From computers to smartphones, to IoT devices, the use of interconnected devices among young children is growing at a very high rate. This means more children are likely to become victims of online attacks and other threats including offensive content or cyberbullying. And, with reports of smart toys being utilized to spy on kids, and kids as young as 5 years old having social media accounts, it is evident that the dangers are real for children, both young and old.
This article tackles the different dangers that children are exposed to online and how parents can help their children to stay protected.
Image from Unsplash.com
Risks Faced by Children Online
As discussed above, kids are increasingly using connected devices, and the situation has been made worse with the current Covid-19 pandemic that has forced children to rely on the internet for learning, play, and entertainment. Let’s look at some of the risks that children face while using these devices.
Smart Toys Spying on Kids
Like everything else that connects to the internet, smart toys are an open invitation for predators, hackers, and identity thieves. The thing is, many connected toys come installed with microphones, sensors, cameras, and other extras like GPS and voice recognition. But, most of these toys are not made with security in mind, and this is what brings about the safety and privacy risks to children.
Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying is conceivably one of the most prevalent online threats today. Bullies don’t have to be one-on-one with their victims anymore. Cyberbullying through social media platforms is still as effective as face-to-face bullying, and has the same effects as any other mode of bullying.
Inappropriate Content
The internet is full of “inappropriate content” and your children spending more time online means they could easily stumble on this content. The kids may try to search for such content themselves, or they may bump into it accidentally. This may include pornographic or other age-inappropriate content such as alcohol abuse and foul language, and violent or graphic content.
Dangers While Using Public Wi-Fi
The desire to use the internet all the time may prompt kids to connect to free public Wi-Fi in a bid to save on data. But, this convenience comes with dire consequences: free wi-fi networks offer an easy way for hackers and identity thieves to spy on you and steal passwords, personal information, or both. This is because Wi-Fi passwords in coffee shops, airports e.t.c are shared and so anyone can easily hop on and see what you are up to.
What Parents can do to Ensure the Safety of Their Children Online
While the government and schools try as much as they can to teach kids how to spot possible threats online, there is still a lack of awareness when it comes to basic device protection. That is why parents need to step in to ensure their kids are cyber-secure. Here’s what parents can do to protect their kids online.
Image from Pixabay.com
Use a VPN
Most people, including children, love the convenience that comes with free public Wi-Fi. Likewise, smart toys can connect to unsecured Wi-Fi without any kind of authentication. That is why it is important to download a VPN app and use it whenever you are connecting to unsecured Wi-Fi. This way, you’ll be able to ward off potential hackers and other surveillance threats targeting kids’ smart toys.
Research Before Buying Toys
As we have seen, smart toys come installed with features like cameras and microphones, which allow them to communicate with children. The problem is that these features can be hijacked by cybercriminals and used to spy on kids and eavesdrop on family conversations.
That’s why it is important to research and find out what a particular toy can do before buying.
The internet comes with a lot of advantages to children of today’s generation, but it also has its bad side. Parents and guardians must do whatever they can to ensure children remain safe even as they explore the endless possibilities that come with connected devices.
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Investing is one of the biggest ways people prepare for retirement; be it in the stock market, 401(k) plans, precious metals, business opportunities, you name it. However, one particular category of investments that has been gaining traction lately is real estate property investing. It has become so popular because it typically enables your current funds to follow the rate of inflation and even appreciate beyond inflation in some cases. Everyone can agree that some forms of investment are better than others — except that perception depends on your interpretation of the term “better.” To some, “better” is relative to the chance of a greater return, but to others, it is simply dependent on the stability of the investment for its duration. Let’s look at how these definitions compare to determine whether an investment in real estate is the right choice for you.
In order to dive into how investments in real estate stack up in comparison to other areas of investment, we need to start from the beginning and evaluate the process.
Many misinterpret real estate investment to mean you will be buying multiple houses or properties and flipping them or renting them out. While that can be your plan of action in investing, that’s not the only way to do so.
Also, prospective investors commonly assume that in order to invest in real estate, you need to have immediate access to the funds to afford multiple properties. However, you can actually take advantage of your lending options as well. There are a variety of loans that allow investing or renting with a low-rate down payment. In fact, the idea of a standard 20% down payment for a loan is woefully outdated and the average percentage has been trending downward. In recent years it has dropped below 10%, meaning that homeownership has started to become more accessible.
While you may still require a chunk of change to make the down payment on a home, different loan options require varying down payments and credit scores. For example, loans from the Federal Housing Administration require down payments as low as 3.5% with a credit score of at least 580. These loans are ideal for people purchasing their first home, which can still be an investment since real estate values appreciate in tandem with inflation. Meaning your invested money will retain its purchasing power whenever the home is sold.
What if you don’t qualify for an FHA loan, but would like to invest in propertydespite still not having a large mass of funds? There are options for the property title that may be useful to you, such as joint tenancy or tenancy in common. Although it’s commonly discussed in relation to renting, tenancy in property investment allows for multiple individuals to share the ownership and financial burden of a property. Using the joint tenancy and tenancy in common title options, you and others that you trust can all chip in to purchase a property. This approach can make homeownership that much more accessible and can also be handy for those just starting out in property investing without significant capital.
Lastly, there is the standard means of investing in real estate — buying a home. As you may guess, this is done by simply taking out a mortgage with upfront closing costs and a higher down payment. Some people can even afford to buy a property outright without the assistance of a lending institution. Regardless of which entrance to real estate investing best fits your situation, it’s time to consider whether or not investing in property is actually right for you.
Who Should Invest
Whether or not it’s a good idea to invest in property depends on what you are looking for in an investment and how you intend to invest. To cut to the chase, if you are looking for a quick, high return investment, then real estate probably isn’t the best place to start unless you are looking to fix and flip houses. Real estate properties see their best returns and greatest effects in long-term conditions for a few different reasons. One reason is simply the appreciation of property which, as mentioned earlier, usually follows the rate of inflation. Looking at real estate strictly in terms of appreciation, it’s not a great investment, but rather more of an asset — something to be leveraged when money is needed. Property rarely becomes an investment on its own due to upkeep costs and the rate of inflation of a little over 2% a year for the past 25 years. Since it requires more attention, property investment is not as turnkey as other forms of investment, such as stocks. However, real estate is a much more secure investment as it has a significantly lower chance of depreciation. Real estate investing is therefore most effective in two focuses: renting as a landlord and fixing and flipping.
Landlords
Being a landlord is a relatively straightforward way to secure a passive income. With current rent prices being so high, it’s easy to profit off of rent even after accounting for the expenses of the building itself. While this alone may sound simple, as a landlord you still have to be accessible at all times in case of an emergency and coordinate schedules for routine maintenance of the property. Becoming a landlord is still possible even for individuals in a hindered financial situation because some loan options will allow the purchase of multiunit properties, with FHA loans being an example of this too. The only stipulation is that the borrower must reside in one of the property’s units, and there can’t be more than four units in the property. All that considered, you are still presented with a great opportunity to have your taxes, mortgage, utilities, and general maintenance paid for you, or to even just lower your out-of-pocket costs while earning experience as a landlord.
As your experience with being a landlord increases, you can hopefully start to own more properties, eventually surpassing the need for a typical job. Since most of the maintenance can be performed by hired hands, it’s possible to retire at an early age as a landlord and even continue being a landlord past retirement. Finally, if you ever decide that you are done being a landlord, you can sell the properties and essentially get a full, inflation-adjusted return on your investment.
Fix And Flip
Fixing and flipping houses is a much less stable investment in property, but it also presents the opportunity to receive much greater returns on your initial investment. The returns also have a much shorter turnaround time than renting or simply holding on to a property and selling it off later in life. This style of investing has, arguably, been popularized by a multitude of television shows, starting with the first most successful show, “Flip This House” in 2005 on HGTV.
Much like what is depicted in any of the television shows, house flipping requires a lot of knowledge in different trades and an understanding of interior design. If the flipper doesn’t have these skills, it’s possible to hire helping hands to perform these jobs. However, that will diminish the amount of the return and will also require immediate access to funds to pay for the help. So to avoid this, most people tend to do the work themselves or with business partners. The bottom line is that this form of investing is significantly more hands-on and therefore is close to outright being a full-time job rather than a passive investment. Many people working with the fix and flip style of investing have likely spent a great deal of time working in a profession that already required those same skills.
Conclusion
Investing in property is a good idea for individuals who are looking for stability, passive income, or assets to add to their financial portfolio. If you are looking for a significant, short-term payoff, but are not skilled in the trades and are not looking to become well-versed in them, then investing in property may not be the most feasible investment type for you. Due to the nature of property being a physical asset that is exposed to the elements and subject to age, it’s not much of a possibility to have a hands-off approach like you can with the stock market.
Getting a space of your own is deeply ingrained in the psyche of a human. The leverage of being able to decorate your home as you like is very intriguing but as thrilling as it may sound, it is very expensive and might exceed your budget. For this reason, people often prefer renting a place instead.
Benefits of Rent Calculator
A rent calculator comes in handy when figuring out the amount of rent that you can afford. One must take advantage of this application to proceed further. Rent calculator websites like Zumper see how much you can afford to spend on renting a house for yourself or your family. It is based on several things, all you need to do is provide all relevant information and the calculator is going to do the rest of the work for you.
Using a rent calculator, you need to put in a few requirements i.e. location you want to live in, neighborhood, household income, monthly expenses, number of bedrooms, monthly savings, number of bedrooms required, monthly debts, etc. All of the information is used to calculate the housing benefits and the amount you can afford to pay the rent for the property you are renting from a private landlord. Zumper is going to help you do it all in a snap, moreover, it will also help you find the apartments to rent and reserve them online.
How does the Rent Calculator Work
To calculate how much rent you can afford, the calculator multiplies the gross income by how much you are willing to spend on rent. Further, the rent amount is deducted from the monthly income, and the expenses, savings, and debts are subtracted from it. The final number is what you have left to spend.
Things to Consider before Renting a Place
First of all, you need to add up all of your other expenses to see how much rent you can afford to pay. All the straight and ongoing costs must be considered before deciding how much rent you can afford or whether you can afford the rent or not.
Budgeting
A household rent is most probably going to be your largest outgoing funds, so for your peace of mind, it is important to know how much you can afford. It will additionally give an accurate idea of what you are looking for and you will have better control over the expenses. Budgeting helps you in accomplishing your long term financial goals. You need to draw a proper budget for all your costs, make an estimate of what you will spend on each month. Your monthly or day to day expenses include; cell phone, clothes, food, car insurance, gym, traveling, hobbies, loans, credit card payments, children, health care, etc.
If you are in doubt, it is better to overestimate than to underestimate. Keep in mind that your expenses also include the summer holidays and Christmas time. You do not want to go into debt after just a few months of renting just because you failed at drawing a budget. Now, once you have a list of all the expenses and the costs you can easily calculate how much rent you can afford.
Other Rental Costs
You need to keep in mind that renting a house involves more bills than just paying your rent, it is not just paying your rent all in all. You have to pay the service charges, utility bills, insurance; some of the most expected monthly bills are the following:
Water Bills
Gas and Electricity bills.
Service charges.
Digital TV subscription and Broadband bill.
Landline bill.
Insurance
Different types of bills are calculated in different ways, so you must find out from the property owner how they are paid i.e. weekly, monthly, or yearly.
Moving Cost
You do not have a proper sense of how much of the stuff you have until you have to move it. Here, you will need a moving service to move your possessions into your new home, and that my friend costs money. From a cab to a truck you will be needing money to pay to the service company to move your stuff, the more the possessions double the cost. So, planning everything ahead of time will save you a lot of time and headache.
Estate Agent Fees
The estate agent does not work for free either; you got to pay him the money to find you the desirable place. The estate company is going to do all the leg work for you, so it is better to keep some cash aside for them while looking to rent a place. The estate agent’s fee varies, so you better be mindful of the structure to make a smart deal.
Furnishing
If you are moving to a furnished place then well and good but if you are moving to a place that is yet to be furnished then you will need to keep extra cash on the side for the furniture and soft goods. You will need cash to buy the hardwood furniture, curtains, decorative items, etc. to make the place look and feel homelike.
How Much Rent Can I Afford
Houses for rent sites like Zumper helps you in calculating your expenses so that you can easily figure out how much rent you can afford or whether you can afford it or not. Apart from that Zumper also allows you to reserve apartments to rent online, you can find verified properties and places on Zumper that you can reserve for yourself on the spot and lease. On Zumper everything is very efficient and convenient, you can lease online without any worry or competition. It further informs you within 24 hours whether your application is approved or not. So, what are you waiting for? Find your dream place now.
Renting a place is far more time saving than owning a house; it provides you with the freedom and at the same time a feeling of having a home. However, you need to calculate your expenses to see how much rent you can afford so that you rent a place accordingly. Zumper comes extremely handy here since it has got you covered in calculating everything regarding renting a place. Certain things need to be considered before renting a place so one must pay heed to them to be on the safe side.
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