career

3 Reasons Why Your Money May Be Stagnant (And How To Change It)

Recently, I had a great chat with a few friends, and we were all excited about a number of things, including our finances. One of my friends is transitioning to a new career and has been weighing different compensation scenarios. Her main concern is whether she’ll be able to continue growing her personal wealth once she takes the new position. She fears becoming stagnant in her financial gains, and doesn’t want to lose time or regress during the transition. I assured her that she wouldn’t experience this, because she didn’t have the most common stagnancy factors working against her. I told her some factors off of the top of my head, but as I sat down and thought about it further, I realized there are a few top reasons why someone may experience financial stagnancy. I figured you all may like to know what those reasons are, and some possible solutions for them. So, here you go: financial stagnancy reasons and solutions!

Reason 1 – Your money may be stagnant because you’ve stopped growing your knowledge or skills. I’ve noticed that many people complaining about their income have either stopped learning about money, or they stopped developing their skills related to their earning potential. This is very common with employees that have “comfortable” jobs (adequate salaries, good benefits, pleasant work conditions). The comfort within these jobs can make it easy to get satisfied with “good enough”, and that complacency often translates over to financial decisions that they make.

Solution: Start learning again. You can start by committing to reading one brief financial article daily, or listen to podcasts or YouTube videos about financial matters. Or, decide to learn something else. The fun thing is, you don’t have to limit your learning to financial topics: pick up any new (or abandoned) hobby or activity and start practicing again. Remember, how you do anything is how you do everything. The expansion that comes from developing one area of your life will flow over to other areas.

Reason 2 – Your money may be stagnant because you’re emotionally stuck. Perhaps you feel angry because you’ve been passed over for promotions. Or, you’re sad because you made an investment (emotionally or financially) that didn’t turn out the way you wanted. Maybe you experienced the death of a loved one, a traumatic accident, or some other devastating experience, and now you’ve been moving through life on autopilot. You may have seen someone close to you lose all of their money in a scam, and now you’re afraid to do anything that may result in a loss. Whatever the emotion is, you know that you’re stuck there, and you feel that emotion every time you start to think or talk about money.

Solution: Identify the emotion, then work through it. One of the simplest ways to identify the core emotion is to start with the scenario that created the emotion, and ask ourselves, “How does this make me feel?” Don’t stop asking the question until you get to at least one of three possible culprits: anger, sadness, and/or fear. Generally, every uncomfortable emotion will boil down to one of these three, at the most fundamental level. After identifying the emotions, seek resources to help you with processing it (FYI the professional that can help you most with these feelings is probably a therapist, not a financial advisor). You can start journaling about the emotion, expressing it in a way that gets the energy “moving” (crying, screaming, boxing class: whatever works), or whatever else helps you to process the feeling. Then, when the emotion has decreased, start venturing beyond your comfort zone. Start with small risks, and rack up a few wins before you go bigger and bolder with your financial decisions.

Reason 3 – Your money may be stagnant because you don’t have a clear goal. Money (like people) enjoys direction. If your money goals are vague, you probably won’t see your money growing or accomplishing the things you want it to. You need clarity to guide your financial efforts; without it, you’ll hop from idea to idea, making very little progress along the way. After reflecting on your experiences, you may find that you’ve taken no actions, because you thought you’d be young and healthy forever. Perhaps you didn’t hop through ideas, and maybe you took actions, but the progress is nowhere near what you wanted at this point in your journey. There are many things that can happen when there isn’t a clear goal, and your money generally suffers when this happens. In any case, a lack of goals and a lack of clarity will often mean a compromised financial path and delayed/denied financial growth.

Solution: Get clear goals and take actions that align with them. Instead of getting exasperated and throwing up your hands in frustration, sit down and ask yourself what you really want. There is no dream that is unreasonable or impossible, so remove those limitations and allow yourself to dream about what an ideal life would look like. Then, determine how your money figures into that: do you need a little more, a lot more, or none at all? After you have the dream life envisioned, and you know how money will serve you in that life, start the process of asking yourself how can you get there (if you want to devise a plan for that, I can help you!)

Stagnant money doesn’t have to be a permanent condition: you are one decision away from ushering fresh energy into your finances! So tell me: do you have stagnant money energy? Are you committed to changing that, or have you already taken actions to change it? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Is Your Telework Arrangement Coming To An End?

I’ve followed a few articles discussing the future of telework/remote work, and I am not surprised that many businesses no longer want their employees working from the comfort of their homes. Assuming that the tasks for a job are primarily digital, it doesn’t seem like there would be a rush to return employees to the office. However, many that have enjoyed working from home are now being told that their remote work agreements are revoked and they are required to do hybrid or fully in-person work.

This can be frustrating for employees, especially if you have adjusted your lifestyle to a 0 minute commute. It’s also frustrating for employees that saw an increase in productivity and a decrease in their stress levels (shout out to the introverted workforce!) So when a job tells you that you need to start coming back to the office, what should you do?

First, ask yourself if you want this job, or if you’re there because you need it. If you want the job (you love pretty much everything about it except the return to the office), then it may be worthwhile to wait it out and see, at a later date, if you can strike an agreement to restore some of your telework days. Over time, you may be able to increase your telework back to 100% based on exceptional performance. Waiting a while, then trying to slowly integrate remote work back into your routine, could work, especially if you demonstrate upfront that you are willing to follow the new rules (for a time).

But, if you’re only at that job because you need it (i.e., the only reason why you’re there is because they pay the amount you desire, or you’ve stayed there has been because you can do the work from home) it may be time to come up with some alternate plans (I’d actually argue that you should come up with alternate plans even before a job you dislike changes their remote work policies, but I digress). You have less incentive to negotiate with a job that you fundamentally dislike, so there’s no need to prolong the inevitable: plan your exit as soon as you get the “return to office” news.

As soon as your job announces that they may want to start bringing people back to the office, start applying for other jobs. FlexJobs is one of the biggest job posting sites that specializes in remote work. Go ahead and build your profile and start applying to new roles, so you will have options before the company decides what they want to do. AI tools are fantastic for upgrading your resume and quickly creating beautiful cover letters (if the application should require them). Try ChatGPT or Claude to get a rewritten resume that gets results. Set a goal for a certain number of applications per day (I personally aimed for 5 a day back when I was looking for jobs, but if you really need to leave, aim for more).

ExodUS Summit will have a workshop taught by Libryia Jones, a remote work expert and advocate that specializes in getting women into telework roles that allows them to live the lives of their dreams. Check out Libryia’s website, Quit Commuting, for more information on how she can get you a remote job. As someone that has attended the ExodUS Summit in previous years, I can confirm that Libryia gets results for clients, and investing with her is well worth it.

Another name that you should check out is Sheila K. Brown, whose “Find a Dope Remote Job” course was my introduction to the strategies needed for fully remote work. I purchased the course several years ago and found that it was full of valuable information that can help you transition to a full-time telework position. Sheila is a wealth of knowledge, and she has many ideas for helping anyone that wants to make money remotely.

While you apply to jobs or consult with a telework expert, I also advocate that you continue building your alternative streams of income and exploring options beyond the 9 to 5. Work is great for making sure that your immediate needs are covered, and that you have some capital for your bigger dreams. But if you want considerably more freedom, it will require you to release yourself from standard employment and earn your income through other means. If you want to explore some options with this, use the form on my Contact page, and just say “options” in the description box. Also, I encourage you to check out ExodUS Summit this year, as the theme is Location Freedom, Financial Freedom and Time Freedom.

No matter what you decide, please know that your company’s decision to return employees to the office doesn’t mean that your remote work days are over. You can find work that is lucrative and location independent, so long as you know where to look, and seek help from others that can help you with your search.

Do you have any other tips for finding remote work or handling the change from fully remote to hybrid work? I’d love to hear all about it!

3 AI Tools for Wealth Creation, Pt 2

I hope you all have had a chance to experiment with the tools in Pt 1, because I’m back, with more tools that can help you uplevel your wealth creation game. I’m hoping that these tools make it easier for you to create the life you desire and deserve. Have fun with them, and let me know what works for you!

GPTea – This incredible database of pre-written ChatGPT prompts can help you with asking the right questions for the answers you seek. I found this tremendously helpful when I wanted information about coding, app development, and some financial topics that I found a bit confusing. What’s really nice about this website is that the platform already has ChatGPT built into it, so you can answer your questions within the website without having to copy and paste prompts into a separate ChatGPT tab. Search for the topic that interests you, and see which questions have already been asked and answered. The best part? No sign up is needed!

Gamma – A brilliant website that creates easy-to-edit presentations, documents, and web pages based on your key words. Just figure out the topic that interests you, and let the app generate your first draft. It saves a ton of time with formatting, idea organization, and visual design. You can pick from a range of templates, and the final product is beautiful, well organized and ready for your personal touches. This is a very helpful tool if you’re making how-to- guides, course outlines, or tools to share with customers and clients. Sign up with your email address and get ready to enhance your presentations!

ProtocolPal – I wasn’t sure if this website would be useful for the average entrepreneur or wealth builder. It has a simple design and serves one main purpose: giving you possible solutions and explanations to your problems. I thought that maybe it would only work for specific subjects or industries, but after testing a few (wildly different) questions, I feel comfortable saying that this website is great for anyone looking for variety of solutions to a single problem or issue they may be experiencing. The more specific the question, the more useful the proposed solutions will be. While you may have been able to get the same solutions on another website, seeing those solutions in a clear, bulleted list can really help you to quickly identify where to improve, and the solutions are hyperlinked to deeper explanations (so you don’t have to hunt around the web for more clarity). This is another great website that doesn’t require a sign up: just click the link, ask your question, and get the answers!

The three sites I’ve mentioned can help you tremendously with completing business and wealth-building tasks, streamline your processes, and give you the answers you need to scale or upgrade your current strategies.

Do you have any AI tools that you’ve used successfully in your business or wealth strategy? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below!

The Goal Is To Labor LESS

To my American friends, I hope you all are enjoying your holiday. Today, for those that aren’t aware, is Labor Day, a national holiday that commemorates the efforts of the American labor force. It’s taken many decades of work, negotiation, and standing up for the rights of workers, but we in America benefit from a body of laws that projects us in many ways. For that, I am thankful.

However, the downside of labor in the US is having to participate in a system that still manages to take more from its labor force than it gives in return. Even the most diligent workers have to deal with unfair treatment in the workplace, a lack of adequate healthcare after leaving the workforce, and very slim chances of achieving comfort in the elder years. It’s a system where the amount of work completed doesn’t usually correlate to rewards: in fact, the current work system usually penalizes the hardest and most efficient workers.

So, what that means for the savviest among us is that we must aim to labor LESS. In the words of the old adage, work smarter, not harder. Part of working smarter means letting our money work for us, instead of us working for money. Our energy can be depleted, and we can experience burn out if we’re trying to leverage the majority of our physical energy to create the lifestyle we desire. We have to learn to utilize our mental energy and strategies to create frameworks that put our money to work on our behalf, so that our initial investment of time, energy and resources can continue replicating itself for many subsequent years.

I’m looking forward to exploring more ways to work less, and sharing those findings with you all. I believe wholeheartedly in working a little upfront, and letting that work continue to pay me for years. I’ve made some great decisions, but I want MORE, and I want you all to experience MORE, too. Look out for more posts about working less in the future!

3 AI Tools For Wealth Creation, Pt 1

I’ve mentioned FutureTools here before, because it’s one of my favorite databases for all of the newest AI tools on the market. As someone that regularly uses FutureTools, I’m always testing out new tools and figuring out which ones are best for my audience over here. Since wealth creation is the focus of much of my writing (because you can more easily create the life of your dreams if you have adequate financial resources, at whatever amount/level you decide), here are some of the tools that I’ve found may be helpful for you as you build wealth.

I’m limiting the tools in this series to free (no cost) versions. I’ve financially invested in a few AI tools, but I find it far more interesting to see what can be done at low- to no-cost, especially since people at the beginning of their wealth creation journeys usually have less disposable income. Without further ado, here are three tools to try:

Tool 1 – AOMNI – This site allows you to submit 3 free research requests per day. It provides fairly comprehensive responses and saves the request results, so you can “build” a body of knowledge related to whatever you need to research. If you’ve found your “shovel”, this can save you a lot of time and legwork when it comes to researching different aspects of your business. Since this searches the entire web (unlike the free version of ChatGPT, which only uses data up to September 2021. This can fill in many of the gaps from 2021 to the present, and can be used for detailed market research. Just make sure you write your question well (if you struggle with wording your questions, consider asking ChatGPT to help you write a question that will give you the best response on AOMNI).

Tool 2 – Let’s Recast – I use this app to take articles and turn them into podcast-like audio files. This isn’t an app to “read” the article to you, but rather, to summarize the details and make it easily comprehended. If you find it easier and/or more time efficient to listen to articles as opposed to reading them, this can save you a LOT of time. I usually add articles from Harvard Business Review to Recast, and listen to the articles while I’m doing chores or walking. The app requires either a Chrome Extension or an app download (iOS) to operate the recasting function, but you can also just sign up for the website and listen to the recasts that already exist on the website, too. Lots of the available recasts have valuable information for business owners and anyone interested in finance.

Tool 3 – Video Highlight – This is almost the inverse of Let’s Recast, in that Video Highlight takes video content and turns it into written, summarized information. Remember that 5+ hour video I mentioned in my Millionaire Blueprint post? I actually put that into Video Highlight so that I could get a bulleted list of the recommendations in the video. It was far quicker for the app to summarize the video than to sit through the five hours of content (though I still enjoyed watching the episode and taking my own notes). I’ve since used it for 3 other longer videos. The notes that Video Highlight generates may not be a perfect capture of the information in the video, but it’s excellent for making sure that most of the crucial points are documented. I’m actually considering how I can take the Video Highlight summary and turn it into a recast, so I can listen to the key details of the video whenever I want.

All of the aforementioned websites require sign ups, so have your email addresses ready. However, as someone that has used each of these tools, I have to say that I really enjoyed the capabilities of these apps, and I found them useful for the researching and learning phases of wealth creation. Have you already used any of these? I’d love to hear what you think of them in the comments below!

How To Find Your Shovel (What To Sell In a Saturated Market)

Last year, I wrote a post about selling shovels, or, in other words, catering to the less obvious markets. I wanted to highlight the fact that business success doesn’t require that you do what everyone else is doing; in fact, you can find tremendous success in offering secondary goods and services to the people who are pursuing the mainstream business ideas. I still maintain that your personal “gold rush” is easier to create when you sell the tools that the hopefuls need.

But, maybe you’re unaware of what “shovels” you should sell. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with numerous options available and so many people being willing to “coach” you (for a fee, of course). But we’re friends, and friends share information with each other. So I’m going to share a strategy for finding your “shovel”, so you can start making the money you deserve. I made sure to do this exercise myself, so I found more than a few “shovels” of my own in the midst of it. More about that later, but here’s the strategy for finding your own “shovel”.

  1. Make a list of what interests you. Aim to write down at least 20 things (I felt ambitious, so I wrote down 45 things). These don’t have to be your hobbies, per se: this is a list of interests, not necessarily things that you are actively pursuing. The interests do not have to be activities: I mentioned whisky, vintage fashion, travel, and excellent ink pens on my list. You’re using the list to capture things that you enjoy. If you struggle to come up with 20 things for your list, you may be thinking too narrowly: write down anything that puts a smile on your face. If you like the color pink, that can go on the list. If you enjoy the sounds and smells of wood burning in a fireplace, that goes on the list. Anything you like can go on the list (including people!). If you still struggle to come up with 20 interests, it may be time to grab your journal and figure out if you’ve been suppressing your interests. If so, you’ll have to spend some time rediscovering yourself (it’s worth it to spend time doing this).
  2. Randomly pick two things off of the list, and see how these cross over. Whatever cross over you find, consider it the “overlap”. Think of the “overlap” is your sweet spot for “shovel” creation. For the sake of giving an example, let’s take two of my interests, whisky and vintage fashion. These two seem to have nothing in common, but this is just the beginning of your research. A Google search for “whisky vintage fashion” turns up results of vintage resellers with the word “whisky” in their titles, and several whisky brands that have their own vintage inspired logos and branding, who are also selling their own t-shirts and other merchandise. There is ALWAYS some crossover, no matter how wildly different the two interests may be. The “shovel” you’ve been looking for lies in the overlap, and the gaps that the overlap creates.
  3. Ask yourself, “What’s missing from the overlap?” The overlap always creates another market, some under-served population that’s waiting for what you have to offer. It may take you a while to brainstorm, but you can always find something to offer the “overlap” population. In the instance of whisky and vintage fashion, I thought of things that whisky lovers that appreciate vintage fashion may like. A vintage themed notebook to capture tasting notes, vintage inspired whisky paraphernalia (glasses, bar tools, etc.,), wall art that features men and women from the 1920s – 1970s appreciating whisky, vintage themed whisky stickers, host whisky tastings that require attendees to dress in vintage clothing, a cool vintage-esque poster that is a checklist of bunch of whisky brands (something that appreciators can “check off” as they try each one) . . . The possibilities are endless, but try to come up with at least 5 ideas. If you struggle to come up with ideas, use something like ChatGPT or Claude to help you brainstorm (I didn’t use either for this exercise, which confirms that you don’t have to rely heavily on technology to generate the idea [though it may be useful to use technology to eventually bring the idea to market]).
  4. Determine what you want to offer, then develop your plan to bring it to the market. This will require additional research and possibly some upfront financial investment, but if the idea excites you, then it’s worth exploring. I have some resources I can share in a future post, with how to research your “shovel” potential. Also, I’d be remiss if I didn’t tell you that some of these ideas you come up with will bore you . . . And that’s okay. You’re looking for one that offers something unique AND will hold your interest. This is something you want to sell again and again, and that will only happen if you aren’t bored with it. Of course, you may “sell your shovel” once or twice before you realize you don’t enjoy it, and that’s okay, too. You can always go back to your list of interests and try again. With 20+ different interests, possibly hundreds of combinations, and (easily) thousands of business ideas, you’re guaranteed to find something that you want to do.

I don’t plan on using the whisky and vintage fashion idea to test my strategy, but I love proof of concept, so I’ll be taking my own advice and creating a “shovel” with the steps I just mentioned. I’ll take you all through that process in the upcoming weeks. I’m excited to share that with you all as I complete the steps! But until then, think of your own interests, figure out some overlap, and learn how you can serve those groups that will happily buy what you’re creating. You can do it!

I’ll talk to you all soon: take care!

A Millionaire Blueprint?

Recently, I came across a video from the show, Undercover Billionaires. Many of you are unaware of this, but I rarely watch television, and I am hopelessly ignorant to the shows that are currently being aired. That being said, I had to research when this show originally aired (2021) to see just how long these episodes have been available. The show takes current millionaires, and puts them into situations where they have to rebuild their wealth without the help of their current assets or network. The show attempts to create a “from scratch” scenario that allows current millionaires to demonstrate how to build wealth without the advantages that come from already having money. I guess the goal is to show that anyone can do it (American bootstrapping fantasies abound: more about that later) so long as you’re creative and persistent.

Anyway, I found this great edit of the show, focusing exclusively on the clips featuring Monique Idlett, ex-wife and business partner of Timbaland (music producer and songwriter). The show follows Idlett as she goes from having $100, no home, no job, and no connections in a new city (she was sent to Takoma, Washington). The goal was to have Idlett go from $100 to a $1 million business in 90 days. It’s fascinating to watch how she rebuilds in three months and ends up launching a business that she hopes will be valuated at $1 mil.

This video is LONG (nearly 6 hours!) but these first 30 minutes had so much value that I committed to watching the whole thing.

I enjoy shows like this, but I have some critiques as well. What I found really inspirational about the show is how many of us are starting with more than $100, have homes, networks, and many other things that can help us launch successfully, but we don’t tap into the power of what we already have. *Most* of us in the US have enough resources to start on the path of wealth. This doesn’t mean we will all succeed in creating a million-dollar business in 90 days, but increasing our income through entrepreneurship and dedication is a strong possibility.

However, I must point out the problems with the notions presented in this show. This show has to be taken with a grain of salt, of course: there is no easy, cookie cutter formula to financial success in 90 days. Anyone thinking that this is an easily duplicated process is in for quite a shock. I actually think Idlett’s story highlights that fact: she has to start working to rebuild her wealth just 3 days into this challenge. And she initially gets quite a few “nos” as she’s trying to build. Take the advice that works, try it, and don’t punish yourself if the results vary a bit, or if it takes a little longer than 90 days.

Also, this show heavily relies on the cult-like obsession with “bootstrapping” in America. The idea that anyone can become massively wealthy through hard work has been fetishized in the US, to the detriment of people who have legitimate challenges and difficulties on their entrepreneurial paths. The US media loves telling stories of highly exceptional people (which are always great stories and worth sharing and telling!) and then using those stories to say, “What’s your excuse for being ordinary?” The cult of “bootstrapping” is notorious for dismissing the efforts and contributions of those who opt out of entrepreneurship and decide to work for businesses instead of creating one. It’s this fanatical reverence for massive wealth at the cost of recognizing legitimate challenges that I dislike. That’s the reason why I chose to highlight Idlett’s story: she does not fetishize “bootstrapping”, and her approach is very realistic for anyone interested in growing a business, or even someone just recreating their life after experiencing setbacks. From what I’ve seen so far, she navigates her way through Takoma with kindness, grace and a realistic understanding of how genuine connections are made. I enjoy her way of interacting with others and how she builds her business through putting people first.

Overall, I recommend watching the show and seeing what tips you can glean. It’s inspirational to see what’s possible, and applying the ideas presented into our own businesses can result in improved business processes and incredible growth.

Have you watched the show? Tell me your thoughts below!

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!

3 Things To Do In March For Financial Health

Welcome to March! As we get closer to the spring equinox, we can’t help but feel the freshness and the energy of “new starts”. While this may be the beginning of the next season, this is also the season for completion, specifically, the completion of major financial obligations, such as tax filing. For the month of March, here are three things you can do to ensure and promote your financial health.

  • Review your budget and see how you’re doing. If you set up a budget for the year, this is a good time to look at how you’re doing and make adjustments. I’ve found it’s best to look at the previous quarter objectively: don’t beat yourself up over financial missteps, just commit to doing better in the future, and move on. Looking at your numbers at this point is also good if you have a tax year that differs from the standard calendar (January to December). Fiscal year filers may find it useful to see what’s happening in March, as this is often their mid-year point, and as such, a good time to make big changes to ensure that they finish strong.
  • File Forms 1120S and 1065, as well as applicable Schedule Ks. This is the time to file tax returns for partnerships and S-corps (unless you’re on a different tax year schedule). Schedule Ks should also be filed at this point. If this doesn’t apply to you, then start gathering the financial documents needed to file your tax returns (especially if you file a 1040). Review those documents and make sure that the information that has been reported is correct.
  • Update your beneficiaries on insurance policies and retirement accounts. While you’re in the process of reviewing and reconciling, it may be a good idea to review all of your insurance policies and retirement accounts. Make sure that the correct beneficiaries are listed, and take time to read through the benefits available under each policy. It’s worthwhile to check these regularly, and confirm whether your comprehension is still clear and accurate.

That’s all for March. Do you have any financial moves you’re making this month? I’d love to hear all about it!

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!