By Bobbi Dempsey | MainStreet.com

Looking for part-time work? You’re in luck. There are plenty of part-time opportunities out there, especially now, as employers turn to the much cheaper resource of part-time employees, who generally don’t receive a full benefits package and receive a lower hourly rate.

These jobs can be a good choice for students, retirees, parents with young kids or people who recently lost their full-time job or had their hours cut, as well as anyone looking for a second job. (If you lost your job, you can usually earn a certain amount per week without a reduction in unemployment compensation benefits, although this varies by state).

To attract the best candidates, many companies now offer at least some benefits for part-time employees. These can range from health insurance and paid time off to employee discounts or free merchandise.

Here are three companies with lots of part-time openings available right now:

1. Six Flags (Stock Quote: SIXF)

Type of work available: Six Flags, which operates 20 parks in the U.S., is hiring in food service, games, merchandise, rides, park service and entertainment, which includes dressing up as a character.

Hours per week: Employees are usually expected to work at least 30 hours per week. The shifts available are typically night shifts that begin at 2 or 3 p.m. and last until park closing, usually some time between 10:30 p.m. and midnight. Most departments request that employees be flexible regarding shifts. Also remember that most employees will have to work weekends.

Starting pay: $7.75 per hour after completing the training.

Benefits: Employees get free admission on their days off, and earn a “buddy pass” after working 150 hours. The pass permits each employee to bring a friend in the park for free with their admission. Employees also earn free tickets and discounts on tickets and merchandise. There are also special events for employees, and each department offers special events and incentives.

Requirements: Training is provided for most positions, including those in food service, rides, games, merchandise, entertainment and park services.

The inside scoop: “The ideal candidate is a friendly, outgoing individual ready to entertain our guests,” says company rep Stephanie Helander. “After successfully completing an online application, candidates are called for interviews based on positions available. Interviews are conducted at the park and are individual interviews.”

Apply: SixFlagsJobs.com. Character candidates must set up an audition by calling 847-249-2133, ext. 4606.

2. New Jersey Turnpike Authority

Type of work available: Toll collectors

Hours per week: Part-time workers are scheduled for eight hours each Saturday and Sunday. Shifts are 10:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday nights; 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday mornings; or 2:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Most new collectors will be assigned a rotation of these until a steady shift becomes available.

Starting pay: $11.32 an hour

Benefits: None

Requirements: Must be at least 18 years old and pass two pre-screening tests and a physical, including drug test. Must have a valid driver’s license and pass a background check.

The inside scoop: Part-time workers must successfully complete a one-year probation period before being considered for any full-time positions.
Apply: Online application (pdf).

3. New York State Thruway

Type of work available: Toll collectors

Hours per week: Shifts run between three and eight hours, depending on your availability. Holiday work is a must and preference is given to those who are available on weekends.

Starting pay: Starting wage of $9.66 plus an additional $.40 per hour paid worked between 3 p.m. and 11 p.m., and an additional $.60 per hour between11 p.m. and 7 a.m. There are yearly raises, up to $11.21 an hour. Holidays are paid at time and a half, plus employees are provided with uniforms, paid training and free parking.

Benefits: Limited benefits for part-timers.

Requirements: Applicants must be 18 years of age, enjoy working with people and able to handle money in a fast paced environment.

The inside scoop: Lots of patience, and the ability to withstand occasional verbal attacks, is a necessity. “These positions require continuous contact with the traveling public,” a job posting warns. “Toll collectors serve as representatives of their agency and are required to act in a courteous manner while working in situations which are sometimes stressful due to inclement weather, traffic backups, etc.” First consideration will be given to successful candidates who are residents of the county and/or adjacent counties in which the vacancy occurs.

Apply: Online application (pdf).

By Karen M. Kroll | MainStreet.com

Finding non-employer based health insurance is becoming a reality for more Americans.

Approximately 90% of Americans under age 65 receive health insurance through their employers, according to the Washington D.C.-based trade group, America’s Health Insurance Plans. But if you belong to the 10% who don’t receive coverage through your job, you may find the individual market for health insurance somewhat intimidating. Take it step by step, however, and you can learn the market and find the policy that best fits your needs.

To start, identify the features of a health insurance policy that are most important to you, says Carol Kelel, owner of the Jane Aubrey Group, a health insurance agency in Bingham Farms, Mich. For example, do you want unlimited office visits? Or is it more important to be able to go outside the network to see a specialist? What level of deductible would you like? You can find a range of policies, so it helps to have some idea of your needs and preferences before you start zeroing in on specific ones, says Kelel.

Do Your Research
The next step is to research the options available. One web site that can get you started is CoverageForAll.org, published by the Foundation for Health Coverage Education, based in San Jose, Calif. From the site, you can download a matrix of health care options within your state including the phone numbers and web sites of both government-sponsored and private health insurance policies for individuals and families. The matrix also offers information on policies that cover individuals with pre-existing conditions.

Another online resource is eHealthInsurance.com. By providing a bit of information on yourself, including your ZIP code, age and gender, the site assembles, working from its universe of 10,000 plans, a list of insurers offering covering in your area. It will include such information as the plan type—for instance, an HMO versus a PPO—the deductible and the charges, if any, for office visits. You can compare the premiums and services covered offered by different plans.

If you’d rather deal with a human than the internet, contact an insurance agent. Ideally, the agent should be independent, rather than affiliated with a specific company, Kelel notes. That way, he or she can present a range of options from different insurers. Most agents earn their money from the insurance providers, so you shouldn’t pay any more purchasing insurance through an agent, says Kelel.

To find an agent in your area, head to the Association of Health Insurance Advisors.

Prepare for the Costs
A word of warning: Purchasing health insurance individually, rather than through your employer, often prompts a case of sticker shock. That’s because most employers subsidize the cost of their employees’ insurance. On average, employers picked up about 73% of the cost of family coverage in 2008, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Without an employer to cover the cost, you’re on the hook for all of it.

Last year, monthly premiums for individual policies were $158, and for family policies, $366, according to a survey of the individual health insurance market by eHealthInsurance.com. Nearly three-fourths (71%) of family plans had deductibles of less than $3,000. Generally, the older you are, the more you can expect to pay. Also, women pay somewhat more than men.

Another significant concern for purchasers of individual policies is qualifying for coverage. Not everyone’s application will be accepted, notes Amir Mostafie, consumer health insurance expert with eHealthInsurance.com. While five states (Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Vermont) are “guaranteed issue” and prohibit insurers from denying coverage to applicants who have pre-existing health conditions, that’s not the case in the rest of the country. If you live in a state that’s not guaranteed-issue and you have a health condition, a knowledgeable insurance agent should be able to tell you which insurers are likely to decline your application because of your condition, and suggest policies that are likely to be a better fit, Mostafie says.

It’s important to point out, however, that this is a concern primarily if you don’t already have coverage, Mostafie notes. If, for instance, you’re coming off group coverage through your job or COBRA, a policy should be available.

Finally, once you’ve purchased a policy, spend some time reviewing it, Mostafie says. Granted, not a fun task. However, you want to make sure the coverage squares with your expectations, so you’re less likely to run into unpleasant surprises when you have to use it.

Just because the doctor sends you a bill does not mean you owe him money.

If you’ve found yourself opening a medical bill that you thought your insurance would cover, it pays to ask questions. You may be dealing with what’s known as “balance billing,” a sometimes illegal practice used by some medical providers.

Under “balance billing,” a health care provider bills the patient for services that are covered by the patient’s insurance, but for which the insurer doesn’t pay the entire amount the health care provider wants to collect.

In-Network Visits Should Negate Balance Billing
Here’s how things might work: Say your insurance requires a copay of 20%. You go to an in-network doctor who charges $100 for his or her services. However, the insurance company only allows $70 for the service. If the doctor is in your network, your insurer will pay $56, or 80% of the $70 charge. Your copay will be $14, which is the remaining 20% of the $70. What about the $30 your insurer isn’t covering? That matter is between your insurer and health care provider, but both will have contractually agreed not to bill you for it.

In addition to the contractual agreement, the insurance codes in most states require insurers and health care providers that are part of an HMO network to “hold harmless” the patient, says Kevin Lucia, assistant research professor with the Georgetown Health Policy Institute. That means providers can’t legally go after patients if the insurer fails to reimburse the entire amount charged by an in-network provider.

Most balance billing comes into play when you see out-of-network health care professionals.

Out-of Network Visits Can Mean More Bills
A second scenario, in which the doctor charging $100 is out of network, changes the numbers. Your insurance company still pays the $56. You, however, may get charged $44, or the balance between the $100 bill and the $56 payment. This practice is typically legal because no agreement is in place between your insurance company and doctor, which would prevent the doctor from billing you for this remaining amount.

What’s most confusing is that you can end up using an out-of-network provider despite your best intentions, or without even realizing it. In an emergency, of course, you may not have a choice of waiting for an in-network provider. In other cases, it’s not clear upfront that a healthcare provider is out of network. For instance, a surgeon at a hospital may be in your network, while the anesthesiologist and radiologist are not. Even the savvy healthcare consumers are unlikely to inquire about this. Finally, your doctor may refer you to a specialist who is outside your network. The treatment may be important to your health, but you can still end up with a balance bill.

States Taking Action
A handful of states, including Colorado, Florida, Maryland and Wisconsin have enacted laws aimed at balance billing, according to a report for the California Healthcare Foundation, of which Lucia is a co-author. However, the protections vary from state to state. Colorado, for instance, requires insurers to protect consumers from balance bills if they received care in a network facility, but from a non-network provider, says Peg Brown, deputy commissioner for consumer affairs in Colorado. In California, ER doctors cannot balance bill HMO members.

How to Protect Yourself
“Ask a lot of questions before you get health care services,” says Jane Cooper, president and chief executive officer of Patient Care, a Milwaukee, Wisc., advocacy firm. Check whether all the health care providers you expect to see are part of your network. Request the information in writing. Although an insurer may balk at taking the time to do this, the request sends the message that you’re trying to be a prudent consumer of health care.

Also, be sure to double check all bills. Many consumers pay up when they do not have to. According to the California Association of Health Plans, a health plan advocacy group, more than 1.76 insured California residents who visited an emergency room in 2006 and 2007 were billed an average of $300 on top of copays and deductibles, or $528 million total.

What if, despite your best efforts, you end up owing money on a balance bill? If your insurance is through your employer, ask for assistance from your human resources department, advises Brown. If paying the bill presents a hardship, talk with your health care providers and try to negotiate a reduction.

Whether you have two years until retirement or 30 years, you should still be thinking towards your future and preparing for retirement. With the downturn in the economy, people closer to retirement age are worried about whether or not they will have enough money to get through the rest of their life.

Here are some things you need to do before you retire…

Increase Your Savings – As you near retirement age, you should increase the amount of money you put into savings each year. By increasing the money you put into savings each year, you are ensuring that you will be able to retire when you want to. Set a timeline for yourself and budget out how much you would like to put into savings each year. Although things like job loss interfere with your savings, be sure to stick to your budget schedule as much as possible.

Keep Money in your 401(k) – If you are younger and have not already done so, make sure you open a 401(k) as soon as possible! Having a 401(k) is a great way to put money away towards your retirement. One important factor to remember is NOT to take money out of your 401(k) before you need it. When you remove money you have to pay fees and taxes that are not worth it. Making sure to keep your money in your 401(k) will ensure that you will have a greater return on your money in the future.

Benefits – Figure out what will happen with your benefits when you retire. Although some companies help their employees once they retire, many are stopping this policy because it costs too much money for them to continue to support you. Find out whether or not your company will continue to help you out…if not, you need to make sure that you apply for Medicare. Medicare will help you with hospital insurance, medical insurance, and to help pay for prescription drugs. As you get older, you become more vulnerable to infections, colds, etc. and without medical insurance you may find yourself paying for some very hefty bills from the doctor.

Be Flexible – Try to be flexible with the time you are planning on retiring. Changing the age that you retire until a later date may really benefit you and allow you to save a little bit more money to help you in the future. Although you want to enjoy your time in retirement, many people take up a part-time job in order to supplement the money that they put into savings and make it last longer. This part time job can be something fun and something you have always wanted to do so that you do not really have to consider it a “job.”

Retirement is meant to be one of the best times of your life, but it can only work out that way if you have prepared yourself for the future along the way. Take initiative with your own life and start planning for retirement as early as possible.

Take your retirement IQ quiz to see where you stand and what you know!

— By Hannah Waters, Geezeo.com

Photo by: Kevin P.

If your doctor prescribes you with a prescription for your health, you do not have much choice than to take it and accept whatever the price may be. However, there may be ways to save on your prescriptions. It is typical that as we age the more prescriptions we need to keep up our health or to correct something that may be wrong. If you have several prescriptions, then it will definitely help you to save where you can!

Talk to You Insurance Company – Asking your insurance company which prescriptions they cover and what they do not may save you money in the long run. Knowing which prescriptions will cost you a lot more than others will allow you to talk things through with your doctor about alternative prescriptions that you could try instead. Insurance companies can be pick and choose which prescriptions they do and do not cover and although the reasons may not make much sense to you, it is best to know which ones to steer clear of before you spend a great deal of money.

Try Ordering Online – For some, ordering online is more convenient because it gets delivered to your home, but for others they prefer going to the pharmacy they are comfortable with instead. However, there are times where ordering prescriptions online can save you money. Sometimes if people order more than one prescription online they get a online group discount.

Go Generic – This is something to talk with your doctor about before making the change in your prescription, but it can save you a great deal of money to switch to a generic prescriptions instead of the brand name ones. Sometimes people become so dependent on brand names that they do not realize that often generic prescriptions have the same exact make-up but just cost less money. Buying generic drugs can save you a great deal of money and have the same results as the brand name prescription.

Make Sure the Prescription is Necessary – When we get into a routine of taking a prescription everyday and then re-ordering it when the bottle is empty, sometimes we forget to talk to our doctors about whether the prescription is still necessary for our health. Especially if you have switched doctors, make sure they know your prescription history to ensure that none of the prescriptions you are on overlap or have become unnecessary. Eliminating some of the prescriptions you take will save you money each month, money that you can put towards your savings instead!

When it comes to prescriptions, you really need to do some digging and asking questions in order to save money where possible. Make sure you are taking action to ensure that you are not overspending. Another thing to consider with the cost of your prescriptions is the possibility of opening a Flexible Spending Account, this can help you set aside money year to put towards prescriptions, co-payments for your health insurance, etc.

— By Hannah Waters, Geezeo.com

Photo by: Penywise

By Annemarie Segaric | WomenCo.

What is your happiness worth to you?

For many years I stayed in corporate jobs that looked great on paper. But, in reality they were a poor fit (and that’s putting it lightly).  Yet, I had grown accustomed to the life they afforded me—the nice Manhattan apartment with a backyard (woohoo!), gym membership, weekly manicures, saving the requisite 10% in my 401K, and a vacation every year.

You get the picture.

So after knowing what my dream job wasn’t—being a business analyst building websites and creating software requirements documents—I finally figured out my passion. 
 
I discovered this field where I could help people actualize their dreams, encourage people to believe in themselves, and give them real tools to make it all happen.
 
YES!  I was going to be a life coach. This was what I was meant to do.
 
But, I couldn’t leave my job just yet.  I had bills to pay off, a buffer of money to save, and I just wasn’t willing to give up my comfortable lifestyle.  The transition from my corporate job to working full time on my business was going to take three years.  I wasn’t happy, but given the life choices I wasn’t willing to make…that was — financially — my reality.
 
Eight months went by.  I was building my coaching business during each spare moment I got and putting in time at my day job.  One day, I came home and asked my husband to remind me why I was still going to this J.O.B.  He responded, “Well, we didn’t want to move, you wanted to keep your gym membership, you love getting manicures, blah, blah, blah.”  Just then, something clicked. I told him I wanted to redo the plan.
 
That night we worked through our finances and found that by making some big lifestyle changes, I would be able to quit my job in a month.  What was going to take three years suddenly turned into a nine month transition!

Fast forward a couple of years and as we prepared for our first daughter to arrive we made another tough decision.
 
We left the fantastic apartment that had its own private backyard (with hammock and grill) just a block from Central Park, moved north into a much less expensive neighborhood and into a much less expensive apartment. Was I thrilled? Absolutely not.

I loved living on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.  I loved my apartment.  I loved being a walk-away from everything.  I still miss it, and it’s been four years.
 
But I wanted to be coaching full time, and even more so, I wanted be available to be home with my kids.
 
So, if you find yourself eager to pursue a dream job/life but stuck because you have a mortgage, tuition, car payment, daycare expenses, gym membership, dry cleaning bills, student loans, credit card bills, health insurance expenses, etc., ask yourself: what am I willing to give up to live the dream? 
 
What is it worth to you?
 
Admittedly, I didn’t want to give up much initially.  Even though I wanted to be out of my job immediately and working full time on my business, I wasn’t willing to give up much in the beginning.  I had to accept that it would take at least three years to make it happen.
 
And yet, as time went on, as my dream became more real, I got to taste what it was like to create my own business. Turns out, I was willing to give up so much more to make it happen.
 
The same can be true for you.  Decide what your dream is worth to you.  Is it worth your home?  Maybe not right now, but if the dream truly matters to you, it is worth something worthwhile.  Work from that place, and let your dream carry you forward.
 
Copyright© 2009 Annemarie Segaric. All rights reserved.

In this day and age, people are worried about many things…money, job security, and whether or not their benefits will follow them into retirement. It is a natural feeling to be worried about so many stressful things when the economy is in a recession, but there are definitely things that you should pay attention to when it comes to your benefits.

Changes In Company Benefits – Whenever there have been changes to your company benefits you should pay close attention. Although the benefit changes may not affect you directly at the current time, it is important to stay on top of changes to see how they might affect you in the future (such as when retirement rolls around). If you do not understand the changes in the benefits, be sure to as Human Resources to explain them to you. Understanding changes in your benefits allows you to prepare for the future and avoid any unexpected surprises.

Don’t Go Without – Although it may seem as though you can get by without benefits (and this may be the case for a while) if anything pertinent happens that you need to go to the hospital the bills add up extremely quickly. In Massachusetts it is now required that all residents have health insurance. If people choose not to get health insurance they must pay a fine on their taxes. When it comes down to it, going without health insurance is a very dangerous situation. Although you may save some money if nothing happens, unexpected medical bills can stay with you for a lifetime.

Search Around for the Best Deal – Do your research and ask around for the best deals on insurance and ones that will work right for you and your family. There are many people who work part time that do not always get benefits through their jobs. Instead of going without, search out the best type of insurance policy at the best price for you.

Continued Health Care Coverage – If you are fired or leave your job for one reason or another, knowing your rights is all part of the battle. Many companies allow ex-employees to continue their health care coverage for up to a certain time (usually 18 months) after they leave their job. This allows the person to set up another form of insurance and doesn’t drop them out in the world cold turkey with no insurance policy. You typically get the rate that the company is paying for the insurance. However, instead of the company paying all the extra premiums, you now have to pay this out of your own pocket.

Understanding what your benefits consist of and how long you should receive them is a big part of the battle when it comes down to whether or not you get to keep your benefits. Make sure you are being proactive when it comes to situations such as the possibility of losing your benefits, otherwise you may find yourself in a situation where it may be too late.

If you are struggling to keep your benefits, be sure to check out how to fight a denied insurance claim and remember to avoid these 4 common mistakes!

Photo: Mary R. Vogt

What’s the Stimulus Plan have for you? Explains Galia Gichon of Down-to-Earth Finance:

There are also benefits for first-time home buyers, higher paychecks, 529 college savings plans and car buyers.

By Zach Anchors | MainStreet.com

Getting everything you deserve from your health insurance sometimes requires putting up a fight.

If you receive notice that a claim for healthcare expenses was denied, don’t just accept the decision. Healthcare providers frequently overturn claim denials. By following the steps below, you may be able to reverse your insurer’s denial and improve your own financial situation as a result.

Investigate the denial: Start by figuring out why your claim was denied. Insurers usually provide a basic reason for their decision in the Explanation of Benefits (EOB) that accompanies their denial letters. You can get a full explanation by calling the customer service number on your insurance card.

Claim denials often stem from simple administrative errors, so there’s a chance a phone call will be all that’s needed to overturn a decision. Before you pick up the phone, gather relevant paperwork, including your EOB.

Once you’ve got a customer service agent on the line, find out whether your insurer deems your medical care not medically necessary or not covered by your plan. If you still believe your claim is legitimate after hearing your insurer’s explanation, get details about the appeal process, including potential timelines and required paperwork.

Be polite, but don’t hesitate to press for more details if the customer service agent simply repeats what you already knew or confuses you. Starting with this phone call, take careful notes on any communications with your insurer, including taking down the name and phone number of the person with whom you speak. This information could come in handy as the claims process progresses.

File an appeal: Now it’s time to make your case. You should have a document, labeled Evidence of Coverage or Summary Plan Description, that explains what your plan covers and what it doesn’t. (Many large insurers, like Aetna (Stock Quote: AET) and Humana (Stock Quote: HUM), post these documents online.) Read the document carefully, looking for any information that’s relevant to your situation. For example, if your insurer says you failed to get prior authorization for certain medical care you received, check your plan documents to make sure prior authorization really was required.

When you compile your appeal, use this information to show that your claim is legitimate. Along with your appeal, include records of any care you received that’s relevant to your claim.

If your insurer argues that your claim isn’t based on medical necessity, ask your doctor to write a letter explaining why it was medically necessary. You can also look for, and cite in your appeal, medical studies that support the necessity of the medical care you received. Likewise, if this care is covered by Medicare or another government-sponsored insurance program, mention that in your appeal.

Seek an external review: If your first appeal is denied, don’t get discouraged. Your plan may allow for another stage of internal review, likely administered by a panel of individuals who haven’t previously seen your case. This process may include a consultation with a physician and possibly your own testimony.

Once you’ve exhausted your plan’s internal review processes, it’s time to seek a higher authority. If you’re covered by an employer-sponsored plan, ask the human resources department whether the plan is self-funded. If so, your only recourse is the court system.

If the plan is not self-funded, determine whether your claim is eligible for review by your state’s department of insurance. (External-review procedures vary widely from state to state and a few states only review certain types of plans.) If so, ask the state to initiate an external review of your appeal. If you’re confident in your case, this process may be worth pursuing: Nearly half of the appeals that reach external review are successful, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, which offers a comprehensive guide to navigating the appeal process.

Everyone makes their own decisions in life. During such tough times (or even when the economy is going great) it is a hard decision to make regarding whether to work for a corporation or to become self-employed. Often times people need to break free from their daily routines. Last year, an international traveler who had been working for corporations for many years made a decision to become self-employed for the first time in his life. Here are some of his words of wisdom…

What made you become self employed when all of your life you had been working for corporations?

When what you have been doing for a long time isn’t enjoyable any more, and finding a new job in the same industry that will offer the level of interest that you had experienced isn’t an option, working for yourself may provide all that you are looking for.

Did you find that self employment was rewarding?
Yes. However, with a busy schedule the additional work and concerns resulting from being ‘on your own’ was stressful to start. In addition there were concerns that were new to business, detracting from the main role you make for yourself in the self employed owner/operator role.

Can you give me an example of the concerns?

While contracts you may obtain pay their account in full, you are subject to the normal payment schedule assumed by the corporate accounts payable department. This is likely to result in payment of bills after 30 days at the best and as much as ninety days otherwise. You have to make sure that your cash flow accounts for this otherwise you are into taking loans and therefore paying out money not recoverable from the client.

Any other concerns?

Yes…taxes. You have to ‘withhold’ your own tax since the client will not do this for you. He may issue a Form 1099 at the end of the year but you have to have the money reserves to pay the IRS. Don’t think that you should be able to claim much more than you did when you were employed. In fact, as a self employed you have to pay the employment tax that your corporate employer would have paid on your behalf. Therefore instead of paying 6% employment tax you have to pay the full 12%, which makes a big dent in your income.

What about health insurance?

Don’t mention insurance! Anyone working in Massachusetts has to have medical insurance, by law. On top of that, insurance issued in Massachusetts cannot refuse an applicant because of pre-existing conditions which means that the insurance companies elevate their rates accordingly. Medical insurance is expensive as an individual. If you obtain insurance through an organization such as AAA or NASE the cost reduces because it is generally based on the number of members belonging to the organization but tends to be very basic, often referred to as catastrophic insurance. Insurance is a real concern.

What did you do about your 401K? Could you continue with it?

I decided to leave my 401K with my corporate employer. I could have rolled it over into into an alternative account but I decided not to for the time being. However, without the ability to save on a regular basis on a tax deferred basis there are additional tax disadvantages in addition to the self employed tax mentioned earlier. I decided that opening an IRA was my best bet. This is what I did.

This all sounds very negative. Is there anything good about working for yourself?

I am sure that with time all of the things that I mentioned earlier do get easier. The best thing about working for yourself is the virtual freedom and the knowledge that the harder you work the greater the reward (one hopes). There are a lot of groups out there that can help get familiar with things, even the IRS is somewhat sympathetic and helpful when you have questions, particularly when you are a novice at self employment.

As you can see, becoming self-employed is a decision that takes a lot of consideration and planning. It can be difficult to make ends meet when the costs add up, but if things go smoothly, the benefits have the potential to outweigh the costs you may incur.

$6,000 could go a long way toward reducing your debt. Win this or other great prizes in the Great Geezeo Bailout! Collect points every day.

Photo: Jane M. Sawyer