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Whole Life Insurance vs. Term Life Insurance

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Determining whether to purchase a life insurance policy can be complicated, and the issue becomes even more confusing as you consider personal factors (such as family make-up and budget) and the different types of life insurance (whole life and term life.) As you assess your needs, you may wonder whether you need the coverage, which type is best for your situation, and how much insurance to get. Before starting, it’s important to understand the differences between and the pros and cons of both whole and term life insurance.

Whole Life Insurance

A whole life insurance policy provides protection for the rest of your life, as long as you’re still paying the premiums. If the policy is still effective when you die, your beneficiaries will receive a sum. This type of insurance is often chosen as an investment of the cash value. These plans usually consist of a death benefit, premium, cash value, and dividends. Most people consider buying whole life insurance when they want to provide money for funeral expenses, leave an inheritance, or save their family from estate taxes.

The Pros

  •          Coverage lasts until the age of 100 instead of 80 which is when term insurance expires.
  •          Your heirs won’t have to pay estate taxes or will have a reduced amount of taxes.
  •          Your loved ones can receive a tax-free payout at your death.
  •          As long as you pay premiums, their amount is fixed, and the death benefit is guaranteed.
  •          The policies build cash value and may be counted as an investment after other options have been maxed out.

The Cons

  •          The primary purpose of whole life insurance is not as an investment, so your returns are sure to be conservative.
  •          This type of life insurance tends to be most expensive.
  •          You may end up paying for coverage you never really need.
  •          The money in your policy doesn’t really belong to you; if you borrow from the policy, the withdrawal is treated like any other loan.

Term Life Insurance

The purpose of term life insurance is to give your family or beneficiaries a temporary financial resource if you pass away. This type of coverage offers a death benefit but doesn’t carry any cash value. The policies usually span a set amount of time, such as three or thirty years. The premium is affected by the age and health of the policyholder.

The Pros

  •          Term life insurance is very affordable, sometimes no more than a dollar or two a day.
  •          The coverage is easy to understand and rarely include an exam plan.
  •          This type of insurance can be converted to a whole life or universal life plan.
  •          Many add-ons are available for customized plans.

The Cons

  •          These Columbus life insurance policies will expire when their terms are up. The annual renewable term is much more expensive, and the cost continues to increase at that point.
  •          There’s no savings or investment option with this type of policy.

How to Choose

The best way to determine which type of Columbus life insurance is best for you and your loved ones is to talk over the options with an agent. Some customers begin with coverage they can afford and adapt their policies to meet changing needs. Which type of insurance coverage sounds best for your situation?

How to Finance a Car without the Stress and Expense

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Car-buying can be an intimidating endeavour for anyone, much less someone who has never dealt with financing. With the never-ending tales of being ripped off, or worse yet, being sold a lemon, no wonder consumers fear shopping for a car in a market where we can be sold on anything. From unscrupulous lenders who trick consumers into dubious financing contracts to lenders who charge excessively high interest rates, vehicle buyers have a lot to be concerned about.

However, shopping for a car does not have to include the stress and expense characterised by these purchases. In fact, by going into financing informed with the information needed to secure an appropriate loan you remove many of the hassles associated with car shopping. In addition, by having the requisite information handy, you can secure a loan that will land you a steal.

Keep reading to learn how you can alleviate the stress and expense of car-buying to make your next vehicle purchase as straightforward as possible.

Financing

Before shopping, peruse the various financing options available. Today, you can finance a car through a credit union, a bank or any financing company. However, by shopping around, you guarantee that you will secure the best possible rate. While traditional methods of financing are great, also check out alternative financing options. You can finance a car from Latitude Finance and be given rates that are just as competitive as conventional financing companies. By going into a financing office having already exhausted all avenues of financing, you can rest assured that you are securing the best loan for your budget.

Pre-Approval

Consider getting pre-approved for a loan before actually shopping for a car. This benefits you in a couple of ways. The first benefit of getting pre-approved for a loan is that you know exactly how much you have to spend, which is great in terms of limiting your choices. This also cuts down on the amount of time you would spend shopping for a car.

The second reason getting pre-approved is great is because it streamlines the car-buying process in that you have already applied for the loan and they have given you an amount you can reasonably spend. This translates into getting you out of the dealership a lot sooner than with other financing methods. For the most part, the pre-approval alleviates many of the stresses associated with car-buying.

Down Payment

In the distant past, before modern technology made financing so accessible to consumers, a phenomenon called the down payment made car-buying a less stressful task. Today, many zero down loans have made it affordable to purchase a vehicle. However, there is something to be said about having money set aside for a down payment.

A down payment can alleviate the stress of securing financing for a couple of reasons. For one, it allows you more purchasing power as it relates to the various types of vehicles you can purchase. Then, it also gives you some leverage as it relates to your overall interest rate and monthly payment. A down payment can drastically reduce the amount you pay to the financing company every month.

Budget  

Go into the car-shopping experience with a budget. Your budget sets the ceiling for how much you can actually afford on a monthly basis. Additionally, this budget will limit the vehicles you can actually afford to purchase, which saves you time in the long run. Things to consider when making a budget include monthly payment, insurance, maintenance and fuel costs. By going to the dealership with a budget, you alleviate the stress of knowing what you can actually afford.

Shop Without Fear And Intimidation

The biggest hurdle to stress-free car-buying is related to the financing and expense of purchasing a new vehicle. However, by taking a multi-pronged approach to this experience, even shopping for a car can be enjoyable as opposed to stressful, and worse yet, expensive. For the most part, a little preparation before shopping will alleviate any stress, and you can actually be enthused by your new purchase.

Learn From The Expert: Last Minute Tips On How To Cut Your Tax Bill

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Even though the deadline for filing 2017 self assessment returns online is long past (31 January 2018), it is never too late to get information that can help for subsequent ones. Of course, if you missed the deadline, you may have to pay a penalty, unless you have a really good excuse, such as a long stay in the hospital (with hospital records to back it up), but for subsequent tax filings, the following minute tips from personal finance experts will help you cut your tax bills in the future.

Cut your tax bill when you donate to charity –

If you are an additional or higher rate tax payer, you can legally cut down your tax bills by being charitable. You are essentially killing two birds with one stone. Donating for a good cause and slashing your tax bills. When you add up your charitable donations on your tax returns, you can claim tax relief. Mathematically, you can save 25p on every £1 charity donation. Not only can you earn tax relief from major charities, you can also lower your tax bills by sponsoring minor events like scouts or brownies at your children’s school. All in all, you get to save by giving.

ISAs –

If you are a basic taxpayer, you can earn as much as £1,000 interest on your personal savings without paying one penny in tax. The same thing applies to higher rate tax payers, you can earn up to £500 in interest without paying tax. However, you may need to check the tax certificate for your bank account. The same thing applies to investments. You are entitled to £5,000 a year in tax free dividends if you own any investments outside your pension or personal savings account, although this figure will reduce to £2,000 from April 2018. You can actually save up to £20,000 every year with an ISA without having to pay capital gains tax or income tax.

Better mortgage alternative –

The new property and mortgage rules that will take full effect within a few years will see landlords progressively lose valuable tax relief on their buy to let properties mortgage costs. Before the introduction of this new rule, landlords only have to declare rental income after they have paid mortgages, and this system help cut tax bills by thousands of pounds. But, since April 2017, the method of declaring rental income has changed; meaning a lot of landlord will be expecting significant increase in their tax bills. However, because mortgage rates have dropped in recent years, landlords may be able to make savings by exploring other mortgage opportunities. Additionally, landlords can talk to tax experts to ensure they are claiming all they can against their rental income.

Self employed allowable expenses –

If you are self employed, you can slash your tax bills by taking note of what is called allowable expenses. For every £1 you spend on ‘expenses incurred exclusively in the performance of your business’ you can get 20p back in your wallet. For example, if you work from home and have to travel to London for a business meeting, you can claim travel costs which can cover food and drinks. Unfortunately, the taxman will not appreciate 5 star restaurants in your fillings, but the odd meals and drinks can add up. The secret is to keep track of all these seemingly insignificant expenses. One way to do this is by ensuring you get a receipt every time you carry out these little trips.

Advice From Brennan & Clark Collection Agency – How to Avoid Falling Behind On Your Debt Repayments

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Debt is a affliction which many people are suffering under the weight of, not everyone of course, but there are many who are finding it difficult. Well managed debt is absolutely fine and will not cause any issues to you at all, poorly managed debt is a large problem however that affects many aspects of the life of those in financial difficulty. The key to staying on top of your debts, is to stay on top of your repayments, and we spoke to the Brennan & Clark collection agency, to give you some pointers on how to ensure that you are on top of your debt repayments.  

Review and Negotiate

The first step is to look at all of you debts, and the repayment amounts, and then cross reference that with your salary and the bills which you will have to pay each month. When reviewing your debts, you should also pay particular attention to the date on which the payment is required. After reviewing your repayment details, you can then speak with your creditors, to tweak the agreement somewhat. For example make sure that the date of repayment, is shortly after the date that you receive your wages, making the payments easier to make. If you have found that with all of you bills and repayments, you don’t have enough money to survive each month, speak with your creditors and try to make an agreement to pay less over a longer period of time.  

Prioritise

Debt repayments are something that you can’t forget about, or put off for another month, they are vital payments that must be made monthly. And so when you receive your salary, you ought to consider repayments in the same way that you would think about paying rent, or your gas bill. Make sure that you understand the importance of these repayments, and that you give them high priority to avoid falling behind.

Communicate

It is vital that any changes in your personal circumstances is known about by your creditors. It is up to you to notify your creditors of a change in salary, sudden unemployment, unexpected medical bills or any other situation which impacts your ability to repay your debts. Once you notify the creditors, in most cases you will find them more than happy to make alterations to your agreement with them, in order to keep your repayment plan up to date. The key is not to hide, but to notify your creditors of the changes.  

No More Borrowing

One thing which you must ensure that you avoid, is borrowing more money. Whilst in the short term, loaning money to cover your repayments and give you some cash on the hip may seem like a good idea, in the long run this will only compound your debt issues, and ensure that your repayments are made far more difficult in the future.

Top 4 Personal Finance Tips

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Ensuring that your household finances run smoothly isn’t always easy, but utilising a few simple tips can help make everything run like clockwork.

Keeping expenditure lower than your income is the key to success, although even this most simple statement can be difficult to put into practice in the real world.

Read on for our top four personal finance tips to help you keep your finances on track.

Only spend what you can afford

Many people live beyond their means and end up in debt, so start by creating a budget of your income and expenditure to identify if you can cut any costs.

Look for savings on utility bills, examine household shopping expenditure and if your money stretches to online entertainment always make sure you take advantage offers like Mohegan Sun Casino bonuses for the chance to boost your bottom line.

Avoid using credit wherever possible. Taking out a mortgage is usually unavoidable, but incurring any other type of debt is rarely advisable.

Try and buy items up front – if you can’t afford to do so, question whether you really need to make that purchase.

Automate your finances

Setting up an automated system for paying your bills and saving for emergencies will ease the ongoing worry of managing your finances.

Link all your various accounts together and establish automatic payment methods as close as possible to payday for your priority expenditure.

Respected financial expert Ramit Sethi advises breaking down your personal finances to cover four key areas – 60% fixed costs, 25% guilt-free spending, 10% towards investments and 5% for savings.

Automating your finances based on these guidelines saves time and is easy to implement via online banking and money management applications.

Find a secondary source of income

Your full-time job provides the core of your annual income, but make sure you try to increase it where you can.

Take advantage of bonus schemes and overtime, but don’t miss out on opportunities away from work either.

Look for additional freelance assignments, build a property portfolio or create an online shop to boost your income and give your household finances some breathing space.

Save for your retirement

Starting paying into a pension as soon as you can, as the benefit from the reinvestment of your contributions will be far greater.

Someone starting a pension in their 20s will need to put aside far less of their salary than people who leave it until later in their working life.

Joining a workplace pension scheme is extremely advisable, with your pension fund boosted by payments from both your employer and the government.

Budget-Friendly Floors

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Home renovations don’t come cheap, but there are ways and methods that you can cut the costs. When it comes to flooring you may feel that there’s no way of escaping expenses, but that’s where you’re wrong! There are cheaper alternatives out there, and just because they’re cheaper in value it doesn’t mean that they’re lacking in any sort of quality. Here’s our favourite budget-friendly floors.

Engineered Wood

We know that solid wood floors are beautiful, but they’re also pretty pricey too! Never fear, their cheaper alternative is just as stunning but it comes in at a much lower price. Allow us to introduce you to engineered wood flooring, the faux wood of the flooring world. This type of floor is often confused with laminate, but it is very different. Mainly because engineered wood is actually a type of hardwood flooring, just it’s not made fully out of real wood. It is in fact composed of multiple layers of man-made ply and other materials, these are then bonded together and topped with a hardwood lamella (layer of solid wood).

Despite being incredibly similar to solid wood flooring, it is in fact more durable in the sense that it can withstand higher levels of moisture, as well as more fluctuating temperatures. For this reason, engineered wood can be comfortably installed in places like the kitchen, although it is not recommended to install it in bathroom/wet room areas.

Installation of engineered wood floor is also said to be easier than that of its solid counterpart, and there are actually several ways of doing it. The most popular methods tend to be nailing, gluing or installing it as a floating floor. One of the key things to remember with wood flooring is that it must be acclimatised to the room that it is being installed in, this can be for anything between 3 to 5 days.

Laminate

Laminate flooring has been popular in homes across the world for many years, and it’s no surprise to see why. The great thing about laminate is that it is able to imitate pretty much any surface, so while it may give the appearance of a real wood floor, the cost is much cheaper. Once upon a time laminate floors were seen as being quite flimsy, but modern era laminate offers a much higher quality for a reasonable price. These days there are many designs and colour options available that laminate is seen as a perfect opportunity for interior lovers everywhere!

Not only is laminate a budget-friendly choice, it’s also incredibly durable and when looked after properly it can have a lifespan of unto 20 years. Not bad for a cheap floor! It’s also really versatile and can be placed in pretty much any room of the house. Aside of this, it’s also really easy to install and can be done by even the most amateur of DIY fans!

Vinyl

Over the years vinyl has been known as the ‘go-to’ cheaper option when it comes to flooring, it’s also held a pretty bad reputation for looking cheap too. But those days are done, vinyl has seen a revamp in the last ten years and it is now a popular choice for many homes.

Due to the way that vinyl is manufactured, it either comes in sheet or tile form, this makes it easy to install and cut to the shape of your room to avoid any wasted material – and money! It doesn’t require much skill, or many tools, to install so this can also help cut the costs too. Not only is vinyl one of the cheapest options, it also has an impressive lifespan of 15-20 years, not too shabby for a ‘cheap’ floor eh? So if you’re interested in this option it will help save you money in the long run. 

So there you have it, a few of our favourite budget-friendly floors for you to consider!

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