Starting this kind of business isn’t expensive because you likely already have the cleaning supplies you need. You can advertise your services on Facebook, tell your friends and family, or make an account on Care.com.
11. Transcriptionist
An online transcriptionist’s main task is to listen to video or audio files and then type out everything that is being said, a process known as transcribing. The aim is to accurately write down what is heard, without any mistakes in spelling, grammar, or punctuation.
There are many different types of transcriptionists as well – legal, general, and medical transcriptionists.
This job requires strong typing and listening skills, and you can work from home all by yourself.
Online transcriptionists earn around $15 to $30 per hour on average, with new transcribers on the lower end of that.
A helpful free resource to take is FREE Workshop: Is a Career in Transcription Right for You? You’ll learn how to get started as a transcriptionist, how you can find transcription work, and more.
Recommended reading: 18 Best Online Transcription Jobs For Beginners To Make $2,000 Monthly
12. House Flipper
House flippers buy, renovate, and sell properties for a profit. This job involves managing renovation projects, and you can work alone or with a small crew.
House flipping is when someone buys a property at a lower price, fixes it up (like painting, redoing the kitchen, and improving the outside appearance), and then sells it for more money to make a profit. This is done to make a quick return on the investment.
Recommended reading: 10 Best Books on Flipping Houses To Make Money
13. Grocery Shopper
Grocery shoppers buy groceries for people like you and me, offering a helpful service for those who don’t have the time or can’t shop on their own. You’ll work on your own and talk to clients through an app on your phone.
One service you can easily sign up with to become a grocery shopper is Instacart. This is a popular site for people who want to make extra money by shopping for and delivering groceries.
Instacart shoppers make money from a mix of base pay, tips from customers, and sometimes bonuses or rewards (like for finishing orders during busy times).
You can sign up here to get started as a grocery shopper with Instacart.
Recommended reading: Instacart Shopper Review: How much do Instacart Shoppers earn?
14. Affiliate Marketer
Affiliate marketers share products or services with their followers for a commission. You do this by placing a referral link on your website, blog, or social media (like Instagram). When people use that link to buy something, you then get a commission.
For example, if you share a link to a book on Amazon and someone buys it through your link, you make some money. Companies like Amazon want people like you to help them sell things, so they’re happy to work with you as it helps them.
If you get someone to sign up through your special link, the company gives you a commission for telling others about their product. It’s like a little thank-you for your help!
This is one of my favorite jobs where you work alone from home, and what I do full-time!
Click here to get Affiliate Marketing Tips – Free eBook.
15. Flea Market Flipper
Flea market flippers find underpriced items at flea markets, yard sales, and thrift stores, then resell them for a profit. This job requires a good eye for valuable items and the ability to research market value.
Finding items to resell may be one of the best jobs to work alone on this list because we all have things in our house we could probably sell. Plus, there are always things that you can buy for a low price and possibly resell for a profit.
If you are looking for work-alone jobs, this is a great one to look further into.
I recommend signing up for this great webinar, Turn Your Passion For Visiting Thrift Stores, Yard Sales & Flea Markets Into A Profitable Reselling Business In As Little As 14 Days, that will help you learn how to make money by flipping items as well.
16. Sell Printables on Etsy
Creating and selling digital printables on Etsy is a great way to work independently and earn money.
Making printables can also be a pretty hands-off job since you only have to create one digital file for each product, and you can sell it as many times as you like. It’s quite affordable to start because you only need a laptop or computer and an internet connection.
Printables are digital items that customers can download and print at home. They can include things like bridal shower games, grocery shopping checklists, budget planners, invitations, printable quotes for wall art, and patterns.
I recommend signing up for Free Workshop: How To Earn Money Selling Printables. This free training will give you great ideas on what you can sell, how to get started, the costs, and how to make sales.
17. Mechanic
Mechanics diagnose and repair vehicles, working independently or in small shops. Strong problem-solving skills and knowledge of automotive systems are important.
Being a mechanic is a job where you often work on your own. While they might work in a garage with other mechanics, they often have their own tasks to do. They need to be really careful and pay close attention to make sure everything gets fixed just right.
18. Dog Treat Baker
Do you really like dogs? If you do, here’s a way to work mainly alone and make an extra $500 to $1,000 or even more each month.
You don’t need to know how to bake beforehand, because you can learn this skill. You can make special treats like cupcakes, cookies, cakes, and more, all for dogs.
You can sign up for this free training workshop that shows how to start a dog treat bakery.
You can learn more at How I Make $4,000 Per Month Baking Dog Treats (With Zero Baking Experience!).
19. Amazon Seller
Selling items on Amazon is a job where you work alone (mostly) and don’t have to deal with customers face-to-face.
Even if you’re new to selling on Amazon, you can make money by selling household goods, books, electronics, and more.
If you’re interested in learning about starting an Amazon business, you can join this free training that will teach you how to sell products on Amazon and make around $100 to $500+ each day.
20. Stock Photo Photographer
Stock photo photographers work on their own, and this job can be done without talking to anyone for the most part. Almost all of the tasks can be done with just a camera and then uploading photos on a site.
Stock image sites are some of the most popular ways for photographers to sell their pictures. These are sites where customers can buy pictures for websites, TV shows, books, social media accounts, and more. There are stock photos that I have purchased within this blog post that you can take a look at to see an example.
One great thing about stock photo sites is that they can be a great form of passive income. You can take pictures, upload them, and earn money from an older photo for months or even years in the future. There is no need to talk to anyone as everything is online and mostly automated.
Some stock photo websites include Shutterstock, iStock, DepositPhotos, and Dreamstime.
Recommended reading: 18 Ways You Can Get Paid To Take Pictures
21. Social Media Manager
Social media managers post on social media accounts for businesses and their goal is to bring in new customers and help a business grow.
Social media managers may post a picture or a video of a product or the company, join in a viral trend to get more views (such as on TikTok), answer common questions from customers, and more.
This includes social media platforms such as TikTok, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
Salary can vary, and this job can be done part-time or full-time.
22. Landscaper
A landscaper improves and maintains outdoor areas, such as by taking care of the lawn, planting flowers, or even renovating a whole outdoor area (such as to make it more enjoyable to sit outside and have company).
If you’re interested in jobs where you work alone outside, this is one to consider as you will be outdoors and working on your own a lot. Customers may talk to you occasionally, but you are mostly by yourself.
Landscapers work at houses, apartment complexes, businesses, or somewhere else.
23. Data Entry Clerk
Data entry clerks enter, update, and check information in databases or spreadsheets. They type information such as numbers and names into computers to keep things organized and recorded.
This job can sometimes be done remotely and alone, with minimal supervision or interaction with customers.
Data entry jobs typically pay around $15-$20 an hour.
24. Editor
Editors review and improve written content for clients and they usually work on their own as most of their time is spent editing content.
Their job is to read articles, blog posts, advertising, books, and more to make them better. They fix any mistakes in grammar or spelling and help the words flow smoothly.
Editors typically earn anywhere from $40-$60+ an hour.
25. Freelance Writer
Freelance writers write content for clients, such as blog posts, advertising, and more. Freelance writing jobs where you work by yourself are common as you’ll be given a topic to write about from the client, and when you are done you may be given some feedback (such as paragraphs to improve or add to). But, that is usually as much human interaction as you’ll get if you want.
You can find different writing jobs on platforms like Upwork and Fiverr, or even find clients on your own.
I was a freelance writer for many years before switching to working full-time writing here on Making Sense of Cents. It is a great career path where you can work from home mostly by yourself.
Recommended reading: 14 Places To Find Freelance Writing Jobs – (Start With No Experience!)
26. Translator
Translators convert written content from one language to another, requiring fluency in at least two languages. Freelance and remote opportunities are available.
If you know another language, you might be able to find a work-from-home job where you can earn money by reading books and translating them. Another option is to get paid for proofreading or editing translated books to ensure they read smoothly and accurately.
There are lots of places you can find translation jobs, such as UpWork, Babelcube, Today Translations, Ulatus, Fiverr, and more.
27. Computer Programmer
Computer programmers write and maintain computer software, often working alone on projects.
They use coding to tell computers what to do and create all sorts of things like apps, games, and websites.
28. Canva Template Designer
Creating and selling Canva templates online allows you to work alone.
A Canva template is like a ready-made design that you can use for things like making posters, Pinterest pins, ebooks, or presentations. It’s like having a helpful starting point if you’re not super good at designing things from scratch. Canva templates come with empty spaces where you can put in your own words and pictures and you can also change colors and fonts to make them just how you like. They’re really helpful for people who want their things to look nice without spending a lot of time on it.
Making and selling Canva templates can be a great way to earn extra money as you only need to create them once, and then you can sell them as many times as you like.
Recommended reading: How I Make $2,000+ Monthly Selling Canva Templates
29. Voice Over Actor
A voice-over actor is the person whose voice you hear but don’t see in YouTube videos, radio ads, educational videos, and more.
Voice-over actors many times work right from their own homes!
Voice actors don’t need experience for this job (eventually, it does help, yes). Instead, they need to have a voice that the company is looking for.
Recommended reading: How To Become A Voice Over Actor And Work From Anywhere
30. Truck Driver
Truck drivers are people who move things from one place to another. To do this job, truck drivers need a commercial driver’s license (CDL). This job often involves working by yourself for long hours.
The salary for a truck driver can depend on things like what kind of items they’re moving and the miles they have to drive. Usually, they can make between $45,000 and $75,000 or even more in a year.
31. UPS Driver
UPS drivers deliver packages to people’s homes and businesses. They do this mostly on their own, in their trucks by themselves.
UPS drivers make a good income and they earn about $30-$45 per hour or even more, depending on how many years they have worked at UPS and where they work.
32. Security Guard
Security guards protect property and/or people, and they usually work alone.
A security guard’s salary depends on things like where they work, how long they’ve been doing the job, and what exactly they have to do. Usually, they can make between $25,000 and $35,000 in a year.
33. Self-Storage Facility Owner
Self-storage facilities are where people store their belongings, like boxes of their mementos, vehicles, RVs, and more.
Owning a self-storage business can be a way to make money and run a business with low expenses, plus they typically only have a couple of employees.
Many of the times when I’ve been to a self-storage lot, it’s been just the owner or an employee of theirs working. There are almost no customers either.
Recommended reading: How To Invest In Self-Storage For Beginners
34. Laundromat Owner
Similar to a self-storage business, a laundromat typically does not have very many employees.
Running a laundromat can be a way to make money, with low costs, as most things are automated (the washer and dryer machines do all of the washing).
Recommended reading: Are Laundromats Profitable? How Much Do Laundromats Make?
35. Get Paid To Text
When getting paid to text, you will many times be talking to someone else, but it is all done through text messages.
Some jobs may include:
Text Therapy or Coach
Answering questions, such as if you are a mechanic, doctor, lawyer, veterinarian, home expert, appraiser, computer expert
Customer support
Recommended reading: 28 Ways To Get Paid To Text And Make Money
36. Survey Taker
Taking online surveys and answering questions for focus groups is not a full-time job, but it can be a way to make some extra money.
You share your thoughts and answer straightforward questions, and in return, you can receive cash or rewards such as Amazon gift cards.
The survey companies I recommend signing up for and the best-paying survey sites include:
American Consumer Opinion
Survey Junkie
Swagbucks
InboxDollars
Branded Surveys
Pinecone Research
Prize Rebel
User Interviews – These are the highest paying surveys with the average being around $60.
Recommended reading: 18 Best Paid Survey Sites To Make $100+ Per Month
37. Twitch Streamer
Twitch is a site where you can make money playing video games, talking online in a live stream, and more. A streamer may be able to make money from their own home and all alone. Yes, they do need to be live recording their life, but they are their own boss.
There are many ways to make money on Twitch such as with paid subscriptions, display ads, selling merchandise (like t-shirts and mugs), and more.
Some of the most successful Twitch streamers make hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars each year, but, it’s important to know that most don’t earn much at all.
Recommended reading: How Much Do Twitch Streamers Make?
38. Litter Cleanup Worker
If you own a business, it’s important to keep your place clean and tidy. Nobody likes to see trash lying around, right?
That’s why some business owners are happy to pay for someone to clean up before their business opens for the day. A clean area makes the place look nice and welcoming for customers.
This business can be started all alone and earnings on average are about $30 to $50 for every hour you work. It’s pretty simple too. You’ll just need a broom, a dustpan, and some tools to help you pick up litter easily. It’s almost like taking a stroll while you work! Plus, you can choose when you want to do it, so it can fit nicely into your schedule.
Recommended reading: How I Started A $650,000 Per Year Litter Cleanup Business
39. Google Rater
A Search Engine Evaluator, also known as a Google Rater, is a person who looks at websites and blogs and gives them a score based on how good and helpful they are for Google.
You don’t need to be a tech expert or have a fancy background for this job. Google actually wants regular people, just like you, to rate websites. Plus, you can do this in your own language. Google works in lots of different countries, so you can help out right from where you are.
Recommended reading: How To Become a Search Engine Evaluator
40. Actuary
An actuary is a financial expert who helps businesses figure out and manage their money-related risks, such as for insurance, pensions, and investments.
They use mathematics and statistics to forecast what might happen and help companies make smarter financial decisions.
Actuaries can earn a good salary, and as they get more experience and pass more exams, they can make even more money. Depending on where they work and how experienced they are, actuaries earn average salaries of anywhere between $70,000 to well over $100,000 each year.
Frequently Asked Questions About Jobs Where You Work Alone
Here are answers to common questions about finding jobs where you work alone.
What are jobs with no interaction?What jobs allow me to work by myself?
Yes, there are jobs where you don’t need to talk to people a lot. For example, being a night shift security guard, a transcriptionist, or a stock photo photographer.
How can I work alone from home?
There are jobs where you can work alone at home such as being a blogger, a transcriptionist, or a computer programmer.
What are jobs where you work alone with no degree?
Many jobs don’t require bachelor’s or master’s degrees (a high school diploma will work for many on the list above) and offer the opportunity to work independently. Mowing lawns, painting houses, repairing cars, or walking dogs often don’t require formal education and focus more on skills and experience.
Which part-time jobs are best suited for solitary workers?
Many of the jobs in this blog post can be done part-time, such as any of the freelance jobs, house cleaning, dog walking, and taking surveys. That is one of the joys of many of the jobs above – you can choose your schedule.
What trade jobs can one perform independently?
Trade jobs that you can perform independently include carpentry, welding, or plumbing. These professions usually require specific skills or certifications but may offer opportunities to work alone.
Are there any tech jobs ideal for people who prefer to work alone?
Yes, there are tech jobs that can work well for people who want to work on their own such as web developers, software engineers, or data analysts. These roles usually involve solving problems and working independently, though there might be some instances where collaboration is needed from time to time.
What jobs can be done in isolation with no experience required?
Jobs such as house cleaning, taking surveys, and flea market flipping can be good places to start for entry-level jobs.
How can I find work-alone job opportunities near me?
To find work-alone job opportunities near you, try perusing local job boards, classified ads, or online sites like Indeed or LinkedIn. You can also network with people in your community or join online forums related to your interests to find jobs.
Jobs Where You Work Alone – Summary
I hope you enjoyed this article on jobs where you work alone.
These jobs are like a safe space for people who like being by themselves. It’s a place where you can really concentrate and do your own thing with low social interaction. Jobs where you work alone often appeal to introverts and individuals who require fewer distractions.
Jobs like writing, coding, and freelancing let you work on your own. Not everyone may like working alone, but for those who do, it can be a lot less stressful and overwhelming.
I have been working mostly on my own for years now, and I really love it!
Northwestern Mutual Research Shows that Nearly Half of American Millionaires Believe Their Financial Plans Need Improvement, and a Third Think They Could Outlive Their Savings Wealthy people value professional help and trust financial advisors, with 70% working with a financial advisor – nearly double the amount of the general population Wealthy Americans are proactive, disciplined … [Read more…]
The investing information provided on this page is for educational purposes only. NerdWallet, Inc. does not offer advisory or brokerage services, nor does it recommend or advise investors to buy or sell particular stocks, securities or other investments.
Welcome to NerdWallet’s Smart Money podcast, where we answer your real-world money questions. In this episode:
We discuss some of the unique money challenges that millennials face, and how they can feel empowered to take charge of their financial wellness during tough times.
Check out this episode on your favorite podcast platform, including:
What makes millennials and their financial challenges unique? There are many misconceptions about millennials as a generation — but like the generations before them, their financial wellness (or lack thereof) has been shaped by major events beyond their control.
As millennials grew up and navigated early adulthood, they faced recessions, the COVID-19 pandemic, rising student loan debt and a soaring cost of living. The result for many is discontent and a strained relationship with money.
In the first episode of our nerdy deep dive into millennials and their money, Nerdwallet personal finance writer Tiffany Curtis and host Sean Pyles discuss a recent announcement from the Pew Research Center about changes to how it will study and report on generations. They also chat about the role of social media in our financial lives and if they still believe in the American dream.
Tiffany also talks with Angela Moore, certified financial planner and founder of Modern Money Education, a financial education firm. Angela considers herself an “honorary millennial” and works with a variety of people to help them build a strong financial foundation. They discuss historic and present-day factors that have created millennials’ shaky relationship with money and ways that they can take ownership of their finances. That includes working with a professional to address financial trauma and finances, getting clear on financial goals and establishing what happiness looks like for them individually.
NerdWallet stories related to this episode:
Episode transcript
Sean Pyles: If you are of a certain age, anywhere from your late 20s to your early 40s, you have no doubt found yourself at some point reduced to your generational status. You are a millennial. And while every generation has its benefits and burdens, some also bring a specific, shall we say, attitude to the table.
Angela Moore: I think that a lot of millennials are getting to the point where they do not care what their parents think, or anyone else for that matter, they want to focus on happiness. A big theme now is my job has to be fulfilling. My job has to make me happy. I have to enjoy what I’m doing to a certain extent, right? There has to be that balance to life and a lifestyle element to it.
Sean Pyles: Welcome to NerdWallet’s Smart Money Podcast. I’m Sean Pyles.
Tiffany Curtis: And I’m Tiffany Curtis.
Sean Pyles: This episode kicks off our Nerdy deep dive into millennials and money. We’re going to explore what makes millennials unique in how they make money, manage money and talk about money.
Tiffany Curtis: We’re also going to explore how millennials have opened the door to wider conversations about generational financial trauma, and how they’ve gone about defying expectations about what their financial lives are supposed to look like.
Sean Pyles: OK. So, Tiffany, I am going to ask you the question that I ask all of our guest Nerds for these special series. Why are we doing this exactly? You and I are both millennials, so I’m guessing that is part of it.
Tiffany Curtis: Yes, that’s definitely a part of it. I just turned 30.
Sean Pyles: Congrats.
Tiffany Curtis: Thank you. I wanted to do a special series on how we relate to money because there are a lot of myths about millennials and money. There’s a misconception that we’re simply bad with money, not working hard enough. It also feels like general financial advice and ideas about what financial wellness should look like don’t take into account all of the significant events that we’ve lived through, and how those events and generational trauma impact our relationship with money.
Sean Pyles: Yeah, absolutely. And one thing that’s really interesting to me is how the experiences we have at really formative times in our lives shape the way that we think about our own finances and the economy for years to come. Folks in Gen X and boomers also lived through things like the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, but by virtue of being in different places in their lives, they may have been shaped by these events in different ways than we millennials were.
Well, speaking of millennials, Tiffany, let’s talk about this generation that we are a part of and also the whole idea of generations. First of all, can you please give our dear listener a refresher on how millennials are defined?
Tiffany Curtis: Yes. So, they’re generally defined, as you mentioned at the top of the show, as people who are between 27 and 42 years old. So, they were born between 1981 and 1996, so their formative years happened during and around the millennium. Although if you were born in the early ’90s, you probably don’t remember how wild Y2K was.
Sean Pyles: Y2K is such a throwback. I was 9 when Y2K happened, or I guess didn’t happen. I spent New Year’s Eve at my grandmother’s house in small town Minnesota, and I remember being very bored, but also feeling like I was in a relatively safe spot in the event that every nuke in the world was detonated at once or something like that. We all thought that was maybe going to happen.
Well, I think we also do want to acknowledge some of the problems that arise when we divide people up into generations. Millennials are not really one monolith nor are boomers or people in Gen Z. And speaking of Gen Z, the boundaries between one generation and the next can feel a little bit arbitrary, and a lot of issues around money have nothing to do with whichever generation you’re in. Having a tense or strained relationship with money isn’t inherently unique to millennials.
Tiffany Curtis: That’s true, but I think you can make a case that there’s a collective discontentment in the millennial generation. And you can definitely argue that’s the first generation to grow up with the internet ingrained in our lives. That makes us different from say, Generation X. We’ve also witnessed growing economic disparity and insecurity, and we’re the first to stare down a life deeply affected by climate change. And I also think it’s fair to say this generation is disillusioned with the American dream. I think we more openly question who that dream is for and whether it’s something to still strive for.
Sean Pyles: Yeah, amen to that. When I talk about money and the future with many of my friends, who are predominantly millennials, many of them express a sense of despondence or that they feel like they’ll never get ahead financially. But I don’t want this to be too much of a bummer conversation.
So, Tiffany, let’s talk about what is good. You mentioned the influence of the internet, and I would argue that has been a force for both good and bad. On the good side, it has allowed us to have really important conversations openly, publicly about all of those factors that you mentioned.
Tiffany Curtis: Agree.
Sean Pyles: And technology itself has brought changes to our financial lives. For example, do you ever even go inside banks anymore or even like a real old-fashioned brick and mortar store? We do have the world at our literal fingertips from the comfort of our couches.
Tiffany Curtis: Agree. I do still go into banks too, though.
Sean Pyles: Well, that is your own prerogative and good for you because I have not set foot in a bank in a long time.
Tiffany Curtis: But I remember when we were first talking about this series, we ran across some interesting perspectives on this whole “call me by my generation” question, didn’t we?
Sean Pyles: We did, and I particularly want to cite the Pew Research Center, which issued an explainer this year that said it was going to change its approach to studying and reporting on generations. The biggest takeaway, I think, is that they’re going to analyze generations when they have historical data that allows that comparison at similar stages of life. So, for example, they would look at people in their 30s and 40s across time instead of by arbitrary generational designations, and that makes sense to me.
Tiffany Curtis: Me too. But for now, we’re kind of stuck with millennials as a generation, so let’s talk about them.
Sean Pyles: Yeah, might as well, right?
OK, well, listener. we want to hear what you think. To share your ideas, concerns, solutions around millennials and money, leave us a voicemail or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373. That’s 901-730-NERD, or email a voice memo to [email protected].
So, Tiffany, who are we going to hear from today?
Tiffany Curtis: Well, we’re going to start today with Angela Moore. She’s a certified financial planner and founder of Modern Money Education, a financial education firm. She’s based in Florida and calls herself an honorary millennial.
Welcome, Angela. So, glad you could join us on Smart Money today.
Angela Moore: Thank you. I’m excited to be here.
Tiffany Curtis: So, let’s start with an overview of where millennials are in their financial lives right now. What stands out to you as someone who does financial planning with millennials?
Angela Moore: I think what stands out the most is that there’s just so many competing priorities because we’re kind of like a sandwich generation. Many of us have parents that are getting up there in age, close to retirement age, so there’s the need to potentially help them financially or help them plan for retirement, supplement their financial situation. And then, many of us are beginning or have children at this point, so there’s the need to plan for our children and their education and their everyday expenses and needs.
And then, we still have all these competing personal financial priorities, whether it’s our everyday bills or our student loans, purchasing a home or other goals, and there’s so much more to add in there. We don’t have the same type of retirement benefits that previous generations had, and housing prices and the cost of living in general has just skyrocketed.
Tiffany Curtis: What do you think are some specific events that have shaped this generation in terms of how we view the role of money and the attainment of it? I’m thinking about things like the 2008 financial crisis and of course the COVID pandemic. Can you talk about some of the ways that those events affected millennials’ finances?
Angela Moore: Absolutely. The pandemic hit millennials very hard. The Center for Retirement Research at Boston College said that millennials were more likely to be laid off during the pandemic. The Pew Research Center said millennials were hit harder by the COVID-19 pandemic.
And so, I think that’s just part of the story. The other part of it is that there was a study done by the National Institute on Retirement a while back that found that 66% of working millennials have nothing saved for retirement. I think one of the things that really hit home for a lot of millennials is that there’s no stability here and that this system is not really working for us. And I didn’t even mention the student loan situation. I mean, I’ve routinely seen clients that have $200, $300,000 of student loan debt. And so, I think that forces you to have to think outside the box and be creative.
If you’re a millennial and you’re seeing what’s stacked against you, it’s almost like, “OK. Well, how can I now separate myself from this situation and elevate? How can I transcend this situation?” It’s not necessarily because millennials want to be creative and want to do everything differently. And then, it’s almost like you’re getting judged for wanting to be different, you’re getting judged for not taking a traditional route.
One of the historic things that happened was our country did away with traditional retirement plans. Back in the day, a lot of U.S. workers had pension plans. And it became very expensive to maintain these types of traditional retirement accounts or pensions, and so a lot of companies began to move to 401(k)s and 403(b)s and kind of what we call contribution-type plans. And so what that did, it shifted the burden of saving for retirement from the employer to the employees. The traditional advice that older people got when they were younger, it doesn’t work for our generation. It’s not going to work.
Tiffany Curtis: So, what do you think is some of that traditional advice that isn’t working for millennials anymore?
Angela Moore: I think the traditional advice is, “Go to college. Get a job. Save your money. Balance your checkbook.” The standards hold true, but it’s not enough anymore.
For someone who’s just working an average job trying to save and trying to penny pinch and budget their way through their financial situation is not going to have enough money saved to live on all throughout retirement. If you do the math, if you look at, “Hey, let’s say I start working when I’m 20 and I retire when I’m 65. OK, that’s 45 years that I’ve worked.” But let’s say that I live to be 100 or 95, let’s say. That means that in the 40 years that I’ve worked, I need to have saved enough to live on another 30 years. And I’m supposed to be saving this money even with the high cost of living, the high cost of purchasing a house, the high cost of paying for education, the high cost of inflation. And on top of that, I’m also supposed to be navigating this tumultuous financial market, right? The investment market. It just doesn’t add up.
Tiffany Curtis: So, I’m wondering if you can talk about some of the misconceptions that other generations might have about millennials, especially our relationship with money and how we manage it. How do you think millennials are seen by the rest of society?
Angela Moore: I think a lot of society, in the past especially, has looked at millennials as lazy, they don’t want a job. I think those are the most common misconceptions I’ve heard.
But in working with mostly millennial clients, I have to differ with that. I think that millennials are some of the smartest clients I’ve ever had. They’re extremely resourceful. They’re extremely mature. It’s not all about money for millennials, a lot of it is about health and wellness and balance, and I think that that’s key.
I think a lot of millennials do have a sound mind and they are aware of the financial situation and concerned with it. I just think that it’s hard. It’s extremely complex. From a financial standpoint, I think that millennials have actually done an excellent job of being aware of their financial situation and taking steps to try to do the best that they can.
Tiffany Curtis: Where do you think they’re coming from, the misconceptions?
Angela Moore: A lot of older people are not aware of how much it costs to go to college now. You can easily spend $80,000 a year on college now. And there’s a lot of things that the older generations just were not exposed to.
Even finding a job. I mean, even me, when I graduated college, I graduated college in 2002, it was easy to find a job, but things are different now. Things are completely different. And even finding a livable wage, especially in some of these major cities — let’s say you’re earning $100,000, that’s not a lot of money in a lot of these urban cities, in these environments. It doesn’t go very far nowadays.
Tiffany Curtis: So, we talked about things that older generations may not have been exposed to. So, that makes me think of millennials and the internet and how we’re kind of the first generation to really grow up in the age of the internet, and this big boom with social media especially. Can you walk us through the effect that you think that’s had on how we view our finances? Do you think it’s helped or hindered us?
Angela Moore: I think both. I think on the one hand, it’s exposed us to so many different options, so many different career paths, so many opportunities that we wouldn’t have had if we didn’t have access to information.
But then on the other hand, there’s the whole social media aspect and the comparing ourselves, and everyone’s out here living their best life on a yacht in some tropical paradise or whatever. And it just makes you feel like you’re broke compared to everyone else. There’s a lot of influencer type of content out there. And it’s hard when you are putting your head down and you’re working and trying to earn income and trying to save and trying to just create something, and it just looks like everyone else is doing so much better than you.
It’s both helped us in a lot of ways by giving us opportunities and exposure to things, but then at the same time, it can be devastating in a lot of ways as well and overwhelming. And so, subconsciously, you’re holding yourself to that standard. It’s almost impossible for us to separate the two internally in our brains.
Tiffany Curtis: I feel like when it comes to social media and millennials and finances, it very much feels like it just kind of amplifies that feeling of the haves and the have-nots, which makes me think of wealth inequality. There’s a lot of research coming out about the wealth gap among millennials, especially racially, and the major difference in net worth between white millennials and black millennials and other millennials of color. And wealth inequality is a source of generational financial trauma. So, I’m wondering, what does generational financial trauma look like to you?
Angela Moore: I’ll tell you a quick story. When I first got in the industry as a financial advisor, I was working at a huge brokerage firm and we had cubicles. And there was a young woman sitting across from me, and she was on the phone with her attorney discussing her prenuptial agreement like it was nothing. Just casually discussing what she would like to have in the prenup and all these different things. And I thought to myself, “Wow, I’ve never heard anyone talk about this.”
And as I grew in this career, that’s something I saw, is that there are certain families that talk about wealth, they talk about estate planning, they talk about business, they talk about investments, they talk about all these things at the dinner table on a routine basis. And in a lot of black and brown communities especially, you could go your whole life and you’ve never had a conversation about those things.
We’re just not typically exposed. We’re not at the table. We’re not in the room. And obviously, I mean, we all know the history of this country, there are certain families that have had generational wealth that came all the way from slavery times. The same goes for poverty. There is poverty that has been passed down from generation to generation. It’s a poverty mindset. It’s lack of knowledge, even. It’s behavioral patterns and habits that have been passed down. You saw your parents doing it, so you’re doing it.
And it’s not just that, then there’s also obviously what kind of access to advice that you have. One of the things that really bothered me about my industry when I stepped back and thought about it later in my career was that most financial planning firms and brokerage firms, they cater to high-net-worth clients. And what that means is that they are looking for individuals that have at least a million dollars to invest with them. A lot of these companies don’t even have any services that will cater to you at all. And so it’s like, where do the rest of us go for financial advice?
But I do think that a lot of millennials, what’s great about this is that because of the resources that we have, like the internet for example, people are beginning to take these matters into their own hands and they’re educating themselves. They’re reading books. They’re finding people like me to help them. They’re listening to things like this. They are really trying to empower themselves, which we’ve always done, but there’s now this access to information that wasn’t really available before.
Tiffany Curtis: And speaking of empowerment, what kind of advice do you give to your clients about how to deal with generational financial trauma?
Angela Moore: I think that seeking professional help in terms of therapy is not talked about. There’s trauma, there’s mindset and hindering beliefs a lot of times. So, seeking therapy.
The other thing is associating yourself with like-minded people who are also trying to empower themselves. So, find a Facebook group or whatever it is of people who are trying to financially empower themselves.
And then lastly, find a professional to help you get your finances in order, whether that’s a financial coach, financial advisor, financial planner, an investment advisor, whatever. There’s a lot of different types of financial professionals out there that can help you. There’s even student loan specialists out there. So, there’s just a lot of help nowadays and resources.
Tiffany Curtis: You’ve touched on some resources already, but given everything that we’ve talked about that millennials are navigating when it comes to their financial lives, what are some steps that they can take toward financial wellness right now? Immediately, as soon as they’re done listening to this, what sort of things can they do?
Angela Moore: Yes. So, the first thing you can do is take ownership and get organized. You want to have clarity around your current financial situation.
So, the first step is write out a budget, write down all of your monthly expenses and also any debt that you owe, anything like that. List it all on a piece of paper or a spreadsheet or whatever, just so you can have clarity around that. And then, also, list out how much income are you bringing home every month, and then compare. How much is coming in versus how much is going out? That’s the very first step.
Once you’ve done that, you want to focus in on your goals. So, many people have no clue what they’re trying to accomplish when it comes to financial situations. You could maybe have some short-term goals, maybe some long-term goals.
But then the next step is aligning your budget with those goals, right? Every month money’s coming in. Are you allocating that money in a way that aligns with what you are trying to accomplish in your life? That is the key. If your money’s just coming in and going out to all these random places and it’s not intentional, you’re not being intentional about how you’re spending or where you’re putting your money, then that’s where chaos sinks in.
After that, I would say focusing in on eliminating debt, making sure you have an emergency fund saved, then reviewing your insurance, car insurance, really important, all the different types of insurance. Disability insurance, you should know what disability insurance is, and you need to make sure you have it because disability insurance is insuring your income. If something happens and you are disabled and can no longer work, how are you going to save for retirement? How are you going to buy a house? How are you going to do anything? So, you need to make sure that you’re insuring your income with disability insurance.
And then, another thing is estate planning. Everyone thinks that estate planning is only for wealthy people, but that’s not the case. All of us should do an estate plan because an estate plan says, “Hey, if I’m ever in the hospital, who do I want making medical decisions for me? Who do I want to have access to my finances to be able to pay my bills and make sure my business keeps flowing and all these different things?”
Tiffany Curtis: It makes me think about how millennials are or aren’t redefining what financial wellness feels and looks like for them. So, I’m wondering if you could talk through, what do you think that looks like? Do you think that we’re redefining financial wellness? If we are, how?
Angela Moore: Absolutely. I think that a lot of millennials are getting to the point where they do not care what their parents think, or anyone else for that matter, they want to focus on happiness. And so, a big theme now is, my job has to be fulfilling. My job has to make me happy. I have to enjoy what I’m doing to a certain extent, right? There has to be, like I mentioned earlier, that balance to life and a lifestyle element to it.
I think the other thing is that a lot of millennials are doing what I call thinking outside the box. They are creating their own realities. A lot of millennials are starting to create their own businesses. They are leaving corporate America. They are creating new, innovative ways to make money and create multiple streams of income.
And they’re realizing that they need to increase their income in order to achieve financial stability. And I also think, you know, challenging societal norms. A lot of millennials are not trying to buy a house, some are not trying to get married. People are really looking at, “What makes me happy and what can I do to live the life I want to live in the most authentic way possible, instead of what society expects of me?” And so, that’s something I see that is unique to millennials.
Tiffany Curtis: So, it sounds like the onus is on millennials a lot to come up with these creative solutions and figure out how to do things in a nontraditional way, because like you said, the system isn’t working for us. But if you could, how would you like to see the system better support millennials?
Angela Moore: Well, I think a lot of it is political, and I think we’re seeing that some leaders are trying to address issues. Obviously, there’s a whole lot of issues to be addressed, and so sometimes our particular issues don’t take precedence, but I think that they should. Because the baby boomer generation, which is our parents’ generation, they are aging. They’re retiring, going into Social Security. So, the onus falls on the current working class to fund Social Security for them and fund retirement for them. And because there’s not as many of us, there’s a strain on the system.
These are all major, major concerns. When you add it up and do the math, it’s not going to work out unless something changes. So, I think that hopefully as we become leaders and get into leadership, that we can help push forward change.
Tiffany Curtis: Angela Moore, thank you so much for helping us out today, and helping us kick off the series.
Angela Moore: The pleasure is all mine. Thank you.
Sean Pyles: I love how Angela talked about the importance of empowerment and community. You two discussed a number of big challenges that the millennial generation is facing: wealth inequality, generational trauma, a difficult housing market. And these issues are real and hard to navigate. But at the end of the day, we still do have agency, right? We can decide what to do with our finances and can work to better our situations, even if the broader economic and societal context is difficult.
Tiffany Curtis: We do have agency. We get to decide what our financial priorities are. And I think with open and honest conversations like these, we move a little bit closer to improving our relationship with money, while we continue to hope that systemic change is on the way.
Sean Pyles: Exactly. Hoping that systemic change is on the way and taking action to make that happen. So, Tiffany, Angela touched on this a bit, but I know in our next episode we’re going to dive even further into the idea of generational financial trauma.
Tiffany Curtis: Yeah, we’re going to talk with two guests who have spent a lot of time counseling and educating millennials on how generational trauma intersects with our finances and how we may not even realize that said trauma is at the root of our relationship with money.
Aja Evans: When we start talking about financial trauma, in general, I think that there is a conversation that assumes people were coming from a place of poverty. And yes, that is very, very true for a lot of people, but there are also people who were raised in middle class, upper middle class wealthy families who are dealing with generational traumas of their own with money.
Tiffany Curtis: For now, that’s all we have for this episode. Do you have a money question of your own? Turn to the Nerds and call or text us your questions at 901-730-6373. That’s 901-730-NERD. You can also email us [email protected]. Also visit nerdwallet.com/podcast for more info on this episode. And remember to follow, rate and review us wherever you’re getting this podcast.
Sean Pyles: This episode was produced by Tess Vigeland and Tiffany Curtis. I helped with editing. Liz Weston helped with fact-checking. Kaely Monahan mixed our audio. And a big thank you to the folks on the NerdWallet copy desk for all their help. Also, a special shout out to Kathy Hinson for all of her help on the series.
Tiffany Curtis: And here’s our brief disclaimer, we are not financial or investment advisors. This Nerdy info is provided for general educational and entertainment purposes and may not apply to your specific circumstances.
Sean Pyles: And with that said, until next time, turn to the Nerds.
If you’re looking for comprehensive financial planning advice, but you don’t want to pay the high fees typically charged by financial advisors, Facet may be exactly the service you’re looking for. They provide all the services of traditional financial planners, but at much lower fees. And they’ll even include investment management in the package. This can be especially beneficial for those with portfolios under $500,000, since traditional financial planners often won’t work with smaller clients.
In this comprehensive Facet review, we’ll break down their comprehensive service offering, and help you decide whether this type of financial planning is right for you.
About Facet
Based in Baltimore, Facet was launched in 2016, to serve those who are looking for something of a hybrid between automated, online investment platforms (robo advisors) and full-service financial advisors. Instead of focusing only on investment management, they provide holistic financial management, covering all aspects of your financial life.
Also Read: Wealthfront Review – Low Cost Robo Investing and Financial Planning
But rather than charging annual fees based on a percentage of your assets under management, they instead charge a flat annual membership fee.
And unlike robo advisors, where your portfolio is invested on an automated basis with very little direct human contact, you’ll instead work directly with a dedicated Certified Financial Planner™ professional. The CFP® professional will work with you to establish your financial goals, and immediate and future needs, then come up with an action plan to help you get to where you want to go.
Investment management is available and it’s included as part of the basic annual membership fee. For that reason, it’s not possible to do a direct price comparison between Facet and robo advisors, most of whom don’t offer life financial planning advice.
Related: Personal Capital Review – A Free Wealth Management Tool
How Facet Works
When you sign up with Facet you’ll work directly with a dedicated CFP® professional. However, all contact is either by phone, video chat or email. There are no in person meetings, though due to technology that’s becoming increasingly unnecessary.
You don’t need a certain minimum amount of investable funds to work with Facet either. You can work with them even if you don’t have anything to invest. This is unlike traditional financial planning services, which typically require large minimum account balances to provide advice.
All information relating to your financial situation will appear on an intuitive dashboard, enabling you to get a 360° view of your financial life on the platform.
If you do choose the investment management option, one big advantage is that they do provide investment recommendations for employer-sponsored retirement plans, like 401(k)s. They can’t directly manage employer plans, but the advice they provide will help you better manage your plan going forward.
Financial Services Provided by Facet
As you’ll see, Facet goes well beyond simple investment management provided by robo advisors. They provide investment management, but also comprehensive financial planning services, including the following:
Retirement Planning: Your CFP® professional will put together an action plan to help you reach your retirement goals, as well as help you to understand the strategies behind it.
Education Planning: If you have children, they’ll present options to pay for their future education.
Life Planning: Your Facet advisor will help you to plan for what’s most important in your life.
Asset Management: This is the investment management part of the Facet program. It will include constructing a well-diversified portfolio to help you achieve your long-term goals.
Income Tax Planning: This service involves minimizing the impact of taxes while implementing your financial plan and investing activities.
Insurance Planning: If you don’t know a whole lot about insurance, your financial advisor can help. They’ll recommend the best types of plans to provide specific protections you need for yourself and your family.
Estate Planning: Facet will work with your personal attorney to create an estate plan to provide for your loved ones after your death.
Legacy Planning: This involves creating a plan to make provisions for either your family or a favorite charity. It will enable you to structure your finances in such a way that you will be able to provide for the people or organizations you care for most.
Retirement Income: Apart from retirement planning, it’s also important to successfully manage income in retirement. Your financial advisor will take into consideration your income from Social Security and pensions, in creating a distribution plan from your retirement savings.
A Facet CFP® professional can even help you choose your employee benefits and provide assistance in making the right decisions with your company’s stock option plan.
Also Read: Blooom Review – Finally, a Robo-Advisor for Your 401(k)
Facet Investment Strategy
If you sign up for Facet to take advantage of the financial planning services, you’ll also get investment management at no additional cost. Investment funds are managed through four major brokerages, including Fidelity, Charles Schwab, TD Ameritrade, and Apex. There is no minimum initial investment requirement.
Because those are among the largest investment firms in the industry, there’s a good chance you invest with one of them already. But if you don’t, and you want to take advantage of Facet investment management, you’ll need to transfer your current account to one of those four platforms.
Investments will be managed using primarily mutual funds and exchange traded funds (ETFs), though the company does indicate use of individual stocks and bonds are possible on a discretionary basis.
Portfolios are designed based on your personal investment risk tolerance, as well as your time horizon and investment goals. Your portfolio may be constructed based on the following risk levels:
Aggressive
Moderately Aggressive
Moderate
Conservative
Your portfolio will be fully managed by Facet, including periodic reviews, which will be conducted at least annually. More frequent reviews may take place based on a change in your personal investment objectives, as well as in response to investment market conditions, or upon request.
Other Facet Features and Benefits
Investment accounts that can be managed: Taxable brokerage accounts, and any self-directed retirement plans, including traditional, Roth, rollover, SEP and SIMPLE IRAs, as well as solo 401(k) plans. And though they can’t manage them directly, Facet will provide management assistance with employer-sponsored plans, like 401(k) and 403(b) plans.
Availability: All 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Customer contact: One of the advantages of working with Facet is that you will have a direct line to your dedicated CFP® professional. When you call in, it won’t be to a call-in center. Contact is by phone, videoconference, or email, all of which are available mornings, evenings, and even on weekends.
Fees: Membership fees will vary by the services you need performed, and are not determined by the size of your portfolio.
Prices range from $2,400/year ($167/month) to $8,000/year ($667/month). Most members fall in the middle of that range.
There are no cancellation fees – but any annual fees already paid will not be returned.
How to Sign Up with Facet
To sign up with Facet you’ll start by scheduling a 30-minute introductory call with a dedicated CFP® professional. That person will work with you to determine your needs and goals, as well as your budget for the service.
When you schedule your introductory call, you’ll be required to provide basic information, as well as financial information, such as investment accounts, and to list important financial goals.
If a Facet membership feels right to you and you agree to sign up, you’ll go through Facet’s digital onboarding process which is a guided experience that consolidates all your key information in one place. The full process takes 30 – 45 minutes but you can leave and revisit the process at your convenience. Once the digital onboarding is complete, the first meeting with your planner will be scheduled. They will come to this meeting prepared after reviewing all the information you submitted during the digital onboarding process and can start discussing your financial priorities.
The CFP will create an individually designed financial plan, though the creation of that plan may require several direct sessions to complete. Once again, the fees you’ll pay for that plan will depend on the individual services you want.
The CFP will create an individually designed financial plan, though the creation of that plan may require several direct sessions to complete.
Facet Pros and Con
Flat fee structure — This will work very well for those with larger portfolios.
No minimum to begin investing — There are no upfront fees.
Full service financial planning — Facet takes a holistic view of your entire financial life, rather than focusing exclusively on investment management. Investment management is included in your complete financial planning package.
The company is a fiduciary — This legally requires them to represent your best interests, and not to promote their own products to generate additional income.
Works with major investment brokers — Facet works with four big investment platforms.
Can be pricey — The flat fee structure will be high for those with smaller portfolios.
No face-to-face meetings — All contact is by phone, email or video chat.
Difficult to estimate costs — Since fees are based on the level of service, actual costs can be difficult to determine upfront.
Alternatives to Facet
If you’re interested in what Facet has to offer, but you’d like to check out the competition, we recommend the following financial management services:
Probably the most popular investment platform among robo advisors with personal financial advice is Empower. The platform is free to use, if you’re looking for budgeting tools and limited investment advice. But with a minimum initial investment of $100,000, you can take advantage of Empower Wealth Management, that provides full investment management. And with at least $200,000, you can have regular access to financial advisors. Management fees start at 0.89% for a portfolio up to $1 million, but slide down to 0.49% for portfolios greater than $10 million.
Betterment’s Premium plan works similar to Personal Capital, but at a lower fee. They charge an annual management fee equal to 0.40% of your account balance, and there’s no upfront fee. That means you can have a $250,000 portfolio managed for $1,000 per year. The service provides automated portfolio management (robo advisor), with unlimited access to Betterment certified financial planners. Qualification requires a minimum account balance of $100,000.
But at an even lower fee structure is Vanguard Personal Advisor Services. The minimum required investment is $50,000, and the annual fee is just 0.30%, sliding all the way down to 0.05% for portfolios of $25 million or more. An investor with $250,000 can have his or her portfolio managed for just $750 per year. The service offers unlimited access to personal financial advisors, including a dedicated advisor if your portfolio is $500,000 or more.
Facet vs. Robo Advisor
Those considering Facet might find themselves debating between Facet and a robo advisor for managing their money. The truth is that both types of service have something to offer different customers.
A robo advisor is an algorithm that manages your investments based on a risk tolerance that is set upon signing up for the service. Robo advisors occasionally offer personalized advice, but this often comes with a fee. At best, you’ll have limited access to a financial planner. Fees are usually set based on a percentage of what you invest, plus set fees (although exact details depend on the robo advisor).
Whether or not you want a robo advisor depends on whether you want to take a hands-on or hands-off approach to managing your money. Robo advisors are automated investment strategies, and are therefore a very hands-off approach. Facet allows you more freedom to customize your plan, with real access to human advice, and a fee structure that isn’t only based on how much you invest.
Both types of investment have a lot to offer, so it will depend on the person to decide which is most suited to their personal risk tolerance and investing goals.
What Others are Saying – Facet Reviews
To get a better understanding of what people think about Facet, it helps to look at third-party reviews. Reviews are a great way to get a non-biased perspective of what others are saying about Facet. Prospective clients will be happy to learn that Facet reviews are mostly positive overall.
Better Business Bureau has Facet at an A+ rating. A+ is the highest rating available on BBB’s 100-point rating scale. The rating scale is based on an aggregate of factors, including the business’s complaint history, transparent business practices, time in business, advertising issues, licensing and government actions, and more. An A+ is an encouraging sign for prospective customers of Facet.
Business Insider has also given Facet a positive review. They state that Facet is “best for comprehensive financial advice and those with modest or sizable assets”. Business Insider had overall positive things to say about the service, but also said that those with modest assets or one-off questions may not benefit from Facet. Business Insider gave Facet a rating of 4.6/5.
Facet FAQs
What is a Certified Financial Planner™ professional, and why is having one so important?
CFP® professionals are required to be certified, and have experience in all aspects of financial planning. Not only can they provide the information you’ll need, but they can recommend third-party sources for additional advice when necessary. A dedicated CFP® professional is part coach, part advocate and all partner. Working with a CFP® professional means you never have to deal with financial concerns alone.
Why is it important that Facet is a Fiduciary?
A fiduciary is a financial professional with a legal and ethical relationship of trust to you as a client. They’re legally required to make financial recommendations in your best interest alone. All Facet CFP® professionals are fiduciaries.
Why do I need Facet when I can just use a robo advisor to manage my portfolio?
Because Facet will provide investment management services, comparable to a robo advisor, but they also work with you to better manage your entire financial life. For example, they can provide investment advice on how to better manage your employer-sponsored retirement plan. They can also work with you in other critical areas of your life, such as insurance, estate planning, and preparing for your children’s college educations.
How does Facet help me manage my employer sponsored retirement plan?
Facet doesn’t directly manage your retirement plan. But they can provide you with advice on portfolio allocation, as well as selecting from the best investment options in your plan. This may include certain funds that will create a more well-balanced portfolio, as well as include investments with lower fees.
How do I know a Facet CFP® professional will work in my best interest?
As fiduciaries, Facet CFP® professionals are legally required to work in the best interest of their clients. Additionally, because Facet charges flat fees, there are no worries associated with CFP® professional giving you bad advice to profit off commissions. Facet also boasts a rigorous recruitment process to vet every person they hire, putting a particular emphasis on kindness and honesty.
Related: How to Evaluate an Investment Portfolio
Is Facet the Right Choice for You?
If you’re looking for an investment advisor, but you also want comprehensive financial advice, schedule your introductory call is worth checking out. They provide professional level financial advice, including retirement planning, estate planning, education planning, and income tax planning for a fraction of what you’ll pay to an independent CFP® professional.
It’s also an excellent choice if you’re not simply looking for the type of automated investment management provided by robo advisors.
However, if you’re mainly interested in investment management, the value of the service may depend primarily on the size of your investment portfolio. For example, if you have a $1 million portfolio under management, and your total annual membership fee is $2,400, the fee will work out to be 0.24%, which is lower than most robo advisors.
But if your portfolio size is $100,000, and you pay the same $2,400 annual membership fee for Facet, it will be the equivalent of a 2.4% annual fee. That’s many times higher than what robo advisors will charge, and even higher than traditional human investment advisors.
However, you also have to consider the value of the financial planning advice being provided. If you’re looking for ongoing financial advice, the Facet fee will be well worth paying. But if you’re looking for one-time advice for very specific areas of financial planning, and mostly interested in ongoing investment management, it may be more cost-effective to invest through a robo advisor, and to get the needed financial planning advice from an independent CFP® professional.
At the end of the day, you need to consider your own financial goals, personal risk tolerance, and what you want from a financial services provider. Only with a proper understanding of these personal preferences can you make the choice that’s right for you.
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) isn’t the only benefit you can claim if you have a disability. You can qualify for other benefits while receiving SSDI, including Supplemental Security Income, Medicare, Medicaid, private and employer disability insurance, disability benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), food and heating assistance and more.
Other federal programs
Supplemental Security Income
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a Social Security Administration (SSA) benefit program that provides a financial benefit to adults and children with disabilities and nondisabled adults older than 65 with limited income and resources
. Many people who receive SSDI are also eligible to receive SSI payments.
Medicare
Receiving SSDI makes you eligible for Medicare. There are a few exceptions, but typically, a 24-month waiting period for Medicare starts when you first receive SSDI
.
Medicaid
Medicaid is a health care program that provides medical coverage to low-income adults, children, older adults, pregnant people, and people with disabilities. The program is funded jointly by state and federal governments and administered by individual states.
If you receive SSI, you may automatically be eligible for Medicaid. In many states, the SSI application is also a Medicaid application, but in some states, you may have to apply separately for Medicaid and SSI.
Food and energy benefits
If your income is limited, you may be eligible for benefits that help pay for necessities like food and heat. These include:
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.SNAP benefits supplement the cost of groceries for low-income families. These benefits are disbursed on an electronic benefits transfer (EBT) card that works like a debit card in authorized food stores. Those receiving SSDI or SSI may also be eligible to receive SNAP.
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. This federally funded program subsidizes heating, cooling and other energy costs. If you receive certain benefits, including SNAP and SSI, you may be automatically eligible for LIHEAP.
Veteran benefits
If you’re a disabled veteran, you may qualify for a Veterans Affairs disability benefit. The amount you receive depends on how severe your disability is and whether you have dependents. VA disability and SSDI are not affected by one another, and you may be able to receive both benefits.
Nongovernment benefits
Private insurance benefits
If you bought disability insurance from a private insurer before becoming disabled, you may be eligible for monthly payments of a certain percentage of your wages. Private insurance payments don’t affect your SSDI; you can receive both benefits.
Employer-provided benefits
Workers’ compensation. Most businesses are required to provide some wage replacement, medical treatment and disability compensation if you become disabled because of something that happened while working. Receiving workers’ compensation will only reduce your Social Security disability payments if the combined amount of these benefits is more than 80% of your average earnings before you became disabled
.
Disability insurance. Many employers in the private sector offer workers short- or long-term disability insurance. These plans can pay a percentage of your salary if your disability prevents you from working. Short-term plans typically pay for three months to a year, while long-term policies can pay from 90 days to years or even for life.
Government employees. Government and civil service positions may also offer disability insurance. The Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) covers most civilian federal employees, providing disability, retirement and survivor benefits. State governments also may provide disability benefits for their employees.
Tax benefits
People with disabilities may be eligible for certain tax breaks and benefits:
Reduced or waived income tax on your SSDI income. If you don’t have other substantial income besides your SSDI and your total provisional income totals less than $25,000 annually (or less than $32,000 for joint filers), you won’t owe any income tax on your SSDI. If you exceed these limits, you’ll still only owe income tax on up to 85% of your SSDI, depending on your income. SSI benefits are not taxable.
Earned income tax credit. The EITC is a tax break for low-income families and individuals (including those with disabilities). This credit can reduce what you owe in income taxes or increase your refund amount. SSI, SSDI and military disability pensions don’t count toward your income when you claim an EITC
.
Extra tax exemptions or deductions. The IRS offers an increased standard deduction for those who are legally blind and other tax breaks for those with physical or mental disabilities.
How to increase your SSDI benefit
There are a few ways to increase your SSDI benefit:
Your spouse, minor child or adult child, who became disabled before age 22 may be eligible to receive benefits on your record, which increases your total family income. You may also qualify for survivor’s benefits on a family member’s record if your eligible spouse, dependent parent or child has died.
Request to have your benefit recalculated if you feel the amount of your SSDI is incorrect and the SSA didn’t include all your income in its calculations.
Frequently asked questions
How long will it take to begin receiving my SSDI benefit after applying?
If your application is approved, you must wait five months before you can begin receiving payments, so you should receive your first payment in the sixth full month after the SSA learns of your disability. If you previously received SSDI benefits, the five-year rule can waive this waiting period.
Can I get SSDI and a Social Security retirement benefit at the same time?
In most cases, if you’re receiving SSDI, you can’t also receive Social Security retirement benefits. When you reach full retirement age, your SSDI will automatically convert to a retirement benefit.
How can I find out what disability benefits are available where I live?
One of the most comprehensive listings of benefits nationwide, including those for people with disabilities, is benefits.gov. This online tool allows you to tailor your search by the desired benefit type and state. The National Council on Aging also offers information on a variety of benefits. You may also want to contact your state or local government to learn about benefits programs specific to your area.
If I receive private disability insurance payments, will this reduce my SSDI?
No. Any disability payments you receive from private sources (such as private insurance or pensions) don’t affect your SSDI.