Income & Beyond

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The Top 5 Fringe Benefits For Your Next Dream Job

Many of us settle for the absolute basic when it comes to employment. We look at things like pay, convenient schedules and health insurance but what about fringe benefits? Have you ever wondered what makes companies like Google so sought after besides just the Google name? It’s the stuff they offer employees outside of pay and merit. In a competitive environment, the best and brightest talent have leverage. Here are 5 benefits to consider for your next job and the companies that give them. 

1. 401k Match

Almost every company offers a 401k but not all companies offer a match. Matching a 401k is like free money on top of free money. Companies like OTG match at 5% but larger companies like Amazon match more than that.

2. Free Food

How much of your check goes to expenses surrounding work? If you spend 10% of your income commuting or eating, it might be time for a change. Companies like Aramark, SSP, and Levy offer their employees free food as a thank you for coming to work.

3. Free Education/Career Advancement

The most successful companies are those that not only invest in their talent financially but in other forms such as education. Companies like Uncommon Goods and the Wildlife Conservation Society have programs for percentages off of tuition, free continuing career development and in qualifying cases full tuition reimbursement. 

4. Free Tickets/Travel

Nothing says thank you for your hard work more than things you can enjoy outside of work such as Broadway shows, sporting events, free hotels and free flights. Companies such as JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, New York Mets, Delta, Marriott, Disney and United Airlines offer some of these great benefits to their employees. 

5. Work From Home Days

A unicorn of sorts, work from home days are rare because there needs to be a certain level of trust between employee and employer. Also, there are some jobs that simply can’t be done if not in the office. Work from home days are negotiated on a case by case basis but it’s definitely worth mentioning before you sign your next offer letter. 

[incomeandbeyond]

Tips For Finessing #dirtythirty Celebrations

If you would have told me that I would be thirty in the blink of an eye, I would’ve called you a filthy liar. Now sitting here at 29, I’m attempting to scrape my coins together for all of these extravagant #dirtythirty celebrations. However, in the words of Diana Ross or the original Gloria Gaynor, I will survive and so will you with these 3 awesome tips.

1. Planning is Imperative

Your friend’s birthdays never change. You should start reaching out to them months in advance to determine what they will be doing and whether or not you need to make arrangements. Arrangements could be childcare, days off, 401k withdrawals(just kidding) and things of that nature.

2. Cash is King

If you decide to put money to the side for your own birthday celebration, chances are you need to put money to the side for your friend’s birthday celebrations as well. The amount depends on what they’re doing. But, for good measure expect $100-$250 for birthday dinners. On the more expensive tip, vacations range depending on the destination and dates but can start at $700 and to upwards of $3,000.

3. Honesty is the Only Policy

Most friends will express sentiments of disappointment if you tell them you will be missing their birthday but in all honesty, 3 years from 30 they won’t even notice and will be on to the next. Don’t go broke or homeless trying to be there for someone else’s birthday celebration. If you don’t have it, be upfront and let your friends know your situation. They will understand.  

[incomeandbeyond]

How To Survive a Late Life Career Change

I lived dreams of grandeur since the tender age of 15, truly ambitious and over the top. According to my 15-year-old self, I should be a million settling into retirement, sipping rum punches on the island of Barbados. However, that is not the case.

At the age of 18, I started my career as a medical receptionist; a paper and people pusher. I am great at organizing, following up, diligent with checking insurances and details plus I always kept the office moving. After my last position as a wellness manager, (that began as a receptionist of course), it dawned on me that I would never be promoted to be the doctor. So, I packed up my highlighter and notebook and started a new career in the foodservice industry. I held a number of positions, eventually mapping out a career in human resources. Below are the best pieces of advice I have given and received in regards to changing a career late in the game.

1. Be Patient

This is imperative on all fronts. Just because you have started over and feel the need for things to move fast doesn’t mean they will move at lightning speed. When you start your career over, you reset the clock on everything including monetary compensation so that’s definitely something to be mindful of. You may have a Bachelors or Masters degree and think that your skills warrant $29/hr but if the job you have been chosen for doesn’t require you to use your degree or any of your skills don’t expect the compensation to match what you think you should be paid.

2. Do Your Research

Once you have figured out what industry you want to work in, research your career path and estimate how many years it would take for you to get to your desired salary/ position. Also, research which industries are evergreen, for example, foodservice and hospitality are always hiring as is retail. You may want to be an operations manager at FedEx but it may be easier to get your foot in the door as a cashier at Victoria Secret to start. For me in HR, my map is below. I started as an HR Clerk and did 6 months as a recruiter. Normally a management position is within reach in 3-5 years. I landed my management position in the beg of my 3rd year.

3. Make Connections and Use Them

Being friends with recruiters is one of the easiest ways to land an interview in this job climate. Who you know is more important than what you know and a lasting impression on one person in passing can leave the biggest impact on your career. While you are working in your position, make sure to let your superiors know that you’re interested in moving up and onward and go above and beyond to enforce that idea. Add me on LinkedIn to see what jobs I’m posting as well.

4. A Job With Some Money is Better Than No Job With No Money

The longer you stay out of the job market, the less attractive you are to recruiters. Unexplained, prolonged gaps in employment tells recruiters that you may not be able to handle pressure or multitask. In the state of New York, employers are no longer allowed to ask you what you made at your previous position so any filler in employment is better than no employment at all. My 12/hr job led me to my management position today.

[incomeandbeyond]

Buying a Car With Carvana + Boosting My Credit Score Nearly 200 Points in Less than 6 Months

I never knew buying a car could be less painless than getting my eyebrows waxed. I’ve avoided everything and anything that has to do with starting the process of buying a car. I’ve been driving for over 5 years with only a permit(longer without) and there was always something holding me back. I finally purchased my first car, a 2016 Ford Focus SE Hatchback using Carvana and I have nothing but positive words for the website.

Month by Month Play Of Boosting My Credit Score

July 2017, A credit sky of 420, I began researching secured credit cards to boost my credit. I ultimately decided to go with Open Sky.


August 2017, I funded my secured credit card with $200.

September 2017, I decided that once my credit scored reached 600 I would buy a car.

October 2017, my credit score hit 540. I paid the secured credit off to less than 5% every month. I decided to start saving for my car. I wanted to put 1,000 down and pay $200/month.

November 2017, I started researching buying a car, I looked around for loans and visited a dealership.

December 2017, I decided that Carvana and financing would be best for me. I started looking at cars mostly sedans under 14,000.

January 2018, my credit score hit 600. I paid for my 5-hour class and the week after I went for my driver’s test in Yonkers. I passed. Carvana lowered my down payment to $1,000 due to my credit spike.

February 2018, I made my final car selection and it arrived on February 14.

Why Carvana?

It’s online so they’re open 24 hours

I did not have to haggle

I did not have to deal with shady car salespeople and thousands of dollars in fees

My friend Christal used it

They had a 7-day return policy

Soft credit inquiries (I was on there literally every day)

Terms were valid for 45 days

Great customer service

They finance for anyone who makes at least 10,000 per year

They take care of your registration no matter the state

The entire process was seamless. Once I chose my vehicle and sent them my license, they called my bank within 24 hours to verify that my down payment funds were actually in my account.  I sent in my pay stubs for January and they asked for my last pay stub in 2017 to verify my income for the previous year. They updated the contract on my account, I signed it and I was all set to receive my car. The day of delivery, my guy kept in contact with me all day. He was running behind for our 1:00 pm drop off and arrived at 3:00 pm. I sent him my car insurance via text, signed some documents and I was on my way.

Condition of the Vehicle

My Ford Focus SE Hatchback was clean and I investigated the car for the scratches that were described on the Carvana website.  They weren’t as pronounced as they appeared online and I could barely see the scratches that Carvana said was on the bumper. They provide you with a copy of the Carfax in addition to other useful paperwork items when they drop off the car. For now, I have 30 day Georgia temp tags which will be switched once my NY tags come in.

What Could Be Improved

The most difficult part of financing/buying through Carvana was the insurance. Being in New York, in addition, to be being a brand new driver was really daunting. My spouse has done everything for me in regards to a car in the past so I had no idea what the difference between full coverage and liability was. I realized that the higher your deductible, the lower the coverage but also the lower payment you would have. The quotes for me were absolutely outrageous initially until I figured out how to manipulate the number to make things work for me. My goal within the next few months is to lower my insurance to less than $200 but as of right now, my insurance is in the high $400’s with Progressive which is half of what the other insurance companies were charging me. I hope in the future Carvana provides insurance for their customers who choose to finance through them.

Get $500 Off

Apparently, Carvana provides $500 off for people buying in certain states. Feel free to use my name, Rana Seabrook for some cash off!

[incomeandbeyond]

5 Things You Never Knew About Credit Karma

Credit Karma has been a super useful tool that I use to monitor and increase my credit score. Many of us use Credit Karma for it's obvious use, but the website has other functions that have been proven beyond useful. 1. Dispute Inaccuracies on Your Credit Report You can dispute things that you owe and portions of what you don't by using their dispute tool. You can also have things removed from your report in their entirety if they have been paid, it's been 7 years or you have filed for bankruptcy and is no longer liable for the debt. 2. Track Your Spending Over Time Credit Karma has a neat tool that allows you to link your accounts to track your spending over time. This feature is super helpful for budgeting and calculating spending in different categories. You can link an array of credit cards, bank accounts and savings accounts from a number of companies and the process is pretty simple. 3. Credit Karma Community I was once tagged in a Facebook post that featured an comment from a Credit Karma community member on how you could get rid of the accounts and multiple comments underneath pleading for assistance. Today, you can find anything from advice on how to make your credit score jump in 100 points to what is the ideal score for an auto loan. 4. Unclaimed Money The USFG as well as every state has an Office of Unclaimed Funds. Credit Karma has a search tool that allows you to comb through all states to see if you have any money that belongs to you. 5. Do Your Taxes Yes! You read that correctly, Credit Karma is quickly becoming a one stop shop as you can now do your taxes on the site as well. I will probably do my taxes this year on Turbo Tax because I'm familiar with it already but will look into making the switch for the 2019 tax year. Do you have any special features that you love about Credit Karma or some unknown facts? Drop them below!

[incomeandbeyond]

Dealing with Wage Garnishment in NYC

This post is syndicated and was originally published on RayeSocial.com I was young and my head was bloated from a 700 credit score. The world was my oyster. I could apply for loans, credit cards with high limits and no one could stop me. I was unstoppable. That was until I was spending more than I was making. The credit card payments became too high. I was in way over my head. Before I knew it, I was dodging creditors, refusing to open the letters and then, years later I was hit with a wage garnishment. The first time seeing it on my pay stub was shocking. I was wondering what the hell was going on. Initially, I thought my employer shorted me on my hours. I called my manager raging mad trying to figure out why such a large chunk of my check was missing. I called the Marshall's(Bruce Kemp) office and made an agreement with them of something that was more affordable. One week during our payment arrangement, I was unable to make it to their office before they closed and the next paycheck, my wages were officially being garnished. I learned a few tricks about garnishment including the switch up. Switching jobs doesn't STOP your garnishment but it does put it on hold until the company you're working for reports that you're working for them. For most small companies, it takes a while, almost a year sometimes until the next tax time. Larger companies like Aramark report immediately and once the Marshall reaches out to the payroll team, your wages will be garnished there as well. No matter where you go, they will take from your earnings until you pay of your debt in it's entirety. Last Monday, June 19, 2017 was the last day of my garnishment from Capital One. It's been 3 years. I owed around $3,000. I work seasonally and wage garnishments are not allowed to touch things like unemployment so that's something to bare in mind. However, a peculiar event did happen at the end of my garnishment. It appeared that there was a second garnishment, I called our processing company ADP to see what why there was a second garnishment. They informed me that Capital One had sent another garnishment order in addition to the one on file stating I owed them an additional amount of money for fees and interest. Fortunately for me, I knew to call the Marshall immediately and have his office fax over a letter that would cease the payments. Capital One had in a sense committed fraud by making up an order that never existed to recoup additional funds. Here is the direct New York State law regarding wage garnishments: In New York State, a creditor can garnish the lesser of 10% of your gross wages or 25% of your disposable income to the extent that this amount exceeds 30% of minimum wage. If your disposable income is less than 30 times minimum wage, it cannot be garnished at all. The last part is extremely important. If your disposable income not total income, disposable is less than 30 times minimum they can not garnish you but YOU have to be diligent. Here are some tips to combat wage garnishment in NYC 1. Do not miss court dates. Missing court dates gives creditors an automatic judgement in their favor which you can have repealed but you don't want to go through that process. Avoid this by showing up the first time. 2. Be realistic and don't let them bully you. These companies will try to suck you dry for every penny you have. Some interest rates are exorbitant so make sure you have your paper work from when you signed the initial contract. Also, keep your statements handy. Some companies (like Capital One) will not only give you a higher interest rate but attempt to add on expenses you never owed in the first place. 3. Keep a calendar with the amounts you paid and what you have left. I was very diligent with knowing my payments and predicting when it would end. A lot of people don't pay attention and end up having to fight these companies for their money. Once the second garnishment started, it took me nearly 3 weeks to get the full $90 back. Don't be that person who lets their money leave their hand freely. 4. Learn for next time. Wage garnishment is no joke. If it happens to you once make sure it never happens again! Make realistic credit agreements, learn the 30/60/90 rule. Otherwise, it can go on your credit report as a tax lien and makes it difficult for companies to trust your creditworthiness in the future. 5. You don't need an expensive lawyer. Everything you need to know about the law is right there on the world wide web. ​All of the information I learned about wage garnishments was readily available on Google. 

[incomeandbeyond]

5 Things Millennials Should Do Before Clearing Their Debt

5 Things Millennials Should Do Before Clearing Their Debt Millennials, we wake up like this. From the time we hit college, we dip our feet in the debt pool. And then, when we hit snooze our first day after graduation in our entry-level position, we are completely immersed in an Olympic sized pool of debt. Whether it be with understanding each other in relationships or losing our jobs to baby boomers, millennial lives are riddled with L’s. Failing to overstate, and screaming YOLO to our spending habits have become the disdain of our once, decent credit. We’ve been in this game for years and know the rules of the game — have savings, be diligent but what really pulls us astray will surprise you. 1. Cost-Benefit Analysis Of Clearing Your Debt Versus Declaring Bankruptcy I’ve never seen a graduation cake say congratulations on your unforgivable lifetime debt. However, If you are in over your head and more than 30,000 in debt but the majority of it is not unforgivable debt such as student loans, bankruptcy might be a viable option for you. Bankruptcy gives those who can’t control their Juice Generation habits the opportunity to start over completely. Contrary to popular belief of it taking years to rebuild your credit following filing for bankruptcy, you can start taking the necessary steps re-building credit as soon as you file. If you decide bankruptcy is not for you like I’ve done, you can create a plan to remove your debt without becoming a passive-aggressive, socially unstable cat person. 2. Create A List Of All Your Creditors + The Amounts You Owe And Call Them Sounds crazy right? Why in the world would you want to call the people you’ve been hiding from? It makes perfect sense, your creditors are not like your ex, they’re desperate to get any kind of money from you especially if a significant amount of time has lapsed and the seven-year rule is rearing its head. Some of them have the incorrect information on file, they say you owe more than you do. They have tacked on unimaginable amounts of imaginary interest, lawyer fees and other things they are not allowed to do. But besides them being sneaky, calling them is a great way to get money off because they are more likely to accept a portion of what you owe instead of writing that debt off as a complete loss. Calling them can even expedite the process of getting your old accounts active again although you probably shouldn’t be using them yet as swiping those happy hour drinks for the team at Blockheads is probably part of what you got you into this mess in the first place. Arranging possible payment amounts can also assist you in having a realistic, tangible plan for debt repayment. 2B. Check the Dates There are only two dates that are important when you’re sorting out your debt. The first date is when you opened the card, exactly 7 years after is when an item can be removed from your credit report and you are no longer legally liable to pay for that debt. The second date is any time you paid off a card, even a portion because making a payment resets the 7-year clock. I know people are always trying to keep up to date with their payments but if you honestly can’t, don’t. In the long run, you are only hurting yourself. Imagine if you have a credit card that you opened in 2009, stopped paying in 2010 only to make one payment in 2016 and now you have reset the clock in its entirety and have to pay it in full or wait until 2023 for it to fall off your report. It’s fairly simple math here. 3. Open A Secured Credit Card Having a secure credit card is like Sarah Jessica Parker with Manolo Blahniks. It’s a sure thing. A secured credit card is an assurance for the credit card company in the event that you are not able to pay or decide not to pay for whatever reason, they have you're the entirety of your limit in a secured account. There are secured credit cards that do not check your credit and do not care if you’ve filed for bankruptcy. Navy Federal uses a CD to fund their secured credit card. Your initial deposit goes into an interest-bearing certificate of deposit so you’re rewarded twice if you keep up with your payments. You get the interest accrued on the CD and you build good credit. Good fiscal behavior deserves coins and celebration. I have opened the OpenSky Secured Credit Card which did not put a hard inquiry on my credit score. 4. Learn How To Keep and Count Cash If I had listened to Juvenile, Cash Money wouldn’t just be taking over for the 99 and 2000. It would be prevalent right now, at this very moment. Most of us, like myself who have been in severe debt have a cash problem. We spend all of our cash and then rely on our cards. Then, we rely on our cards to do the math for us. I’ve been hit with so many unnecessary overdraft fees all because I wouldn't do my own math. Re-training yourself how to use cash and actually hold on to it will make you more fiscally responsible when you do open your secured credit card. 5. Don't Budget, Automate Once upon a time, I created a budget and everything went well. Food $50, Rent $750, travel $100, restaurant libations $100, savings $600 but I would actually only save $50. I had to come to terms with the fact that something in my budget was severely miscalculated and killing my funds. My morning hash browns and dollar tea, mid-day French Vanilla latte, and jalapeño McDoubles were literally eating away at my perfectly crafted budget. I wasn't hitting my goals. Then I realized seeing all my money inclined me to make changes and move things to places there shouldn't be. This is where automation comes in. Moving money before I get a chance to see it means that it's not there. It doesn't exist. I pull the max on my 401k, I have my check from work go to two different places, I use my credit card to pay my bills and I have a savings account that doesn't have a physical card where I push all my business income to.

[incomeandbeyond]

Open Sky Secure Credit Card Update (December 2017)

There's a part one to this review which was originally posted back in October that you can read on this blog here. This month, I lowered my utilization to below 30% in other words below $60. Although I did have an additional negative item added to my report, I haven't paid Open Sky late so there was a substantial jump from October. I'm 100% sure this was attributed them to them. My Equifax score was at 542 and now it's at 595. In a little over a month, my score jumped over 40 points. When I made the blog post in October, I said when my credit score hit 600, I would get a traditional credit card but I honestly did not expect for it to jump so fast. I will actually be keeping my Open Sky card at least for the duration of the year (I opened it in August) and I'd like to see how high my credit score can climb until then. ​For January, I will lower utilization to 10% and see if that changes my score. 

I also wanted to point out that there are OpenSky Reviews on the BBB that's for an actual jewelry business not the credit card company so that's very important if you are looking up the OpenSky credit card to see if it's a good fit for you. 

[incomeandbeyond]

Open Sky Secure Credit Card Update(October 2017)

After many attempts to find a secured credit card that I would be approved for due to my bad credit, I ran across Open Sky on a finance board about people trying to rebuild their credit after bankruptcy. I looked into it immediately and after thinking about it for about two weeks, I finally made the leap. The process was easy, I used my Netspend prepaid debit card to load the initial deposit of $200 on the card. The next week, I received my shiny, brand new card. Before the end of the month, the credit bureaus had already updated with my card information and my first statement. Open Sky did charge me a $35 fee(yearly) which I think is a small price to pay especially since they did not run my credit to determine my eligibility and updated the credit bureaus almost immediately. For the second month, my credit score dropped and after some CIA investigation, I figured out why. Open Sky reports to the credit bureaus around the 4th of the month. Although I had cleared my balance on my card before the due date of the 28th, they don't report until the 4th so I have to keep the utilization down to the 4th in order to see substantial change on my credit report. So for October, that's what I did. My credit score jumped 29 points. When I first opened this card in August, I was 450. Two months later, I'm at 542 and I have had negative things added to my report. Utilizing this card is a quick and easy way to boost your credit score with very little consequences. Next month, I will increase my limit by adding an additional $100 to my deposit and then once I hit 600, I will open a traditional credit card, or get a car loan. I would recommend this card 100% to anyone trying to build or re-build their credit. The only negative thing I have to say about them is that their call wait time is exorbitant. I've called them twice and had to wait at least 30 minutes or more. Otherwise than that, they are awesome in my book. To find out more about the Open Sky Credit Card visit their website here. To read more about my terrible credit score and personal finance, click on the links below.