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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.
Sincerely,
Dianne Edgar
0431 480 795
dianne@AbundanceIsFreedom.com
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