4 Ways to Lower Your Car Insurance Bill

Written by adminAugust 7, 2019
Car Insurance

No matter what each of us pay each month for our car insurance, it’s a pretty safe bet to assume most of us think were paying too much money. These car insurance companies do whatever they can to keep raising rates and make it even more expensive for you to drive a car. In many places, people are spending $200 to $300 a month. That’s a ridiculous amount of money.

Worst part about it is that a lot of states require you to have insurance to drive. That means you have to take the situation sitting down. There are several options out there that you can look into to help make your insurance cheaper. Let’s take a look at four of those ways to see if they can help you or your monthly bill.

1) Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Discounts

Many insurance companies offer discounts. They won’t just come out and tell you what those discounts are, unless they use them as a marketing tactic. But you never know if there are certain discounts hidden from you unless you ask for them. For example, if you have a great driving record, and companies might want to offer a discount. They don’t believe you’ll be accident-prone and will reward you for your good driving.

2) Consider Packaged Deals

Yes, and a package deal you’ll end up paying more overall. But if you also need to get renters insurance, you have other vehicles that need insurance like a boat, or you need insurance for your home, many places will offer a discount to combine all your needs into one basket. Many of the top insurance companies like Progressive, Geico, and Allstate provide many different types of insurance. So, if you have additional need, don’t be afraid to combine it with your car insurance for a discount.

3) Don’t Forget to Check Back in Periodically

When you get car insurance when you’re young, it works a lot like credit. You’re not trusted enough just yet. In fact, you’re seen as an experienced and more accident-prone. As you get older, you might find your insurance starts to get a cheaper. That’s because as you get older, you become a better driver and the chances of you having an accident starts to drop. Once you hit 25 or so, you had close to a decade of experience and that should really help to lower your rate.

4) Take Public Transportation

You may consider this point extreme, but if you’re really struggling to afford paying your car insurance, get rid of the car! Of course, we don’t want to do this. We enjoy our independence and being able to go wherever we want whenever we want. Still, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners says that overall driving is down for millennials. Back in 2014, 69% of 19-year-olds had a license. Back in 1983, the number was near 90%. That means the number of overall drivers has fallen over the past few decades. If you’re struggling with high rates, put away the keys for a while.

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4 Great Ways to Lower Your Car Insurance Bill

Written by adminAugust 5, 2019
Car Insurance

No matter what each of us pay each month for our car insurance, it’s a pretty safe bet to assume most of us think were paying too much money. These car insurance companies do whatever they can to keep raising rates and make it even more expensive for you to drive a car. In many places, people are spending $200 to $300 a month. That’s a ridiculous amount of money.

Worst part about it is that a lot of states require you to have insurance to drive. That means you have to take the situation sitting down. There are several options out there that you can look into to help make your insurance cheaper. Let’s take a look at four of those ways to see if they can help you or your monthly bill.

1) Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Discounts

Many insurance companies offer discounts. They won’t just come out and tell you what those discounts are, unless they use them as a marketing tactic. But you never know if there are certain discounts hidden from you unless you ask for them. For example, if you have a great driving record, and companies might want to offer a discount. They don’t believe you’ll be accident-prone and will reward you for your good driving.

2) Consider Packaged Deals

Yes, and a package deal you’ll end up paying more overall. But if you also need to get renters insurance, you have other vehicles that need insurance like a boat, or you need insurance for your home, many places will offer a discount to combine all your needs into one basket. Many of the top insurance companies like Progressive, Geico, and Allstate provide many different types of insurance. So, if you have additional need, don’t be afraid to combine it with your car insurance for a discount.

3) Don’t Forget to Check Back in Periodically

When you get car insurance when you’re young, it works a lot like credit. You’re not trusted enough just yet. In fact, you’re seen as an experienced and more accident-prone. As you get older, you might find your insurance starts to get a cheaper. That’s because as you get older, you become a better driver and the chances of you having an accident starts to drop. Once you hit 25 or so, you had close to a decade of experience and that should really help to lower your rate.

4) Take Public Transportation

You may consider this point extreme, but if you’re really struggling to afford paying your car insurance, get rid of the car! Of course, we don’t want to do this. We enjoy our independence and being able to go wherever we want whenever we want. Still, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners says that overall driving is down for millennials. Back in 2014, 69% of 19-year-olds had a license. Back in 1983, the number was near 90%. That means the number of overall drivers has fallen over the past few decades. If you’re struggling with high rates, put away the keys for a while.

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4 Reasons Why You Need Title Insurance

Written by adminMay 22, 2019
Insurance

There is perhaps no greater investment you’ll ever make in your life than the one you put into your home.  It’s where you’ll live out the rest of your days, build memories with your family, and take part in an amazing community.  But what steps do you take to make sure your house and possessions are protected from damage and/or theft?

This isn’t just about home insurance.  Most buyers already have that. But what about title insurance?  At first glance, you might not even realize what title insurance does or how it can help keep you safe, but it’s an important aspect of ensuring nothing goes wrong, leaving you with a massive mess to clean up.

What is Title Insurance?

When you buy a house, there’s a lot of paperwork that goes with it.  You’ll have to draw up and file legal documents, sign a mortgage, ensure all your information and data is correct (or correctly added), and so on.  But what happens if there’s a mistake? What if the wrong information was added in or something was incorrectly filed?

The reality is, mistakes happen!  Humans are imperfect beings and no matter how hard we try, sometimes we make mistakes.  Something gets faxed wrong, we make a typo, we mistake one number for another, and so on.  It happens literally every day! So why not protect yourself? Here are four reasons why you need title insurance:

Reason #1: To Protect Your Space

Yeah, your house is protected, as well as your possessions with insurance, but what happens if there’s a border dispute?  Maybe someone’s tree fell on a neighbor’s house and that person claimed the tree was on your property. How do you handle the situation?  You can get a survey, but the results are often different every time.

Where title insurance will help you is it will determine exactly where your property ends and where it begins.  If anyone tries to challenge or dispute it, then they’re out of luck. The title insurance is your way of protecting your borders.

Reason #2: Protection from Fraud

Sometimes people are just crooked.  They’re out to make a quick buck and don’t care about anyone else.  Sometimes mortgage fraud happens. A ‘seller’ can create a fake deed and gets it notarized.  In that case, you’d be sore out of luck because the deed would’ve been an authorized document.

People fake signatures all the time.  Maybe an angry wife forges her husband’s signature to get rid of his house and you buy it.  What then? Title insurance will protect you from any fraud that might pop up. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Reason #3: Liens

Even when you do all the research you can on a home, there still might be a certain amount of unknown history hiding somewhere.  This is especially true if you plan on buying a home that’s been foreclosed upon. You have no idea who might have a lien against them, which means the bank gets to take your new home.  Protect yourself with an insured title and you’ll be set.

Reason #4: All the Errors

This was mentioned in the beginning, but it’s true.  People make mistakes all the time. All it takes is one mishap, one little typo, and it can count against you.  It doesn’t even have to be your fault. It can be the realtor, the seller, the bank, etc. The only real way to keep yourself from losing out a ton of money is insuring that title.

Buying a home can be both an exciting and trying time.  As with any major (or even minor) investment, it’s always best to protect it every way you can.  Not doing so can leave you in a world of hurt. Hope for the best, but be prepared for the worst.  

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5 Steps to Keep Yourself Covered During and After a Natural Disaster

Written by adminAugust 2, 2018
Life Style

Summer going into fall is one of the worst times for a natural disaster in the United States. Hurricanes and other tropical storms can hit with a vengeance, but usually offer plenty of warning for people to be prepared.

Even if you don’t live near a tropical area, tornadoes and other severe storms can hit without warning at any time, and it’s best to stay 100% prepared at all times. Thankfully, technology is improving and weather prediction has increased accuracy as well.

Sadly, many Americans are not prepared for a big storm, earthquake, or other natural disaster to hit their area. Ipsos, a market research company, found that 51% of all Americans are ready for a major event, or the aftermath that comes after.

Of course, these numbers vary by state. Most Floridians, for example, are probably prepared for the inevitable. In fact, most natives who grew up in Florida hardly blink for anything below a Category 3 while anyone elsewhere would be shaking in their boots.

According to a Natural Disaster Survey

“Respondents generally feel most prepared for disasters more typical to their state,” Ipsos says. “California residents feel most prepared for earthquakes (62 percent) and wildfires (44 percent); Florida feels most prepared for hurricanes (89 percent), and Texas respondents feel most prepared for floods (57 percent).”

Another survey conducted by Esurance said 80% of Americans are worried about an increase in storms. But, only 25% are actually ready for it, which is a tough thing to reconcile. Only 17% of the country says they’re ‘well-prepared’.

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Most people who claim they are ready just have some additional food and candles, but haven’t invested in necessary tools, like generators or storm panels. If a disaster strikes, you could be without food or power for days or even weeks.

If you’re unsure about your preparedness level, we’re here to help. Here are 5 steps you can take right now to keep you and your family safe.

1) It’s a good idea to back up your records digitally or in the cloud.

If your house is destroyed, it’s possible your paper records will be too. Many keep their records locked up in a safe, but it’s still a good idea to scan everything you have, like birth certificates, marriage license, IDs, proof of ownership, and everything else you have to be safely stored where no storm can destroy it.

2) Take good pictures of your property and set up security footage.

Thanks to technology, a lot of people are setting up surveillance equipment around their home for cheap. Doing such a thing is a great idea so you can prove if a theft happens, or to see how your property looked before a storm to compare afterward. This will lower the chance your claim gets denied.

3) Use Wi-Fi

Most people don’t realize that one of the major structures that often get destroyed during a storm or natural disaster are cell phone towers. They can be out much longer than powerlines, and if you have a generator, as long as the cable lines (which are usually underground) are safe, you can still connect to the outside world.

4) Invest in smart technology.

Homes are getting smarter and you can get alerts to your phone that can save your life. Do your research on the various technologies and apps out there today.

5) Find a way to communicate with the outside world.

If a natural disaster hits your town, your family and friends will be worried sick about you. They may call law enforcement which would divert resources to find you when you’re safe. If you can contact family and friends and let them know you’re safe, it will help recovery efforts.

It will also pay to have radios, batteries, basic TV, and other things at the ready in the event of a disaster so you can keep up with everything going on, especially if you need to be evacuated.

Of course, these are only a few tips. Being prepared also includes having money saved. Leave if asked to evacuate. Have a safe route out of town. And teach kids about what to do during an emergency.

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The Importance of Living Wills

Written by adminJanuary 19, 2018
Insurance

The one thing we can all agree on about life is how unpredictable it is.  And one day, it will all end.  As we move towards our undeniable fate, there may be plenty of ways you’ve begun to prepare, such as drawing up your last will and testament, having enough life insurance to cover any last expenses, and making sure all your debts are paid.   

Thinking about our passing is always a difficult subject, but it’s something we must all do as we come to grips about our mortality.  There’s still one major area of concern we often gloss over when it comes to our health during the final days, weeks, and even months of our life.  While we all know the importance of our last will and testament, have you taken the time to consider a living will?

There might come a time in your life where you find yourself in an incapacitated state.  It doesn’t necessarily have to happen towards the end of your life either, as a living will deals with your care while you’re still alive.  For example, if you’ve been in a severe car accident and find yourself in a coma.  How would you like your family to proceed?

 

A Difficult Choice

This can be a truly heart-wrenching decision for any family member to have to make, especially if they’re unsure of your wishes and how you desire the situation to be handled.  Should they take you off life support?  Keep you going a while longer?  And not to forget the whole Terri Schiavo case where family members had very different opinions on what should happen next.

Everyone from lawyers and estate planners to the majority medical professionals have advocated for the need for a living will.  But it’s important not to confuse a living will with your typical will, which deals with how you’re going to divide your property amongst family and friends.  A living will is strictly about making an advance directive while you’re still alive.

Despite the insistence by top professionals to obtain a living will, only a small number of people have made sure they have one.  Hiring a lawyer (if you haven’t already) can be useful if you want to get advice on how to plan your living will.  While it’s recommended to hire one, you can set it up on your own without one by obtaining the forms online.  Many hospitals also have the correct forms to fill out.   

It’s also important to discuss with your loved ones your plan in the event of an emergency.  It can go a long way to helping them know how to handle a potential tragedy.  You can also assign someone as your power of attorney and let everyone know who you chose to make decisions on your behalf.   

And finally, file your living will with your doctor’s office, as well as with your attorney, and your power of attorney.  The whole process only requires a few steps, including getting your living will notarized.  Once you have it taken care of, you will be prepared.  Whatever happens, you and your family will be taken care of.

 

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5 Tips to Get Lower Auto Insurance Rates

Written by adminJanuary 4, 2017
Car Insurance , Insurance

If you own a car, then you almost certainly need to purchase auto insurance. Every state requires proof of financial responsibility, and for most vehicle owners, this means you have to satisfy the requirements that the state sets of liability insurance. If you’re still making payments on your auto loan, you’ll also need to satisfy your lender’s requirements for collision and comprehensive coverage. Liability insurance is the kind of coverage that pays for damage to the other guy, but comprehensive and collision insurance protect your vehicle.

These are some quick facts about U.S. auto insurance:

  • The average cost of car insurance in the United States was a little over $900 in 2014.
  • The cost of coverage has increased in most states in the past year between one and five percent.
  • Averages aren’t that useful because they could include various kinds of coverage, and premiums vary quite a bit in different states and cities.

5 Ways to Buy Cheaper Auto Insurance

If you have to pay auto insurance premiums each month, it makes sense to take some time to learn a little bit about how this kind of coverage works. Consider these five tips to curb your premiums:

  1. Some cars are cheaper to insure than others: If you’re planning on buying a new or used car, you should get quotes on that make and model before you decide which one to buy. For many, premiums are a big part of the cost of ownership. You might think that older or cheaper vehicles are always cheaper to insure, but that isn’t always true. In general, safer cars are less expensive to cover.
  2. You could change your driving habits: If your current insurer has just raised your rates, you might consider commuting by bus or rail and leaving your vehicle at home during the week. Many insurers offer discounts for low-mileage drivers, and you’ll also help save wear on your car, gas money, and the environment. You might be surprised to find that it actually works out cheaper to buy a bus or rail pass.
  3. You might consider increasing your deductible: Increasing your deductible from $250 to $1,000 could save you hundreds of dollars each year in premiums. You just need to be sure that you know there’s a risk of paying more out of your pocket if you do have a claim. It’s a good idea to set some of that money inside just in case, but if you don’t have a wreck, you’ll get to keep it.
  4. Look for an insurer with the right discounts: Many large insurers offer discounts for things you might already be doing or could easily do. For example, you might save money if you bundle policies with the same company, take a defensive driving course, or make sure any teen drivers in your family maintain at least a B average in school.
  5. Shop around for the cheapest auto insurance premiums: Some companies are better for some drivers than others. For example, the insurer that offered you low rates might not be the one who will write your your teenaged driver in for an affordable price. Even great drivers won’t get the best rates from some companies if they have low credit scores.

This may seem like a lot to keep in mind, and it’s only a portion of the help that you can get with FinancialHelpers.com. You might need to buy auto insurance, but you don’t need to overpay.

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