I love free money and am sure we all do., but that doesn’t always seem to be the case. There is a lot of free money out there that almost anyone can claim with a bit of effort, but most people don’t seem it’s worth the bother. I don’t really understand this type of thinking. It’s there, why not take it? Here are some of the places I claim free money and you can too.

401k Plan

When I worked, my company offered to match up to 6% of my 401k contribution. That meant that for every dollar that I contributed to my 401k account, my company would put in another dollar for free. That’s free money. This is a perk offered by many 401k plans, although the amount that is matched will vary. I’m continually surprised by the number people who never take advantage of the free money offered by their 401k plans.

Scholarships & Grants

When I was going to school, I applied for every scholarship and grant that I could find which I might even remotely qualify for. Many of them never panned out, but in the end I received several thousand dollars in free money that would have been debt had I not applied for them.
Banks

I remember when I was growing up, my mom would change banks whenever she needed a new toaster because banks were always offering them to open a new banking account. The new toaster of today is cash. There are a lot of banks which will give you a cash bonus for opening up an account, and even more if you agree to have your paycheck direct deposited. Don’t forget credit unions as well. You can earn several hundred dollars a year if you’re willing to move your money around which is a lot better than letting it sit there and having to pay fees to the bank.

Credit Card Reward Prog............................Read full post here

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