Archive for September, 2009

Out of a job? How about freelancing until things improve?

September 26th, 2009

Freelancing may be the ideal solution

The recession put paid to many jobs and now there are legions of unemployed sitting around. Having a good and steady job is of paramount importance. But a major problem arises when that job goes out the window. Many of us cannot face the thought of having to start looking for another job. To make matters worse, the deeper the recession, the tougher the competition among jobseekers and the harder the hiring conditions.

Thought about freelancing?

There is an alternative to working for a boss – freelancing. In simple terms this means getting onto your feet and peddling your particular skill or knowledge in the market place. Basic requirements involve the printing of business cards and advertising material such as flyers, distribution costs and advertising in the local press or on the internet.

What can you offer?

Common freelancing fields include many different types of writing such as technical writing, business writing, grant writing, copywriting, journalism, computer programming and graphic design, consulting, and many other professional and creative services. There is also blog writing which is attracting many freelancers.

Your deal

Freelance practice varies greatly. Some freelancers ask clients to sign written contracts or vice-versa, while others take work based on verbal agreements. Some freelancers provide written estimates of work and request deposits from clients. A certain amount of care must be taken. I once undertook freelance work on the basis of an exchange of emails. The work was ordered, I did the writing, submitted it and it was graciously accepted with thanks. I’m sure the work was used and I never heard from the client again and the email address I had been writing to never worked again.

Payment

Payment also varies greatly. Freelancers may charge by the day or hour, or on a lump sum basis. Some consultants adopt a value-based pricing method based on the perceived value of the results to the client. Payment arrangements may be upfront, percentage upfront, or all on completion. For more complex projects, a contract may set a payment schedule based on milestones or outcomes.

The advantages

Most of the benefits are pretty basic:

• No boss
• No fixed hours.
• No driving or traveling involved.
• Wide variety of assignments.
• Possibility of establishing a good network of clients.

The disadvantages

• These are pretty clear too
• No fixed salary.
• No regular cash flow.
• You have to deal with the income tax department.
• You may have to organize your own health insurance
• You can only earn as much as you can work.
• No bonuses, holiday pay or other perks.
• The loneliness of the freelance worker.

The internet Once again it’s the internet to the rescue. The internet has opened up many freelance opportunities and provides access to available markets. Outsourcing is heavily reliant on the internet to provide access to remote workers. Think if you can take advantage.

Posted in Economy, Employment | No Comments »

Get a Forex Robot and Double Your Money

September 24th, 2009

Why am I still working?

I keep seeing these Forex Robot ads when I’m searching for financial information on the web. Eventually I clicked on it to see what it was all about. People are selling software that you install on your computer and which allows you to start wheeling and dealing in Foreign Exchange, about which you probably know nothing. I was duly impressed and when I tried to close it, a notice informed me that a live person was waiting to speak to me and I should think twice before exiting. I passed on that.

Double your money

According to the ad, if I invest say $100, this Foreign Exchange Robot, to give it its full name, will play with my money and bring me back $200 at the and of the month. I will then give him that $200 and he will return $400 to me. This means I will have $409,600 after 12 months. Another month and I will have a million bucks! I will be a millionaire!

Is it okay if I ask a question?

Even if I am only investing $100 in this scheme, I have a question: have you guys got this software up and running on your computers at home? If so, how come you are still working? Or is it that you want everyone in the world to make half a million in the first year? Have you guys set up a marketing operation in Africa or India or China – you’ll find lots of investors there.

My friend the currency trader

I happen to know a currency dealer. The guy is a bleary-eyed shuffling character who falls asleep at a pause in the conversation. I once asked him if he was feeling okay and he replied, “I work all night, every night. I sit in front of my computer without a break – there is currency activity somewhere in the world 24 hours a day. My health is shot, my nerves are in tatters and I drink a bottle of scotch every night. You didn’t ask but the answer is yes, I make a lot of money.” This new foreign currency trading deal sounds a lot better than his system.

The robot does the work

The software that is being advertised employs a robot. All you have to do, is put up your money – they suggest you start with play-play money in case something goes wrong – hit the start button, fill you glass with scotch, lean back and listen to your personal cash register bells ringing as the money pours in.

Here I come!

The bottom end of this long ad reads, “If you want to take advantage of this ONCE IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY at the special launch price of USD $149 (you will NEVER be billed again and you will enjoy ALL the benefits of our Forex Robot forever). Act fast before we raise the price.”

Anyone want to join me?

Posted in Economy, Finance | No Comments »

Who moved my bank?

September 23rd, 2009

My love/hate affair with my bank goes on

I went across the street to the mall last night to deposit a check that had arrived in the mail. The miserable check was payment for an article that was submitted about 8 months ago and was finally published in June. The mall was closing up when I walked in and the bank was gone. The windows were plastered over with sheets of white paper. “Where’s the bank?” I asked a cleaner. She shrugged meaning:

• I don’t know.
• I don’t care.
• I don’t understand English. I only arrived in this country from (Insert name of any third-world country) 2 days ago.

I eventually found someone who pointed across the street to a new building. I dropped the check in the deposit box.

The bank likes me

I used to have a bank account with money in it. In these recessionary days I maintain an overdraft at the bank. It is not huge, but it seems to glow in a psychedelic red that draws every bank official’s attention to it whenever they walk anywhere near. So I get lots of mail and e-mails from the bank. Some offer me loans – they want me to build on my overdraft, some say nice things like “Please attends to your overdraft” and others threaten, “Attend to the matter of your overdraft immediately. If you have already done so please ignore this letter.” No matter how angry they get, they never slam the door!

I don’t like the bank

The bank is not my friend. There was time, a few years ago, when I would bump into the manager at the fast food court in the mall and we sometimes ate together, discussing important stuff like the weather. I was convinced the guy was human. Before I could build on our friendship, they moved him and we got a dragon in his place. She does not greet me and did not even give me a calendar in December, a sure sign that I am at the bottom of the list. But you can depend on the bank. At one second past midnight on the first of every month I hear a ‘ting’ on my computer and an email slides in from the bank, listing the bank charges for the past month. The bank charges me:

• For depositing a check into my account.
• For withdrawing money from my account.
• For making a payment to someone from my account.
• For breathing anywhere near my account.

This is despite the many letters I write to the bank reminding them that any money in my account is mine.

Grandpa’s bank philosophy

I once mentioned to my wise old grandfather that I needed to go to the bank for something or other and he said, “forget the bank, my boy. They will never help you. The bank only comes out to offer you an umbrella after the rain has stopped.”

Posted in Finance | No Comments »

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