2.5 Paycheck Hacks To Make More Money

Jaspreet Singh / Jaspreet Singh

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Paycheck routines are steps that people follow to maximize their income. Having a budget, automating payments and tracking your spending are all standard procedures that can help you out financially.

In a recent video for his Minority Mindset Clips channel, YouTuber Jaspreet Singh covered 2 1/2 ways to stretch your money a bit further.

1. Use Credit Cards

When used recklessly, credit cards can cause monumental damage to your finances. If you are in debt, can’t resist adding unnecessary items to your online shopping cart or are obsessed with racking up points even while paying interest, Singh encouraged you not to use a credit card.

If you use credit cards the right way, you can add some extra cash to your paycheck. Singh pointed out that every month you’ll have bills and expenses to pay. Using your credit card to cover these costs can mean earning points that amount to extra cash. However, the only way this is profitable is if you pay your balance off completely each month before the interest kicks in.

Since you don’t earn much cash back from credit card spending — Singh said it amounts to 1% to 2%, depending on the card, which means you’ll get 1 to 2 cents for every dollar spent, although certain cards have deals for better value — points alone aren’t worth risking your finances. However, if you’re buying something you already have the money for, the points can add up and make you money.

2. Know Your Goal

Making the most of your paycheck means having a goal. Singh suggested focusing on these three goals. 

The first is saving and building up an emergency fund. An emergency fund is money you save so you don’t go into debt when you have unexpected expenses like medical emergencies or car breakdowns. Singh advised saving up between three and 12 months of expenses, depending on your situation. If you’re young and have few responsibilities, you won’t need as much as an older person with dependents.

Second, he recommended investing. You can either invest for appreciation, where you buy an asset that can go up in value, or for cash flow, where you’ll receive regular dividends from your investment. Buying growth stocks means reinvesting your profits in a company, hoping its value will increase. It can result in quick profits, but the stocks have lower liquidity. Acquiring dividend-producing stocks means slower profits, but you will receive cash regularly.

The third goal is your spending. Singh said you shouldn’t limit your spending goal, but you need to have a path to reach it. He recommended aligning your spending goal with your investment goal. For example, if you buy an income-producing asset like a dividend stock, you can figure out how much of it you need to fund your desired spending habits.

2 1/2. How To Invest

You can either invest passively by putting your money into an asset and waiting, or actively by doing research and trying to profit from market fluctuations. Singh recommended trying out active investing through research. If you can find a market shift, there is an opportunity for profit. He highlighted these five shifts:

• A mainstreet shift where the general public changes spending habits
• A Wall Street shift where people invest differently
• A government shift where the government changes how it uses funds 
• An innovation shift where new technology disrupts markets
• A broad market shift where large-scale economic changes happen

Singh said if you want better returns on your investments, you have to get your hands dirty and look into what’s going on.