#43 Monitoring Monthly Subscriptions 🕵️ Making Your Commute Better 🏃 Many Thanks to our Vets 🎖️

Good morning and welcome back.

We have two things to say on this fine November morning.

The first is that we’re debuting a new section, Content for Any Commute. No matter how long your commute is, we’ve got you covered. Hope you enjoy it.

The second and infinitely more important thing is a resounding THANK YOU to all the veterans in our audience.

We are truly grateful for your service!

Here Is This Week’s Featured Content

🪖🎖 A Bonus Hustle-Hub Item with a Military Twist

🦾 Helping You Prompt ChatGPT Like a Pro

💭 When Did You Last Audit Your Monthly Subscriptions?

➕ Much. More.

Experts’ Advice 🤝 

Who is Cori Arnold? 

• Check out the above thread right here - it’s so good. Maybe that’s why she has over 175K followers on X.

• Her content focuses mostly on learning to invest and pay off debt, which she is more than qualified to discuss: she went from a negative net worth to millionaire in ten years, paying off $260K in debt along the way. For a deep dive on how she did it, check out her FREE E-BOOK, The 5 Stages of Money.

Who is Andrew Lokenauth? 

• He writes an informative newsletter called The Finance Newsletter. Not the most creative title, but his 325K+ following doesn’t seem to mind.

• His work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and CNBC. He also has 15 years experience working in finance, tech, and other startups. Check out his X here.

Hustle Hub 📈 

• THEIR SUCCESS: Don’t know enough about Mr. Beast, the 25 year-old Internet sensation who has set the standard for content creation monetization? Check out this Business Insider story to learn more.

• YOUR SUCCESS: Learn how people are making up to $350/day with faceless YouTube channels? (You never have to show your face on camera.)
  

• THEIR SUCCESS: Might Ryan’s success lead to your success? He tests and reviews side-hustles so other hustlers know exactly what they’re getting into. Check out his findings here.

• YOUR SUCCESS:

  • For Our Veterans: this article provides insight into how you can use your military experience to succeed as an entrepreneur.

  • From A Veteran: this article discusses how lessons learned in the Marines can help future founders.

Making Cents 💰️ 

Why the Heck Should I Audit my Monthly Subscriptions?

Short and Sweet: Auditing your monthly subscriptions has become an essential financial practice that can lead to significant savings and better money management overall.

Why It Matters: Because as consumers, we should do our best to monitor what we’re sending out every month, especially with where the economy is now.

We think $5 here or $14 there isn’t a big deal, but when you multiply it by the amount of subscriptions you’re not actively using, we’re talking a solid chunk of change.

💡 Here are 4 things to consider as you’re auditing:

1. Adapting to Changing Needs: Simply put…as your lifestyle or interests change, some subscriptions may no longer be necessary. Auditing helps in adjusting your subscriptions to match your current needs.

2. Make a List of All Your Subscriptions: See how many monthly subscriptions you have…you may be shocked by how many you have. From small to large, seeing your list and thinking whether or not it makes sense to continue certain subscriptions keeps you aware of where your income is going.

3. You Begin to Reduce Financial Clutter: Just like some physical clutter in your closest, financial clutter can complicate your finances and cause unnecessary stress because of how many monthly expenses you have. Auditing and cutting back helps reduce the overall amount of financial clutter you have.

4. Use Reminders for Monthly Renewals: Set a reminder or two for subscription renewal dates when you first sign up. This can help you check in when your schedule allows and will assist you to continue or cancel upon the next renewal. Many budgeting apps can automate this for you.

(Might be too aggressive, but you get the point 🤣)

Content for Any Commute

• ON FOOT: Get your day started right with Kind World, a podcast that explores how one act of kindness can have lasting impact. The average episode is 6-9 minutes, perfect for any quick commute.

• TRAIN TIME: For those with more time on their hands, check out this deep dive on growth vs fixed mindset and how effort can change the way you view failure. Estimated read time: 13-20 minutes.
  

• FIRST CLASS: Traveling for work? Instead of settling for something in the airport bookstore, choose one from Warren Buffet’s recommended list and make that long commute a productive one.

Working with AI 🦾 

💁 A ChatGPT Prompting Sheet For You

Ever heard of ChatGPT writer’s block? Neither had we, but it’s real.

The screenshot below is from our favorite AI newsletter: Superhuman. It’s a simple and useful sheet that can help you when you don’t know where to start when prompting the bot, or when your prompts just aren’t working the way you want them to.

If there’s one main takeaway, it’s this: how you prompt (not just what or how much you say, but the words you choose and techniques you use) makes all the difference.

Quick Example For You: 

“I need you to act as my Marketing Adviser. I need you to create a marketing plan for my *fill in the blank* business. I want this marketing plan to be creative and to include suggestions on how we can grow the business through social media, specifically Instagram and TikTok. Please make sure that you include this proposal in PDF format so I can download it for future reference.”

Major Moves 🗞️ 

 ✅ DISNEY:

Bouncing back in a big way?

Good things seem to be happening for Disney. Stock is up; conversations about potentially-industry-shifting acquisitions are being had; and we’re getting a new app! “An app combining the libraries of Disney+ and Hulu will launch in late March 2024 [following] the beta that launches in December.”

Does the fact that ESPN+ isn’t included in the combined app suggest a sale is on the horizon? Stay tuned…

 🥃 find familiar spirits:

Scooby Doo’s sidekick has a D&D-inspired whiskey…yes, you read that right.

Being even sort-of, kind-of famous must be amazing. Take Matthew Lillard, for example: one minute he’s starring as Shaggy in a Scooby-Doo movie, and the next he’s successfully launching Dungeons-and-Dragons-themed bourbon. What?!? “Their initial offering, a bourbon called Quest’s End: Paladin, went on sale online on October 6th, and all 5,000 bottles priced at $149.99 sold out within two weeks.”

Not too Shaggy, err, shabby. Not too shabby.

 🦾 picsart:

Accelerating digital content creation one tool at a time.

If you’re a digital content creator, there are two ways to view AI: the first is with fear that it will put you out of business; the second is to embrace it and use it to do more. Picsart is a godsend to those with the second point-of-view. “The company today announced the launch of Ignite, a suite of over 20 AI tools designed to spark creativity and accelerate the production of digital content for businesses and individuals.”

OTF Recommendation: Instead of letting AI replace you, let it work for you!

🎖️ GOOGLE:

Helping veterans transition into their next careers.

We love when a company does the right thing, and taking care of our veterans is always the right thing. “Military community members can get a Google Career Certificate in data analytics, IT support, project management, user experience design, digital marketing, e-commerce, or cybersecurity…they also have access to professional development and job search support.”

The program - Hiring Our Heroes - is a wonderful thing, and we need more like it.

Food For Thought 💭 

Poll 📊 

You are now On The Fly and In The Know.