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  • Use Cell Phone In Five Unique Ways

    By Dr. Kavita

    What do you use your cell phone for? I am guessing that the answer is pretty simple: to make and receive calls, exchange messages, chat and surf the web, right?

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    Well, that is what majority of the cell phone users around the globe do, but are you going to stick to the rut and follow everyone else? What ever happened to the little spark inside of you? Yeah, the little spark called creativity? Okay, let me set the trend and suggest five unique ways to use your cell phone for things other than those listed above:

    Manage your time and life better

    Your cell phone has a great scheduler and alarm system as well. Use cell phone apps to keep you on track. If you are the type that wastes lot of time throughout the day and then sits lamenting about work not getting done, then you definitely need the scheduler in your life.

    If you are an iPhone user, you have your life made easier for you with the several time management apps that are available. There are so many apps that will remind you about important agendas, keep you on schedule, and perform tasks like a personal assistant would.

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    Get the right directions

    Now you do not have to worry your brains out about losing your way when you are visiting a new place or are in unfamiliar locations. You have many handy options like Google Maps, Google Mobile Website etc, which will save your day/night (whatever applies in your case) when you need directions. Use your cell phone as a hands-on GPS and you will never feel lost.

    Create some brilliant videos

    What better way to show your creativity and share your ideas and thoughts or feelings with your loved ones/with your business partners? You can use cell phone video apps to create high quality videos on the go. Use these videos intelligently when you want to share important information/ideas with your clients/business partners. Or use them as a part of your project or maybe just create an interesting podcast.

    Connect to the local library

    Now you really cannot present any such excuse that you had no time to visit your local library for sourcing information for your school/college project. All you got to do is connect to your local library via their mobile site and start reading the books, sitting at home or anywhere else. You have the entire library at your mobile clicks.

    Do financial transactions

    If you have a PayPal account, you can be rest assured that you can send or receive money via your cell phone even of you are in the middle of nowhere (provided you have an internet connection). The PayPal Mobile app helps you to exchange money via your PayPal account, with the simple use of text messages.

    How easy is that? And you thought that all you could do with your cell phone was to make and receive calls? Next time you pick up your cell phone, try to use some of these tips to expand the usefulness of your cell phone.

    Click here to compare the latest phones. Free phone on activation, low cost cell phone plans and so much more.

  • Obtaining Health Insurance When You Are Self Employed

    By Dr. Kavita

    Being self employed may seem like  a dream come true because you need not be answerable to anyone and do not have a boss to boss you around. But after you settle down after the initial euphoria, reality dawns and it suddenly strikes you that you now have to arrange for your own health insurance. And doing that is not an easy nut to crack.

    But don’t worry, I have put together four ways to find health insurance when you are self employed and on your own:

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    Get on your spouse’s health insurance plan

    Spouses are meant to be there during both good and bad times, especially when you need support. The best and the first option for you is to try and get on your spouse’s health insurance plan because this is also the cheapest option for you at this moment. But you need to have the good fortune of having a spouse who is enrolled in a health insurance plan sponsored by his/her employer to get this benefit. On second thoughts, you actually need to have a spouse before you can think of this option.

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    Start an HSA account

    This actually is not an insurance cover per se, but it goes a long way in covering your health care expenses. HSA or health savings account is a personal account, which allows you to set aside certain amount of money each month. The best part about this kind of savings is that it comes with a lot of tax benefits. If you use this money to fund a qualified medical treatment procedure, then you will not be charged any tax on that amount. You can also deduct tax for the amount of money that you are contributing in to this account.

    Another advantage with the HSA is that you can also use it to fund your health insurance premiums in case you opt to buy one at a later date.

    Try group or association health insurance plans

    You can try using any of your groups or associations that you are a member of, in order to get group coverage for your health insurance. The best part about group coverage is that you will not be denied insurance cover in case you have a health condition. There are so many groups that you can try getting coverage with like your college alumni group or maybe your local chamber of commerce. The best option to search for groups is to approach the National Association for the Self-employed.

    Individual health insurance plans

    These work only if you are hale and hearty and have no health disorders at the time of buying the insurance. Pre-existing medical disorders are a strict “no no” for this kind of insurance. But as government regulations change and advance, rules may loosen on this front.

    Other than finding ways to insure yourself, you should also be aware that self employed people qualify for tax breaks for the money spent on health expenses.

    Click here to compare insurance plans and save 100s. Free comparison and quotes from multiple providers. Save on health, life, car/auto, business, and more.

  • Should You Buy Cell Phone Insurance

    By Dr. Kavita

    Do you remember how happy you were when you bought your new cell phone? You couldn’t keep your hands off it for the first few months and if you are like the rest of us, you are probably stuck to your cell phone for the most part of the day and some part of the night as well.

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    Did you consider buying cell phone insurance?

    You must have spent at least $200 to get your iPhone on contract, and you very well know that it would have cost you approximately $600 if you would have got it out of any contract commitment and at unsubsidized prices. The mere thought of having to lose a cell phone that is so dear to you and costly to replace, must have prompted you to consider buying cell phone insurance in order to stay covered.

    After all, it has become so common place to hear of cell phone thefts nowadays.  And of course there are chances of your cell phone just slipping into your toilet and drowning in the stinking waters, right? Or you could just forget your cell phone somewhere and misplace it. What if your bad luck broke your phone? So many worries and concerns run through your mind each day regarding your cell phone.

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    Cell phone insurance seemed an easy solution

    To top it all, you were told that cell phone insurance costs just $ 7 per month and you would receive a replacement within 24 hours and life would run smoothly like you never ever lost / broke your old cell phone at all.

    All the above factors and situations motivated you in to thinking that cell phone insurance was the next best thing after sliced bread.

    You would be a loser if you spent money on insurance

    Let me explain why I say that you would be a loser if you spent money on getting your cell phone insured. Just do a quick math and you will find that your annual expenses are about $ 84 and $ 168 for two years of the contract. So this means you could be wasting money on a service that you may never need at all.

    Even in the case that you use the service in between, you have no guarantee of receiving a replacement cell phone that is better than or even as good as your old cell phone. The chances are quite high that you are given a used and old phone as replacement. Additionally, you will have to pay a deductible that could cost you about $ 50- $ 200.

    Now spend some time thinking over what I said about being a loser! Bottom line, do not waste money on cell phone insurance.

    Click here to compare cell phone plans and save 100s. Free phones with activation on select offers.

  • Insurance Fraud: Three Tips To Protect Yourself

    By Dr. Kavita

    There is no dearth of fraudsters these days and each new day brings in a new case of fraud that was committed somewhere on the globe. Insurance fraud is probably one of the highest rankers in the category of scam-like operations.

    Click here to compare insurance plans and save. Save on home, health, life, car/auto, business, and other forms of insurance. Review rates online, get a free quote, and find out the benefits of a new policy.

    Insurance fraud is on the rise

    Statistics reveal that fraudsters have not left the insurance niche alone in their attempts at conning people. The usual type of insurance frauds is centered on bogus premiums. People are tricked in to buying insurance and the premiums they pay are then siphoned off in to the fraudster’s account. The unsuspecting customer keeps on paying the premiums on time and finally when there is a claim, he/she is shocked to know that none of the premiums were paid.

    Whatever be the mode of fraud conducted, it is necessary for you to protect yourself from such attempts. How can you protect yourself? Here are three tips that answer this question for you:

    Get familiar with the insurance company or you will succumb to insurance fraud

    You have to put on your detective glasses when you deal with any financial transactions online. Now that insurance frauds are so common, it always helps to enquire thoroughly about the company that has approached you with their insurance plans and offers, before you sign up and pay the premiums.

    A good rule of thumb is that anything that is too good to be true usually is a sign of trouble. If you have been approached by a certain insurance company with a great offer, research the whereabouts of that company online. If you cannot find any proof of their license or affiliation with the State Insurance Department, then you ought to back away before it is too late.

    Click here to compare insurance plans and save. Save on home, health, life, car/auto, business, and other forms of insurance. Review rates online, get a free quote, and find out the benefits of a new policy.

    Ask for proper receipts and proofs to avoid fraud

    You should not pay a single cent without first asking for documentary proof and receipt. A fraudster will not be able to furnish a legitimate receipt or any documents related to the insurance company in question.

    All the insurance statements ought to come from the insurance company and not from the agent or his / her firm. If such a thing happens it is the first indication of fishy business going on.

    Never deal with unknown or strange insurance agents

    You should always ask for one or two references before you deal with an insurance agent. Also make sure that you never ever make any payments in cash or check to the agent. All payments should always be addressed to the insurance company.

    Do not sign on any form that is incompletely filled. Usually these forms are presented with a false claim that the agent will fill in the necessary details at a later date. The agent who has an intention of conning you will fill in such details on the form that make stealing from your money, quite easy for him/her.

    Click here to compare insurance plans and save. Save on home, health, life, car/auto, business, and other forms of insurance. Review rates online, get a free quote, and find out the benefits of a new policy.

  • Cell Phone Scams: How To Protect Yourself

    By Dr. Kavita

    Cell phone scams are very common and you hear about them almost every other day. Some scams are less risky than others, but scams need to be spotted and prevented before they can cause any major trouble.

    Click here to compare cell phone plans, including free phone on activation offers.

    Here are a few tips that will familiarize you with the commonest kind of cell phone scams going around:

    Fraud SMS (text messages) prompting urgent action

    There are several innovations of this cell phone scam method, but the end result is that you get a spontaneous SMS on your cell phone which forces you to do something that may prove detrimental to your financial and personal well being.

    Most frequent scam is a SMS that fools you into thinking that it is a message from your bank. This could possibly also turn up as an automated voicemail warning that your bank account has been suspended. It also directs you to call a toll free 1-800 number. If you fall in to this trap and make the call, you will then be directed to enter your bank account number, PIN and other details. In case you still did not get the point, you are being subjected to an identity theft.

    Click here to compare cell phone plans, including free phone on activation offers.

    Ring tone scams

    Apart from being an inexcusable type of nuisance with their dreadful sounds, cell phone users who are habituated to downloading new and free ringtones could be inviting shrewd cell phone scamsters.

    Ring tones that are downloaded for free from questionable websites or have been shared by friends via some social media platforms could be hacked by scammers. These bad guys then modify the ring tone and install a virus that either damages the phone or pilfers your sensitive personal and possibly financial information.

    Secondly, you may find a SMS inviting you to download a ringtone by replying to that message or they may provide another toll free 1-800 number for you to call and select a ring tone. But if you act on these instructions, you may incur a hefty charge and/or inadvertently subscribe to some unwanted services that will be billed each month to your account.

    Innocent looking messages

    Sometimes you might receive an apparently innocent looking text message on your cell phone that prompts you to click on it because you think it is from someone who knows you. If you click on this type of sms, you are stepping in to a danger zone. Just like the ring tone scam above, such messages could have virus installed and clicking on them might install one of these viruses on to your cell phone. These viruses have varied functions. Some are designed to steal your sensitive info while you are unwarily using the phone.

    How to prevent such cell phone scams?

    The bottom line in preventing such scams is to be vigilant of unwanted / unknown calls and messages. Never ever divulge any info to any caller and also do not click on messages from unknown senders.

    Click here to compare cell phone plans, including free phone on activation offers.

  • How To Cut Energy Costs: Lower Energy Bills And Save

    By Dr. Kavita

    Energy costs have escalated over the past couple of years and people are worried about how to cut energy costs. Today’s post discusses a few workable tips that can contribute towards lower energy costs and bills each month.

    Click here to compare costs and save on your monthly bills. Save on credit cards, cell phones, Internet access, long distance, and so much more. Free comparison tools.

    Invest some time

    Each day when people are leaving their offices/work places and homes, there are so many gadgets and switches left on. This is an utter waste of electricity. It is a good practice to train employees to use energy efficiently. The same holds good for home energy consumption as well. Before retiring for the night, spend some time in making sure that all of the electrical gadgets and switches are off, if they are not in use. This one simple strategy could cut energy costs and lower your bills by as much as ten percent.

    Regular maintenance 

    Not many people find it necessary to get their electrical gadgets checked by a professional, but regular maintenance is very important for optimum energy usage. Electrical gadgets and equipments should be serviced every year, even if they appear to be in good working condition in order to prolong the life of the equipments and also for reduced energy consumption. Regular maintenance could add another eight to ten percent toward lowering energy bills. Often the cost of the maintenance check is much lower and nets a gain in the effort toward cutting energy cost.

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    Avoid factors that increase humidity

    Humidity has an important relation to room temperature. Air conditioners usually work overtime to cool rooms with higher levels of humidity. This means excessive consumption of energy as well. Leaving the floors wet after mopping will increase the humidity. So will hanging your wet laundry to dry in the room. Avoid doing anything that increases the moisture level of the rooms, when you plan to use the air conditioner.

    Close doors and windows

    It is far easier for your air conditioner to cool and your heater to heat the room when the windows and doors are kept closed. Leaving either of them open will allow outside air to rush in to the room. This air is definitely many degrees warmer / cooler than your room air. When your heating / cooling equipments have to deal with this constant mixing of air with different temperatures, they use up more energy to produce optimal cooling / heating results.

    So, always make it a point to keep the room sealed as far as possible while using the air conditioner/heater.

    Avoid using heaters and coolers together

    Many a time you use your air conditioner to cool the room, but you also have switched on certain electrical equipments here that emit heat. For example, you are using your oven along with the air conditioner. This can put a heavy load on your air conditioner and it guzzles energy in order to cool the room efficiently. Avoid mixing such equipments which produce contradicting results.

    Ensuring that these simple steps are taken each time you use your electrical appliances and gadgets can help in reducing your monthly energy costs by a considerable amount.

    Click here to compare costs and save on your monthly bills. Save on credit cards, cell phones, Internet access, long distance, and so much more. Free comparison tools.

  • Money Management Tips For The Rest Of Us

    By Dr. Kavita

    Money management is a topic that makes most of us feel squirmy and uncomfortable. The reason is that the task requires extreme involvement and constant updates. Unfortunately, even a little carelessness here could cost a lot in the long run.

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    So without wasting much time, let us directly get on to some useful and easy money management tips that all of us can follow and put in to practice:

    Getting started

    The first step to managing your money properly is to know exactly how much you earn and how much you need to spend it. You could make a list for this. Make two separate columns and list all the activities that earn an income for you in the left hand column and then list out all the activities that need money to be spent on them in the right hand column.

    Both the income and outgoing column details should be relevant to every single month of the year. I am sure you would argue that not every single month of the year comes in with exactly the same amount of expenses. Yeah, I thought of that too. So just add an item called ‘miscellaneous’ at the end of the expenses column. Any unexpected expenses can be adjusted here.

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    Sort the essentials and non-essentials

    The expenses column needs more work than the income column for obvious reasons. Income is often fixed and does not waver much. Okay, so now you will have to sort out the essentials from the luxuries from all the items listed in expenses.

    Make sure that you list out your utility expenses, credit card bills, travel expenses, food and all such things in the essentials. After you have done that, just add in another item named ‘savings’ in to the essentials. The miscellaneous item also goes in here.

    The rest of the expenses can be categorized under non-essentials.

    Funding the expenses

    Now you will first need to fund the activities listed under essentials in the expenses category. Make sure that you put in maximum amount of funds into savings and about 35% of that in to the miscellaneous funds. Any income remaining after all this, can be put into fund the non-essentials. The idea here is that non-essentials can wait. Even if you cannot find enough money to get your non-essentials done this month, wait until your money management schedule puts in enough money in to this category.

    By doing this you have not only paid all your bills on time each month, but also have made provisions to long term saving of money each month and also funded a separate account that will pay for the sudden and unexpected expenses that may crop up each month. The non-essentials have also been taken care and will not encroach upon your savings.

    Finally, what you need to make this money management process a success, is discipline and determination to stick to the rules.

    Click here to compare multiple offers and see how much you can save every month on credit cards, long distance, Internet, insurance, cell phones, mortgages, and so much more.

  • What Does APR Mean For Cars?

    By David

    Though most of us are familiar with what APR is from using credit cards, many of you may still be wondering “what does APR mean for cars?” To answer this question, we will take a look at exactly what APR is and how it will affect your next car loan.

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    APR

    If you are unfamiliar with APR, we must first get you up to speed before we can answer the question “what does APR mean for cars?” APR is an abbreviation for Annual Percentage Rate and as the name suggests it is the percent rate that you will pay on a loan each year. This term is used interchangeably with interest rate, so do not be confused by the different terms.

    How it is determined

    The next thing to know when pursuing an answer to the question “what does APR mean for cars?” is how your APR is determined when you apply for a car loan. This is typically based on a few different factors

    1)      Credit Score – the most influential criteria is going to be your credit score. The higher your score is, the more likely that you will be able to get a loan with a lower APR

    2)      Type of Car – the type of car you are getting (either new or used) will also affect your APR for the loan. Getting a loan for a new car will typically result in a lower APR than getting a loan for a used car assuming you are borrowing the same amount.

    3)      Amount & Duration – The amount you are borrowing and the length of time you are borrowing it for will have a big impact on your APR. The more you borrow and for longer, the higher your APR will typically be.

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    How it is calculated

    Now that you know what your APR is and how loan issuers go about figuring out the appropriate rate for each individual, we can take a look at how your APR will be used to add interest to your loan. With a typical car loan, your interest will be applied once a year at the start of the year on the remaining balance of your loan and then divided up into twelve equal segments that you will pay with your principle each month. For example, let’s say you got a car loan for $30,000 that you intended to pay off in 36 months with an APR of 2%. Your first year monthly payments would be calculated by multiplying the outstanding balance of your loan, $30,000 in this case by your APR, which is 2% for this example. The equation will look like this: 30,000*0.02=600 and as you can see this yields a result of $600. Now divide this result by twelve: 600/12=50. Next divide your principle by the total number of months remaining on your loan which will look like this: 30,000/36=833.33. Finally add your two results together: 833.33+50=883.33 yielding a monthly payment of $883.33 for the first year.

    Now that you know how APR works for cars, you are ready to start shopping for your perfect ride.

    Need a credit card? Review 0% APR offers from top lenders.

  • My Mobile, Your Mobile And Everyone’s Mobile

    By David

    You are having a good time with friends, enjoying a meal at your favorite restaurant when suddenly a cell phone rings and interrupts the mood, and you are like, “that’s my mobile”. You might receive a few dirty looks but do not be bothered. Many have had similar experiences, as an increasing number of folks are criticized by their friends and family members for using cell phones excessively, a testament to the addictive nature of these awesome gadgets that have almost made the personal computer obsolete.

    Click here to compare mobile plans. Free phone with activation on select plans.

    The good side of cell phones

    Mobile phones let you talk and listen to people – though many people do not appreciate the latter. You can play games on them, as well as use the internet. You can create to-do lists, so this makes cell phones an effective time management tool for busy professionals. If you have a data plan, you can send emails, share videos and pictures, or even upload and download more stuff for your phone. Most importantly, they help you stay in touch with the world, your friends and your loved ones at all times, regardless of where you are.

    The bad side of cell phones

    The modern cell phones — Smartphones to be precise — let you do almost everything you used to do on computers just a decade ago. This makes it easy to become addicted to your phone, and can lead to you saying things like “my mobile phone is the most important thing in the world to me.” In short, there is a term called “cell phone addiction” and if it applies to you, you might want to take a break from your phone. To be fair, the phones are not really the problem, but rather, the people using them excessively.

    Click here to compare mobile plans. Free phone with activation on select plans.

     

    The interesting side of cell phones

    It you are thinking about starting a crusade to rid the world of cell phones, do not waste your time. Their popularity continues to grow around the world, and there are actually more cell phones than people in many developed countries.

    The psychological side of cell phones

    Did you know that mobile phones have given rise to psychological conditions as well? It is true that people who do a lot of typing on their computer could suddenly expect an auto-correction of words while writing with a pen on a piece of paper. It is a psychological mind-game, but cell phones are even more relentless with their psychological effects. A pretty common term is “ringxiety,” which is when you have a feeling that your mobile phone is vibrating or ringing while in reality it is not.

    While cell phones might have some negative effects, there is no question that they are one of the top technological conquests of the 20th century. Mobile phones have greatly improved the ease of communication for rich and poor alike. And given how fast cell phone technology continues to improve, we probably will be able to do just about anything with them in a decade.

    Just make sure you use them responsible as too much of anything is bad for you.

    Click here to compare mobile plans. Free phone with activation on select plans.

     

  • The Mobile Store

    By David

    If any of you have ever wondered about or even experimented with customizing your phone, you have probably heard about the mobile store. This online market place opens up a world of interesting options and features that can make your phone an even bigger part of your life.

    Click here to compare mobile phone plans. Free phone with activation on select plans.

    Media

    When you first open the mobile store on your phone, you will be confronted with a few different major categories. Most likely, there is not one called media on your phone, but several different categories including music, books, movies, TV, and more. These links lead you to each of the different types of media that is available for download to your phone and opens up a wide range of options for how you could use your phone. The idea is of course to create a “one device fits all” system where you no longer need to carry around a music player, camera, video recorder, phone, electronic planner, portable gamming system, book, and GPS, but rather combine all these and more into one device.

    Games

    Though technically considered media, there are so many games available that it deserves a section of its own. It is entirely possible not only to download but also to play games on your cell phone and many people do. These fun little applications can be used for simple entertainment at home, exercising your mental faculties (in the case of brain teasers and puzzle games), and passing the time while you wait for pretty much anything. The best part is that so long as they are on your phone, you have them available any time that you need them so you will never be bored.

    Click here to compare mobile phone plans. Free phone with activation on select plans.

    Apps

    Also known as applications, these are programs that you can download to your phone to add additional functions to it. These range from the practical (like mobile banking apps), to the whimsical (like a digital lighter to wave above your head at a concert). These little programs are great for customizing your phone to get it to do what you want it to do and typically you will end up having several different apps on your phone for all kinds of different purposes. One of the greatest advantages to apps is that they are created by people like you. Anyone who wants to make an app can do so and have it available for download on the mobile store. Additionally, many apps are provided completely free of charge, allowing you to customize your phone easily without making big sacrifices (if any) from your wallet.

    When it comes to talking about the mobile store there is really just no way to accurately and exhaustively cover everything that is out there for you to enjoy. The store is easy to use right from your phone and requires almost no training. So if you are truly interested in finding out all the fun things that you can get your phone to do, just jump right in, start searching or browsing and find all the cool new media items, games, and apps that you never knew you wanted.

    Click here to compare mobile phone plans. Free phone with activation on select plans.