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The holiday season is fast approaching and this means that you may have some travel plans on the horizon. Christmas is a great time to get together with your loved ones, but it is also a time to watch your finances. Here are some helpful tips to help you stay smart with your money during the holiday season.

Use prepaid travel cards

These cards serve as a useful alternative to credit cards and debit cards. Money can easily be loaded onto the prepaid card and it can then be used for travel reservations, purchases and cash withdrawals. The nice thing about these cards is the security they provide. Since they are not connected to any of your bank accounts you don’t have to worry about identity theft. You will also have to limit your purchases and expenses since you have a limit on the balance. You can budget your expenses before you buy the card so that you are not tempted to spend more than you can afford while you are away.

Make a travel budget

A lot of people never consider making a budget for their travel activities and this can end up being a huge mistake. When you are away from home it is easier to spend money since you are more carefree and have less restrictions that you would at home.

You need to sit down and plan out what you need to spend for necessities and how much you can use for activities and purchases. This will help stop overspending because you’ll know before leaving exactly how much you can afford to spend. You must also remember to put some money aside in case an emergency arises while you’re away.

Avoid costly souvenirs

During the holiday season you will have enough to spend your money on without having to worry about purchasing expensive souvenirs. Christmas is a time of giving and you really don’t need to worry about bringing home anything fancy for your friends and family. Just let them know before you go away that you won’t be spending any money on souvenirs so they won’t be expecting anything when you return.
Avoid eating out

If you are heading off to visit family or friends this may not be a too much of a problem, but it can come up. If you are staying in a hotel and need to eat some meals look out for local cafes that offer good food at a reasonable price. Hotel restaurants are usually overpriced and the quality is not always the best.

Plan your trip wisely

Spontaneity has its place but only when funds are available to sponsor it. If you are running on a limited budget being spontaneous can get very expensive. You want to get through this holiday season with a smile on your face in January knowing that you were able to avoid temptation and managed to stay on budget. The more you plan out your trip during the holiday season the more money you will save on reckless impulse spending.

Added expenses

Travel agents are going to be very encouraging when it comes to a holiday trip and will make many suggestions about holiday add-ons for your trip. Keep in mind that the more excursions and add-ons you purchase the more money goes into your travel agent’s pocket. Let your agent know upfront what your plans are for the holiday and that you do not plan on purchasing anything extra. This will curb your temptation to buy an interesting excursion or experience.

Although the word ‘debt’ has become the most common term in America’s financial world, but their definitely are several other aspects that are ingrained in its country’s economical system since ages. One of the most striking features is the unequal wealth and income distribution in US and this dismal wealth distribution is the key factor behind the roots of major economic crisis in the country. However the debt relief companies and debt relief programs try hard to provide debt cure to a large and increasing numbers of debtors, the basic economic disparity still continues to be the major cause behind the age-old financial disasters.

Now here goes the full report

A shocking report states that 85% of America’s wealth or total assets of the country is held by the country’s richest 20%, with the poor and the lower class holding a mere 0.3% of wealth share. This means that in terms of actual money, the average non-income holdings of the richest section is $2.3 million per person, whereas the per person holdings in lower class is only $22,000. In terms of income as well, the distinction is significant. The rich enjoy a median income of $259,700, while the lower section is making ends meet with a meager $20,200 only. As a matter of fact, such a Mal-distribution of wealth is useless for a society based on buying and selling goods, as the super-rich plutocrats does not need much of the products and the rest of the lower class who have the needs cannot afford to purchase the finished goods because of their lowered purchasing power. And thus debt has to sustain the market economy, with the growing disparity of wealth distribution over a long period of time.

The faulty system has therefore created an array of consumer debt mechanisms like subprime mortgage, payday loan, intricacies of credit card debt etc. With the inability of a massive number of people and the working class, to pay the expensive sub-prime mortgages and overwhelming credit card bills, a number of financial institutions that was founded on the basis of consumer debt have collapsed and the rest required unprecedented federal financial funds to remain afloat. This in turn has crumbled the housing market and new residential construction, consumer goods market, automobiles, appliances, electronics, which led to colossal destruction of employment opportunities and retirement savings of million Americans. This crash which represented a structural crisis had its roots into the grossly unequal wealth distribution in society, as the industry had to pull the brakes when millions had lost their purchase power or afford-ability. The irony lies in the fact that this super-poor mass of humanity which is the production ground of minerals, agricultural wealth, raw material and hard labor, is excluded from taking part in the world’s market economy, as they cannot spare time from fighting their own personal and ever-increasing burdens of debt and deficiencies.

Ty Hyderally is a labor law attorney in New Jersey specializing in employment law, covering topics related to age discrimination and harassment.

The current employment situation favors the employer. Borrowing the phrase often used when expressing the basic law of supply and demand, this phenomenon can be portrayed as a “buyers market.” There simply are too many merchandise waiting to be to be bought in the labor market. Simply put, scores of job seekers are going after a very limited number of job openings. Employers have a larger crowd of applicants to choose from and can be more selective and discriminating. With too many competitors going after a particular job, applicants are finding it harder to be noticeable in the multitude of job seekers. The current economic problem is making it more vital for job applicants to be more knowledgeable on the fundamental laws of labor and employment.

At the forefront, it is necessary to point out that an overwhelming majority of employment contracts in most jurisdictions in the United States, counting New York and New Jersey, are based on mutual consent. This set-up allows any of the parties, the employer and the employee, to finish the employment relationship at any moment and for whatever grounds, as long as the reason for the termination is not against existing laws and not discriminatory in nature.

Some employers may require prospective employees to sign an employment contract as a pre-requisite to employment. In these cases, the provisions of the contract will be enforced over any general law provisions in case of conflict. The agreement may include complex, complicated, and wide-ranging area that can include a provision that settlement of any dispute arising from the contract shall be made in another state. Job applicants should fully understand the repercussions and mull over seeking advice from a labor attorney before signing such contracts.

There are state and federal laws that cannot be overturned by any employment contract. These rules frequently govern hiring procedures and practices. For instance, a prospective employee cannot be made to forfeit overtime pay as a requirement for getting the job. The age discrimination act of 1967 is enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). It protects job seekers and employees who are 40 years and above from discrimination based on age. This anti age discrimination act applies not only in hiring procedures, but also in promotion, compensation and to the other terms and conditions of employment.

Job hunters and employees who think that their current or potential bosses are violating any labor laws should seek the help of an experienced labor lawyer.

Don’t panic this isn’t some sort of poor financial or insurance related joke, more of an article to address the common misconception that insurance loss assessors and loss adjusters are one and the same. I always thought this was a paranoid feeling that we in the claims recovery business have, but it turns out that it extends into the wider world. So in this article I intend to look at the fundamental differences between insurance loss assessors and loss adjuster and hopefully help people to understand these differences – indeed you or your business may one day need the assistance of a insurance loss assessor and understanding their role in insurance claims can mean the difference between your business perishing and your business surviving.

If you are the victim of some kind of disaster either on a personal level at your home or at your business – a disaster such as fire, flood, and theft, water damage from damaged pipes or more extreme cases such as gas explosions or a hurricane – you will need to be aware of the difference between an assessor and an adjuster. Wherever the disaster occurs you are going to want to return to normal as quickly as possible, either having your business up and running and providing an income for you or having your home fixed so you can return to normal life. Understanding the fundamental differences between loss adjusters and loss assessors can ease this process.

What is a loss adjuster?

When you contact your insurance company to put in a claim they will immediately assign a loss adjuster to the case. A loss adjuster works for the insurance company and, as the name suggests, will adjust the claim accordingly. Because the loss adjuster – in essence – works for the insurance company they will ensure that the insurance company pays out as little as possible within the confines of the law. The loss adjuster will investigate the case (interviewing you and any possible witnesses alongside checking records and the extent of your liability in the disaster) and negotiate the claims payment.

What is an insurance loss assessor?

Whilst the insurance loss assessor carries out similar duties to the loss adjuster the main difference is that the insurance loss assessor works on behalf of you, the claimant. The insurance loss assessor will use their knowledge experience to ensure that you receive an adequate financial settlement form the claim – which will give you the funds you need to get your life or business back on track.

So whilst there is a wealth of similarities in the work that the loss adjuster and insurance loss assessor carry out, understanding that one of them can work with your interests in mind can make all the difference if you happen to be the victim of some catastrophic disaster – and that’s no joke!

Wayne Barker writes for Harris Balcombe, the UK’s foremost Claim Recovery Specialist. Harris Balcombe specialise in fire insurance claims, flood insurance claims and business interruption insurance claims.

You have just arrived at the airport and are now in line at the car rental agency. You want to hurry up and get on with your vacation. Before you can do that, however, you need to figure out what type of car rental insurance you want to sign up for. This can be very confusing. However, if you know the following ten things that it can be a lot easier to figure out what car insurance to get.

1. Your personal car insurance usually covers rental cars. If this is the case then you do not need to purchase other car rental insurance because you are already covered. Check your policy before you make a decision about getting rental car insurance.
2. Your credit card may or may not come with automatic car insurance. If it does, it is usually loss damage waiver insurance and you typically have to decline other coverage for it to kick in. The credit card may not insure certain types of vehicles such as luxury SUVs. Read the details about this carefully before you go on a trip so that you can decide whether or not you want to take advantage of this option.
3. International car rental may not be covered by existing coverage. In other words, if you typically rely on the protections from your own auto insurance policy and / or your credit card you want to make sure that this coverage applies to international travel.
4. Existing coverage may not cover certain types of trips. Long term car rental and car rental for business travel sometimes also aren’t covered by personal car insurance and / or credit cards. Again, check carefully.
5. The two most common options are loss damage and liability. If you do decide to purchase car rental insurance from the rental car company then you will likely choose between two core types of options: loss damage (also known as collision) coverage and liability. Loss damage protects damage done to the rental car vehicle because of various accidents and emergencies. Liability covers the damage done to people in the car (or the other car) in the event of an accident.
6. You can save a lot of money by not getting insurance but it’s risky. USA Today reports that there are people who always decline to get car rental insurance and save themselves thousands of dollars over their years of travel as a result. However, as with many other types of insurance, you’re taking the risk of incurring huge costs if you do get into an accident and don’t have the rental car insurance.
7. The cost you pay without insurance may include lost revenue. If you opt not to get car rental insurance and the car is in an accident then you won’t just pay for the cost of the repairs. You may also be obligated to pay for the revenue that the car rental company loses when the car is in the repair shop.
8. You can add personal effects coverage. You pay only a small fee for this and it protects the items that you have in the car in case they get stolen. If you’re traveling with a laptop or other expensive items then this protection can be well worth the cost. Make sure that you don’t already have this coverage under your personal property or home insurance policy in order to avoid wasting money.
9. Fees vary dramatically from one car rental agency to another. Consider this when shopping around for the best rental car rates. A company may appear to have a great rate but if the insurance is twice as expensive as other places then the total cost may be more than it seems at first glance.
10. It’s worth it to decide in advance what type of car rental insurance you want. Typically you don’t make this decision until you’re at the rental car counter but then it’s easy to get sucked into sales pitches. Decide in advance to save money.