8 Ways You Can Save Money After Being in an Accident

Being involved in an accident can result in emotional and physical harm that has lasting effects. For many people, the trauma and shock of the incident can be difficult to recover from. If personal injury or damage occurs, it can result in extreme financial loss that takes months to recover from. Fortunately, there are ways to save money and prevent further loss from occurring in the process. 

1. Sell Old Jewelry

Most households have old jewelry, antiques, or valuables that are unused and are simply collecting dust. Visit local pawn shops or consignment stores to sell old belongings that are no longer needed, but may be of high value.

2. Use Coupons

To significantly reduce your grocery bill, opt for cutting coupons in the Sunday newspaper and with online coupons. Subscribe to coupon blogs and websites, which will inform you of large savings that can be obtained when pairing both manufacturer and store coupons on a single product.

3. Hire an Attorney

Many people don’t often think of hiring an attorney because they think it will save them money, but rather it would help them gain money especially if they were not at fault for the accident in the first place. However, according to the attorneys at Braithwaite Boyle Accident Injury Law, hiring an attorney after an accident is one of the smartest moves a person can make as they can help a person save, gain, or prevent loss of your monetary funds. They can help make sure that you are getting all of the money you need in order to make a comfortable recovery both mentally and physically. An attorney can also help protect you from those who might like to bring a lawsuit against you whether or not the accident was your fault. 

4. Refinance

Refinance a home or an auto loan, which will allow you to continue paying off the debt, but obtain a lower interest rate. This will immediately lower your payment each month and make it easier to save long-term.

5. Pay Off Credit Card Debt

Any outstanding balances on credit cards will cost more due to the interest being charged each month. Pay off the debt as quickly as possible, starting with the highest balance, which will allow you to save more annually. This will ultimately allow you to save money in the long run and hopefully give you some kind of peace of mind.

6. Participate in Ridesharing

Reduce the cost of transportation with ridesharing, which is available in most areas and is the modern way of carpooling. Several different services are offered locally for a convenient way of riding in passenger seats with one-time trips or daily commutes.

7. Purchase Generic Brands

Instead of spending more on brand-name products, opt for generic brands, which often use the same ingredients and recipes for prices that are often 30 percent cheaper.

8. Participate in Surveys

Allow your voice to be heard with surveys that are available online for compensation. Many different companies want reputable consumers who can review products or services. By completing a few surveys online each day, it can make for a convenient way of earning extra cash right from the comfort of your home.

Although it can be financially devastating to recover in the months following an accident, there are several ways to stay afloat and remain in control of your budget. By cutting back on luxuries and saving on products or services that you already use, it's possible to regain control of your financial situation for a complete recovery.

Why Calling A Professional For Home Repairs Can Actually Save You Money

When it comes to home repairs, you may be tempted to do the work yourself to save money. However, this isn’t always the most cost-effective option. In fact, it may prove to be cheaper to just hire the professionals in the beginning. 

Specialty Tools Are Costly

Professionals like plumbers use a range of specialty tools to help them do projects quickly and safely. These tools can be costly. It’s not cost-effective for you to purchase the welding tools and other equipment to do one job, but your neighborhood plumber already has everything they need.

Accidents Can Be Avoided

Walking into any work site can be dangerous. Laying a vinyl floor may seem like an easy project, but have you considered the medical bills if you accidentally slice your hand with a razor blade? It’s impossible to foresee an accident, but you can easily avoid injury by letting the professionals do the work for you.

Better Prices On Supplies

Contractors get discounts and work with special supply houses. They can pass those savings on to you, so you’ll wind up paying less for the raw materials. You may be cringing at the thought of the labor costs, but you’ll be impressed with the high-quality work offered by the professionals.

Done Right The First Time

When you do the work yourself, you cannot be certain that you’ll be pleased with the finished product, or that it will pass any inspection. If you make a mistake and forget a key component, you’ll wind up paying far more to have the problem corrected later.

The Risk Of More Problems

The professionals know what steps to take to avoid further problems. They shut down water and power before working, call before they dig and put protective pads down in their work areas. You may not think to take these steps, and that can lead to additional damage and more costly bills.

Time is Money

Many people fail to account for the value of their own time. What takes a professional two hours to do will probably take you four or six hours. Compare the cost of hiring the expert with the value of your time based on your hourly rate. It’s also important to consider the fact that you may not ever have the necessary time to finish a job yourself.

You may not like the idea of calling in a licensed contractor, but it’s far cheaper to do it right the first time. You’ll save time and frustration. You’ll avoid higher repair bills down the road and costly accidents, and you’ll also be more pleased with the quality of work. In the end, you’re likely to decide that the professional was worth every penny spent.

Informational credit to Hill Crest Plumbing & Heating.

Four Life Events You Should Seek Financial Consultation For

Finance (Photo credit: Tax Credits)

Financial consultation refers to seeking financial advice from a qualified financial planner. The work of a financial planner is to help you identify your financial position, your needs and goals, how close or far you are to your goals and how to attain your goals. These four aspects of financial planning are especially important to keep in mind when planning for the following life events:

Marriage

Tying the knot is a major, life-changing event in people’s lives. This is often largely due to the integration of the couples' bills, investments, expenditures and savings. Financial planning in marriage starts from before the wedding and should address every aspect of each partner's financial situation. These discussions can often lead to talk of prenuptial agreements. 

Prenuptials have become a necessity for some parties, owing to high divorce rates and an increase in attorneys specializing in alimony and divorce. A financial consultant can help determine if creating a prenuptial is the right move for a couple's financial future.

Buying a Home

Buying a home can be termed as a lifetime investment. Large investments like this can be either a really good thing or a really bad one, depending on both factors you can control and some you cannot. When looking to buy a home, one should seek advice about whether or not they are able to afford the purchase. 

The consultant will help you know whether you can buy the house at the current time, what type of house you can buy, or when the best time will be to buy a home. This planning applies to both daily live-in homes and vacation homes. Having a working knowledge of an area's home value trends and potential is necessary when making an investment of this magnitude. 

If you are unfamiliar with the area or housing market trends, seeking consultation from a financial expert with experience in real estate is one of the best ways to ensure the home you purchase will prove a solid investment.

Investment

People often wish to invest in certain projects in a bid to make more money and find financial comfort. This could be in form of buying property, investing in a business or buying shares. However, some investment options are definite time bombs that would land one in to big trouble. 

As such, it is best to consult a financial adviser when seeking to venture in to some sort of investment. This expert will advise you on whether to undertake the investment, how to proceed with it or whether to abandon it. They can also help you find the best investment avenue in the event that there are options.

Retirement

Retirement is a big deal, since it means that one will not be able to engage in normal employment opportunities. Anyone planning on retiring in the next decade or so should take action immediately to ensure there are sufficient funds put away for the event. Future retirees should seek a financial assistant who can consult with them and help them know how to still live comfortably after retirement. 

A financial adviser can help them make informed decisions about their expenditure and possible investment avenues. These advisers are able to calculate your saving potential within the context of possible inflation and price shifts, to plan for uncertain living costs with their clients' current earnings, investments, and assets.

Financial consultants help people avoid economic trouble by finding the best solution for them. When you find yourself facing a major life event or financial hurdle, it is often best to seek financial advice and assistance.

Informational Credit to WBLI

5 Tips to Creating a Will that Will Benefit the Whole Family

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No matter how much your assets are worth, writing a will is an important part of ensuring your family’s future. Here are five tips to make your will benefit your family as much as possible.

1. Take Inventory

Because your will “is the document which will record who is awarded your belongings and how to allocate your finances after death,” it is essential that you take an accurate inventory of your belongings (Donnell Law Group). Whether you have several cars and a summer house to take into account, or only a few family heirlooms to consider, it is important that you take an inventory of your assets.

This step can be done under the guidance of an estate planning lawyer or before you meet with one. Make a written list of all your assets. These can include physical things like a house or vehicle, and intangible things like investments. Make sure you do your research, though, as some things, such as retirement accounts, may not pass via your will. A licensed estate planning attorney will be able to answer any questions you may have.

2. Consider a Trust

Think trusts are only for the wealthy? Think again. According to Suze Orman, “A revocable living trust allows your heirs to avoid probate entirely and keeps you in complete control of your finances while you're alive.”

One of the best things about a revocable living trust is you will be able to make changes regarding the management of your assets as needed. After your death, your elected trustee will follow your directions for care and distribution of the trust.

3. Be Specific

As with your inventory, the best way to make your will effective is to avoid generalizations. Don’t hesitate to give brief descriptions of items or add stipulations to the distribution of your assets.

Being specific is most important when you are establishing the care of your children in the event of your death. This is where you outline exactly who should have custody and care of your children.

4. Look into Life Insurance

If you do not already have a life insurance policy, there is no time like the present to investigate your options. Life insurance is one of the easiest ways to provide for your dependents. Life insurance also can be used for settlement of your “debts, funeral expenses, and income or estate taxes” (Nolo).

5. Take this Chance to Discuss Life Planning with Your Children

Whether you have small children or your kids are all grown, the best time to talk to them about the contents of your will is when you’re writing it.

For young children, this can be a chance to introduce and explain concepts like death and funerals. This may seem intimidating, but it is better that your children have a construct of death before they are asked to deal with a death in their family.

For teenaged and adult children, this is a great time to feel out how you would like to divide your estate. Have personal, one-on-one conversations with your children about what property they would like to have pass to them. Having a specific, written will can prevent disputes later on.

Don’t wait to handle your estate planning. Writing a will is fairly simple, but it offers invaluable protection. Having a written will and other legal measures, like a revocable living trust, will provide financial and legal security for your family.