Playing with fire: is life insurance a main course or luxury dessert for you?

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life insurance

Do you have life insurance? I do. I have so much life insurance, I joke that if something were to happen to me, John will be a very wealthy man. It is a bad joke, I know. John’s been telling me that since the very first time I mentioned it. It may be a bad joke, but it is the truth. My life is insured for close to $800,000 in two different policies; one of these is part of my pension plan. This is quite a bit less than the amount for which David Beckham’s legs were (are?) insured but […] Read more »

Buying a Home- Is it a Good Investment?

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Buying a Home Is it a Good Investment

Most people have been told at some point that buying a home is a good investment.  We’ve heard from our parents, the media, relatives, and real estate pros that buying a house is a good investment that will help you to secure your financial future. We’re told that investing in a home that appreciates over time will help you secure your golden years by paying it off in your younger years and leaving you without a house payment when your older.  It also provides you with a large chunk of money once you sell it and downsize to a smaller […] Read more »

A Closer Look at Rising Health Insurance Costs

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Getting back to that Aetna advertisement. It is not your imagination, health insurance rates have risen much faster than other costs of living. The image above is courtesy of the Kaiser Family Foundation. It illustrates the cumulative changes in health insurance premiums, workers’ contribution to premiums, inflation, and workers’ earnings from 1999-2010. It is important to realize the data on this chart is purely from employer sponsored plans and does not include retirees or the self-employed. The past decade had an overall inflation rate of 31%, or an average 3.1% per year. Earnings during the same time period increased by […] Read more »

Reducing Monthly Expenses to Pay Down Your Debt

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Starting the process of paying down your debt involves a lot more than the simple declaration, “no more.” It also requires a thorough review of your personal finances. That doesn’t just mean an assessment of the debts you owe, but also what you spend, on a monthly basis. The first place to start is to see precisely how much money you bring in on a monthly basis. For some, this is easy as it’s simply their monthly paycheck. For others, it’s more complex. But whether you work for someone else, run your own company, do freelance work, or are currently […] Read more »

Three Ways to Decrease Your Car Insurance Payments

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This is a guest post provided by the folks at 21st Century Auto Insurance. Sick of paying high monthly costs for your auto insurance policy? According to CNNMoney, there are three ways in which you can lower your car insurance payments each month. 3 Ways to Save on Auto Insurance The source states one relatively new way to cut down on your auto insurance fees is to install a device in your vehicle which can monitor your driving habits, such as acceleration and breaking patterns, as well as how many miles you drive. But, before having one of these devices […] Read more »

Does Where I Live Really Make a Difference in my Auto Insurance Rate?

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A lot of people wonder what factors are used to determine their auto insurance rates. It’s taken for granted that auto insurance companies will likely give you higher rates if your driving record is pockmarked with accidents, infractions and other black marks. Additionally, matters such as age, criminal history and the type of car you own are also taken into account. However, for one reason or another, consumers don’t always understand the affect moving away can have on their auto insurance. They say location is important in real estate, but it can be just as vital in auto insurance. Even […] Read more »

When is it the Right Time to Let Your Kids be Financially Responsible?

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I am not the kind of person who likes to tell other parents how they should do their job. Everyone has their own methods when it comes to raising children and in most situations there is no right or wrong way of doing things. But conversations between parents are often an invaluable source of ideas, so I’m going to offer some thoughts on the process of how to help your children become financially independent as they grow into young adults. The behaviors that turn children into fiscally prudent adults can begin at a very young age. From spending and saving […] Read more »

Saving Money on Renter’s Insurance

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Photo Credit: kowaleski This is a guest post by Jeff Orloff. Cutting insurance altogether is never a good idea, even when you are trying to save money. Unfortunately, one of the biggest myths when it comes to insurance is that renters insurance isn’t necessary so many people take a pass in order to budget that money for something else even if it means leaving the possessions you have accumulated over your lifetime unprotected from theft or disaster. When it comes to renter’s insurance, there are many ways you can cut costs so that your possessions are protected while staying within […] Read more »

Tips on Finding You the Right Auto Insurance Coverage

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This is a guest post from a recent series of three from the folks at 21st Century Insurance. Make sure you are insured, but most importantly make sure you have the right coverage for you! While there are a plethora of options for auto insurance coverage, it can be tough to find the right provider that works best for you when you need to make that auto insurance claim. But they’re out there. However, the right coverage can’t find you if you don’t go out and look for it. If you’re not sure what discounts you may deserve on your […] Read more »

7 Tips on Saving Money on Your Auto Insurance Without the Risk!

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This is a guest post from the folks at 21st Century Insurance. Perfect timing too because I just renewed my auto insurance and saved myself by using two of the below methods. My total savings for 6 months of coverage dropped by nearly $50. I raised my deductible and change my coverage to better reflect our situation. $50 may not seem like much, but it brought our final insurance quote below $400 for the six month term. I’ve been paying over $400 since I have been with my provider so I was really excited to hear it dropped some more. […] Read more »

Why The Heck Do You Need Life Insurance Anyway?

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This is a guest post from Aaron at Clarifinancial. I was emailing with Brad last week when he suggested I write a guest post. “It would be nice to share with my readers the importance of getting life insurance to begin with,” he said. With that goal in mind, I’m going to try to tap into some of that Brad-passion to explain to you why the heck you need life insurance anyway. I normally ramble in some emotional deep-water metaphor type of stuff, so this will be different. Look, you make money, you own things, and (if you’re reading this […] Read more »

Tips on Keeping Your Car Insurance Rate

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This is a guest post from the folks at 21st Century Insurance. We are all required to have auto insurance, so it’s nice to know what we need to do in order to keep ourselves from spending more money than we have to. My favorite tip is the last one, mainly because I know I am guilty of assuming. In fact, when my insurance is set to renew I plan on asking for a better rate! 😀 Keep your Car Insurance rate where it belongs. If you’re like many of us, car insurance represents a big chunk of your household […] Read more »