Easiest Side Hustles – Amazon Merch

Posted on August 1, 2021 by HopeToRetire

Last year, I dabbled in a new side hustle: Amazon Merch.

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Ultimately, I decided it was not for me after a couple months. I had been spreading myself too thin with all my side hustles, so I decided to just concentrate on a couple.

That doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be a good opportunity for you. I think your time would be much better spent designing shirts than watching TV.

While I am not a graphic designer (actually, really bad, but getting a bit better), it’s easy to get started. The first step is to request an invitation.

My invitation was approved after a week. Amazon works on a tier system, giving you 10 designs to upload initially. Once you sell 10 shirts, you go to the next tier, 25. You can keep going up based on your sales.

You cannot upload designs with profanity, threats, or advertise as benefiting nonprofits (I pulled my first design when the rules changed late July since the proceeds were advertised to benefit the nonprofit I work for.)

In 30 days, I designed 8 shirts. It took me 9 hours total, but I never sold enough to earn minimum wage.

Any shirts that do not sell in 180 days are removed. Once a shirt sales, the design stays permanently, so you would need to review your poor sellers. My first few designs were done through Paint. The dimensions have to be 4500 x 5400 pixels, which was hard to manage with paint.

After a few simple word designs, I learned that GIMP  is open source and free to download. Amazon even gives a template for GIMP to make it easier. Amazon also has a Photoshop template. I have been getting a little better as I design more, such as learning how to remove white space around my designs.

My first designs were wording only, or done with paint, but then I discovered Canva. Canva has numerous free and paid graphics you can use. Four of my eight designs use artwork from Canva.

I started my Merch account after hearing a podcast explaining how Elaine made money, primarily in political designs.

The political shirts took 2-3 days for approval, the others took just 24 hours. You can set the price, as low as $13.99. For example, a 1-sided shirt selling for $15.99 would give you a royalty of $2.36. You would need to sell a 2-sided shirt for $19.99 to make a similar royalty.

Considering how easy Merch was, I may circle back to it in the future.

Some books on Amazon about making money on Amazon Merch:

 

 

Books on GIMP photo editor:

 

 

YouTube video on beginning with Amazon Merch:

 

Podcast episodes to listen to to help inspire you in Amazon Merch:

YouTube beginner guide to using GIMP:

Other side hustle posts:

In the comments, feel free to link up your Merch designs and tell your successes or struggles.

While I only sell one design on Amazon Merch, I still prepare tax returns. It is my second largest source of side income. You can find me at Fiverr.

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Amicalola Falls

Posted on July 29, 2020 by HopeToRetire

I took my eldest 2 girls for a weekend trip to Amicalola Falls for a day of hiking. The Falls are 6 hours north of where we live, so we drove 2/3 of the way up on a Friday after work and arrived at the Falls at 9 am on a Saturday (July 25th.)

We parked at the top of the falls and walked down. I think the step count was 625 steps, winding their way down. You can also drive to the bottom and top. If you just want to go to the best viewing spot, park at the bottom and walk up about 100 steps to the viewing platform.

The falls themselves are 729 foot high. For more information, visit the Park website.

It took us about an hour to get down the falls, take some pictures and enjoy the view, sit at the reflection pond for a bit and walk back up to the top. Going back up was harder than anticipated, I had to stop a couple times to rest. Also, 3 days later, my calves are still sore!

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After the waterfall, there is a couple more big hikes that you can take, and a lot of smaller trails in the Park. You can take the nearly 8 mile feeder trail that takes you to Springer Mountain, the start of the Appalachian Trail.

We elected to take the 4.7 mile trek to the Len Foote Hike Inn. I wanted to check it out, for a Fall trip with my wife. We never made it. We made it to a little past the 2.5mi marker and thunder started. We turned back, but got caught in a bad storm the last 30 minutes of our leg.

The walk is not the best in the rain. The trail has a lot of GA clay, mixed with flint and other rocks. It can be slippery and very muddy. Still, the hike was great! We didn’t see anyone the first 45 minutes of out walk. The picture below is a vista from the trail, where we ran into the first person.

We made it back around 12:30 and went to lunch at the Lodge. Reservations were required for the window seats with the view, but the interior seats were available. The cost was $15.99 per person for a buffet. The buffet consisted of 2 meats, 2 vegetables, 1 soup, roll, salad and cookies. Truthfully, the food was very bland.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t check in to the lodge until 4pm and were nasty from the hike in the rain. But, who cares. We headed to Dahlonega, about 40 minutes away. Dahlonega is a quant little town with a lot of shops and restaurants. We spent a couple hours there and headed back.

We checked into the lodge, I had made my reservations weeks prior. The cost was $263.35 per night for a room with a great view on the Fourth floor. When we got to our room, the A/C was not working though. It took 3 hours to get replaced, so we had to wait outside in a seating area, which was a little disappointing. I played the board game Sorry with the girls, my eldest winning both times:(

By the time we got into our rooms and showered it was nearly 9pm. The girls went straight to bed, and I was out within 3o minutes.

I will definitely head back, but not stay in the lodge. I want to stay at the Camp Inn or possibly Dahlonega.

Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park
Another hike in Georgia
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Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park

Posted on July 17, 2020 by HopeToRetire

This post is not about making or saving money, it’s a travel post.

I have worked hard the past few years, and rarely travelled. I want to change that, and start taking a few more day and overnight trips with my wife and kids. Especially in Georgia and Florida, since we live on the border.

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In the time of COVID, we have been trying to go to less crowded places and having picnics. The last trip we took was to Bald Point State Park in Alligator Point Florida. There was less than a dozen people at this beach, with miles to explore. There is parking, you just take a tag and put $4 in an envelope.

Our next trip was to Ocmulgee Mounds National Historic Park in Macon Georgia. This park is only open from 1pm to 5pm right now and no facilities are open (museum and restroom.) There is no cost and the gate opens and closes automatically.

We live 2.5 hours south, so we got up and took off on a Saturday morning to the park for a day of exploring. I had been there a few times as a child, but this was my wife’s and daughter’s first time.

There was a line waiting for the park to open. When we arrived, there was probably 15 families. Luckily, everyone headed toward the Earth Lodge (which is not open currently), so we headed to the McDougal Mound that is hidden through the woods. Going that route, then back toward the creek and river, we did not see anyone until nearly 4pm when we got to the Temple Mound.

It takes about 4 hours to see all the mounds and wetland area hike. We walked 6 miles in less than 4 hours. Not an easy feat in 97 degree heat with a 7 year old daughter. There are plenty of park benches on the trails, most in shaded areas. We had to stop and drink a lot to keep my daughter from overheating.

The biggest challenges right now are the heat and the fact that the restrooms are not open. That was an issue for my daughter, she has never had to go “in the woods” and could not. There is only 1 drink fountain outside, so make sure to pack plenty of beverages. It was hot enough we each downed a 20 ounce Gatorade and 2 16 ounce water bottles while at the park.

All-in-all, I definitely recommend Ocmulgee Mounds. It’s a great budget trip, with natural beauty in a fairly large city. It’s probably worth the wait for the museum and Earth Lodge to re-open though. Plus visiting in the morning would help beat the Georgia heat.

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1040NR

Posted on December 31, 2019 by HopeToRetire

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My second most requested service on Fiverr is preparing Form 1040NRs for nonresident aliens.

I figured I would write a simple eBook that explains when a 1040NR is required and how to file. In the future, I would like to have translated and I am working on a more detailed companion manual for more in-depth situations and explanations. This book is less than 8,000 words on 24 pages. It is designed to be simple with four chapters consisting of residence tests, what constitutes U.S. source income, withholding and the Form 1040NR. As of late-December, the 2018 1040NR has not been released.

This eBook is designed for those that want to prepare their own 1040NR or 1040NR-EZ and tax return preparers that have or would like to market to nonresident alien clients.

I am not a writer, so please email me if you find glaring grammar or other issues and I will correct. If you would like a proposal for me to prepare your 1040NR, please email me at contact@sidehustleretirement.com.

So you get an idea of how the book is formatted and what is included, I am providing 25% of chapter 1 below:

Chapter 1 Residence Tests

Any individual that is not a United States citizen is considered an alien. You could be a resident or nonresident alien. Generally, a resident alien is an individual who has been issued a lawful permanent residence card (i.e. Green Card) or satisfies the substantial presence test. Resident aliens are generally taxed by the U.S. on worldwide income. Nonresident aliens generally must complete IRS Form 1040NR and are taxed only on income from sources within the United States and on certain income from a trade or business within the United States.

Nonresident Aliens

U.S. taxable income of nonresident aliens is divided into one of two categories:

  • S.-source income that is not effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business within the United States, is taxable at a rate of 30% without the allowance of deductions.
  • Income that is connected with a U.S. trade or business, is taxable at graduated rates on a net basis.

If an alien realizes U.S. source income subject to tax on a gross basis, payments related to that income are normally subject to withholding tax at 30% rate under IRC Section 1441, see chapter 3.

When a nonresident alien is taxed on net basis of income that is connected with a U.S. trade or business, they must file a federal income tax return on Form 1040NR, U.S. Nonresident Alien Income Tax Return. The calculation of taxable income and tax for a nonresident alien is similar to the rules for U.S. citizens, but with some differences. Some nonresident aliens who are present in the United States and who plan to depart from the United States are required to make a personal visit to an IRS office and apply for a tax clearance certificate (sailing permit). For more information on how to obtain a sailing permit and who needs to obtain a sailing permit, visit https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/departing-alien-clearance-sailing-permit.

Resident Aliens

An individual is a nonresident alien unless he or she meets one of the two tests which qualify that individual as a resident alien. The two tests are:

  • The green card test
  • The substantial presence test

Basically, an alien is classified as a nonresident alien if they do not meet one of the requirements above.

Please check back for the companion manual if you need more details that provided in the eBook. I hope to have released by late-January 2019.

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The Simple Path to Wealth Review

Posted on December 31, 2019 by HopeToRetire

The Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins

I had never heard of JL Collins until Kindle Unlimited was offering his book in September. I find I agree with most of his thinking.

I only differ in one respect, which I will discuss below.

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A large part of this book is about investing in Vanguard Total Market (VSTAX) and Bond Funds (VBTLX.) I agree with him on this count, as my grandmother instilled the values of Bogle and Vanguard when I was still in my teens. She used those low cost funds to build her retirement accounts.

I currently hold 10% of my portfolio in VBMFX, the investor share option of the Total Bond Market Fund.

JL Collins is a big proponent of not using investment advisors, since they do not have your best interests at heart. They are compensated on trading fees, commissions, or as a percentage of your portfolio. Simple Vanguard funds as described in the book have fees of 0.0005% to 0.0015%, much less than the typical managed portfolio of 0.02% (2%.)

The book starts out about debt. He calls debt the most dangerous obstacle to building wealth. My opinion is, in rare instances, debt is great if you can use to improve operations, grow sales, etc, but consumer debt is horrendous. Even a home loan is dangerous if you buy more house than you need or can afford.

Without debt, most of us would be living in much smaller houses, possibly have a trade instead of a college education and drive a no-frills vehicle. Yet most would probably be happier and less stressed.

“If you intend to achieve financial freedom, you are going to have to think differently. It starts by recognizing that debt should not be considered normal. It should be recognized as the vicious, pernicious destroyer of wealth-building potential it truly is. It has no place in your financial life.”

You are a slave to your debt. His thoughts to eliminate debt:

More than 5% interest pay immediately before other savings. Guideline:

  1. Make a list of all debts.
  2. Eliminate everything not necessary (no eating out/coffees, cable, etc.)
  3. Start paying extra on highest interest rate and the minimum on everything else.
  4. Rinse an repeat.

Next is F- You Money. I personally keep $30,000 in a MMA account. That is basically one year of our basic living expenses. I have no debt outside of my mortgage (my wife has some student loan debts, but if I lost my income, the repayment would shrink considerably.) My mortgage is only $855 per month, including insurance and taxes. I can and have left jobs that I do not like with that security. I also have paid cash for a new roof and AC over the past 3 years.

I’m 40 now, but have not lived paycheck-to-paycheck since I was 25. It’s a good feeling.

Next he talks about compounding and retiring a millionaire. In the period 1975 – 2015, the average annual return was 11.9%, with dividends reinvested. Less than $150/month would have gotten you there.

However, the money does not matter if you cannot control your spending. It’s more about whether you can live within your means and control spending.

Like I said, I spend approximately 30,000/yr, so I could effectively retire with $750,000. My goal is a $1,600,000 net worth, but $240,000 of that is earmarked for our home. My personal home has a value of $109,800 currently, so I can upgrade if I choose.

“Spend less than you earn – invest the surplus – avoid debt”

Most people lose or have inferior returns due to market timing, picking individual stocks, picking mutual fund managers they think can beat the market, and what he calls foam (trading and following CNBC (I did this with SIGM after Jim Cramer said it would be next RIMM.) Both are obsolete now.

My one difference in opinion is I do a variation of market timing. I stay in cash and 10% VBMFX when market cap to gdp is over 120%. At 90% Market Cap to GDP and under, I am 100% equity. I’m about 75% stocks and 25% cash and bonds between 90-120% market cap to gdp. I have missed some great returns since June 2016, but I haven’t lost any money either.

Simple is Good! VTSAX/VBTLX/Cash. His recommended ratios are 75% stock 20% bond and 5% cash or 90% stock if you are far from retirement.

My personal ratios currently are 5% VSBSX, 10% VBMFX and 85% short-term CDs, all in a personal IRA. I do maintain a taxable account that I trade in. I lose more than I win, although a few winners like CVX and AAPL have more than made up for the losers. Even with that, my return is about 5% below annually what could have been if I followed the same strategies as in my retirement account. Over the past 15 years, that means my account balance should be double what it is now (Rule of 72.)

The book also goes into various retirement strategies. With TCJA, some changes may have occurred, but you can buy the book or check out JL’s blog to find out more.  His blog can be found at jlcollinsnh.com.

Here is a Google talk with JL Collins On YouTube:

All in all, this is a great book for 99% of investors. If you follow his strategies, you will have a lot less work, and most likely be wealthier than the active investor, or those that use companies like Edward Jones, at the end of your working life. It’s a simple book that is probably better than almost every other investing book on the market (I own, but have yet to read, the Intelligent Investor.)

If you need any help with your taxes this year, please reach out to me at ValdostaCPA at Yahoo.com or through Fiverr.

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