Financial Planning

Liability auto insurance is the only insurance that’s required in most states. Here’s how to get cheap liability auto insurance online with a top-rated company.

Liability Auto Insurance

Liability auto insurance provides you with two types of coverage. They are …

1. Bodily injury liability coverage – This pays medical expenses for the people you injure in an auto accident.

2. Property damage liability coverage – This pays to repair or replace the other person’s car and personal property you damage after an auto accident.

Liability coverage is expressed by three numbers. For example, 25/50/100 would mean that you’re covered up to a maximum amount of $25,000 for one person’s medical bills, $50,000 for everyone’s medical bills, and $100,000 for the other person’s car and property.

In addition to liability coverage some states require you to have personal injury protection coverage and/or uninsured motorist coverage. Personal injury protection coverage reimburses you for your medical bills and your passenger’s medical bills when you’re involved an auto accident. Uninsured motorist coverage reimburses you for damages done to your car by an uninsured, underinsured, or hit-and-run driver.

Getting Cheap Liability Auto Insurance Online

To get cheap liability insurance online, first visit your your state’s insurance department website to see what their insurance requirements are. Their website will show you the minimum amount of liability insurance you need to get your car on the road.

Next, visit an online insurance comparison website to get quotes from different companies. All you do is spend a couple of minutes filling out a simple form, wait to get your quotes, then choose the cheapest one.

Most insurance comparison websites only work with A-rated insurance companies so you know you’re claims will be paid. The top insurance comparison sites offer money-saving tips in their articles section, and you can get advice and answers to your questions by going to their online chat section where you can talk with an insurance professional.

Portable solar showers are plastic bags that you fill with water and leave them in the sun to heat. After a while you have warm water that you can take a shower with using the built in shower nozzle.

These showers are sold as an outdoor and camping item but they can also be for home use. I tried one of these last summer and it worked so well that I started using it at home instead of the regular shower. Home water heaters are one of the biggest energy hogs in a home and with a solar bag shower that I bought for less than $20 I eliminated that bill as far as showers go.

Solar bag showers are made of tough plastic that is clear on one side and dark on the other. You fill it with water and lay it out in the sun with the clear side facing up. On a warm sunny day after 2 or 3 hours it’s warm enough to take a shower. In some cases it may even be too hot and you will have to add some cold water.

Once it is hot you hang it above head level and turn on the valve. You can do this outdoors or bring it inside and use it in your home or RV shower if you install a hanger or shelf to put it on. I found the 5 gallon solar shower to be plenty for one person to take a fairly long shower.

A solar shower bag is not for cold weather. Unless the weather is warm and sunny the water will not get warm enough. I have an outdoor shower set up and if the weather is above 70 degrees I can just leave the bag hanging in the shower position and it gets plenty hot. If it’s only in the 60′s I have to set it down flat so it will be exposed to maximum sun.

If you enjoy camping or if you want to switch your showers to solar power during the warm months of the year a solar bag shower is an excellent low cost solution.

Learn more about and where to buy a solar water shower.

The Average American holds seven credit cards in their wallet at any given time, and one out of every seven Americans has 10 credit cards! The credit card debt in America has been steadily rising over the last decade.

Some studies have shown over 70 percent of consumers use cards for most purchases! This produces results like VISA being held accountable for over 830 billion dollars of charges for the year of 2008. Americans are looking for ways to lower their credit debt or eliminate their credit card debt, without adding any additional debt (loans).

The most radical way to reduce credit debt is by cutting up your cards! Cut up cards, do not sign up for new ones, and pay with cash. When you pay with cash, the money must physically be in your hands to make a purchase; therefore you’re less likely to impulse buy, or to purchase unnecessary items. If getting rid of your credit card isn’t an option, or you would like to keep one for emergencies only, try a debit card instead.

Debit cards are useful because they withdraw electronically from your bank account. It’s a good way to keep from spending money you don’t have, but on the other hand you can’t physically see all the money you could be spending, so impulse buying is still likely.

The best way to lower your debt is to be aware of your surroundings and your financial situation. Try making a budget with a free online budget planner, or write your plan down. You can cut out monthly expenses and the average American could save 300 dollars a month just by planning a budget. Not only will you lower your debt by being aware of financial income and expenses and knowing what you can and cannot spend, you will also be able to use the extra money you saved toward paying off your credit debt!

The Not-So-Serious Side, About Buying A Laptop

Laptops: We all know what they are and have seen them around in offices, home communities and in our travels. Most people have own one as their personal computer for many years. But how much do we really know about them? Are they kind to us? Can they keep us from feeling lonely? Are they there when we need them? Can they cuddle up in our laps and keep us warm, on cold winter nights? A lot of people would say yes, as they pondered upon these questions.

Laptops remain among the most popular personal computers in the world. Laptops provide us with a powerful mobile tool for business and pleasure. They also provide us with an unnatural yet strange and loveable personal companionship. Some people would speculate that the laptop computer has practically replaced our pet dogs as ‘man’s best friend’ .

Pick The Right Breed Of Laptop For You

Among the many breeds of laptops, finding the particular type that suits an individuals need is an arduous task. One must consider all the different laptop breeds that have been bred for the sole purpose of providing warmth and loveable companionship. I wouldn’t want a laptop computer that does not respond to my gentle fingers on its soft, warm keyboard tummy. Nor would I want one that doesn’t obey my commands after teaching it to sit on my lap for hours while I play games with it.

Always know your habits and correlate these with the laptop breed you are interested in as your new companion. If you are someone who is interested in hours and hours of playful enjoyment; then pick a laptop breed that loves to play, not one that just goes for a walk to the park or goes to work with you. Pick a smart breed that will not tire out (fast CPU, maximum memory, fast video and large hard drive) and will provide a lot of gaming playfulness. If you just want some basic companionship, you might consider a less active breed (a basic CPU, minimum memory, basic video and basic hard drive). Whatever breed you decide on, remember that you will be together for many years, so be sure you have love for it from the start and choose well.

Take a week to review your potential companionship commitment. Be sure you are able to feed (recharge the battery) and shelter (laptop bag) your new best friend with love. Make sure that you want and can care properly for a laptop, and, if after a week you feel you can, then start your new companionship by purchasing your laptop!

Remember, a laptop computer is only as smart as you are. So teach it to sit, run, lie on your lap, and above all, to work and play with you. Be sure to take your new companion for long walks and car rides, on the way to and from work. This way you will have many joyful hours of loveable companionship with your newfound friend! A laptop computer just might be the worlds newest ‘man’s best friend’!

Copyright (c) 2008 – 2009, http://www.coolestcheaplaptops.com – Author Scott Pheulp – All Rights Reserved.

The typical American household budget percentage breakdown looks like the list below. For most of the categories a range is shown. A range makes more sense to help you see where your personal budget fits (or doesn’t fit.) If your budget doesn’t fit the typical American household budget, rejoice! The average American household budget is jacked up – we carry too much debt and we just don’t save enough. We’re so worried about our neighbor’s new pool, our co-worker’s new car and our friend’s new designer shoes that we spend more than we earn to try and keep up. But take heart! Review the percentages below, compare your household budget and then read on to find out how you can move yourself into the elite minority of Americans who have mastered where their money goes.

Typical Household Budget Percentages

33-38% Housing (59%-66% of this is on shelter – mortgage interest, property taxes, repairs, and rent, and other items) 15-19% Transportation (up to half of this is vehicle purchase – 2 cars per household average) 13-14% Food Budget (55% at home, 45% away) 0-2% Alcohol 0-3% Tobacco and related products 0-2% Caffeine related products 4-5% On clothing and related services (drycleaning) 4.5 – 6% on out of pocket Health Care 9% Personal Insurance and Pensions (breakdown: 1% life and other personal insurance, 7.5% Social Security, .5% investment 5% Entertainment 2.5% Charitable Contributions 2% Reading and Education 1% Personal Care products and services 2% Miscellaneous 4% Credit Card, Consumer Loan Interest

If your budget closely matches the above, here’s what you can do to fix that. Do these in order. Do not proceed to the next step until you’ve addressed the current step:

Stop using your @#!&*! credit cards! Make a down and dirty budget right away! Don’t worry about it being right at first…you can perfect it over time. Just do it! Cut back on your easy to identify, frivolous spending habits (3 dollar lattes, magazines, 450 extra satellite channels, etc.) If you’ve got some expensive habits you’ve wanted to quit for some time, now’s the time. For example, if you’re a hard-drinkin’, chain smokin’, coffee drinkin’ fool, you can reap a windfall of up to 7% or more of your income! Just cutting back to 2 drinks per day, only drinking coffee from home and quitting the cigarettes will net you a nice amount of extra cash and add years to your life! Refine your budget after eliminating what you can. Reduce your 401K and other investment payments (if you have any) to the minimum allowable to keep your 401K and/or other investment accounts open. If your employer has a stock matching plan, keep that in addition to the minimum to keep your investments accounts open (but only up to the minimum you need to get all the matching money.) You’re going to reap a whole lot more return on paying off your debts than you can ever hope to reasonably get from traditional investments. If you’re paying into a college fund for your kids – keep doing that – if you’re not and you really want to, hold off until step 6. Refine your budget to reflect the extra income available, if any. Build an emergency fund equal to 2% of your gross annual income. It should be a little hard to get to (like a separate checking account or mutual fund), but not too difficult (Certificate of Deposit.) Work this into your budget – it’s very important. You will not believe the amount of stress that will melt away when you do this. Pay off your debts – everything except mortgages. And don’t just move your revolving debt into a second or third mortgage – that’s bad. Pay them off using a rapid debt paydown system. Pay off any student loans (for future reference, these are a bad idea.) Pay off your car(s) too. If you’re not upside down on a car loan (your car is worth more than you owe) you can sell it and get a cheaper, paid for car. Throw a small (inexpensive but fun) party for yourself and your loved ones every time you pay off a debt. Take all the money you WERE spending to pay off your non-mortgage debt and start putting it into those investment accounts you put on idle. Make sure you’re investing at least 10% of your gross income. If you followed steps 1-4 exactly, you should have lots of breathing room in your budget now. If this is true and you want to invest more than 10%, go ahead, but be sure to reward yourself too and live a little. Grow your emergency fund to a level you’re comfortable with (2 or more months of income is a good start.) If you have young kids and you want to send them to college, start putting money into a college fund of your choice for them, if you haven’t already. Throw a bigger party than usual when this is done. Pay off your mortgage and throw your biggest party yet! You can start towards this by refinancing to a single fixed rate mortgage (your credit should be in pretty good shape having paid off all your other debts.) If it’s a 30 year mortgage, pay more than your monthly payment to dramatically lower the amount of interest you give to the bank. If it’s a 15 year fixed – wow! That’s excellent! When you’re totally debt free, regularly give away whatever you think you can afford. It’s good for the soul!

Easy? Not. Worth it? Doing the above will pay dividends in your life in many more ways than just dollars and cents. You will assure yourself a dignified and financially secure retirement. Do this well and you will also build a way for your kids and your grandkids to enjoy prosperous lives, and they will remember you with fondness and respect long after you’ve moved on to the other side. Now get started!