CEOs are Obsessed with This One Number. Here’s Why You Should Be, Too

CEOs know money. That’s why they make so much of it.

Every company’s CEO keeps an eagle eye on one number — the bottom line. Add up your revenue, subtract your expenses, and you’ve got your bottom line. Ultimately, it’s the only number that matters.

So many of us get a little sloppy about the bottom line. We earn what we earn, and we spend a little too much, and before you know it, we’re in debt. Deep in debt.

But that CEO in the corner office who pulls in $15 million a year? That person is laser-focused on the bottom line. Obsessed with it. Always looking for ways to improve it.

Here are six ways you can improve your bottom line — just like a CEO:

1. Stop Paying Your Credit Card Company

Credit card debt will put a hurting on your bottom line like nothing else. And the truth is, your credit card company doesn’t really care. It’s just getting rich by ripping you off with high interest rates.

But a website called Fiona could help you pay off that bill as soon as tomorrow.

Here’s how it works: Fiona can match you with a low-interest loan you can use to pay off every credit card balance you have. The benefit? You’re left with just one bill to pay every month, and because the interest rate is so much lower, you can get out of debt so much faster. Plus, no credit card payment this month.

If your credit score is at least 620, Fiona can help you borrow up to $100,000 (no collateral needed) with fixed rates starting at 5.20% and terms from 4 to 144 months.

Fiona won’t make you stand in line or call a bank. And if you’re worried you won’t qualify, it’s free to check online. It takes just two minutes, and it could save you thousands of dollars. Totally worth it.

All that credit card debt — and the anxiety that comes with it — could be gone by tomorrow.

2. Let This App Pay You up to $83 When You Win Solitaire Games

Revenue is the lifeblood of any companies. CEOs know this. That’s why they’re always looking for ways to diversify revenue. You can do the same thing.

There’s a free iPhone app called Solitaire Cash that lets you play for real money. You could get paid up to $83 per win.

You might be thinking: There’s got to be a catch. This is definitely one of those spammy apps, right?

Wrong. There really isn’t a catch. Most of the games are free, but cash players can join higher-stakes tournaments for bigger cash prizes. But there’s no pressure — there aren’t even any annoying ads.

With each game, you’ll battle it out against at least five other players. Everyone gets the same deck, so winning is totally a matter of skill. The top three players who solve the deck fastest can win real money — anywhere from $1 to $83.

Over on the App Store, it has over a million downloads and more than 15,000 ratings, averaging 4.7 stars (out of 5).

To get started, just download the free app and start playing your first game immediately.

3. Make Sure You’re Not Overpaying

Here’s another way to bump up your bottom line: Stop overpaying for things.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you got an alert when you’re shopping online at Target and are about to overpay? That’s what this free service does.

Just add it to your browser for free, and before you check out, it’ll check other websites, including Walmart, eBay and others to see if your item is available for cheaper. Plus, you can get coupon codes, set up price-drop alerts and even see the item’s price history.

Let’s say you’re shopping for a new TV, and you assume you’ve found the best price. Here’s when you’ll get a pop up letting you know if that exact TV is available elsewhere for cheaper. If there are any available coupon codes, they’ll also automatically be applied to your order.

In the last year, this has saved people $160 million.

You can get started in just a few clicks to see if you’re overpaying online.

4. Knock $540/Year From Your Car Insurance in Minutes

Your bottom line is kind of like a moving target. CEOs are never satisfied; they’re always looking for new ways to cut expenses and make sure they’re not overpaying. And you can be the same way. For example, when’s the last time you checked car insurance prices?

You should shop your options every six months or so — it could save you some serious money. Let’s be real, though. It’s probably not the first thing you think about when you wake up. But it doesn’t have to be.

Use a website called EverQuote to see all your options at once.

EverQuote is the largest online marketplace for insurance in the US, so you’ll get the top options from more than 175 different carriers handed right to you.

Take a couple of minutes to answer some questions about yourself and your driving record. With this information, EverQuote will be able to give you the top recommendations for car insurance. In just a few minutes, you could save up to $610 a year.

5. Get Paid $225/Month While Watching Movie Previews

If we told you that you could get paid while watching videos on your computer, you’d probably laugh.

It’s too good to be true, right?

But we’re serious. By signing up for a free account with InboxDollars, you could add up to $225 a month to your pocket. They’ll send you short surveys every day, which you can fill out while you watch someone bake brownies or catch up on the latest Kardashian drama.

No, InboxDollars won’t replace your full-time job, but it’s something easy you can do while you’re already on the couch tonight, wasting time on your phone.

Unlike other sites, InboxDollars pays you in cash — no points or gift cards. It’s already paid its users more than $56 million.

Signing up takes about one minute, and you’ll immediately receive a $5 bonus to get you started.

Mike Brassfield ([email protected]) is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder. He’s not a CEO, but he knows about the bottom line.