Need To Free Up Some Cash? Try Reworking Your Insurance

Insurance is one of those unavoidable expenses that is quickly becoming part of your everyday life. However, if you find yourself regularly using a cash loan to cover your insurance payments, it could be time to reassess your options. Americans spend an estimated $1.1 trillion on insurance premiums every year, according to the Insurance Information Institute. Rather than throwing money away, here are a few ways to save on your insurance.

Ask For Discounts – You Could Be Surprised

There may be a number of insurance discounts you qualify for that you aren’t even aware of, according to Kiplinger.

Need To Free Up Some Cash? Try Reworking Your InsuranceFor example, if you are shopping around for new car insurance, you could qualify for savings if you have a short commute. In addition, carpooling or working in a certain industry can demonstrate your responsibility and yield even more discounts. Car insurance is legally required in almost every state, so you may as well save as much money as you can.

If you are shopping for home insurance, certain amenities could also offer savings. For example, if you have an alarm system or have taken certain precautions to make your home storm-proof, your monthly insurance bill could shrink significantly.

Insurance Policies You May Want To Avoid

There are a number of insurance policies out there, both big and small, that you could benefit from avoiding altogether.

Sparky’s Health Insurance

While pets are quickly becoming an intricate part of the American household, you may want to hold off on pet insurance, according to Kiplinger. For the most part, pets have much shorter lifespans than humans. Because of this, your pets’ premiums can quickly rise as they age. Instead, you may want to set the money you would spend on pet insurance aside for other expenses.

Extended Warranties For That Older Gadget

If you just have to get your hands on that gadget you have always wanted, you will probably have the option of buying an extended warranty. While this could be beneficial if a product is new to the market, if the item has been around for awhile, you may want to pass on insurance. If you are buying a high-end product, it should come with a warranty anyway.…

With Proper Planning, You Can Retire On Time

With Proper Planning, You Can Retire On TimeSaving for retirement can be tough, but if you take the proper measures, it’s an achievable goal. Once you retire, since you won’t have a job, you won’t be able to utilize a cash advance loan to cover short-term expenses, so it’s important to start saving.

On average, most Americans plan to retire between the ages of 62 and 70. However, according to a recent report from Wells Fargo, based on today’s economy, 12 percent of Americans say they won’t be able to retire until they are 80. In addition, a recent survey from SunAmerican Financial Group says the average American plans to retire at 69 years old – a five-year increase from a decade earlier.

When you consider how much money you need before you can safely retire, there are three major factors to consider:

• How successfully have you been saving?
• What kind of retirement lifestyle do you want?
• What would be your ideal age for retirement?

In order to make sure you meet your financial goals, the Department of Labor has some advice on a few ways you can save for retirement. Since the average American spends 20 years in retirement, it’s important to save carefully.

Never Stop Saving

If you have already been good about putting money away for retirement, don’t stop now. Unexpected life events, such as health issues, can lead to an early retirement, so keep on saving. Remember, the sooner you start saving, the more time your money will have to grow.

Know How Much You Will Need

To maintain the same living standard you have now, financial experts say you will most likely need to spend 70 percent of your pre-retirement income every year. For those in a lower income bracket, this share is closer to 90 percent. One of the best ways to get the ball rolling on your retirement savings is to use retirement plans, and also consider the impact of Social Security.

When planning for your retirement, timing is everything. You’re never too young to start saving, and the golden years of retirement can sneak up on you, so you should get started soon.…

Looking For A Job In A Competitive Market? Preparation Is Key

If you have a job that has left you using a payday loan advance to cover your monthly expenses, it could be time for a career change. However, the unemployment rate unexpectedly ticked higher in May, meaning it is not easy to find a new position. This is why it’s important to prepare for your job search to give yourself an edge over the competition.

According to a recent report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job growth slowed in May to create just 69,000 positions. This is a significant decline from the previous month when the economy added 115,000 jobs. As a result, the unemployment rate edged higher to 8.2 percent. However, one expert says this trend was not totally unexpected.

Rift In Age And Gender

There were notable difference in the unemployment rates based on age and gender. The agency indicated that last month, the unemployment rate for male adults was 7.8 percent. In contrast, female adults had an unemployment rate of 7.4 percent. Meanwhile, young adults had the hardest time finding work. Teens had a jobless rate of 24.6 percent.

This increase in unemployment has made the job market a much more competitive place. When seeking employment, one of the most important parts of the process is the job interview. If you’re lucky enough to sit down with an employer, there are a few things you should do to prepare, according to U.S. News and World Report.

Do Your Homework

Before you show up to a job interview, make sure you research the company. If you can, do some homework on the person you will be interviewing with.

The internet is a great tool to accomplish both of these tasks. Visit a potential employer’s website and read the “about us” section. Once you sit down with an interviewer, knowing all of the talking points about the company will make you stand out from the rest of the pack.

Additionally, if you already have the name of your interviewer, look them up on websites, such as LinkedIn. While this won’t give you every detail about them, it can help to ease any nervous feelings you might have.

Memorize The Job Description

Chances are the description of the job you’re interviewing for will be posted online. It’s important to memorize as many of these details as possible. If you can recite keywords and relate them to past employment experiences, you can gain a competitive edge.

Prepare Questions

If you ask an employer questions during an interview, you will appear more interested in the position. However, rather than improvising, you should come prepared with a list of inquiries. Even if you know the answers already, you want to appear engaged and eager to learn more about the organization.

Stay Positive

Acting negative during a job interview is a major red flag for an employer. If you are unhappy with your current job, don’t let it show. Complaining about your current salary, boss and coworkers can be off-putting and may hurt your chances of landing the position.

Additionally, if salary is your main concern, make sure not to bring up compensation too early in the interview process. Instead, convey your interest in the job itself, rather than the perks and frills. This will make you seem like a team player, and an interviewer will be much more impressed with your character.…

It’s the ultimate financial dilemma that millions of Americans live with on a daily basis

Too much money going out and not enough cash flow coming in. Wages tend to feel like they’re always trying to play catch-up with the cost of living. According to Reuters, the median American income is $26,364, or about $1,014 per month. When you factor in the costs of living associated with utilities, rent, food and insurance, these wages can still leave a lot of expenses left to be covered. In fact, a CareerBuilder poll reveals that 61 percent of Americans struggle living paycheck to paycheck. This need forces many to turn to family, friends and payday loan options to cover the difference.

Fortunately, every household can reduce the amount of money borrowed in these tough situations. And it all starts with an audit of your kitchen’s refrigerator.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Americans waste an estimated $500 to $2,000 per year on food they don’t eat. You wouldn’t toss a wad of cash into the trash bin, so why do it with the food you pay for? The problem is, it’s not food we choose to throw out, but food we have to toss—the moldy, smelly, squishy, spoiled variety.

By rethinking the way you store your groceries, your food can last longer. The extra cash that would be spent to compensate for spoiled food can start to cover other expenses, or even contribute to savings.
Veggie Tales

According to CleanMetrics Corporation, approximately 41 percent of the foods we waste are produce items. Unfortunately, our healthy fruits and veggies tend to have the shortest shelf life. You can maximize their freshness with a few key organization tips:

Beware of the ethylene. These gases—which lurk in apples, bananas, tomatoes, pears, grapes and avocadoes—can ripen other produce at a faster rate or change their taste altogether. So if you want to keep your carrots from turning bitter or your lettuce from browning, store them in separate crispers or away from the counter space of ethylene producing foods.
Know the climate of your crisper. A higher humidity crisper with less air flow with keep your greens lively while citrus and other thinner-skinned produce items need lower humidity (more air flow) to thrive.
Only wash produce before you use it. Any lingering dampness on your fruits or vegetables can cause mold to sprout up quicker.

The Deal with Dairy

Dairy and eggs can be finicky food groups in the expiration department; smell and taste tests are often the decisive factor. But before you subject your nose or mouth to any questionable samples, here’s how you can stretch them farther.

Dairy and eggs love temperature consistency. If you avoid putting them on door shelves and put them on upper fridge shelves instead, they’ll benefit from the most even temperatures. Your fridge should be between 34 and 40 degrees to avoid spoilage. Eggs under these circumstances can last nearly a month.
The freezer can be your friend. While it won’t work for all dairy products, freezing can prolong the life of many dairy favorites. According to the agriculture department at North Dakota State, salted, pasteurized butter can last up to a year in the freezer. Milk and cottage cheese can last a month while hard cheeses can go for up to six months.

The Meaty Matter

The most expensive items on your grocery bill—meat, poultry and fish can be hard to pass up, especially if you see them at discount prices in bulk. According to the Consumer Price Index, the rate of meat price increases is only outdone by oil.

However, meat can often spoil as quickly as produce. To get the most out of your meat:

Store on the bottom shelf of the fridge. This will prevent any juices from leaking onto the foods you don’t cook. Beef, poultry and fish will last up to two days; pork can be good up to four.
First in, first out. To ensure that you don’t waste any meat you buy, be sure meat is the first thing you put in the fridge from your grocery store trip and the first thing you use for your meals to maintain freshness.
Consider the freezer too. Unopened fish and poultry will last up to six months, ground beef and roasts, four months; bacon or ham, up to one month.

Less Cash, More Food

Proper food storage won’t necessarily solve all of your money woes, but the right practices can work in your budget’s favor. Savings that start in the kitchen can pay off for your bank account.

When you picture an extra $2,000 a year to your name, these dollar stretching habits can minimize the impact of loan repayment. You may not have to borrow as much as you would have if you didn’t have the extra savings. A smaller payday loan amount means smaller finance charges on every dollar.…