Students typically have little extra money to spend, but unfortunately have to pay top dollar for car insurance, with drivers under age 25 paying the highest car insurance rates of anyone. So where can you get cheap car insurance for students?
Shop Around
Insurance rates can vary widely from company to company, so you need to comparison shop to make sure you're getting the cheapest car insurance you can.
The best place to comparison shop for car insurance is on an insurance comparison website. On such a website, you complete a form with information about your vehicles, personal information, coverage limits, and deductibles. Then you'll receive fast quotes from multiple A-rated insurance companies and you can choose the cheapest quote from the best company.
On the best comparison websites, you can also talk with insurance professionals through an online chat service or toll-free telephone service and get all your insurance questions answered (see link below).
Plan to Save
To keep your car insurance as cheap as possible, follow these tips:
* Keep your grades up so you can qualify for a good student discount.
* Enroll in a driver’s education or defensive driving class.
* Drive carefully and safely so you can qualify for a good driver discount after three years with no tickets or accidents.
* Keep your credit rating in good shape. If you have poor credit, your insurance costs may be higher.
* Before you buy a car, check into the cost to insure it. Your premium will be affected by the car’s sticker price, potential repair costs, overall safety record, safety features, and the likelihood of theft.
* Set your comprehensive and collision deductibles as high as you can afford. If your car is more than five years old, consider dropping comprehensive and collision coverage altogether.
* Ask your insurance company if there are any additional discounts you might qualify for so you can get the cheapest car insurance possible.
Visit http://www.LowerRateQuotes.com or click on the following link to get cheap car insurance quotes for students from top-rated companies and see how much you can save. You can also get more insurance tips there.
The authors, Brian Stevens and Stacey Schifferdecker, have spent 30 years in the insurance and finance industries, and have written a number of articles on cheap car insurance for students.
Maryland Homeowners Insurance - How to Get the Best Rate
Maryland Homeowners Insurance - How to Get the Best Rate
Buying homeowners insurance in Maryland can be expensive ... unless you know what to do and where to go to get discount rates. Here are four tips that will help you save big bucks on your homeowners insurance.
Maryland Homeowners Insurance
Homeowners insurance is a necessity if you want to insure that your house and your belongings are safe from fire, theft, vandalism, and weather damage. Homeowners insurance not only protects your home and your personal property, it also protects you from lawsuits when people hurt themselves in your home.
Money-Saving Tips
1. Insure your home, not your land. When you buy a home your mortgage company probably based your homeowners insurance on the appraised value of your home. Appraisals include the value of your land, which you don't need to insure.
To get the amount of homeowners insurance you need, ask a local builder how much it would cost to rebuild it and use that figure.
2. Get the highest deductible you can afford. For instance, raising your deductible from $250 to $1,000 will save you up to 25% on your annual premium. Raising your deductible also prevents you from filing excessive claims which can cause your insurance company to cancel your policy.
3. Combine you home and auto insurance. Purchasing your home and your auto insurance with the same company can save you as much as 15% on your yearly premium.
4. Install Safety and Security Features. Installing fire alarms, burglar alarms, sprinkler systems, dead bolts, window locks, and fire extinguishers not only gives you a big discount on your insurance, it also gives you peace of mind.
The Biggest Money Saver
Homeowners insurance can vary by $1,000 or more from one insurance company to the next, so the best way to save the most amount of money on your insurance is to compare rates from different companies.
The simplest way to do that is to go to an insurance comparison website where you can get rate quotes from a number of insurance companies. A few of these sites even offer an online chat feature and a toll-free telephone service where you can get advice from an insurance expert. (See links below.)
Visit http://www.LowerRateQuotes.com/homeowners-insurance.html or click on the following link to get Maryland homeowners insurance quotes from top insurance companies and see how much you can save. You can get more insurance tips in their Articles section.
The author, Brian Stevens, is a former insurance agent and financial consultant who has written a number of articles on Maryland homeowners insurance.
4 Things the Best Balance Transfer Credit Cards Have in Common
Anyone who has ever dealt with balance transfer credit cards knows that some of them tend to outshine the others. In fact, the difference between one balance transfer credit card and another can be like the difference between night and day.
So how do you determine which balance transfer credit cards are the good ones and which aren't? By looking for these four telltale signs.
1. A Low Interest Rate
Almost all balance transfer credit cards have a low interest rate when you sign up for the card, but the best balance transfer credit cards have interest rates that stay low.
Oftentimes consumers jump at the chance to transfer their credit card balances to a card with a impressively-low interest rate, not realizing that the rate jumps up after six months or so. If you do this, once the introductory period ends, you may be in worse shape than you were before.
If you have a $3,000 balance on your credit card and you're paying 16.99 percent, it can be tempting to search for balance transfer credit cards with a 0-percent introductory rate. But ask yourself -- what is the interest rate going to be when that 0-percent period is over? If it's higher than 16.99 percent, do you really want to transfer your balance to that card?
Instead of worrying about a low-interest introductory period, look for balance transfer credit cards that offer a low interest rate for the long term.
2. Whatever Happened to Grace?
Do you remember the good old days? Back when a 30-day grace period was the norm? Those days are long gone. Nowadays you're lucky if you get a 20-day grace period and some credit cards aren't offering grace periods at all.
Interest isn't the only thing you should concern yourself with when looking at balance transfer credit cards. Make sure that the credit card you apply for has a grace period of no less than 20 days.
3. They Want You To Pay What?
With balance transfer credit cards competing so hard for business, you'd think they'd be willing to bend over backwards to get your account. Not so...
Surprisingly enough, many balance transfer credit cards charge a balance transfer fee to transfer your debt. Usually the fee is calculated as a percentage of the balance being transfered and, depending on how high your balance is, that fee can amount to quite the pretty penny.
Do yourself a favor -- only apply for balance transfer credit cards that don't charge a balance transfer fee. Regardless of what the other credit card companies want you to think, they ARE out there.
4. The Importance of Online Access
Most credit card companies offer online account access nowadays, but the scope of that online access and what is required to get it often differs. Some balance transfer credit cards make you pay for online account access and others charge you a fee to make payments online.
Before applying for balance transfer credit cards, make sure that the cards you are interested in offer free online account access and don't make you pay for the privilege of online payments.
With credit card debt becoming the norm and so many companies offering balance transfer solutions, it's important that you find the credit card that fits you perfectly. Don't settle for just any old balance transfer card. Pay close attention to the above four tips to find the best balance transfer credit cards on the market.
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For more tips on getting the best balance transfer credit cards, saving money and avoiding getting taken, check out CreditCardTipsEtc.com, a website that specializes in providing credit card tips, advice and resources.
