Thursday, February 21, 2013

How Can You Get Low Cost Auto Insurance After a DUI

After being convicted for driving under influence even once, can make getting low cost auto insurance a difficult task. In reality there exist two tiers of auto insurance companies, the big corporations and the standard-policy companies. While the renowned auto insurers would prefer having a long list of clientele with clean records, the non standard would certainly accept a client who has been found guilty with DUI. This primarily because the law states that all cars must be insured. However once a person is convicted, the auto insurance premium is bound to increase. 

Negotiate with you present carrier:


The two threats that circumscribe a car owner after being charged with DUI are: cancellation of policy or refusal for renewal. In order to find coverage, several things are necessary: 1.) making an appointment with the present car insurance agent, 2.) talk with your DUI attorney about your options with car insurance, 3.) after talking with your attorney make an appointment to talk with your insurance broker in depth about the incident. Atlanta DUI attorney, Tom Rowsey, advises his clients on how best to answer questions about an incident with an insurance agent, in the hopes of preventing or delaying an insurance policy cancellation. However, in case the insurance company is not willing to negotiate, it would be best to research options. 

Varying policies of auto insurance company:


Policies of the different auto insurance companies vary. While the niche companies would deny insuring your car, there also exist a large number of non standard company who will readily cover your car at increased premium rates. The rate of increase is totally dependent on your previous record as well as the policy of the particular company. Every case is reviewed by the insurance agents and various factors will be considered like gender, age, profession, driving record before quoting a premium rate. So make sure to get quotes from different companies.

Compare the policy prices:


Search on the internet for auto insurance companies that will cover your car even with DUI. Many sites won’t give you quotes without know more information. Fill out their applications, provide absolutely exact and in depth information on your driving license, accident charges, other driving offenses. Be as thorough as possible, because the insurance company will research all the information for accuracy. This will help you getting precise premium quotes and help you in making a better decision. 

Check for the coverage:


Getting the minimum quotes is not the only thing. You should check whether the coverage is compatible with your requirements or not. Some of the companies might offer you a reasonably lower quote, but the coverage might be very minimal which is definitely undesirable. So read each and every term in the policy carefully before making the final decision. In case you are unsure about a particular statement, contact the agent and make sure you fully understand all of the terms and conditions before signing anything.

An exhaustive search will definitely provide you with cheaper options in auto insurance with a DUI on your record. However, be prepared for the extra premium costs after being convicted for drunk driving. In most cases the rates will reduce as the age of your conviction increases. Furthermore, it is best to avoid driving even after consuming alcohol, to safeguard against increased premium rates. Can you really afford to have that “one more drink for the road”?


Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Save Money By Buying Your Tickets Online

English: Tickets Please! Theatre ticket booth ...
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Today the easiest and most convenient way to buy concert or sport tickets is to shop online. Shopping online for special event tickets saves you time and money because it allows you to compare prices. Almost two-thirds of all ticket buyers use the Internet to get their tickets. The convenience of buying online and having your tickets delivered by mail or having them printed on your home printer has become the norm.

Finding your tickets from online vendors still has its problem. Events can be sold out quickly. The secondary market buys up huge quantities looking to charge a premium. Still, bargains can be had with a little luck and strategy. But be prepared to do some aggressive shopping and to be astounded by the difference in prices so compare tickets for the same event.


To find a  good deal, wait until the week before the event. Ticket prices may drop daily and could fall below face value. However, selection decreases at the same time, so you might not be able to get the seat you want. If unsold VIP packages are released at the last minute, you might pick up a front-row seat a day or two before the event.

Be wary of sites that claim to offer discounts. Those generally exist only for less-popular events or for last-minute purchases. Rare bargains usually come from people who cannot use their tickets or brokers stuck with tickets they haven’t sold.


Here are two types of markets where tickets are sold: 



Primary Ticket Market - The primary market includes initial sale tickets sold from box offices, team or venue websites, and primary authorized resellers.


Pros

  • First access to tickets
  • Ability to get tickets at face value
Cons
  • Tickets--especially for popular events--often sell out quickly
  • High “convenience” and service fees
  • Can't get a bargain (no tickets below face value)

Secondary Ticket Market - The secondary ticket market includes resale tickets in a variety of forms such as P2P selling, scalping, secondary ticket websites, and ticket search engines/aggregators.

Pros

  • Vast inventories almost guarantee you can find the tickets you are looking for--even when they are sold out on the primary market
  • The ability to find ticket deals well below face value
Cons
  • Tickets are available first on the primary market
  • There is price uncertainty because ticket prices fluctuate significantly on the secondary market; but savvy consumers can use price fluctuations to their advantage by buying when tickets prices are at their lowest

In the secondary market who are you dealing with? Most of the time it's the ticket owner acting as the broker or a ticket wholesaler that imported its inventory onto the site. That’s why you can find the same tickets advertised on several different Web sites. There are sites where fans buy and sell, they offer thousands of tickets that are owned by wholesalers as well as fans who are trying to unload their tickets.

Watch for fees when shopping for tickets. Some sites have a service charge along with the shipping or delivery fee. Some sites don't give you the fee total till it's time to use your credit card so read the fine print before spending your money. Tickets are nonrefundable so make sure you know the total price before you buy.


Factors to Look for When Obtaining Payday Loans

clip_image002Last month, when I received my electric bill I was really panicky and nervous because I had no money to pay for it. I was really worried and wrecked. Then my friend suggested me to take out payday loan that is meant for meeting urgent needs such as credit card bills, utility bills, electric bills, overwhelming medical expenses and many others. 

Shelly (my friend, in case you wonder) even imparted me some other facts about payday loan such as this loan is a short-term loan, also known as cash advance and is debited with 24 hours after one applies. I was bit relieved after I got to know all these, and I soon applied for it. Believe it or not, I indeed received the loan within 24 hours and could pay my electric bill without any further delay.
 
Now, taking out payday loans might be sounding extremely easy and effortless task to you. However, let me here take a pause and remind you that my friend (Shelly) provided me with a list of factors to be taken into account when I was about to apply for a payday loan. Let me here share some of those factors with you, so that you can also go about taking out payday loans without putting much effort and facing any hurdle.

Terms and conditions: One of the important factors (as suggested by Shelly) for taking out a payday loan is its terms and conditions. She repeated asked me to skim over the terms and conditions in order to ensure that the interest rates charged are feasible. She even warned me that I might come across different interest rates offered by several different payday loan companies. Of course, she was absolutely true. I indeed tumbled upon different interest rates with different payday loan lenders, depending upon the size of the loan, and the amount borrowed. Nonetheless, I was careful and cautious as much as possible when obtaining the loan. Went through all the fine prints and ensured that the interest rates I receive are legitimate. I also looked into the matter of fees charged for the loan and also the penalties due to early or late payment.

Keep loans manageable: Shelly advised me to take out the amount of payday loan that is manageable and can be paid off at ease. Trust me this advice of the friend was really useful and handy. Since I took out only the amount that I had needed, I could easily pay it off. Hence, I would like to advise you to not obtain more than what you require. While taking out payday loan is easy and requires no credit check, it is tempting to borrow more and more. However, always bear in mind that if this vicious cycle begins, it will be very difficult to repay and get out of it. So, keep it as minimal as possible.

Customer service: Last but not the least, Shelly also asked me to consider customer service when borrowing the loan. She told me that if I do not feel comfortable working with a particular payday loan company, then I should look out for some other one. So, before borrowing the loan, I corresponded with the representative and ensured that they respect their clients and deal with them properly.


Managing your Bill Payments

Finance
Finance (Photo credit: Tax Credits)
Obtaining any loan is not a bad thing at all as long as you are aware of the rules and deadlines. The tricky side of the loans is that people usually take them and they are too careless to consider the loans to be a serious obstacle for being on the top of the financial aspect of the life.

Let us begin with the personal finances


Set up a budget and try to follow every step of it. The budget will show you where you spend your money and the amount of money itself that you may spend for this month. You will be able to save more funds for something bigger and more pleasant than just a simple pair of shoes or any new car tool. Compare the expenses with your salary. Are they the same or do you even waste more than earn?

Check your statement of account every month before posting your payment. The mistakes may occur everywhere. The payment bills are not an exception. That is why it is so important to check all your bills and figure out the exact sum of money you owe. It may happen that you will pay for something you did not buy. If you found a mistake, contact your issues at once for figuring out the situation.

The managing of your finances does take a bit of time but it is better to spend a little time checking everything, than to fall behind with all the payments later. At least you will be calm about your credit score.

Home loans: how to cope with them


Do not miss any of your loan payment as it may get you into a trouble. If you do not pay for all your bills and loans during several months, the debt collection notice may arrive and then you will find yourself in a big trouble. 

If an unforeseen situation has occurred to you, do not wait till your debt collector or a bank employee will contact you and remind that you have not paid back yet. Let them know about your difficulties and maybe they will give you some more time for coping with all the issues you have got.

In such situation there is an easy way-out - Canada payday loans for bad credit. They have become very popular among the consumers as they do not require a lot of efforts and time for sending a request for a loan. You will be able to get the required funds within 24 hours just sitting with your lap-top at home.

Do not forget about credit card debt


If you have got more then one credit card, focus on every card bill. You can save much money if you pay back the full balance, and will not keep a revolving one.

While buying something, ask yourself whether you will be able to pay the full price for this purchase and if you are not quite sure, then just pay with cash.




4 Simple Ways to Secure A Mortgage Loan Despite a Bad Credit History


It is very rare for people to always be granted loans. Even those with average credit are still getting denied by banks and other lending institutions. One might even say that it is part of the experiences of growing up. Money doesn’t grow on trees as they say. Why should it be handed out to you that easily?

For those whose names have been marred with a history of bad credit, however, the implications of the rejection are far more severe. Given that they already have a red flag waving over their profiles, the big concern is that they may not get the money they need. The good news is that they can still get a loan despite that bad financial record. They can still show the lenders that they deserve a second chance.

In order to secure a loan, the first thing you should do is to secure all required documents. This is the most basic thing you have to accomplish. Don’t even think about covering up the facts by lying. The lenders will be running a background check on you anyway. If you lie and get caught, then you certainly won’t get that loan approval. Lenders build their business on trust. If they can’t trust you, they wouldn’t want to do business with you. It’s as simple as that.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg, though. Let’s say, for example, you would like to take out a mortgage. However, you’re worried that your application will be shot down on account of your credit history. Here are some more tips that you can use to get that loan despite having bad credit.

1. Be informed about your credit rating – Some people automatically assume that they have a less than ideal credit score. It can be because they previously had a bad experience, or they’re just not sure if their profile fits the kind of loan they are eyeing. However, the truth is that there is a cap as to what is likely to be a bad credit rating.

If you have a score of 620, then that is incontestably a bad rating. If, however, you get something just a little above 620, that’s a little bit more manageable. It’s still not in the safe zone, but at least it’s not so bad as to keep you from actually taking out a mortgage. That is why it is important for you to get your credit report. Knowing just how much you owe should give you a credible strategy for taking out a mortgage loan with a bad credit history. Aside from that, it should also “alert buyers to any credit errors that should be remedied before making any application for a pre-approval or mortgage application.”

2. Don’t dwell on the bad, highlight the good – What this simply means is that you should focus on your other assets. Of course, it’s not to say that you should cover up your bad history with credit. As mentioned above, that’s just going to work against you. Instead, you can put front and center other financial assets. It can be an impressive insurance account, or even a retirement package. While you may not necessarily be liquid at this point, at least there are things for you to look forward to.

3. Show good faith by offering a large down payment - The other thing you must do to secure a loan with bad credit is to project the image that you are in this deal for the long haul. While it may seem like giving out a large sum for down payment is counter-intuitive, it will definitely show the lenders you are invested in the property.
By paying a larger sum upfront, it also puts the lenders at ease because it minimizes the risk for their part. This in turn could help you nab that much-needed loan to fund your needs. Of course, the problem then turns to coming up with that down payment.  You might consider selling a prize possession, or saving your money. Some states, cities and municipalities also have programs that may be able to aid you with a down payment.

4. Make a practical choice – Understandably, you want to get a nice home to move into with your family. Then again, you also have to be realistic about your situation. If you do have a rather ugly credit standing, then don’t even think about getting something that is way out of your budget. Otherwise, you’ll only perpetuate the cycle of having bad credit. It’s not a place you would want to be stuck in at all.

Take a good, hard look at the kind of house you want and its amount. Then figure out how much you can afford to spend. Keep in mind that having bad credit will mean the mortgage will carry a higher interest rate. It’s not exactly fun, but it’s what you’ll have to deal with as a consequence of your record.

Despite that, however, what is most important is that your chances of getting mortgage financing with bad credit is still pretty good. It’s definitely going to take a lot of hard work on your part. You will have to do a lot of convincing, too, so that you can get your loan approved. But as many other people with bad records have proven, having a red flag on your credit record can be overcome. It’s going to make things a lot harder for you, but it does not have to be something that should permanently incapacitate your loaning capabilities. 

Feel free to join the discussion on the matter, or share your insights and comments below.

Author Bio:
Amy Johnson is an active blogger who is fond of sharing interesting finance related articles to encourage people to manage and protect their finances. She also covers topics on how to identify credit card fraud that can help people protect their credit from credit scams.



How to Finance Your New Car

clip_image002You may have waited; the recent years have not been the easiest from a financial standpoint and many people who felt they were in secure financial jobs for life found that was not the case. However economies have suffered the worst of the problems and now might be the time that your patience pays off. A new car is a sign of looking to the future. 

There can be many reasons for changing a car beyond necessity. It may be there is a deal that is too good to ignore. It may simply be that you feel you deserve to give yourself a treat. Whatever the reason it can be fairly easy to look at the financial implications and make a decision.



Internet


The World Wide Web has provided every business with a major marketing tool because people are increasingly going online for information. This applies in most sectors though car purchase is still a function that involves a showroom and a test drive.

When it comes to deciding on how to pay for your new car though, the Internet is an excellent place to look for competitive financing. 


Where to look?


A specialist dealing in vehicles is the best place to try, someone who can do much of the hard work for you and find the best APR available for you. There will be factors such as your credit history that will determine what you will be offered.

The Internet has allowed companies to interact with their customers; an online application process is both simple and effective. You will be able to get an idea of your financial commitment using an online calculator even before you make an application.

An online application system does not mean that the whole process is impersonal because there will be staff available to answer any questions.

Decisions on individual circumstances are done extremely quickly so that you can get approval to proceed without delay. You will be given details of the APR, the monthly repayments and the term of the loan so that you have all the information you need. There should be no restriction on where you buy your vehicle; finance can be sent to any dealership of your choice.

It is important to use a website that can show a good track record; examples of people who have used the website and been happy with the service that they received. There is no mystique about the Internet and it is perfectly safe; anyone providing finance is regulated whether the transactions are done online or not, but testimonials provide further evidence that you are dealing with a service orientated company.

You do not buy a new car every day so it is important to be sure that when you do you get the model you want at the price you want. There is likely to be some scope to negotiate because the new car sector has been suffering the same as everywhere else in recent years. The financing of the car is critical; ensure you understand all the details by getting an experienced provider that understands the meaning of service.

Steve Smith is a freelance writer who lives on the South West coast of Turkey in the small town of Dalyan, famous as a nesting site for the endangered loggerhead turtle. He writes on a range of topics from current affairs and economics to consumer affairs and car finance.




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