What You Need to Know About Writing Articles for Money

Are you interested in making money writing articles?  You may have read online that is a relatively easy way to make money from home.  Yes, this is true, but there is more to writing articles for money.  If you want to be a successful article writer, on all fronts, please continue reading on for a few helpful tips.

If you work for a client, you are usually referred to as a contractor.  This means that the individual or company in question does not legally employ you.  Instead, you complete a little bit of work for them, on an as needed basis.  Since you will likely not receive health benefits, you need to closely examine your situation.  If you are looking to replace your current job with article writing, examine health insurance and your need for it.

If you want to earn money writing articles for others, you may actively search for projects online.  Online bidding websites, classified ads, and job boards are great places to find article writing projects.  With that said, there are online scams that focus on freelance writing.  The most popular of these scams is writing articles for a client and not having that client pay you.  Use your best judgment when working with a new client.  Ask for references or request to receive a small portion of the payment upfront or once the project reaches the halfway point.  This way you won’t lose all of your work.

Also, know that you can write for yourself.  To get started, find a third party content website.  They allow you to post your articles on their website.  For giving them usage rights, you may be paid.  Popular forms of payment include an upfront payment or a page view bonus.  There are also third party websites where you can list your articles for sale.

Articles can also be used to create a content filled website or blog.  These articles make money through website advertisements.  Depending on your personal preferences, you can apply for programs where you are paid for each click or paid a percentage of each sale that you help to generate.

Regardless of whether you write for yourself or a client, you will want to signup for a PayPal account.  PayPal is a safe way to receive payments online.  Instead of issuing checks, many paying clients and third party revenue sharing websites prefer sending payments through PayPal.  An account is free to have.  In fact, if most of your clients pay you through PayPal, you can request a debit card, which will give you easy access to your money.

Also, regardless of who you write for, you need to report your earnings to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).  You will be subject to the self-employment tax.  This is important as many new writers are left trying to come up with the needed cash at the last minute.  When you are self-employed, even just part-time, you not only need to pay your income tax, but the self-employment tax too.  You are encouraged to start saving money for payment throughout the year.

As for writing your articles with ease, are you using Microsoft Word?  If not, you will want to purchase a copy.  If you opt to acquire paying clients online, many require articles to be formatted with Microsoft Word.  It also has helpful spell check and grammar check tools.  Although this software can be expensive to purchase, you will easily recoup the costs in no time at all.  In addition, save your receipts as all business related purchases can be recorded as a business expense.

The above mentioned tips are just a few of the basics that you need to understand to start making money as an article writer.  To help increase your chances of making money, you will want to familiarize yourself with internet marketing, search engine optimization, and keyword articles.  Doing so will allow you to increase your profits, no matter who you are writing for.

How to Make Money Writing Articles

Are you looking for ways to make money online or from home?  If so, you may come across article writing online.  There are a number of different ways for you to make money writing articles.

Although writing articles can help you make money from home, it is not necessarily something that you should do on a whim.  First, create a small business plan.  After all, if you want to write articles for money, you are essentially creating a business.  That business needs to be well thought-out to be profitable.

It is also a good idea to decide what type of articles you want to write, ahead of time.  Are you knowledgeable on the subject of computers, cell phones, and software?  If so, did you know that you can specialize in technical writing, which tends to pay more?  Do you want to stick with writing traditional web content or would you like to branch out to sales letters and press releases?  To make the most money, you may want to consider trying all of these avenues of making money writing articles.

Next, you will want to decide who you want to write for.  Do you want to write for yourself or for others?  Know that each has its own advantages and disadvantages.  For example, if you use your articles to create a website that will make money through advertisements, it can take up to a year or more for you to start seeing a profit.  On the other hand, if you obtain clients, you should be paid within 14 days, on average.

You should also stop and think about how much money you want to make writing articles.  Since you are able to write articles and work from home, you may be seeing huge dollar signs.  With that said, like any other legitimate work-at-home opportunity, you will not get rich right away.  Web content articles vary greatly.  Some writers charge $5 per page, while others can charge as much as $50 for a page.

Determining your rate ahead of time is not required, but it will help to ensure that you are paid what you are worth.  Yes, you can raise or increase your rates, depending on the projects in question, but do not undersell yourself just to find a client who will pay you to write articles.  After all, you want to make money, not lose it right?  At the very least, make sure you are making your state’s minimum wage.

If you opt to write articles for others, you will want to target either webmasters or SEO companies.  Webmasters often look for article writers for content for their websites.  SEO companies are hired by webmasters to market their sites and increase their search engine rankings.  Article writing is an important component of search engine ranking.  Aside from outright targeting these individuals and companies, you can look for freelance job boards, visit freelance bidding websites, or create your own website. 

If you opt to write your own articles, it is important to know that you have a number of different moneymaking options.  One of the easiest ways is to sell your content online.  There are websites that allow you to do so, but these websites tend to take a percentage of the sale.  There are also websites that either pay you outright or with a page view bonus for displaying your article on their website.

Another approach that you can take is to create your own website.  You can use your articles to create a content filled website.  For example, if you wrote articles on dog grooming, your website could have a generalized dog care theme.  Later on, you can add additional content, such as articles that outline tips for choosing a vet and so forth.  With this approach, you can make money through advertisements.

As you can see, there are a number of different ways that you can make money writing articles.  In fact, that is what is so nice about doing so.  You have the freedom to decide how you want to make money. 

Article Writers The Pros and Cons of Outsourcing

Are you an article writer?  If you are, you may prefer writing your own articles; however, there may come a point in time when outsourcing crosses your mind.  When you outsource your article writing projects, you allow another writer to do the job for you.  In turn, you will pay that writer.

As great as outsourcing is, is it the best decision for you?  This is a choice that you will have to make on your own.  Before making that decision, you should examine the many pros and cons of outsourcing.

The biggest pro or plus side to outsourcing is that it can help you when you are in pinch.  Are you working on a project with a strict deadline that you just cannot meet?  Were you denied a deadline extension or are you afraid to ask for one?  Are you sick or did a family emergency come up?  If you cannot complete an assigned project on time, outsourcing can save you time, money, and embarrassment.

Outsourcing can also allow you to pursue other article moneymaking opportunities.  Are you in the process of generating passive income through your own content filled websites and blogs?  Do you have so many ideas that you just can’t seem to find the time to set them all in motion?  If so, you may want to outsource your work.  Outsourcing is easier when the articles written are for your own personal use.

Although getting help in an emergency situation and having time to focus on other moneymaking opportunities is nice, outsourcing also has its downsides.  If you are working with a client, do they have strict rules on outsourcing?  Is it prohibited?  If you do not know, ask first.  Yes, your client may never know that you outsourced their project to another writer, but are you willing to take the risk?

Finding a quality outsourcer can be hard because it is a decision that should not be made on a whim.  Never just take someone’s word that they are a good article writer.  Ask to see samples of their work, preferably samples with their name attached.  As a writer, you may know that many writers work as ghostwriters.  For that reason, you may have to accept samples without an author’s name attached to the work, but use these articles as a last resort.

And, there is always that worst case scenario where you aren’t provided with unique articles.  This can be embarrassing and harmful to your career if you outsourced articles that you were paid to write.  Most website owners will perform a copyright check.  There is nothing worse than learning the articles you turned into your client, which you actually paid someone else to write, were copied from the internet.  For that reason, always check yourself first. 

In addition to verifying that the articles your outsourcer provided you with are unique, proofread all articles.  Even the best writers can make mistakes from time to time, but an extra proofreading can reduce or completely eliminate those mistakes.  Remember, if you are turning the outsourced articles into a client of yours, your name and reputation will be on the line.

As outlined above, outsourcing has its pros and cons.  Many writers only use outsourcing as a last resort, but you can use it and possibly profit from it anyway that you see fit.

Judge to SEC Explain your $100M

Why should the court impose a judgment in a case in which the SEC alleges a serious securities fraud but the defendant neither admits not denies wrongdoing?” Rakoff asked the parties in a letter that set the Nov. 9 hearing.

“Given the SEC’s statutory mandate to ensure transparency in the financial marketplace, is there an overriding public interest in determining whether the SEC’s charges are true?” the judge added.

Citi ultimately pocketed $160 million in fees and trading profits off the sales of the product and its failure, while Citi’s customers were left holding the bag for the default, the SEC said.

The allegations are similar to charges the SEC brought against Goldman Sachs last year, which resulted in top Goldman execs being dragged before Congress and a $550 million fine -- the largest ever.

Rakoff also questioned Citi’s fine in comparison to Goldman’s, noting that Citi’s penalty portion is just $95 million, or “less than one-fifth” Goldman’s $535 million penalty.

“How can a securities fraud of this nature and magnitude be the result simply of negligence,” Rakoff asked.

Citigroup declined to comment.

“We look forward to responding to the questions raised by the court,” said SEC spokesman John Nester.

It isn’t the first time Judge Dread has put the brakes on the SEC’s efforts to cut a deal with a bank accused of serious wrongdoing.

In 2009, the judge made headlines when he called Schapiro on the carpet for a $33 million pact with Bank of America over allegations the bank misled shareholders about details of its Merrill Lynch acquisition.

Rakoff said the fine was paltry compared to BofA’s alleged misdeeds, and he demanded documents from both the SEC and the bank explaining the fine. He ultimately accepted a $150 million settlement with BofA, but not before criticizing the process as “half-baked justice at best

Court papers reveal RFK Jr financially

Mary Kennedy, mother of four and estranged wife of RFK Jr, committed suicide when she hung herself in a barn this May. Many said she was in the grips of a long-lasting battle with depression.

A petition filed last week in Surrogate’s Court in Westchester County by Mary’s former divorce attorneys, who say Robert F. Kennedy Jr. failed to pay them a promised $278,000 in legal fees, shed light on RFK Jr’s tactics during the divorce.

The petition papers detail RFK Jr’s “scorched-earth litigation approach” that left his wife cut off from a $20,000-a-month, court-approved credit card, leaving her unable to buy groceries, gas or even medical care for their son.

“Somebody living in a fifth-floor walk-up in The Bronx with cash could do more than she could,” said the source close to Mary Kennedy.

The petition said, “Unfortunately, the last months of Ms. Richardson Kennedy’s life were full of daily financial challenges, directly attributable to Mr. Kennedy’s litigation tactics executed through his family office.”

According to an agreement made in October, RFK Jr. was to continue paying his wife’s household and legal expenses. Mary and Robert F Kennedy Jr were supposed to have a $20,000-a-month limit on a joint credit card, with the bills to be paid by the Kennedy clan’s money manager, the Park Agency.

Financially cutting off his estranged wife was a  tactic meant “to squeeze her and make her panic,” said the source. Cutting Mary off came during a time when many important issues were being decided upon following the divorce, including custody and division of assets.