By Adam Jusko, ProudMoney.com, adam@proudmoney.com

If you are an aspiring entrepreneur who has made a habit of reading online technology blogs and/or Twitter feeds of Silicon Valley venture capitalists (VCs), you might get the idea that the only “real” way to start a business is to formulate a “home run” idea, get deep-pocketed investors to provide the capital, then grind out a world-changing organization that puts a dent in the universe while making everyone involved ridiculously rich. It’s a very intoxicating idea, and each time you read about a startup being acquired for hundreds of million of dollars, it feeds the narrative that this is the only path any legitimate entrepreneur should follow.

However, the potential pitfalls of swinging for the fences with other people’s money is rarely addressed. That’s why Rand Fishkin’s new book Lost and Founder is so welcome. Not only does Fishkin pull back the covers on the pressures and conflicting goals of startups and their backers, but he does so in such a regular-guy way that you can easily put yourself in his shoes and understand the extreme highs and lows that come with being in charge of such a venture.

What is Chase Ultimate Rewards?

Chase Ultimate Rewards is the points program used by every Chase-branded rewards credit card, including the Chase Freedom and Freedom Unlimited, the Chase Sapphire credit cards, and also Chase small business credit cards.

You’ll notice that even the Chase credit cards that are marketed as “cash back” are in reality giving you Ultimate Rewards points equivalent in value to cash. For example, the Chase Freedom Unlimited is marketed as a 1.5% cash back card. In reality, you are getting 1.5 points per dollar with the card, and those points can be converted to cash at a penny per point, which equals the 1.5% shown in the card’s marketing. Chase is not being deceptive, however. By using this points system, you actually have more options to redeem your rewards.

updated april 17, 2018 – If we were looking for an opportunity to work from home, these are the 15 opportunities we’d tackle first. All are legitimate stay-at-home work jobs, and this site does not receive any compensation if you choose to work with one of them. (See also: How To Make Money Without A “Regular” Job)

• Enterprise – The well-known car rental company often hires at-home customer service representatives and reservation agents who work with Enterprise customers by telephone.
• LiveOps – Provide customer service from home for various companies supplied by LiveOps. They also offer stay-at-home sales opportunities. Could be full-time or part-time. Past LiveOps agents have reported making as much as $15 per hour, but that is not guaranteed. No experience necessary for most jobs. Note that a background check costing about $60 is necessary and will be your responsibility.

By Adam Jusko, ProudMoney.com, adam@proudmoney.com

I hate buying cars. I hate going in and dealing with the salespeople. I always feel like there are a lot of fake niceties but in the end their goal is to sell me a car at the highest possible price and make a sucker out of me. I hate feeling like I’ve been played for a fool.

So, for the second time in the last 10 years, my wife and I bought a car through the Costco Auto Program. This time, though, the process included an unintended experiment, which added to my appreciation for the Costco car buying experience. I’ll tell you about that experiment in a moment.

A quick review of how the Costco Auto Program works

Costco does not sell you a car directly. Instead, Costco has a network of dealers it works with, and it sets firm prices on car models with those dealers. The price you get will probably be invoice + $500, but not always.

There is usually a dedicated person at the dealership who deals with Costco customers. He or she has a whole book that details what each model sells for; you can ask to see that if it is not volunteered by the sales person. Note that some dealerships leave out certain models from the program, usually popular models that they think they can sell at a higher price without Costco’s help.

updated april 12, 2018 – Consumer Reports has long been a respected name when it comes to reviewing consumer products and choosing the best of the options in the marketplace. Its coverage of cars & trucks is especially well respected, because it offers reviews of new vehicles as well as used vehicles, including information on which cars have the most problems (and fewest problems) and how long you can expect a certain make and model to last.

To us, it is established that Consumer Reports provides value. But the question is: how much value? Is it worth it to be a paid subscriber?

Let’s talk first about what Consumer Reports actually costs. You can get an online subscription for $35 per year, or you can choose to get that online subscription at $6.95 per month if you want to test it out for a shorter term. (But note that it will automatically renew each month unless you stop it.)