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ACOP. American Consumer Opinion is, weirdly enough, available to users outside of the U.S. You just need to be 14 years old to sign up. This aged survey site has a decently high $10 minimum payout threshold, but most users report a good stream of easy surveys. Check it out.

You can now sign up for Usertesting with a mobile device! Previously a desktop device was needed for the qualifier test, but that’s no longer the case. I highly recommend signing up for this platform if you haven’t already. Read the full review and guide here to learn more about how it works, the earning potential, similar opportunities, and more.

$16.50/hour customer service gig. This one is remote and available to US citizens. Perks include a stock package, medical/dental, 401k, and life insurance. Apply here.

Dating Writer. Familiar with astrology, good at writing, and interested in writing content related to dating and relationships? Check out this remote gig.

Mailchimp: bootstrapped by two co-founders, recently acquired by Intuit for $12 billion. After hearing about the acquisition, I got curious about the story behind MailChimp. And it's a good one.

Turns out, MailChimp was actually started based on a failed project. After creating an e-greeting card company (which never took off), Ben Chestnut and Dan Kurzius, co-founders of Mailchimp, started a web consultancy business.

While working with small business clients, they started to get a lot of questions about email marketing. So, they re-used some code from the e-greeting company and started MailChimp on the side. This allowed them to grow without any risk (they were still making good money doing consulting) and it gave them some extra income.

Lessons learned from the story?

1. Always keep your failures in the back of your mind. You never know when they’ll come in handy again, either via some old code or just helpful lessons.
2. Freelancing is more than just trading your time for money. It can inspire billion-dollar business ideas. Don’t be afraid to get started -- and don’t give up on it too soon!
3. Keep your eyes (and ears) out for new opportunities. Being a good listener can pay off.

Become a Facebook Group moderator. I read about someone this week making $1,500/month from a single coaching client who runs a private Facebook group. I believe it too as I've been a member of some private coaching groups before, and they ain't cheap.

To get started, try joining existing Facebook groups related to topics you're interested in and engaging with them. Some things you might be tasked for: 1. Creating content that engages the group 2. Booking clients 3. Welcoming and adding new members 4. Answering questions.

Using Nextdoor to find clients. I recently signed up for Nextdoor (the neighborhood social media app) just to see what it was like, and I’m pertty surprised at the number of money-making opportunities I’ve already seen in my neighborhood. People asking for cleaners, babysitters, tutors, people with trucks to help them move, etc. Check it out if you haven't already! Might spark a service business idea for you

She traded her way from a bobby pin to a tiny house. I’ve seen a lot of these “trading from something worthless to something worth a LOT” stories. This one is one of the better ones because the trader made zero trades with friends or acquaintances, and never traded for cash. 

How to write. Writing is a valuable skill to learn no matter what you do - whether you’re writing emails to clients, writing blog posts for your website, writing to a colleague, or writing a letter to your grandma, knowing how to improve your writing will improve your relationships and the way you think. 

This Twitter thread breaks down 10 simple tips to improve your writing:

1. Read the Roman-Raphelson book on writing. Read it three times. (I need to read this book)
2. Write the way you talk. Naturally.
3. Use short words, short sentences, and short paragraphs.
4. Never use jargon words like "reconceptualizes, demassification, attitudinally, judgementally."
5. Never write more than two pages on any subject.
6. Check your quotations.
7. Never send a letter or memo on the day you write it. Read it aloud the next morning, then edit it.
8. If it's something important, get a colleague to improve it.
9. Before you send your letter or memo, make sure it is crystal clear what you want the recipient to do.
10. If you want ACTION, don't write. Go and tell the guy what you want.

7 simple money habits. Even if you’ve heard these tips before, a refresher is always a good idea every once in a while. 

Some of the habits I love from this article:

• Set up automatic transfers to automatically save and invest money. If you can save 10% and invest 10% of your take-home pay, you’re doing great.
• Avoid lifestyle inflation. There are two ways you can think when you start making more money: “Sweet, I can spend more now!” or “Sweet, I can save more now!”. Find a balance between the two. If you get a $5,000 raise but you were living happily and comfortably beforehand anyway, that’s $5,000/year more you could invest without noticing an effect.
• Don’t be afraid to quit your job for a higher-paying one. This one won’t suit everyone and constant job-hopping probably won’t look the best on a resume, but if you can change jobs and get a 30% pay raise out of it (like the writer claims to have done), that seems like a no-brainer. And keeping an eye out for new job opportunities in your field (and salary trends) is pretty harmless.

Christmas is coming up... If you've already started gift-getting, you smart. Be sure to use a cashback site like Rakuten, TopCashBack, BeFrugal, Drop, or similar to save some money and be even smarter.

⚡ Summary: Crypto had a rollercoaster of a week with the global market cap dropping from highs of $2.17 trillion to lows of $1.82 trillion. On Friday, most of the top 100 coins were in the red, with BTC -10.87% and Ethereum -14.4%.

Here are the headlines:

Coinbase scraps Lend program after the regulatory issues mentioned last week (Cointelegraph)

China’s central bank released an update on their banning of digital assets. Reminding everyone that facilitating crypto transactions is illegal and even working for off-shore companies in the crypto space could lead to prosecution. This caused an ~$150 billion loss in the crypto market on Friday.

Twitter has rolled out crypto tipping. Users can now tip creators with BTC over the lightning network. NFT verification may soon come to Twitter as well.

Evergrande debt crisis. This company, the 2nd largest real estate company in China, has been making headlines recently as they're facing a massive debt crisis. They owe over $300 billion USD in debt and investors around the world are worried about the effects on the global economy if Evergrande goes under and has to liquidate their real estate. Here's a more detailed explanation on the matter.

US household net worth is up 19.6% compared to last year. The biggest contributors to the increase in wealth came from stocks and real estate.

⚡ Summary: Major indexes were slightly up this week after a shaky start, even with looming concerns about Evergrande. 

Here are the headlines and tips:

The US Fed announced tapering of bond purchases may start in November.

How to figure out your risk tolerance when investing. Everyone has their own risk tolerance, and it can be helpful to learn yours before you start investing. That way, you'll reduce the chances of making a mistake based on emotions. 

In short, figuring out your own risk tolerance has to do with knowing your investment timeline (i.e. how long you have until you need to withdraw your investment), your financial situation (e.g. stable income vs. sporadic, debt, etc.), and your psychology (i.e. would you rather a guaranteed $1,000, or a 50% chance at $5,000? If you chose the former, you may have a lower risk tolerance).