Tips for Hiring the Right Insurance Agent

If you are in the market for insurance of any kind, it’s important that you know how to find the right agent to help you out. A good insurance agent will be able to find you the best coverage for a reasonable price. Since there are so many different agents to choose from, you will need to do some research before deciding on one in particular.

In this article, you will learn about some of the more helpful tips that will allow you to narrow down your options when it comes to choosing the right insurance agent to meet your needs.

Utilize the Internet

You will find that many banks, such as BB&T, have pages on their websites that are dedicated to helping people find a trustworthy insurance agent in their area. It is important that you look into some of these websites so that you can make finding the perfect agent as easy as possible. With BB&T bank, all you have to do is simply enter your location and the type of insurance you are interested in getting.

Which Insurance Products Are You Looking For?

The type of insurance products you are interested in will play a crucial role in determining which agent you should hire. If you are looking for home insurance, you will need to look for an agent that has access to this particular product. Make sure that you find out what each agent can offer you before making a final decision.

Knowledge and Credentials

It’s crucial that you find an insurance agent that is very knowledgeable with all the right credentials, so you can trust them to provide you with the help you need. You should take the time to ask each agent some questions that will provide you with a better idea as to how experienced they really are. It’s also a good idea to ask these agents for their credentials, so you can make sure they are legitimate professionals.

Reviewing Your Quotes

The insurance agent you hire will provide you with a number of quotes for the type of insurance you need. You will need to spend as much time as necessary looking over these quotes and comparing them, so you can get the best possible deal. One of the biggest mistakes people make when buying insurance is to neglect the quotes they are given by their insurance agent.

Know How Much Coverage You Need

It’s always a good idea for you to know exactly how much coverage you require when going about hiring someone to find the right insurance policy for you. You will need to convey this information to the agent before they start researching policies on your behalf.

When you need to get insurance of any kind, it is important that you think about hiring an agent to help with this process. A good insurance agent will be able to save you a lot of time and effort as well as money, so it’s something that’s worth considering.

Keeping Your Company Strong & Secure

Company security is something that matters when you hope to grow and run a firm with influence. However, keeping your company strong and secure means maintaining it with wisdom. There are many difficulties that can arise in the effort to run a competent firm, and if you’re not careful you might find yourself in trouble to a degree. It pays to be strong whether or not you might encounter difficulty in the future. The reality of you potentially facing something that could compromise your business pales in comparison to the possibility of something going wrong. What we mean by this is that it’s always best to be prepared for everything than trying to resolve the pressing and immediate. This allows you to respond in the best and fastest way possible - giving you time for a deft reaction and response. 

Fault Defense

It’s easy to become accused of something that you might not be part of. Companies are often levied with accusations from sources either legitimate or fake, and what matters is the ability to meet those well. If a legitimate accusation is cast, that might mean you need to change the reason it was cast. However, often business leaders can be thrown into a false accusation pile, and terms such as insider training, embezzlement or other difficulties can be levelled at you.

You might be thinking ‘well how probably is that to happen?’ It could be more frequent than you think. For example, a jaded ex-business partner, ex-employee or perhaps someone trying to sabotage a merger or acquisition might try to stall this or interrupt you by levelling false accusations. In these cases it’s important to have a federal criminal lawyer on hand to help you separate the wheat from the chaff and respond in the most responsible way possible.

To prevent things like this from occurring, it might be wise to begin:

Vetting Clients & Employees

You might find that many business connections are made in the process of networking your business. From clients to business to business connections to the employees you bring on the team, it could be that vetting your social connection is worthwhile. You can never dig into the full past of someone you do business with, but you can sure look for red flags from employees and businesses. 

In the case of businesses, any wrongdoing will likely be publicised. You might find this through articles published from news sources, general reputation commentary online through social media, or looking for reviews from ex-employees. Vetting clients might be in the form of a credit report, particularly if you’re in the business of lending your own credit card or selling things on finance. For employees, checking their criminal history, their working history and speaking to their old managers could be critical in truly getting the full picture of someone’s personality. After all, not everyone is who they say they are, or acts how they come across in the first instance of the interview.

With the right methodology and exacting eye, your social and legal defence could be worthwhile, but only if you take note of the previous tips and enact them wisely.

Do You Know What To Do After You’ve Been In An Accident?

The shock

Whether you’re injured or not, the event of a car crash can leave us feeling shocked for long periods of time, and it can be hard for us to figure out what happened. In times like these, it can be hard to make the right decisions when it comes to trying to resolve the situation. You might be left feeling angry about it, or maybe devastated; it usually depends on the severity of the crash. Road accidents are generally pretty dangerous and are known to be lethal, and if caused by poor driving or illegal practices behind the wheel, then trying to make sure justice is brought is the right thing to do. If there’s no evidence of these crimes, then you may find it hard to bring up your claim, because it can be hard to hold prejudice against someone who meant no ill will towards you.

Your plans

In some cases, this is the point where you would try to build up a compelling case to represent your claims; it can be easy if you have some form of proof. Some drivers keep cameras on their dashboards, or maybe motorcycle helmets. If the property isn’t damaged too much, this alone might be enough evidence for the offender to be judged as guilty. Proof like this might even be enough to avoid the court case altogether, meaning you can come to a much simpler solution. It all depends on how far you want to take the case, and how much you feel you’re entitled to.

If you don’t think you’re qualified or able to make up this case, then it’s best that you invest in having a professional represent you instead. There are services out there for all kinds of drivers, for example, see the motorcycle accident attorney. If your memory of the crash isn’t so clear, it’s best to have someone who can arrange investigations to find the truth, at which point you can decide if you want to take the case any further; or if you're going to drop it. Either way, investing in this option can save you a lot of money if you’re not too sure. Yes, you’ll have to pay for the attorney services, but if you’re in the position of blame, you may cost yourself a lot more.

Not only do these professionals have more experience when dealing with these cases, but they can also make the whole process a lot less time to consume; while also a lot more convenient. You might find that there are extra options available if you didn’t want to go to court, which can save you time and money. In some cases, the attorneys won’t charge unless the case is won; meaning you’re not going to be losing too much if the case doesn’t end in your favor.

Some people can come out of road accidents with serious injuries, which can potentially ruin their entire lives. At this point, receiving the compensation is an essential factor of recovery. If you break any limbs, then the chances are you’re going to be out of work for a while; while also coping with the anxiety you’ll have from being at the wheel. You’ll need the money to help get you by on a day to day basis.

3 Financial Hazards To Avoid in 2018

With the new year comes (to borrow a parlance from Star Wars) a new hope. We hope for improvements in our jobs or careers. We hope for new levels of success and prosperity for our businesses. We hope for new accomplishments and achievements for our kids. New memories and milestones in our relationships. Most of all we hold out the hope that this will be the year when we finally right the ship in terms of our finances. This will be the year when all the bad habits of old will be cast aside and in instead 2018 will be a new era for financial responsibility. It will be an era marked by sage investments, sound and well informed fiscal choices and the curbing of some of our more reckless urges.

These goals are all very noble but be sure to steer clear of some of the financial hazards that could offset, or even completely derail your good habits in 2018…

New Year’s Eve

You may scoff, but after the traditional spendathon that is Christmas, do you really need to make it a one-two-punch with a pricey (and inevitably underwhelming New Year’s Eve). Restaurants, bars and clubs hike up their prices (sometimes so that they can pay their employees extra for their hard work but mostly just because they can) and some of us over compensate for this in some less than helpful ways. Loading up on booze before hitting the town is never a good idea. Not only will your tipsy state make your relationship with money more laissez faire, you’re more susceptible to trips, slips, falls and other wintry hazards which could injure you in ways that prevent you from earning money to recover from your festive spending. You may want to spend your New Year’s Day talking to a professional like Scott Gottlieb personal injury lawyer… but they’d probably much rather be with their families. Be money smart by limiting your activities (and your alcohol intake) this year.

Post-Christmas Sales

Seriously. You’ve just had Christmas. What more could you possibly want? The seasonal appetite for spending has been stoked beyond the normal spike created by Christmas with such manufactured occasions as Black Friday and Cyber Monday. You really don’t want another excuse to wreak havoc with your carefully planned finances do you?

Over-bullish investments

If your finances have made significant gains in the previous year, you may start 2018 with a buoyed sense of confidence. This is great, just try not to get too bullish with your investments. Many markets are in a strange state of flux at the moment especially with a whole lot of new regulations set to hit the financial services industry in 2018. Just look at the recent spike and slump in the value of Bitcoin and you’ll see what I mean. Keep your investments conservative and spread over a diverse portfolio until the markets see some hints at stability. You may not reap huge dividends but you’ll be insulated against risks. And risks can hurt you more than gains can help you in the long term.

So, You've Been Injured... Now What?

A personal injury is defined as either a physical or psychological illness or injury caused by someone or something, to your person. It can vary in type and will usually be an injury which you can claim some sort of compensation for in the long term.

If you want to make a personal injury claim for an accident you’ve been involved in, you will first need to establish whether or not it was your fault or someone else’s. If it was your own fault you will not be entitled to anything however if someone else was responsible for it, you will be able to push forward with a claim. You will need to provide the details of the other person or company along with a detailed account of your accident. The level of compensation that you will receive will depend on the fault which lies in the other party, the severity of the injury and the losses you have incurred due to the incident.

Most of the time when you are looking to make a claim for an injury you have sustained there will be a time limit of 3 years from the day of the accident. You will then need to find out How to choose the right personal injury lawyer for you, what forms and documents you will need to fill out, and how much you will have to pay for their legal services.

What should you do first?

When you are caught up in an accident and hurt yourself, the first thing you will need to do is to check your health. Make sure that you can move, check your body for any abrasions, lacerations or bruises, and figure out whether anything is broken. Once you have given yourself the once over and you know where your injuries lie, depending on the severity of your injuries you will need to ring 911, or get someone else to do it for you. Once you have been to the hospital and had a once over, you can look to start thinking about the next steps in your claim:

-make sure you collect any evidence you can to prove that the accident was not your fault. You may want to either take some photos of the scene, or if you cannot, get someone else to do it for you. This will be incredibly helpful for you when you come to take legal action. For example if you have tripped and fallen on a public road, you can take photos of uneven paving or potholes which the council should have fixed.

- Write down in as much detail everything you can remember from the accident, as well as everything which has happened since. You will want a record of all hospital visits, medical bills, lost wages and other expenses you have had to pay out.

- Record the names of any witnesses who saw the accident or who came to your aid as you were injured. Make sure you have contact information for them so they can be contacted.

- Take notes of the conversations you have with anyone else who has been involved in the accident.

- Make sure to notify the other party that you are planning to take action

Is there a time limit for telling the other party?

If you do want to make a claim against someone for an injury you have sustained, there is no time limit for when you have to tell them, however it would be better if you let them know fairly early on. By acting quickly with your claim and pushing forward as soon as you are able, you are more likely to resolve the claim. If you wait for a long time the judge may question why it has taken you so long to bother claiming for the injury.

Even if you don’t end up filing a lawsuit against another party for their part in your injury, it is helpful to let them know that you intend to. This is because it will preserve your rights and will make sure that you may proceed with sorting out your claim without being rushed by the other party.

Is there a time limit for making a claim?

There is. As we said above, the general time limit for the making of a claim is 3 years. Settling a personal injury claim can be a long process and will take a long time for things to go through the appropriate authorities. This is why ideally you will want to start making your claim and setting things in motion as soon as you can after the accident occurs. If you don’t claim within a timely manner, it means that the chances of you gaining any benefit from your claim is slim. The time you have for a lawsuit will depend on the type of lawsuit it is, but you will need to find out from a lawyer or do your research online to see what your specific limit is. By starting your claim early you will be much more likely to get it settled in the time frame and gain the compensation which you deserve for the suffering and losses you have endured due to injury.

How soon should I file a claim against the government?

If the unusual event occurs where you are going to be claiming for damages against the government rather than a company or individual, the time is more limited in which you can make a claim for it. The time depending on the type of case can vary from between 1 month to 1 year. This is significantly lower than the others and because of this is can be hard to make your claim in time if your injury is severe. With these claims it is more crucial than ever to act if you want to claim for compensation against the government, and get your case as watertight as you can to increase your chances of winning the case and bringing home the money you deserve.

Do you think you are ready for your retirement?

A few decades ago, retirement planning was quite straightforward. People got well-paying government jobs and stayed on in the same company until retirement. After that, the company’s pension plan supported them financially. But times have changed. It is rare to find someone in the same job for more than a few years. As a result, the onus of retirement planning has fallen directly on the individual. But the fact is, many people do not think about retirement planning until it is too late.

Importance of retirement planning

Imagine the following situation. You are in your early 30s. One day, you bounce into your old college friends. You go out and have a blast. The bill is huge. But that’s not a big problem because you can afford it. You know exactly when your next pay cheque will arrive.

Fast-forward thirty years or so. You are retired. In other words, you don’t have a regular source of income anymore. What would you do in case you have to foot a huge expense all of a sudden? If you have access to a good corpus of money, great! But otherwise, you may be in trouble.

Financial independence during your golden years is the main reason why you should start thinking about retirement planning today.

• Rising expenses

Twenty years ago, a cup of coffee didn’t cost more than a few rupees. Today, the same cup could cost you at least Rs 50 in a good restaurant. If you are wondering how it is possible, the answer is quite simple: inflation. In other words, your daily expenses are only going to rise over the years. So even your daily goods such as rice, sugar, coffee and tea would cost a lot more thirty years later. And if you are not prepared for the rise in expenses, you may be forced to change your regular lifestyle to accommodate these changes.

• Rising cost of medical expenses

The other major problem during retirement is the cost of medical expenses. Increase in health problems during old age is a natural phenomenon.Bad knees, poor eyesight, diabetes and arthritis are a few problems that you commonly find among older people. And if you haven’t planned well for your retirement, a substantial chunk of your savings can be spent on medical expenses.

To make matters worse, healthcare costs are spiralling out of control. Some studies show that hospitalisation costs are increasing by 10% every year.

Therefore, the only way to ensure you enjoy a happy and peaceful retirement is through an efficient long-term investment planning.

Create a retirement plan

The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. Same is the case with your retirement plan. And the best time to take that step is today.The first step is to identify how much you would like to save for your retirement. This would be based on your current income level and lifestyle. For instance, if your monthly expenses are Rs 40,000, it can be difficult to drastically cut them down after retirement. You might also want to travel or pursue other hobbies. All this can be expensive. Identify your potential expenses and take inflation into account. When you have a rough estimate, you can start your investment plan to achieve your goals.

How investment helps in securing a healthy retired life

One of the main goals of retirement planning is to create a large corpus for your sunset years. You can do this through long-term investments.There are many retirement and pension plans in the market that you can consider. In addition, investing in equities is one of the best ways to do achieve your long-term goals. This is because they have the potential to offer high returns for the long term.

But if you are hesitant to invest in the stock market, equity mutual funds are ideal for you. They are less risky than directly investing in the stock market. Besides, the long-time horizon ahead of you can balance out any hiccups you may encounter on your investment journey.

It is also bestto consider taking out a long-term health insurance to finance any health problems you may encounter in your retired life.

To sum up

In the end, the important thing is to be financially independent in your retirement years. You shouldn’t depend on your children for financial help. On the other hand, it might be a better idea to leave them something from your own side. You can ensure that a part of your retirement savings contributes towards your family’s future.

Don't Let Healthcare Haunt Your Finances

It’s sad to live somewhere that makes healthcare one of the most expensive parts of your life. So many other countries have affordable healthcare options for everyone, meaning they worry less when a problem happens. Here, if we get a serious illness or injury, it costs thousands of dollars to pay for the treatment. There are even some tragic stories of people fighting cancer and being forced to admit defeat because they can’t afford the medical treatment.

The reality is, for the majority of the population, healthcare haunts our finances. As a consequence, we need to do everything in our power to make any healthcare costs as cheap as possible. What options do you have? There are some, and I’ll talk you through them in the points below. 

Purchase An Affordable Insurance Plan

Health insurance is pretty much essential for people nowadays. You need to have some type of insurance plan if you want to avoid paying through the nose for medical bills. With insurance, certain treatments might be covered, meaning you won’t have to pay for them. The amount you pay for your insurance can often be a lot cheaper than the treatments you have to pay for, which is why it makes sense to take out a plan. Different people are best suited to different health insurance plans, so there isn’t a one solution fits all option here. You need to do the research and find the right one for you.

Always Think About What Caused Your Health Problem

There are plenty of health problems that just happen over time because of the way your body is, or they’re down to genetics. Then, you have problems that might have been caused by other circumstances. Great examples that come to mind include breaking your bones and getting severely injured because you were involved in an accident of some kind, or ending up with health issues thanks to exposure to things like asbestos. In both scenarios, you end up in hospital, with high medical bills, thanks to circumstances out of your control. You don’t have to be a personal injury lawyer to know you’re entitled to compensation if you get hurt in accidents that weren’t your fault. Likewise, if you’ve been exposed to dangerous things at work - like asbestos - you could sue your company. My point is, by looking at what caused your problem, you might find that you’ve got a chance to earn compensation to help cover the medical bills and save money. 

Take Care Of Your Health

Finally, this seems like a silly point, but it’s definitely something that can save money. If you take care of your health, you will avoid being subjected to a lot of different health problems. Eating a healthy diet and being active prevents so many problems such as heart disease, obesity, and lots more. This makes you less likely to end up in hospital needing specialist treatment for certain health issues. It’s a clever way of tackling some health problems that can easily be prevented.

As you can see, there are ways you can try and cut down on your medical expenses throughout life. Otherwise, healthcare will haunt your finances forever, and cost a lot of money in your lifetime.

Choosing the Right Medicare Health Plan

Medicare health insurance may or may not be the only type of health coverage you invest in, but it is often wise to make it at least a part of your overall health-protection plan. And today, you can consolidate your coverage with a Medicare Part C Plan, that integrates private and government based insurance, instead of only having the A & B “original” Medicare as an option.

To be an informed health care shopper in today’s marketplace, you should at least be aware of the basics on what different Medicare plans have to offer. Here is some help to get you started in choosing the plan that is best for you.

What Does Medicare A Cover?

The “original” version of Medicare includes just A & B. Part A is your hospital insurance coverage. It will only cover those medical services considered “medically necessary” to treat a specific disease/condition you are suffering from; but neither is it limited to hospitalizations only, as the term “hospital insurance” might seem to imply.

Beyond hospital expenses, Part A can also cover home health & hospice services, nursing home care, and skilled nursing facility expenses. But again, covered care must be a medical necessity to qualify, and that’s where you’ll need to dig deeper into the details of Medicare’s many rules as you continue your research.

What Does Medicare B Cover?

Part B is Medicare’s “medical insurance.” This covers the diagnosis and treatment of health conditions, when medically necessary. It includes reasonable preventative care as well as treatments.

Here are some examples of what Part B will help you with: ambulatory care and transport, certain pieces of medical equipment like oxygen tanks and blood-sugar monitors for diabetics, doctor’s visits, mental health services, and to a rather limited degree, prescription drugs.

And What About Medicare Part C?

It’s true you can actually add prescription drug coverage to your Medicare via Part D, but one of the best ways to cover your pills and drugs is through Part C. Part C will give you all that Parts A & B will, only more.

The beauty of Medicare Part C plans is that they allow your private insurer to manage and distribute to you your Medicare benefits, which creates competition (always good for getting a better deal as a consumer!)

Plus, you bring all your health insurance elements (hospital, medical, and drugs) under a single comprehensive plan, which can still be customized to your exact needs and budget. You may be able, for example, to create a plan that cover Limitless Pill Alternatives or all of the prescription drugs you currently take or foresee you may need down the road. The possibilities are “multitudinous” if not quite “endless.”

What to Do Next

So you decide you want Medicare coverage or you want to switch over to a Part C plan from your current Medicare? Now what? It’s time to dig down into the details by talking with a Medicare health insurance expert. 

They can help you see the benefits of a Medicare Advantage Plan (Part C) more clearly and help you optimally customize your plan. Ask any Medicare-related question you like, and your agent will be able to get you the answer and help you make a truly informed decision.

Cozy And Bespoke Affordable Home Options For Retirement

Going out to a certain part of the world when you’re booking a holiday is the joy of what relaxation is all about. You simply want to shed away all your fears and the troubles that life routinely plants at your feet, and just run away. Whats gathering steam these days are the holiday homes, especially around coastal parts of the world. No more so than in Europe because Greece, Spain and Italy are the kings of the Mediterranean. As such this craze had gone wild and many more people want the chance to live in a luxury home. However even if you’re staying just for a short while, the prices are always going to be up in the higher echelon of the bracket. So what could possibly be the more affordable alternatives to a personal retirement home, that would be perhaps more permanent as well? When you’re retiring, there are in fact quite a few options that can feel as if they are hidden gems.

Coastal cottage

Many coastal communities were born out of the industrial revolution. This was the time where seaports were the main way by which trade could leave and enter the country. As such small, warm and cosy cottages were built as a result, for families that had fathers and husbands that worked down at the docks and ports. A great alternative to a holiday mansion would be a far more affordable but just as enjoyable. The key when you’re retiring is to actually spend money on other things, that are not involved with your home. Such as holidays and cruises, food and travelling. No one really wants to be stuck at home, no matter how welcoming and comfortable it is. This is why a cheap and cheerful cottage by the coast is a brilliant option.

Custom built

The only way for retirees to design a home totally to their liking for a truly bespoke living space, and still have it be affordable is to look into mobile homes. The ability to choose which rooms are going to go where, and completely decide the interior design of your home, even before you get it delivered, can be what many choosy people want. It's also a bungalow so as you get older and the joints start to wear out, rather than putting in an expensive stair lift, the toilets and bedrooms will never be too far out of reach. As the prices for a full home are in the tens of thousands, it's perhaps one of the most affordable options which won’t take a giant chunk out of your savings. On the inside, it's just like a regular home, with proper high-quality building standards adhered to giving the home a rock-steady feel.

Choosing a home that is affordable and still providing enough space to make life in retirement enjoyable, is often a decision so many people leave too late. Living in a big house where perhaps you raised children, can seem too large and hollow as you grow older. Suddenly these two options will start to look refreshing and cosy.

Small Changes For A Huge Financial Shift

When it becomes clear that you might need to try and get your finances in order, it can be hard to know where to begin. There is so much involved in the process that it can be challenging just working out the problems and their associated solutions. Fortunately, there is always something you can do, and at the end of the day the important thing is that you begin somewhere, wherever that might be. In this article, we are going to look at some of the small changes that can drastically add up to make a big difference to your finances. Many of these will be especially useful if you are struggling to come to terms with your financial situation, so let’s take a look.

Put Your Debts In Order

No matter how much debt you have, it helps hugely if you can find a way to put them in order of priority. This mens that you know which is the one that needs paying off first, which is second, and so on. If you get this right, you can then begin to pay off your debts much more quickly than if you don’t know whether you’re coming or going. To begin to prioritise your debts, you will first want to look for any that might be on the verge of causing a big problem in your daily life. If you have had bailiffs threatening to come round for a particular debt, then that is clearly the priority. Put those debts at the top of the list first.

But then what? Well, then you want to look at what debt is actually going to cost the most in the long term. This means sitting down and calculating the costs of the whole debt, including the interest, so that you can know exactly how much you will have to repay. This is often a scary moment, and it’s rarely a nice feeling to see your debts laid out like that, but it is also one of the most sensible things you can do in order to get a better understanding of the true extent of your debts. Once you have your debts in priority order like this, you can then begin to pay them off - and in a way which will be much more logical and will be a lot quicker than if you were just paying them all off basically at random.

This first change is small, but if you have any debt at all it is likely to be profound in what it can do for your financial situation. Of course, you might not have any debt at all, in which case this won't apply. Either way, once you have your debts cleared, or at least are beginning to, it is time to start thinking about saving a little money.

Change Your Savings Account

If you have had your savings account for longer than a year, you might be able to benefit from switching it over to another provider. Savings accounts generally have generous upfront interest rates, which often last for six months to a year, and after that will drop again. For something like a cash ISA, you can remove the money whenever you want - so you might as well make the most of hat and put it into a new savings account with the introductory interest rates. This is a change which s easy to do, and yet could make you hundreds in interest over the course of the year. Of course, it does depend on how much money you put into it - but it is still going to do something for you either way.

If you do decide to do this, you will want to make sure that you know exactly what savings account is currently going to be the best for you. You need to shop around, as this is not the kind of thing you can easily rush into. You might find it helpful to look online for advice on which savings accounts to use - there is a plethora of information out there, and much of it will be incredibly useful if you are keen on finding the best option. Get this right, and you might be much better off, so it is worth considering if you are in a rut and would like to make a big change in an easy way.

Ask For Help

There are many times in life when asking for help is clearly the best way to go, and yet many of us can find it extremely difficult to do. When it comes to finances, a lot of people struggle especially with asking for help, as it can be so embarrassing. However, we all need assistance from time to time, and appreciating that will help you to understand that there is no shame in asking for help. Of course, there are many different kinds of help that you might need for your money situation, and it’s good to know what they are so that you can understand what you actually need to ask for, and what you might be okay without.

One of the most common kinds of help in finance is when people need a little legal help understanding a difficult or dense situation. Money and the law are tied up together very intricately, and it can help to have a professional work it out with you. A number of pro law firms offer services in the financial area, and this can be especially useful if you are facing a difficulty, such as unpaid debts for example. This kind of help can often save your skin, so it’s worth remembering that it is there when you need it.

Besides legal help, you also have the help of friends and family. This is good to have, but it is also probably the most embarrassing situation for most people. If you are in need of actually having to borrow money, it can feel like a shame. But everyone is in this situation from time to time, and it’s worth remembering that if it happens to you too. It might just be that you need to borrow a small amount for a short period of time, which can be frustrating but is not the end of the world. Or, if things have really taken a downturn, perhaps you need to ask for quite a lot more. Either way, there should be no shame in it, and you should feel free to ask your friends and family for help - as long as you are fair about it, and pay back anything you might need to borrow.

Invest In Something

There is often this general idea that to invest successfully you need to have a lot of special knowledge or to have a certain amount of money to begin with. But if you have a basic understanding of how money works and you have a dollar to spare, you can start investing today. What’s more, it just might be one of the most sensible decisions you have ever made. Investing is a sure sign that you are starting to take money seriously, and it can be another one of those small changes which could make a big difference further down the line.

What you invest in is up to you, but if you only have a little money consider going for something relatively new. Investing in Bitcoin could be a good start, for example, or some simple binary options trading. Whatever it is, just make sure only to invest what you can afford to lose. Other than that, keep your fingers crossed - and who knows, you could be in luck.

Retirement Planning 101: Where Will You Live?

Speak to any financial expert about retirement, and they’ll pinpoint a few key things to consider. At the top of their list will be your real estate. Or, to be more specific, where are you going to live when you retire?

This is a question because your circumstances have dramatically changed, and this may affect where you choose to live for both personal and financial reasons. Here are some of the most popular/common ideas people have when they retire:

Downsizing

I think this is the most common route to go down when entering retirement. Downsizing involves selling your old family home and moving into a much smaller place. A smaller home means you should find it easier to maintain in your older years, and the bills could be cheaper too. Plus, you raise capital for your retirement by selling your original house and buying a cheaper one. This money can help you when you don’t have a job anymore. Some people will even downsize to an apartment instead of an actual home - the choice is yours. Along with this, there is the idea of downsizing by selling your home and moving in with one of your children. You could have a son or daughter that has extra space in their house and wants to take you in because you can help with the kids, etc. This benefits both of you as you get to downsize and keep all the money from the sale of your house, and your child gets a permanent babysitter!

Community Living

This is a very popular idea amongst retirees as it helps you in many ways. For one, you have this concept of selling your home to raise capital for your retirement. Then, you have the idea of living within a community of people similar to you. Normally, you find plenty of retirement communities in very nice and relaxing locations. Condos by the beach are popular, and there are also plenty of lake homes for sale out in the middle of nowhere for people wanting to break free from busy life. Living in a community environment means you don’t have to worry about being alone and you can make friends and interact with others. This is something that worries many people when they retire as they won’t have any work friends anymore.

Staying Put

Of course, you always have the option to stay put and not sell your home. There are plenty of retirees that choose to do this as they have the future in mind. They want their old family home to be passed down to their kids when they eventually pass away. Furthermore, if they can handle the bills and maintenance, there might not be a reason to sell it. This does depend on how well you’ve planned for your retirement and how much money you’ve got in your bank.

In summary; you can sell your home and downsize to something smaller, you can sell it and go into community living to start a new chapter in your life, or you can simply stay put. There may be other options out there too, but these are the most popular when planning where you’ll live after retiring.

How to Set Yourself up for Financial Independence

Leaving University and getting ready for a life of adult responsibilities is often one of the most disconcerting and stressful feelings that a young person can experience. Sure, you’ve got your qualification — but do you even know what you want to do? Or what if you’ve made a terrible mistake and should have loaded up a backpack and found your calling in some exotic land instead?

And what about paying the bills? What can you do to set yourself up for financial independence now that it’s all on you to make ends meet?

Well, here are a few tips that might help.

Get work as soon as you can and don’t be afraid to move on

At the start of your working life, one of the most important things to do is to get a job as quickly as possible and start building your CV. Ideally this job would be in your target field, but it’s not the end of the world if it isn’t.

Getting into a job as soon as possible will help you start acquiring and saving money immediately, and it will also help to remove your fears and misconceptions about the working world.

Once you’re positioned in a job role, don’t be afraid to begin looking immediately for better work and sending out applications. Even if you’re completely content with your current position, it can be worthwhile keeping an eye on what else is out there.

Start a side hustle

For every day-job, there’s a career dream, hobby, or passion which can be tapped into.

Setting up a side hustle is one of the best ways of not only keeping yourself entertained and creating a sense of empowerment in your working life, but also of making some supplementary income at the same time.

Examples of side hustles that you can explore could include things like affiliate marketing or freelance web design, or even just a blog or YouTube channel where you get to share your interests and insights with the world.

Of course, a more traditional startup company would tick the right boxes as well.

Invest in a budgeting system

Making money is only part of the equation — and it could be argued that it’s not even the major part of the equation. If you want to be financially independent, it’s essential that you get a handle on how money flows in and out of your life.

How do you budget your income? How do you plan your savings? How do you manage and track your repayments to loan companies like banking.loans?

There are many books out there on different budgeting systems, and many digital budgeting tools and services such as Mint.com and YNAB. Pick a system and get started using it.

Avoid impulse spending

“Impulse spending” refers to spending money on things that you don’t need, because you feel an emotional pull to do so.

Examples could be buying a flashy car to appear high-status, or getting the latest bit of gimmicky fitness equipment because it “looks cool”. Impulse spending is a major drain on many people’s finances. Try keep yourself free of this trap.

4 Questions You Need To Ask Yourself Before You Turn 60

For the first forty or so years of your life, you will no doubt come into contact with the term “retirement” a lot. However, for the most part, it will go in one ear and out of the other. It will affect you in the same way news of climate change will affect you - it enough to make you raise your eyebrows and start putting cardboard in the recycling bin, but it isn’t pressing enough to make you change your ways entirely.

Well, that fabled thing called retirement is now knocking and your door and so it is time accept the financial decisions you have made up to this point. We’re not saying you can’t change certain things and make a little bit more of a difference to your circumstance, of course you can. However, it is time to start planning your retirement lifestyle based on your current financial situation. It is time to face the music, not live on a hope and a prayer.

You see, most people retire in their sixties. You don’t have to, but most do. That is why we have pulled together a list of factors that you need to consider. So, without further ado, here are the things you need the financial considerations you need to make before you hit the big six-oh.

How Long Are You Going To Work For?

This is the single biggest decision you need to make for the simple fact choosing when to quit work is going to affect your financial security more than anything else. This is when you will wave goodbye to your income and start relying on your savings. Of course, it isn’t just when to quit that you need to consider. It is what sort of retirement lifestyle you are going to lead? How much more could you save if you stayed working until 70? The health benefits of staying connected to the people you work with. And will you quit totally, or will your retirement involve some work?

What Help Are You Going To Have?

This may seem like an odd question, but retirement is expensive and retirement can be, well, unsafe for a few reasons, not least of all your health. That is why you need to know what level of help there is going to be. According to CaregiverConnection.org, you need to consider hiring a financial power of attorney while you are still mentally sound, someone that can make the right financial decision should you become unable. You need to know what help you will have should you become unable to live independently and whether you will receive help from your children in some way or have to pay for care yourself. This part of the debate should also include seeking help from a financial planner, someone that can talk you through your current financial situation and how to make the most out of your finances in retirement. We called it help, but a lot of it could be labeled advice, which gives it the positive spin it deserves.

When Will You Take Social Security?

The importance of this benefit cannot be stressed enough. In fact, choosing when to take your Social Security benefits is only second to deciding on when to retire because it will have one of the biggest financial implications during your retirement. To stress how important this source of income is, for one in four recipients it is their only form of income after retirement. That is why it so important you squeeze the most you can out of it, which is why timing is so crucial as you will see from this article on schwab.com/resource-center. What we mean is, for every year you delay triggering this benefit after turning 62, your monthly income rises from 6% to 8%. Of course, you have to start collecting it when you turn 70, meaning you will get the best deal possible should you manage to hold on until then. This may not be possible or ideal, but it is worth knowing when it comes to making a decision. 

How Much Income Will You Be Guaranteed?

This is an immensely important question to ask yourself. If Social Security is your only source of income then the math won’t take long. However, if you have multiple sources of income then a) count yourself lucky and b) make sure you know exactly how much you will be receiving each month. The same goes for your spouse - the final sum should be your total household’s monthly income. To do this, register with the Social Security Administration so that you can be sure you know what you are getting, speak to the HR department at your current employment - as well as the HR department at any former employers - and ask for a statement relating to your pension benefits. Once you know what you are getting each month you will be able to make an informed decision on whether you want or need to work longer, what sort of lifestyle you could lead with what you have and whether or not you need to scale back.

Uh Oh, Watch Out For These Business Financial Woes

Are you worried about issues with money in your business? Perhaps you should be because there are various ways that you can experience difficulties with finances when running a company. That could involve dwindling profits, issues with legality and perhaps even theft. The good news is that all these troubles can be easily avoided if you make the right decisions early on. Let’s start by thinking about theft. 

Protecting Against Theft

There’s various ways to protect your business against theft and ensure that your finances stay healthy. One possibility might be to invest in high tech, state of the art security software. Don’t forget that most of what you do involving finances will be online these days and as such software is going to be more important than physical forms of security. You might think that if you’re running a small business a theft isn’t as likely, but that’s nonsense. Theft could still be a serious problem, and you will certainly need to have the right security in place on your systems before you even think about accepting sales and purchases.

The other way you can protect your business against theft is with insurance. There are special forms of insurance on the market right now for any issue with a company that was caused by a theft or a hack on your systems. You might think that the cost of insuring your company like this won’t be worth it in the short run but in the long run it will. If your business stays on the market for more than five years, we guarantee at some point you will deal with a theft or at least the threat of the hack. It’s best to be fully insured for this possibility.

Avoiding Legal Issues

You might stumble onto legal, financial issues in your business for a variety of reasons. Though arguably the most common and the one that catches everyone out is tax. Are you paying the right amount of tax on your business? Are you sure? If you’re not, you need to check this and do what you can to ensure that your tax payments are accurate. Your IRS weapon is going to be a financial tax attorney. They’ll help ensure that if you have underpaid on tax, you won’t be facing a massive penalty. They can also help ensure that it never happens again by getting your books in order. 

This isn’t the only way a financial advisor can help you. They might also be able to advise you on where to spend your money so that it isn’t wasted. By wasting your money in business, you will be putting your company in a difficult situation. Wastage leads to debt and debt can ultimately bring a business crashing down. 

Trouble With Clients

Of course, you can find that an issue with finance has been caused by your clients. In certain cases, clients may decide to pay the money they owe to you later rather than straight away. Usually, this occurs when businesses are providing a bulk order. Rather than pay straight away, the buyer waits until they sell the order on for a profit. Obviously, this can take months where the original company never sees a penny of profit. As such, it can put a business in an extremely difficult situation. The solution that you need to look into here is invoice factoring. With invoice factoring, you can make sure that invoices are sold off, and you get the money that you are owed straight away. You might be worried about this turning otherwise healthy business relationships sour. It’s a possibility, and that’s why you should also make sure you choose your clients and customers carefully. You need to make sure that you only deal with people who are known for paying the money they are owed quickly, without delay. 

If you are a B2B company, it’s worth looking at reviews online. Get a feel for the transactions that businesses have had with other people and make sure that you are aware of how reliable they have been in the past. Be advised that if clients or suppliers break contracts with you or fail to uphold them, you could lose thousands. Most SMEs will not be able to afford this type of loss. 

As you can see, there are a variety of financial issues that can impact your business. However, by taking the right steps, the negative ramifications of these type of issues can typically be avoided completely, allowing you to ensure that you do keep your company in a financially healthy position.

8 Out 10 New Businesses Fail, But Why?

If you aren’t aware, Forbes has a statistic which says that 80% of startups fail within the first year. For entrepreneurs, it’s a daunting task trying to be apart of the 20%. However, it isn’t an impossible target to hit as long as you know why new companies fail. Once you have the knowledge, it’s a lot easier to steer the organisation in a new direction. 

Below, then, are the main reasons eight out of ten startups fail and what you can do to be different. Good luck.

#1: No Love Or Passion

There is an attitude in the industry that is killing new businesses. It’s the need to make money at any available opportunity. As a result, entrepreneurs get into sectors in which they have zero knowledge. If they do get past the initial hurdle of a lack of info, there is the passion factor. A person who doesn’t love the work won’t put their heart and soul into keeping the firm alive. At some point, the fact that the money isn’t rolling through the door will cause them to quit. To avoid this, try and take an interest in the company. Whether it’s a genuine love or you learn to love it, there needs to be something which keeps the magic alive. 

#2: Underestimate The Budget

A friend who is a peer tells you the cost of starting a company. As soon as the figure leaves he/she’s lips, you think you can do it for less. There isn’t a businessman or woman alive who doesn’t believe that they can cut costs and stay in the black. So, when it comes to the budget, the coffers are dangerously low. Of course, in the end, a shortage of revenue is the ultimate nail in the coffin as new companies don’t turn a profit. At least, they don’t for the first six to twelve months. Always add an extra 10% on top of your budget to ensure hidden costs don’t cause a shock.

#3: They Aren’t Lawyer-Friendly

The firm doesn’t need an attorney, right? Let’s face it – you’re a small fish in a small pond. A legal team isn't necessary for because the chances of legal action are small, or so you think. In truth, a startup needs everything from a personal injury attorney to a business lawyer. For one thing, lawsuits come out of the blue and from every angle. Not only will the competition use them to bleed the firm dry, but employees will file too. Also, setting the business up wrong is a terrible way to start. If someone sues, you might be liable depending on the type of business. Lawyers cost money yet save a fortune in the long run.

#4: Mismanagement 

Sorry, but the boss is the person to blame in this circumstance. Owners think they know everything, but the opposite is true. The people who aren’t flexible and open to ideas are the ones who fail. From outsourcing to save money and increase standards to delegating power, a boss has to lead by example. Otherwise, the entire company will suffer. 

The above have one thing in common – you. Ultimately, the boss is the secret to success.

How To Keep Costs Down During Your Divorce

Divorce is an incredibly difficult experience that no one ever wants to go through. However, that doesn’t take away from the fact that 42% of all marriages end in divorce, which is almost half of them. With a one in two chance of your happily ever after ending all too soon, you need to be prepared for the worst. Divorces are messy, but more than that, they are expensive, and sometimes this is an expense that you simply can’t afford. If you are about to get divorced and need to save some cash, or just want some information to prepare you for the financial roller coaster should the worst ever happen, then follow the steps below.

Use Attorneys Wisely

An attorney, such as from Strickland, Agner & Associates, is almost always needed when you’re going through divorce proceedings. They are especially required if you and your spouse are divorcing on bad terms, have children together, or share a lot of marital assets. Attorneys can help you to get the settlement that you believe you deserve, but that settlement comes at a cost. It’s no secret that attorneys can get very expensive, so you’ll want to use yours wisely. Don’t pay for them to do simple tasks that you can do yourself, such as send out mail, or answer a question that you would easily be able to find on Google. Time is money, so don’t waste yours by using theirs.

Do-It-Yourself

If you and your spouse ended your marriage on good terms, then you may be able to work out all the finances without having to involve any attorneys. Look online or speak to someone at your local courthouse and see if they have papers that self-represented parties can fill out, and schedule your court your court appearance for once the legal paperwork is completed. All you need to do is sit down with your ex-partner and go through all of your finances and assets and agree on who gets what. You will also need to decide who your children and pets (if you happen to have any) are going to stay with and work out visiting days and times for the other parent.

Be Prepared To Negotiate

When emotions are running high, it may cause you to do or say things that you wouldn’t necessarily do or say in a more calm state. Saying that you’re “going to take [your partner] for everything [they’ve] got” is just one example. A judge is never going to give you “everything”, regardless of what your spouse has done, and this will just cause the court case to drag on, costing everyone time and money. Instead, you need to be prepared to negotiate. Think of the things that are really important to you, and say that if you can have that thing, then you’re fine with your partner having another thing that is important to them, but not so much to you. This will make court proceedings go much quicker.

Divorces are hard, stressful, and tiring, so I hope that this advice will help to save you some cash and make your life a little easier.

5 Secrets That Allow Insurance Companies To Keep Your Money

Don’t get us wrong, using insurance companies is crucial when it comes to managing your own financial risk. In fact, paying for a surprise disaster out of the funds in your own dwindling bank account. In that sense, insurance companies are worth it. But that is about as far as our love affair with insurance companies go because their main concern is business, not you; it is profit not your settlement package. What’s more, the tactics of keeping your money are about as sinister as they come as most insurance companies keep their ways of doing business in the dark. 

That’s right, there are secrets that no insurance company wants you to know about when it comes to your personal injury claim, and it is those secrets we are about to cast a light on so that you can get the settlement you deserve should you ever have to make a claim. 

From now on, make sure you get the money you deserve, not the leftovers from their profits. 

Secret #1: Insurance Adjusters Are Not On Your Side

This is one of those things that you need to understand from the get-go because the adjusters that you face off with are paid employees of the insurance company. What’s more, in the same way Liam Neeson’s character in Taken was a specialist in badassery, these adjusters are specialists in negotiation, and they are supported by experienced lawyers that know the law better than you know the alphabet. But here is the part where alarm bells need to start ringing because the most immediate role of the adjuster is to stop you hiring a personal injury lawyer or attorney so that you are more likely to settle faster and for the least amount of money possible. With this in mind, your best form of defence is to do exactly what they don’t want you to, and that is hiring a personal injury lawyer. 

Secret #2: Insurance Companies Are Scared Of Experienced Attorneys

Of course, they are. The more experienced, skilled and ruthless your attorney is the more money they are probably going to have to pay you for the simple fact they won’t be able to pull any amount of wool over your attorney’s eyes. This isn’t about making the insurance company shiver, though. This is about protecting yourself and your rights and coming out of this process with a settlement that is fair, which is exactly what an attorney will aim to achieve. Let’s say you were bitten by an illegal breed of dog or had an accident while working on a construction site; you probably have no idea how much your claim is worth, and that ignorance is what insurance companies prey on by offering you a lowball payout while telling you this is the best offer you’ll get. Hire an experienced attorney, however, and they will know of similar cases, how much those victims got in their settlement case and how much a jury of twelve people would be willing to agree on. Basically, an experienced attorney will know how much your case is worth, and they will help you get the compensation you deserve. 

Secret #3: The Recorded Statement

You know that employee of the insurance company we mentioned earlier, Ms Insurance Adjuster, well she is going to try and get a recorded statement from you that they will then use to reduce the value of your claim down the line. Please, for the love of whoever you believe in, don’t buy into this. Don’t give any recorded statements to any adjusters. Don’t buy into the soft dulcet tones of the adjuster when they phone you up and don’t indulge their request for you to guess about the facts relating to the accident you were involved in. Like we said, they are going to use this information against you in any way they can. It is their job. It is how they impress their bosses, acquire bonuses and get promotions. To them, it is just their business but, to you, this is your life, and that is a distinction you need to remember if you are going to stop them keeping the money you are entitled to. 

Secret #4: They Want You To Be Brave When You Visit The Doctor

They want you to be brave and you want to appear brave, which makes the moment you first visit a doctor a very tough one to get right. To put it to you bluntly, this is not the time for heroics, bravery or a show of strength. This is a time of honesty because you need to tell your doctor every detail you can. The headaches you are getting, the broken bones, the inability to sleep and your saw pinky finger. It doesn’t matter how little the things are that are bothering you, they are important to your case. They are going to legitimise your claims and prove you have been consistent with your statements. You will find most insurance companies will try and make it look like you are exaggerating your injuries - or making them up altogether - and that is where your doctor’s notes will support your argument. Validity is important. So, in the same way you should never make up an injury, you should never downplay one either. You never know what a small injury could turn into in the long run. It could become the most serious concern of all.

Secret #5: They Want To Rush You

The reason why insurance companies want to rush your settlement through is that it is in their favour. It is their favour for you to accept a settlement before you’ve hired an attorney. It is in the favour for you to agree to a settlement before you know the full extent of your injuries. The problem is, for most victims, time is against them. It could be the accident has stopped them from working, or they think they need to claim quickly due to the statute of limitations. However, rushing a settlement is always a bad idea. In fact, we recommend you wait until your medical treatment has been completed, or a doctor has a good understanding of the extent of your injuries. It is also worth noting that most states have a basic statute of limitations that last two years. In any case, the best thing you can do to protect yourself is to hire an experienced attorney.