Yahoo Finance US Election: How to find up to $200k while waiting for results
The US election race is on and the world is watching: Google’s most-searched terms on Wednesday were all relating to the presidential battle.
If you’re one of those watching on with bated breath, here are five easy things you can do to make money while you wait.
Check your coins: $3,000
Staring anxiously at the television? Now is the time to go through your coin jar: you could find a coin worth hundreds.
Five cent coins minted in 1972 can be worth as much as $200, due to the relatively meager number of those coins made that year.
And it’s worth taking a closer look at the markings on your coins. Earlier this year a Melbourne mum found a $1 coin worth $3,000 due to a small error.
The 2000 coin had been minted using the incorrect obverse die, which meant it had two rings on the head side of the coin.
Compare your super: $200,000
This one requires more concentration but will pay serious dividends.
Are you paying too much for your super? Or worse, are you paying too much for multiple super accounts? It’s time to fix that.
According to analysis by Stockspot, Australian savers in funds charging 2 per cent in fees can be as much as $200,000 worse off by retirement, compared to those with a fund charging less than 1 per cent.
Stockspot pointed to UniSuper and IOOF as being two of the strongest performers, with both having five “Fit Cat” funds each. Australian Super is also worth a look, with four “Fit Cat” funds.
Go through your toy chest: $272,000 (although you have to be pretty lucky)
You’ve compared your super, now it’s time for something a bit easier: going through your toy chest.
Old Polly Pocket toys and Beanie Babies have been selling for as much as $2,000 on eBay, while Pokémon cards have been known to go for as much as $272,000.
Call up your mobile phone provider: $1,000
Personal finance expert and author of Kill Bills! Joel Gibson saved $3,000 in one year through six phone calls.
The first one he suggests Aussies do is call their phone provider and ask for a better rate, or change providers.
“I think people would be surprised that sometimes you can even save hundreds or even $1,000 by switching from one mobile plan to another,” Gibson said.
“If you’re looking for a plan that offers 60GB of pre-paid data a month, you have the potential to save more than $1000 a year by choosing a cut-price carrier like amaysim rather than a big legacy brand like Telstra,” he said. Gibson is currently in a partnership with amaysim and is encouraging Australians to shop around.
Check the lost money register
Your final task is to check for lost money. You could be owed an inheritance, dividends, bank payments or lost super.
In fact, there’s as much as $23 billion in unclaimed money across Australia right now.
Here are six places to check.
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