• Why you should have life insurance

    Life insurance can fulfill a broad array of requirements, such as covering up the finite years of your mortgage or meeting the expenses of your children and spouse who require financial aid when you are gone.

    Approximately 63 percent of Americans regard life insurance as an absolute necessity, while 30 percent think that they aren’t adequately covered. Unfortunately, 43 percent of Americans have no life insurance coverage at all, according to recent statistics.

    Here’s a guide that will evaluate your situation, helping you determine whether you need life insurance. We’ve also explained which type would suit you best.

    Breadwinner Of The Family: In this case, you definitely should invest in life insurance. It offers people like you the benefit of income replacement. This will enable your family to continue paying for daily expenses. The term life insurance is the best way to cover your working years.

    Non-Working Parents: If you do not have any monthly income but execute daily chores, life insurance will cover the expenses for the services which you provide for free. This may include child care, cooking, performing household tasks, running errands and so on. You can choose term insurance cover for covering the years till your kids become self-reliant.

    Divorced Or Separated Parent: Investing in life insurance can offer support on payments made by the divorced parent. The term life insurance can provide coverage for the years of support payments.

    Parent Of A Child With Special Needs: Life insurance can give you the assurance that your child won’t face financial trouble when you aren’t around anymore. In this case, permanent life insurance can offer the payout regardless of when you die.

    A Homeowner With The Burden Of Mortgage: By investing in life insurance, you ensure that your mortgage is paid off. This will prevent your family from having to move after your death. You can buy term life insurance, keeping in mind the remaining years of mortgage payments.

    Individual With Cosigned Debt: If you are paying for a student loan or a credit card, life insurance would also cover for your debt. Here as well, the term life insurance can be chosen to end with your debt.

    People With A High Net Worth: You will need life insurance to providing funds to your heirs for paying inheritance and estate taxes. Opt for permanent life insurance if you have concerns regarding property revenues.

    Business Owner: Life insurance can also pay for your business debt upon your death. It may also fund a buy-sell agreement so that a business partner can buy your shares. You can choose any of the options on the basis of your unique situation.

    This guide, and a clear idea of your financial condition, will help you select the best option when it comes to life insurance.

  • Retirement calculator: Your planning assistant

    Retirement planning is about setting aside enough money for retirement and is the preparation that must be done well in advance so that you will be organized for the life after your work career ends, not just in monetary terms but in all aspects of life. The non-financial facets include lifestyle choices, how to spend time in retirement, where to live, etc.

    What is a retirement calculator?
    With instability in the market, the plans that you would have prepared using unconventional methods, becomes immaterial. A retirement calculator is one such tool that helps to do the planning in a better way and calculates the retirement revenue that will be needed post retirement.

    Unpredictable future
    Retirement calculators make assumptions about the estimated growth level and anticipated price increases during the time of forecast.

    Why the calculator?
    It is important to consider the retirement calculator as it helps to estimate your primary and optional expenditures during your retirement, to figure out at what age you can give up work, to create a personal income for your needed expenses, to improve your lifestyle and to maximize yield, and minimize risk.

    Types of calculators
    There are four types of calculators that will help you in planning your retirement considering future financial circumstances. These calculators aid in determining how much revenue will be needed to retire, how to save for retirement, how much to pull out after retirement, and how long your money will last.

    What else?
    Retirement calculators elucidate how a combination of possessions like stocks, bonds, cash or inflation indexed bond, or income options like investment portfolio, immediate life annuity, or variable annuity with or without guaranteed income, would have coped under historical market circumstances, given your specified fiscal goals and cash flow. It does not provide a calculation of your ability to meet your goals; it helps you run different scenarios and see the different outcomes. It should not be used as the primary basis for any investment or tax-planning decisions as results will vary in the future.

    One should remember that retirement calculators are made accessible to you as self-help tools for your self-governing use and are not projected to offer you investment advice. Now that you know the benefits of a retirement calculator, waste no time! Use the retirement calculator to see where you stand today and what you must do next!

  • The top performing stocks and sectors worth investing

    Investing in the stock market can be rewarding and can be a quite a gamble at the same time, provided you have done your research. There are a number of things you should take into account before outing up that investment.

    Investing in stock is not just the only option for you, it’s one of the options amongst many other ways to consolidate your funds. You might get easily influenced by people who have been investing, to dump a significant portion of your hard-earned money into stocks. But you will have to take into account the return on your investment before you decide to dump everything in a market which can be very uncertain at times. It is advisable to branch out and spread your investments over a number of sectors instead of putting all your eggs in one basket.

    The risk factor is prominent in the stock market, this also depends on whether the investment is short term or long term. Short term investment is risky because it is not easy to make a profit in a couple of days or for that matter, just in a day. There are people who invest on a daily basis and cash out at the end of the day before the market closely to make a quick profit. But this requires a substantial investment on the investors part and is not advisable for people who are just starting out in the market.

    Brokerage and broker, two terms at which everyone cringes. Nobody wants to shell out a couple of bucks here and there just so that they can invest in the market. Before trading accounts could be opened online, the only way to invest in the stock market was through a broker who would charge a commission. But nowadays it is very easy to find and open online trading accounts, with your banks and thus eliminates the need for a middleman, not completely but quite extensively.

    As earlier mentioned earlier, it is not advisable to out all your money into the best stocks of a single corporation, rather find a way to diversify your investments and figuring out multiple avenues. The best stock to buy in today’s market is generally from the information technology, infrastructure, big data management, artificial intelligence and more.

    Before investing, consult with people who have invested previously and figure out the important knowhows of the best stock to buy or invest in, basing on current market trends.

    The top five stock to buy recently include, Las Vegas sands, Whole foods market, NovoCure, Cummins and General Motors amongst many other popular performers in the market.

  • An overview on retirement plans and annuities

    Retirement plans are mainly classified into two types on the basis of benefit calculation namely:

    • Defined benefit plans This is a pension plan where a final amount is calculated based on a formula that involves the service of a person with an employer and paid to all retirees from a dedicated trust fund.
    • Defined contribution plans An individual holds a separate account to which an amount is contributed periodically by the account holder which is then used to make purchases in the markets.

    The amount contributed and the performance of the investments in the market determines an individual’s benefits. Individual Retirement Account (IRA), 401(k), profit sharing plans are the some of the most common plans in recent years.

    What is an annuity?
    An annuity is defined contribution plan where a set amount is paid by an individual to a financial company, who guarantees benefits for lifetime. Annuity amount is invested in various markets and works more like an insurance policy with payout frequency ranging from monthly, annual or one-time lump sum payment.

    Types of Annuities

    • Immediate payment annuity: A lump sum amount paid by the consumer starts to give the benefits almost immediately on a set period of payment. Payouts can be monthly, quarterly etc. as desired by the consumer and payouts depend on the market performance.
      Advantage: If no other sources of income is available post retirement and one needs immediate financial support, then this can be a good option as the payouts start immediately.
      Disadvantage: The payout rates depends on the market and this may lead to a highly instable income.
    • Fixed income annuity: The rate is fixed on the amount paid for an initially agreed period. Although the rates fluctuate based on the market performance, it will never go below the initial set rate during the lifetime.
      Advantage: As a minimum rate is pre-set, there will be a guaranteed amount of benefit even if the market drops below which makes it a relatively safer option to invest.
      Disadvantage: The payouts are not immediate and may range from one year to ten years.
    • Variable annuities: This works similar to a mutual fund and the amount is spread over multiple investment accounts, that are completely dependent on the market and involves higher risk if the company does not perform well.
      Advantage: Offers high returns as the investment is spread over different accounts
      Disadvantage: Does not provide an assured benefit and involves high risk of losing the investment.
    • Equity indexed annuity: This combines the features of fixed and variable annuities wherein a minimum rate is fixed, and the earnings above this is allowed to be invested, which may yield higher benefit if the market is good.
      Advantage: Assures a definite payout with the set frequency and earns more than fixed plan if the market performs well.
      Disadvantage: The consumer will earn only the minimum amount agreed upon if the market underperforms and loses the amount earned above the set rate.
  • Things you can’t miss about retirement calculators

    Getting the right retirement calculator will help solve many future issues related to income and planning. There are a number of things such as health care, house, day-to-day living, which requires substantial amount of money to sustain one’s living during the old age. If you have calculated your retirement income well, then you are sure to get many things in place and enjoy a fulfilled retirement life. This is the reason why retirement calculators are so important. Apart from knowing the importance of these retirement calculators, it is equally vital to find the best retirement calculators. With a number of options both online and off-line, it is always best to compare various choices and pick the best retirement calculator that suits your retirement needs.

    Different criteria for choosing a retirement calculator
    Price of the calculator should not be that big a problem as there are many online calculators that are available for free. If you already know of a platform for calculating the retirement income, then you should decide on how much time do you want to invest in getting the results.
    If you’re looking to get simple answer such as whether you’re on right track or not, then you should opt for low fidelity retirement calculators. These will provide you quick answers.

    In case you have specific situations to focus on, then it is necessary to filter the results in order to get more accurate results. The medium fidelity calculators will help you analyze and get results for how the blend of your assets and future financial events will have an influence on your wealth. Apart from the low fidelity and medium fidelity calculators there is high fidelity calculator that helps in fine tuning a retirement withdrawal strategy. If you want to structure a series of future events and compare other alternates, then a high-fidelity calculator can be the perfect pick.

    Problem with traditional retirement calculators
    One of the main problems with traditional retirement calculator is they do not frequently provide you with an apt picture or future estimation of your post-tax retirement income. Paying the post-retirement tax depend on a number of factors, which are not taken care by most of the retirement calculators.
    It is observed that a retirement calculator is a good option to foresee the retirement income. But it is also true that a financial advisor can help you more with a detailed and informed retirement income analysis. The financial analyst can offer you various options and a broader perspective than a retirement calculator, which is a good option for getting quick answers to your retirement income.

  • Popular online international payment service gateways

    Online international payment gateways have paved the way for both exporters and importers alike to build business across the continents in the global market that is a gold mine over the past decade as global trade has been the major contributor for worldwide economic growth. While international payment methods had been time consuming factors due to the amount of time taken to complete overseas transactions, technological advancement has not only made payments easier and feasible but also instant. Without getting full payments, the shipment or delivery of services would affect all parties involved in the transaction.
    However, to ease such issue and to build a factor of trust between these organizations for future businesses, all forms of finance agencies have worked up simple online payment service solutions that could keep the businesses running internationally without any glitches.

    The two most common forms of online international payment transactions are:

    Credit/virtual credit/ debit cards
    Online purchases or payments can be done instantaneously using credit cards/ debits cards that have international usage authorization. Just by entering in the card details, a purchaser can complete the payment transaction instantly, and the seller can have the respective amount credited to their bank accounts to process the purchaser’s order. In order to make the transactions secure, the credit card issuing banks have fraud protection to protect their customers’ account information.
    Two other alternatives to credit cards are the virtual credit cards and debit cards. The virtual credit card are available for people who own a credit card already, and using the special number provided, the individual can make the payments in the same way as a credit card but without exposing the purchaser’s bank details/ account information. This mode of payment would only be feasible for small business, online market trading, online shopping portals, etc, and not for making large purchases as these cards have a set transaction limit for international payments.

    Peer-to-peer payments (P2P)
    This payment mode is another user friendly gateway that aids in online international payments for all types of businesses and purchasers. The purchaser can just sign up for this form of payment by opening an account with P2P providers using their name and bank account details. In order to do a transfer, the individual can sign in using their details and provide details as required about the end-receiver, and then transfer the required amount instantly. Once the transaction is done, the end-receiver can log into their P2P account and transfer the received money into their bank account. One of the most common and internationally connected P2P service provider is PayPal.

  • 4 popular brokerage firms to open your first brokerage account with

    Managing one’s finance is a tricky thing, and one needs to be quite cautious while buying and selling stocks. If you haven’t opened an online brokerage account with a trusted firm, the chances are high that you are risking all your savings. To prevent such catastrophic events from taking place, it is advisable to open an online brokerage account with a trusted firm. Before you decide to open an online brokerage account, there are certain factors like the authenticity of the brokerage firm, the type of account you wish to open, the incentives and costs, and the services offered by these brokerage firms are what one needs to consider before they open an online brokerage account.

    If you wish to avoid these hassles and open an online brokerage account without apprehension, here’s a list of some reliable online brokerage firms where you can open an account.

    • TD Ameritrade– One needs to open an online brokerage account with firms that they can trust, and which can properly guide them through the complicated process of understanding how stocks work. Also, when a novice enters this realm, he needs the right guidance about investing and selling shares. TD Ameritrade has been rated one of the best brokerage firms since it has an amazing customer service, educational material, and you can even meet an advisor at their local branches.
    • Charles Schwab- Charles Schwab is one of those brokerage firms which are quite conducive to the needs of a new investor. When you open an online brokerage account at Charles Schwab, you are entitled to quite a few benefits that come along with. Since it is one of the reputable firms that is known to guide their members in making the right investment choices, people seem to benefit from joining this brokerage firm.
    • Ally Invest- When you open an online brokerage account with this brokerage firm, you wouldn’t have to pay the minimum which almost every other brokerage firm charges. If you wish to open an IRA account, Ally Invest is the best available option for this. Also, unlike other firms that fine you when your account remains inactive, Ally Invest doesn’t charge its customers any kind of inactivity fees.
    • Merrill Edge– Merrill Edge is one of those brokerage firms that are quite customer-friendly. In case the novices have queries, or they aren’t sure about which shares to invest in, they can always seek advice from the customer service representatives. Also, when you open an online brokerage account with Merrill Edge, you won’t have to pay any minimum charges.

    In case you are wondering which firm should you open your online brokerage account with, these are some options worth considering.

  • All you need to know about personal loans

    The options for personal loans are aplenty, especially if you have a good credit score. Most people use personal loans to bridge financial shortfalls. Many also avail personal loans to payback credit card debts which usually carries a higher interest.

    The clear benefits of personal loans is, it does not require you to provide a collateral and the interest rates are competitive. At the same time, caution needs to be practiced when choosing the loan suitable to you; as being an unsecured loan, it’s more risky for the lender and thus you might not get the best rate. Depending on how good your credit score is, options are aplenty for lenders offering personal loans.

    While looking to narrow down a personal loan, look for the institution that offers competitive interest rates, wide availability of its network and transparency of process. The downsides to be aware are the high threshold you’ll have to meet to qualify (if your credit score is not great), providing a stable and sufficient income, solid savings history.

    The reasons for availing a personal loan are many. It could be to consolidate debt, to pay for major personal expenses, home renovations etc. It is best to always keep in mind the exact amount of money you need while applying for a loan and its fixed monthly payment. If you choose to opt for a personal loan to consolidate your existing debt, so that you’ll have only a single payment each month, be aware that doing so may not reduce your debt or pay off your debt sooner. In some cases, the lower interest rate offered or the longer duration of the loan might appear as payment reduction. The hidden truth in most of these cases is, by extending your loan term, you may end up paying more interest on the loan.

    Credit unions, unlike banks and other major financial institutions, offer the most affordable rates for personal loans, they might also offer loans to those with less than great credit scores.

    Things needed to apply for a personal loan:

    • Identification (license etc.)
    • Address proof
    • Proof of income (pay stub)
    • Social security number
    • Employer’s contact details

    If you have a long standing relationship with your Bank, ask them for their lending rates. You might end up getting a good rate. Also, it’s worth spending time online and looking at options as online lenders are offering competitive rates especially for those with below average credit scores.

    By considering all the above factors, you would be better placed to to decide if indeed personal loan is right for you.

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  • How to monitor your blood sugar?

    Diabetes is a chronic condition that is characterized by a rise in blood sugar levels. It is normally a hereditary disease but sometimes it occurs due to other factors. Type I diabetes is the one that is inherited from parents and type II is the kind of diabetes that is acquired. In both the two types of diabetes blood sugar, insulin is normally insufficient or unresponsive to competently break down the sugar in blood. As a result, the level of sugar rises in the blood and this is manifested by signs of feeling thirsty always, feeling fatigued and feeling sleepy even during the day.

    Synthetic insulin administration
    Diabetes blood sugar can become a life-threatening condition, if not managed appropriately. It can result into massive hemolytic of the cells since they will absorb excess water from the extracellular fluid. The insulin in the body cannot fail completely. A small amount of it normally functions, which is why despite having your sugar high, it can’t damage your cells. Synthetic insulin is meant to breakdown the excess sugar in the body and makes you feel good. This is why people need to inject themselves regularly as prescribed by their doctors to avoid the sugar from shooting up.

    Chart your sugar
    As you injecting insulin into the body, you should simultaneously see whether your health is improving or not. If the blood sugar is always low that means it is working. Diabetes blood sugar monitor helps you to keep a track of the sugar levels in your body. The best time to check your sugar is during the morning hours when you are empty stomach. This is because at this time your body has not taken anything, therefore, you will know the fasting blood sugar. Record the result, take your insulin and measure your sugar again after some hours. If the number is reducing, it’s a clear indication that you should also reduce the dose of insulin. Excessive intake of insulin could make you be insensitive to insulin which is really bad because you might end being admitted to the hospital.

    Analyze your blood sugar results
    Free blood sugar meter is the tool that you should use to determine the extent of the blood severity. Figures beyond 10 are normally dangerous and you should seek medical intervention. When your sugar levels are fluctuating irregularly, you should ensure that you carry tests to find out why because when you take insulin, the sugar levels are supposed to go down. Normal blood sugar levels chart are good but when you see them becoming normal or near the normal borderline, you should reduce your insulin dosages to avoid becoming hypoglycemic. High blood sugar is a condition that needs regular monitoring because as you age, the insulin in your body continues declining. You should as well try to manage your diet so that you don’t run into excessive high blood sugar. Once you control your diet, you will only be battling with insulin scarcity. People who take foods that are not good for a diabetic person normally have a risk of increasing their blood sugar levels and make their insulin dosages insufficient.

  • Invest in an ISA and save for the future

    A number of people invest in trade or stock, and earn miserable returns. Have you gone down this path? Frustrated that you are losing out on money you’re trying to save?

    ISA’s may be the solution you’re looking for.

    Most people invest in tax-free instruments. Some forget, though, how to make the best use of them, especially if they are new to the art of savings and investments. There is a way to actually save money, without being taxed. Also, it comes without the hassle of putting in stock or having to take a gamble.
    Read on, and learn what a tax-free ISA can do you for you today.

    Save Without Worries: ISAs are best known as Individual Savings Accounts. You can think of them as your personal piggy banks; you are not liable to answer to anyone how much you save, or how much interest you earn.
    Your money doesn’t get taxed either, and you can keep the amount growing up to a certain limit.

    No Tax Paid: Whether it’s World War III or another recession, you will never be taxed ever again—irrespective of how much interest you earn—with these accounts.You can keep building your nest egg without worrying too much. Split Stock, Shares, And Cash

    Let’s say you want to invest in stocks and cash. Maybe you intend to split your savings between the two, or even add shares or other financial instruments to the mix. You can do all of that with an ISA account.

    You can decide how much you want to split between the three as well, and how often. You can even choose whether you want to split it. If you want to save your entire financial savings in cash form instead of stocks or shares, you can do that too.

    Reap Benefits: Any money that’s put into an ISA will keep earning tax-free benefits till the time you withdraw money. Good ISA providers don’t make you pay for opening an ISA. There are also instant access ISAs, regular savers and fixed rate deals. You can manage your ISA accounts online or offline. Your personal savings allowance is also never affected by any of the savings you earn via your tax-free interest.

    The best part is the flexibility that’s granted with these accounts, in terms of savings.

  • Prevention of early signs of lyme disease

    Early signs of a Lyme disease can be avoided with some preventive measures. The basic preventive measures for the early signs of Lyme disease are to avoid areas that are prone to ticks, especially woody, busy areas with long grass. Apart from that, here are some measures that can reduce the chances of acquiring the Lyme disease.

    • Stay covered. If you are walking around woody or long grassed bushy areas, make sure you are covered up well. Wear long-sleeved t-shirts, long pants tucked into your socks, shoes, a hat and possibly a pair of gloves. If you are taking your dog for a walk in such areas, make sure you have them on a leash. When walking, try and avoid walking through the long bushes and grass, stick to the sides with the low grass.
    • Insect repellents. You can avoid pretreated clothing or apply a product with permethrin to safeguard your clothes. As far as your skin is concerned, you can apply insect repellents that are 20 percent or higher concentrated with DEET. If you are applying insect repellents to your children, ensure that you avoid the palms, eyes, and mouth. You must also note that insect repellents can be toxic, so make sure you use them with care.
    • Tick-proof your yard. For all you know, there might be infectious ticks in your yard itself. They could come into your house through your pets or any other source. Try to avoid this by tick-proofing your yard. If you are stocking wood piles, do that in a sunny area to avoid the growth of ticks. Clear out the dried leaves and bushes where the ticks usually leave.
    • Check your children, pets and yourself for ticks. Ticks take about 36 to 48 hours or more for them to infect you with the early signs of Lyme disease. When you go out in woody or long grassed areas, make sure you shower as soon as you return. The deer ticks are not bigger than a pinhead in size, so you might not be able to spot them with ease. These ticks are on your skin for a while before they attach themselves.
    • Remove the tick. As the tick takes a long time to infect you, clear it out from your skin as soon as you see it. You can use a pair of tweezers to pluck the tick out of your body. There might be a small insect-bite like rash on your skin, but it will prevent you from developing early signs of Lyme disease.