Thursday, January 27, 2022

The Penny Hoarder

The Penny Hoarder


How to Get 3 Free N95 Masks Courtesy of the Federal Government

Posted: 26 Jan 2022 11:42 AM PST

On the heels of offering four free COVID-19 tests to all American households, the U.S. government recently announced it will distribute 400 million free N95 masks to the public.

The masks, which the CDC says provide the greatest protection against the highly contagious Omicron variant, will be shipped to pharmacies and community health centers and will be available in the coming days and weeks.

How Do I Get My Masks?

The masks will be available at community health centers and pharmacies across the country. These will be the same pharmacies that participate in the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, which helped provide COVID-19 vaccines to the public. This includes CVS, Walgreens, Wal-Mart, Kroger, Publix, Costco, Albertsons, and many others.

See the full list of participating pharmacies. 

You'll need to pick up the masks in person, so make sure to call ahead. The N95s could start arriving in late January, but most should be available no later than early February at the tens of thousands of participating locations. Three masks will be available for each adult in your household, according to a White House official.

What Else Do I Need to Know?

  • The incoming N95 masks will not be child-sized. But, according to Politico, the government is working to eventually distribute masks for kids. Watch this helpful video by Aaron Collins, a mechanical engineer with a background in aerosols science, for help in finding the right mask for your child.
  • Your N95 is good for about 40 hours of active use, Anne Miller, of Project 95, told NPR. She also recommends using the "brown bag decontamination method." If you're using the mask all day, put it in a brown bag for five days to allow any viral particles to die. With this method, you could rotate through your three new N95s for a total of 15 days.
  • Watch out for fakes. If you're unable to get an N95 mask directly from the government, be alert while looking for your own. Check out the CDC's guide on spotting a fake N95. Your most trustworthy sources will be larger companies like Armbrust, or big-box stores like Home Depot or Lowe's, Miller said. If you buy a mask on Amazon, stick to well-known brands like Kimberly-Clark or 3M.

Robert Bruce is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.

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Can Mark Cuban's New Pharmacy Save You Money on Prescriptions?

Posted: 26 Jan 2022 09:52 AM PST

Mark Cuban, the billionaire owner of the Dallas Mavericks and "Shark Tank" star, has a new online pharmacy that could make your prescription medications more affordable.

On Jan. 25, Cuban announced the launch of the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company. Currently, 100 generic prescription medications are available on the pharmacy website, costplusdrugs.com. Medications are priced at cost plus a 15% markup and a $3 pharmacist fee.

To understand how pricing works, take the example of a 30-day prescription of Colchicine, a generic version of anti-inflammatory medication Colcrys that's commonly used to treat gout. The drug's retail price is $176.10, but only costs $4.80 to manufacture.

Cuban's Cost Plus Drug Company charges the $4.80 cost to make the drug, plus $0.90 for the 15% markup, plus the $3 pharmacist fee. The total cost for a 30-day supply: $8.70.

Some other common medications the online pharmacy offers include:

  • Albendazole, which is used to treat parasitic infections, costs $33. Its retail price is $437.68.
  • Fluoxetine, the generic version of antidepressant Prozac, costs $3.90. Its retail price is $22.94.
  • Imatinib, a drug that treats leukemia and other cancers, costs $17.10. Its retail price is $2,502.50.
  • Lisinopril, a medication used to lower high blood pressure, costs $3.60. Its retail price is $24.
  • Mesalamine, which is used to treat ulcerative colitis, costs $36.90. Its retail price is $959.07.

Does the Pharmacy Accept Insurance?

No. Cost Plus Drug Company doesn't accept insurance because it doesn't work with third-party pharmacy benefit management companies that manage drug benefits on behalf of insurers. That means patients will have to pay out of pocket. However, the company's website states that its prices are often lower than a patient's co-pay for the same drug at a retail pharmacy.

If you have a health savings account (HSA) or flexible spending account (FSA), you can use your HSA/FSA card to pay for medications.

Are Coupons Accepted?

No, the pharmacy doesn't currently accept coupons.

How Much Is Delivery?

Shipping costs $5 and is provided by digital healthcare company Truepill.

How Do I Order Prescriptions?

Use the pharmacy's website to see if the medication you're taking is available. Then you can contact your doctor and ask them to send your prescriptions directly to the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company.

What if My Medication Isn't Offered?

The pharmacy currently offers 100 generic drugs, though it plans to add more to its roster. If you're taking a brand-name medication, you could ask your doctor if you could switch to the generic version. Other options for lowering the cost of your prescription drugs:

  • Use Amazon Prime. If you have an Amazon Prime membership, you can save up to 80% on generic drugs and 40% on name-brand medications through Amazon Pharmacy if you're paying without insurance. Most insurance plans are accepted, though. You'll also receive free shipping, which can take up to five days, though you can pay $5.99 to expedite shipping.
  • Use a prescription discount card. With a prescription discount card service, you can search for a pharmacy near you that offers the lowest pricing on your medication. After you've chosen your pharmacy, print out the coupon or show the pharmacist the code using the mobile app. If you have insurance, you can ask the pharmacist whether it's cheaper to use the discount code or go through your insurance and pay the co-pay. (You can't use both insurance and a discount card for the same prescription.)
  • Try other mail-order pharmacies. Mail-order pharmacies can often save you money on prescription medications. Because delivery can be slow, this option is best for drugs you take regularly so that you can order them at least two weeks in advance. You can often save even more money by ordering a 90-day supply instead of a 30-day supply.

Robin Hartill is a certified financial planner and a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder. Send your tricky money questions to AskPenny@thepennyhoarder.com or chat with her in The Penny Hoarder Community.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.

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Dear Penny: Does My Kid Have to Pay a $10K Loan She Co-Signed Due to a Lie?

Posted: 26 Jan 2022 07:00 AM PST

Dear Penny,

My son and his girlfriend convinced my hard-working twins, a boy and a girl, to co-sign their student loans by telling them it was only for a year. Well, my boy twin signed for his brother. After I reamed him for tricking them, all is well. My son has a job and is working on his second master's. 

Now for the problem: The girlfriend recently broke up with my son, and my girl twin is going to be on the hook for $10,000 in the ex-girlfriend's student loans! 

The ex is in Hawaii with her family and isn't working. She's just helping out her mom, who had a very bad stroke and is on disability. It's looking like the ex may never work, but who knows? 

My daughter was tricked. Is there anything that she can do to get out of this?

-W.

Dear W.,

I'm not clear on how your son and his ex "tricked" the twins into co-signing their loans. Did they have them sign loan documents that misrepresented the terms of the loan? Or did your twins fail to read what they were signing?

Some student loans do, in fact, allow borrowers to apply for what's known as a co-signer release in as little as 12 months after graduation. Actually getting the release can be complicated, though. The borrower has to be current on all payments and needs to show that they can repay the loan without the co-signer.



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Clearly this won't be an option since your son's ex can't afford the payments. But I bring this up because I wonder if there was some truth to the claim that the twins could get out of these loans after a year.

If your daughter signed a fraudulent loan document, she should file a police report and contact the loan servicer. But I'm afraid she doesn't have many options if she simply didn't read the loan's fine print.

It may be worthwhile for your daughter to contact an attorney about whether she has any options. But ultimately, when you co-sign a loan, you're just as liable for the debt as the borrower. So unless your son's ex resumes payments — which seems highly unlikely at this point — chances are that your daughter will be on the hook for payments. If she fails to make them, she'll destroy her credit and could get sued by the lender.

I'm assuming these are private student loans since federal loans rarely require a co-signer. Unfortunately, your options for dealing with private student loans are limited. Still, if your daughter is struggling to make payments, she should contact the lender and see if they have any options. It's often in their interest to work with borrowers so they can avoid defaulting.

This will likely turn out to be a very expensive lesson for your daughter. Co-signing is a financial minefield that can destroy credit and relationships. It's especially dicey when you co-sign for someone who isn't family and has less incentive to preserve the relationship. And whenever you sign an agreement, it's essential that you actually read it.

Your daughter needs to be the one to take action here. If you're tempted to intervene, try to resist the urge. Owning your mistakes is part of being an adult.

Robin Hartill is a certified financial planner and a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder. Send your tricky money questions to AskPenny@thepennyhoarder.com.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.

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How to Become a Recruiter

Posted: 26 Jan 2022 05:00 AM PST

As remote work becomes more and more of a thing, recruiters are increasingly vital to remote-leaning companies.

If you think of yourself as a "people person" drawn to the HR world, then becoming a recruiter might be a good, rewarding career fit for you. Yes, these are the people who write the job descriptions and post the jobs, but there's a lot more to recruiting than that.

A successful recruiter is like a matchmaker for their company. They know what the hiring manager is looking for, and they do everything they can to find that perfect fit. They talk with potential applicants, but they are also adept at networking with peers and other recruiters to find candidates by word of mouth.

"You are essentially the gatekeeper of culture," says Ariel Chan, a recruiter for ClearLink, a media company based in Salt Lake City, Utah, and owner of The Penny Hoarder. "So it's extremely important that you're vetting them properly because it could make or break their whole team structure or their team culture."

If that sounds interesting to you, the good news is that there's not necessarily one right way to become a recruiter. Finding the right balance between experience and personality will help you find your way into this career path.

So what should you think about if you want to become a recruiter? Here are a few ideas to get you started.

What Recruiters Do

So what does a day in the life of a recruiter look like?

"I want to stay on top of what new resumes are coming in, so I do dedicate a chunk of time in the morning to reviewing resumes, seeing if there's anything interesting," says Chan. " If there's something interesting, I'll request phone interviews. The rest of the day is filled with phone interviews or meetings with hiring managers."

Because of all the time you'll spend interacting with candidates and hiring managers via Zoom, on the phone, or in person, you should be comfortable with your communication skills. It doesn't hurt to be an extrovert, but plenty of introverts work as professional recruiters as well.

According to Glassdoor, where users self-report salary data, early-career recruiters earn about $41,000 a year, and experienced recruiters can earn up to $73,000. The average pay is $52,000. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated the annual median wage at just above $63,000 in 2020, with a 10% growth in demand for this occupation over the next decade.

After all those meetings, initial phone screens, and chats with hiring managers, perhaps the best part of being a recruiter? Making job offers!

How to Break Into the Field and Become a Recruiter

There isn't just one path to this promising career.

Focus on an Educational Track That Builds Recruiting Skills

Recruiting is all about interpersonal and communication skills, so consider a bachelor's degree program that helps with those areas.

After reviewing the profiles of more than 100,000 recruiters, LinkedIn found the most popular bachelor's degrees were:

  • Psychology
  • Business
  • Marketing
  • Human Resources
  • Sociology

They've also noted that, in some cases, a bachelor's degree isn't as important as it used to be.

"I don't think it's necessarily the type of bachelor's degree," Chan says. "It's about personality, work ethic, and communication skills. If you communicate well with your potential candidates, as well as your hiring managers – that's the most important thing in being a successful recruiter."

Your safest bet is to earn a bachelor's degree that's geared toward working with others. Then, get as much experience in those fields as you can while in school, whether that's through job shadowing, an internship, a part-time job and so on.

Keep Your Sales Skills Sharp

With little experience, you might not be able to jump right into a recruiting role out of college. One great alternative? Sales.

Sales and recruiting are essentially two sides of the same coin. As a professional recruiter, you're selling your company and a position to potential candidates. Both jobs use many of the same interpersonal skills.

Good salespeople get to know the other person and how their products or services could help them. A good recruiter might approach an applicant about one specific job early in the recruitment process – but, after talking with them and reviewing their skills and qualifications – recommend that person for another job opening within the company.

Seasoned salespeople who are looking for a change may do well to consider the possibilities of a recruiting career.

Know the Types of Recruiting Jobs

Recruiting positions are as varied as the industries recruiters work in. Recruiters are out there every day looking for people to fill sales, management, IT, pharmaceutical, legal positions, and much more. Corporate recruiters are in almost every industry.

If you have an idea what field you would eventually like to recruit in, you might want to look for temporary work in those fields while in college or during your free time. The more experience and familiarity you have with IT, the more likely you are to land a role as an IT recruiter.

But if you can't get that perfect role right away, don't lose heart. It's never a bad idea to take whatever recruiting role you can get while you build the experience to land that ideal position. Like other careers, the dream job in recruiting doesn't happen overnight.

Finding Success as a Recruiter

Here are some expectations to have and ways to keep advancing in the field.

Stay Connected

Whether you're an introvert or extrovert, staying connected on social media, online networking, and recruiting services is incredibly valuable as a recruiter.

You'll need to master platforms such as Indeed, ZipRecruiter and LinkedIn. They'll be incredibly useful, helping you connect to other recruiters, potential candidates and other companies, and stay on top of ongoing trends in your industry.

"LinkedIn has something that's specific for recruiters who are searching for people, and it allows you to filter and search pretty much anyone who has a LinkedIn profile that is willing to be found," says Chan. "We actually do find a lot of people through LinkedIn Recruiter, especially some very niche roles that aren't easy to come by."

When you need to fill positions, these contacts will be a great lifeline. They may know someone who is a great fit and may have even interviewed them, which would already give you a head start on what you need to know.

"With other recruiters, we do things like candidate sharing pretty often," Chan adds. "I have colleagues that have moved on to other companies as well, and we're constantly thinking of each other. So that sort of connection is pretty important as a recruiter."

Another great way to stay connected is through job fairs and networking events. Once you're in the recruiting industry, make sure you are always looking out for those types of social events to build your network.

Keep Learning

Once you've landed that first recruiting job, make sure you are always looking for new opportunities to learn. SHRM and HRCI offer recruiting certifications that will help you build your resume and learn some of the hard skills associated with recruiting.

Think about joining a professional recruiters association like the American Staffing Association or the Top Echelon Recruiting Network. These organizations will help you connect with other recruiters to network, learn, and strengthen your recruitment and hiring process.

Take the opportunity to also develop your skills with recruiting software. Learning how to use these platforms will help you find and track applicants efficiently, making your job easier and helping you fill open positions quickly.

As you network, you can also find out best practices through other recruiters. Ask questions about their strategies for the recruitment process, job interviews, and how to find the most qualified candidates – then think about whether any of those methods will work for you.

Like any career, continuing education is an important part of learning and growing as a recruiter.

Be Aware of Common Pitfalls

Chan gives one note of caution for recruiters who are starting out: "Burnout happens pretty fast. It can be really overwhelming when you're handling so many different roles at the same time," she says. "You're working with a lot of different personalities and a lot of different communication styles with different hiring managers. Some like certain things and some don't. So being able to cater to those individual styles is something that I've had to learn along the way."

She also encourages new recruiters to be seen as a recruiting partner instead of an "order taker" in their company. She says there should be an equal relationship between the hiring manager and the recruiter.

"This is my expertise, so if I feel like three rounds of interviews during the hiring process is plenty and this is the salary range we should go with, I hope the hiring manager hears that. A lot of recruiters will have to learn as they start to further themselves along their career. And that's how they can really set themselves apart as a great recruiter versus someone who just does the job."

Robert Bruce is a Senior Writer for The Penny Hoarder.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.

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People Are Being Priced Out of Their Cities — Do These 6 Things to Stay

Posted: 25 Jan 2022 01:05 PM PST

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With rising rents and housing costs, people all over the United States are being priced out of the cities they once called home.

In 2021, rents jumped up by 20 to 30% in cities ranging from Phoenix to Boise to Tampa, and more rent hikes are coming in 2022. Home prices have been rising at a record pace, too.

It's not just the notoriously expensive cities like New York and San Francisco, either. Middle-class people are increasingly being priced out of places like Denver and Dallas as well.

If you want to live in a city that's getting pricier and pricier, you'll need to be smart and strategic about it. Consider these six tips:

1. Boost Your Credit Score

Looking to buy a home? Then there's something you need to start thinking about right now: Your credit score. We know that sounds boring, but it's actually super important, if you're going to be signing up for a mortgage sometime in the future.

The higher your score is, the better deal you'll likely get on your loan. So a good credit score can save you tens of thousands of dollars over the life of a 30-year mortgage.

If you're looking to get your credit score back on track — or if you just want to bump it up some more — check out what actually matters with your credit score.

2. Grow Your Money 16x Faster — Without Risking It

To buy a home, you're going to need to start saving up money for a down payment.

A debit card called Aspiration lets you earn up to 5% cash back every time you swipe the card and up to 16 times the average interest on the money in your account. Plus, you'll never pay a monthly account maintenance fee.

To see how much you could earn, enter your email address here, link your bank account and add at least $10 to your account. And don't worry. Your money is FDIC insured and under a military-grade encryption. That's nerd talk for "this is totally safe."

3. Get Paid Every Time You Buy Toilet Paper

To save up that down payment, you're going to want to find new ways to save money on everything else. For example, groceries account for a good chunk of your budget. Everybody's got to eat. You may as well earn a little money back while your groceries are being bagged up.

A free app called Fetch Rewards will reward you with gift cards just for buying toilet paper and more than 250 other items at the grocery store.

Here's how it works: After you've downloaded the app, just take a picture of your receipt showing you purchased an item from one of the brands listed in Fetch. For your efforts, you'll earn gift cards to places like Amazon or Walmart.

You can download the free Fetch Rewards app here to start getting free gift cards. Over a million people already have, so they must be onto something.

4. Stop Overpaying for Stuff Online

Here's another way to save money. Wouldn't it be nice if you got an alert any time you're shopping on Amazon or Walmart.com and you're about to get ripped off?

That's exactly what this free service does.

Just add it to your browser for free, and before you check out, it'll check other websites, including Walmart, eBay and others to see if your item is available for cheaper. Plus, you can get coupon codes, set up price-drop alerts and even see the item's price history.

Let's say you're shopping for a new pair of shoes, and you assume you've found the best price. Here's when you'll get a pop up letting you know if that exact pair of shoes is available elsewhere for cheaper. If there are any available coupon codes, they'll also automatically be applied to your order.

In the last year, this has saved people $160 million. You can get started in just a few clicks to see if you're overpaying online.

5. Knock $540/Year From Your Car Insurance in Minutes

When it comes to saving up for a down payment, cutting your other bills can make a huge difference. So when's the last time you checked car insurance prices?

You should shop your options every six months or so — it could save you some serious money. Let's be real, though. It's probably not the first thing you think about when you wake up. But it doesn't have to be.

A website called Insure.com makes it super easy to compare car insurance prices. All you have to do is enter your ZIP code and your age, and it'll show you your options.

Using Insure.com, people have saved an average of $540 a year. That could be money back in your pocket just for taking a few minutes to look at your options.

6. Stop Paying Your Credit Card Company

Getting a mortgage for a house is a form of debt. But credit card debt is the most expensive kind of debt there is, and your credit card company is just getting rich by ripping you off with high interest rates. However, a website called AmOne can help you fight back.

If you owe your credit card companies $50,000 or less, AmOne will match you with a low-interest loan you can use to pay off every single one of your balances.

The benefit? You'll be left with one bill to pay each month. And because personal loans have lower interest rates (AmOne rates start at 3.49% APR), you'll get out of debt that much faster. Plus: No credit card payment this month.

It takes two minutes to see if you qualify for up to $50,000 online. You do need to give AmOne a real phone number in order to qualify, but don't worry — they won't spam you with phone calls.

Buying a home is a major step in life. If you follow these strategies, you'll get closer to your goal.

Mike Brassfield (mike@thepennyhoarder.com) is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder. He's a homeowner.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.

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How to Get Paid Early: Earned-Wage Access Pays You on Your Terms

Posted: 25 Jan 2022 12:02 PM PST

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Just over half of U.S. adults are living paycheck to paycheck, at best. That means the margin between keeping it together and falling apart is only a few days wide, at most.

So many of us stand to lose everything we've built financially due to a late check, a lost shift or an emergency expense. Without an emergency fund, the only other option is to figure out how to get paid early.

A concept called earned-wage access can offer one last line of defense for those without emergency savings. And we like how favorably it compares to alternatives to getting your paycheck early, such as costly payday lenders.

DailyPay: It's Your Own Money

It'd make a great question for Family Feud if you surveyed HR departments about why they make you wait a week, two weeks, a month or more for your paycheck. The reasons are many, but they often don't add up for employees.

A company called DailyPay thinks it shouldn't take so long to pay employees what they've already earned. They work with employers to give employees the option to get paid faster, using a benefit known as earned-wage access.

With DailyPay, you don't even have to wait until you've completed a pay period to get your money into your bank account. After each shift, your earnings will be added to your available balance in your DailyPay account. You can draw from your available funds when you need to do so.

Staring down an unforeseen emergency? You can get your funds via direct deposit as soon as the next day, for free, or you can pay the equivalent of an ATM charge for an even faster turnaround.

It's a life-changing concept. About 97% DailyPay users find that they no longer need to turn to payday lenders after taking advantage of earned wage access.

DailyPay is a financial technology company, not a bank. And the money you access is not a loan — it's your own money.

The Good:

This isn't a loan. With DailyPay, you access money you've already earned. And there are no monthly service fees or hidden costs. If you need your money as soon as possible, you can opt to pay a small fee that's about the size of a typical ATM charge.

The Bad:

As with the other options for getting your paycheck early on this list, your next check will be smaller any time you take from it early.  Your paycheck on payday will be reduced by any amount that you have drawn prior.

Comparison of Early Pay Options

Getting your paycheck early can help you triage your finances to keep late fees, overdrafts, interest charges and legal action from bleeding your budget dry. It can also help you pay bills and address unforeseen circumstances.

However, how you get paid early matters a lot.

Payday Loans

Most people tend to have a negative perception of payday loans, but that doesn't stop millions of Americans from borrowing money from them every year. That's because payday loans are one of the easiest ways to get cash in a hurry.

Got a job? Got an address? Can you prove when your next payday is? Great; you qualify for a loan from most payday lenders.

However, these lenders set the bar for loans so low because the returns for them are so high. Many states have sought to put a ceiling on the interest rates of payday loans, yet you'll still find repayment terms charging as much as 200% in interest — or even as much as 400%.

One false step, and your next few paychecks could be gobbled up by late fees and ballooning payments.

The Good:

It doesn't take much to qualify for a payday loan. You just need to be gainfully employed and usually a bank account to receive a direct deposit.

The Bad:

The interest rates you pay in some states are criminal in others. No matter which state you're in, the interest rates for payday loans are usually much higher than every other type of loan.

Short repayment terms are common, making these loans difficult to pay back.

Cash-Advance Apps

Apps make things more accessible and convenient. But whether initiated through an app, a website or a brick and mortar location, a cash advance is still a cash advance.

However, payday lending companies have improved their lending practices in response to the poor reputation they've earned and the state-level legislation that has been enacted to rein in some of their more predatory practices.

Popular cash advance apps tend to have more reasonable terms than conventional payday loans, but their formula still makes it difficult for people living check to check to rebound from an unexpected expense.

With DailyPay, for example, the money you take comes from your next paycheck. With cash advances apps, they debit your account when payment is due — and this is where people tend to stumble.

If your money's a little short when payment is due, you face overdraft fees and potentially steep penalties if your bank rejects the debit due to insufficient funds.

The Good: 

Cash advance apps are much more convenient than conventional brick-and-mortar payday lenders. And you can access your loan within a day or two.

The Bad:

There's a much higher risk of having to make a payment before your finances have recovered, which could leave you in worse shape or in need of another cash advance. There may also be monthly service fees attached to using the service.

Credit Cards

While maybe not the dictionary definition of earned-wage access, credit cards essentially let you borrow from your future earnings, too. But unlike the other options for getting paid early, you don't have to repay what you borrow over a short period of time.

Far fewer people would use payday loans if they had access to a good credit card. However, the credit score requirements can rule out this option for many people.

And for those who qualify for a basic credit card, the credit line extended to them may not be enough to bail them out of whatever financial emergency they're facing.

The Good

While you should always try to pay down your credit cards quickly, you have the ability to spread out a major credit card purchase by only paying the monthly minimum while your finances recover.

The Bad

You need a credit score that's at least in the fair range to qualify for a credit line big enough to bail you out of tight spots. Millions of people turn to cash advance lenders because this isn't an option for them.

And if you need cash, the cash advance fees and interest rates for credit cards can act as a heavy tax for doing so.

A Checking Account with Early Direct Deposits

Banking services may offer certain checking accounts that allow you to get your direct deposit two days earlier. Early direct deposit is a perk that can help you avoid overdraft fees when your bills and your paycheck are misaligned by a day or two.

If you're on a tight budget, having your check hit your checking account two days early may not be an impactful enough solution to help you overcome moderate or major expenses you weren't expecting.

The Good:

Early direct deposit through a checking or savings account is an ace up your sleeve that could help you avoid overdrawing your checking account in certain situations.

The Bad: 

Getting early direct deposits is useless to you if you need to get your hands on money three or more days before your scheduled pay date.

Final Word

It's nearly impossible to save money and improve your financial situation if you have to borrow against an upcoming paycheck.

When considering all of the options for getting paid early, DailyPay seems to offer the most consumer-friendly borrowing options. It can get you money just as fast as any of the other options, while eliminating the possibility of late fees and overdrawing your checking account.

Check with your human resources department to find out if your company offers DailyPay or to request it if it isn't currently available.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.

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Hi I hope you're doing well. I'm reaching out to discuss the possibility of publishing articles on your website. Along with guest ...