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The simple path to wealth – Irish-style!This post looks at Irish attitudes to investing, and sets out 3 simple steps anyone can take to automate their finances and secure their future that don’t require complex research and analysis, or sacrificing today for tomorrow. One Sunday recently my Dad dropped by my house to say hello. […]

The simple path to wealth – Irish-style!

Written by Danielle in Financial Freedom

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link.

Ok, so it’s finally time. You’ve succeeded in creating enough side hustle income to replace your day job and are ready to make the leap to quitting your job.

But before you do, there are a number of things you want to consider and make sure you have squared away before making that leap. So don’t quit your day job until you’re ready!   Favorites from Digital Nomad Mom Table of Contentshide 1 My Journey 2 Make Sure You Have Enough Money 3 Health Insurance 4 What Will You Do? (i.e. Find Your Passion) 5 Negotiate Severance 6 Set Goals and Write Them Down 7 Do Not Burn Bridges 8 Build an Emergency Fund 9 Workspace Boundaries? 10 Get an Understanding of Taxes 11 Relax and Have a Little Fun

My Journey

I started my journey to financial freedom about 4 years ago. I realized I was chained to my job and spending 50-60 hours/week working.

I earn 4 weeks of vacation a year. Which consists of me going somewhere fun and answering work calls and emails while I’m there. https://fa8f2aa3d89dcdc818ff9414373171c5.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

That’s not a real vacation and I’m tired of it. So here I am. On the road to freedom. I don’t mind working at all, but I want to freedom to work when and where I want.

I no longer want to work to make someone else rich. The ability to create your own income streams, with infinite income possibilities, is an incredible way of life.

However, sometimes we need to stay at that 9-5 while we build our income streams to allow us to retire. I actually recommend it, personally. It’s allowed me the ability to spend the money I need on my businesses to get to those income streams faster.

Eventually, it is time. Your income streams look good and you are ready to take the leap.

But before quitting your job, you (and me) should consider these 10 things:

Make Sure You Have Enough Money

I know this seems like a given, but it really is the most important thing.

Consider cutting expenses and saving as much money as you can. Here are some helpful resources:

• 7 Ways to Trick Yourself into Saving;
• How to Save $3,000 with this 52 week challenge;
• 5 Ways to Save $10,000 Each Year.

I use Personal Capital to track all my expenses. It’s a super easy (and FREE) way to link all your accounts and track all your income and expenses. It’s a great way to track your net worth too as you embark on your journey to be financially free! https://fa8f2aa3d89dcdc818ff9414373171c5.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

Sign up for Personal Capital now – it’s totally FREE!!!

Health Insurance

What are your plans for being covered? If you have your own side hustle as a business, you should be able to get health insurance through that and deduct the expense of the plan on your taxes.

If you’re married and your spouse still works, you should be able to get on his/her insurance.

For the short term, you have the option of paying COBRA, which is basically continuing the insurance coverage from your previous job for 18-36 months. You will have to pay the whole premium, which can be expensive depending on the plan your previous employer has.

What Will You Do? (i.e. Find Your Passion)

So many people think they will quit their job and just do whatever they want. And then they get bored after a month. And with boredom comes depression.

It is important to have a purpose. Whether it be a side hustle, starting a new business, volunteering or participating in hobbies you love, find something.

Negotiate Severance

Always try to negotiate some kind of severance pay when leaving your job.

Also consider working part time if it’s allowed and you haven’t found your “why” yet.

Personally, I will make sure I have someone new trained to fill my position before I leave, as well as offering my services as a consultant for a period of time if needed. This can be a great way to transition out of the workforce while still making that money.

Set Goals and Write Them Down

Yes, even though you are no longer working the 9-5, you should have goals in your life. It’s what helps to give you purpose.

And it’s been proven that writing your goals down makes you more likely to meet them.

Whether your goal is to start your own blog, start an online business, get started in real estate investing, or anything else, write them down.

Then print them out. Look at them every day and take steps to accomplish them.

Do Not Burn Bridges

Do everything you can to leave your company on good terms. You never know what could happen and you want to keep as many doors open as you can.

Build an Emergency Fund

I can’t stress this enough. This goes back to #1 in that you should definitely make sure you have enough money. I recommend having at least 6-12 months of living expenses (and business expenses if applicable) saved up before making the leap. Just in case.

Workspace Boundaries?

When will you be done working? How will you separate work from personal? It’s best to have a separate space set up so you can disconnect from it.

Cost Plus World Market has a great selection of super cute and fun home office furniture and decor. And they have free shipping on order over $49, which is awesome right now!

Obviously, if you’re not planning on working your side hustle, you don’t really need to do this. https://fa8f2aa3d89dcdc818ff9414373171c5.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

Get an Understanding of Taxes

Whether your situation is a retiree using retirement funds, using other savings, or turning your side hustle into a business, you need to get an understanding of your tax situation.

Nothing hurts worse than finding out you owe the tax man at tax time. Especially if you don’t have the money to pay for it.

So understand your taxes. And know, if you are a small business, you should be paying quarterly taxes – don’t get dinged with penalties at the end of the year because you didn’t know you had to pay quarterly.

Talk to an accountant if taxes aren’t your thing. Personally, I’m a CPA, so I do understand the tax rules, but even I am looking to hire this task out!

https://fa8f2aa3d89dcdc818ff9414373171c5.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

Relax and Have a Little Fun

Yes, quitting your job can be stressful and invoke feelings of worry and even panic, and there is a lot to think about before making the plunge.

You’ll be ok. As long as you have a well thought out plan, it’s time to get excited about your upcoming freedom!

Nothing is quite as good as having to freedom to work when and where you want to.

Source: https://leaveyour9-5.com/what-to-do-before-quitting-your-job loaded 16.03.2021

January 19, 2021 by James

Escaping the 9-5 ‘trap’ almost becomes a job in itself when you feel desperate to find freedom, or another way to earn a living.

It can be a time of real frustration, or even pain. So, it’s good to start by taking a step back, considering your options, while understanding what it’ll actually involve to ‘ditch the day job’ for good.

Some will have you believe that the 9-5 is a trap. Others will have you believe that it can be escaped overnight.

Is this really true?

And how do you escape the 9-5?

Here’s the answer:

There’s several different ways to escape the 9-5, not a “single magic formula.” How you do it is by finding a way to earn a living for yourself (in case that wasn’t obvious). The exact method is your choice, but it’s best to pick the route that feels right to you and your situation. The one that suits your personality and the lifestyle you want.

That’s all rather vague, you’re probably thinking.

So, in just a flash, we’ll cover off some different ways to leave the ‘rat race’ behind, and answer those other all-important questions about the 9-5 (without a get-rich-quick scheme in sight).

First, you might be interested to understand how the world got itself into the way of working that is ‘the 9-5’ (then again, you might not, in which case, scroll away).

What Is The 9-5?

TIM FERRIS VIDEO

The 9-5 is of course the standard, traditional hours of a typical working day, which many employees accept, but others hate and try to escape (or avoid altogether). The 9-5 also happens to be a belter of a tune, sung by Dolly Parton.

Rumour has it (ok, Wikipedia has it) that the 8 hour work day now known as ‘the 9-5’ was first around in some form towards the end of the 16th century. More recently, it became a standard way of working in the early 19th century.

This was when a British textile mill operator, named Robert Owen, coined the phrase “eight hours labor, eight hours recreation, and eight hours rest” for his workers (which was an improvement on the previous working hours).

In 1926, Henry Ford of Ford Motors adopted the standard 40 hour work-week for those on his factory production lines and over the next century or so, the 9-5 day became the mainstream approach to labour being used in business, across various industries.

Jumping forward several decades (because you’re not really here for the history lesson), Tim Ferris came along in 2007 with his book The 4-Hour Work Week, which seemed to be the first real thing to open most people’s eyes to an alternative working life.

People like Pat Flynn soon followed and started the passive income bandwagon rolling.

There’s plenty of jobs that still require people to work from 9 to 5 rigidly (and that’ll probably be the case for some time yet), but the world seems to be slowly coming around to the idea of working more flexibly. Working the ‘9-5’ is nowadays often just a way of referring to conventional jobs where you’re trading your time for money (passive income being the alternative).

Just in case it wasn’t clear, not everyone loves the 9-5. So, for the purpose of this article, the 9-5 means any job that’s not enjoyed (to the extent that you feel like you want to escape this traditional way of working and live with more variety / freedom / enjoyment instead).

For many people, escaping the 9 to 5 means less restrictions, more freedom and an all-round happier way of living. It’s hardly unusual to think about quitting a job to do something more meaningful, although (believe it or not), there are some good things about working the traditional 8 hour day.

Is The 9-5 That Bad?

DOLLY PARTON VIDEO

It’ll drive you crazy if you let it, says Dolly

A 9 to 5 job isn’t necessarily bad, if you enjoy what you do for work. It’s when you hate what you do for a living or feel unfulfilled in your job, that the 9-5 is a bad thing. Otherwise, there’s benefits to be had from a 9-5 life, even if you can’t always see them.

Hopefully this balanced view of things won’t have you clearing off to find out how you can make a jillion dollars in two weeks, or something along those lines. Being patient and finding a legitimate way out is probably the better option (we’re getting to the ‘how to escape’ part).

Anyway, working a 9-5 job has its benefits, such as being able to learn things while getting paid, bringing structure to your life and getting to know different people. Having said that, some commonly perceived disadvantages of working the 9-5 include:

• The traffic starts jumping (the commute)
• You barely get by (the money is rubbish)
• It’s all taking and no giving (difficult to get promotions)
• They just use your mind (you sometimes get a lack of credit)
• It’s a rich man’s* game (your work typically makes others more money than you)

*person’s

(Thanks again to Dolly for the inspo).

Again, if we’re being annoyingly balanced about things, then it’s easy to realise that the disadvantages of working a 9-5 life don’t apply to everyone. Nor are 9-5 jobs terrible things across the board, despite how you might sometimes feel.

At the same time, it’s easy to see the 9-5 as the life-sucking monstrosity that you wish you never entered. But there’s a way of escaping the 9-5 without needing to act like a bitter ex before the break-up’s even happened, convincing yourself that trading time for money is the devil.

The reality is, certain people just aren’t suited to working the 9-5. Or at least, they’ve got themselves stuck in a job that they don’t enjoy, and convince themselves that it’s the 9-5 rat race that’s bad.

In many cases, it’s not necessarily the start and finish times of the workday that’s the problem, or even the number of hours that need to be worked. You’ve heard the saying, “when you do what you enjoy, it doesn’t feel like work.”Which is, (again, probably annoyingly), true in many cases.

The real problem is usually that you’re in a job you don’t enjoy (for whatever reason). Or, you don’t have the spare time, money or freedom that you crave, because of the restrictions that come with your job.

Either way, the 9-5 life can be good for some people, and bad for others. This can also change depending on what else is going on in your life at a certain time. What’s clear is, there’s a time in many people’s lives when they at least think about escaping the 9-5.

How To Escape The 9-5

This is the bit where you come to terms with there still being no mention of a “sure-fire way” to quit your job forever.

While you work through the shock, let’s gently put it out there, that it is however possible to earn just as much (or more) money from your interests or hobbies than from your current job. No matter how unlikely it might seem.

Without wanting to underplay that the escape bit can take a bit of time, it’s true that once you realise that it’s possible to earn a good living from what you enjoy, it’s then just a case of working towards it.

First, let’s look at some of the most common ways that you can get out of the 9-5 lifestyle, before going through some logical steps which should see that you achieve your escape from employed work altogether (if you put the effort in).

9 Ideas For Escaping The 9-5

1. Restructure your work week: Ask your boss for more flexible hours. Or maybe consider moving to a different firm (or country) with a more relaxed working philosophy.
2. Go part-time: Drop your hours, or work multiple part-time roles to mix things up a bit.
3. Work seasonally: For example, as a skiing instructor, or in summer camps.
4. Freelance: Put your skills to work by going it alone (full or part-time).
5. Telecommute: Technology makes remote working 100% feasible nowadays.
6. Save and Invest Your Money: Live off of passive income, e.g. rent from property, stock market returns.
7. The side hustle: Get grafting and make some money from nothing.
8. Start your own business: A side hustle being a part-time business, but think about how you could start a business you could start full-time.
9. Make money online: Sell things on eBay or Etsy. Build an online store. Start a blog. (All just versions of a side hustle or business).

Bonus idea: Do something you actually enjoy.

5 Steps To Escaping The 9-5

Before we get to the steps, it’s important to emphasise again that everyone will have their own escape route (the link will show you just one particular example). But the general principles of escaping the 9-5 are pretty much relatable to anyone who feels stuck in that life.

Without further ado (and without any guarantees), here’s5logicalsteps to take, in order to escape the 9-5:

Step 1: Shift Your Mindset

The first step to escaping the 9-5 is to remind yourself that you’re not actually stuck in it forever. No matter how it feels at the time, there’s always other options. Enough other people have proved that it’s possible to earn money another way, so it’s doable for you too.

Getting past the trapped feeling will take longer for some than others. It’s not necessarily as simple as just being optimistic and moving onto step 2. You’ll probably be better off moving onto the next steps whilstacknowledging that your mindset might need changing along the way (clearly it’ll depend on what your current mindset actually is).

Changing your ways of thinking doesn’t happen overnight. Often you need to see evidence of how something can be done, to be able to believe that it’s achievable, at least when you’re not yet in the headspace of seeing opportunities. That’s where taking note of advice from others who’ve been there before comes in (try to find those who actually resonate with you).

Shifting your mindset isn’t all just about believing in the concept and yourself though. Getting motivated is part of it, but it’s also about thinking logically when you’ve got that feeling stuck vibe. If you’re able to think clearly among all the impatience and frustration, that’s a good start. 

It’s only then that you’ll probably realise your mindset will also benefit from covering the following:

• Focus on your interests and strengths
• Do something that’s meaningful to you
• How to think about money
• Passive Income vs Non-Passive Income
• Trading Time For Money
• How to make money (with no money)
• These things can take a bit of time

Step 2: Commit To Investing In Yourself

Once you’ve accepted that the 9-5 doesn’t have to be your life forever, you can make the commitment to yourself that you’ll find another more enjoyable way of working or earning a living, by investing in yourself.

Investing in yourself doesn’t necessarily involve spending money, but at the very least it does mean going out of your way to start learning something new, or to put the time and effort into pursuing something with the intention of changing your life.

If you’re still not yet convinced that escaping the 9-5 is possible, then it’s probably a good idea to consider investing in yourself at this stage anyway. In other words, trying other things out, whether that’s at work or in your spare time. 

Exposing yourself to new experiences and especially learning new things, is what can eventually give the confidence to quit a job forever.

As an example, learning about the absolute basics of business might sound drab, but when combined with whatever other interests or hobbies you have, you might be surprised at how quickly you see some light at the end of the 9-5 tunnel. (Brief spoiler: one of the absolute basics is providing value to other people).

Step 3: Make an Escape Plan

This step all starts with some reverse engineering, like all good plans for success do.

It’s corny, but it’s totally possible to design your ‘dream’ life, and that’s exactly what you should consider doing here. Think about and write down what you want your lifestyle to look like once you’ve quit the 9-5.

This should involve what you actually want to do with your time, whether you want to serve a particular purpose, how often (or not) you want to be working, who you want to spend your time with, and how much money you want to make (along with anything else that’s important to you).

Next, begin to piece together how you think achieving that lifestyle would be possible and by when you think you could achieve it. Try breaking down the steps that you’d need to take, into years, months, weeks and days, so you end up with what your first step would be.

Further suggested reading: 
Making A Plan To Quit The 9-5
How To Make Money With Little To No Money
How To Solve Your Own Problems In Life

Step 4: Work Towards Your Escape

This is where the execution phase happens, whatever method of escape you came up with in your plan.

Ideally, when investing in yourself, this’d include learning about what it takes to successfully escape the 9-5 and work for yourself (hint: reading the absolute basics of business is a start if you haven’t already).

Not to harp on about it, but even if working for yourself isn’t necessarily a part of your escape plan, learning the absolute basics of business can help the mindset needed for everyday life.

Either way, actually taking the steps and making progress towards freedom, or even financial independence, is the thing to focus on here. 

There’s really not much more to it. This part is simply about taking consistent action day after day, implementing your plan, towards your ideal life. Until you reach it.

Further suggested reading:
Why Persistence Is The Key To Success
Is Financial Independence Possible
The Values Needed For Success

Step 5: Quit Your Job and Escape the 9-5

When you’ve reached a stage of earning money away from the 9-5 (after putting in the work needed in step 4), you’ll need to decide whether you’re earning enough to quit your job and escape the 9-5 for good (whether passively or non-passively).

This’ll depend on several different factors, including your overall ambitions, your level of misery, and your dependents, for example.

Once you do start making money away from your regular day job, you might actually realise that trading time for money isn’t necessarily a trap. Although, passive income is also good. As is knowing how to escape the 9-5 if you want to.

Escaping The 9-5: A Quick Recap

There’s several ways to escape the 9-5, some involving changing jobs to live with different work hours or patterns. The other main way is to essentially invest or start a business and work for yourself.

In short, shifting your mindset, investing in yourself, making an escape plan and taking action is how you actually get out of the ‘rat race.’

View Posts

Try to remember those four things: 

1. Shift your mindset.
2. Invest in yourself.
3. Make a plan.
4. Take action.

So that’s how to escape the 9-5 life. In theory at least. The only way to really do it, is by taking responsibility for your own life and actually taking the steps. Post navigation Consistency: The Key To Success (Or Is It?)The “How To Stop Trading Time For Money” ‘Trap’

Source: https://ditchingthedayjob.com/how-to-escape-the-9-to-5-trap loaded 16.03.2021

This is a review about how to read this book and why you should read this book.

Rich Dad, Poor Dad — 10 Things

When I look at the Facebook or Twitter stream of many German-speaking bloggers, I see one thing:

Self-promotion.

That shocks me. I’m really amazed at how little help is given to each other.

I travel a lot in the English-speaking world and notice a big difference.

And it’s not just me who notices it. I talked to some German bloggers and they all agree with me:

In the German blogosphere, everyone only cares about themselves.

There’s just one catch: the whole point of blogging is lost!

Because blogging is a social medium. And social always means with each other.

But let’s take a closer look at the five mistakes.

1. You don’t live a culture of give and take.

You do something for me, I do something for you.

This social principle is hard-wired into our DNA. It’s also called the law of reciprocity.

And I bet with you, your parents taught you that way. It’s just that we German bloggers somehow like to forget it.

The saying is old and worn out. Nevertheless, it’s true: one hand washes the other. No matter if you think it’s basically right or wrong. You just have to internalize it and accept it. The world works like this.

And there’s nothing wrong with that.

The other day I went out to dinner with my good buddy Vitali, who is a self-employed financial advisor. He paid.

Immediately after, we went to a bar and knocked back a couple of banana wheats. (Yep, bananas are a main component of my diet).

And guess who got in line to pick up the tab for the wheat? Me.

I asked for it. I felt the “psychological need” to give something back to him.

That kind of togetherness is just harmonious. That’s how life is supposed to be. Not otherwise.

What about you?

2. You don’t comment on other blogs

Now, to start living a culture of give and take, you should comment on other blogs in your niche.

This is the first, easiest and fastest step to building a relationship with a blogger.

Every blogger is happy to receive a constructive comment.

A good example here is Mark Maslow of MarathonFitness. He comments here more often on affenblog, even though it doesn’t do him any good. He’s in a completely different niche.

But he’s a cool guy and a smart blogger. We mastermind monthly. And his comment is just a little sign of life that keeps the friendship going.

I myself started as a total nobody in 2012 and built a relationship with almost every blogger in my niche with the help of comments.

But commenting doesn’t just get you something in the long run.

In the short term, you also get the perfect visitors, who in turn become subscribers and customers.

A clear win-win for everyone.

3. You don’t share the content of other bloggers

Why do many German bloggers not share the content of other bloggers in their niche?

Because everyone fights only for themselves … and doesn’t see the big picture.

Unfortunately, this is exactly the wrong way. That’s not how you build an audience.

TA McCann has created a simple 5-3-2 rule for social sharing:

5 other people's content. 3 own content. 2 personal content.

You need content for your social media profiles. You’re unlikely to have the capacity to post only your own content. And even if: Blogging is sharing! Why don’t you share the content of others?

This will give you even more advantages: You will be perceived as an independent authority in your niche. And not as an egocentric blabbermouth.

Of course, I have an anecdote to go with it. I once thanked Katharina Lewald of Blogging for Smart Women for sharing my content.

What do you think? What did she reply?

I have you to thank! I'm building an audience with your content!

Katharina gets it.

How’s that working out for you?

4. You don’t link to other bloggers’ content.

I regularly link to other bloggers in and out of my niche.

I even write articles that, at their core, do nothing but add value to you and promote other bloggers (while getting attention themselves).

The problem is simply, if you don’t link out, you don’t have a dialogue. And wait, wasn’t blogging always about a dialogue?

Linking out are like little gifts. Everyone is happy to receive them. And in the long run, it affects your Google rankings. So why not give each other gifts? Yes, why not?

Linking to each other is part of blogging etiquette. Please stick to it.

5. You don’t write guest posts for other bloggers.

Guest posts are a quick and easy way to get attention and exposure.

This also has a lot to do with my 50/50 rule on blog article promotion:

50% Create. 50% Promote.

But writing guest posts is a fine art. Depending on the blog, the content may have high standards. And you first have to live up to them.

I’ve had to turn down guest posts a few times because they simply didn’t meet the quality standards of affenblog.

Of course, we haven’t yet reached the proportions we have in the States. There you can write a guest post and get new subscribers in triple digits. Here in the German-speaking world, unfortunately, it’s only double digits at the moment.

But there’s no use crying about it.

We German bloggers have to pull ourselves together. Just keep going. And build the same ratios.

Period.

A wonderful showcase example is my blog colleague Walter Epp from Schreibsuchti. He’s mighty active when it comes to writing guest posts, building a rapidly growing audience.

It is also interesting to note that he has written one of the most popular articles here on affenblog. This brings him permanently new visitors and subscribers. So writing guest posts brings something, right?

No matter where you look. Walter seems to be everywhere.

How’s that working out for you?

Conclusion

Please dear German blogger, throw your ego thoughts overboard.

Write guest posts for other bloggers. Link, share and comment on their content. Live a culture of give and take.

Because I haven’t told you a little secret yet: Your reader isn’t stupid. Your reader also reads your competitor’s blog.

He doesn’t just buy your products, he buys your competitor’s products, too, if they’re different. And even when they don’t differ.

At the end of the day, your reader decides. He sorts the offer. Not you.

That’s why I dream that when I scan through the Facebook or Twitter stream of German bloggers, I see one thing:

Give and take.

Please let this dream come true. We all have something from it.

Source: https://www.chimpify.de/marketing/fehler-deutsche-blogger loaded 13.03.2021. Translated from the German original with www.DeepL.com/Translator

Published 15.03.2021 by Schmitt Trading Ltd

As described in my previous posts, it is not so easy to make the decision for either WordPress.com or WordPress.org.

As a company, I have had my own webspace and domain Schmitt-Trading.com since its foundation in 2016.

Nevertheless, I kept writing content about my business ideas on different WordPress.com sites:

Jump to Schmitt Publishing

Jump to Schmitt Car Trading

Jump to Schmitt Car Accessories

Jump to Schmitt Trading Software

Jump to Schmitt Trading

Jump to Schmitt Translations

Jump to Schmitt Lighting

These websites are still up and running.

Advantages of WordPress.org

As WordPress.org requires a self-hosted solution, I was well-prepared with my own web server.

The original sitemap was planned to look like this (German and English):

schmitt-trading.com

de.schmitt-trading.com                                                                      en. schmitt-trading.com

de.Wissensportal Finanzen                                                       en.portal for financial literacy

de.Marc Redwitz                                                                                         en.Marc Redwitz

de.Buchverlag                                                                                                  en.publishing

de.Aktienhandel                                                                                               en.daytrading

de.Handelssoftware                                                                                  en.trading software

de.Autos                                                                                                                  en.cars

de.Trinkwassergewinnung                                                          en.Drinking water production

de.The Ocean Cleanup                                                                         en.The Ocean Cleanup

de.Wasser 3.0                                                                                                    en.Wasser 3.0

de.katadyn.com                                                                                              en.katadyn.com

de.Sonnenenergie                                                                                           en.solar energy

de.Windenergie                                                                                               en.wind energy

As my web server also includes CPanel, I could easily create subdomains and setup new WordPress installations on them.

Disadvantages of WordPress.org

When I host my WordPress installation by myself, I am also responsible for the complete administration.

But I do not want to care for updates or security patches.

I want to participate in the WordPress.com community and share my content and reblog the content of others.

In my undertanding, this is not possible with WordPress.org as I am not logged in the WordPress.com community.

Advantages of WordPress.com

WordPress.com is a closed system on the internet.

I just log into my account and start blogging from there.

The company behind it – Automattic Inc. – is responsible for maintenance, updates and security patches.

I do not have to care about these “technical issues”.

According to Automattic Inc. they have many internet servers on the whole world.

So I guess that availability and up time is no issue at all.

Furthermore, WordPress.com offers a huge community of other bloggers.

Via my WordPress.com account, I can get into contact with all these other bloggers around the world.

I find this very exciting and I am fascinated about the input I get on a daily basis.

When I like a blog post of another WordPress.com blogger, I just click the icon “Reblog” and the blog post will immediately be published on my website!

This is a very comfortable way to promote other bloggers and to build a network of like-minded people.

Furthermore, I can also click the “Like” button as known from other social media channels.

If I like to post a comment, I can also do so.

Disadvantages of WordPress.com

WordPress.com is a closed system.

The website is hosted by Automattic Inc. in the United States of America.

If you have privacy concerns with websites hosted on American servers, this may be a severe issue.

I am aware that if the American government decides to shut down WordPress.com, my website content will be gone.

This is why I regularly backup my content.

WordPress.com vs WordPress.org – Which is Better? (Comparison Chart)

Last updated on February 4th, 2020 by Editorial Staff 3.9k Shares ShareTweetSharePin

Did you know that WordPress.com and WordPress.org are actually two very different platforms?

Often beginners confuse WordPress.com and WordPress.org, which leads them to choose the wrong blogging platform for their needs. Even those who know that they are two different platforms are not aware of the differences between them.

We’re often asked by our users which is the better platform: WordPress.com vs WordPress.org. To help answer that, we have created the most comprehensive comparison of free WordPress.com vs WordPress.org (self-hosted version).

Our goal is to highlight the key differences between WordPress.com vs WordPress.org, so you can choose the right platform for your needs.

Since choosing the right platform is crucial for your online success, we have created the most detailed comparison of WordPress.com vs WordPress.org (text comparison, table-based comparison, and a full infographic).

If you just want to start a blog or make a website the RIGHT way, then you can skip this article and head over to our guides here:

• How to Start a Blog with WordPress (step by step)
• How to Create a Website with WordPress (step by step)

Having said that, let’s take a look at the differences between self-hosted WordPress.org vs WordPress.com.

WordPress.com vs WordPress.org (Infographic)

Note: This infographic and article compare the powerful self-hosted WordPress.org with the free WordPress.com hosting service. You can unlock additional features in WordPress.com by upgrading to their paid service. We have highlighted those features as well.

WordPress.com vs WordPress.org Comparison

The best way to understand the difference between WordPress.com vs WordPress.org is to take a look at each platform individually.

WordPress.org

WordPress.org aka “the real WordPress”, is the popular website platform that you have heard all the great things about.

It is open-source and 100% free for anyone to use. All you need is a domain name and web hosting. This is why it is also referred to as self-hosted WordPress.

Below are the pros and cons of using the self-hosted WordPress.org to build your website or blog.

WordPress.org Benefits

With WordPress.org, you have full control of your website. You are free to do anything you want and customize it as much as you need.

Here are some of the benefits of choosing WordPress.org to build your website, and the reason why it is our #1 pick for the best website builder.

• The WordPress software is free, open-source, and super easy to use. (See why is WordPress free?)
• You own your website and all its data. Your site will NOT be turned off because someone decides that it is against their terms of service (as long as you are not doing something illegal). You are in full control.
• You can add free, paid, and custom WordPress plugins / apps to your website.
• You can use customize your website design as needed. You can add any free or premium WordPress theme that you want. You can also create completely custom designs or modify anything that you want.
• You can actually make money from your WordPress site by running your own ads without sharing revenue with anyone.
• You can use powerful tools like Google Analytics for custom analytics and tracking.
• You can use self-hosted WordPress to create an online store to sell digital or physical products, accept credit card payments, and deliver / ship the goods directly from your website.
• You can also create membership sites and sell memberships for premium content, courses, etc and build an online community around your website.

WordPress.org Cons

There are a very few cons of using the self-hosted WordPress.org site.

• Like all websites, you will need web hosting. This is where your website files are stored on the internet. Initially, the cost is around $3-$10 per month. However as your website grows and gets more traffic, the web hosting costs will increase as expected, but then you would be making enough money to cover the costs.
• You are responsible for updates. You can easily update your WordPress site by simply clicking on the update button (1-click), so it’s not too much work.
• You are responsible for backups. Thankfully, there are tons of WordPress backup plugins that let you setup automatic backups.

The real cost of WordPress.org website varies based on what you are trying to build (simple blog, portfolio website, eCommerce store, membership site, etc). There are also other factors like free templates vs premium templates, free plugins vs premium plugins, etc.

On a low budget, you can build your website for as little as $46 per year. See our guide on how much does it really cost to build a WordPress website for full details.

For 99% of users, our recommendation is always to use WordPress.org. See our guide on how to start a website.

WordPress.com

WordPress.com is a hosting service created by the co-founder of WordPress, Matt Mullenweg. Because of the same founder, often users confuse WordPress.com with the popular WordPress.org software.

The WordPress.com hosting service has 5 plans:

• Free – Very limited.
• Personal – $48 per year
• Premium – $96 per year
• Business – $300 per year
• Ecommerce – $540 per year
• VIP – starting at $5000 per month

Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of WordPress.com.

WordPress.com Benefits

The free WordPress.com platform is a good choice for hobby bloggers and those starting a blog for their family. Here are some of the benefits of using WordPress.com:

• It’s free for up to 3GB of space. After that you will have to switch to a paid plan for more space. (Personal plan $48 /year gives you 6GB, Premium plan $96/year gives you 13GB storage, or Business plan for $300/year for 200 GB storage).
• You will not have to worry about updates or backups. WordPress.com will take care of that.

WordPress.com Cons

There are several limitations of free WordPress.com which differentiate it from WordPress.org. Here are some of the disadvantages of using WordPress.com:

• They place ads on all free websites. Your users see those ads, and you don’t make money from it. If you don’t want your users to see their ads, then you can upgrade to a paid plan (starting from $48 per year).
• You are NOT allowed to sell ads on your website, which severely limits ways to monetize your site. If you run a high traffic site, then you can apply for their advertising program called WordAds where you share revenue with them. Premium and Business plan users can use WordAds right away.
• You cannot upload plugins. Free plan users get built-in Jetpack features pre-activated. Business plan users can install from a selection of compatible plugins ($300 / year). WordPress.com VIP program lets you install plugins, and it starts from $5000 per month.
• You cannot upload custom themes. Free plan users can only install from the limited free themes collection. Premium and business plan users can also select premium themes. There are limited customization options for the free version. Premium and Business plan users can use custom CSS.
• You are restricted to their stats. You cannot add Google Analytics or install any other powerful tracking platform. Business plan users can install Google Analytics.
• Free WordPress.com websites come with a WordPress.com branded domain (e.g. https://yourwebsite.wordpress.com). You’ll need a paid plan to get a custom domain name (e.g https://www.yourwebsite.com).
• They can delete your site at any time if they think that it violates their terms of service.
• Your site will display a powered by WordPress.com link. It can be removed by upgrading to the Business plan.
• WordPress.com does not offer any eCommerce features or integrated payment gateways unless you switch to the eCommerce plan.
• You cannot build membership websites with WordPress.com.

As you can see, the WordPress.com hosting platform is quite limited when you’re on the free, personal, or even premium plan. To unlock some of the more advanced features, you have to be on the Business plan ($300 per year) or on the VIP plan ($5000 per month).

WordPress.com vs WordPress.org (FAQs)

Since this is a popular topic, and WPBeginner is the largest free WordPress resource site for beginners, we get tons of questions regarding WordPress.com vs WordPress.org.

We have done our best to answer the most frequently asked questions below:

WordPress.com vs WordPress.org – Which is Better?

If you are a personal blogger, and you don’t care about making money from your website, then go with the free WordPress.com.

If you are a business or a blogger that wants to make money from your site, then we recommend using the self-hosted WordPress.org. It gives you the freedom and flexibility to grow your website the way you want.

While you can get several advanced features with the WordPress.com Business plan ($300 / year for each website), you can make that money go much further on a self-hosted WordPress site which costs $46 per year.

In our expert opinion, WordPress.org is hands down the better platform. That’s the platform that every professional blogger, small business owner, and even big name brands like Disney uses.

Can I Monetize Free WordPress.com Website?

WordPress.com does not allow you to run ads on free WordPress.com websites. If you run a high traffic website, then you can join their own WordAds program and share your ad revenue with WordPress.com.

You can put some affiliate links on your website, but that’s about it.

Basically, you have very limited options to monetize content on your WordPress.com website.

WordPress.com vs WordPress.org – Which one is better for Ecommerce?

WordPress.org offers the easiest way to build an eCommerce website. You can use WooCommerce to build your store or choose from many other WordPress eCommerce, membership, and LMS plugins.

WordPress.com also offers an eCommerce plan starting at $540 per year which is a hefty amount if you are just getting started. It is still limited in terms of features and you’ll have to follow WordPress.com’s terms of services for your eCommerce store.

See our guide on how to start an online store without a high budget.

How do I start a WordPress.org Website?

To start a self-hosted WordPress website, you need a domain name and WordPress hosting.

A domain name is your website’s address on the internet such as google.com, wpbeginner.com, etc. Web hosting is where your website files are stored on the internet.

We recommend using Bluehost for hosting your website because they are one of the largest web hosting companies in the world. They’re also an official WordPress.org recommended hosting provider. Last but not least, they’re offering our users a free domain + 60% off on hosting.

For step by step instructions, you can checkout our free guide on how to make a website.

If you need help, WPBeginner team can even install WordPress and build your website for free. Learn more about how our free WordPress blog setup works.

Can I move from WordPress.com to WordPress.org?

Often new users who don’t know the difference between WordPress.com vs WordPress.org end up starting with the free WordPress.com service. Once they see the limitations of the platform, they want to switch to “the Real WordPress” aka WordPress.org.

Yes, you can definitely switch from WordPress.com to WordPress.org and fairly easily move all of your content.

We have created a step by step guide on how to move your blog from WordPress.com to WordPress.org, or you can take advantage of our free blog setup service, and we will transfer your blog for free.

WordPress.com vs WordPress.org – Summary

The best way to think about the differences between WordPress.com vs WordPress.org is the analogy of renting a house vs. owning a house.

WordPress.com is similar to renting a house. You have limited power and control over what you can and cannot do.

WordPress.org is like owning a house. Where you have full control, no one can kick you out, and you can do anything that you want.

Below is the summary of everything we discussed above in our self-hosted WordPress.org vs WordPress.com comparison:

	WP.org (Platform)	WP.com (Free)	WP.com (Premium)	WP.com (Business)
Cost	$46 – $100 / year	Free	$96 / year	$300/ year
Custom Domain	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Hosting Storage	Unlimited	3 GB	13 GB	200 GB
Monetization Freedom	Yes	No	Yes (with rev/share)	Yes (with rev / share)
Branding Freedom	Yes	No	No	Yes
All SEO Features	Yes	No	No	Yes
Powerful Analytics	Yes	No	No	Yes
Full Theme Support	Yes	No	Limited	Yes
Full Plugin Support	Yes	No	No	Yes
Ecommerce Store	Yes	No	No	No
Membership Site	Yes	No	No	No
Maintenance	Yes	No	No	No
Full Control	Yes	No	No	No

Final Thoughts

The confusion created by similar domains: WordPress.com vs WordPress.org is quite unfortunate for beginners. There is a lot of history behind the decisions, and you can read more about that in our article how WordPress.com and WordPress.org are related.

Our hope is that you found this article helpful in understanding the differences between WordPress.org and WordPress.com.

We wish you all the best with your website and hope that you chose the right platform: WordPress.org.

If so, you may want to follow our guide on how to learn WordPress in 7 days or less. You may also want to see our guide on how to increase your blog traffic (with 27 proven tips).

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

Source: https://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/self-hosted-wordpress-org-vs-free-wordpress-com-infograph loaded 13.03.2021