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Graduation season is upon us! As you make this momentous step, it's critical that you build your credit. This is because you may want to get an apartment and they will certainly check your credit to ensure you can pay rent on time. One way to establish your credit is by getting a secure credit card. This means getting your own card and the limit being equal to the money you’re securing the card with. Another way would be joining as an authorized user on your parent or guardian's credit card. This helps only if they use credit responsibly. 

As you go throughout your collegiate career, you may accumulate student loans. They begin to affect your credit when payments are due. They can have a good effect or a bad effect. If pay as agreed, on time, every month- that is good. If you don’t- that is bad. With this in mind, be sure to check your credit reports regularly to monitor this effect. A great place to check it for free is annualcreditreport.com. If you miss a payment, contact the lender to discuss the situation. Make arrangements that you can actually comply with. Please do not go without communication. If you have messed up your credit and want to work on getting it back on track a secure credit card is another good way. 

Many young people think this is unfair, but your credit history can influence your career opportunities and much more. Some will look at your credit history as a form of character. This will hold true to getting a job or moving up within a company. This is why it’s important to avoid certain mistakes with your credit. Don’t sign up for a credit card for a free sweatshirt or shiny object. Don’t get a credit card if you are not properly budgeting your money. Don’t use credit when you run out of money. Learn as much as you can PRIOR to signing up. Check out this blog to get details on what is on your credit report. You check out this blog for details on what make up your credit score. 

As you move throughout your life, it’s critical that you prioritize your debts following graduation. Be sure to budget, budget, budget! There are some great free resources here to help you budget and organize your debt. Explore my website for subjects you need help with. If you don’t know how to manage your money, seek resources before you mess up! ​I also have great book launching for ages 19-26. The book is the 2nd in a 3 part series titled, It'$ My Money...A guided journal to manage your money Vol2. Check out this link for all that will be included on this book.

This post may contain affiliate links which may compensate us based on your interaction at no cost you. Please read the disclosures for more information. 
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Ever had an interred in being Notary? Have you ever wondered about the Notary whom you may visit to sign documents? With convenience being on demand, guess what this is a service that can come to you. Or have you wondered how you can earn some extra money if you were the one watching folks sign their documents. Better yet, how much can you earn in this profession or as a side hustle? To answer these and other questions in episode #80 we interviewed Andre Hatchett a national acclaimed entrepreneur and philanthropist. Andrea is also the owner of Andre’s Notary School and The Notary Business School.

Now lets get into my conversation with Andre. Andre says, as a mobile notary you can travel to people's locations to notarize documents which could be for situations like:

• Loan closings
• Wills
• Power of Attorneys
• Home closing
• Affidavits
• And many other things 

Where you need a Notary to sign or provide service. There is a variance in charges from a notary traveling to your as opposed where the client travels to the Notary office to get documents notarized. The charges for Mobile Notary can be anywhere from $80 for a quick 15-minute work all the way to $250 per appointment depending on the type of work needed. The ideal clientele for Andre is people who are willing to pay for convenience of having the Notary come to them, rather than to go find their own notary and to be inconvenienced. 

An example for how it would work in the case of home purchase and closing, the client would ideally, state the time they actually need the services and location. It can be at the new home, a coffee shop or a lawyer’s office or wherever the payments and transfer of the title for the client will occur. Andre or someone from his team would show up and then complete all the paperwork required, notarize the signatures on the paperwork as needed by the laws of that state. Usually for a home closing you are there between 30 minutes and 45 minutes at the max. After the appointment is completed, you would scan and send the documents back to the company if need be, and or FedEx or UPS the documents to the client. 

When someone is looking for notary services, they can find them using sites: Notary Rotary and Notary Cafe. At these sites, you can look up services providers via up using zip code, county or city. if you become a notary you want to ensure you and/or your team is listed.

What is the type of work and how much can one earn?
Each appointment with the client lasts between 15 minutes to 45 minutes. The duration is based on the notary service being availed by the client. 

• The simplest of ones is document notarization like Wills, Power of Attorney’s and similar documentation which are a few pages long. Usually in that the process is to verify the Id, watch the clients sign the document and then notarize and stamp the document. Usually done within 15 minutes. 
• Home or loan closing kind of work need a longer appointment maybe up to 45 minutes cos there are a lot of documents to go through and lot of other processes involved. 
• The longest is usually the fingerprinting appointments as many of them can need up to an hour to get it done.

The amount you can earn varies on the services needed. For the most part is is based on duration. 

• For document signature where the work can be completed in 15 minutes the typical charge is between $60 - $80 dollars. 
• Loan closing and fingerprinting appointments which may last between 45 minutes to an hour the charges can be between $150 - $250 per appointment.

Based on the location and the number of appointments you can expect to make $2,000 up to $12,000 a month. 


So I know you are asking, How do you get started Notary?
The business of being a Mobile Notary is not hard but its monotonous and you have to follow a series of of steps to execute the work needed for a client. You have to follow the process and follow it the same way each and every time.   
In around 15 states within the United States there is a written exam you must pass. These exams are one-time exams and not that difficult with approximately 40 questions and most folks can pass clear with some light studying. All states have paperwork to be submitted like proof of residence and other personal information along with the money for yearly licensing fees. 
In terms of the costs to get started it usually is between $250 - $500.

The barriers for entry for being a Mobile Notary is small and most folks can accomplish it if they put their mind to it. Interested in getting started? Join the Bootcamp   

Andre’s Notary School 
Andre has divided his courses within his Notary school into two separate categories:

1. The Notary Fundamentals course
2. The $2-$12K Club.

The 1st one for anyone who wants to be a Mobile Notary needs to go through is the basic bootcamp Notary Fundamentals course.  

This course teaches you the basics and bare bones on how to get started and start making money. This is for folks who are not sure of their commitment to the industry and want to experience a course which shows them step by step beginners process. After going through the course, it will make sure that you will be gainfully self-employed, and you are able to get appointments and execute your works as a Mobile Notary. Then it’s up to you how you want to maximize the scope and how much you want to grow from there. Usually, students who complete the Notary Fundamentals course then elevate and scale up to the $2-$12KClub.

The 2nd one is the $2k-$12K club  is the end-to-end course which has everything needed to make you into a successful Mobile Notary. In this course they teach all the way from domestic document notarization to Authentication. It also includes biweekly coaching, which some people need as they need the support of an accountability group. This course is a great investment for people who know they want to go all in on the Mobile Notary industry. 


After being a Mobile Notary for around 10 years, and his message to all,
“Don’t wait till you need the money to start to learn how to make money”. Your life and career might be going well, and things might be cool as you look at it right now. But life could change quickly, things can move quickly because of which you need some extra income and for which you need to get a new skill. So, get in the game, learn it, and get the necessary licenses, even if you don't implement it right away, get it under your belt.

Interested in listening to my full discussion with Andre, check out here.

​Need to repair or build credit, try a secure credit card here.