Individuali veikla yra lengviausias ir šiais laikais ypač sparčiai populiarėjantis būdas dirbti savarankiškai bei nepriklausomai. Dirbti individualiai – tai reguliariai vykdyti tam tikrą veiklą, siekiant pelno (pavyzdžiui, rašyti ir parduoti įvairius tekstus, kurti interneto puslapius užsakovams ar prekiauti rankų darbo papuošalais). Šitaip uždarbiauti gali kiekvienas fizinis asmuo, nesteigdamas įmonės ir nesusidurdamas su įvairiais teisiniais rebusais. Tam yra du būdai: individuali veikla pagal pažymą arba verslo liudijimas.

Esminis skirtumas tarp šių dviejų variantų yra toks: įsigijus verslo liudijimą reikia iš karto sumokėti fiksuoto dydžio pajamų mokestį, o verstis galima tik tam tikromis verslo liudijimų klasifikatoriuje nurodytomis veiklos rūšimis.

Individuali veikla pagal pažymą ar verslo liudijimą?

Tai yra dažniausiai kylantis klausimas, norintiems pradėti dirbti sau. 

Individualios veiklos pažyma suteikiama neribotam laikui, taip pat šis variantas yra daug lankstenis, tačiau nebūtinai tinkamas kiekvienam. VMI pateikia individualios veiklos pagal pažymą ir verslo liudijimą palyginimą, kurį gali rasti čia. 

Viską, ką reikia žinoti apie individualią veiklą (pagal pažymą ir verslo liudijimą), gali rašti VMI puslapyje: 

• Individuali veikla pagal pažymą
• Individuali veikla pagal verslo liudijimą

Investing is about “putting money to work”. In more formal terms, it is the conversion of money into certain financial instruments (e.g. shares, bonds, real estate). Investments are made in the hope that these financial instruments will yield financial returns in the future.

It is important to emphasise that the investment is made in the hope and not as a guarantee that the financial instruments will yield a positive return (profit). Thus, investing comes with both the possibility of making money and the risk of losing the money invested.

It is important to remember that there is no asset or age limit to start investing. Experts advise starting to invest at an early age, especially if the financial instruments chosen are investment funds that do not require a large initial capital.

Investment funds are a great way to save money for a trip around the world, for a down payment on a house or to add to your pension. It is an opportunity to invest in shares, bonds or other securities indirectly through professional investment fund managers. You can also invest in a mutual fund with a few tens of euros, which are paid periodically (e.g. monthly). It is important to note that when choosing an investment fund, you should pay attention to the fund’s past performance and the returns it offers, the investment policy and the terms of the contract (e.g. administrative charges, the period from which you can withdraw your accumulated funds). The main banks in Lithuania offer the option of investing in investment funds, and independent asset management groups are also available.

Another popular type of investment instrument is shares. Shares are corporate securities that give the right to an ownership interest. Shares in public companies are traded on stock exchanges. For example, the Vilnius Stock Exchange is called NASDAQ Vilnius and trades only shares of companies operating in Lithuania, while the London Stock Exchange (LSE) trades shares of companies not only in the United Kingdom but also in other European countries. To start investing in shares, you must first choose a broker (financial market intermediary). This could be a bank where you already have an account or a platform such as FOREX or Revolut.

A three-digit amount may be sufficient to invest in shares (although the lower the amount, the lower the return and the less diversification). It is believed that investing in shares can provide the highest expected return among traditional investment instruments. However, it should be stressed that higher returns imply higher risk. Independent investment in equities requires knowledge of the markets and the time to understand and anticipate market movements and companies that have the potential to provide growing returns.

How the market works and Investopedia simulator are online stock market games that are simple, easy-to-use applications that simulate the real stock markets. These stock market games provide users with USD 100 000 of virtual money to invest in real time in virtual shares. These platforms also offer an education centre for introductory, intermediate and advanced level investment advice.

For more information on investment security and ways to invest, see Here.

The gig (“sharing”) economy – freelancers, freelance workers or specialists on demand. It’s about being able to work your own hours from anywhere in the world. Sound like a dream? It sure does! 

But… bear in mind that as part of the Gig Economy, you’ll have to take care of your own insurance and social security taxes, you’ll have to find your own job offers and set your own minimum wage, and your daily income will fluctuate and, in the early days, with few clients, will have you scratching your head about how to earn a living.

However, the Gig economy offers the opportunity to live on your own terms and earn a good income by employing your skills. How to do it?

Upwork connects businesses with freelancers, independent talent and agencies around the world. This is where businesses and freelancers find each other. What can you do on this platform? Jobs range from logo design to project management to language training. The important thing is to create your profile, list your skills if you have them, add your work or other evidence of experience to your portfolio and look for a job that matches your skills!

Other platforms with a similar approach are FIVERR and FREELANCER. 

• Social media content creation

Create a portfolio of your work (e.g. via Figma, Adobe or Canva), make a list of 30-60 companies and email them with an offer to manage their social platform accounts and create a set number of posts per week. For such services, you can charge (depending on your experience) between €50 and €600 per month.

• Virtual assistant

A virtual assistant usually provides professional administrative, technical or creative support to clients remotely from a home office. Tasks such as organising events, managing calendars, meetings and email are traditionally part of the workload.

• Carrier

Do you have a driving licence and can work as a driver? If you have a car and like driving, get paid to drive or deliver goods. You can use platforms such as Bolt or Uber (passenger transport)