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Archive for June, 2011

Using a personal injury calculator can help you figure out how much your car accident claims are worth. Here are the top 5 questions people ask about calculating the value of their auto insurance settlement.

1. How Does the Personal Injury Calculator Determine my Car Accident Claim?

The most basic formula that is known to be used for car accident injury claims is:

Pain Multiplier X Medical Expenses + Loss of Income

The “pain multiplier” is a number typically between 1.5 and 5. This multiplier number is chosen based on the severity of your car accident injuries; the more serious your injuries, the larger the multiplier.

For example, a minor injury like a sprained neck is more likely to get a low multiplier (1.5-3). While a more serious and painful injury, like a broken leg, would get a higher multiplier (3-5). The multiplier range may even go to higher figures (10) for more severe and long term injuries.

The next thing that is included in the claims formula is your medical expenses, also known as “special damages.” These expenses include the cost of your medical treatments, visits to the hospital, ambulance ride, X-Rays, pain medication etc.

The final thing that is added in your insurance settlement is your loss of income. This refers to the amount of income you lost as a result of your injuries. For example, if your injuries forced you to stay home from work, then your lost income would equal your daily pay rate times the number of work days you missed.

2. When Should You Use a Personal Injury Calculator?

The best time to use the injury calculator is at the end of your medical treatment. You should always have your injuries thoroughly diagnosed and examined before filing an injury claim. This gives you a more accurate estimate of your total medical expenses that should be included in your final settlement.

3. Who Should NOT Use the Personal Injury Calculator?

Most personal injury claims involve minor injuries that do not require you to immediately hire an expensive lawyer. For these types of claims, you should use the injury calculator to get a rough estimate of what your auto accident settlement might be worth.

However, there are insurance claims which cannot be handled without the help of a skilled injury lawyer. These types of car accident claims involve more serious and long term injuries like permanent disabilities, lost or severed limbs, traumatic head injuries etc. If you were severely injured, your best option is to meet with a lawyer who is familiar with claims related to your specific injuries.

4. How Accurate is the Personal Injury Calculator?

The injury calculator does not give you the exact final settlement, but an initial estimate of how much your injuries are worth to the insurance companies.

Many people would argue that the injury calculator is too simplistic. That it does not address the complexities and subtleties of an individual’s personal injury claim. Others are quick to bring up Colossus, a sophisticated software program used by the insurance companies to evaluate insurance claims.

However, the biggest benefit of using the personal injury calculator is not to tell you what will be your specific settlement amount. The biggest benefit is to help you understand how your specific settlement amount will be calculated. The settlement calculator emphasizes that the range of your final settlement amount will be primarily based on:

The seriousness of your injuries. Your total medical costs. Your lost income.

These are going to be a key factors in your injury settlement regardless of which specific software program you use.

5. Should I Use the Personal Injury Calculator?

You will always have the option of bringing in a lawyer further down in the claims process. The best advice is to use the settlement calculator to get a quick assessment of what your auto accident claims can be worth.

Pulaski Bank & Trust entered the credit card market towards the end of 1994. Since then, they have been offering the lowest interest rates on credit cards. In fact, the Pulaski Bank Visa/MasterCard is catered for consumers with a good credit score seeking for a low cost card and minimal perks.

Currently, the interest rate for the Pulaski Credit Card is fixed at 7.99% for new purchases, balances transfers and cash advances. This makes the card an attractive option for individuals who plan to bring forward a revolving balance. Although the annual fee of $35 is a significant cost, but upon closer inspection, you will realize that this is indeed a low and reasonable rate for credit cards with low interest rates.

In addition to the low interest rates on all transactions, this card also does not impose fees for balance transfers or cash advances. What’s more, there is also a six-month 0% introductory rate. The credit limit is set to a maximum of $15,000, with which the exact credit limit is dependent on an individual’s income amount.

Due to the overwhelming response to this card’s low interest rates, the application process can take quite a while, with 30 days being the average high. Also, more detail in personal information is requested by the Pulaski & Trust Bank for applications processing as they exercise greater diligence in their credit approval process.

On the flip side, this card does not provide much in terms of extra perks. But in view of the really low interest rates and charges, who would need all these perks when you can already save on finance costs?

To sum it up, this card would really be applicable for credit card users who plan to bring forward a large portion of their outstanding balances to the following month, or even to utilize a revolving balance. In fact, with the really low costs, the Pulaski Credit Card would also be ideal for those who are seeking for a credit card to transfer their balances to. Yes, in these cases, consumers need not look any further once they have found the Pulaski Credit Card.

Once you start college, you’ll enter the adult-world in many areas, including the world of credit. Today, companies offer credit cards specifically designed for you, the college student. And while these cards give you a chance to access and manage a line of credit, they also have potential downfalls.

The biggest potential downfall is, of course, the danger of falling into debt problems. If you graduate with a sky-high balance that you are unable to pay back, you’ll be in danger of receiving a low credit score. And having bad credit is worse than having no credit at all.

That said, having a student credit card can be extremely beneficial. When used properly, it can serve as a tool to help build up your credit before you even finish school. Here’s a look at student credit cards and how they work.

Different from the Rest

Student credit cards are designed for individuals that are just starting out in the credit world. Most of them come with a lower limit than other credit cards. Some of them require a parent or other adult to co-sign. Many let you sign up even if you do not have a regular income.

Student credit cards also often come with benefits that are geared toward the college lifestyle. They might include a rewards program based on your GPA or let you earn points when you purchase gas. Others will offer incentives such as going to an MTV event or airline tickets.

How to Use Them

Student credit cards can be a great item to have in your wallet when used properly. The first step toward wise management is to figure out what the card will be used for. You may decide to buy books and school supplies with it. Or you might want to hold on to it for emergency purposes. Once you establish guidelines on how you’ll use it, try to stick to them.

When you do use the card, remember that you are actually taking out a loan. Whatever money you spend with the card will have to be paid back. So before you swipe the card, it’s important to make sure you know how you’ll repay the credit company. When you receive a statement at the end of the month, try to pay at least the minimum amount due. Whenever possible, pay off the entire balance right away.

What to Watch For

Many news headlines tell woes of college students that run up credit card debt. To avoid this scenario, read the fine print carefully before signing up. If you’re worried about falling into debt problems, look for a card that comes with a low credit limit. If you end up with a high balance on one card, do not apply for another one until you pay off the entire amount due on the first one.

Use your student credit card wisely and you’ll be rewarded in many ways. You’ll have access to credit in case of an emergency, and a helpful financial tool for purchasing books and other school-related gear. When you graduate, you’ll already have an established credit history. And you’ll be on your way to a bright future in the credit department.

You may have come across one of the many van or car leasing deals offering ‘unlimited mileage’. Sounds great, but how do they work and are they as good as they sound?

Vehicle leasing expert Jane Ramsey explains “These deals do sound good on the face of it, but as with most things in life, if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is and there is a catch!”

One of the finance packages used when leasing a vehicle is called Finance Lease. This is where a business leases a vehicle over a set period and at the end of the lease there is a balloon payment, that the customer is responsible for.

‘Unlimited Mileage’ deals are essentially Finance Lease and unlike other types of finance, there is no direct excess mileage charge. This does not mean that the mileage is ‘unlimited’ though as there is a residual balloon figure which is based on a set mileage.

For example, if the Finance Lease is set up on the standard 10,000 miles per year when you actually do 30,000 miles per year, you can guess that a vehicle with 90,000 miles on the clock will be worth substantially less than one with just 30,000 on the clock.

Herein lies the problem. If you have been sold an ‘unlimited mileage’ lease and you do more than the mileage stated on the contract, you can pretty much guarantee that the vehicle will not be worth the balloon figure at the end of the lease.

This means that you have to pay the difference, so in effect you are paying for the additional mileage anyway.

Another issue

The second issue, which is not always pointed out, is that the customer is also responsible for selling the vehicle at the end of the lease.

Unlike Contract Hire where you just hand the vehicle back, you have to find a buyer for the vehicle and pay the finance company the balloon figure.

So where does Finance Lease work?

We would recommend Finance Lease to builders or trades people where vans may have a hard life and it would not be worthwhile paying the damage recharge if it were on Contract Hire.

When the weather is cold I love turning up the furnace. I am glad I wasn’t a pioneer because I love my electric blanket and warm showers. In the summer it is nice to step into our home and feel the cool air when it is hot outside. But having heat and air conditioning means there is a bill to pay for these services. Bill paying can be an arduous task. Here are 5 organizing tips to simplify bill paying.

When the mail comes sort through it using my 4-D Plan. These aren’t in any particular order; it depends on what piece of mail you pick up first.

1. Delegate-if it isn’t your mail hand it off to the person who received it.

2. Do-if it is something that can be done in less than 2 minutes and you have the time right then, do it. This could be to RSVP for an event or make an appointment for the dentist that you received a reminder for.

3. Deliver-if it is something that is going to take more time; put it in a folder or in a basket on your desk for you to take action on when you have more time.

4. Done-when a bill arrives put it in the folder in your filing system labeled Bills to Pay. You don’t have to take any action until the day you have set to pay your bills.

I recommend paying bills on line. Set up a bill paying system through your financial institution. It is fast, easy and secure. Instead of getting paper invoices from utility and other companies ask them to send you paperless invoices. Make a folder for these bills and move the invoice to the folder until your scheduled bill paying day.

You can also have bill paying set up automatically. The financial institution will automatically withdraw and pay the amount you have designated to the specific vendor.

If you receive paper invoices here are 5 organizing tips to simplify bill paying:

1. After you have separated your bills from your other mail the first step is to place the pending bills in the Bills to Pay folder. This process is done both with paper received in the mail or with notification emails received.

2. Calendar specific days you are going to pay the bills each month. Most of the time bills that arrive don’t have to be paid immediately.

3. Keep all of your bill paying essentials together. This will save you time and make it effortless. Some supplies to have are: your check book, envelopes, stamps, pens, pencils, a calculator, and return address labels.

4. As soon as you pay each bill, immediately record the payment in your check register or computer software register.

5. Mark your invoice with the date and amount paid. Clip all paid bills together and either make a folder Bills Paid or put them in the Bills to Pay folder. Because they are clipped together they won’t get mixed up with the other bills that are pending.

Keep these paid invoices for one month. When you receive your bill the next month it is convenient for you to reconcile any question on payment. Then you can throw away the old bills that have been paid. If you need them for tax purposes, file them in your tax folder.

Bill paying will probably never be pleasant but with these simple organizing tips bill paying can be organized and less of a hassle.

Credit cards eliminate the hassle of bringing and counting cash every time you make purchases. The use of these cards makes business transactions easier and more convenient. They are commonly used in most commercial transactions nowadays; people tend to be unaware that they are paying more money for the interest on what they paid for the purchases made on their cards. Using a low interest rate card could minimize this extra expense thereby increasing the buying power of your income and makes you free from the worry of swelling credit card debt.

Affordability

Users are made to pay back interest to banks for the credit extended to them. This means paying more than the purchase amount on the card and could continue to grow until the debt is paid.

With a low interest rate credit card, purchases can be made on your card and pay them with low interest rate keeping the repayment down and affordable.

Money-saver and Debt Reduction

If you have credit cards with higher interests, you may transfer the balance of your account with higher interest card to a low interest rate card. This way, you can save money in the long run and keep your balance low until you have paid it. You should inquire from your credit provider for the facility of transferring balance from one card to the other.

Flexibility

Since these types of cards keep your balance low, you can chose to defer payment in favor of settling other debt or using your fund for some urgent need that may crop up. Your credit card therefore gives you flexibility in the use of your funds.

Other features of the Low Interest Rate Credit Card

Depending on the bank or credit company, low interest rate credit card usually carries along some marketing offers to lure potential users. Aside from the reduced rates on purchases, the companies may offer zero percent interest in the first six or twelve months, low balance transfer rates, reduced interest rates on cash advance and reward programs, although in some cases, some of these benefits like reward program are usually associated with the higher interest.

Who should apply for Low Interest Rate Credit Card?

If you are a person who prefers saving money, maintaining low debt balance and having flexibility of funds over other benefits that companies offer to subscribers, then you should look for this type of card.