Need a music or TV break while cramming for a test? These providers have your back. Antonio Guillem / Shutterstock.com
Want to earn an A-plus in saving money? Select a streaming service that offers a price break for students. A handful of streaming services offer student discounts that can range as high as 75% off the standard price. The following are the services that can provide some cheap entertainment to cash-strapped students.
Separate fact from fiction with this myth-busting guide to dog spots on lawns. Dora Zett / Shutterstock.com
There are many myths about dog urine spots in the lawn that can harm the health of your turf and pup. For example, a common myth is that only female dogs leave spots. “There are several urban myths surrounding the cause and the cure of the spots,” says Ali Harivandi, former environmental horticulture adviser at the University of California Cooperative Extension. Read on for myths about dog…
Launch your search for work opportunities that can fetch you a high salary. RossHelen / Shutterstock.com
When people think of remote jobs, rarely do they think they’ll be making a substantial salary. However, there are several industries that offer fully remote, in-demand jobs that have salaries of over $100,000. If you’re looking to land a six-figure job or asking yourself what jobs are in demand, look no further. FlexJobs analyzed its job database to find the most in-demand…
Costco has amazing deals at its warehouses throughout the world. Find out if a new Costco location is opening near you in 2024. [[{“value”:”
Image source: Upsplash/The Motley Fool
If you need more $4.99 rotisserie chickens or 72-pound Parmigiano Reggiano cheese wheels in your life, it helps to live near a Costco. But what if you don’t have the convenience of a nearby warehouse? Fortunately, Costco plans to add four new locations in the U.S. through the end of 2024.
As of August 2024, Costco had 884 locations worldwide, with 611 in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, and another 108 in Canada. The warehouse giant plans to add the following new warehouses in the U.S. through the end of the year:
Bend, Oregon (October 2024)Napa, California (October 2024)Pleasanton, California (October 2024)Madison, Alabama (November 2024)
In August 2024, Costco opened the following new U.S. locations:
Covington, LouisianaRidgefield, WashingtonTomball, Texas
Costco has also recently opened or will soon open new warehouses in South Korea, Japan, Spain, and Mexico.
If you’re a Costco novice, you need to know a few facts before you dash over to your nearest warehouse club:
You’ll need to pay for a membership. Costco raised the price of an annual membership on Sept. 1, 2024, to $65 for Gold Star and Business memberships and $130 for Executive memberships.Don’t count on sharing your membership card. Costco is cracking down on membership sharing by installing card scanners at each entrance. You’re allowed to bring up to two guests, but only members can make purchases.You can’t pay with just any credit card. Costco only accepts Visa credit cards for payment, though you can also pay with most PIN-based ATM and debit cards, cash, check, or Costco Shop Cards (Costco’s version of its own gift card).You don’t need a membership for some purchases. You can use Costco without a membership if you’re getting a prescription filled at the pharmacy, getting an eye exam, or buying booze in several states. However, most purchases require a membership.
If you’re on the fence about whether to join Costco, consider these questions before you shell out for a membership:
Is the location close enough that you’d actually shop there? If you’d spend an hour driving each way to shop at Costco, make sure the savings are enough to offset the time and transportation costs.Will you save money buying in bulk? If you live alone or have limited storage space, buying giant quantities from Costco or another warehouse club may not be worth it.Are you prone to impulse buying? You can buy everything from groceries to clothing, saunas, remote-controlled toilets, and more at your local Costco. If you tend to make impulse purchases, think twice before becoming a Costco member.
Should you decide to join Costco, you can bolster your savings with a credit card (but remember, only Visa credit cards are accepted). Take a look at our list of the best credit cards for Costco to earn cash back on Costco and Costco.com purchases.
We love versatile credit cards that offer huge rewards everywhere, including Costco! This card is a standout among America’s favorite credit cards because it offers perhaps the easiest $200 cash bonus you could ever earn and an unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases, even when you shop at Costco.
Add on the competitive 0% interest period and it’s no wonder we awarded this card Best No Annual Fee Credit Card.
Click here to read our full review for free and apply before the $200 welcome bonus offer ends!
We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.JPMorgan Chase is an advertising partner of The Ascent, a Motley Fool company. Robin Hartill has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Costco Wholesale, JPMorgan Chase, and Visa. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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From loans and partnerships to crowdfunding and more, check out four ways to turn your entrepreneurial dreams into reality. [[{“value”:”
Image source: Getty Images
The thought of starting a business is usually really quite exciting. How will you do it, what will your name and logo be, where will you find customers? For the would-be entrepreneur, this is all usually a very fun and interesting thought exercise.
But one issue that is typically more challenging than fun is how and where to find the money to fuel the dream. Will you need a business loan? What other options are there? The good news is that there are several realistic options that can take you from cash-strapped to cash-flush.
Here are four ways to fuel your business fire and set yourself up for success.
One of the first places to turn to when looking to fund a business is through a lender. Banks, credit unions, and online lenders offer a variety of loan products tailored to small businesses startups.
Of these, the ones to really consider are loans guaranteed by the federal Small Business Administration (SBA). The SBA does not make loans itself, but guarantees them, and as such, getting an SBA loan as a startup is easier than obtaining a traditional loan from a bank.
Why? Banks like to see a track record when making a business loan and start-up funding loans are often more difficult to obtain because there is no track record. But with SBA backing, banks are more apt to lend to a new startup, and that is why SBA loans should be your preferred choice.
To get one of these loans, you will need a solid business plan, good credit, and likely collateral.
If taking on debt does not appeal to you, another funding option is to bring on a partner with deep pockets. The partner offers actual equity and you offer what is often called “sweat equity” (meaning they fund the business and you do most of the work).
But beyond that, a partner might offer not only funding, but also expertise, connections, and a valuable sounding board. This can be especially beneficial if your partner brings skills or knowledge that complement your own, thereby adding value to your business beyond just the cash infusion.
Note though that if the good news about getting a partner is that you will have a partner, the bad news is…you will have a partner. Decisions will be joint, your partner will have equal say, and the partner can even take on debt in the name of the partnership. So choose wisely.
It is therefore essential to have clear written agreements in place to define roles, responsibilities, and the division of profits and losses.
Traditionally, there have been two ways to fund a business:
Debt fundingEquity funding
Debt funding is what it sounds like — you take on debt in the form of a loan. Equity funding is the sort of funding you see on the TV show Shark Tank — you give up a share of the business (equity) in exchange for an investment in the business.
Crowdfunding is newer and altogether different. Here, people give you money in exchange for some reward you offer. No debt, no equity sharing. A food truck might, for example, name a dish after one of the crowdfunding investors.
Platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo allow you to pitch your idea to the public and raise funds from a large number of people. The other cool thing about crowdfunding is that it not only provides capital but also serves as a marketing tool, helping you build a customer base before your product even hits the market.
Your final option is good old-fashioned bootstrapping. Bootstrapping involves funding your business with your own money, hard work, and initiative. It might be through tapping personal savings, using credit cards, selling some stock and using the proceeds, or even asking your Uncle Joe for some help.
Bootstrapping may not be ideal, but a lot of new entrepreneurs do it, and often in conjunction with one or more of the options above. Why? Because other investors like to see that you have, as they say, “skin in the game.” Bootstrapping proves you do. Indeed, according to Fundera, 77% of new entrepreneurs use some of their own funding in the start-up process.
So while it might not be easy, going from cash-strapped to cash-flush is quite possible with some ingenuity and hard work. And who knows, down the road with your newfound success, you might just be the one being asked to lend money to the next would-be entrepreneur.
This credit card is not just good – it’s so exceptional that our experts use it personally. It features a 0% intro APR for 15 months, a cash back rate of up to 5%, and all somehow for no annual fee!
Click here to read our full review for free and apply in just 2 minutes.
We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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RUN Powered by ADP® is one of the best payroll software solutions for small businesses — and it just announced new features. See how they work. [[{“value”:”
Image source: Getty Images
RUN Powered by ADP® is ranked as one of the best payroll software solutions for small businesses, and nearly 800,000 small businesses use ADP payroll software. But this software isn’t just for paying employees. RUN Powered by ADP® also has advanced human resources (HR) tools and can serve a wide range of human resource management needs for your small business.
The ADP team recently updated and enhanced the features of RUN Powered by ADP®, including some generative AI tools. We got a special behind-the-scenes tour to see how the new features work and why RUN Powered by ADP® might be more powerful than ever.
Here are a few new features of RUN Powered by ADP® and ideas for how these capabilities can help your small business.
RUN Powered by ADP® is using generative AI and machine learning to make its payroll and HR software more personalized and easier to use. AI technology is being built into various features to help small business owners find the information they need faster, get personalized insights into their small business HR performance, and avoid costly mistakes when processing payroll.
Here are a few of the best new features.
RUN Powered by ADP® now uses generative AI for natural language processing and personalized search results. The software uses a machine learning model to help people quickly find search results that are most relevant and tailored to the way each person uses RUN.
This can help small business owners save time and effort, navigating the entire RUN product with just a few keystrokes. Search is more powerful, making it easier and more precise to find specific employees, reports, or HR forms within the software, and get access to high-frequency help topics.
RUN Powered by ADP® now includes enhanced AI capabilities for a feature called Payroll Inspector. This tool monitors the small business’s payroll workflows and calls out for attention when there are irregularities or possible problems.
Payroll Inspector can be a lifesaver for small businesses, helping avoid costly mistakes with payroll, tax compliance, and more. With the power of AI, Payroll Inspector can give small business owners more confidence that their payroll is correct.
RUN Powered by ADP® is not just for payroll software. The new updates include a full integration of payroll-related capabilities and other human capital management (HCM) features, all seamlessly accessible within RUN. This includes:
PayrollBusiness insuranceHealth insuranceTimekeepingHR programsRetirement plans
For example, if your construction company is giving a price quote to a customer at the customer’s home, and the homeowner asks for proof of insurance, you can open the RUN Powered by ADP® mobile app, generate a Certificate of Insurance from within the app, and share it with the homeowner.
The world of HR is ever-changing. Companies have to stay up to speed on new regulations and employment laws. With the latest updates to RUN, small businesses can get a new, effortless way to create and manage the company’s HR handbook. This includes smart notifications when your HR handbook policies need to be updated based on new laws or new regulatory and compliance changes.
If you’re getting ready to hire new employees for your small business, it’s important to know the latest data about salaries in your industry and geographic area. Don’t risk falling behind and losing good people.
RUN Powered by ADP® includes integrated Salary Benchmarks, powered by ADP-wide worker data from tens of millions of paychecks across the country. This helps your business see what pay ranges make sense for each role and location so you can offer competitive salaries and attract the right people — while staying compliant with employment laws around pay equity, pay transparency, and more.
Most small business owners want payroll software that helps get the details right, keeps the business in compliance with regulations, and saves time (and ultimately money). RUN Powered by ADP® can serve as a one-stop shop for small business payroll, benefits, HR, and more. The new features of RUN Powered by ADP® can help business owners get back more time to focus on strategic goals, making sales, developing new products, and otherwise doing what they do best: running their business.
And as your business grows, RUN Powered by ADP® can grow with you. As a business’s needs get larger and more complex, RUN flexes to accommodate and solve those emerging demands. It has four bundles, the first two serving core payroll and tax filing, and the next two adding in powerful HR Admin-level tools catering to an operation that most likely has someone on staff handling HR alongside other office management duties.
This credit card is not just good – it’s so exceptional that our experts use it personally. It features a 0% intro APR for 15 months, a cash back rate of up to 5%, and all somehow for no annual fee!
Click here to read our full review for free and apply in just 2 minutes.
We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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