If you're one of the millions of Hiffers perpetually broke (I assume millions of you read HIF over each other's shoulder on a single, shared laptop), I know how you feel. However, it could be worse. Imagine if we were also sick on top of being strapped for cash! I know when I was going through chemo, the last thing I needed was another bill.

If you find yourself in a similar boat, one possible method of making a little side money is through paid, legitimate medical research studies. If you have a qualifying illness and live in a needed area, you can apply for a paid clinical trial earning hundreds of dollars!

These types of studies help doctors and research scientists better understand illnesses and diseases as well as find treatments and cures. Some of the studies are demographic while others involve study products or placebos. The trials are run by Acurian, a company who specializes in recruiting potential qualifying candidates for the trials.

When applying for these, I still recommend using your freebie email and freebie phone number. That way, if you change your mind on participating in a trial, you can easily stop any future calls or emails.

While researching Acurian and clinical trials, I came across ClinicalTrials.gov, a searchable database of licensed clinical trials run by the U.S. National Library of Medicine. While many of these do not pay for participation, I've included links to recruiting studies for many of the diagnoses below. When applicable, I also included links to unpaid NIH clinical trials.

As usual, I'm not a professional anything! If you get accepted to a paid study, please make sure to talk it over with your medical doctor first!

Autism Clinical Trial

Approximately 1 in 59 children has been identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), per the CDC. Boys are about 4 times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls.

Payment: Up to $800.

Application Form: Autism Study

Requirements: Men & Women, ages 18+. Must be diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and do not have history of seizures in the past 6 months to qualify.

Locations: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Missouri, New York, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, Washington

There are additional studies you may qualify for.

Chronic Cough Clinical Trial

Chronic Cough is defined as a cough that lasts longer than 8 weeks, which may affect up to 12% of the adult US population.

Payment: Up to $350.

Application Form: Chronic cough study

Requirements: Men & Women, ages 18+. Must have 1 year or more of refractory or unexplained chronic cough and have received appropriate therapy and continues to cough.

Locations: Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Maine, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Virginia, Washington

There are additional studies you may qualify for.

Crohn's Disease Clinical Trial

The prevalence of Crohn's Disease is currently estimated at 500,000 people in the U.S.

Payment: Up to $650.

Application Form: Crohn's disease study

Requirements: Men & Women, ages 18-75. Must have been diagnosed with Crohn's disease, with active symptoms, and do not have any serious associated diseases like Cancer, HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, etc.

Locations: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin

The NIH is running a Crohn's disease study.

There are additional studies you may qualify for.

Depression Clinical Trial

Depression is a mental health disorder characterized by persistently depressed mood or loss of interest in daily activities. More than 3 million adults suffer from depression in the US.

Payment: Up to $500.

Application Form: Depression study

Requirements: Men & Women, ages 18-65. Must report having depression and must have been prescribed antidepressant treatments to qualify.

Locations: Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, Washington

There are additional studies you may qualify for.

Diabetes Clinical Trial

Of the 30 million Americans suffering from diabetes, 90-95% of them have type 2 diabetes. That, coupled with the large pool of locations, means quite a few Hiffers might qualify for this valuable clinical trial!

Payment: Up to $750.

Application Form: Diabetes study

Requirements: Men & Women, ages 18+. Must have type 2 diabetes and must be controlling their Diabetes with diet and exercise to qualify.

Locations: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia

There are a ton of additional studies you may qualify for.

Eczema Clinical Trial

Are you one of the 31.6 million Americans who are estimated to suffer from eczema? Worldwide, about 20 percent of children and up to 3 percent of the adult population have some form of eczema.

Payment: Up to $400.

Application Form: Eczema study

Requirements: Men & Women, ages 18+. Must have been diagnosed of Eczema for at least a year to qualify.

Locations: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington

The NIH is running multiple eczema (atopic dermatitis) studies.

There are additional studies you may qualify for.

Gastroparesis Clinical Trial

If you're one of the 12% of those with Diabetes who experience Gastroparesis, then sign up for this paid clinical study.

Payment: Up to $500.

Application Form: Gastroparesis study

Requirements: Men & Women, ages 18+. Must have had Type 1 Diabetes or Type 2 Diabetes for at least 5 years to qualify. Also need to display symptoms of Diabetic Gastroparesis for at least 3 months and have a history of at least 2 vomiting episodes in the last two weeks before study screen.

Locations: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, United States, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, United States, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia

There are additional studies you may qualify for.

High Cholesterol Clinical Trial

Hyperlipidemia is found in 35% of men and 25% of women, affecting nearly 1 in 3 American adults.

Payment: Up to $750.

Application Form: High cholesterol study

Requirements: Men & Women, ages 18+. Must have High Cholesterol, Hyperlipidemia or High Triglycerides to qualify.

Locations: Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah

There are additional studies you may qualify for.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome Clinical Trial

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is has been reported in up to 20% of the US adults, affecting 1.3% of the population.

Payment: Up to $300.

Application Form: Irritable bowel syndrome study

Requirements: Women only, ages 18-49. Must have symptoms of IBS include diarrhea and abdominal pain and must have report symptoms for at least 6 months to qualify.

Locations: Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Tennessee

There are additional studies you may qualify for.

Lupus Clinical Trial

Lupus is a chronic, serious autoimmune disease that is most common among women of childbearing age. There are an estimated 5 million people suffering from Lupus worldwide.

It was also never the correct diagnosis on House.

Payment: Up to $500.

Application Form: Lupus study

Requirements: Men & Women, ages 18+. Must have been diagnosed with Lupus for at least 6 months to qualify.

Locations: Alabama, California, Connecticut, Florida, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Virginia

The NIH is running a systemic Lupus Erythematosus study.

There are additional studies you may qualify for.

Men's Health Clinical Trial

Payment: Up to $600.

Application Form: Men's Health study

Requirements: Men only, ages 50+. Must have been experiencing pain, fatigue, mood changes, weight gain or age related health concerns.

Locations: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington

Osteoarthritis Clinical Trial

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis, affecting over 30 million US adults.

Payment: Up to $850.

Application Form: Osteoarthritis study

Requirements: Men & Women, ages 18+. Must have been diagnosed with Osteoarthritis in the knee or hip.

Locations: Arizona, California, Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Carolina, Texas

There are additional studies you may qualify for.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Clinical Trial

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune and inflammatory disease that mainly attacks the joints in the hands, wrists, and knees.

It causes intense pain, swelling, redness, and stiffness in joints. About 1.3 million people in the U.S. have RA.

Payment: Up to $625.

Application Form: Rheumatoid arthritis study

Requirements: Men & Women, ages 18+. Must have been diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis and otherwise healthy without serious concomitant diseases such as Cancer, HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, etc.

Locations: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas

The NIH is running a Rheumatoid arthritis study.

There are additional studies you may qualify for.

Ulcerative Colitis Clinical Trial

Approximately 700,000 people in the United States have Ulcerative Colitis.

Payment: Up to $700.

Application Form: Ulcerative Colitis study

Requirements: Men & Women, ages 18+. Must have been diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis to qualify.

Locations: Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah

The NIH is running a Ulcerative Colitis study.

There are additional studies you may qualify for.

Uterine Fibroids / Endometriosis Clinical Trial

Uterine Fibroids are noncancerous growths on the uterus, Roughly 35% of women worldwide have Uterine Fibroids, UF can lead to iron-deficiency anemia, fatigue and energy loss.

Endometriosis is a disorder in which tissue that normally lines the uterus grows outside of it, Ovarian cysts are common to occur.

Payment: Up to $500.

Application Form: Uterine Fibroids / Endometriosis study

Requirements: Women only, ages 18-50. Must have diagnosis of Uterine Fibroids/ Endometriosis and regular menstrual cycles. Must not be currently pregnant and otherwise healthy.

Locations: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia

There are both additional Uterine Fibroids studies and additional Endometriosis studies you may qualify for.

So there ya have it!

These are some basic, simple studies that might end up paying big for you, a family member, or somebody you know with one of the medical conditions listed above. If only we all could make a little money off our health concerns!

My friends and I have shared various online chats since 2001, but we didn't discover Slack wasn't until 2015. It's now a program I couldn't live without. Goofing off and sharing links throughout the day with each other is so easy, even as we're spread across the globe.

A while back, one of the Slack rooms lit when a buddy of mine found an old link on Reddit about free unclaimed money. The following conversation ensued:

We laughed and my buddy proceeded to call his dad to walk him through claiming his $113. It was only later that it struck me. If one of my good friends didn't know about this page on HIF detailing how to search for unclaimed money, then I bet a ton of readers who haven't been with HIF since Day 1 don't know about it either!

So I decided to dust off this old post and republish it in the hopes that more Hiffers could find some free cash!

Wait, Free Money? What's the Catch?

Long story short, there are a few websites where you can search your name for unclaimed money you're entitled to. This could be money from bank errors, back pay from past jobs or employers, money from stocks, or from a myriad of other ways for money to be owed to you.

If the government owes you money and you do not collect it, then it's unclaimed. This also applies to banks, credit unions, utilities, pensions, and stocks, and many other sources.

As you can see, my buddy found $100 for his dad from a tax rebate he was owed from the mid-90s. The most I've ever found for myself was an $8 check from Verizon. But hey, it was something!

Find Unclaimed Money

MissingMoney.com

The easiest unclaimed money search form is MissingMoney.com. It searches multiple databases at once and is the only officially endorsed aggregate site by the NAUPA (National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators).

Simply enter your name and state and click “Go.” You should also search for any state you've previously lived, worked, or owned property in. If a match is found, you can complete a form that confirms your identity

However, as with most “one size fits all” solutions, it works for most people but not all people. The site doesn't work for citizens in CA, CT, DE, GA, HI, KS, OR, PA, WA, or WY. Similarly, even if you live in a participating state, it's no guarantee that MissingMoney.com has your info.

That's why your next stop should be this US Government official unclaimed money guide. They breakdown all of the individual sites you can search for unclaimed money.

While the government doesn't have a central website for locating unclaimed money, they do have specific areas to look based on where the money is coming from.

States' Unclaimed Money

• Search by State – Search your state's listing of unclaimed funds and property.

Unclaimed Back Wages

• Unpaid Wages – If you think you may be owed back wages from your employer, search the Wage and Hour Division's (WHD's) database of workers for whom it has money waiting to be claimed. WHD is a part of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL).

Life Insurance

• VA Life Insurance Funds – Search the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for unclaimed insurance funds that are owed to certain current or former policyholders or their beneficiaries. Note: This does not include funds from Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI) or Veterans' Group Life Insurance (VGLI) policies from 1965 to the present.

Retirement

• Pensions from Former Employers – Search for unclaimed pension money from companies that went out of business or ended a defined plan.

Taxes

• Tax Refunds – The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) may owe you money if your refund was unclaimed or undelivered.

Banking, Investments, and Currency

• Bank Failures – Search the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) for unclaimed funds from failed financial institutions.
• Credit Union Failures – Find unclaimed deposits from credit unions.
• SEC Claims Funds – The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) lists enforcement cases where a company or person owes investors money.

Mortgages

• FHA-Insurance Refunds – If you had an FHA-insured mortgage, you may be eligible for a refund from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). To search the HUD database, you will need your FHA case number (three digits, a dash, and the next six digits—for example, 051-456789).

International

• Foreign Claims – U.S. nationals can find money owed to them from foreign governments after loss of property.

Beware Unclaimed Money Scams

Finally, watch out fir people who pretend to be the government and offer to send you unclaimed money for a fee. These scammers use a variety of tricks to get your attention, but their goal is the same: to get you to send them money. Government agencies will not call you about unclaimed money or assets.

• The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) provides tips on how you can avoid government imposter scams.

Just remember: if somebody asks you to pay for “free” money, then it's not free!

With those tips, hopefully some Hiffers can find some free cash floating around out there. Get started at MissingMoney.com and good luck!

If you're looking to make a little extra cash from the comfort of your couch this winter, consider applying to VIPKID to teach Engling online to kids in China for as much as $22 per hour! You don't need to know any foreign language and all teaching materials are provided by VIPKID.

Instead, you only need to meet these qualifications.

• Bachelor's degree in any field
• Eligibility to work in the US or Canada with native accent
• Meet eligible tech requirements
• Device – Any Desktop, Laptop, MAC, Surface
• Headset – Use a headset with a microphone, stable output and input
• Camera – HD External camera or HD integrated camera (Most laptops have it)

VIPKID currently employs over 60,000 teachers, but are hiring thousands more right now. Heck, at $22 an hour, I'm thinking of applying! They teach over 500,000 students in China ages 4-12 with a curriculum based on the U.S. Common Core State Standards. In 2018, they even won #1 on Forbes magazines “Best work from home companies” list!

Teachers are recommended to be available for at least 7.5 hours per week, though it's not required. If that sounds like an easy time commitment, then I'd definitely consider applying!

Classes are guaranteed 25 minutes of active teaching time, with an additional 5 minutes assigned for teachers to make a few comments. Peak teaching hours are during Beijing time, Monday-Friday 6-10pm and Saturday-Sunday 9am–10pm. Here's a handy converter for US time zones. While not required to teach in these time zones, availability during them will help your application chances.

A few Hiffers have sent this site to me, so I know a few of y'all are making some money with VIPKID. If you're one of them, what are your thoughts? I'd love to hear them in the comments!

Amazon has come up with another “huh, interesting, I could see this working out” idea called Amazon Cash. As the name suggests, it's a way for you to turn cash into Amazon credit at over 30,000 participating retail locations. While that might seem counter intuitive to some, I know there are people out there like yours truly who tend to spend cash in my pocket far faster than if I put it in the bank or have it as store credit.

Confused? Let Amazon explain!

Since people love free money, they're offering $5 in free Amazon credit to new users when you add $20 to your account thru 6/30/19! Simply generate a barcode by clicking the “Get Your Barcode” near the top left. Then either print it out or send it to your phone via text and visit a participating merchant like CVS, Gamestop, 7-Eleven or a dozen more stores. You'll then pay $20 in cash and have the store scan your barcode, which will give you $25 Amazon credit!

So in effect, you pay $20 and get $25 in Amazon credit! You can then go online immediately and spend the credit on anything Amazon sells.

The free promotional credit expires 8/31/19, so make sure you to redeem it before then.

You may remember Robinhood's awesome free stock promotion (which is still active!) where you received a free share of stock that could be worth up to $200. A few Hiffers even got the mega-expensive stock shares for free and were able to cash out within weeks!

Well, you know what they say about success, imitation, and flattery. Enter Webull Financial!

They saw Robinhood blasting off to the moon and thought “hmmm, we could do that too.” But what's a good way to differentiate themselves? Oh, I know, offer free stock shares that could be worth up to $1000! 🤑

What's Webull

If you've never heard of Webull, you're not alone because they're a relatively new company based out of New York City. Just like Robinhood, Webull is a registered broker dealer with the SEC and a member of FINRA and SIPC.

Their main goal is to bring free stock trading to the masses. Gone are the days of paying a $7 commission just to buy or sell stock.

This means you get unlimited free trades, with no minimum balance, along with a boatload of investment and research charts, information, and news – something I found lacking from Robinhood.

So how do they make money while offering free trades? By having a lot of customers! Webull makes tiny amounts of money on cash balances, interest, and premium memberships, so they don't charge crazy-high fees just for selling stock.

Obviously, Webull hopes we become lifelong members. But for our intents and purpose, we just want that sweet, sweet free share of stock!

Get your free share of stock now!

The odds of specific stock allocation is implied as follows:

• Stock worth $4-$6 per share are awarded approximately 1:1.1
• Stock worth $10-$20 per share are awarded approximately 1:24
• Stock worth $50-$100 per share are awarded approximately 1:200
• Stock worth $150-$250 per share are awarded approximately 1:333
• Stock worth over $1,000 per share range are awarded approximately 1:1,000

Get your Free Stock

To get your free share of stock, you need to do the following easy steps.

1. Signup here to open a new brokerage account.

Important Free Stock Tip

When signing up, please write down or save the referring tag in the link! It's the text that comes after ?inviteCode=COPYTHISTEXT

If you run into any trouble with Webull not giving you your free stock, you'll need this piece of information when contacting their customer support!

2. Upon registering, follow the prompt to download the Webull app for your iPhone or Android.
3. Wait for your account to be approved. Mine took around an hour, but I've seen some people take up to a full day.
4. Open the app, click the left menu, and then click “My Free Stock.”
5. Once your account is approved, you'll see a “CONGRATULATIONS! You get a chance to draw a free stock.” message with a giant “GET” button next to it.
6. Click it and claim your free share of stock!

From the same screen, you can invite any friends and family to Webull for even more free stock.

I managed to score a free share of ABEV, the parent company of Anheuser-Busch, valued at $4.49. Hopefully people keep drinking and drive the price up. 😂

Get up to $1,000 free today!

What to do with your Free Stock

Your stock will be credited to your account within 5 business days and you'll then be free to do whatever you want! You can sell it for cash, keep it for an investment, or even transfer it to Robinhood if you prefer that app. You can also transfer your free Robinhood stock over to Webull if you like the newer app better.

Is it seriously tax time again? Already?! You've got to be kidding me. I swear, it's every freaking year, like clockwork.

Before I get to any freebies, let's get one thing out of the way. If you assume I'm going to take this opportunity to post my favorite Simpsons tax day video, then you know me too well!

If you're looking to get your IRS tax return in faster than Homer or before another huge backlog piles up, then I've got some free and discounted options below!

Free 2019 Federal Tax Filings

TurboTax Free Edition – TurboTax offers both free federal and state tax returns if you use the most common forms, like a 1040. However, they even offer slightly more forms for free than most other services – you can see a full list by scrolling down and click on grey “tax forms” tab. Also, if you're a returning customer, almost 50% of your work is done by transferring last year's info with a single click!

If you need to upgrade, TurboTax is offering up to $20 off through 2/18/19. Don't worry if you miss that deadline though, it's been my experience that it's rather easy to find another similar promo between now and tax day.

H&R Block Free – Another free federal and state tax option is H&R Block. On top of being free, they're heavily promoting the difference between them and TurboTax.

H&R Block is offering 45 forms required for filing your free online taxes, which is twice as many as TurboTax. They specifically mention these situations to look out for.

• For Families – Child and Dependent Care Expenses
• For Students – Student Loan Interest Deduction
• For Students – Tuition and Fees Statement
• For Uninsured – Health Coverage Exemptions

Obviously, if any of these situations apply to you, H&R Block sounds like the way to go!

If you find you need to upgrade to a different plan, you can get up to 35% off, but I'm not sure for how much longer.

TaxAct – Another provider offering $0 federal and state tax filings is TaxAct. Their free plan is for people with basic 1040, but one limitation is that it does not cover dependents.

Even if you need to upgrade, their first level of paid plans starts at just $10. However, I have a 20% off promo link, making the Basic plan only $7.96 and the Premier less than $30!

Credit Karma Tax – Credit Karma Tax is a premium product that's 100% free, from start to finish. That includes all of our super-useful features, plus free filing for all supported forms and situations. Have a side-hustle? Own a home or sold some stock? Other tax services might charge you to itemize these deductions – but we don't.

From what I can tell, they don't even have a premium plan, so there's really no coupons or promo codes needed.

TaxSlayer – The final, highly rated service on our list offering both state and federal tax returns for free is TaxSlayer. Like the others, this is primarily aimed at single, married, and student filers with a basic 1040.

Their paid services start at $17, but OFFER20 should save 20% off any of their plans!

FreeTaxUSA – Finally, we have FreeTaxUSA, who my friend swears by. One of their nice perks is that they offer all of their federal plans, both Free and Deluxe, absolutely free. So if you have a slightly more complicated federal return, you can still get it completely free with FreeTaxUSA.

The downside is they don't offer any free state tax returns. However, I looked around, and believe you can save 10% with either code FREETAXUSA or COUPONS10.

So there you have it! With one of those six sites, you should be able to file your taxes for free or extremely cheap. Now hopefully we get a break from all these taxes next year! I hear it's a leap year, that's gotta help us somehow.