Going Golfing? Five Etiquette Rules Everyone Needs to Know

If you are keen on giving golf a try, you should know that playing golf is more than just a sport. There are rules for golf itself, but there are golfing etiquette customs you should be familiar with before heading out on to play.

Golf is a game played in stages: before the start, the tee-off, on the tee, on the green, and after the round. Each has its own behavioral conventions, and some that apply from when you arrive at the course until you leave. This may sound complicated, but here is a breakdown of what you should and should not do when you play golf.

General rules

A golf course is not a place for raucous conversations and laughter unless you visit the so-called nineteenth hole. Keeping quiet and not talking or moving to distract another player are essential rules. 

During a round of golf, it is regarded as poor manners to lose your temper, swear, throw golf clubs around in frustration, or take divots out of the course. The only time you should shout is if your ball is heading toward some people, at which point you should yell, “Fore!”

Never offer unsolicited golfing tips while during the game. You should also not cheer loudly after someone has made an excellent shot, instead quietly congratulating them. Time is important, and golfers cannot stand players who waste time on the course, holding everyone else up.

Before the round

Dress the part by buying appropriate gear from Tribal Fashion’s golf collection. If you are not correctly attired, you might be asked to leave, that is how strict rules can be. Golfers favor handshakes all round, but given that there is a worldwide pandemic, you will be forgiven for skipping this rule.

Usually, you will need to report to the clubhouse to inform employees that you have arrived. Do not take your bag inside with you. Tee-times are golden, and it is sacrilege to be late or cancel last minute.

Tee-off

Stand motionless and well away from a player who is teeing off as it is poor form to distract them. Make sure your cellphone is on silent and do not play around with your golf clubs as this makes a noise.

Most rounds of golf are played between four players. It is rude to leave the tee before everyone has taken their swing. Besides, you could get hit by someone else’s ball as they tee-off. So, if you are not staying out of courtesy, do so for your safety.

On the green

This is a crucial stage of a golf game, and silence is essential. If it is not your turn to putt, mark your ball’s position with a flat object, provided it is not in a player’s line between their ball and the hole. 

Remain alongside the green while someone is putting or be on hand to lift the flag if it looks like a player’s ball is likely to go into the hole. Again, offer a quiet congratulatory comment for a player when they finish playing a hole.

After the round

Pre-coronavirus, you would have been expected to shake hands with everyone after a game. Now, players will be grateful if you do not because of social distancing rules. Thank your fellow players for the round, even if they have made you question your decision to take up golf! 

If the clubhouse is open, join everyone inside for a drink. However, if you do not want to, have a good excuse ready and deliver it with sincerity to not insult anyone.

A Long-Distance Move with Kids Should Not be a Living Nightmare

When you tell people that you are moving long-distance with your kids, they will offer their sympathies. The pity in their eyes makes you wonder just what you have let yourself in for. Surely it cannot be that bad?

A move to a new state for a fresh start is exciting, yet daunting. And if parents feel that way, imagine how their children feel. For any child, a move is unsettling, as it means they must leave a place that is central to their lives. However, there are many ways to ensure a smooth transition. Here are some ideas:

Lay the groundwork

The sooner you let children know about your intention to move, the longer they have to warm to the idea. Do not expect your announcement to go down well with everyone. 

Tears, tantrums, and slamming bedroom doors might be among their first reactions. For many children, especially those who have never moved before, the idea of relocating has never crossed their minds.

At an age-appropriate level, allow your children a brief moment of ‘mourning’ and tell them that it is okay to be scared of the unknown. Help them say goodbye to their home by having friends over for a last visit and making a scrapbook of photographs of their old home. 

Inject some fun into the move by turning packing into a game or a competition between siblings. You might have to recheck some boxes before you label them to ensure you have access to essentials when you arrive.

Moving day

If you feel it will be too emotional for them, use friends or family to babysit your children on moving day. They pick up on your stress, which will be high when boxes are being loaded and vehicles prepared for interstate car transport. However, if a child is enthusiastic about the move, allow them to participate. They might find the sight of A1AutoTransport loading the car exciting, which enables them to put negative thoughts aside.

Have a plan and a contingency plan for as many scenarios as you can. Do not try and manage the process alone. Get someone from your support network to be there while the packing up is ongoing to help you check that goes smoothly.

Hit the road

A plane trip would be ideal as it is fun and takes far less time, but this might not be possible, and you will have to drive. Any long-distance travel with kids can be a nightmare, but planning makes it easier. 

Make sure you have healthy snacks packed for the trip and fun activities to do in the car to make the time go by faster. Playing games keeps children distracted, and they will not be demanding to know if you are there yet within 30 minutes of departing. 

Audiobooks can be a lifesaver as everyone needs to sit still and pay attention to them. The problem comes in when you are traveling with kids of different ages. Appeal to older children to keep themselves amused and help you with little ones who often find such trips difficult.

Unpacking

Ensure that boxes with essentials are clearly labeled before the move so that you can access them immediately upon arrival. Familiar items will help your children settle into their new surroundings.

Using a color-coding system, grade your boxes according to their priority during the unpacking process as you pack. This will help when you face the mammoth task of unboxing your possessions and organizing everything as you want it. Make your children’s rooms a top priority to get them settled right away.

5 Benefits of Video Training for Corporate Employees

Using video to train corporate employees offers many benefits over traditional training methods. It provides authentic learning opportunities, inspires and engages, facilitates problem-solving and assists employees to understand new information. It also has the benefit to businesses of being accessible, cost-effective, customizable, scalable and versatile. 

Accessible

As opposed to traditional training methods, it is possible to access video content anywhere, at any time and on any device. The success of this will depend on a company’s content, storage capabilities and distribution strategies. 

At times it may be necessary to convert files from one format to another. For example, Windows Media Player is only able to open early versions of the MOV file extension. For versions 2.0 or higher, it’s necessary to convert to another format compatible with the player. Evano has a MOV to MP4 converter that will not cause the frustration of losing valuable data and/or quality that is common when using a subpar converter. 

It was typical when using traditional training methods for employees to be occupied for days at a time, whereas video training makes this unnecessary. They can consume short video sessions whenever they find it convenient. 

Cost-effective 

Video training can save money and time because it does away with any travel costs or other associated expenses common with offline training. It saves employees time because they don’t have to travel to attend training and can watch training videos from their own desks. 

According to a new study, replacing training led by instructors with e-learning can save corporations between 50 and 70 percent. 

Ontiva’s YouTube video downloader is a free online media conversion platform that enables companies to download and convert YouTube to virtually any common format – YouTube to WAV, MP3, MP4, FLAC, OGG etc. All conversions are done through an online user interface so no software has to be downloaded. 

Customizable

When using video to train employees, it is easy to incorporate corporate branding and messaging. If videos reflect an organization’s culture and values, they become an effective tool for internal training that varies based on the information that needs to be conveyed. 

Video can also accommodate different learning styles. Some employees may struggle with reading or writing and will respond more to videos that offer visual learning. Supplementing training documents with video content can benefit those who need a diversified learning approach. 

Scalable

Whether it is training 10 or 100 employees, video training allows companies to educate all employees according to the same standards in a systematic way. It doesn’t matter whether they are spread around the country or even around the globe. Each employee receives the same quality content. It can repeatedly be distributed as long as the content remains relevant. 

Enterprise video platform analytics enable companies to measure and evaluate scalability. This allows them to understand the effectiveness of the training by using real data. 

Versatile

Videos offer many different ways to tell a story or convey a message, from animation to live action. They are also very versatile when it comes to training. Companies use them to onboard new employees, introduce new services, demonstrate new software, improve customer service skills and offer continuous professional development. 

They offer the opportunity to build up a library of visual resources to use for a wide variety of purposes. Employees are then able to refer to entire training courses as often as they need to do so. For instance, they may choose to replay a course before they do a procedure they haven’t done for some time. 

Equality Library Book Collection Encourages Anti-Racism Efforts in Police Departments and Institutions Across America

The best way to fight ignorance is through education, and books are one of the most effective ways to educate the masses.  Bulk Books, a leading book wholesaler, hopes to educate people across the country and challenge their preconceived notions about race, racism, and the fight for equality in America, with the new Equality Library book collection. 

Bulk Books introduced the Equality Library in mid-2020 as a way for schools, colleges, businesses, churches, libraries, and police departments to purchase a curated selection of books that cover hot-button topics related to racism. 

Many people want to fight institutionalized white privilege, but have no idea where to begin. Others don’t think there’s a problem. Some are on the fence about racial issues, but the Internet is so full of false information that it’s hard to get educated. And many more people live the harsh reality of racism, police brutality, and segregation every day, and they’re looking for a way to explain it to people who don’t get it. 

So, how can we reach out to people who are confused or misinformed?

The Equality Library is a collection of bestselling, award-winning nonfiction books that tackle difficult issues like school segregation (no, it didn’t end in the 50s), police brutality, the Civil Rights movement, mass incarceration, black women’s issues, and why it’s so difficult for white people to talk about racism. The books encourage people from all walks of life to read up on black history, educate themselves on black issues, learn what wasn’t taught in history class, and finally ask themselves: ‘why are black people treated this way? How can I help? How can I educate the people around me?’

The bundle includes the groundbreaking “White Fragility” by Robin Diangelo, which confronts the ways that white people dismiss and trivialize black issues in order to maintain their place in society. The bundle also includes books like “Me and White Supremacy” by Layla Saad and “So You Want to Talk About Race” by Ijeoma Oluo, for people who are ready to talk about the racial divide in this country. Also included are memoirs like “What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Blacker” by Damon Young, giving readers the chance to hear directly from black voices. 

To ensure that everyone has access to the Equality Library, Bulk Books is selling the set at-cost for $89. Bulk Books is declining the chance to make a profit because fighting for racial justice is far more important. When asked to comment, here’s what they had to say on the subject:

“We believe that so much needs to be done for racial equality to ever truly be achieved, and we think education on the issues is one piece of moving the ball forward. Our goal in providing these books at-cost is for schools, churches, businesses, and other organizations to establish an ‘equality library’ in their facility so that members of their communities can educate themselves about the issues and do their part to bring about lasting change.”

If you’d like to support the Black Lives Matter movement and purchase an Equality Library for your own home, school, church, business, or police station, you can buy the set online from the Bulk Books website. 

Why You Should Start Outsourcing Your Manufacturing

Having a business is great when things are going well. It is easy to splash some cash around and not monitor all the manufacturing costs that diligently. However, when times are tough or when expanding the business is on the cards, monitoring every aspect of production is essential. 

Manufacturing is the one area where there is always money to be saved and this is where outsourcing comes in. Although there might have some kind of sentiment about local manufacturing, the fact remains that you can outsource and cut the costs. Here are five reasons why you should start outsourcing today.

Saving on labor costs

When it comes to manufacturing, the staff is often the greatest expense. When one outsources manufacturing, reducing overheads is one of the direct benefits. Some countries can produce the material and components needed for a fraction of the cost. 

Easy Imex, a Chinese sourcing company, makes it easy to find companies in China that manufacture what you need. They provide you sourcing agents who will find you the best quality at the lowest prices. Once the quote is done, it is easy to do the math and see that your profits will increase when manufacturing is outsourced. 

It gets you back in track

When manufacturing is outsourced, time is suddenly available to do the things that you never get time for. Manufacturing does not just happen in the factory. It is an all-consuming activity that constantly needs monitoring. 

The whole process is so time-consuming that there is not any time left to focus on the core development of your business. 

Any business owner wants to see their baby grow, but when they are too busy with the growing pains, they never get to a place where they can develop a strategy for growth. If you find a reliable company to do the hard work, growing a business becomes possible. 

Sparking new ideas

Manufacturing companies are great at bringing innovation to the fore. Although you have a certain idea about what is needed, they have years of experience and can see the holes in your designs. If you find a reliable manufacturing company, they will be quick to come up with suggestions on how they can improve your design. 

The one-hand washes the other so to speak. If they innovate for you, they are sure of your business. The other benefit is that through their innovation, you could also be inspired by new ideas of innovation. 

Removing the supply-demand headache

Any manufacturer will tell you that supply and demand is one of their greatest struggles. If you manufacture in-house, the chances are that you have run into this problem. When you outsource manufacturing, you make the supply and demand dilemma someone else’s problem. 

Manufacturing companies are experts in this field and when diverse resources are required, they know just how to manage what they have and allocate their resources to where the need is greatest. Raw material prices change daily and they also have contracts with suppliers in place that ensure that they always get what they need at the best prices. 

Efficiency

If there is only one reason why you should consider outsourcing, it is that it makes your business and production more efficient. When everything is running smoothly, you save time and money. The products you produce are all of the same quality and when something is off, it is easy to trace where the problem comes from. 

Not only can you monitor your products, more efficiently, but your products also increase in quality. Manufacturing companies often upgrade their tools, equipment and processes and in return, you also get a better product. 

5 Essential Marketing Strategies for Call Conversions

The smartphone is arguably the most revolutionary invention of the 21st century that has drastically changed consumer behavior. Google indicates that smartphones now account for over half of web traffic, with more searches originating from these devices. 

Digital marketers have shifted focus to social media content and display advertising to tap into this large market. Greater focus is now on creating an enabling environment for mobile prospects to follow up their searches with calls. Here are 5 essential marketing strategies for call conversions.

Facilitate customer calls

Your marketing effort is wasted if you do not provide means by which prospects can contact you for more information. Provide a call number across all media platforms carrying your marketing content. Providing a phone number is the most fundamental strategy for marketing that needs no emphasis. 

It pays to optimize your digital ads and website with a user-friendly click-to-call option for a better customer experience that will produce leads. To support this effort, include a clear contact center management strategy to guide call reporting. Aceyus is a reputed name in call center solutions for their innovative software and implementation ideas.

Improve caller experience

For successful call conversions, callers expect outstanding customer care served promptly and authoritatively. This creates confidence and helps the prospect make a favorable decision that could include a request for an appointment or information on the purchase process. Key to good caller experience is correct and prompt routing through your call centers.

Train your call center staff to collect and send caller information to the sales agent before transferring the call. This prepares the sales agent to address the caller’s needs knowledgeably and satisfactorily. The upfront information also helps the sales agent to personalize the interaction with the consumer, further improving their experience.

Call attribution

If calls are integral to your marketing effort, then you need to use the data they generate to tell a story that can affect decisions. You need to know the specific marketing driver that influenced the caller and how it integrates into the overall marketing strategy. 

Knowing whether the call came through keyword search, advert, email, or marketing channel helps in budget planning and performance review.

The caller’s path is equally important since the marketing team can retrace it to assess efficiency. This can help webmasters optimize the sites for better UX.

Call data management tools

Calls provide valuable data that marketers can mine to optimize ROI while adjusting and allocating budgets where necessary. If, for instance, more calls are coming from social platforms, the marketing team can design targeted content for these consumers while allocating more resources to drive the campaign.

Integrating AI-powered tools in your system for call tracking can up your game immensely. AI automates the process of monitoring and evaluating call data generating key reports for decision-making.

Collect actionable insights

To increase call conversion rates, marketers must analyze to improve quality and relevance when creating marketing content. Important markers in call evaluation include call value, what the caller said and their experience, and how well the sales agent handled the call. The marketer can draw insights from this data to increase performance and, most especially, conversion rates.

These insights can also lead to the improvement of the call centers to align with customer expectations. Webmasters can also use this to optimize SEM and SEO content. 

Digital marketers need more than call volumes to anchor their KPI metrics. To leverage calls, marketing executives need a holistic approach that evaluates how their website, keywords, campaigns, and channels attract phone leads that have the potential for conversion. This means that calls are dependent on various other factors in the marketing strategy that work collectively to attract phone prospects.

5 Tips for Keeping Up with Marketing Trends

Each industry has its own trends that come and go making it very important for businesses to find a way to keep up with these changes. Failure to keep up with industry trends might lead to using outdated marketing techniques repelling customers further away. 

Generating more sales and revenue depends on the efficacy of the marketing strategies implemented. For those strategies to be effective, they need to conform to the latest trends. Undoubtedly, trends are very important for the profitability of a business. Here are five effective tips for keeping up with the latest marketing developments:

Keep tabs on the competition

“If you can’t beat them, join them” is sage advice indicating the importance of spying on your competition to discover new trends. Whenever you have identified a more successful competitor, try to identify what has propelled this success. Maybe the competitors have discovered a trend that you have not but could pair well with the current marketing strategy you’re implementing.

Perhaps if you implement it or find ways to improve the trend, there might be a groundbreaking marketing discovery in the market. The business might get the breakthrough they have been praying for all along.

Implementing a data-driven solution for marketing purposes

Using data to keep up with industry trends can help you efficiently stay up to date with every happening. Finding an automated solution that provides you with all the relevant conclusive data can help make crucial marketing decisions. 

That stresses the importance of implementing data-driven tools to help you make marketing decisions. Using such tools will help you save time that would be used, trying to analyze everything happening in the industry. That time could be better used focusing on other business aspects such as implementing discovered trends using the tools mentioned above.

Get feedback from customers

One key aspect that dictates industry trends is the sentiments of the customer. To keep up with these trends, you can try to get the unfiltered and unfurnished truth from the customers themselves. By implementing CRM systems, you can see what they think about their customer journey.

The results of such assessments will make it possible to come up with trendy marketing content. Another strategy you can implement is using account-based engagement analysis to gauge how customers interact with the products you’re marketing. You can implement systems that help with this to get insights about what customers deem as trending.

Using Google Trends

You can implement Google Trends to identify any anomalies or changes in the industry you’re in. The tool helps mostly with identifying what potential customers are searching for at that time. You can focus on a certain geographic location or set other parameters to identify trending content that can be integrated into your marketing strategy.

Alternatively, you can widen the search as much as possible if you’re running a global business. There is great value in using Google Trends and this tool can help you identify any trends your customers might be interested in.

Keep up with industry news

Above all these strategies to keep up with industry trends, you might deem it necessary to take matters into your own hands by keeping up with industry news. For example, you can read industry newsletters or updates; alternatively, it might be more beneficial to get the news via word of mouth. 

In the latter case, you can sign up for seminars and networking events to hear what other professionals say is trending. That is one of the most successful strategies of keeping up with marketing trends regardless of the industry.

Should You Ship or Drive Your Car

Moving across the country means long transport distances are involved. If you need to start a new job and time is limited, the trip can seem an insurmountable problem with all the other arrangements that need to be made. 

You just want to wave a magic wand and get to the other side, but this is not possible. Several factors influence whether you drive yourself or get a company to ship your car to the destination.

Road trip plans

The road is long, the hours are worse and you have to fork out cash to sleep over and to eat. You may be distracted by calls from your new employer while on the road or from the transport company dealing with your home move. Depending on how long the trip is, you’ll probably want to book ahead and have to pay deposits. 

Either that or you may be the type of person to wing it. Whichever choice you make, the costs are going to be high. Your car will need a good service before embarking on the journey, and you will need to pay for fuel costs.

Shipping considerations

Hiring a private company to ship your vehicle locally or overseas might sound expensive. The truth is that once you start calculating all the costs involved in an extended road trip, the costs begin to sound very reasonable. Companies that shipvehicles.com can customize the experience for the customer whether the vehicles are high-end luxury sports cars or expensive automobiles. 

Various shipping methods are available such as enclosed or open-air transport options. Drop-off and pick-up services are available, together with full insurance. On-time deliveries are also part of the overall package to limit inconvenience.

Costs of shipping

First, obtain a quote from a vehicle shipping company. Once this is available, you will be able to calculate related costs. You may choose to fly or get to your destination by rail. Maybe friends will be available to pick you up and drop you off to take either of these transport options, of you’ll pay for a taxi. 

Factor food costs into your trip, and then weigh overall costs against the convenience of shipping your vehicle. Once at the other end, you may need to hire a temporary vehicle. All these extras cost money, which needs to be considered when planning your move.

Consider flying to your destination

Flight costs can be quite reasonable (cheap) when booked in advance. You may want to fly together as a family or take separate trips. Take separate trips means that the one flies to the destination ahead of time to sort out the new home, while the other stays to arrange the move at the current home. 

If this is a family move, it’s always more exciting to stick together for greater support and decision-making. Sticking together typically relieves some of the stress of making a big move. Flying to your destination is convenient when you decide to have your vehicle shipped ahead of time.

Opportunity costs

Calculate the lost opportunity costs of taking a road trip rather than opting for vehicle shipping. How many days of lost work will the trip cost if you decide to drive yourself across the country? If you have a family, staying over at hotels or motels is also going to be that much more expensive. 

Even if you have a partner to share the driving, an entire family in closed quarters for days on end can be trying. Gas prices differ across states, which is one additional element to factor into your calculations. Consider too that you’ll want to be well-rested when you reach your destination if you have loads of unpacking to do.

A Few Cat Behaviors Demystified

Cats are smart but seemingly complicated animals. Many of their behaviors often seem strange to us. One behavior that could have multiple meanings is when your cat licks you. According to OurFitPets.com, It could mean anything from anxiety to its way of trying to teach you how to groom.

Here are some others.

1. Head rubbing, also known as Bunting

Cats have pheromones in their cheeks that allow them to leave their scent on whatever they rub against. It is also one way of showing affection. However, it’s just as normal for them not to bunt on their humans so don’t worry if yours isn’t in the habit of doing so. Cats have many different ways of showing affection, such as raising their tails on your legs and face.

2. Chattering or Chirping

Chances are, your cat probably does this when it sees birds or other potential prey from the window. House cats were originally bred to hunt small prey-or farm pests-in ancient Egypt and they kept rats at bay during the Black Plague. Those instincts still remain intact to this day. The chattering is the kind of biting down that they wish that they were doing to the birds or whatever potential prey they’re seeing. It’s also their frustration over not being able to catch them.

3. Constantly Chewing on Inanimate Objects

Some do it out of anxiety or an illness. In others, it may be because they were weaned too early and try to “nurse” on soft items, such as blankets.

Either way, this is worrisome because it could cause choking or other intestinal blockages. As a result, it’s recommended that you take your cat to the veterinarian as soon as possible.

4. Ignoring You When You Don’t Want To Be and Then Clamoring for Attention When You Least Want Them To

If they’re ignoring you, chances are, it’s not because of something you did. Unless you scared them with something noisy like a vacuum cleaner or patted them too hard. Cats are more independent than dogs and seem to crave some “me time”. It’s usually best to leave them alone when they do.

However, as soon as they see you doing something like checking things on your phone or working on your computer, they get right in your way. They’re not trying to be annoying as much as they’re curious and want in on the other something taking your attention away from them. They’re a little similar to young children that way.

5. Knocking Things Off of High Places

Yes, we understand that this is annoying. However, one of the primary ways that cats explore things is with their front paws. It also doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that they probably think that stuff’s in their way. And, yes, they sometimes do it for your attention but not usually. After all, as far as they’re concerned, they’re the real owners of the home. You just get to live with them because they get their food and love from you.

Most experts recommend ignoring it because it seems to encourage them otherwise. However, we recommend using your best judgment and not leaving anything super valuable where they tend to hang out the most.

Best Financial Budgeting and Planning Tips Following a Job Loss

Losing your regular employment can be daunting if you don’t have savings in place. But, you may be due for certain benefits that will supplement your income while looking for further employment. 

Also, you may have a second job that you can rely on to fill in some gaps. Depending on how long you’ve been permanently employed, the future may not seem as bleak as you originally thought. Put your thinking cap on and start making inquiries into hidden benefits. Once that’s done, you’ll have a better idea of where you stand.

Severance pay

Severance packages are typically compiled for employees whose jobs have been made redundant, or for those who have been laid off. Find out details about what type of severance pay you can anticipate, and how long your medical insurance will be covered.  

It is also in your best interest to access a counseling service through your employer. Make use of whatever benefits they provide in this situation to strengthen your position as much as possible. 

They may offer training of aid in finding you a new position. Your employer may also offer assistance in updating your C.V. Whatever help they offer, take advantage of these additional benefits.

Calculate your income and expenses

In this type of situation, it is best to calculate your current financial status. Make use of the time to determine any annuity payment that might be due from insurance benefits that you’ve made over the years. 

Factor in your severance package, a second job or household income, and determine your monthly overheads. As soon as you’re clear on incoming and outgoing finances, you’ll be in a better position to make future plans. If necessary, approach loan providers to reduce installments until you acquire full-time employment again.

Draw up a financial plan

After sorting out your budget and contacting creditors to reduce payments, draw up a financial plan to get you through this tough period. Look at how you spend money and check to see where you can cut down on expenses. 

Budget for minimal groceries, cut out luxuries and calculate savings on transport costs while at home. Every little bit extra helps at the moment, so you need to be really strict about where your money is going. Look at retirement plans and contact the provider for a payment holiday. 

This will extend the period in which you will pay for these savings for several months but may help until you find new employment. Check to see what government unemployment benefits may be due and whether you can dip into any savings you may have.

Financial counseling or review

If your situation seems worse than first anticipated, find out how financial counseling can help. There are many credit counselors available who can offer free advice. They can help you develop a workable plan to see you through the next few months or more. 

Find out what types of services they offer, what is free and what they charge for, if the counselors are trained and licensed. Many are non-profits, so it shouldn’t be a problem to source valuable free financial advice from these organizations.

Debt consolidation and refinancing

Your financial counselor may suggest that you consolidate your debt to reduce your overall monthly expenses. The interest on a consolidation loan may be higher and extend over a longer period than desired, but this is a solution worth considering following a job loss. 

Alternatively, if you own property, you can possibly take an additional loan out against this asset to reduce your monthly debt. The goal is to stay positive, weigh all your options and come up with the best solution to create stability until you find a new job.