August 16th, 2009 by sugig

Imagine for a moment that your health has taken a turn for the worse. You need extensive medical attention and expensive treatments. Would you be prepared to account for these medical costs? Or would you or a family member ultimately have to deal with this financial burden?

Surely, you would not want to suffer the consequences of paying big medical bills on your own. This is why health insurance is so important. A Harvard study conducted in 2001 found that medical bills caused half of all bankruptcies. Therefore, you should make sure that you have some form of medical insurance. You should also make sure that your money is well-spent on insurance that meets your needs.

Insurance Provided by Employer

You should feel lucky if you are in the minority of people who receive health insurance through your employer. According to bankrate.com, company health insurance is actually part of a group insurance plan. Your employer pays for most of your insurance and also pays for your insurance with portions of your paychecks. Everyone in your group plan pays the same rate. The premiums paid by healthy members go towards paying the bills of sick members. Bankrate.com recommends that you study up on your employee benefits package to make sure that the insurance plan you choose provides you with the services and options you will need. If you are young and/or relatively healthy, you may want to consider choosing to pay for your company’s cheapest health plan.

Bankrate.com also recommends that you review your insurance plan periodically. You may be paying more money for services you no longer need. For example, if you have children that have graduated from college or are no longer on your insurance plan, you should change your insurance plan accordingly. Additionally, if you have lost weight or quit smoking, you could qualify for a cheaper insurance plan.

Have You Been Laid Off?

If you have recently lost your job, you may want to consider the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (or COBRA) plan. With a COBRA plan, you pay for the medical benefits your former employer paid for on your own. The plan lasts up to 18 months. Keep in mind that the COBRA plan is a bit expensive. In addition to paying the premiums your company used to pay, you would also have to pay a 2% service fee.

Are You Uninsured?

Unfortunately, according to bankrate.com you may face discrimination from insurance companies if you try to insure yourself on your own. You may have difficulty buying insurance if you have any medical problems whatsoever. Remember, with a company group insurance plan, your insurance provider only has to pay the medical bills of the sick members in the group.

Look for health plans that have higher premiums. You may pay more upfront for medical coverage, but you will ultimately spend less on deductibles. At the very least, financial analyst Suz Orman recommends paying for worst-case-scenario insurance for medical bills that top $5,000. This way you can at least be sure that you will not have to foot the entire bill for high costs.

Conclusion

No one wants to live their life fearing the worst. By insuring yourself, you can at least rest assured knowing that you are prepared if your health takes a turn for the worse. As a result you or your family would not have to suffer the additional hardship of having to pay for your medical costs yourself. The good news is that if you can not afford insurance coverage, filing bankruptcy could eliminate your medical bills if necessary.

August 16th, 2009 by sugig

Trying to save money wherever you can is important to us all. Insurance should be no different. Do not assume that your agent knows everything about you and your vehicle. CarInsurance.com goes out of their way to find all the possible discounts that are available to each customer.

Drivers should take advantage of all discounts that many providers offer, that can significantly reduce the cost of car insurance. Understanding discounts and how they can affect auto insurance premiums can help smart shoppers make better decisions about their coverage and possibly save themselves some money in the process.

Read below to identify possible discounts that could help you save on auto insurance this year. Other than discounts, there may be some other ways for you to save on your insurance premiums. We will go over several discounts that can help with your current situation.

First, there are discounts for Auto Safety features. Certain states will give you discounts for anti-lock breaks. Make sure you know if it is two or four wheel anti-lock break vehicle. Automatic seatbelts and airbags are frequently discounted on your insurance premiums. In most states, a defensive driver class discount may apply. If the principal driver usually 55 years old or older has completed an approved defensive driving class a discount could apply. Keep in mind that most states will only approve this class if it is voluntary meaning that it was not the result of a violation or infraction.

Some insurers will give you a discount for having multiple vehicles. In some cases, this will only apply if you have two or more drivers. If you have a clean driving record, meaning you do not have any tickets, accidents or suspensions in the last three years (some companies require five years) then you could be eligible for a safe driver’s discount.

Many companies will reward you with staying with the same insurance company for many years without any accidents reported. They will offer you a renewal discount. It makes sense, you have carried insurance with a company for several years, and have not had an accident, your insurance company likes you and wants to reward and keep your business. Some companies honor you with a discount if you had prior limits on your previous policy. They discount you because they understand you are a better risk.

Conversely, if you do decided to change insurers a proof of prior insurance discount may apply. Most insurers request at least 6 months of consecutive insurance from the previous insurer. If you are a full-time student who meets certain grade requirements and are unmarried and usually under 25 years of age (some states the age is 21) you could be eligible for a good student discount. If you own a home, including condominium, town home, or mobile home, which is used as a principal residence, a discount could apply. Military personnel either currently active or retired from any branch of the US military a discount could apply. If your vehicle is equipped with an anti-theft device, a discount could apply.

You could lower the cost of your insurance in other ways.

For people who own older cars, it may not be necessary or cost-effective to protect them with collision and comprehensive coverage. By comparing the book value of your vehicle and the premium that the insurer has offered, you may find that it cost as much for the insurance as it does for the vehicle. If the car is worth less than $2,000, you will probably spend more insuring it than it is worth. The whole idea of driving an older car is to save money, so why not get what is coming to you.

In addition, keep in mind that the type of vehicle you buy could greatly affect your premium. A flashy red sports car is usually going to cost more to insure than a mid sized sedan. This is also true of vehicles that are on the list of most stolen. There are many ways that policyholders can save on their insurance. Knowing more about auto policies and premiums can help consumers take advantage of less obvious discounts while ensuring that they have the appropriate protection for their vehicles. The last way to save is to assume more risk. If you chose higher deductible on your Personal Injury Protection or Comprehensive and collision coverage will lower your premium as well. The deductible is the amount of money you have to pay before your insurance company begins paying the rest.

Understanding how discounts affect your insurance rates is important to save you money.

August 16th, 2009 by sugig

No Claims Bonus is a term used to describe the number of years you have had Car Insurance without making a claim. Put simply, if you have had Car Insurance for 4 years and you have not made a claim in that time, then you have 4 years No Claims Bonus. No Claim Bonus is probably the single biggest factor affecting the cost of your Car Insurance premium. Every year that goes by without you making a claim is another year of No Claims Bonus. Generally speaking, the more No Claims Bonus years you have, the cheaper your premium will be for the car you need to insure. This is because Car Insurance companies can see that your history regarding making any claims is a good one. When changing provider, Car Insurance companies will usually ask you to prove your No Claims Bonus in the form of a renewal notice or a letter from your current Car Insurance company. If you have several years of No Claims Bonus but then make a claim, the Car Insurance company will usually apply it’s rules of how much to knock back your No Claims Bonus Years.

August 15th, 2009 by sugig

As a two year consumer of Progressive Auto Insurance I can, with confidence, recommend Progressive as a praiseworthy company and a superb choice for your auto insurance needs.

Notably, Progressive has fair and competitive rates, but more commendable, is their outstanding customer service. In having to speak to Progressive Representatives, I am qualified to say that their consumers are treated with kindness, respect, and with individual, undivided attention regardless of the basis for the call.

The basis for my call was a billing glitch that caused the Department of Motor Vehicles in my state to fine me $250 for each of my two cars, stating I was un-insured. The DMV refused my explanation of the billing glitch and deemed the proof of insurance I had sent them as invalid. I was then forced to involve Progressive. I wasn’t about to pay $500 for some misunderstanding, nor could I afford to.

It took three days for the agents, who graciously fought the DMV on my behalf, to come up with a win. The DMV ultimately reversed their decision to fine me. I was ever-so grateful for the patience and persistence those Progressive agents put forth.

Fortunately, I have yet to involved in an accident but I have had to file a claim for a new windshield. You know what happens when your on the highway behind one of those giants trucks that kicks up gravel. Well it happened to me. Nonetheless, getting the windshield was easy as one, two, three. I got on-line, spent three minutes filing a claim, and with-in minutes an agent called me at home giving me the option of mobile service or to just take my vehicle to the repair shop. I chose to take it in and by the afternoon I had a new windshield.

Last but not least as far as my personal experiences go, my van broke down. The darn transmission went out 180 miles out of town. I pay the four extra dollars a month for roadside assistance and assist is exactly what Progressive did. With one call they sent a tow-truck. I was sure that make us tow our vehicle to the nearest town, but they didn’t. We were towed 180 miles back to a repair shop in our town with no out of pocket expense.

As an added benefit in our fast paced world, consumers of Progressive can conveniently manage their policy on-line with simplicity. Whether it’s obtaining a quote or making changes on one’s policy. In this fast paced world, being able to manage your policy on-line is a real advantage. We don’t always have time to jump into our cars, head to their office, and linger about before we’re waited on.

I commend Progressive Insurance for their first rate service and perpetuating customer appreciation by giving truth to the statement “Service with a Smile”.

August 13th, 2009 by sugig

Key success of everykind business is confidence with our business. You know a man who always have negative thinking they also always get negative result for every single act. Nothing is easy to get sucess, but you must still confidence with your business. That’s the point. Although genius man like bill gates also need long time to build their business.

So that’s also would happen when we start with internet business. Nothing instant success, no pain no gain, everything needs process.
And it depends on how we confidence with our business. With confidence we could run our business with more sure that soon we would get success.

In this point i’m not guarantee you that it 100% would be success, but what we need is to be patient and step by step build your business network. When we growth our business, there would be chance if we do it with confidence…

Just try it..

August 5th, 2009 by sugig

Many years ago, I was informed I could not buy a new vehicle because my credit was shot. I was turned down despite possessing a solid position with a state government agency and a substantial cash down payment. I discovered that errors were being reported by creditors. I was also being dinged by my ex-wife’s creditors although she was the primary card holder - and the primary spender.

However, this painful experience did not come without its hidden rewards. I was abruptly (and thankfully) introduced to the Fair Credit Billing Act of 1974 (HINT: Read this law).

Creditors love to play dirty, fast and loose. Their bottom line is to make money, even if they take a long walk outside the parameters of federal and state law. They figure what you don’t know won’t hurt them. That is about to change. My intention is to arm my beloved readers with information on how to fight back - and win!

Remember: knowledge is power and information is king.

First, forget about all those ads that ask you to give up your credit card information for free credit reports or credit monitoring. Most of them are scams - just another way to rip off the unsuspecting and uninformed consumer. By law, you are entitled to receive one free credit report every 12 months from the three nationwide consumer credit reporting companies - Equifax, Experian and Trans Union. You can request your copy by phone or by regular (snail) mail. If you plan do make any mail inquiries to the above mentioned credit reporting companies, I strongly suggest doing it by certified mail with a return receipt requested. Inquiries have a tendency to get lost in the shuffle. Using certified mail with a return receipt request requires the receiver to sign for the letter. You will receive that sign request back. If your inquiry suddenly disappears, you have proof. Make it a habit of doing this, especially with issues that are time sensitive. Cover all your bases.

Second, if picking a fight with Equifax, Experian and Trans Union seems daunting to you, please hire a credit repair lawyer. There are reputable lawyers in your area that are experienced in disputing negative items on your credit report. This is my personal weapon of choice. Yes, it will cost you some money. Nevertheless, the rewards of obtaining a sterling (and true) credit report outweighs the cost.

Before you go hunting for a credit repair attorney, be forewarned. There are unsavory individual and companies who make fantastic claims of “magically” erasing all your debt. When the rubber meets the road, no results are forthcoming. Some of these companies may try to tempt you to change your Social Security number or get an Employer Identification number (EIN) to create a new credit report. Do not fall for this scam! This is ILLEGAL! You could be prosecuted for mail or wire fraud if you use mail or telephone to provide false information to apply for a credit or a loan. It is serious federal crime to make false statements on a loan or credit application, to give false Social Security Number, and to deceitfully obtain an Employer Identification Number from the Internal Revenue Service.

Now for the fun stuff!

You may find that many of the debts within your credit report are not yours or were not dropped off after the time limit set forth by federal law. We will deal with the latter of the two.

Time Limits

You or your attorney will concentrate on these ten negative items on your credit report. If any of these are past the time allotted by Federal law, it can be disputed. The creditor has 30 days to provide proof that the negative is valid. If the creditor fails to do so, the disputed negative item must come off.

* Bankruptcy: Ten years from the date of discharge for chapters seven, eleven and twelve. Seven years for chapter thirteen. Any accounts covered by the bankruptcy stay on individual’s report for seven years.
* Delinquencies: Seven years from the first missed payment or original delinquency date.
* Collections: Seven years from the original delinquency date.
* Charge offs: Seven years from the original delinquency date, no matter if late payments were made. NOTE: The original creditor can sell your debt to a collection agency if they feel they won’t get a cent from you in the near future. Some collectors claim that by making a payment or contacting them, an individual has reset the time limit to zero. This is not true! This practice is called “reaging”. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has declared reaging invalid.
* Lost Credit Card: Two years with no delinquencies. Seven years with delinquency.
* Child Support: Seven years from date the judgment is filed.
* Closed Accounts: Seven years from date of closing with delinquencies.
* Child Support: Seven years from date judgment is rendered.
* Liens: Fifteen years for unpaid tax liens. Seven years for paid liens.
* Credit Inquiries: Two years.
* Small Claims and Civil Judgments: Seven years from date judgment is rendered.
* Paid Positive Accounts: Ten years.
* Positive Credit Data: No time limit.

Depending on the extent of damage on your report, a thorough credit repair should take between three to six months from start to finish. Do not expect the credit reporting agencies to make this process easy for you or your lawyer. Above all, DO NOT apply for credit in any way or form during this time.

Be patient, stick to your guns and the prize will be yours.