4 Tips to Lower Your Car Insurance Before Your Next Payment

Car insurance can be a major monthly expense, and many drivers spend way too much on their premiums. Luckily, with a few simple tips and tricks, you might be able to lower your insurance rates by hundreds of dollars a year.

Increase Your Deductible

One of the quickest and easiest ways to reduce your monthly premiums is to ask for a higher deductible. The deductible is the amount that you pay before your insurance coverage kicks in, and many drivers increase that amount when they haven’t been involved in a collision in a few years. 

You might also want to increase your deductible if you don’t drive very much and your risk of getting into an accident is relatively low.

Shop for a New Provider

If your current insurance provider refuses to alter your premiums, then you should consider shopping around for a new policy. Switching over to a new insurance company could end up saving you quite a bit of money every month, and those types of providers sometimes offer huge discounts to safe drivers. 




Before you choose a new provider, you should try to get quotes from at least three or four companies. Some providers might even match other quotes in order to get you to switch.

Negotiate a Better Rate

At least once or twice a year, you need to call your insurance provider to see if you can negotiate your premiums. As long as you are a safe driver and have a relatively clean record, you might be able to bring your premiums down with nothing more than a phone call. 

You can also call your provider and ask for a discount if your credit score has recently gone up. One of the biggest factors that insurance providers consider is a driver’s credit score, and bringing your score up by a few points could impact your rates.

Bundle Your Policies

Many large insurance companies offer a wide variety of policies, and you should see if your current provider gives discounts to those who bundle their insurance. Instead of insuring your home and car separately, you can lower the premiums by combining the two policies. 

You might also want to bundle your insurance if there are multiple drivers in your home who all have separate policies.

In addition to these few tips, you must also make sure that you purchase vehicles that are safe and secure. Your premiums might plummet if you invest in a reliable vehicle that is filled with modern security features.

Recently Diagnosed? 4 Tips for Securing Income While Getting Treatment

Getting a diagnosis of any kind can be difficult. It can signify the need for major changes as well. People who have medical conditions are in many cases unable to maintain their existing jobs. 

If you want to be able to get a steady income during your treatment course, then there are several things that can aid you in a big way. Make a point to explore all of your potential income pathways.

Seek Regular Medical Assistance

It’s crucial for people who have been diagnosed with illnesses of any kinds to seek routine attention from medical professionals. If you have just gotten a diagnosis, then you want to be able to prove it. 

You want to be able to prove that you’re getting treatment for it as well. This may make your journey to getting income go a lot more smoothly. It may minimize setbacks of all kinds.

Speak with a Workers Compensation Attorney

Workers’ compensation is the name of a kind of insurance that can accommodate individuals who have lost out on their wages due to medical conditions and injuries. If you want to get compensation after receiving a diagnosis, then it may help you significantly to set up an appointment with a lawyer. 

Speaking with a workers’ compensation attorney may help you figure out how you can acquire the financial protection you deserve.

Look into Organizations that Can Help You Temporarily

Going through medical treatment of any kind can be taxing. It can eat up so much energy. People who are in the midst of treatment understandably are unable to show up to work daily. 



That’s the reason that there are organizations that are often able to aid them. Research groups that may be able to provide you with financial assistance in your time of need.

Try out Crowdfunding

Getting workers’ compensation insurance is typically a process that requires some time. If you need income quickly, it may help you to test out the concept of crowdfunding. 

There are crowdfunding websites that can aid individuals who are going through medical treatment and who need to stay afloat for a while. It’s not uncommon for people who are going through taxing health concerns to turn to crowdfunding for medical bill coverage and beyond.

Getting a diagnosis can be emotionally draining. It can change your life dramatically, too. If you want to keep your life smooth and comfortable during treatment, then you need to focus on things that can keep your income flowing.

How to Ready Home for Short-Term Rentals

Short-term rental opportunities make it easy to generate a little extra income. Preparing a spare room, unused area, or even the whole home for a short-term rental can be an important undertaking. A clean, orderly, and comfortable household can help to ensure better reviews and more rental opportunities in the days ahead.

Deep Cleaning

The first step towards any make-ready is too deep to clean any room being rented, as well as any common areas. Frequent rentals can allow you to get away with only a single deep clean with some less intense cleaning in between each guest. For an initial rental or for the first rental in weeks or even months, it is always a good idea to scrub everything down fist.

Declutter the Environment

A cluttered environment can lead to many problems. Depriving a guest of the space, they need to unpack or get comfortable is rarely beneficial. Cluttered and disorganized environments can also increase the risk that something gets broken or becomes misplaced. 

Pairing a rental area down to just a few essentials is often the smartest move. If you are transforming or flipping a home basement, you will have a lot of big projects. Use garbage removal services to throw away all your junk and get your rental clean and clutter-free.

Make Sure Everything Works

From light switches and electrical outlets to bathroom fixtures and WiFi access, taking an extra minute to ensure everything is in good working order can help you to avoid unnecessary problems with future guests. Contacting utility providers like electrical contractors to resolve an issue is something that would best be done long before the arrival of a guest.

Providing Amenities

A few amenities like extra towels or access to hot beverages like coffee and tea can help to make a short-term rental far more comfortable. Using the home to generate rental income can be an uphill battle for those who fail to meet the needs of their guests. 

Simple amenities and courtesy items often play a crucial role in ensuring that homeowners are more likely to obtain a favorable rating or review following a short-term rental.

Ensuring a Stress-Free Stay

Anticipating the potential needs of a guest rather than dealing with a problem after the fact often proves to be the best policy. A little care and forethought mean that essential concerns are less likely to go overlooked. Taking a more active approach towards preparing a room or even the entire home for a short-term rental means that problems and complications are less likely to occur.

4 Reasons to Meet with a Financial Planner before Deciding to Retire

Whenever you are looking to manage your finances, you will benefit by working with a financial planner. This is a professional that specializes in providing advice, guidance, and education to people who are looking to get more out of their financial situation. 

With a financial planner, you will be able to make sure that you are on the right track in terms of saving for retirement and managing your finances wisely. There are a few good reasons to work with a financial planner. As a result, using a financial planner can ensure that you are financially secure for the rest of your life.

SAVE FOR RETIREMENT MORE EFFECTIVELY

One of the reasons why you should meet with a financial planner before you retire is to help you save for retirement more effectively. While you can invest and save for retirement yourself, you may miss out on things that can allow you to increase your savings. 

A financial planner can help introduce you to investment options that can help enhance your wealth. If you already have a sufficient amount of savings, a financial planner can also help you with private wealth management as well.

BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU INVEST IN

Meeting with a financial planner before you retire can also allow you to better understand what you invest in. Whenever you are looking to invest in something, you may be unsure about how it works and how it can benefit you. 



A financial planner can educate you on how things such as stocks, bonds, and annuities work. As a result, you will be in a better position to know which investment options will best meet your needs.

HELP YOU PLAN YOUR FINANCES

Another reason to meet with a financial planner is that they can help you plan your finances more efficiently. They can help you set up a budget to pay your expenses. 

Financial planners can also help you find ways to pay off debts more quickly as well. A financial planner can give you advice on how to manage debts, whether it is a good idea to get a car loan and/or how paying off your mortgage will benefit you.

PREPARE FOR UNEXPECTED EVENTS

Financial planners can help you prepare for unexpected events. There are times when you might have something such as a medical bill or a job loss that can prevent you from reaching your retirement savings goals. As a result, you will benefit from having a professional guide you through this situation. 

A financial planner can help you develop a budget to cope with a job loss and/or a medical debt. With their assistance, you will be in a better position to get through these unexpected events that can affect your financial situation.

Managing your finances can be a bit complicated at times. Whenever you are unsure about how to allocate your financial resources, it is beneficial to get professional assistance. You will benefit by working with a financial planner. 

This professional will guide you through the process of setting up retirement accounts, finding the best things to invest in and also give you advice on how to oversee all of your financial affairs.

Hosting a Family Reunion This Thanksgiving? 4 Ways to Keep it Affordable

Thanksgiving is the perfect time to bring the whole family together. With everyone already planning to travel for the holidays, many decide to host family reunions during this holiday weekend. Preparing to have a Turkey Day family reunion? Read on for four tips on how to have the most affordable family reunion.

Gather at a Local Park

With 43.5 million Americans already planning a Thanksgiving road trip, odds are that anyone hosting a family reunion at this time of the year should prepare for a large gathering. 

Hosts that are looking for a separate location to have their family gather should rent space at a local park. Renting space at a park is a relatively inexpensive option for a family reunion venue, though you’ll want to do it well in advance.

Many families planning their reunion may find that they can use their local park free of cost. If the gathering is more informal and relatively small, parks make for an easy and free venue to have family and friends gather for a Thanksgiving reunion.

Make Other Bathroom Arrangements

When planning a reunion for Thanksgiving weekend, it’s important to consider details that may be overlooked otherwise. Homeowners worried that their two-bathroom home can’t accommodate everyone in their large family should consider making other bathroom arrangements. 

Port-a-potty rentals like Afford A Potty make it easy for homeowners to keep traffic through their personal bathrooms to a minimum, eliminating the possibility of potential plumbing issues.

Host a Potluck

With the average family spending near 50 dollars to feed 10 people on Thanksgiving, families expecting a huge gathering this holiday, should consider hosting a potluck instead of a traditional dinner. 

By asking relatives to bring their own meals with them, hosts will be able to keep their costs low without fear of running out of food. Be sure to ask family members well in advance what they’re bringing to guarantee that no one shows up to Thanksgiving dinner empty-handed.

Take Family Dues

Many family members view their reunions as a business gathering of sorts. Take advantage of bringing everyone together by taking a collection of family dues to cover the costs of the family reunion. To guarantee all expenses are covered during the big holiday weekend, hosts should be sure to take these dues several months before Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is a holiday that is more enjoyable when shared with our loved ones. If you're hosting a family reunion this Thanksgiving, keep this guide in mind to make it as affordable as possible.

Smart Savings: 4 Digital Ways to Save Money on What You Already Buy

If you remember Sunday evenings being spent at the dining room table clipping grocery coupons, then you will really want to pay attention to this post. You want to save money so that your family can have more disposable income, but you would also like to not have to spend hours trying to get coupons ready to present. 

This is yet another way that technology has come in to save the day. There are now many opportunities for you to use digital media to save money on items that you already buy regularly. Here are four ways that you can accomplish this.

Use Rakuten

If you have not heard of Rakuten, then it is time that you looked it up online today. They represent thousands of products literally. You buy via their app online, and you will get cashback on each purchase. 

You click through the app to go to your favorite online retailers and get a percent back on your purchase. Just look for the items that you would be buying anyway and then watch the savings really begin to add up.

Install Restaurant Apps on Your Mobile Devices

Even great cooks like to eat out every now and then. When that mood hits you and your family, it is time to pull up one of the many available restaurant apps on your smartphone. You can search for an Asian food restaurant, for example, and find many in your area that is currently offering discounts. 



You can also join loyalty programs to earn free meals and more. If you order through the Sonic app, you get ½ price drinks all day and night long. Your phone can save you lots of money in your favorite eats.

Use Ibotta to Get Rebates

Ibotta is a fun app where you actually go in after the fact and scan in your receipts. You will then get rebates on individual purchases, all without having to mail anything in. This not only will save you a lot of money, but it will also save you a great deal of time as well.

Download Digital Coupons

Almost every major retailer today offers some sort of digital coupons. You can go into your store’s app and look for current deals. Then, you will just download the coupon and have your phone ready when you go to checkout. It is really as simple as that.

These are just four of the many ways that you can use digital technology to begin saving money on purchases that you would be making anyway. The key is to plan ahead and have the technology available at a moment’s notice. It is incredible to consider that virtually everything can be bought at a discount if you have the right tools to do so. This is a way to put money right back into your family budget, so begin implementing these strategies today.