Unless you have been holed up in an igloo the past 20 years you must have heard the horror stories about people suddenly losing their jobs without cause and without notice, and many of them unable to replace their income. You must know that many of the industries that created employment here in the US have been moved to foreign countries where they can pay almost nothing for labor.
It is actually the position or even company that is being eliminated – so the position is not going to be available to someone else in many cases. In spite of selling the workforce down the river, the last recession has shown that the businesses themselves can go bankrupt and consequently go out of business. Bottom line is that many thousands of new jobs that would be created, are not. No more taking it for granted that you can always find another job.
This is hitting people at all skill and income levels and stages in their careers (all ages). The last recession also taught us investments are also vulnerable – many people lost their life savings, their real estate etc. Rather than retiring they are looking for part-time work as a result.
The point here being that we are vulnerable – more than ever before – our very survival and ‘lifestyle’ is not guaranteed. However you can take control of your finances by starting a business where you can earn an income from home. Ideally you could do this part-time while you still have a job and start saving money for an emergency – and God willing if that emergency never comes, you can always use it for retirement or something fun like a vacation or for something you always wanted but could never afford living paycheck-to-paycheck.
Although there are lots of things you can do at home to earn money, the easiest, least expensive way to do things is online. No matter what you decide to produce or sell, the Internet is the best way to promote it. There is just no comparison between virtual or online advertising vs. printing and mailing costs for example, just to name one aspect that is superior about Internet marketing. There is no way that you can reach millions of people if you are trying to call them on the phone either.
Not being a computer nerd is no excuse at all. There are ready-made services, software applications, consultants, etc that perform all of the technical tasks necessary. If you would like to have total control then maybe you can take some courses online from a community college (very inexpensive) to learn some technical things if that would make you more comfortable. The more you can do for yourself the least expenses you will incur as well.
The important thing here is that you take action – commit some time each week to researching ways you can take control of your own financial situation by creating a way to earn an income apart from your job or career – Best to start it before you are desperate so that you can land on your feet if something unexpected should happen.