As a freelancer, the last thing you want to worry about is getting sick. But unfortunately, it’s a reality that many freelancers face. And when you do get sick, it can be a stressful and overwhelming experience. That’s why having a plan in place is important to help you navigate the process.

Getting sick as a freelancer can be a financial and logistical nightmare. Without the safety net of employer-sponsored health insurance, you may face high medical bills and difficulty accessing the care you need.

The fear of being unable to afford medical care can be a significant source of stress and anxiety for freelancers, especially those who rely on their income to support themselves and their families.

Recognizing the potential consequences of not having a plan for when you get sick is important. With the right coverage and resources, you may find yourself able to get the care you need, which can lead to longer recovery times and more time away from work.

One of the solutions is to invest in HMOs. With the right coverage, you can have peace of mind knowing that you’ll be able to access the care you need without breaking the bank. This can help alleviate the stress and anxiety of getting sick and allow you to focus on your recovery and getting back to work as soon as possible.

HMOs (Health Maintenance Organizations ) have become popular among freelancers in the past few years. An HMO is a type of health insurance that covers preventive care, doctor’s visits, and other essential health services.

But do you need an HMO as a freelancer? Let’s explore the pros and cons of getting an HMO to help you decide.

I was in that situation when my mother got sick and died. Have been in a case when I was diagnosed with Ameloblastoma (tumor in the jaw) and when my son was diagnosed with Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD).

Getting into medical debt is one of the after-effects that I’ve experienced. If there is something that I’ve learned, getting sick is inevitable.

 

So, I should be prepared for it. Why do I get an HMO for my family? Having an HMO can provide you with peace of mind.

 

There are pros and cons to getting an HMO as a freelancer. Ultimately, the decision comes down to what is best for you and your family.

 

Consider your needs and budget when deciding whether or not to get an HMO. Getting an HMO can help us lessen that financial burden and avoid medical debt.

 

What is an HMO?

 

HMO is an acronym that stands for Health Maintenance Organization. HMOs are managed care organizations that provide comprehensive healthcare coverage to their members. 

 

An HMO plan is a type of health insurance that covers various services, including preventive care, doctor visits, hospitalization, and more. 

HMOs contract with a network of doctors and other healthcare providers to care for their members. HMOs usually require members to use in-network providers. 

 

Pros of Getting an HMO as a freelancer

Affordable premiums

One of the most significant advantages of HMOs is that they tend to have lower premiums than other health insurance plans. This can be a considerable benefit if you’re on a tight budget, as it allows you to get the coverage you need without breaking the bank.

Predictable costs

With an HMO, you’ll generally pay a fixed monthly premium and a small copay for each visit to a healthcare provider. This can make it easier to budget for healthcare expenses, as you’ll know exactly how much you’ll pay each month.

Comprehensive coverage

HMOs typically offer comprehensive coverage, including preventive care, doctor visits, hospitalization, and prescription drugs. This means you’ll be covered for a wide range of healthcare needs, which can provide peace of mind and help ensure that you get the care you need when you need it.

 

 

Cons of Getting an HMO as a Freelancer

 

One of the biggest cons of getting an HMO as a freelancer is that you typically have to pay the whole premium yourself. This can shock someone used to having an employer cover at least a portion of their health insurance.

When choosing an HMO, it’s essential to consider your needs and budget. HMOs vary in terms of the services they cover, the providers they work with, and the cost of premiums.

Once you’ve considered your needs, it’s time to compare HMOs.
With so many HMOs on the market, picking the right one can seem daunting. You can find an HMO that’s right for you by researching and comparing options.

All in all, an HMO plan can be an excellent option for freelancers who are looking for affordable, comprehensive coverage. If you’re considering enrolling in an HMO plan, research to find one that meets your needs and budget.

Do you want to take a boring and routine online job yet provide a decent income? But, this will depend of course with the company.  Try exploring image annotation online jobs. By the way, I am not an image annotator but my husband is. I don’t like image annotation for myself, however, it is worth exploring, if your primary goal is to earn extra income from home. If that is your goal, let me help you take to the world of image annotation online jobs.

What is Annotation?

Annotation means to label a given data like image and video. The annotation task is in connection with artificial intelligence and machine learning. The artificial intelligence is growing. Certainly, the demand for image annotators may also rise.

How Did We Start With Image Annotation Online Jobs?

We came to know about image annotation through a micro job platform called Remotasks. Out of curiosity, my husband tried and see if it works.

No interview when you join the micro job platform but need to go through training. In addition, you need to pass the test to get a job.  Here are some of the training provided:

• 2D Box Annotation
• Semantic Segmentation
• 3D Cuboid Annotation
• Polygon Annotation
• Video Annotation
• Lidar

 

The rate is too low. However, I still encouraged him to proceed with it and keep on learning about those skills. What’s the best thing? Remotasks offered a free 10-day in-person training program in different provinces. Training locations are in Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, and Manila.

Get Started With Remotasks

What’s in it for you now? First, if you want to pursue as an image annotator, here are some steps to consider:

1. Get free annotation training through Remotasks. Sign Up HERE.

2. After the training, wait for the Remotasks project assignment.

3. Look for image annotation jobs through job platforms and Social Media

4. Above all, be patient. It may take some time to get a project. However, you have to continue honing the skill.

P.S. I am not offering image annotation jobs.  But who knows in the future we can become an image annotation service provider.

Guest Blogging is one of the link building strategies for site owners to gain relevant links to their website. Learn how to do guest blogging as one of your freelancing services.

Guest Blogging involves these steps:

1. Find Relevant Sites
2. Email Site Owner for guest opportunity
3. Negotiate the publication
4. Monitor the published content

Search Operators

• “guest post by” + “keyword”
• “write for us” + “keyword”
  

Tools Used

1. Moz.com
2. SEOQuake Extension

Having an SEO Career is one of the many options that you can explore as a digital professional.  If you are still looking for more options you can become a Virtual Assistant for drop shippers.

What is Dropshipping Business?

According to Shopify.com, a dropshipping business is “Dropshipping is a retail fulfillment method where a store doesn’t keep the products it sells in stock. Instead, when a store sells a product, it purchases the item from a third party and has it shipped directly to the customer. As a result, the merchant never sees or handles the product.”

I’ve researched job marketplaces  on the job description and who are they looking for and this is what I’ve got :

• Ebay Products lister /researcher
• Shopify Dropshipping VA Needed – Product Upload, Add Product Reviews
• Submits dropships orders daily
• Experience doing customer service for dropshipping
• Product description writer needed for dropshipping store

I invited one of the Courageous Work at home mom to talk about Dropshipping and I am honored to feature Lucena Dayo Mahumok, a Hustler Virtual Assistant.

 

Get to know more about Lucena’s journey on the dropshipping niche. Please join us for a Free Webinar on E-commerce: Dropshipping 101 on February 19, 2019,  2 PM to 3 PM at  The Wahm Coach Page.

Are you thinking about what type of jobs that you can start as a work at home mom? It should be base on your current skills. But, if you want to explore what’s on the market, SEO is an option. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to share about SEO Career for Moms in FHMOms Community. Check the webinar session HERE . If you wish to receive a copy of the presentation, please get in touch with me at [email protected]. Listed below are the questions raised during the webinar. I hope that this will help you kick-start your SEO Career journey.

Keyword Research

#1 How to come up with blog topics in a specific niche using keyword research ?

Begin with this simple process. Start with the SEED or ROOT Keyword for that specific niche. For example, you want the niche on Public Speaking.

1. Go to Google Trends , input the seed keyword and set the target location.

2. Take the top keywords from Google Trend and load it in Google Keyword Planner.

3. Choose keywords with high volume, medium or  low competition. Load it in ubersuggest.com . Check the keyword ranking probability.  If it has at least 60% that can be a good indicator.

4.  For the content idea, check quora.com and input the selected keyword. You can find a list of questions regarding that keyword.

#2  Which is better in choosing the right keyword? Higher Competition Low Search Volume or Higher   Search Volume Low Competition

Higher Search Volume, Low Competition is better

#3 Is SEO required for content marketing?

 Yes. SEO refers to the process of optimizing a website to help generate traffic. It focused on the needs and requirements of the search engine. Content Marketing is all about creating and distributing content to the human audience. SEO and content marketing should be in tandem.

Meta Description

# 1 How To Create Good Meta Description

Please check these resources: NeilPatel.com and SearchEngineWatch.com.

Website Audit

#1 Do you need backend access on website audit?

It depends on the scope of the report you will provide. But it works even without backend access.

# 2 Tools For SEO Audit

• Website Auditor

• ScreamingFrog

• Alexa

• Semrush

• Google Search Console

• Google Analytics

# 3 Guidelines for SEO Audit

My reference are coming from SEO experts and companies like Neil Patel, Kaiser Sage, Sean Si, Moz, SEMRush and Search Engine Watch.

General Question

# 1 Would SEO be alright for someone who has very little home-based experience or totally has no experience?

Yes. There are some SEO tasks which you can explore on like Blog Comment, Forum Post, Guest Blogging, Resource Link Building, and Broken Link Building. You don’t need to be techy to perform these tasks. What it requires is your ability to follow instructions. At the same time, marketing experience is not required to learn SEO.

Yes, SEO can be overwhelming but don’t let it stop you from learning about SEO. Start with a simple task, perform hands-on experience and get started with an SEO Career.