Best Finance Network
Get the best connectivity about finance.

There are many reasons to get your car insured. Leaving your car uninsured is not only illegal in most states, but also leaves both you and your vehicle extremely vulnerable and at a disadvantage. Although it can be expensive, it is the smartest thing to do, and also the right decision to make in order to protect you and follow the law. The arguments against getting car insurance are far weaker than the arguments for getting insurance and staying insured.

Perhaps the Most Risky Thing you do all Day
You should have insurance because of basic auto safety reasons. According to sources like Forbes Magazine, “getting behind the wheel is the riskiest thing most people do every day,” since over 40,000 people a year die in car collisions, and car accidents are the largest killer of people from the teen years to the thirties. There are even more car accidents a year if the fatalities are not calculated, so you can imagine that the number is very high. If you get in a car accident and do not have insurance, you can pay thousands of dollars whether it was your fault or not. For most people, this can put a major stop to important plans and drain their savings, causing stress and inconvenience.

Well, it’s the Law
Car insurance is mandatory in most states in the US. That means that it is illegal not to have insurance for your vehicle if you are driving it on the public roadways, so if you do not have car insurance, you are most likely breaking the law. If you are pulled over and cannot show proof of insurance, the fines and penalties are not only inconvenient, but often very expensive. If you contest in court, or if you are given a court appointment, it can also be extremely time consuming to wait for your hearing or appointment at the courthouse. If you don’t want to break the law, or be penalized through fines and potential court time, it is vital that you have car insurance.

Auto Accidents are Extremely Common
Insuring your vehicle is also something that should be high on your list of financial priorities, since the frequency of accidents makes it likely that American citizens especially will experience a collision at some point in their lives.  With other types of insurance, such as home insurance, you may never have to speak to your insurers. However, many people end up needing the help of their auto insurance company pretty often.

Purchasing a Policy
If you have never bought insurance before, it can seem like a daunting task, and many people put it off, thinking that they will be alright for a little while longer. However, if you get pulled over or even worse, get in an accident, you will immediately regret waiting to buy insurance coverage. Since auto collisions are so common, it will likely happen at some point, even to good and careful drivers. Looking into insurance through helpful sites like those run by the Insurance Information Institute can also help ease your mind about your decision. This site and many others exist to help you learn crucial information and help you make decisions about your insurance coverage with the best knowledge possible.

Insurance is important, not only for covering the potential repairs to your car should you be in a collision, but also for protecting you financially and legally if you are pulled over, if your car is stolen, and many other unforeseen events that could happen to anyone.  Even though you will have to pay monthly premiums for most insurance, staying within the law and saving money if you are in an accident will give you a peace of mind that is invaluable, and definitely decrease the negative effects of anything bad that might occur.

Ellen Cho works for InsuranceSwami.com, a leading provider of quotes for low cost car insurance and information about general consumer insurance plans.

It is a fact that home renovations adds up to the house’s market value. If a house seller wants to earn big in selling his property he has to do changes and improvements in his property. Surely setting up a garden or a parking space for vehicles would increase the market price of the property. But before getting too much excited you have to bear in mind that putting a property under renovation is a no easy task. For first time house and lot owners who plan to put their properties under renovation, it will be a wise act if you first become familiar with the basic home renovation processes. Why? Well it is because a home renovation is a costly project and I’m sure you don’t want to waste your time and money on unnecessary things. Reading books, magazines and articles online that are related to home improvement will really help a lot.

But wait there is more that matters. As what I’ve said, home renovation is a costly project so you may want to consider these questions first before putting a property under the renovation process. Each of these questions will be in detail later.

1. Is the plan for home renovation practical?
2. How much payback value will I get?
3. Is the plan for renovation flexible for future changes?

Is the Plan for Home Renovation Practical?

The idea is this! Is your plan for home renovation just for luxury? Now if your answer is “yes”, you may want to think twice. In today’s hard and deflated economy many people prefer living practical. As to what many experts say practicality is in these days not luxury! Same as through with buying a house, home buyers would not buy a property that has a very high market value. So check your house, if the current condition of the house you’re planning to sell is still good and has a good market value then putting it under renovation might not be a good choice.

How Much Payback Value Will I Get?

Is you’re plan of putting a property under renovation will be worth your money? Well this is in relation with what I said above, that is “practicality is in” but if you still prefer a home renovation you need to focus on where you can get a good payback value when the time comes that you are going to sell the property. Most of the time renovating the kitchen and bathroom will give more payback value when you sell your property. Recent statistics show that a house owner can have a 75-100% payback value when he focuses on the renovation on the kitchen and bathroom.

Is the Plan for Renovation Flexible for Future Changes?

This is what many house owners should really consider. How flexible is the plan for renovation for future changes? Let’s say you renovated the back part of your house for a garage, then after 3 years you will remove it for another change. Is that practical? Surely it isn’t. So just in case you still prefer renovating your house, make sure you create a well crafted plan that can adapt to future changes and improvements.

The popularity of retail cards has surely risen over recent years, and not without any good reason. They offer customers with numerous advantages and money-saving options. Store cards are usually considered to be a good way to build your credit history. Since it has low merchant risk, they are much easier to obtain if you do not have a credit history, or if you do not have a particularly good one. Often there are a number of special deals that do the rounds, especially during holiday seasons. Deals such as no-interest and shopping passes can really help in cutting back those costs and yet allowing you to shop freely for gifts for your family and friends!

The advent and rise of store cards has benefited a number of consumers. However, though the benefits sound attractive, there are often hidden cons that customers should be aware of. These cards usually have a much higher interest rate; hence, if you are not careful about paying off your balance on time, this could really cost you. In addition, retailers have the right to remove some privileges or even charge extra penalty fees if you do not meet the terms of the retail card. Hence, your gains can actually turn into huge losses if you are not vigilant about these issues of a retail card.

If you travel abroad regularly, it is far convenient to use credit cards or other forms of plastic for your travel expenses. Carrying cash always has come with the danger of it being stolen or lost, and traveler checks usually incur transaction costs. This is usually the case, however, travelers should be aware of the fact that banks have started targeting these foreign travelers for additional fees and surcharges to make up for the new card rules that are squeezing the banks profit margins. Hence, travelers should keep an eye on such foreign transaction fees before traveling, and hence, choose the best method to meet their travel expenses.

But, let us take a look at card history too

The earliest use of the term ‘Card’ can be found in Edward Bellamy’s utopian novel ‘Looking Backward’ way back in 1887. This forward thinking novelist mentions this term eleven times in his book. In this novel, Bellamy proposes an economic system devoid of paper or any other form of physical money. Although the working of Bellamy’s card is very different from the current form, the concept of maintaining a credit with a central authority and using this credit to buy goods was first introduced by him. And for this, Bellamy takes all the credit for coining the term card.

Bellamy’s Credit card system

In 1887, Utopian novelist Edward Bellamy proposed an economic system that did away with paper money as we know it. In this system, Bellamy proposed that at the beginning of the financial year each citizen be allocated his share of the national annual product. In today’s world, this would mean allocating the per capita income or perhaps a portion of the GDP. This amount would be credited to the person’s card, which the person would use to buy goods as and when required. All services would be offered towards the state or country and would not be charged to individuals. This system promoted equality of all individuals and vocations, while today’s cards divide individuals based on credit limits that are fixed as per the individual’s net worth.

The need for home insurance is critical. The risk of losing one’s home or the myriad of valuable items inside it can be both mentally and financially catastrophic. However, at the very least the financial burden can be minimized by having proper home insurance. While you may feel the risk is minimal, an incident need only occur once to have serious consequences on the rest of your life.

Nevertheless, paying a high monthly insurance premium may be its own headache when considering the multitude of expenses already attached to your home. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to reduce the cost of home insurance, while still having the protection you need. The following are 5 such tips for saving money on your home insurance:

1. Increase Your Deductible

Naturally, the easiest way to reduce your insurance premium is to increase the amount you are liable for. If your environment is low risk, and the items you wish to ensure are expensive, it makes sense to have a high deductible. Most home insurance deductibles begin at $500. Raising that figure to $1000 or even $3000 could result in saving about 20 to 25 percent on your rate, based on recent statistics.

This will mean you will be responsible for slightly more of the cost should a disaster occur. However, raising your deductible is an excellent way to lower the cost of monthly premiums, while still providing the security of being protected from financial ruin. The difference between $500 and $3000 may seem large, but both are paltry sums compared to the cost of your home.

2. Buy Insurance Bundles

These days, many insurance companies offer products that cover multiple industries, such as homeowners, commercial, and automotive insurance. Purchasing your insurance through the same carrier can result in a hefty discount on both premiums. Although you will lose some flexibility in terms of being able to shop around, generally if you are satisfied with a company with regard to one service, you will have little trouble utilizing their other insurance products. Research which companies have the best home and auto insurance bundles before you commit.

3. Insure Only Your Home and Not the Land Beneath It

Often times homeowner’s do not realize that the most valuable part of their property is not the home, but the land it sits on. Moreover, they conflate the two when they apply for insurance, using the sale price of their property to calculate their premium.

This is a mistake, especially when you consider that the land will likely not be damaged in the event of a disaster. Only the cost of rebuilding the home should be factored when calculating your insurance premium, a number which is precipitously less than the sale price. Doing so should lower your premiums substantially as opposed to insuring the land and the house.

4. Discounts

There are an abundance of home insurance discounts that you may not be aware of, such as reductions for being a senior, not smoking in the home, or remaining a loyal customer. Asking your insurance agent about such packages could be useful in lowering your insurance.

5. Preventative Measures

Taking safety measures in the home will lower your overall risk, and lower risk to the insurer means better premiums. Some of the security and preventative measures you can take are adding additional smoke detectors, installing a high-end security system, installing storm shutters, deadbolt locks, and fire-retardant roofing.

In years gone by, whether you live in the UK or the US, you would have to undertake the task of finding a lawyer or solicitor when a legal dispute arose.  The law professions were seen as somewhat staid and many firms survived by operating on their long established reputation.  This approach changed dramatically in the US in 1977 when advertising restrictions on lawyers were greatly relaxed.  Solicitors in the UK were still under restrictions until the mid 90s, before following the lead of the US.  Now advertising has become commonplace and you can’t turn on the TV without seeing a legal firm of some type touting their wares.  As a result those who need a solicitor or lawyer will often go for the name that they remember from a TV or radio advert.  However, this can be a mistake and you should really take more care before making your choice. 

Location

Whilst many solicitors and lawyers will operate across the state or even country; it could be that their nearest office is a long way from your home.  Discussions can of course take place over the phone, but in most instances being in the same room is a necessity to deal with some matters thoroughly.  Therefore it is always advisable to first look for options in your local area.  The quickest and easiest way is to do a Google search for the type of service you need and your location, eg. “solicitors in Pontefract” or “lawyers in Orlando”.

Speciality

Once you have found a few local options then take some time to highlight the firms that provide specialist representation in the area that you require.  Some unscrupulous firms will be happy to represent your case even if they don’t have suitable knowledge and experience, which could jeopardise your case.  It is a good idea to ask the firm a few questions about past cases that are similar to yours.  It is possible to include your required speciality into your Google search, eg. “solicitors in Pontefract” + “accident claim” or “lawyers in Orlando” + “personal injury”.

History

Although it isn’t essential to find a firm that has been operating for a long period, it can be a good guide.  There will of course be excellent lawyers that have only been operating for a relatively short period.  However, if you go for one that has been around for many years then there is a better chance that they work in the right way, otherwise they would have gone bust by now.  At this point have a dig around online; looking for reviews of the firm and also ask friend and family members if they have any experience of the firms you are considering.

Straight talking

The legal world can be extremely confusing at the best of times and even more so if your legal representative uses confusing language and jargon.  In order to understand the details of the case clearly it is important to be able to communicate effectively.  Speaking to the remaining solicitors and lawyers on your list over the phone should give you a clear indication of whether you will be able to work effectively with them and help you make your final choice.