Posted on Mon, Nov 30, 2009
While there’s still several more hours to go before the sun sets on Cyber Monday, Internet Traffic Auditor Akamai is using its Net Usage Index to monitor North American visitors to 270 online retail sites, and according to CNN, data from earlier in the day already points to a 43% traffic jump when compared to last year at the same time.
We already know that the average online purchase was up by 35% and that overall online sales were up 11% from last year! While it’s still too early to predict with certainty, consumer confidence appears to be trending UP!
To get a
Term Life Insurance Quote or Research how to
Buy Life Insurance Online visit
Efinancial.com
Posted on Mon, Nov 23, 2009
With holiday season now upon us, both
brick-and-mortar and
click-and-mortarretailers are preparing for what they hope will be the busiest shopping days of the year,
The Friday after Thanksgiving has been branded Black Friday while the Monday after Turkey Day has been dubbed Cyber Monday. Still, many Internet e-tailers say the season’s top spending days could come much later, between Dec. 5 and Dec. 15.
Due to this year’s roller-coaster economic environment, a longer online holiday promotion period is also expected in order for retailers to try and win every last dollar they can from consumers. Macy’s had already began aggressive advertising this year in mid-November.
We’ve polled some of the Web’s top sites for bargain coupons, sweet as peppermint deals and smart savings strategies to help you make the most of your special shopping days starting with Amazon’s Cyber Monday coupons.
The Fathers of Invention! Mike Riddle came up with the idea for Black-Friday.net after waiting in line outside a Best Buy for hours in 2005 to get a television he saw in a Black Friday circular, only to be told once inside that the television had sold out. Jon Vincent founded BlackFriday.info in 2005 after demands poured in for information on Black Friday sales at an online coupon site he also runs.
Take A Sneak Preview. If you are interested in checking out a scanned image of the Toys R Us Black Friday sales ad, feel free to click on this link to take a look at them. In order to take advantage of the Black Friday sales rush, Toys R Us is advertising a midnight opening for their Black Friday sales, which will take place at most of the Toys R Us stores starting at midnight on the night of Thanksgiving.
Cyber-Monday sales and coupons are also available to help you plan your online shopping list. Another “hit list” for letting your computer mouse do the browsing and the buying is this Website.
When shopping online, practice Internet safety. Visit a store’s website at the direct address online. Type out the URL yourself. Don’t click on links in emails, even if you think the email comes from a mailing list you signed up for.
Never send personal financial information via email such as credit card numbers, Social Security numbers or other sensitive data including logins and passwords. And when you are done with a transaction, completely sign out of your account.
If you can’t handle the thought of credit card increases, or if you can’t afford to pay the credit card in full, use cash. Some people claim that you’ll spend less money when you use real dollars in place of plastic.
According to Google Research, some 69% of shoppers plan to purchase gift cards this year. Those can all be found online.
And don’t forget about the great deals you will find starting AFTER the holidays, on December 26th!
Got a shopping tip to share? Just jingle our bell!
To get a
Term Life Insurance Quote or Research how to
Buy Life Insurance Online visit
Efinancial.com
Posted on Thu, Nov 19, 2009
The average student who graduates from high school today is at a financial disadvantage. We’re not talking about money. This deficit is a lack of financial knowledge. So many young adults lack basic skills in the management of personal financial affairs. Many are unable to balance a checkbook and most simply have no insight into the basic survival principles involved with earning, spending, saving and investing.
The Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy is fighting back. The organization offers a Clearinghouse whose aim is to identify high-quality personal finance materials for educational use. Once you find material of interest, you can either download it for free or order it directly from the source. Teachers are encouraged to use these personal finance teaching materials to support their state’s standards in economics, business, math and family and consumer science.
“40 MONEY MANAGEMENT TIPS EVERY COLLEGE STUDENT SHOULD KNOW” helps students get organized and offers tips on financial aid, checking accounts, spending plans, dorms and apartments, savings, jobs and debt. A single copy may be downloaded from the website. Download it here
What financial advice do you have for today’s college student?
To get a
Term Life Insurance Quote or Research how to
Buy Life Insurance Online visit
Efinancial.com
Posted on Tue, Nov 17, 2009
The facts about Life Insurance Settlements are not well known to a great many policy holders. Just what is a Life Settlement anyway?
Simply put, a Life Settlement is the sale of an existing life insurance policy to a third party for more than its cash surrender value but less than its net death benefit.
Such a transaction is usually undertaken by those later in life for the purposes of estate or financial planning. Indeed, the redemption of a policy can put an additional financial option in the hands of American consumers at a time when they may need it most. But don’t expect your insurance company to fully advise you about your choices. The counsel of a trusted financial advisor, or an independent insurance agent can be helpful in suggesting your alternatives.
Why would cashing out a Life Insurance policy make sense? It really comes down to time and opportunity cost.
A policy may no longer be needed or wanted. As the Life Insurance Settlement Association points out, as circumstances change over time, so do insurance needs. Perhaps a spouse or another beneficiary for whom the policy was purchased is now deceased. Or, other policies may prove adequate to cover an insured person’s original goals.
With dramatic changes in insurance products and services in recent years, there could also be an opportunity to obtain a superior policy in place of a current one.
Other reasons for abandoning a life insurance policy could be changes in estate planning needs, or mounting financial concerns where the existing premiums for a policy no longer make budgetary sense compared to the cash value the policy may realize in the here and now.
When life insurance companies do not present a viable exit strategy, or offer a slim percentage surrender option, consumers may want to look elsewhere to divest their policies.
Life Settlement transactions are regulated in 34 states and in the territory of Puerto Rico. To find out more information about Life Settlements and about regulation in your state, visit the Life Insurance Settlement Association.
To get a
Term Life Insurance Quote or Research how to
Buy Life Insurance Online visit
Efinancial.com
Posted on Fri, Nov 13, 2009
The U.S. Debt Clock, as you may have never seen it or imagined it, at
USDebtClock.org is both a dazzling Internet dashboard of dynamic, constantly updating digits and a sobering assessment of the state of our national economy at any given nanosecond.
Counting up both U.S. National Debt and US Private Debt in real time, the modular calculator breaks down debt by taxpayer and citizen. The tote board displays Mortgage Debt, Personal Debt and Credit Card Debt as well as State and Local Debt.
The digital display contrasts the red ink, or pixels, of debt calculations against the green ink, of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product and other sources of income include U.S. Federal Tax Revenue, including average Tax per Citizen with breakdowns of state, corporate and local revenue,.
Scroll down the Web page and you can take stock of America’s Currency and Trade numbers, Personal Savings sums, Social Security and Prescription Drug Liability costs, and as they say, a whole lot more.
Not associated with any government agency or funded by any active political party, organization or lobbying group,. the creators of the U.S. Debt Clock Web site explain its purpose is to “inform the public of the financial condition of the United States.” It also serves to present “a real time snapshot of the country’s balance sheet.”
Although the numbers involved are enormous, it is still easy to see the relative balance between wealth generated and wealth consumed.
Can you tell financial time? What’s your take on the U.S Debt Clock? How do you interpret America’s financial vital signs?
To get a
Term Life Insurance Quote or Research how to
Buy Life Insurance Online visit
Efinancial.com
Posted on Tue, Nov 10, 2009
An often overlooked form of insurance that’s been around as long as banks have been lending money to businesses is
key-person insurance. If you own a business or have investors, key-person insurance could be one of the most important keys to your business longevity.
Key-person insurance is the same as ordinary life insurance, except that the employer buys, owns, and is the beneficiary of the policy. Most companies have at least one employee who is key to the success of the business. Usually it’s the owner, a partner, a majority stockholder, or someone with a high level of expertise. The loss or death of that person could mean financial ruin for the company.
Premiums for key-person insurance are based on a variety of factors, including age, physical condition, and health history of the key person, as well as the amount of coverage. Before buying life insurance online, a business owner should answer the following:
* What is the value of your key employees? It may be difficult to estimate the value of an irreplaceable employee, but it is a valuation that is necessary to determine if you need to purchase key-person insurance and the amount of coverage you’ll need. Consider factors such as projects that would be lost if the employee were no longer with the company, the amount of sales generated by the key employee, and the costs associated with replacing the employee.
* Is separate key-person insurance necessary? Credit insurance is one way to cover outstanding loans and debts. If you already have a credit-insurance policy, key-person insurance could be superfluous.
* Do you have a business-continuation plan? Creating a plan that outlines how your business will survive a disaster is key in determining what type of insurance protection you need. An insurer will require that you have a business-continuation plan before they’ll sell you key-person insurance.
To get a
Term Life Insurance Quote or Research how to
Buy Life Insurance Online visit
Efinancial.com
Posted on Thu, Nov 05, 2009
It seems so simple, you would think it would be perfectly obvious. Online “information processing” is, practically speaking, what the Internet was invented for. The Web is tailor-made for shopping for the best insurance policy. Where else can you plug-in a few details and, within a few seconds, have your request rocketing across the Web on its way to a variety of insurance underwriters, each competing for your business? Then, with no pressure and with complete privacy, you get to make a sensible financial decision from the comfort of your desk chair or couch.
Here’s why the online insurance quote is the better idea whose time has come.
1. One application. Multiple bidders. Online makes you a kind of savvy broadcaster. You broadcast the fact that you are in the market for, say, life insurance. The insurance companies who are listening for your broadcast are tuned in to your frequency and respond with a matching quote in return. Now that’s good reception. No static at all.
2. The lowest price. Who doesn’t want to get to the bottom line, and fast? Talk is not cheap when it takes hours to get a straight answer. Online is simply the least expensive and the premium you will be quoted will be the lowest, plain and simple. Since online is the most efficient channel for user direct, point-to-point communication, the savings are baked right in. Insurance companies know you are looking for a low price, not a visit from a salesman. Online cuts costs to the quick.
3. Your needs, not theirs. Ever hear the term “longtail” search in relation to Internet product inventory? It means you can find the exact merchandise in the precise size, color, texture and features you are most interested in. In a word, it’s called “Better Selection.” Online you can find just what you’re looking for.
4. Answers to your questions. There is also no shortage of information online. So you can find the frequently asked questions and the instant answers you want to almost any topic you have in mind. There are even online insurance calculators to help you pinpoint how much coverage you will need.
5. Full-service. Instead of just one line of insurance, from one company, at one price, the best online insurance company offers you choices when it comes to your other insurance needs. Auto, health, homeowners, renters, business, you’ll get the referrals you need. If they can’t help you with every form of insurance, they will tell you who can.
What’s been your experience with online insurance shopping?
To get a
Term Life Insurance Quote or Research how to
Buy Life Insurance Online visit
Efinancial.com
Posted on Tue, Nov 03, 2009
It’s a deadly statistic. The top two causes of death in the United States are responsible for more than 50 percent of America’s annual death toll. If that doesn’t “hit us where we live,” this just might — where we reside in the U.S. has a strong correlation with how we will die.
The Center for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health break out the 15 most common causes of death as follows:
1. Diseases of the heart 28.5
2. Malignant tumors 22.8
3. Cerebrovascular diseases 6.7
4. Chronic lower respiratory diseases 5.1
5. Accidents (unintentional injuries) 4.4
6. Diabetes mellitus 3.0
7. Influenza and pneumonia 2.7
8. Alzheimer’s disease 2.4
9. Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis 1.7
10. Septicemia (blood poisoning) 1.4
11. Suicide 1.3
12. Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis 1.1
13. Primary hypertension and hypertensive renal disease 0.8
14. Parkinson’s disease (tied) 0.7
15. Homicide (tied) 0.7
Looking at the leading causes of death listed above, just five account for over 70% or 7 out of every 10 deaths. The two major killers, heart disease and cancer, account for over half of all deaths in the country.
Not surprisingly, researchers found that states with the highest rates of cigarette smoking — Kentucky and Tennessee — also had the highest rates of heart disease deaths. The researchers say that if cigarette smoking declined in those states the number of early deaths from heart disease would also decline.
The researchers also found that male residents of some states have five times the risk of dying young from heart disease compared to other states. To see where your state ranks for heart disease and stroke, visit this Interactive Map.
While affordable life insurance can’t prevent any of these causes of death, it can make sure that financial protection will survive the catastrophe!
To get a
Term Life Insurance Quote or Research how to
Buy Life Insurance Online visit
Efinancial.com