Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: 4 Things To Do Before 2018

Each week we present our Daily Leap Career Video of the Week. The video we share presents news or advice related to career and life development, searching for a job, the economy and employment, and other career-related topics.

In the video below Brian Tracy suggests four things to do over the next few weeks to set yourself up for a successful 2018.

Financial Steps to Take if You Plan to Quit Your Job

If you’re planning to leave your current job, either to take a new job or to step out as an entrepreneur, you’ll want to assess your financial situation.

Consider taking the following steps to ensure you’re in a good financial place to make the move.

Create a budget. Some studies have shown that about two-thirds of us do not have a budget. This is an important first step to determine your income needs and to aid in salary negotiation with your next job. You’ll want to know how much money you need to make so you can pay your bills. In addition, creating a budget will help you determine anything you’re wasting your money on and ways you can decrease your spending so you can take the following step.

Save. You’ll feel much more confident with your next step if you’ve built up a nest egg of savings. If you have enough in your savings to pay your expenses for at least six months you should be fine, depending on your next plans. If you don’t have much in savings right now be proactive and look at your expenses. What can you get rid of? Maybe you can go without cable service for a few months, or perhaps pack your lunch rather than eating out every day. You can likely find some creative ways to reduce your expenses.

Live simpler, cut back, and sell. To continue with the point above, make eBay or craigslist your friend. This is a great time to inventory the things in your home and determine what you can sell to bring in a few extra dollars. This might be some CDs or DVDs gathering dust, or perhaps that old laptop you no longer use. Take a look around and see what can be converted into some cash for your savings.

Evaluate 401k options. If you have a 401k with your current employer speak with a financial planner about the implications and options related to leaving your money with your old company’s plan or moving it to an IRA.

In addition to the steps above you might consider speaking to a financial adviser in order to develop a specific financial plan that fits your situation.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 3 Tips to Identify Your Life Purpose

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

© Bellemedia | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

• 3 Tips to Identify Your Life Purpose: "Look for a unifying thread or pattern that's consistent throughout your past experience that's also consistent with your passion and skills."


• How to Follow Your Dreams and Pay the Bills: "Whichever path you end up taking, make sure you make an informed decision and understand the short- and long-term financial implications. Choosing a career for its intrinsic reward is fine – as long as you can repay your debt and cover your bills."


• 5 Habits of People Who Always Get Promoted: "A large part of any business is helping people work together well. Super-employees make that a top priority. They look at relationships as something that’s critical to success in the business."


• You Don't Need a Promotion to Grow at Work: "Expanding your influence through actively mentoring others, building internal communities of practice, or stepping up to represent your organization with external bodies can forge satisfying new frontiers without changing roles."


• 10 Steps to Millennial Financial Success: "The biggest monthly expenses that most millennials have are rent and transportation. Making some sacrifices to keep those bills as low as possible can have a huge impact."

3 Financial Tips for the Under- or Unemployed

If you are currently out of work or working part-time and struggling to make ends meet while looking for full-time work it can be difficult to take the time for yourself to develop a financial plan.

Of course, it is critical to make good financial decisions when funds are tight.

Here are 3 tips to make your money stretch further during a time of un- or under-employment:

1. Look around your place for extra money. No, I don't mean check under your couch cushions, though feel free to do so! You likely have some things that you no longer need or want that might be of interest to others. Have a yard sale or offer items up on craigslist or ebay. If you have cds or dvds to sell use a service such as decluttr to make a little extra money. There are also many places to sell your used books online. 

2. Evaluate your bills and monthly expenses. Do you need that smart phone or can you

get by with a simpler phone for calls and texting? What about cable and internet service? Perhaps you can use the internet at your local library for a few months. Check out MyRatePlan to compare services and rates for everything from home internet to insurance.

3. Make your meals and drive less. Two of the biggest expenses individuals and families incur relate to eating out at restaurants, grabbing expensive coffees, and driving. You can reduce your expenses by making more of your own meals, brewing your own cup of coffee, taking public transit, or walking & biking when and where possible.

Implement these 3 tips and you just might find that you appreciate owning fewer things, can manage without the cable TV, and enjoy walking or biking more, even when you do get that new job.  

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Happiness, Surviving Layoffs, and Career Success

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share these every weekend so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

© Bellemedia | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

• How to Make a Financially Intelligent Career Move: "Most experts agree that you should keep a six-month supply of living expenses in savings just in case the unexpected happens."


• 6 Steps to Surviving a Layoff: "Have an open discussion with your family, including your children, and explain the facts about what has transpired and how this will impact everyone. Ask your family for their help and support over the upcoming months."


• The 3 Things All Humans Crave--And How to Motivate Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere: "This means leaders must behave in ways that make employees feel that they are safe, that they belong, and that they matter."


• The Best Definition of Success is the One You Never Use: "
  Determining whether you are successful is based on answering one question: How happy am I? 
  Your level of success is based solely on your answer to that question
  ."


• Stop Fast-Tracking Your Career: "If you're someone who constantly obsesses about becoming an overnight success, you're aiming at entirely the wrong target. Recent research describes the negative correlation between rapid adoption and eventual failure." 

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share these every weekend so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

1. The Big Career Shift: Your Financial Checklist
"Money is the biggest stumbling block when it comes to changing careers later in life. That’s because starting over in a new field, particularly a philanthropic one, or going the self-employment route usually comes with a price tag, at least initially."

2. Don't Let your Job Search Depress You
"If you are looking for a job right now, it is certain to take longer than you would like... So how do you keep your spirits up in such a tough environment?"

3. 7 Goofs to Avoid on a Thank-You Email
"Writing a well-crafted thank-you email following a job interview can give you a positive boost. It shows you're an organized, courteous, eager, and savvy professional."

4. Watch Your Mouth: Office Gossip and Other No-Nos 
"Whenever you hear something juicy about a colleague, whether it is related to work or not, you have the immediate impulse to share it across the hall."

5. Advice I Wish I Had Before Transitioning into Post-Grad Life
"College is the best time to test different fields and career paths and try to figure out what you really want in life. Take advantage of this opportunity by exploring as much as you can."

Financial Help For Post Grads

As a post grad, the world can seem like a scary place. Especially in these times of financial hardship and when your parents may be struggling as much as you are. You may have never had to pay any bills. You may have had a car payment and that's it. Now you're faced with possibly living on your own and all the bills and expenses that comes with it. So how do you deal?

1. Use websites and programs like Excel to your advantage. As a freelancer, it can be tough to keep track of my income. I use Excel to track my monthly income from each client and keep track of how much I make per month and year as a total.

There are also websites like Mint.com that allow you to add your bank accounts and keep track of your income and what you spend and make budgets and goals for yourself.

2. Set up different savings accounts with different goals in mind. For example, if you have to save up for a vacation or a new car, make a specific savings account for that goal. Determine how much of your paycheck you want to add into the savings account each month and stick to it.

3. Use cash. Try to hold off getting a credit card for as long as you can. When you use cash, it is often harder to let go of and you take a hard look at what you're really spending and what you're buying.

4. Find extra ways to earn money. Times are tough and there is no shame in babysitting on the side or finding odd jobs to help pay the bills. Under the table jobs can be the most fun and give you some extra money to help pay your expenses or simply give you some shopping money.

Good luck, post grads!