* Multiple Quotes

Get multiple quotes – use the internet and call a few brokers. It’s easy to gather some good comparison quotes.

Remember to get different types of quotes e.g one from a direct-sell insurance company; another from an offline broker who keeps a database of quotes; and a couple from the internet.

Cheapest might not mean best. Will they pay out if you make a claim ? How financially secure ? How reputable ? Check around with family and friends, and look for online reviews.

* Different type of car

Insurance costs vary depending on car type. Obviously, that $100k sports model costs more to insure than your average runabout. If you’re planning to buy a new car, check insurance costs before you buy. I once set my heart on a beautiful, high performance, highly tuned Pontiac.

Luckily I checked the auto insurance before I bought it, because I couldn’t get insurance. Every broker, every insurance company flat turned me down because I lived in a high car-crime area. So I had to forget the car of my dreams until I moved up-town.

* Age and Value of Car

Maybe you’re buying a used car ? Maybe your car saw better days a few years ago, and now values much lower ? So why pay for high-priced auto insurance ? In particular, do you still need fully comprehensive coverage ?

A good rule of thumb multiplies insurance premium by 10, and compares that figure with your car value. So if you’re quoted $1000 premium and your car is worth less than $10,000 you may want to think if comprehensive represents good value. If you drop collision and/or comprehensive coverage, you should get big savings.

* Higher deductibles (excess charges)

Most auto insurance companies use deductibles to keep policy cost down. Deductibles, or excess charges, show what you pay before your auto insurance policy kicks in. Try requesting quotes with different levels of deductibles, and see how your quotes vary.

Most internet quote forms contain a box where you can specify preferred level of deductibles. Ask your broker his recommended level. For example, going from $250 to $500 deductible can slash your insurance costs by 20% or more. Go to $1000 and you save a lot of money. But you must pay the deductible if you need to make a claim !

* Multiple Insurances

I guess this might come under the ‘Get Multiple Quotes’ heading, but it’s still worth mentioning separately. You usually get an insurance break if you buy multiple policies with the same insurer.

This might mean multiple vehicles, or homeowner and auto insurance. Either way it’s worth asking about multi-policy discounts.

* Low Mileage

More and more people work at home. No more commuting. Fewer business trips. Low mileage on your car. Maybe you do travel to work, but car pool ?

Either way, look for low mileage discounts.

* Good Driving Record

A good driving record always reduces your auto insurance costs. Keep a clean drivers license. Don’t speed, don’t drive dangerously, and you’ll save money (apart from other benefits !)

* Bonus Tip

Okay, I said ’7 Ways…’, but here’s some extra tips. Fit anti-theft devices to your car. Go on an advanced driver training course. Use daytime running lights. If you’re a college student away from home, consider adding to parents policy.

Those symbols, when combined and attributed to your brand, are then known as your brands identity.

Branding is reflected in everything you do or say as an artist or musician.
The pictures you take, Your autograph signatures, your name, logo, interviews, cover art and anything audible or visual should all be taken into consideration when developing your brand identity.

If your music brand is still young (under five years), be careful of everything you do or say in public.

Remember the Dixie Chicks? The Dixie Chicks were on top of the world until the day Dixie Chicks lead singer Natalie Mains made disparaging remarks about George W. Bush while overseas. With those remarks about George W. Bush, the Dixie Chicks branded themselves as “unpatriotic”. Hundreds of radio stations immediately yanked the Dixie Chicks music off the air. Be warned, watch what you do or say very carefully.

Back in the day, artists had publicists who would coach them as to what to say or do. Of course this often made the artist’s feel like puppets, but this practice usually kept the artists brand integrity intact. If you are a artist or musician be calculated about every thing you say or do. If someone hits you with a question you don’t want to answer, say something like “no comment” or “I’m all about music right now”.

Another thing to consider is your target market.

Find no more than two markets or genre’s to market to. I’ve worked with aspiring artist who say “I can sing all kinds of music”. Being a versatile singer or performer is a great thing, but not when building your brand identity. The majority of humans need to be able to categorize things in their minds in order to find a spot for them in our minds. Picture the human brain as a fleshy computer. It has many folders with many  files. If your target can’t file your product into one or two categories (genres) instantly, you will be deleted.

It’s best to pick one or two genres -max, to market to. E.g. jazz and blues, hip hop and r&b, folk and country etc.

Build your own brand Identity – don’t let the public do it for you.
Recently, Arctic Monkeys sold over 300,000 using only the internet to market their music. Arctic Monkeys came out of nowhere with their CD “Whatever They Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not”. Arctic Monkeys got lots of free press but not the kind they would have liked. News articles and radio features about Arctic Monkeys all said the same thing -”we don’t know who they are or what they stand for”. Well that’s no way to build a brand.

With all of the free press Arctic Monkeys have received you’d expect them to be on every American teens lip’s. Not so. Most American Teens don’t even know Arctic Monkeys exist. Arctic Monkeys allowed the press limited access to their brand and the press did what they do best when the details are missing – they fill in the blanks with speculation.

If you are a young brand don’t let this happen to you. Tell the public what to think and say about you through press releases and brand building activities.

Let your brand account grow before you take deposits out of it.

Investors of the two-legged kind, whether they’re looking at a penny stock or a blue chip behemoth, tend to take a myriad of details into consideration before investing. And so they should.

But a recent study suggests that investors of every stripe take mental short-cuts when it comes to investing…at a time when they should be more rational.

Wall Street gurus and penny stock investors alike it seems, are more likely to purchase newly offered stocks that have an easily pronounceable name, say a pair of Princeton University researchers.

Adam Atler and Danny Oppenheimer found that a stock’s performance immediately after an initial public offering (IPO) appears to be linked to how easily investors (penny stock or otherwise) can pronounce its name and stock ticker symbol.

Danny Oppenheimer, commented, “These findings contribute to the notion that psychology has a great deal to contribute to economic theory.”

The two said the effect also extends to ticker symbols. For example, all things being equal, a stock with the symbol BAL should outgain a stock with the symbol BDL in the first days after an IPO.

“We looked at intervals of a day, a week, six months and a year after IPO,” Atler said. “The effect was strongest shortly after IPO. For example, if you started with $1,000 and invested it in companies with the 10 most fluent names, you would earn $333 more than you would have had you invested in the 10 with the least fluent.”

Oppenheimer acknowledged that their findings do not tell the whole story about the post-IPO success of a stock, not are they good indicators of long-run performance of a penny stock.

“You shouldn’t make changes to your stock portfolio based on our findings. The primary contribution of this paper is to add a piece to the jigsaw of understanding how the markets operate,” said Oppenheimer.

So, what does this mean for the green and seasoned penny stock investor? It means you should still take an exhaustive look at any company you’re interested in. It also means that, in the early stages at least, it doesn’t hurt to find a company with a catchy name and ticker symbol to boot.

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These tips will help you how to manage your Car Insurance budget within limits.

Making Comparisons: The costs of at least three to six insurance companies will give you a fair idea of the costs involved with different policies. Seek the advise of colleagues, friends, relatives. Besides from costs involved, the track record of the companies matter a lot.

The standing, strength and financial position of the company need to be looked into. Request for higher deductibles – It’s the amount one pays prior to making any claim for the accident. The complete coverage and collision is sold along with the deductibles. The more the deductibles the less the premium rate. By increasing the deductible say from $300 to $600 will invariable reduce the cost to 20 to 35 percent.

Old Cars – Drop Collision and Comprehensive Coverage – It is better to drop the collision and comprehensive coverage if the car is worth less than 10 times your premium in the current market. One way to reduce the cost is buying the auto coverage from the existing insurance and insurance coverage from existing carrier.

No to Double Health Coverage – Avoid health coverage with auto policy provided you have enough health insurance. This is one way of reducing costs.

A Good Credit Card Record – This has multiple benefits – helps to file claims if the credit score is less. A good credit score will also help in settling the accident with the help of the company.

Low Profile Car Discount – Fancy and trendy cars with high maintenance costs higher rate and attract thieves as well. A low budget, low profile car will help a lot with insurer discounts to boost.

Mileage Counts – More discounts can be obtained by driving less than the national average mileage recorded per year.

Avoid double health coverage- If you think that you have enough health insurance, and then avoid health coverage with your auto policy. This will help you to reduce the cost.

Maintain a good credit record- Insurers are using the credit history while determining the price of insurance. Statistically, the lower your credit score, the more you are likely to file claims. A person with a good credit score is more likely to settle the accident without the support of the company. Try to maintain a good credit record.

Discounts with low profile car- Cars that are expensive to repair or attractive to thieves will have a higher rate. Consider buying a low profile or average car as it your insurer might come up with discounts for such a car.

Low Mileage Pays – Obtain some discount on premiums by driving less than the national average mileage recorded per year.

All about Group Discount – It’s all about a group taking insurance plan collectively. Be it an employer, business group or associations. Check for such plans.

Safety Discount – Discounts are also offered if the car is fitted with safety items like air bag, automatic seat belts, anti lock brakes. So make safety pay for you.

But, despite the greater accessibility of low cost life policies, the cost of life insurance premiums does vary. Here is a review of the major factors that influence the cost of life insurance policies: -

Low Insurance Age – The age at which a life insurance policy is taken out has a significant impact upon the low cost of the life insurance premiums paid. The younger you are when you start a life insurance policy then the better chance you have of obtaining a life insurance policy at low cost. This is because at a younger age you are viewed as being at a low risk of passing away than someone 30 or 40 years your senior. Life insurance premiums will therefore be at a low cost for young people, but not so low cost for older people.

Health – Life insurance companies will award low cost life insurance to people who have low health risks. To qualify for life insurance at low cost on health grounds you will need a low level of hereditary disease running in your family. If you suffer from a life threatening disease, such as cancer or heart disease, your life insurance cost will not be so low. Also, if asthma, high blood pressure or cholesterol problems exist then a low cost insurance policy could cost that little bit more.

Lifestyle – A low cost life policy is available to those with a low stress / low danger lifestyle. If you drink excessively or you are a smoker or practice extreme or dangerous sports / activities then a life insurance policy that is low cost could be out of your reach.

Insurer Cost – Finally, no matter what type of life insurance cover you have, be sure to check the cost of other life insurance policies regularly. The life insurance market is always changing, so you just might find a better low cost provider of low cost life insurance the next time you search the life insurance market for low cost insurance policies.

Usually, group life insurance is a packaged benefit option that gives employees complete coverage. Usually at what time a person works at a company that offers group life insurance, after a cycle of employment has occurred the employer may offer group life insurance to the worker. Some of the plans offered may be group life, yet it depends on the policy offered as to what the benefits will cover.

Group life often includes a master contract. Employees usually take hold of a certificate if the employer offers group life insurance. This is what the employee will show as proof of coverage. This certificate however is not the actual policy, rather proof that you have coverage. Like other types of insurance plans however, the certificate holder will give you the option to choose a beneficiary.

This recipient or beneficiary is the receiver that handles the certificate in the event you pass on.

Some other plans include term life insurance. Term life is more common than the group plans. Group term usually given annually, i.e. the plan is renewed yearly. This plan often entails that the employer pays the majority or all of the fees. Most times this insurance plan is equally factored into one x or two x the yearly salaries.

You have coverage with this plan unless the employee is terminated from the job, or decides to stop working at the company. If the term ends, you lose coverage also.

Some of the policies allow you to choose options. That is you can convert your insurance after quitting a company into a single policy. This means you take over fees, such as premiums. The problem with converting these plans is that you will pay a much steeper fee on premiums than you would if you took out-group life insurance.

If you start work at a company make sure that you understand the group life and life insurance offered to you. The 401K plans is typically offered at many companies. You must agree to allow the employer to deduct a small amount from your weekly paycheck to pay for your coverage. Most times, it is worth the cost.

Over the past few years the online life insurance market has become very buoyant. Most major life insurance companies are now represented online, and they have been joined by smaller life insurance companies as well as life companies who operate exclusively online. As the Internet is akin to a level playing field, small life insurance companies now have just as much chance of selling a life policy online as do larger insurance companies. This has created some intense competition between insurance companies for online customers, many life companies providing discounts and incentives to attract life customers to their policies. Consequently, you can now pick up online life insurance for as little as £5 per month.

Online life insurance…choices…choices!

The great thing about shopping online for your life insurance is that everything is at your fingertips. You can receive quotes online and make your life insurance application online, as well as review the different types of policies available and even read the policy’s terms & conditions online.

The first choice you will have to make when looking for life insurance online is what type of life insurance to buy. There are two basic types of life insurance available – term life insurance and reducing or mortgage life insurance.

Term life insurance pays out a lump sum on the death of the policyholder. It is a long-term life insurance product that can last up to 50 years, although it does not normally extend further than the policyholder’s 91st birthday. Mortgage life insurance is a shorter-term life insurance product that mirrors the life of the policyholder’s mortgage. It is designed to pay off the outstanding mortgage debt should death occur before the mortgage is paid off.

In terms of payout, the lump sum received on a mortgage life insurance policy reduces to zero in line with the outstanding mortgage balance. So, should the policyholder die when there is only £1000 remaining on the mortgage then the life insurance policy will pay out only £1000. Payout terms on a term life insurance policy are somewhat different, the lump sum being the same at the end of the policy as at the start of the policy, that is assuming the level of coverage required remains the same.

Both of these life insurance polices are of course available offline. However, phoning around different insurance companies to find the best quote is a time consuming job. You also don’t have the advantage of reviewing the ins and outs of the insurance policy beforehand as you do online.

Best places to look for online life insurance

The best places to look for online life insurance is in fact not on the web sites of the insurance companies themselves. Instead, it is best to look at specialist life insurance information sites and portals where you’ll find a collection of life insurance companies all in one place. You’ll even be able to receive the same discounts as you would by going direct to the web sites of each individual insurance company, leaving you quids in and with more time on your hands to enjoy life.

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If they believe that the applicant will live long and will therefore make a substantial number of insurance premium payments during his/her life, then life insurance companies see the applicant as low risk to their business. However, if life insurance companies believe that an applicant could die soon, and therefore make relatively few insurance premium payments while they are alive, that candidate will be seen as a higher risk by the insurance companies.

How life insurance premiums are calculated

When calculating life insurance premiums two factors are considered by life insurance companies. The first factor involves an evaluation of the general likelihood of death occurring at a particular age, and involves the scaling of applicants against normal life expectancy. This sets the ‘average’ risk level that different age ranges attract; needless to say that the closer you are to your average life expectancy then the higher the risk level that you’ll be measured against.

The second factor is based on whether the applicant is above or below their average risk level for their age. Someone who has an unhealthy lifestyle, suffers from pre-existing health conditions and is in a stressful job is likely to be classified as ‘above average’. On the flip side, someone who goes to the gym regularly, does not smoke and eats a balanced diet is likely to be seen as ‘below average’. Naturally, those who are below average risk will see keener insurance premiums on their life insurance policy for their age than people who are classified as ‘above average’.

Cheaper life insurance?

While there is often little we can do about pre-existing health conditions, there are ways in which to tip the scales in our favour of cheaper life insurance. This we can do by altering our lifestyle and striking a better work-life balance in a stress-free environment. Changing lifestyle habits though can be more effective for some than it can for others.

For instance, a person in their 20s living out an unhealthy existence is likely to be seen as less of an insurance threat for their age to life companies than someone in their 50s with the same unhealthy lifestyle. This is because the body of a 20-year-old will respond more efficiently to improvements in lifestyle than will the body of a 50-year-old. In essence therefore, there are different degrees of being above average and below average, making the calculation of life insurance premiums for each individual definitely a job for the experts at the life companies!

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One type of life insurance policy is called “Whole Life Insurance”, this type of life insurance is effective provided you continue to make the monthly payments upon the premium. This is a very popular type of life insurance because it allows you to build a cash value on the policy and is on a basis that is tax-deferred. The way this works is that a portion of the premium you are paying is put into an account of savings that the policy invests into. All interest that is earned upon the policy is put into the savings and helps to build the cash value. Once the cash value reaches a higher level, you could be required to pay the premium after age or you could be allowed to borrow against that cash value.

Another attractive benefit of having a whole life insurance policy is that your premium will always remain the same. At no time will the amount change at all, therefore as long as you continue to pay the premium each month, you will remain at the same amount for the entire time. If you choose to take a loan out on the cash value you have earned, the only difference you will have to pay is paying back that loan. One downside to this policy is the fact that you will have no control whatsoever over how the company chooses to invest the dollars you pay on your premium.

Another type of life insurance is the term life insurance policy. This policy is selected for a specified amount of time. If you should happen to pass away during the term of this specified time, then your family would then receive payment in the form of a lump sum as the contract specifies. Typically, the premiums upon this type of policy is far cheaper than other types and it does not allow you to build any type of cash value. With this type of life insurance, your premium can change or increase on a yearly basis and it generally does increase each year. It is the more expensive type of insurance that is available however it will provided your family with complete protection in the event of your death.

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An important concept in this regard is insurable interest. You must have what is known as an insurable interest in the life of the person you are insuring. Believe it or not there was a practice in the nineteenth century whereby people would take out speculative insurance policies on the life of another.

For example, if I knew you were going on a dangerous voyage, I might take out a life insurance policy on you in the hope that you wouldn’t make it and I would get a big payout. These days you cannot insure anybody’s life. You must show that you have an interest in that person being alive. You are presumed always to have an interest in the life of your spouse and guardians, if you are a minor, but all other relationships will have to prove the insurable interest. If employers have a very highly valued employee, or sports teams have a star player, or a famous actor contracts to make a film, their employers will be able to insure their lives.

Most life insurance policies will have a suicide clause stating that if the insured commits suicide, usually within a period of two years, the policy will not pay out. There is also a contest period. This will also be approximately two years and if the insured dies within this period, the insurance company has greater rights to investigate the death before deciding whether or not to pay out.

The value of the insurance policy will be subject to the principle of insurable interest also. For example, if your spouse provides you with $10,000 per year in support, you probably will not be able to take a $50 million insurance policy on their life. The premium will be calculated based on the amount to be paid out and the assessed risk of the insured’s death.

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