Find the Best Value for the Money When Shopping for a Car

Ford Fiesta (Photo credit: Wikipedia)The value of a new car can fall quite quickly, which is why it's important to look for designs that will age well and retain their initial value. Although flashy, sleek cars are fun to purchase and drive, those that are most likely to mature and stay in high demand over the years are better value. The following are a few features to look for in a new car when you want to get the most out of your investment. 

Resale Value

One thing to think about is how easy it will be to resell your vehicle. For example, the Ford Fiesta is consistently ranked the most popular car amongst British consumers. When you look at a Ford Fiesta review, you'll usually see mention of this fact, along with the fact that it is moderately priced to begin with. Minis are another enduringly popular car, and they hold 54% of their value after three years. Keep this in mind when you are researching your options, because cars that are popular with consumers in your area will be easier to sell. 

Fuel Economy

Fuel efficiency is a factor that is consistently improving all the time. Choosing a car that offers 30 mpg or better is a good way to save money overall, because you will sink less into the cost of fuel over time. Although hybrid cars like the Toyota Prius offer excellent mileage, there is a wide range of vehicles that meet this need, of all shapes and sizes. The Smart car offers excellent fuel efficiency, as does the Volkswagen Jetta TDI.

By looking at the cost of running a car as well as what its resale value will look like over time, you can choose the best value for your money.

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College Student Car Insurance Tips

(Photo credit: West Midlands Police)

Car insurance for the family has always been a considerable expense so finding the cheapest car insurance possible is a family priority. We have have 3 college students getting close to finishing their degrees. They all use their cars to travel to and from school. Thankfully all of them attend colleges within the state. If you have children attending college out of state there are certain things to keep in mind.

Insurance laws are different from one state to another. If your child is going out of state and taking a car with them you’ll need to get coverage for that vehicle in the state they are living. The rates may be drastically more or less depending on the type of vehicle and the size of the city they will be living. You can’t do much about your child’s age and gender, the two other important rating factors. It’s important to compare rates to make sure you’re able to find affordable car insurance.

Depending if the car is registered in your name or your child's name can make a difference. Insurance companies often have better rates if there is more than one responsible driver. Since you’ll also need to be listed on the policy it can become more affordable car insurance. This will list you as an additional, responsible driver with better classifications than teen drivers. However, this adds additional liability on you. If your child is at-fault for a serious accident so you’ll want to make sure your liability limits are adequate.

If the car is titled in your child’s name only then the auto insurance policy will need to be in their name. Young drivers car insurance, when the young driver is the only person on the auto insurance policy, will have higher rates. If this is your situation, I would recommend an older car that won’t need to have comprehensive or collision insurance coverage. These coverage options cover the vehicle for any damage. If he backs into a light pole then your son can drive a dinged car. The insurance policy won’t pay for those repairs. But, if he hits someone else you want to make sure there’s enough liability coverage to protect him from lawsuits.

Thanks to autoinsurancequotes.net for this guest post.

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How to Minimize Binary Trading Risk Using Hedging

Binary Options trading is currently the latest trend in the trading industry. It is a very easy way of making quick bucks and is full of risks and surprises. Binary trading follows an all or nothing approach towards trading and this is the main reason why you need to hedge your investments.

Hedging is nothing but protecting your earnings by reducing the risk to as low a level as possible. 

Hedging is applied not only to binary options like call and put but also to future contracts and short selling. Hedging ensures that the profit you have right now is locked and has no chances of evaporating.

You might be aware that binary options trading is primarily short term in nature and usually lasts from an hour to a day, at the most. 



The market fluctuations are small and intermittent and you might gain profits even before your hour expires. You have the option of either holding the share or you can sell it. 

You would hold the shares if you think that the prices might further rise and you would sell it if you think that this is the highest your share will reach.

As far as hedging the profits is concerned, you have the following two options -

1. Full Hedging – Full Hedging means that you hedge your entire holding. This implies that you will sell all your shares by the end of the hour and collect all the profits. This would bring your overall risk element down as your full position is hedged against any adverse time the market might fall into. Most expert traders and binary option brokers go for this if they are willing to be on the safer side.

2. Partial Hedging – Partial Hedging is a much more risky way of hedging but is safer when you compare it to the risk you would have had you not taken any hedging at all. In this, you sell part of your holdings and hold the rest. If the market is going in the general direction of your expectations, then this would be a prudent move as you get some profits right now and might earn more if your estimates are correct.

Once you get familiarized with the concept of hedging, you would be able to maximize your profits with minimum risks. It would ensure that you have the safest holdings and would also reduce the element of uncertainty to a large extent.

How to Always Receive the Best Price on Car Insurance

Insuring your car is an expense that you will have your entire life. It will never go away you always will need car insurance. To be sure that you receive the best price on your car insurance you need to be proactive. Your insurance company is not your friend and only has an incentive to sell you insurance at a price that is best for the company and not for you.

There are ways which you can negotiate with the insurance companies and get much cheaper auto insurance for your vehicle.

1. Start your search early

The first thing that you need to do is research on the Internet, search in the directories or ask your friends and relatives fort a list of reliable local auto insurance companies that provides good service and a good price. 

After you have made a list, call them and ask for their latest quotes and what is covered by them in the policy. Coverage can be different depending on the price, you should also consider their record of serving customers.

2. Argue with them about how high the quote is

After, you call them to get the quotes for car insurance, push back. They will be quoting a high price, so the trick is to make them understand that you are a safe driver, which can assure them that the risk involved in providing you an insurance is much less. If you can convince them, then you are definitely going to get a cheaper deal.

3. Don't pay for unnecessary coverage

The car insurance companies will give you a comprehensive list that includes and covers many things you don't need. Make your own list of what you need in an insurance policy and you will be surprised to see that insurance amount has been visibly reduced. 




The best way to go about is to check the valuation method of the service providers. Three types of valuation methods are generally available, namely: stated value, actual cash value and agreed value. For obvious reason agreed value is the best one as it allows you to negotiate with the service provider before signing the deal.

4. Stick with one company

Try to approach the service provider from where you have already taking insurance service. Since the competition is very high, they will readily accept to provide some discounts to their loyal customers and thus you might be able to crack the most competitive deal.

All you need to do is a rational and wise analysis to get the best deal for sports cars. Not all insurance companies are ready to insure sports cars, so might have to engage in some extra effort to get the cheapest insurance for your car.

Check out http://www.insurancepanda.com/ to start your car insurance search.

How to Deal with Forced Early Retirement

retirement (Photo credit: 401(K) 2012)Being laid off a decade or a few years before you expected to retire can be devastating. According to The New York Times, jobseekers between the ages of 50 and 65 are about half as likely to be hired as younger workers. The Great Recession has forced many into early retirement, and, unfortunately, the financial strain of early retirement can be severe. If you've been forced to retire sooner than you expected, there are a few things you can do to stay financially afloat and avoid feeling defeated. Here are some ways you can proactively deal with unexpected retirement: 

1. Evaluate your expenses and the money available to you

Figure out how much you have in savings, how much pension money you're receiving, and how much Social Security money you're able to receive each month. Then calculate your monthly expenses and create a budget that will allow you to sustain yourself financially for the next few decades.

You can use an online retirement calculator like the one provided by U.S. News and World Report to help you figure out how long the money you currently have access to will last. If you discover that the funds available to you won't help you sustain a comfortable lifestyle for very long, you'll need to assess how you can cut costs and possibly bring some extra money in. Keep in mind that you'll be financially penalized for taking money out of your 401K account if you're under 59 ½, and you'll receive the highest monthly Social Security payment if you wait to sign up for Social Security until you're 70. 

2. Explore all your possible job options

Even if you can't get a job that's comparable in pay to your most recent one, and even if you're only able to work part-time, getting any kind of job will help you improve your financial situation. Additionally, working somewhere for a certain number of hours a week will give you the feeling of purpose you might miss, and it will help you network with people who may be able to help you find a more profitable job. Don't rule out jobs in retail or clerical positions. If you have an advanced degree, consider teaching a class at your local community college. If you're an expert in your field, offer consulting services to people you know. Unfortunately, in this economy, it's just not practical to limit yourself to finding a position just like the one you lost. You may find that whatever job you do end up with is enjoyable. So, edit your résumé, hit the pavement, and don't give up until you find a paying gig. 

3. Enjoy the extra free time

You probably worked full-time for the bulk of your life. Now that you're retired or working fewer hours, you may feel as though you don't really know what to do with yourself. Many retirees become depressed when they stop working full-time. As much as possible, you should try to focus on the positive side of being retired. Take afternoon naps, sign up for some online classes, learn French, paint, sit on your porch with your spouse and watch the sunrise. Do things you like to do but never had time to do before. Learning about new things and enjoying your favorite hobbies will give you a much-needed break from some of the more stressful aspects of early retirement.

Having to retire sooner than expected can be stressful, depressing, and financially draining. How you react to early retirement will determine how much it negatively impacts your life. So, budget appropriately, look for a part-time job, try to stay positive, and don't be afraid to ask for help from your family and friends if you're in need.

Barbara Jolie is a full time freelance writer and blogger. She is passionate about lifelong learning and online education. When Barbara is not blogging about all things education, she enjoys spending time with her calico cat, Moses, and her pet parakeet. If you have questions email her at barbara.jolie876@gmail.com.

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Accounting Degrees Are in Demand

In a recent article on Yahoo's education website, they listed the top five in demand college degrees. In order they listed:

1. Accounting 
2. Finance
3. Engineering
4. Computer Science
5. Business Administration

I found it interesting that 3 of the five concerned jobs in business and two of them concerned science. I am not shocked that accounting was listed at the top of the list. The last few years of financial scandals and high-profile missteps in the top financial organizations has increased the need for good accountants. Also when some well publicized business news in in front of the public it raises awareness to the career opportunities in the industry.

Government has stiffened it's regulations on businesses by requiring more overseeing of a businesses financial records. To head off further problems, the federal government passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) of 2002. This act requires public companies to strengthen internal financial controls and to ensure the accuracy of their reporting. Such legislation, of course, has greatly increased the demand for ethical, knowledgeable, and well-trained accountants.

There many other reasons that demand is increasing for accountants. The increasing globalization of companies in recent years, forcing them to comply with International Financial Reporting Standards, as well as an aging baby boomer population, which will leave many vacancies as retirements continue to increase.

Accounting Degrees

The United States has three main classes of certified accountants. They are Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), and Certified Management Accountant (CMA). CPAs work for the the public, including auditing, accounting, litigation, tax planning, and financial advisory services. CIAs work in an auditing capacity for employers, while CMAs can work for companies but might also serve the public in a more limited way than CPAs.

Accounting Careers

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, accountants and auditors earned a median annual salary of $61,690 in May 2010. The highest concentration of accountants and auditors work in accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping, or payroll service firms. And a 2010 National Association of Colleges and Employers salary survey found that employment candidates with bachelor's degrees in accounting received an average starting offer of $46,718 per year.

Of course, no educational program can guarantee a future salary or employment upon completion, but accounting degrees and licensure certainly increase your opportunities for employment and advancement.

How Do I Get a Bachelor of Accounting?

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