business

Surviving AI: How To Thrive In All Professions

Artificial intelligence (AI) discussions have taken over many of the spaces that I frequent. Everyone is wondering how they will be able to keep their jobs if AI threatens to replace them. I haven’t had the same concern, and I’ll explain why in a moment (I’ll also tell you how to be AI-proof later in this post). To be clear, AI can absolutely replace MANY different professions, and I understand that some people are afraid that they may be next to be impacted. But I’m here to tell you that most people can not only survive the AI takeover, but THRIVE, earning more money and getting all of the things they’ve ever wanted: flexibility, work/life balance, and meaningful, interesting work.

I’m not concerned about AI overtaking a huge portion of the job market because I’m old enough to have seen more than one tech revolution. With every revolution, there are jobs eliminated . . . and jobs created. I remember when I had a typewriter in my home, and how the computer replaced it. But, as many of you know, computers – like typewriters – can malfunction, and thus need repair. Guess what? When tech fails, someone has to fix it! And even if you aren’t the repairer of said technology, you can be of service in a different way (remember that whole post on selling shovels? Yeah, I was sounding the alarm WAY before most people knew about ChatGPT). Certain skills are transferable (typing on the keyboard of a typewriter prepared me for typing on a computer keyboard: they’re the same!) and other skills are a slight pivot into a different modality (if you use creativity as a graphic designer, you can use creativity in other industries [once you learn the basics of that industry]).

Much like the automobile replaced the horse and carriage (I’m not old enough to remember that, but I know it happened!), and airplanes became the default method for long-distance travel (as opposed to trains and ships), newer technology will replace slower, less efficient existing technology. What’s interesting is that, while change will happen quickly, that doesn’t mean that the newer tech will overtake ALL existing processes. Despite there being many different electronic options for sending documents from one person to another, the US Postal Service still exists. The courts still require certain documents to be “served” via postal mail or hand delivery. In spite of the glorious technology of scanners and PDF formatting, there are still companies that only accept fax documents, and these companies PAY for additional phone services that allows for sending and receiving faxes. As recently as 2022, I knew someone living in Germany (a country known for being an industrial titan) that could only get documents from one doctor to another through faxing, and he still had to hand-carry prescriptions to the pharmacist. In short, new tech does not quickly and completely replace all existing old tech: it’s a process, and it could be years or decades before the transition is “complete”. In the case of the horse and buggy, there is still a subset of people in the United States – the Amish – that keep the carriage makers in business.

Aside from the points mentioned earlier, there are reasons why being AI-proof is worthwhile. Here is a quick guide to how to survive and thrive through the AI revolution, no matter what profession you’re in:

Learn to specialize in the things that AI does poorly. Anyone that has enjoyed using free or low-cost AI image generators has griped about the hands of the images. A great potential niche for digital artists is to specialize in fixing the error in these photos. For copywriters, AI does a great job of quickly coming up with text that matches the prompts entered, but, unless the text is edited for a more natural voice, these will fail the AI language checkers and fall victim to being “pushed down” in the algorithm. Editors that specialize in adding human (natural) voice touches are needed. Go into the many YouTube and Discord groups discussing the shortcomings of AI, and find something that you can offer to offset them.
Develop soft skills. This is going to be challenging for people who have relied heavily on technical expertise. While AI can automate those technical tasks and free up considerable time, it cannot replace uniquely human skills such as critical thinking, creativity, emotional intelligence, and problem-solving. Yes, not even ChatGPT 4 has mastered critical thinking and problem solving for the REAL WORLD (though, by all accounts, it’s getting closer). Developing your soft skills can set you apart from the machines that will undoubtedly eliminate most of the technical tasks you currently execute. In addition, soft skills can open up different revenue streams for people that may be in fields that are positioned to be completely eliminated by AI.
Diversify and expand your skills. This relates to the last point, because diversifying your skill set is critical for anyone that wants to weather the changes that can happen in any industry at any time. Consider expanding your skills to different areas within your industry and to different industries altogether. This opens up so many more opportunities and keeps you from being devastated by the impact of automation in your current area of expertise.
Embrace AI and technology in general. If you can’t beat them, join them. Rather than viewing AI as a threat, learn to embrace it and find a way to use it to your advantage. Now is a perfect time for this, since many AI tools are free to use and can be explored in whatever pockets of time you have. Try using AI to help you automate repetitive tasks, then watch even more of your time open up. You can also experiment with using AI’s decision making capabilities, and it can help you plan out your work or your life, thus freeing up your mental resources to be applied to some other project or passion (or passion project, if you’re anything like me).
Strengthen your network, or form a brand new one. Networking is critical in practically any profession, but especially in industries that are undergoing major changes due to automation. Stay connected with colleagues (current and previous), attend industry events, and participate in online forums to stay up to date on the latest developments and opportunities. If this is something you’ve never done before, prioritize doing it now.

There are many more specific things you can do, and I’ll be sharing more about that in upcoming articles. But this introduction to the idea will hopefully get the wheels turning and inspire you all to take steps to AI-proof your life. Do you have any strategies for surviving and thriving through AI’s takeover? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!

Yes, You Can Start Making Money With AI. Here’s How.

Still feeling overwhelmed when it comes to AI? That’s understandable: this world is new for everyone. But, on the upside, new worlds mean new opportunities, and there is a plethora of options that you can take advantage of at this point in time. Even with my limited knowledge, I’ve already made money with AI, less than two months into learning about these tools. As soon as I saw my first sale, I knew I needed to write this post and share this information with you all. Here’s a quick guide to start making money quickly with AI:

Decide what you want to create. At this early part of the AI revolution, there are many resources and countless options for anyone that’s interested in creating with AI. Future Tools has a list of all of the AI-powered platforms that offer you options for creating new or upgraded income streams. For me, it was more interesting to work with images, which is why I dove into learning how to do AI-generated art. However, it’s possible to create videos, music, website copy, and so much more using AI. If you need a simple list of AI business ideas that have already been tested, check out this Side Hustle Nation’s blog post, where Matt Wolfe (one of my favorite AI gurus) discusses the business options available using AI.
Watch YouTube videos to teach you the skills needed to get your business running. My favorite YouTubers that are discussing AI right now are Matt Wolfe, The AI Advantage, Goda Go, and Maximize. Learning about prompt engineering, large language models and natural language processing, and stable diffusion are great starting points, and, fortunately, you don’t have to be an expert at any of these in order to earn money with these tools. Carve out a bit of time each day to learn something about this new, exciting world, and allow these YouTube teachers to help you.
Start experimenting with what you learn. Work with what you know and see what gives you the best results (pro tip: get very comfortable with ChatGPT: you can use it to create a business strategy that can improve the likelihood of success). Launch and have fun!

If you’ve had a chance to start using AI tools, please let me know. I’d love to hear what you’ve learned so far!

How Rihanna Won The Super Bowl – Business Lessons From A Billionaire

I was eager to write this post, after being one of the millions that tuned in to see Rihanna’s halftime performance at Super Bowl LVII. I’m fascinated by Rihanna because her brands, Fenty Beauty and Savage X Fenty, have propelled her to billionaire status. As I watched her perform, I thought about how many music artists have tried to do the same, but haven’t gotten this level of success. As a performer, it is to their benefit to have multiple business aside from singing: in many cases, these artists understand that they have a relatively short shelf life *if* they hang their legacies upon the preferences of a fickle public. So it’s always in their best interest to expand and nurture business aspirations beyond their singing careers. As far as performers go, no one in the past couple of decades has done this as well as Rihanna has.

So what can business owners and wealth builders learn from Ms. Fenty? Here are 7 business lessons from Rihanna:

Don’t be afraid to have a “starter business”. In many ways, music has become secondary to everything else Rihanna has going on. Music was what opened doors for her, and she worked hard at her craft. However, she was strategic: music was never the final destination for her empire. So, if Rih had a “starter business”, that is, a business that opens doors until you can land bigger opportunities, why not you? Start with something that you enjoy but not necessarily plan to do forever, and use it to position yourself for the things that can catapult you into the spaces and income brackets that you desire.
Weave your businesses together in unique ways. Most of us weren’t expected to see an ad for Fenty Beauty in the midst of the Super Bowl halftime show. Yet, here we are. When Rih dabbed her nose with her brand’s blotting powder, it set the internet ablaze, with Fenty Beauty’s website activity tripling its normal numbers. It was a simple move that got her brand the kind of additional press that most business owners dream of. Consider how you can weave two or more of your interests together, and then experiment with those interests – explore how they overlap, observe how they diverge, and see whether these interests have a common audience – until you hit your sweet spot.
Consider starting a business in an area that others have complimented you on. Rihanna is a singer, but her beauty is undeniable, and she quickly became noted for her fashion sense. She took those compliments to the bank – literally. Her beauty and fashion brands are an extension of her, and for that reason, it’s only natural that she has made billions of dollars in this industry. Wherever others have complimented you, consider making it into your business. It doesn’t always look like what you’ve been paid to do in the past, and sometimes it’s in an area that you never believed could be monetized. And don’t worry if you can’t come up with a business idea based on those compliments: consultants like myself can help you with that. Click on this link to see how I can help you find your Marvelous Metier (TM).
Have a bold opener to your business, so that you stand out immediately. When Fenty Beauty was launched, Rihanna didn’t start by peddling lipsticks or eye shadow. She took on the costliest – and riskiest – product in beauty: foundation. She launched with 40(!) shades of foundation, from the lightest hues to the deepest colors, and she didn’t cut any corners. She had the beauty industry shaking, after many cosmetic companies whined about their limitations in making complexion products that flattered darker skin. Rihanna’s risk paid off: the pale and deeply colored beauties of the influencer world sang her praises and confirmed, without a doubt, that there was ZERO reason for companies to ignore darker skin. If she, a newbie to the makeup world, could create a range that respect the varying undertones, overtones and depth of all skin tones, what was their excuse? That kind of bold opening is how she established herself as a cosmetic force to be reckoned with. If she can do it, you can, too.
Be willing to do the unexpected. Perform at the Super Bowl visibly pregnant? Take a music career and spin it into lucrative cosmetics and lingerie businesses? Achieve billionaire status before turning 33? Rihanna has done it all, and did it well. NO ONE could have seen any of this coming, yet here she is, successfully doing whatever she wants. Rihanna has done many unexpected things in her career, and it has paid off handsomely for her. You can take smaller (or bigger!) risks, doing unexpected things and seeing where it takes you. Who knows: you may become a billionaire, too!
When all eyes are on you, be ready to shine. The Super Bowl is one of the biggest stages available to musicians, and Rihanna didn’t waste any of her time. She employed fireworks, moving stages suspended in the air, color symbolism, and a host of other eye-catching elements to make sure that we focused on her through the entire performance. Wherever you go, be ready to shine. Have your elevator pitch and hook ready, keep your business cards ready, and always have a great story to connect with anyone you meet. You never know when the spotlight will be on you. Sometimes that spotlight happens when you least expect it, but if you stay ready, you don’t have to “get ready”.
Giving 100% doesn’t look the same to everyone: just make sure you’re satisfied with what you’ve created. There were a lot of viewers that were disappointed in the performance: they expected more athleticism, guest stars, flashier production, etc.,. But, the understated performance had a certain charm to it, and it’s still memorable. I believe that Rihanna gave 100% to the performance, but how she defines her “best” is different from what viewers expected. She focused more on the details that may be lost upon those that are unfamiliar with what goes into such a large production. And in those details – the symbolism in the colors and dance, the tribute to Andre Leon Talley, the order of the music performed and the fact that she announced her pregnancy without saying a word – she gave 110%. So learn what 100% looks like to YOU, then aim for that. What others expect isn’t nearly as important as fulfilling the vision you have for yourself.

Did you glean any other lessons from Rihanna? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below!

My Review of ExodUS Summit 2022: Money Matters And Creating Joyful Lifestyles

Hello friends! I meant to tell you all about ExodUS Summit when I attended in October 2022, but I had so many other things going on at that time. I’m finally back to tell you all about ExodUS Summit, what I learned, and whether I recommend that you all attend future sessions.

ExodUS Summit is a weekend-long virtual conference, where speakers discuss a variety of topics all related to a central theme. The founders of ExodUS Summit, Roshida Dowe and Stephanie Perry, both live full-time outside of the United States, and they have built lifestyles around helping other Black women to do the same. The summit theme selected each year is focused on supporting Black women in creating their dream lives by moving abroad. The theme for the 2022 summit is Move Abroad Money, and the sessions within the summit were all centered around ways to generate enough money to relocate outside of the United States.

The topics this year ranged from securing remote positions, starting businesses, investing for profit, getting work in foreign countries, and more. I watched several sessions and I was so impressed with the variety of information offered, as well as the ease of implementing the strategies discussed. Each of the speakers excelled in explaining exactly how to get started on their recommended path to getting “move abroad money”, and I left the conference feeling confident that I could implement any of the plans that I found interesting.

The importance of ExodUS Summit cannot be overstated: a recent article published on Business Insider discussed how Black women are tired of discrimination and microaggressions in the workplace, and are leaving corporate America. This is creating a talent gap within industries and is expected to hurt “innovation and profits in corporate America”. ExodUS Summit speaks to women that are not just weary of corporate shenanigans, but who are also tired of living within a system that feels oppressive and unrewarding. The summit addresses the needs of women who are disillusioned with corporate culture, and are also seeking new levels of liberation and satisfaction. There are a lot of systemic and cultural implications that have to be unpacked when discussing whether an ExodUS is worth it, which I won’t explore in depth here (you can visit the YouTube channels of Stephanie Perry or Roshida Dowe for more details on those topics). That being said, many Black women are realizing that there are more satisfying ways to earn their living, and they don’t have to tolerate casual or targeted abuse in their personal or professional lives to support themselves.

While the conference is aimed at Black women, I believe some of the principles can be applied to anyone. There are always income alternatives that can be explored, and abusive work environments are a hazard to everyone. Making a positive change doesn’t have to be a drastic one, but if your health is at risk, taking the leap is better than staying put. In many cases, a smooth transition from a draining life to a rejuvenating one can be achieved with proper planning.

If you are part of the summit’s target audience (Black women residing in America), then I highly recommend that you attend the next summit. The discussions in this space are life affirming, inspirational and full of actionable tips. I feel that my ability to envision financial freedom was enhanced by what was discussed in ExodUS Summit. I’m confident that anyone that wants to create a life that delights them can benefit from attending the summit and taking action on what is taught.

Can ChatGPT Help You With Your Money? Of Course It Can!

I was hesitant to write this post, because I suspect that most of us have been inundated with information about artificial intelligence (AI). When it comes to new technology, I think most people feel a combination of excitement and overwhelm. With all of the conversation surrounding the capabilities of AI, particularly, ChatGPT, it’s easy to get lost in the sauce and feel like it’s all too much, too fast. The potential to create new income streams is now more accessible than ever, but everyone is (likely) asking the same question:

HOW?

Overwhelm makes it hard to see how this technology can benefit us. But here’s a simple guide (not written by AI, funny enough) on using ChatGPT to help you with your finances.

Ask financial questions and get pointed, easy-to-understand answers.
Find the “gaps” in your financial plans
Develop plans for income generation
Have the technology create documents, templates or questionnaires that can simplify your financial organization
Create schedules, systems and strategies for money management

There are many other uses for ChatGPT beyond the few mentioned here, but these are good starting points for exploring the capabilities within the platform. The sooner you familiarize yourself with what AI can do, the more skilled you’ll be when it is more widely incorporated into our daily lives. And if you think that you won’t have to be bothered with AI infiltrating your world, or that the integration of AI into our daily lives is far off, here’s a video from 1995, at the beginning of the Internet era. Just because something starts off unclear, doesn’t mean that it won’t one day be our norm.

That’s all for today: look out for more ChatGPT content in future posts. Take care!

What You Don’t Know About Industries That Attract The Ultra Wealthy

One way to acclimate ourselves to wealth is to become familiar with the patterns and traits of the wealthy. I enjoy reading research from a variety of sources, but one of my favorites is Wealth-X. This organization publishes several reports throughout the year, with information about the wealthy, including where they live, how they spend their time, and how to best connect with them if you would like to make them your clients and customers.

Recently, Wealth-X published their 2022 World Ultra Wealth Report, which gives a high level profile of the wealthiest individuals in the world. One of the fascinating parts of this report is the section on wealthy women. This is where I learned a less-known – but crucial – fact about the industries that attract the ultra wealthy.

On the whole, we tend to think of the wealthy in a very generic way. However, gender and source of wealth are highly influential when it comes to the industries that most attract the wealthy. According to the report, 55% of ultra wealthy women inherited some, if not all, of their wealth. On the other hand, 25% of ultra wealthy men inherited some or all of their wealth (75% are self-made multimillionaires). This exposes another trend: proportionally, individuals that earn some or all of their ultra wealth tend to be less interested in industries that don’t generate more profit for them. In the report, the top five industries that attract ultra wealthy men are: banking and finance, business and consumer services, real estate, manufacturing, and technology. Meanwhile, the top five industries that attract ultra wealthy women are: non-profit and social organizations, banking and finance, business and consumer services, real estate, and hospitality and entertainment.

This report shows that painting the wealthy with a broad brush will likely result in reaching inaccurate conclusions, or putting your focus on the wrong sectors. If your ideal client is a wealthy woman , it’s worth noting that more than half of them are heiresses, and thus won’t relate to the struggles of building their entire wealth from the ground up. So, if your product or service is designed to appeal to the bootstrapper, less than half of your female targets will resonate with this message. Likewise, if your target customer is a wealthy man, focusing solely on trust fund kids will reduce your target market by 75%! Most of your ultra-wealthy male clients are focused on generating more money, as opposed to finding ways to create social change through their spending. How the wealthy got their money reveals pertinent clues about where they spend their time and energy, and with this information, you can craft products, services, and marketing that are irresistible to your clients and customers.

That was just one of my takeaways from the 2022 World Ultra Wealth Report. If you enjoy analyses like these, let me know, and I’ll be sure to share more of them in the future! Also, if you want a breakthrough from your current financial situation, and a smooth transition into a new income bracket, contact me for a skills audit and values assessment. With these two reports, I show you the intersection between what you do well, what you enjoy, and what matters most to you. The sweet spot between these things is where money magic happens. Click here to learn more about these reports.

How Ditching Your Money Resolutions Can Make You Successful

Happy Tuesday! Did you all know that today – January 17 – is annual Ditch New Year’s Resolutions Day? I didn’t know this was a thing until last week, and, I have to admit, I found it humorous, considering most people end up ditching their resolutions right around this time of the month. In the spirit of this lighthearted “holiday”, I thought it would be good to discuss something in a similar vein.

In my humble opinion, ditching money resolutions can be the first step to financial success.

Now, before you all think I’ve lost my mind, please let me explain. I, Tia Delano, absolutely adore New Year’s Day, and all of the traditions involved with it, including making resolutions. But I’m also aware that the pressure of starting a new year can make us hard on ourselves, and can cause us to view our previous missteps with a much more critical – and less understanding – eye. We often use the New Year holiday to lean into our tendencies to view ourselves much more harshly than we view others. And, the truth is, looking at our choices without giving ourselves grace is a recipe for frustration. That frustration leads us to overestimating what we can do in one year (credit to Bill Gates for this quote).

The end result of harsh self critiques is astronomically ambitious goals that require supernatural focus, drastically increased resources, incredible luck, extraordinary commitment, and a host of other underdeveloped and uncontrollable attributes. With these sorts of goals, it’s very difficult to accomplish what we set out to do, because we lack some (or most!) of what we need to be successful. That’s why I propose that you ditch the big money resolutions and, instead, commit to incremental actions that can be completed easily and build momentum in service to your big goals.

If you recall, last week, I posted my big, dreamy financial goals. But, you may have noticed that the goals were ambitious, but not dramatic. I didn’t choose goals that would set me up for failure: I don’t overestimate what can happen in 2023, nor do I encourage anyone to set goals that will require exhausting, unsustainable action in order to achieve them. If you set a goal, it should stretch you, not snap you in half.

If you’re unsure if you have an exhausting goal, try breaking down the steps to complete it: break it down by quarterly, monthly, weekly, and daily actions. If the daily actions involve more than two or three steps, each day, for 365 days, it’s safe to say that this goal may be larger than what you can manage at this point. I advise anyone to only commit to one small action a day (preferably taking less than 15 minutes) until you have created a habit that can be expanded in small, manageable increments (3-5 minutes per increase). If it takes more than two small daily actions to reach your goal, then maybe your goal can be revised to be more manageable and attainable.

The objective of any of this is to experience success, and if you lay down those big goals, you may find yourself creating success faster than you could have ever imagined!

My Big, Dreamy Financial Goals for 2023

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post discussing how to plan your financial year, and the strategy behind reaching your big, dreamy goals in 2023. At the end of the post, I admitted that I didn’t have any goals for the upcoming year (quite surprising for me, the perpetual planner and consummate dreamer). I promised I would come back and share those goals when I understood what I wanted in 2023.

Well, here I am: I identified my goals, and I’m ready to share! Here are my 2023 financial goals:

Increase my income by 25% (using last year’s gross salary as a baseline)
Monetize my YouTube channel
Average 25 book sales per week
Remit 4 additional mortgage payments

I’ll add more details as I continue fleshing out all of the steps I need to take in order to ensure that I hit my goals. However, even now I can confirm that the goals I have feed into one another: monetized content and consistent book sales will feed into the overall income increase, which will make it possible to remit additional mortgage payments (shortening the length of my mortgage and freeing up resources to put towards my next large purchase). I have many other goals for the year, but these are the big ones when it comes to finances.

Here’s the thing about setting goals: they can be as big or as small as you like, so long as they delight you. If a small goal feeds into a bigger one, that’s fine, but a small goal – that isn’t necessarily part of a larger plan – is nothing to despise. If it’s what you want, then it’s worth pursuing, regardless of how big or small it is.

I’ll aim for quarterly updates, to show you all how I’m progressing toward my goals. I’d love to hear all about your goals: please leave me a comment, so I can cheer you on!

3 Things To Do In December for Financial Health

The end of the year is almost here! This is the month leading into my favorite holiday, New Year’s Day! There’s something so exciting about opening a brand new chapter, and I’m thrilled every time January 1st rolls around.

After having several busy seasons, as well as a few slumps or slower moments throughout the year, you’re probably just ready to bring in 2023 quietly. I don’t blame you for wanting a tame intro to the new year, but there are a couple of things you can prioritize in December, to set yourself up for success in 2023 and beyond!

Here are my finance tips for December. These work well for both tax practitioners, business owners, or even employees that are looking for ways to increase their wealth now and in the future. To your continued success!

Send thank you cards and holiday cards to clients and customers. Sending seasons greetings, as well as heartfelt expressions of gratitude, is a wonderful gesture for everyone. The goodwill is multiplied if you’re an entrepreneur and do this with your clients and customers. If you aren’t a tax preparer or a business owner, then this is a fantastic practice to develop when showing appreciation to the people that you employ (think hairstylists and nail technicians, postal workers that you interact with regularly, childcare providers, housekeepers and other in-house staff, lawn maintenance workers, etc.,). Gratitude is an energy that always brings in abundance, so express thanks often.
Create and/or refine your business vision for 2023. If you haven’t done a business vision board, this is a good time to do it! I love how vision boards can help you crystallize the ideas, goals, and aspirations you have for your business. If you aren’t interested in a vision board, then writing down the vision is also powerful and can move you closer to your desires. If you’ve already done one or both of these steps, this time of year is also fantastic for reviewing those previous notes or boards, and seeing if it still aligns with you. If so, great! See if there is a way to expand on what you already have. If your previous vision no longer aligns, then refine that vision until it resonates with you again.
Schedule business activities for the first quarter of 2023. It’s never too early to start planning for the upcoming weeks and months, so set aside a little time this month to schedule things that you know you’ll need to handle in January and February. Take that scheduling time out to March, if it feels good. It’ll feel great to know that you’ve already gotten a head-start on the next year, and it will save you some time and frustration at the beginning of the year, when everyone else is scheduling activities and taking the best available time slots!

Those are my end of the year finance tips! I’d love to hear what money-related things you like to do in December in the comments below!

3 Things To Do In November for Financial Health

Welcome to November! We’re on the cusp of the holiday season, which means there will be more time to spend with our loved ones and more plans to make as we wrap up the year.

This is one of my favorite times of year: while summer is my favorite season, November is full of exciting energy as it is the last month before the final month of the year. This time feels full of possibility: what will happen before we get swept up in the activities of December? We get to decide, for ourselves, what we do with this last dance before the end of the year.

With less than 2 months until the end of the year, this is a fantastic time to take inventory of anything that is unfinished from earlier this year. For this month, I recommend reviews and automation. My three financial tips for November:

Review current health insurance selections and adjust accordingly. For many employers, November is the final month to make any changes to health insurance selections before being locked in for the next year. So this is a great time to review your current insurance plan and see if you are getting the most out of your health insurance, as well as whether you need the amount of coverage you’re currently paying for. Further inspection may reveal that you are under- or over-insured, and you should absolutely choose a plan that suits your needs for your current phase of life.
Identify any tasks that you can pre-schedule/automate throughout the end of the year (and spilling over into the new year), then do it. During the last several weeks of the year, it can be easy to overlook tasks that need to be handled, and the price that comes from forgetfulness (usually in the form of late fees or decreased credibility) isn’t worth it. Take time to see which items need to be automated – even if it’s just for a few months – and set up those automations/schedules/alerts now, while you can. A few moments of preparation can mean huge savings for you!
Review your professional credentials and schedule any necessary continuing professional education (CPE/CE) courses. I mentioned the need to schedule CPE/CE classes during the summer slump that many tax practitioners experience. But, if you missed that post, now is also a good time to schedule those courses before the end of the year. Most professional credentials have annual requirements for maintaining those licenses, so the last thing you want is to let the end of the year arrive and you’re a few credits short. Schedule those now, so that you won’t have to rush around and find the courses in December, when many CPE/CE courses have limited options (because so many people wait until the last minute to do it!)

Those are the finance tips for November. Let me know if you’ve done any of these already, and how that worked out for you, in the comments below. Take care!