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Is One Job Enough?
 The
vast majority of American wage and salary workers today fall
into the middle class. That means an annual income of somewhere
between $30,000 and $50,000-before deductions for social security,
federal and state (and sometimes city) income tax, Medicare,
health insurance (if you're lucky enough to be offered it),
and a 401K plan. The federal minimum wage is still stuck at
an amazingly low $5.15 per hour, providing half a million minimum-wage
workers with less than $12,000 a year.
One Way Out
Given these figures, it is not difficult to see why one in 17
Americans, or about 7.5 million, work two or more jobs. It's
called "moonlighting." Sounds romantic, doesn't it?
Minimum-wage earners moonlight just so they
can pay the rent and put food on the table. Middle-income workers
cite different reasons, such as
- to attain a higher standard of living
- to pay off debt
- to save for a home
- to save for the future-their children's
education, their own retirement
Some moonlighters' extra jobs are part-time,
but others work two full-time jobs, or three part-time jobs
or some other combination. Obviously, it can be pretty stressful.
Moonlighters don't see their families much, because they average
75 hours a week at work. It's an especially sad situation for
single parents.
 More
Disturbing Statistics
According to an August, 2006, report on CNN Money.com, "...most
workers have not seen wage gains keep pace with inflation during
the current economic expansion." And the New York Times
reported that while the median hourly wage for American workers
has declined 2% since 2003, while prices have increased 4%.
Prescription drug costs alone have soared out of control: Americans
pay the highest prices in the world. Although corporate profits
keep climbing, their employees' shares of those profits-in the
form of increased wages-is declining.
Meanwhile, the median price of a home in the
US is $208,000, shutting out the possibility of homeownership
for millions of hardworking people. That leaves rentals, and
they too are going up in price. Added to the woes of the middle
class is the tendency to rely more and more on credit, driving
many into depths of debt that seem inescapable.
If you're a average-income worker still hoping
to move up in your company, you may want to keep in mind that
in the past ten years, there have been 9.7 million job cuts.
You know all about it-downsizing, outsourcing, not replacing
people who leave and expecting the ones left to pick up the
slack. Most of the time, you'll have no clue that a layoff is
about to happen. There's always unemployment-but in most states
it replaces only about half of your lost income, and to make
matters worse, you'll have to pay income tax on it come April
15th.
A Better Way
 Spending
75 hours a week watching the minutes creep by on a clock at
work isn't appealing to anyone. But what if you could work in
the comfort of your own home? Picture this: You have dinner
with your family, and then, while everyone is watching TV or
doing their homework, you're close by on your laptop-making
the extra money you need. You can even take your job with you
when you travel.
While this may sound "too good to be
true," the Internet has made it possible for millions of
people to supplement their incomes and beat the economy at its
own game. You may need to put in as little as five hours a week
to replace the income you'd make from a grueling 35 hours of
moonlighting time at some dead-end second job. And you can put
those hours in when and where you want to and deduct many of
your expenses on your income tax return. You may become so successful
at your "second" job that you'll be able to ditch
the first one and work at home full time.
Before you even think about taking a second
job away from home, consider the advantages of being your own
boss...of being able to go to bed at a reasonable hour...of
not having to deal with yet another boss and set of corporate
rules.
Do it for yourself.
A home-based business could change your life.
It costs nothing to explore the possibility. Just fill in the
form below for free information.
Heidi
B. Dietrich
617-905-3946
Email
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