Need Auto Insurance? Go to Comparenow.com to compare prices

Value for money is our ultimate goal, and every cents counts. If you can get the same topnotch service for less price you will definitely grab it. All insurance company promise that they offer the lowest price and that you can save money on your car insurance if you buy their insurance. How can you know for sure if you don't compare it with other insurance company. Going to one Insurance company website to another will take so much time since there are about 400 insurance companies in the US.

You can use Comparenow.com to get an instant auto insurance quote for your car by signing up for a free account and entering the basic information that insurance providers need to calculate their coverage costs.

Comparenow.com can help you search for the car insurance that will really saves you money. All you have to do is go to their website, enter your zipcode and click on "Start Comparing". It will then ask you for information about the car and how you use it. Then it will ask you for your address, and other information. Then it will ask you about the car's current coverage. Then after that it will ask you to create a log in using your email address.

Once you have an account you will be asked to Select the package that best meets your coverage needs and then they wil retrieve your quote. Your coverages can be customized by clicking on the "Customize Coverages" link. Then it will ask you to wait for 30 seconds as they retrieve your quote.

The great thing about Comparenow.com, you can get the insurance that will give you the most value for your money. However, please do note that most of the time the insurance companies  cannot offer a quote immediately since they need more time to process your information. What will happen is that they will email you your quotes.

Comparenow is doing what other online price comparison websites like Priceline.com is doing, get shoppers that wants value for their money.

Comparenow is owned by Admiral Group PLC, which is a British insurance company they also owns Henrico-based auto insurer Elephant Insurance Services LLC.

Other price comparison websites for car insurance is AutoInsurance.com which has partnered with Walmart.

Most Americans Don't Budget According to a Survey

The National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) recently published a survey about the Consumer Financial Literacy. The 2014 Financial Literacy Survey that was conducted by Harris Poll online last March, gives us an idea of American consumer's degree financial literacy. It also identifies their behavior and attitude towards trends that is linked to personal finance.

More than 2,000 American adults ages 18 and above took part of this survey, that was sponsored by Experian Consumer Services.

Check out the Key Findings from the NFCC 2014 Consumer Financial Literacy Survey:

Budgeting and Debt:

•  61% of the respondents admitted that they don't have a budget, the highest percentage in six years.
• 1/3 or 34% of US adults indicated that their household carries credit card debt from month-to-month. It was also reported that about 15% or more than 35 million US adults admitted that they roll-over $2,500 or more monthly.
• The proportion of adults who are spending less when compared to last year continues to go down. As you can see on the infographic in 2009 it as at its highest at 57%, it declines annually, it stand at its lowest at 29% in 2014.

Savings vs. Spending:

• 16% of Adults in the US, worries about having not enough "rainy day" savings.   
• 16% of Americans also worries about retiring without having enough money set aside.
•  32% of Americans still don not save any portion of their yearly income for retirenment.

Credit Reports and Scores:

• 65% of US adults have failed to review their credit reports within the past 12 months.
• 60% of US adults have not reviewed their credit score.
• 21% or about 1 in 5 US adults are not at all sure about what types of information are included on a standard credit report.

Survey Confirms the need for Financial Education:

• 41% of US adults gave themselves a grade of C, D or F in grading their knowledge of personal finance.
• 21% of them said that if money could talk, they think their money would say "I'm smaller than most of my friends."
• 73% or 3/4 of US adults agree that they could benefit from financial advice from a professional.

April is the Financial Literacy Month and it is a good reminder for Americans to check their credit report and credit scores since credit knowledge is a very critical part when it comes to understanding personal finance.

With a lot of bad happening like online fraud the public should be vigilant and people should spend time checking their credit report regularly to safeguard and spot signs of fraud if there's any. It will also help people better understand the things that affects their credit, this will give us an idea on how to improve and  make informed financial decisions.

Red flags that Need attention about individual Personal Finance:

• Absence of a budget
• Confusion around credit reports and scores
• Spending beyond what can be responsibly repaid
• Insufficient savings
• Admitted lack of knowledge pertaining to personal finance

According to financial experts budget is the basic tool of financial management, and if a person don't have one he or she will easily lose track of spending.

Click Here to access the info-graphic and to use its interactive features.

If you want more resources to help you with your money and finance management check out the sites below:

Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy - they are a partnership of about 150 national organizations and entities from different background like corporate, non-profit, academic, government and other sectors. Their mission is to help students in pre-kindergarten up to college in advancing financial literacy.

MyMoney.Gov – They teach the importance of the Five (5) building blocks for managing and growing your money which are Earn, Save and Invest, Protect, Spend, and Borrow.

360 Degrees of Financial Literacy – Set up by American certified public accountants that aims to help the public understand their personal finances through every stage of life. The great thing about this tool is, it's FREE.

Mint - Lets you manage your budget with their easy to use personal finance tools and calculators. Track spending and monitor your online banking account. This is a free tool.

Obamacare sign-ups on track to hit 7M as website stalls

HealthCare.gov which is the official website for U.S. consumers to enroll in private health insurance under Obamacare encountered technical issues twice on Monday due to huge surge of people accessing the website before the midnight deadline to sign up for coverage.

More than 6 million people had signed up for a private health coverage through the new Obamacare insurance market. It surpass the target set after a disastrous October rollout. Experts said that if the surge continues, they may exceed the original goal of 7 million.

There were times that there are more than 125,000 people using HealthCare.gov at once, thus straining it beyond its capacity.

President Barrack Obama has aggressively courting healthy 18 to 34 years, but there are reports that most of the enrollees are 35 and older.

McKinsey & Company also shows that 27% of the enrollees were previously uninsured and that roughly 75% of those who signed up for private insurance under ObamaCare have paid their premiums.

Obamacare Deadline March 31st; Important Points to Remember

March 31 is just around the corner and it is the deadline of Affordable Care Act open enrollment. If you missed the deadline and have not purchased health care coverage you may be penalized (tax penalty) on your 2014 taxes filed in 2015. You will also have to wait for the next open enrollment period.

If you have already insurance from your work, Medicaid, Medicare, or others you will not be penalized as long as it have the minimum standards under the Affordable Care Act.

Under the ObamaCare Act everyone is required to have health insurance or if you don't you will have to pay a tax penalty (in 2015 when 2014 taxes are filed). However, there are exemptions.

- The household income of your family is less than the IRS income tax filing requirement ($10,000 if you are single, $20,000 if you are married and filing jointly).
- If you are a member of ministries or religious sects, or of a federally recognized Native American tribe.
- If you are uninsured for less than three consecutive months in a year.
- If you can't afford to get an insurance because of financial difficulties or the lowest premium is more than 8% of your household income.
- If your insurance plan was recently cancelled and you can't afford a marketplace plan.
- If your health insurance does not meet minimum coverage standards, but your state insurance commissioner allows your insurer to continue to offer out of date plans until the October 1st, 2016 additional grace period.
- If you are 26 yearsold and below you can opt to stay on or be added to your parents' health insurance plan, even if you don't live with them.

Subsidies for the cost of health insurance - you can check if you are eligible for financial assistance from the US government, through subsidy. It will be determined based on your household income and family size. You easily check if you qualify for a tax subsidy by using the health care calculator from TurboTax. The subsidy can go directly to your health insurance provider when you purchase insurance if you are qualified. If you qualified you will pay a lower monthly health insurance premium.

Penalties:

In 2014 the amount of one-time penalty is $95 per adult, or 1% of your total income depending on your income. For uninsured children in your household, the penalty is $47.50 per child with a maximum family penalty of $285.

Visit HealthCare.gov to apply for health insurance, you can also compare plans, and enroll online. You can also apply by phone or get in-person help with your application.

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Important Points to remember when Getting Travel Insurance

With the recent unfortunate mysterious disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 a lot of travelers are thinking that you can never say that you are 100% safe. The Malaysian passenger plane which has 239 people on board vanished in the skies over Southeast Asia Saturday March 8, 2014.

The Malaysia jet is a Boeing 777-200 model which have an excellent safety record.

You really can't say what future holds, which is why it is important that you make sure that you and your family are financially secured during unfortunate events like this.

Travel Insurance plans covers these most common risks:

•     Emergency evacuation
•     Repatriation of remains
•     Medical emergency (accident or sickness)
•     Return of a minor
•     Trip cancellation
•     Trip interruption
•     Visitor health insurance
•     Accidental death, injury or disablement benefit
•     Overseas funeral expenses
•     Lost, stolen or damaged baggage, personal effects or travel documents
•     Delayed baggage (and emergency replacement of essential items)
•     Flight connection was missed due to airline schedule
•     Travel delays due to weather
•     hi-jacking

These are the risks that are commonly excluded:

•     Pre-existing medical conditions
•     War or terrorism
•     Injury or illness caused by alcohol or drug use

When purchasing Travel Insurance make sure that it has secondary coverage, this will make a big difference when you need treatment and will save you from further inconvenience. If you have none, you may incur out of pocket expenses and will deal with more headaches in filing for reimbursement from health insurance company. You may also suffer mediocre hospital care in a foreign country if you don't have enough money to cover the cost or they may even deny to give you medical care. Paying additional dollars for secondary coverage is worth it to get primary medical coverage.

Getting a primary medical coverage advantages:

- No out of pocket expenses
- You won't be denied medical care in a foreign country due to cost

Travel Insurance will compensate you if your baggage is lost, stolen or damaged, not only by the airline but also if it is lost, stolen or damaged on your way to your hotel or in a restaurant. However, do note that most policies do not cover electronics such as smartphones, tablets, or laptops so it's important to double check each policy carefully under the Baggage and Personal property section.

Highest and Lowest Insurance for 2014 Vehicle Model

Insure.com has released the survey for the highest and lowest insurance rates for the 2014 model cars. They use information from the 6 leading insurance companies in all 50 states.

Jeep Wrangler Sport topped the cheapest 2014 models to insure at $1,080 annually while the Nissan GT-R Track Edition is the priciest 2014 model to insure at $3,169.

By states, the highest average insurance rates are Michigan which is number 1 then followed by West Virginia, Georgia, Washington, D.C. and Rhode Island. While the five states with the cheapest average rates is headed by Ohio followed by Maine, New Hampshire, Idaho and Iowa.

Cheapest 2014 models to insure:

1. Jeep Wrangler Sport - $1,080
2. Honda Odyssey LX  - $1,103
3. Jeep Patriot Sport - $1,104
4. Honda CR-V LX - $1,115
5. Jeep Compass Sport - $1,140
6. Chrysler Town & Country Touring - $1,140
7. Subaru Outback 2.5i - $1,144
8. Dodge Journey SE - $1,149
9. Honda Odyssey EX - $1,149
10. Dodge Grand Caravan SE - $1,158

Priciest 2014 models to insure:

1. Nissan GT-R Track Edition - $3,169
2. BMW M6 - $3,065
3. Mercedes-Benz CL550 4Matic AWD - $3,019
4. Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT - $2,986
5. Porsche Panamera Turbo S - $2,970
6. Audi R8 5.2 Spyder Quattro - $2,917
7. Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG - $2,887
8. Audi A8 L 6.3 Quattro - $2,869
9. Jaguar XKR Supercharged - $2,854
10. Jaguar XK - $2,610

10 States with the Lowest average auto insurance rates:

1. Ohio ($926)
2. Maine ($964)
3. New Hampshire (963)
4. Idaho ($1,053)
5. Iowa ($1,058)
6. North Carolina ($1,060)
7. Wisconsin ($1,087)
8. Virginia ($1,114)
9. Vermont ($1,149)
10. New York ($1,173)

Source: Insure.com

Self Insure or Pay for Insurance

Is it wise to self insure for long-term care or just buy insurance? Manisha Thakor founder and chief executive of Santa Fe, N.M. based MoneyZen Wealth Management LLC said on her article on Wall Street Journal, that Long-term-care insurance is a new product and it don't have the history of dealing with claims payment like home and auto insurance.

She also said that young people have the power to choose, right to choose to self insure themselves, “By taking the money you would have put in long-term-care premiums and investing them in a low cost 60/40 balanced index fund, you can create your own pool of funds to draw on down the road if need be–and avoid the dreaded “claim denied” scenario,” she said.

But self insuring will take a lot of discipline and majority of Americans I believe will not be able to keep on investing every month and put it on 60% stocks and 40% bonds. The plus side to self insuring is if you don't need long term care you can keep the money to yourself or give it to your heirs.

However, if we take into consideration the inflation rate, it can be costly the price of health care will considerably increase by the time you need it. The plus side of having a good insurance is it can protect you against inflation.

According to the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance there are more or less 8 million Americans that have long-term care insurance. The premiums costs for single males have decrease while the premiums for females increased.

If a 55yo male who is single bought a new long-term care insurance protection in 2014, he will pay about $925 per year for $164,000 of benefits American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance said. He would pay $1,765 for coverage that increases the benefit pool to $365,000 at age 85, a 14.5% decline from last year’s average.

If a 55yo single woman pay an average of $1,225 every year for the same level of benefits available to a single man for $925.