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Problems with tickets?

April 21st, 2009

The way to the lowest possible auto insurance premiums is full of obstacles. You can be riding along smoothly one minute and find a small crater opening under your wheels the next. It often comes in the form of a traffic cop whose flashing lights in your rear view mirror attract your attention.

This happy soul has noticed some infraction. Perhaps you ran a red light or were traveling a little too fast through town. Whatever the reason, a traffic ticket is looming. Your once spotless driving record may now carry a blemish. In this situation, it may be worth paying an attorney to avoid both the ticket and the usual premium increases.

If you get into a traffic accident and make a claim, your record also comes under pressure. It’s comforting to think that if the accident was not your fault, or you live in a state which operates a no-fault insurance scheme, your premium will not be affected. Unfortunately, the world is rarely fair and insurers frequently reward your claim with a premium hike. However, there’s a change in strategy from some auto insurance companies. To encourage customer loyalty, some now reward the good drivers alongside penalizing the bad. That means you can get an additional discount if your driving record remains spotless or the right to reduce the deductible if you prefer (remember you probably only agreed to a high deductible to get a low premium in the first place). If more companies followed this policy, it would give us all a real incentive to drive more safely and avoid accidents. It’s up to you to do a little research to find out which companies writing policies in your state offer these incentives.

So let’s give you the good news in a single package. If you have no traffic accidents and no tickets, particularly those for moving violations, in your record, an insurer will quote a lower starting premium. The longer you go with a clean record, the more safe driver points you earn to justify a discount or deductible reduction. Many companies are sufficiently keen to poach safe drivers from their competitors, they will not only transfer your points but offer other incentives to move. The auto insurance industry is now offering perks to safe drivers similar to the reward schemes offered by credit card companies. Look carefully at the small print to find the scheme that gives you the rewards you actually want.

If you already have a ticket or two, or you have made a recent claim, the best companies will start the clock running. A ticket or claim free period of three years or more will earn you relief. Some will reduce your basic premium. Others will reduce the premium conditionally, i.e. have another accident or pick up a new ticket and your higher premiums kick back in.

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Women are victimized

April 21st, 2009

According to the New York Times, there is a real difference in the premiums paid by men and women of the same age for the same health insurance terms. The differences can be many hundreds of dollars. Even in an economy that was booming, it would be difficult to justify this price discrimination. But as the US appears to be entering a more difficult time and some people are even using the “r” word, the victimization of women in this way should be an urgent priority for the new administration to address when it takes over the White House in 2009.

It’s not enough to talk in general terms about the rising costs of health insurance at a time of rising employment. Various proposals talk of offering tax credits or other assistance to help in buying or maintaining private cover. But this does nothing to address the historical injustice. Giving a woman the same tax credit as a man simply means she continues to pay more than a man.

When challenged, medical insurance companies tend to assert that women make more use of medical services and make higher claims. But the evidence shows that most medical insurance policies exclude maternity care – in fact, maternity care is usually offered for a substantial increased premium. So what does it come down to? It seems women take more care of their health. They visit their doctors more often to have regular check-ups, are more conscientious when converting their prescriptions into medication and then actually take the drugs. Whereas, men care less about their health and resist having treatment. No matter where you live, women are charged higher rates of premium.

The rates vary from one state to the next with some companies demanding up to 50% more for the same cover. Because of the general problems affecting the economy, it becomes all the more important to shop around before picking a new medical insurance company or deciding to renew an existing policy. Just as important is the need to join a political campaign to prevent health insurers from using sex as a factor when fixing the premiums. There are anti-discrimination laws to protect people in the workplace and other areas of their lives. The same should apply when everyone seeks medical insurance.

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Managing your debts without borrowing money

April 21st, 2009

Recession has made us all think about our debts and finding ways to deal with them effectively. Here are some tips to follow if you want to pay your dues without running into more debts by borrowing.

Unfortunately sometimes we find ourselves in situations where we do not posses the amount of money needed to repay the mortgage or rent on time. Because of the crisis it happens rather often. If it is so and we need to find a solution that cannot wait, the smartest decision is to talk to a creditor. Most lenders are compassionate due to this world economy crisis, they understand that they should make one step forward and allow you to pay on the date you are paid by the employer, as some salaries are being delayed nowadays. But please do not get tricked. You should always keep in mind that delaying your payments will affect credit rating and sometimes may include additional fees.

There are employers that are not strict enough. They let their employees get cash advance on their paychecks before the pay date. It is a good possibility to get a part of the money you will receive with your paycheck that will be deducted from it. It is necessary to talk to your employer before you decide this system works good for you. Your employer might not be happy with it being a part of the deal all the time so you have to make sure he doesn’t have any limits or restrictions on the frequency of such measures.

There is a wise advice that should make you think it over once again before you decide to buy some expensive things during your financial instability. Sometimes you should not make such decisions as they might turn their back on you. If you have repayments to finish with, but you feel like you need a brand new car – please be wise enough to use public transportation for a while or ask for a lift from you co-workers. You can get back to the idea of having a good car as soon as you are through with your repayments. Do consider using your savings or deposit account instead of borrowing money or taking another credit. Of course, you will have to repay the account just like you will repay the debt.

There are different ways of saving your day from the financial collapse. Payday loans, credits come into action when your hope is on the edge. But we want to make you see that you should consider other things first. Try to sell something you have that you do not really need. At the end of the day, nobody judges you for giving it a go. Maybe you can stay extra hours at work and earn yourself some spare bucks. Cash advance can be great but only when you feel you have no other option as lending money is always serious.

You can also consider speaking to your family or friends regarding financial support. Borrowing from your friends is still a better option than going for payday loans. If you aren’t sure you are a quick payment maker do not start with the official loans. Be wise and everything will work out fine.

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Downsizing your ride saves big money

April 20th, 2009

If you’re trying to keep up with increasing mortgage payments and record gas prices, don’t worry there’s a way to save your money.

Downsizing your ride is the option. You could have to conquer a deranged loan and the outrageously low resale prices of most sport cars and full-size pickups, which are the first candidates for that sort of switch.

If your actual auto is out of warranty and you purchase a new one or a used vehicle that’s still on a factory warranty, you might reduce your costs even more.

Not worrying about unforeseen maintenance bills is only a plus. Many 2008 and 2009 vehicles are returned with the best warranties ever seen.

Surely, there’s an interchange to downsizing your ride. That is you’ll be riding a smaller, not as powerful auto.

Anyway, smaller doesn’t mean limited. Less powerful isn’t the best – small and compact cars, small SUVs and compact wagons aren’t a thunder to drive.

But you’ll definitely be surprised of how much fun they are and how much stuff they can contain.

A lot of people purchase a large pickup or SUV for works they do once in a while, like riding a muddy country road or conveying furniture. They pay a lot of money for efficiencies they don’t use much.

Look for yourself of how much simpler it would be to park a small SUV at the supermarket or mall. That’s the thing you’re doing every day.

The hardest barrier to downsizing your ride is going to be monetary.

One auto loan out of each four is deranged. That means the debtor indebts more than the vehicle is worth.

A lot of lenders used to permit rolling that “negative equity” into a further new auto loan, loaning up to 130% of the new vehicle’s price.

Nowadays, you probably won’t find that kind of financing.

If you’re unable to afford the payments, insurance, gas, then you must do anything to displace your expensive ride, even if you have to devaluate.

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Family health insurance policies

April 19th, 2009

When you’re young and in good health, you often live for the now. Some have the qualifications to find employment including health insurance in the compensation package, but most take what is available and let things drift until responsibilities come along. Then you start asking questions about what you want in the future. It starts with a partnership or marriage. It gets more urgent when children appear on the scene.

If you found a job with a health insurance package, you can usually add your new partner or spouse to the plan. The first issue is whether that plan gives all the cover you need. Should there be gaps, you buy top-up cover. Then as the family grows, does the plan include children and any other dependents? Overnight, you become experts in the detail of the employer’s plan and carefully research what the private health insurance companies offer to give the additional cover.

If your job has no health plan, but one of you had the wisdom to begin a private health policy, it is usually possible to upgrade to a family policy. Because you have track record with a company, this is less of a hassle than finding a completely new company for the family.

If you’re starting with no health cover, you will find there are major differences in the premiums quoted. Through sites like this, you get instant quotes from multiple health insurance companies. By using two or three sites like this, you can rapidly accumulate a daunting array of information about different policies and quoted prices. This makes choosing the right cover a real challenge. The first step is take a cold-blooded look at the family finances. This is not a time for sentimentality or blind hope. You need hard figures on what you can afford to pay not just now, but in the foreseeable future. Remember your credit score drops if you start a policy and then find you cannot afford the premiums.

The next step is to decide exactly who is to be included in the policy and what range of cover you want – just basic treatment options working up to long-term care insurance. Remember the larger the group and the wider the age range of the people to be included, the more the premium is likely to be. The more conditions, illnesses and injury possibilities you add, the more expensive the policy is likely to be. This drives you back to your financial calculations. The way to lower the premiums is to accept a higher deductible or copayments. But this needs a careful calculation. How much will you pay each year as self-insurance through the deductibles or expenses, against the saving in the annual premium. Weigh the benefits against foreseeable costs to make the right decision on which family health insurance policy to buy.

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