Freeing Yourself From Your Financial Shackles

Julie Starr • Sep 10, 2020



Everyone has a financial history. A lot of us are tied down by financial relationships and parts of our history that can make it hard for us to be as conscientious with our money as possible. Here, we’re going to look at the financial shackles that bind most people today, as well as steps that you can take to get free of them. These steps are directed towards supporting financial health. We all know that so move forward sustainably, whether in business and/or our individual lives, having integrity in our finances is essential. In fact, financial independence isn’t easy to achieve and it often does involve taking on some risk, but it can be important in order to make sure you’re not beholden to financial institutions outside yourself.

Investing in yourself
 The biggest shackle that keeps most people chained down in long financial relationships that don’t work in their interest is everyone’s need to work. There is an argument to be made that the current job market is coercive by nature. This is one of the main reasons that so many people want to get away from the standard nine to five. Consider looking at your own potential to start a business and take control of both how and when you work and how you spend or invest the money that you make from your own business. This is where much of the risk of becoming financially independent truly comes from.

Making your money work for you
 One of the most important steps towards being financially free and not having to rely on any employer or other money institution is to become as self-sufficient as possible. When it comes to your finances, one of the best ways to do that is to have your money put into investments that can grow your wealth over time. If you’re solely working for the money that you own, there is a cap on how much wealth you’re able to create and earn by yourself. By learning to invest , you can instead make sure that your money is doing the work for you. Investing in the right assets can see you making returns that can even provide a living through dividends, though it can a lot of time and luck to get to that point.

Optimizing your savings rate
 Putting your money into investments is often considered the surest way to wealth, but that doesn’t mean that is where all of your earnings that aren’t spent on necessary expenses should go. Savings do not offer the same kind of potential gains as investments in most markets, but they do offer the chance to have your money slowly grow while providing some protection and liquid assets for you when you need them. Having liquid assets available means you can be more flexible to a financial crisis in your life. As such, you should start saving as soon as possible to ensure you have those protections in place and to help you take advantage of compound interest , letting your savings grow significantly larger with enough time.

Don’t let credit errors go unchecked
 Debt and credit relationships are another prime example of a long-standing financial relationship that most people do not want to be in and, sometimes, may have had no say of getting into. There are clerical errors all the time that can lead to debts and outstanding balances being assigned to the wrong person. Simple mistakes these may be, but they can have a profound impact on your financial health is not addressed. As such, it’s worth taking the time to look up your credit report and to inspect every record that appears on it. You may find that a debt has been assigned to you, or an account with a financial institution has been opened up, but you’re not really responsible for it. You can get these black marks erased from your record if you’re truly not responsible.

Can your debt be discharged?
 If you have a debt assigned to you, there are other ways to get rid of it as well. If you’re in the situation that the debt has been fraudulently assigned to you, then you should take a look at what can a secured party creditor do to help you discharge that debt. Otherwise, you may be able to have your debt reduced and discharged by negotiating the lender. For instance, you may be able to argue to pay off a lump sum reduced payment to have them take the rest of the debt off the table. In other situations, you may be able to negotiate to have the debt payments reduced and paid over a longer period of time to make it easier to keep up with payments.

Cutting up your credit cards
 Once you have your debts paid off, then it may be time to consider closing the loop on those open lines of credit entirely. A lot of people can find the temptation of an open overdraft or a credit card too hard to resist in the long-term. However, if you are going to cancel your credit cards and close open lines of credit, you have to do it with care. For instance, you should follow the point below to have financial protections in place. If you don’t have any other options, credit can be a useful tool to help you pay off sudden emergency costs, so you should ensure you have those protections so that you don’t have to rely on it. Furthermore, anticipate that closing your credit accounts could lower your credit score to some degree.

Avoiding debt in future
 Aside from the protections that we’re going to cover, there are plenty of ways to ensure your financial independence by preventing yourself from getting into debt, otherwise. For instance, one of the most valuable tools in any financially responsible individual’s arsenal is an app that can track your expenses and compare them to your planned budget. This can help ensure you don’t step over any lines that could get you into financial trouble and otherwise help you get to learn your spending habits so that you can better correct them in the future.

Consider relocating
 Geographic realities can sometimes feel as limited as financial ones. However, though they may not be easy to access, you have just as many choices revolving around your geographic situation as you do your financial one. Relocating could help you achieve financial independence all the sooner. For instance, you could move into a market where your business is better able to take off, or to a place where the costs of living are low enough that you can more easily get rid of debt and start contributing towards your savings.

Protect your finances
 As mentioned, to prevent yourself from falling into debt when an emergency cost comes your way, it’s important to have protection for your finances. Some would consider that an insurance policy is the kind of long-standing financial agreement that makes it difficult to attain financial independence, but when it comes to choosing between crippling debt and recurring insurance payments, it’s worth choosing the latter every time. Aside from figuring out which insurance policies you should be paying for , you can also put in place an emergency fund. The emergency fund has fallen out of favor lately, as a lot of people have trouble saving enough money to make one. However, if you get a windfall of cash, it’s a good way to make use of it.

While you can’t escape the financial realities of the past and how they influence you today, you can take steps to shake of the shackles that might otherwise keep you from making the proper use of your money for years to come.

Keeping Your Office Space Clean And Sustainable

By Julie Starr • 04 Sep, 2024
Having an organized, clean office is more than just making it visually appealing; it is also important for maintaining a healthy, productive, and sustainable work environment. Having a disorganized and cluttered working environment can lead to increased stress, decreased efficiency, and a negative impact on employee morale. On top of this, adopting sustainable cleaning practices can help minimize the environment you have for your business. Let's have a look at some of the tips on how you can keep your office space organized, clean, and eco-friendly : Declutter Frequently The first step towards keeping a clean and organized office is to declutter frequently. You should encourage your employees to regularly decrypt their desks by getting rid of any unnecessary items, old files, and papers. Try to implement a paperless policy where possible and digitalize anything that you can. Minimize the need for physical storage and help to keep the office space clear of clutter. You might want to consider setting aside a specific time each month, all week, for your team to tie you up their space. Promote Sustainable Cleaning Practices Sun cleaning products can contain harmful chemicals that can have a negative impact on the environment and your health. Make the switch to eco-friendly cleaning products that are non-toxic and biodegradable. You should make sure that any cleaning supplies that are used are sourced from sustainable and ethical companies. In addition, you may also think about using reusable cloths rather than paper towels and microfiber mops rather than single-use ones. Use Sustainable Facility Management Services It can be demanding to keep your office organized and clean, especially if you have a large space. Preparing with a professional facility management service can help you to keep your office in top condition and keep you on track for reaching your sustainability goals. Fernic Building Solutions could be the ideal cleaning and maintenance service for your business to keep on track. They can help you maintain a healthy, clean, and sustainable working environment. Keep Common Areas Organized One of the areas that tends to get the most messy is the common areas . This is because there is an increase in the number of people using the facilities. Areas like break rooms, meeting rooms, and kitchens need to be kept clean and organized at all times. It could be a good idea to designate a rotating schedule for your team so that they can make sure that these areas are tidied. Encourage your team to clean and pack themselves so that you can avoid them leaving personal items or food around. It could be a good idea to invest in energy-efficient appliances for spaces like the kitchen, too, as this can increase your sustainability as a business. Conclusion Maintaining an organized and clean office is essential for creating a healthy, productive, and sustainable workplace. Working with a business maintenance service that incorporates sustainable cleaning practices and optimizes waste management can help you create an environment that is healthy and sustainable. Start implementing these tips today so that you can improve your offer environment and support your business's sustainability goals.

How Drones And Modern Technology Can Help Improve Sustainability

By Julie Starr • 03 Sep, 2024
Let’s face it, drones haven’t had the best introduction to the world, especially when people misuse them for bad intentions instead of good ones. There are some incredible benefits and advantages to using drones but often enough, we just get exposed to the negative impacts of it through the media. Drones and modern technology can help improve sustainability in a number of ways and whether you’re a business looking to be more sustainable or you’re looking to make a difference individually with the use of drones, this guide will share everything you need to know about drones and modern technology. Hopefully, by the end of the article, you’ll be taking on more modern technology in life, as well as drones to help with the productivity and benefits that come with sustainability in today’s world. The rise of drones in popularity Drones have certainly risen in popularity over the last few years and are now being used across many industries for the benefit of sustainability as well as to help with certain business operations and needs. The drone industry is certainly expected to grow quite rapidly, which is why you should be hopping onto the bandwagon as soon as you’re able. The market size is one that has reached dizzying heights of $22.4 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow to a whopping $166.7 billion by 2031. The use of drones varies from agriculture to weddings and corporate events. As well as delivery and logistics, to media and entertainment, drones are something that you certainly want to embrace within your life or business for the benefit of sustainability. Drones are still evolving and their regulations are also being adjusted and amended so that they cause as little disruption or illegal use as possible. However, the level of technology and quality used within the engineering of modern drones is incredible. 8 ways drones help improve sustainability What are some of the ways in which drones help improve sustainability? If you’re looking to make improvements for the purpose of your own business or you’re just curious about what drones are capable of in general, here are 8 ways drones like the DJI drone help improve sustainability currently. #1 Helpful to reduce carbon emissions Are you churning out a lot of carbon emissions as a business? There are plenty of businesses that have made the effort to reduce their carbon footprint and hopefully leave less of an imprint on the world’s carbon contributions. However, there are still plenty of businesses out there that are causing a lot of problems with their carbon emission volume. Drones are able to help reduce carbon emissions by eliminating the need for fossil fuels. As we know, a lot of cars are now moving over to electric use, which will hopefully result in no more diesel or petrol use in the future. Of course, a diesel or petrol-free world is still a long way away but drones, it can certainly help speed up the process. Drones themselves contribute very little to carbon emissions so it’s definitely worth considering these as an option. #2 Planting trees and restoring natural habitats Work for an organization that supports wildlife and nature? A great way that drones can be used is through the preservation and restoration of places that need attention. Planting trees is a great way of helping the environment and the local wildlife, which is where drones can be of use. Drones can be helpful in helping plant trees and restore natural habitats, especially in places that might be harder to reach on foot or by vehicle. With a lot of trees and wildlife being torn down for the purpose of the property, it’s important that we’re helping to increase the number of natural habitats around the world to continue keeping the air clean and free of carbon emissions. There are plenty of natural disasters that have also torn down a lot of woodland, which is where the repair work needs to happen. #3 Useful for improving food production It’s incredible to think that in 2024, we’re still having problems with food and ensuring no person in the world goes hungry. However, there are still significant numbers of people who are going hungry and that’s heartbreaking. Everyone deserves a hot meal in their stomach each day and no child should be going hungry because they don’t have access to food in general. Being able to fuel food production is a great way to ensure there’s food available for everyone. Drones can be helpful in also improving sustainability in food production. Providing alternative pest control is how drones are able to minimize the impact and damage made to local wildlife. While you don’t want pests destroying crops, you also don’t want to kill any animals or bugs that are essential for keeping the world spinning. There are already a lot of farmers and businesses responsible for food production, who are using drones to help with delivering alternative pest control to crops. Hopefully, it will have a significant improvement in the volume of food produced throughout the world. #4 Helps reduce energy consumption Being able to reduce energy consumption as a household or as an organization can certainly be helpful. Drones are able to reduce energy consumption by helping to optimize the route and speed that comes when conducting inventory tasks. They can also be used in various other ways to help cut out the option of something that would otherwise cause more energy consumption. Being able to optimize your business operations is helpful and drones can be the helping hand you need to achieve this. #5 Great as a sustainable alternative to fireworks Fireworks have long been a way of celebrating occasions like bonfire night in the UK or the 4th of July in the States. While fireworks are a delight to the senses both audibly and visually, they can often be a waste and a substantial waste at that. However, drones have paved the way as an alternative to fireworks and if done correctly, they are just as effective if not more jaw-dropping and animated than fireworks. There have already been many examples of drones being used across the world and in large volumes to create visually stunning pictures and moving imagery in the night sky. #6 Great for supply chain sustainability Being able to optimize inventory management is important where businesses are concerned because overspending or ordering too much stock can cause waste and a loss in earnings. Drones are helpful in reducing supply chain waste while optimizing the inventory management of the company. Not only that but for any businesses who are operating warehouses, it can help reduce the inefficiencies in this area of business operations too. #7 Helpful for monitoring and mapping When it comes to drones having accessibility to areas that are perhaps more restrictive to those on foot or via vehicle, these devices can be helpful when monitoring or mapping certain areas. For the purpose of tracking pollution levels, helping with conservation, or identifying potential land risks, there are plenty of uses for drones for both monitoring and mapping. #8 Reduces reliance on vehicles And finally, when it comes to vehicles, they can often be the main cause of carbon emissions, which are contributing a significant amount to climate change. With drones, it reduce the reliance on vehicles and can be helpful in saving on emissions that would otherwise be caused by these vehicles of varying sizes. Other technology to help with sustainability There are many other forms of technology that can be helpful when it comes to sustainability. These include: Waste management Solar panels, wind turbines, and water turbines Carbon capture and storage Cloud storage to encourage paperless organizations Energy efficient and smart buildings/vehicles Internet of Things AI-controlled systems. The world of technology is forever growing and how we use it is important to how much growth we make as a society in the long run. Being able to use it for the purpose of energy efficiency is fantastic because it hopefully gives our younger generations more time on this earth as a whole. Being able to reduce and recycle more waste can also have a positive impact on the environment and thankfully, there are more technologies being utilized to make society more efficient in their usage of waste and how it impacts the world around them. With technology in relation to smart devices and devices connected to the internet, it has been incredibly helpful to connect the world more efficiently and without using as much in the way of emissions. The use of smart technology and AI has been helpful in creating efficiency in all areas of the world. While there are some reservations about AI in particular and the machine learning technology’s power and influence in the future, it’s still a technology that should be utilized and taken advantage of where possible. Both drones and modern technology are providing to be effective in helping improve sustainability and make the world a healthier place. It is also slowing down and hopefully undoing some of the extensive damage that society has made globally over the decades and centuries.
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