Are You Insuring the Irreplaceable?
[from ]
A few weeks ago, I decided to spend a few hours looking carefully at all of our insurance policies. I knew in general how most of them worked, but in many cases I was a little fuzzy (or more than a little fuzzy) on the specifics.
As I studied our homeowner’s insurance policy, I was […]
With Out-of-Pocket Medical Expenses Rising, It Might Be Time for Insurance Change
[from ]
Eric Melton’s 10-year-old daughter has asthma and requires regular doctor visits and medication. Occasionally, he has to take her to the emergency room.
ask kim kimberly lankford Get the Best Deal On Health Insurance Employees who get coverage work should compare plans offered by their employers. Here’s what to look for.
[from ]
Q It’s open-enrollment season for my employer’s health-insurance plans. What should I look for in a policy?
The Importance of Doing What You Know You Should
[from ]
We talk a lot here at Saving Advice about the things you “should” do. Make a will and keep it updated, keep your financial affairs in order, plan for the succession/sale of any businesses you might own, get life insurance, arrange for your healthcare in the event you’re incapacitated, and generally plan for the future […]
Ten Reasons to Join the American Automobile Association
[from ]
When I was growing up in the 60’s and 70’s, it seemed that everyone except my parents were members of the American Automobile Association (AAA). Roadside assistance was the great appeal, especially in the days before cell phones. I recall being quite jealous of the silver and red AAA stickers that my friends […]
Playing Hide and Seek with Saving Money
[from ]
I am a frugal shopper. I clip coupons, look for sales and comparison shop. Whether I am shopping for groceries or furniture or a car, I want to get the best deal I can get. I enjoy being a smart shopper and I take pride in it. If you are reading […]
Emergency Preparedness for the Budget Minded
[from ]
I live in hurricane country and it’s the season for misery and anxiety for us. In the last couple of weeks, we’ve had two near misses with tropical systems. Others have had it far worse than us. When you live in an area that’s prone to natural disaster, whether it’s hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, floods, fires, […]
Paying Less Isn’t Always Smart
[from SavingAdvice.com Blog]
Technology has made it much simpler to compare rates and find the cheapest prices for services and products. Why pull out the phone book to call several insurance agents to find the best price when you can visit one website to instantly get the most competitive price quotes? Why settle for paltry interest rates at […]
An HDHP / HSA Could Be Just What the Doctor Ordered
[from SavingAdvice.com Blog]
With the costs of health care rising dramatically every year, both companies and individuals are trying to find ways to lessen the financial pain. One option is a (HDHP) coupled with a Health Savings Account (HSA).
Many of you may already have this option, or your company is rolling this out in the near […]
Water, Water Everywhere! Why You Need Flood Insurance
[from SavingAdvice.com Blog]
Mother Nature can give us a lot of free entertainment. There are few things more relaxing than hiking through the woods on a Saturday morning or sitting outside on a Sunday afternoon and watching the sunset. Mother Nature can also wreak havoc on your home and possessions when she decides to dump too […]
When Should You Downgrade Your Car Insurance?
[from The Simple Dollar]
One of the common nuggets of financial “wisdom” tossed out there by personal finance writers is the idea of downgrading one’s car insurance to save money. “Cut your collision or comprehensive coverage or raise your deductibles and save a mint!” they’ll say, but such comments don’t take into account the current status of the […]
Long-Term-Care Insurance Rates Are Set to Increase
[from ]
John Hancock, one of the largest long-term-care insurers, plans to raise rates on existing policyholders for the first time ever. It is filing for a rate increase on long-term-care policies sold in the 1990s and on some newer New York State Partnership policies.
Insurance Sales Barred On Base but Personnel Are Vulnerable Off-Site
[from washingtonpost.com - Personal Finance]
Military personnel are often young and transient, but they earn a regular paycheck from Uncle Sam. That makes them prime targets for shady sales practices and financial criminals.
Extending Health Insurance
[from washingtonpost.com - Personal Finance]
Children are generally dropped from their parents’ health insurance when they turn 18 or 19 or graduate from college. But 16 states now require insurers to cover dependent children on their parents’ policies until the children are in their mid-twenties — and sometimes up to age 30.
Compassion vs. Commerce
[from SavingAdvice.com Blog]
By Jennifer Derrick
A friend recently had a run of bad luck that required her to cancel a much-anticipated vacation. Her father died two weeks before they were to leave. Aside from the grief, she had to deal with much of the estate and legal matters. That alone would have made it difficult to go on […]
Getting Full Value Isn’t Black and White
[from SavingAdvice.com Blog]
By Shannon Christman
“Here, let me show you these great glasses — I want to make sure you get the full value of your insurance coverage,” enthused the salesman trying to get me to upgrade my purchase. I had already carefully chosen my favorite pair from the rack of frames my insurance would cover completely, […]
Update on the Flooding in Iowa … And Some Tips on Protecting Yourself
[from The Simple Dollar]
Hundreds of people have emailed me asking questions about the current flooding situation in Iowa. Has my home been affected? How bad is it really?
Well, I’ll let the front page of the Des Moines Register speak for itself.
Where I’m at (luckily), there’s been only minor ill effect. We’ve had some […]
Do I Need Long Term Disability Insurance?
[from The Simple Dollar]
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been carefully considering the above question. I’m twenty nine years old, in good health, with a wife and two young children at home. I don’t commute for work, either, vastly reducing my chance of a disabling accident. In other words, my chance for long-term […]
[from washingtonpost.com - Personal Finance]
Painless parking tickets. If you’re not going to contest the citation, get over it and pay up. Otherwise, your tardiness can get expensive. Many states boot or tow the cars of repeat offenders or delinquents, and it can cost hundreds of dollars to reclaim your vehicle.
Lack of Insurance Hits Us All
[from ]
Maria Gomez knows firsthand the devastation that can hit families who don’t have health insurance. Gomez is chief executive of Mary’s Center for Maternal and Child Care in the District. The clinic serves people who either have no insurance or are underinsured.
The Why and How of a Household Inventory
[from The Simple Dollar]
One personal finance project that a lot of people overlook is the household inventory. It’s one of those “once in a great while” tasks that’s easy to overlook and forget about, but it’s not very hard and it can pay huge dividends if you’re carrying homeowners’ or renters’ insurance and something goes wrong with […]
When You Can’t Get Health Insurance
[from washingtonpost.com - Personal Finance]
My father-in-law is a self-employed plumber in Billings, Mont. He’s in his mid-fifties and had a severe coronary-artery blockage that caused heart-attack symptoms. In 2005, he had a stent put in to open the blockage. He has sought a high-deductible health-insurance policy for years but has been…
Understand Your Health Insurance Options
[from washingtonpost.com - Personal Finance]
Deciding whether to buy health insurance is a no-brainer. Think of what would happen if you didn’t have insurance and someone in your family suffered a serious illness requiring extended medication or a long hospital stay. How quickly would snowballing medical bills wipe you out?
Learn the Ins and Outs of Long-Term-Care Insurance
[from washingtonpost.com - Personal Finance]
Most older Americans have no insurance to cover the incredibly expensive long-term care often necessary when chronic illness or disability strikes late in life. Nursing-home costs alone can run $70,000 to $100,000 a year. At the most expensive centers the bill can approach twice that much.
Smart Shopper’s Guide to Auto Insurance
[from washingtonpost.com - Personal Finance]
Accidents happen. In cars, they happen nearly 100,000 times a day, and insurance can be the only thing standing between you and financial catastrophe.
Over an Insurance Barrel
[from washingtonpost.com - Personal Finance]
Imagine that you buy a house with mostly borrowed money — a mortgage — and the lender insists that you take out fire insurance to protect your house and his collateral.
Over an Insurance Barrel
[from ]
Imagine that you buy a house with mostly borrowed money — a mortgage — and the lender insists that you take out fire insurance to protect your house and his collateral.
In Case of Emergency, Cut Here
[from SavingAdvice.com Blog]
By Jennifer Derrick
We all know that we should plan for an emergency. From an early age, we’re taught to have an evacuation plan in case of fire and how to call 911 if we need help. If you live in hurricane, tornado, wildfire, or snowstorm country, you’re taught to keep a kit handy with the […]
The Great Secret to Cheap Dental Care
[from SavingAdvice.com Blog]
By Marilyn Brodeur
Within the US and Canada there are over 60 dental schools which provide inexpensive dental treatment. With locations all over the US from Louisville, New York City, Ft Lauderdale, Los Angeles, Omaha, and Chapel Hill it is very likely there is a school nearby. As a dental student, I’d like to reveal […]
Medicare Basics: What You Need to Know
[from SavingAdvice.com Blog]
By David John Marotta and Beth Anderson Nedelisky
Many seniors look forward to saving on medical insurance costs by enrolling in Medicare at age sixty-five. However, navigating the Medicare system is not for the faint of heart. Medicare is an alphabet soup of plan choices. Currently Medicare is organized as parts A through D.
Medicare Part […]