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It doesn’t matter if you have just passed your test or you are a seasoned driver, ensuring you don’t pay more than you need to for your auto insurance is important as the cost of owning a vehicle continue to rise. There are many different types of auto insurance coverage to choose from, depending on what you want covered and what you can afford. Some of the components of auto insurance are bodily injury liability, property damage liability, medical payments coverage, uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, comprehensive coverage, and collision coverage.

Before the advent of the internet, getting realistic quotes from auto insurance companies was difficult if not at times, almost impossible. Now, some online sites will actually compare the car insurance rates from several auto insurance companies for you so that you can see at a glance which one would be best suited for your needs. Searching online for your auto insurance could save you a huge amount of money and a considerable amount of time in the process.

To make matters worse, the cost of your auto insurance can be based on many different aspects including where you live, where the car is parked, how much power the car has and even the cost of repairs. However, you can be sure that if you reside in the city, your auto insurance premium will be higher than someone who lives in the suburbs or out in the country. While getting auto insurance does add to your annual expenses, you can usually cover the cost of the premiums with convenient monthly payments.

Experts advise that you should always ask for free quotes on auto insurance from different insurance agents well before your present insurance expires. For some individuals, giving up their fast, high risk vehicle might be necessary as the comprehensive auto insurance premiums can be very high unless they decide to go with a more basic insurance plan. The advantage of having a comprehensive insurance plan though is that the insurance company will pay for any medical bills and time lost from work even if the accident was their fault. In addition to these, passengers in both vehicles, although not blood relations, are covered by this type of insurance plan.

When you switch is very important and the best time to switch to a new auto insurance company is when the current policy is about to expire. Before you do finally cancel your existing auto insurance, it would be prudent to confirm that the new insurance provider has accepted your application. Some companies also give a discount if you decide to have your home insured with them in addition to your vehicle insurance; so it is worth checking this out in advance. Often just a few simple pieces of advice like this can help the seasoned driver as well as the novice driver save some time and money when searching for their auto insurance.

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Quick, what does FDIC stand for? Most accountants, finance managers and board members know that cash deposits in banks are insured for up to $100,000 per depositor, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation is the insurer. They also know that any deposits in excess of $100,000 are at risk: if the bank fails, you are not likely to get all of it back.

A year ago, bank failures may have seemed like a remote bad dream. Now, we are watching as large banks go under. Is your nonprofit at risk? Its board or management team may think of their organization as small and cash poor, yet even small not for profits can find themselves with more than the FDIC insured amount deposited in their bank.

If your organization is at all successful in building reserves, it’s likely to have well over that $100,000 amount in cash or money market deposits. If it receives large grants in advance, chances are it’s in the same leaky boat. You can reduce your risk of losing those excess amounts to 0% (yes, zero) by opening accounts at several banks and moving money around when it’s needed. That means, if you have $500,000 in reserves, you’re dealing with 5 different banks. There’s an easier way to get to 0% risk that you may want to consider.

CDARS stands for Certificate of Deposit Account Registry Service, LLC. Banks become members of the Service and then make deposits on behalf of their customers at other member banks. The service makes sure that none of the deposit accounts carries a balance in excess of $100,000. The interest rate you negotiate applies to all the accounts, and they are all presented on one monthly statement to you.

CDARS has more than 2,200 member banks as of this writing. There’s likely to be a member bank in your area since most of the members are community or regional banks that are too small to be able to compete with big banks when it comes to spreading your money around safely.

I was curious to find out what benefits membership in CDARS brings to banks on the theory that someone is making money on this set-up. What I’ve discovered is that small banks benefit from having a network to help them with their own cash flow and depository issues, so they benefit directly without charging or – it seems – paying a fee. In other words, CDARS enables them to compete with the services larger banks can offer.

There’s one possible draw-back to buying CDs through CDARS. When you sign a CDARS agreement and deposit money with your bank, you will negotiate a CD rate that applies to all the CDs purchased with your money, even if some of the banks involved would have offered you a higher rate if you had deposited it directly with them rather than through the service. On the other hand, it’s also possible that you might have been offered a lower rate by said bank, in which case being with CDARS is an advantage. And you haven’t spent any at all making phone calls or visiting banks or requesting proposals -a true advantage!

You can find a list of banks that participate in CDARS at www.cdars.com, where you can search by state or by bank name.

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Filed under: Business

Buying your first home is down right scary for most people. Your facing the unknown in most cases. Terms you don’t know…payments your not sure of…and I wont even mention the contracts to sign. Some studies show that some people are so over come with anxiety that they wont take the first steps to even buying a home.

For most of us, buying a house is the largest purchase we will ever make. and of course the first time is by far the hardest. So make sure to take advantage of ALL the home buying information you can.

To prepare, do some research and be fully informed before beginning your search for a home. Here are the six steps you should take before buying:

1) Before you start your house search, think carefully about what it will be like to be a homeowner. For most people, home ownership is the American dream and the advantages (tax benefits, sense of home, financial investment) far out weigh any drawbacks.

2) Know your credit. This is the first thing a lender is going to look at. Your FICO score will probably range from 400 on the low end to 850 on the high end…the higher the better. Contact one of the three major credit-reporting agencies to obtain your credit report and make sure it is accurate. If it isn’t, you’ll need to contact the credit agencies to find out how to resolve any issues. You can also work with a credit repair agency, but beware, as there are a lot of scam artists out there, especially online. I would not use anyone unless they were referred to you by someone you trust.

3) Know your finances. A down payment is a big barrier to homeownership. There are, however, many different loans/mortgages out there that offer low down payment options. You should work with a quality mortgage broker or banker to find out what would work best for your situation. And don’t forget the government…a HUD loan is usually a great way to get into your first home also. Again, check with your broker or banker for more specifics.

4) Get pre-approved…NOT pre-qualified. Here is the diffrence. Pre-approval means you have already given a broker or your bank all the information they want in order to actually run your credit and financies in order to see what loan you can get and how much you can actually spend on a home. Pre-qualified means some one looked at your credit application and THINKS they can get you a loan.

5) While meeting with your mortgage broker or banker, have them look into any down payment assistance programs that may be available. There are many programs out there run by counties and cities and other agencies. The trick is to know about them, first, and then to see if you qualify for them.

6) Look into first-time home buyer classes. Many lenders and Realtors offer home buyer education classes. They are usually 2 to 4 hours long and will walk you through the process of applying for a loan, working with a Realtor, making an offer, going to escrow (closing), and various other responsibilities associated with owning your own home. And realize that whoever is putting on the class is will also try and sell you on their services, which is fine, but you are under no obligation to use them.

Follow these six steps and ask questions. Make sure you understand EVERYTHING that they explain to you…if you dont understand something ASK ASK ASK! Good luck.

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We have been taught since we were toddlers that ” ‘Tis better to give than to receive”. Of course we didn’t quite buy into that theory in our youth, as nothing felt better than that new bike, train set, Nintendo, Xbox, Barbie set, or, you name it (depending on if you are male or female and whether you are from The Woodstock Generation or Gen. X).

As we matured, and hopefully gained some wisdom, we learned that giving was and is actually more fun. And then we (hopefully) evolved even further and discovered that giving a unique personalized type gift, was/is more exciting because it helps strengthen the bond in a friendship, reminding the other of commonalities, as it is human nature to ‘see more differences than alikeness”.

Gifts have been exchanged since the beginning of mankind. Grog probably gave Thorg a piece of dinosaur meat and later, to show mutual friendship, perhaps Thorg invented the wheel and gave Grog a copy of his prototype. But all that is history, or prehistory, as it were. Today the spirit of gift-giving is much more personal, especially though who have evolved enough to realize what our friends and other loved ones really mean to us.

It is a good thing to consider a gift that you give “an extension of you” because it really is. The closer a gift that you give to reflect your personality, and how you feel it is similar to the recipients personality, the more valuable the gift, not to mention memorable, no matter if it is a five dollar item or fifty thousand dollar.

i tend to use humor as a “coping mechanism” to get through the bumps that life offers and i tend to have friends who do similarly. We don’t only look at each other as close friends, but as “life rafts in a choppy ocean’ for each other, when the waters get rough. We live in a busy world, so it is not always easy to remember to pick up the phone or jot an email every few days and tell our friends how much we love them, admire their sense of humor, or any other term of endearment we might want to purvey, though that is not such a bad idea, and means much to many.

In our lightening-fast society of today we can celebrate milestone and occasions such as holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, etc., it gives us a chance to tell a significant other, or others how we value them in the way of a unique or funny gift. These gifts do not have to be expensive, and in fact, are often very inexpensive, though to the recipient, have more value than an expensive one, if real thought goes into it. It may be less than the cost of a movie ticket and often is.

Since I happen to be a cartoonist and collect offbeat cartoon merchandise, tees, mugs, etc., I greatly appreciate receiving funny cartoon T shirts, mouse pads, coffee mugs etc., by other cartoonists and sometimes even my own (from my own shops) that contain a personalized gift, from a fan, friend, or relative. I put them on my walls, my bookshelves, etc. and that friend has reminded me that we both share a very common bond, a kind of “mutual survivors club”, and humor is that bond and a very strong one at that.

I find that when I receive gifts such as these, all I need do, if thinking a negative thought, is look at one of the items, or put on a one of my favorite cartoon tees or caps, or even use a cartoon mouse pad, and I am feeling better immediately.

An even greater perk in funny-gift-giving, is that most online stores like this allow you to customize each item either free, and some of them up to two dollars. It’s a wonderful way to share a short engraved message, or even add one’s on URL to make it a most unique personalized corporate gift/ I happen to be drinking coffee as I type this, in one of my own mugs, from my superstore, with a great friend’s business URL who lives two thousand miles away, but has one of my own cartoons on it. He knows I’m going to use it more than my plain white mug. He sells ink cartridges and also knows my printer is right on my desk next to my mug. So who am I going to think of when it is time to order cartridges? He’s not just a good guy but a very savvy gift-giver.

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Even those working in small businesses are finding that they need to travel more frequently as the internet opens up a wider range of markets. The problem is that business travel is renowned for causing stress and fatigue. Business travel tips are useful to regular travelers by ensuring certain routines are carried out every time they travel to reduce the possibility of wasted trips.

One situation that you will not be able to avoid at some point if you take enough trips is that of lost luggage which can be a real problem if your baggage contains information relevant to your trip. To reduce the chance of a wasted journey, always carry anything that is relevant to your trip in your hand luggage.

Although it means taking more on the plane it does mean that whatever might happen you will be prepared for your meeting. As far as your main luggage is concerned, make sure you only pack just enough for the trip and this is probably the most useful business travel tip to bear in mind.

The easiest way to do this is to only take one pair of casual shoes and work pair; keep your work clothes to exactly what you need for the tip and likewise clothes for when you are on your leisure time. The remaining items to pack will be toilet essentials and any other work related documents that aren’t important.

A clever business travel tip to reduce the size of bag you require is too roll your clothes up instead of folding them, apart for taking up less space they are less creased when they are unpacked. Then to reduce the chance of needing clothing laundered if something is spilt, a simple trick is to pack dark clothes which can absorb liquids without much sign and creases are not so apparent.

Of course if you are working to a tight schedule and the inevitable delay happens then you want to know you can attend a meeting at a moments notice and the way to freshen up is by using those hand and face wipes that come in travel packs. Remember before you leave to charge up your cell phone and other electronic devices, look in to getting some form of mobile or wireless internet access package so that you can work on the move.

As it is possible to carry out work while you fly, by making the best use of this time you will be able to spend some time relaxing in the evening and perhaps a little site seeing. Just plan ahead for your business travel using this guide and you will be in a position where whatever happens it will not affect your trip and once you have done this often enough it will all become second nature to you.

These few business travel tips if used, can make the difference between a relaxing few days when you travel on business, or a more stressful time if you decide to not to use them.

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Filed under: Business