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Posted
Jul 14 2009, 05:53 AM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Jim Wang at partner blog Bargaineering.
I had the great pleasure of going to traffic court recently. Yay!
I was there to contest a ticket for making an improper left turn through a red light. The ticket was for $90 and I'm unsure how many points it would've been, but an improper turn costs one point and failure to stop at a red is two points. Do I get both, or just the worse of the two? I wasn't sure, but I knew points usually mean my insurance would go up and I wanted to avoid that at all costs.
Note: Everything contained in this article is based on my experience in a Maryland courtroom and with Maryland procedures, specifically Howard County District Court. The process and rules may be different in your jurisdiction.
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Posted
Feb 25 2009, 12:05 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Like many people, we made a conscious decision last year to drive less as a way to save on gas. Through trip consolidation and more use of our feet, we drove only 5,237 miles.
So, we wondered, why do we still pay so much for car insurance? Sure, companies give discounts for lower mileage, but isn't there a better deal?
There is, in some states. Two companies offer pay-as-you-drive auto insurance, says Bankrate, and others are getting ready to roll out similar plans. Some drivers who enroll could see their insurance rates cut in half.
Before you rush to the phone to call your agent, there are some issues to consider, according to the excellent Bankrate story:
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Posted
Jan 27 2009, 06:05 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from partner blog Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.
A few years ago, I was driving from one office building to another when a Dodge Durango ran a red light and totaled my car. I was fine, as the Durango hit me at a 45-degree angle, but my car was not.
The passenger door was dented, the front quarter-panel was crushed, the frame was bent, and the wheel was crooked on the axle. If that wasn't enough, both airbags deployed. My Acura Integra was kaput.
I was fortunate in that accident because I wasn't at fault, the other driver was calm, a witness stopped, and the police handled the situation expeditiously. The end result was that I got a check and needed a new car, but the process was as quick as could be expected.
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Posted
Dec 23 2008, 05:54 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from partner blog Blueprint for Financial Prosperity. One of the main reasons I bought a home was because I was tired of moving. I hated packing up my things, renting a truck, moving my things, then unpacking my things. It felt like such wasted effort. However, in my numerous moves, I did establish a great way to come up with a total cost-of-housing metric that helped me compare various housing options. When I first started comparing apartments, I got the basics right. I compared the total rent, I accounted for utilities, and I accounted for any insurance I would need to buy. I failed to recognize commute time and cost, though, which played a significant factor in my first apartment (25 miles one way). That's just one of the considerations I missed. There are several more.
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Posted
Dec 03 2008, 06:45 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Filed under: banking, The Dough Roller, mortgage rates, credit rating, credit cards, credit reports, credit card rates, credit score, bad credit, car insurance, insurance rates, homeowners insurance
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from partner blog The Dough Roller. We all know just how important our credit score is when we apply for a loan. High credit scores get approved, while low scores do not, subject to other factors, of course. But your credit score and credit history affect a lot more than whether you get approved for a loan. Here are seven unexpected ways your credit score and credit history can affect your finances.
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Posted
Nov 11 2008, 02:13 PM
by
Karen Datko
Filed under: insurance, Consumer Affairs, home insurance, auto insurance, car insurance, insurance companies, insurance rates, homeowners insurance, life insurance, insurance claims, save money
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Mark Huffman at partner blog ConsumerAffairs.com.
When it comes to selecting the right insurance policy, consumers need as much clear, concise information as possible. A study released by the Consumer Federation of America suggests they aren't getting it from their states.
The study also found that state insurance department Web sites in six states were "excellent," while those in 18 states were deemed to be "inadequate."
CFA is sending the report to all state insurance departments with a personal letter urging the states whose Web sites are not yet excellent to make improvements.
"At a time when consumers are under increasing financial pressure, state insurance departments can do their part by making available current information about the rates, solvency, and complaints of individual insurers as well as tips for consumers to use to secure fairer and faster claims settlements," said J. Robert Hunter, CFA's director of insurance and a former Texas insurance commissioner. "And it's essential that insurance departments widely publicize the availability of their Web sites and related information."
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Posted
Oct 21 2008, 04:35 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from partner blog Blueprint for Financial Prosperity. When I first started driving, I was amazed at how much car insurance costs. I, like many other newly minted drivers, was put on my parents' car insurance policy -- which I'm sure made my parents nervous -- and didn't really feel the full brunt of new-driver rates. However, when I left the nest and had to insure myself, I started hoping that 25 would come sooner because everyone said car insurance rates drop significantly after you turn 25. (I spent all my under-21 years waiting to be 21, then my under-25 years waiting to be 25. Now I'm waiting for retirement. The waiting never ends.) I've had the opportunity to test the rates-drop-at-25 myth and other car insurance myths, and here's what I've found:
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Posted
Sep 16 2008, 03:09 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Car crashes are the No. 1 killer of U.S. teenagers. So why shouldn't we talk about raising the legal driving age? "BeThisWay" at Are You Going To Be This Way The Rest Of The Time I Know You? tackled the question head-on in a post called "Captain Obvious reports: 16-year-olds maybe shouldn't be licensed." Her conclusion may surprise you.
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Posted
Sep 16 2008, 04:20 AM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from partner blog Blueprint for Financial Prosperity. We've made it through four of the seven deadly sins of personal finance and touched on many good topics so far. The first few were easy -- have an emergency fund, don't raid your retirement, budget and plan and project for the future. We're starting to get into the hazier areas of personal finance, where the answers aren't quite so clear-cut and where much of it depends on you and your specific situation. That brings us to today's deadly sin -- being improperly insured.
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Posted
Sep 15 2008, 11:32 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
David at MoneyNing asked his reader this question: "Would you do something immoral to increase your wealth if you won't get caught?" (It boosts our faith in humanity that in a poll at his site, a healthy 67% chose "No!") But how often do people cross a line? Case in point: "Miss Thrifty" wasn't injured in a four-car pileup that dinged her fabulous Thriftymobile. (She wasn't at fault.) But everyone she knew, including her mother, told her to file a whiplash claim. "Everyone does it," they said.
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