How do we achieve the American dream in the twenty-first century? If you have tried and failed to find a way out of living paycheck to paycheck in the search for financial and personal freedom, there is another way.
Many educated professionals are leaving the corporate career track and taking ownership of their lives by starting their own home-based business. Self-employment offers responsible and driven individuals rewards they are not finding in more conventional career paths because it allows them to take back control over their most valuable resources: their time and their financial resources.
Among small and home-based businesses, one of the biggest growth industries is network marketing. Network marketing is a multi-billion dollar industry, which supports millions of Americans each year. If you are tired of not having enough time and money to do what matters most to you, discover how a home-based network marketing business can help you begin owning your life today!
9 Reasons to Own Your Life
Becoming your own boss by starting a part-time or full-time home-based network marketing business offers several benefits not often available to those who follow the more conventional employment routes. In fact, small businesses make up the backbone of America and may be the best way for most of us to achieve the American dream. Here are nine reasons to leave the rat race and take control of your time, your money, your career and make them work for you.
1. Eliminate Debt
Over 40 percent of families in the U.S. routinely spend more than they earn. In fact, Americans carry an average of $8,400 in credit card or other high- interest consumer debt from month to month. Consider this: Paying only the minimum balance on a $2,000 credit card at 18 percent interest could take you 30 years to pay off and cost you an additional $5,000. It is no surprise then that one in 53 households in America will file for bankruptcy. Of those, 80 percent could have avoided filing with an additional $200-300 income per month. A small side business can help supplement your paycheck and allow you to relieve credit card and other debt burdens.
2. Boost Your Retirement Savings
On average, Americans can expect to receive just 37 percent of the annual retirement income they will need to retire comfortably. Meanwhile, the average social security benefit in 2004 was a mere $954.90 a month. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a shocking 95 percent of retirement-aged Americans can’t afford to maintain the lifestyle they had while they were working and may be financially dependent on the government, family or a charity. A home-based business can provide residual income that lasts a lifetime.
3. Save For a Rainy Day
Many of us live month-to-month, paycheck-to-paycheck, with barely enough money to cover three months of unemployment. In fact, half of Americans under the age of 50 have less than $10,000 in savings and the average American only saves 1 percent of what they earn. Moreover, the savings rate in the United States has been in decline for the last decade, and now levels have dropped to those seen during the Great Depression. In June 2005, the savings rate fell to a measly 0.02 percent. Building a nest egg is possible with a part time network marketing business.
4. Pay Off Your Mortgage Faster
Experts estimate that only 2 percent of American homes are paid for, and many homeowners opt for the 30-year over the 15-year mortgage. Consider this: A $250,000 mortgage paid at 8 percent interest over 30 years adds up to over $400,000 in interest charges. Even considering the tax benefits of the mortgage, this is unbelievable and avoidable cost. The extra income possible with a part-time network marketing business make it possible to pay off your mortgage faster—possibly in half the time.
5. Buy the Car or Home of Your Dreams
The supplemental income from a part-time business can be used to remove debt burdens or plan for the future, or it can offer more immediate comforts that would otherwise be unavailable. Having money to play with after all your bills are paid means that the comforts of the wealthy are now within your reach. Owning your business and your life gives you the ability to turn your long-time dreams into reality!
6. Enjoy Tax Benefits
Congress has recently passed several different tax laws with the goal of encouraging and rewarding individuals who start and operate small/home-based businesses because they help build a stable base for our national economy. Owning your own business also allows you more control over your taxable income through legal deductions and strategic planning.
7. Spend More Time With Your Family
Forty-nine percent of people regularly put in more than 40 hours of work each week. Include time spent commuting and on business trips, and it adds up to very little time to spend with those we care about most. Self-employment allows you the opportunity to set your own schedule and work “smart” instead of just long hours, giving you back ownership of one of your most valuable assets—your time. Feel free to change it up week to week; after all, you are the boss!
8. Take a Longer Vacation
Unlike the European workforce, which receives an average of one month of vacation time per year, the average American employee receives a mere 13 days of annual vacation time. And often, they are required to schedule that time up to a year in advance or sacrifice some holiday time-off for others. Owning your own home-based business gives you the flexibility to take longer or more frequent vacations because you have control over your time and finances. Taking a month-long vacation is possible without altering your income.
9. Be a Stay-at-Home Parent
Two-income households are becoming a necessity in our current economy, which means more children than ever are in some sort of childcare. In 2002, 63 percent of children under the age of five were in a regular childcare arrangement, and little over half of grade school children were in regular childcare. However, experts suggest that the costs of childcare often offset a large portion of the second income. A home-based business allows you to spend more time where it counts—with family.
~JB Soulaman
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