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10 Easy hacks that could save you energy and money at home

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10 Easy hacks that could save you  energy and money at home
Grüne Energie

Electricity is a utility that we take for granted. There are a lot of places around the world that don’t have good electrical infrastructures and the fact that we only lose power during natural disasters is actually pretty awesome. That said, electricity can also be expensive. In 2012, the average U.S. household uses 903 kilowatts of electricity every year. That’s a lot. Here are some easy hacks to help you save money on energy.

1. INSULATE YOUR WINDOWS

Your windows can be the bane of your existence. During the summer, the heat will come in almost unimpeded and in the winter, the cold will do the same thing. You can fix this! You can create your own plastic window covers or simply use blankets or other items in your house to cover them up. It won’t let as much sunlight in but it will help keep the heat and cold out. These can help save you money on your electricity bill and gas bill because your heating and cooling won’t have to work so hard to keep your house at a comfortable temperature. Another good idea is the draft stopper.

2. PACK YOUR FREEZER MORE TIGHTLY

When you open your freezer, all the freezing cold air is going to come out. That means when you close it the freezer has to produce more and that can get expensive over time. A way to prevent this is to pack your freezer full of stuff. You can do things like bags of ice or even newspaper if you have it laying around. When your freezer is packed, it keeps the cold air in. That means your freezer works less and uses less electricity.

3. AIR DRY YOUR CLOTHS

There really isn’t an efficient way to wash your cloths by hand (nor has there ever been) so telling people to not use a washer is kind of hard to do. Dryers, on the other hand, can be removed from the equation entirely and it’s all good. By air drying your cloths, you’re essentially cutting out all of the electricity that the dryer uses. Dryers use a lot of energy thanks to its heating element and we’re sure the mechanism to spin the drum is using a bunch too. Save money and energy by putting up some cloths lines and hanging up wet cloths to dry.

4. USE COMPACT FLUORESCENT LIGHT BULBS

Light bulbs are among the most energy hungry things people use. They don’t use a lot of electricity on their own. However, when you have half a dozen lights on all day and night, things start adding up. According to Energy Star, compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL bulbs) use up to 75 percent less energy. That means every four days a CFL bulb stays on it uses as much energy as a regular light bulb does for one.

5. TURN OFF YOUR POWER STRIP THAT YOUR ELECTRONICS ARE CONNECTED TO

Even if your electronics are turned off, they’re still sapping energy. They’re called “vampire devices” because they keep a little bit of electricity going so they can respond more quickly to things like being turned back on. By turned off the power strip you effectively cut off all electricity to your electronics so they don’t use electricity without you knowing.

6. WEAR MORE CLOTHS AND TURN DOWN THE HEAT (AND VICE VERSA)

In the winter, put on that hoodie and turn your heat down a few degrees so that your heating doesn’t have to work so hard. Likewise, in the summer, wear less cloths or more flowy cloths so your AC doesn’t have to work so hard. By turning your thermostat up in the summer and down in the winter, you can save literally hundreds of dollars a year in utility expenses. Heating and cooling is easily the most expensive thing in your house if you use them constantly. By turning them down (or off when you can), you’ll save a bunch of money.

7. GET SOLAR PANELS

One of the best ways to save electricity is to produce your own. There are grants available to get solar panels put on your house for cheap or even for free if you qualify. If you get the free panels, they’ll be contributing back to the electric grid and you won’t pay an electric bill at all. If they’re not producing enough, you’ll just use the electric as normal. Harnessing the power of the sun is a great way to save money and go green. If you get them there’s a good chance they’ll also be installed for you so there’s actually very little effort on your part.

8. MANAGE YOUR CEILING FANS

If you use your ceiling fan right you can save a lot of money. When the air blows down, it helps cool the room and keep you comfortable. Using this and turning your AC down you can save money that way. In the winter you turn the fan the other way. Then it pulls cold air up and away to help keep you warm. Admittedly, it’s more effective in the winter than in the summer but every little bit helps, right?

9. PLANT TREES!

According to sources, planting trees near the south and southeastern parts of your house can save you a ton of money every year. During the summer, the sun will beat down on your house which heats it up. With the trees in place, the sun’s harsh rays can’t make it to your house and that helps keep things cooler. It’s been estimated that you can save up to 25 percent during the summer months. Plus, trees look nice.

10. WASH YOUR CLOTHS IN COLD WATER

Our last hack is really easy. Just turn the washer to wash using only cold water. Studies have shown that 90 percent of the energy a washer uses comes from heating up the water to use in the wash. If you wash in cold water you can avoid pretty much all of the energy cost. There aren’t many benefits of using hot water to cold water anyway (unless you have some seriously dirty cloths) so you’re not missing out on much. It’s been estimated that a load of laundry on cold settings cost about $0.03 in energy.

None of these hacks are going to save you all that much money on their own. However, if you combined all of them and keep an eye on the obvious stuff (turn off lights when you leave a room), you can save a pretty substantial amount of money. The most important thing is consistency. If you’re gong to try one of these, keep at it! It doesn’t help if you only do these things once or twice.

12 Simple Ways to Save Money on Health Care

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12 Simple Ways to Save Money on Health Care

The health care system is complex, but savvy consumers can receive quality care for less.

IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, consumers have found themselves paying a higher percentage of their medical costs. The Affordable Care Act has given more Americans access to health insurance, but many of those plans come with high deductibles – which are also becoming more common in employer-provided plans.

The average deductible for workers with employer-provided health insurance grew from $826 in 2009 to $1,217 in 2014, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, with the percentage of insured workers who face a deductible of $1,000 or more growing from 6 percent in 2006 to 32 percent in 2014. Plans offered in the ACA exchange have an average deductible of $5,081 for an individual and $10,386 for a family for the bronze plans, the most popular of the four “metal” tiers, according to an analysis by HealthPockets.com.

This change has made it important for consumers to approach medical care as they do other purchases – shopping for not only quality, but also price. Unfortunately, the system doesn’t make that easy.

“You’re going to be really frustrated when you try to act like a consumer,” says Jeanne Pinder, founder and CEO of ClearHealthCosts.com. “You’re going to be really frustrated because the system is broken.”

The first rule, say experts and advocates, is to ask a lot of questions: Is that test really necessary? Is there a generic version of that medication? Are there less expensive alternatives to this treatment? And, finally, how much is this procedure going to cost?

“Doctors that are a little more in tune will acknowledge that health care costs are high,” says Carlo Reyes, assistant medical director of Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center’s emergency department in Thousand Oaks, California. “Doctors are becoming less and less off-put by patients saying, ‘I want to keep my health care costs low.’”

Pinder, a former New York Times editor, started ClearHealthCosts in 2011 to make health care costs more transparent. The site includes costs for common procedures in seven metro areas – New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio and Austin, Texas – plus what Medicare pays for those procedures in cities all over the country.

But shopping for gallbladder removal or a knee replacement, for example, may mean calling individual doctors’ offices, hospitals, free-standing clinics and your insurance company. And even after making all these calls, you still might not get any good answers.

“It is very difficult to find these things out,” says Tracy Watts, a senior health benefits consultant at Mercer, a human resources consulting firm. “The more complicated the procedure is that you need, the harder it is to pinpoint a price.”

Nailing down a price is difficult because there are multiple players involved in most procedures. One clinic’s fee may include the surgeon, anesthesiologist and facility. Another may bill separately for each. That means before committing to anything, you need to ask who is going to be involved in the procedure, make sure they’re all part of your insurance plan and then compare prices.

If a high deductible means you’ll be paying most of the bills yourself, you may want to ask for the cash price, which could be lower than what you would pay if you use your insurance, says Michelle Katz, a nurse in Los Angeles who runs HealthCareHacker.org and just published her third book, “Healthcare Made Easy.”

“It’s a matter of being your own advocate,” Katz says. “It can be the difference between paying $150,000 for a procedure and $30,000 for a procedure.”

Despite the complexity of the system, there are things consumers can do to get better health care for less. Here are 12 ways to save money on health care.

Pick the right insurance policy. That takes some work, Katz says. Someone in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for example, has a choice of 94 plans through the Affordable Care Act exchange, as well as plans outside the exchange. You want a plan that includes your doctors and your medications, plus provides care for any chronic conditions. Information online can be incomplete or outdated, so call the doctors to make sure they’re still participating in plans you’re considering.

Shop around for medication. GoodRX.com lists cash prices for generic Lipitor in Fort Lauderdale ranging from $12.60 at Publix to $30.25 at CVS, with coupons on the site. The site doesn’t include Costco, whose pharmacy is open even to nonmembers and often has lower prices for drugs. Wal-Mart, Target and many supermarkets offer $4 generic drugs ­– but not the same ones – which may be less than your insurance copay.

Know what your health insurance policy covers. The time to dig into your policy is before you need to use it. Find out about preapprovals, emergency room visits, copays for doctor visits and coinsurance for procedures.

Ask whether tests, prescriptions or procedures are really necessary. The latest drugs aren’t always better than older, cheaper drugs, Reyes notes. If you tell the doctor you’re paying cash for what she orders, she may suggest you wait to see if the condition resolves before ordering an expensive test. Instead of paying for 20 sessions of physical therapy, pay for one and learn exercises to do at home.

Ask for prices upfront, and ask about discounts for cash payments. This may require calling your insurance company, doctor and hospital to find out what a procedure or an office visit will cost. Remember that some doctors and facilities will offer a discount if you pay cash.

Pick the right facility. If your condition isn’t life-threatening, don’t go to the emergency room. A persistent cough or a broken finger may be better treated in a store clinic or an urgent care center at a much lower cost. But not all clinics or urgent care centers are the same. Investigate the facilities near you before you need them so you can make the right choice when you’re ill.

Check bills and insurance company statements for errors. Even those with the best insurance policies often get bills for procedures that should be completely covered. A mistake in coding can mean the difference between a mammogram with no copay and one that costs $600. Be vigilant in checking both bills and explanations of benefits, a statement that summarizes which procedures and services are covered and those that remain for you to pay. Keep records of whom you talked to and when, because the calls are often recorded.

Get copies of all your medical test results and records. Bringing those with you to consultations can cut the number of tests and office visits you need. Often, if you’ve had a test recently, there is no need to repeat it. Plus, if you visit a doctor with test results in hand, she can advise you immediately rather than needing to set up another appointment after test results arrive.

Take advantage of free screenings. Every community has health fairs that offer free screenings for diabetes, HIV, high blood pressure and other maladies. By law, ACA-compliant insurance plans offer a number of screenings with no copays.

Negotiate big medical bills. If you go into a hospital or undergo an expensive procedure, get an itemized bill, preferably before you leave the hospital. Once you’ve made sure it’s free of errors, ask the hospital billing department for financial aid, a discount for paying in cash or a payment plan. If you have lots of big bills, consider hiring someone to negotiate for you.

Consider online, telephone or video consultations. Some doctors offer email consultations. American Well is among the companies that offer video consultations with doctors ($49 for 10 minutes). Some insurance companies and employer plans offer free telephone hotlines that can answer questions, sometimes 24 hours a day, to help you decide if you need an urgent care visit.

Practice preventive care. That means taking prescribed medications, keeping up a healthy lifestyle and visiting your primary care doctor for treatment of chronic conditions. “Chronic conditions can be better treated if they’ve not progressed to a more serious phase,” Reyes says. “To treat disease is much more expensive than to prevent disease.”

How to reduce your energy bill with no cost or sacrifice

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How to reduce your energy bill with  no cost or sacrifice

Our energy bills are just too damn high, but lowering them doesn’t require spending money on green power gadgets or sacrificing your sanity. With a few simple tricks and minor adjustments to the way you operate your appliances, you can drive your energy costs down.

I moved into a new, larger apartment this year, during the hottest and longest summer I’ve spent in Los Angeles. The heat was unyielding, and so was the air conditioning. When my first electric bill came, it soared to heights I didn’t even expect. When I looked at common solutions, everything cost money. Solar panels cost a pretty penny and energy-conserving outlets aren’t cheap either. While I could measure my energy costs, I’d need to spend a lot of time and money I don’t have. I’d also have to significantly reduce the way I used my air conditioning, computers, and appliances. Nothing seemed ideal, so I decided to find out if I could lower my bill simply by using everything more efficiently. I found out that I could, and you can too.

AIR CONDITIONING AND HEAT

I live with sunny weather all year round, so air conditioning usage accounts for most of my bill. If you live in a colder part of the country, however, heat is probably what costs you the most. Either way, you can use the thermostat more efficiently with simple tricks.

KEEP YOUR VENTS OPEN AND CLEAN

When an inspector came to my apartment to assess various things, I asked him to take a look at my air conditioning and tell me all the dumb mistakes I was making. I found out I’m pretty stupid, and many others are, too. Here’s what I learned.

If you have central air conditioning and/or heat, check the vents in your home. Some may be closed. It never occurred to me that any vent would be closed because I would never close them. I just assumed they were open. In reality, nearly every vent in my home was closed. After opening them all up, the air conditioner no longer struggled to keep the apartment cool or kept running after reaching its target temperature. Some believe that closing vents can reduce energy consumption by preventing the need to cool or heat a particular room. That’s actually a myth: closing vents will actually raise your energy costs.

Your vents also use air filters to keep dirt, dust, and other unwanted crap from blowing throughout your home. Those filters should be replaced monthly or they’ll prevent ideal airflow. You can pick up a bulk pack at your local hardware store for $1-2 per filter. Just be sure to measure the size of your vents before you go so you get the right ones.

If you know a thing or two about air conditioning and heating, these two tips probably seem a little obvious. For those of us who rarely think about it, they’re a vital bit of education we somehow missed during our transition into adulthood.

PROMOTE BETTER AIRFLOW IN YOUR HOME

Trapping the right temperature in your home often requires little more than good airflow. Unless you have a very small living space, even central air and heat can have a tough time keeping each room at the same, steady temperature. If you remember that heat rises, you already know how to fix this problem. When it’s hot, the heat will escape through the higher parts of your home (whether that means the ceiling or another floor). You want to help it out faster by pushing the air upwards. When it’s cold, you don’t want that heat to escape so you need to push it back down. Fans make both tasks easily achievable.

Chances are you have a few standing fans in your home that require far less power than your air conditioning or heating system. Fans don’t cool or heat the air, but they do move it around. When air in your home circulates properly, it’s easier to maintain an even temperature and that means less work for your heating/cooling system. Position the fans so they move the air in the direction you want it to go. Simply moving the air all around your home (circulating it) will do the trick, but if you want to trap hot air you should push it down and push it up if you want to remove it.

If you’re lucky enough to have a ceiling fan, running it in the correct direction makes this easy. When it’s hot, the fan should spin counter-clockwise to push the hot air up and out. When the weather turns cold, instead spin the fans clockwise to trap heat inside. You’ll often find a switch on your ceiling fan to choose a direction, so consult your fan’s manual to find out where it is.

If you’re a renter with a ceiling fan in your pad, or you just never thought about which way…

LAUNDRY MACHINES

Cutting costs on laundry takes very little effort. Simply stop using heat whenever possible, pack the right amount of clothing into the machines, and tackle the task at night.

REDUCE HEAT

According to LG Electronics, who makes washers and driers (among other things), “heating the water in the wash drum accounts for about 90% of the energy your machine uses.” While most of us know that washing our clothing on the cold water setting will reduce energy costs, the amount was higher than I expected. I’ve always washed my clothing on cold out of pure laziness—because cold water won’t cause colors to run quite so easily and that means you don’t have to separate lights and darks. On top of saving energy, using a cold wash reduces the amount of work you have to do.

If you’re drying your clothes in a machine drier, you’re obviously using quite a bit of heat. Unfortunately, there is no way around this unless you want to air dry your clothing. That’s a bit of an inconvenience for some (and may not be possible for those of us in small spaces), making this method far from perfect.

MEASURE YOUR LAUNDRY LOADS

Ideally, a load of laundry should pack in as many articles of clothing as possible, but stuffing your washer until it’s full isn’t a good idea. While the washer can likely fit whatever you throw at it, if you’re using a machine drier afterwards you need to consider what it can handle as well. If there’s little room for movement in the drier, the hot air won’t be able to do its job and you may have to run the drier twice. That’s really inefficient, so make sure your load of laundry doesn’t take up too much room in the drier before you wash it. A good rule of thumb is to leave about 25% of the drier unfilled so there’s room for movement, and even more if you’re drying large bed sheets or blankets. Many driers are larger than washers, and your clothing takes up less space when wet, so your clothing will always fit. Measure for 25% before you wash to ensure you leave enough room for good air flow.

DO YOUR LAUNDRY AFTER 8:00 PM

According to Andrew Schrage (co-owner of Money Crashers Personal Finance), some power companies offer discounted rates during non-peak hours:

Many utility companies have plans set up that offer discounts for switching some of your power usage to off-peak times. The hours and times differ slightly depending upon what part of the country you’re in, and each plan is set up a little differently. If you’re willing to shift a significant portion of your energy usage to outside the peak times, you certainly can save money.

Call your power company and ask them if they offer non-peak discounts and when they begin and end. Commonly, the hours begin at 8:00 PM. I typically do my laundry and dishes in the evening, anyhow, so I see this as a great deal. Those who handle their chores during the day, however, may find this method inconvenient.

DISHWASHERS

Dishwashers require some heat to do a good job. Part of the cleaning process requires quite a bit of hot water. That said, drying your dishes doesn’t. Most machines employ a heated dry method that you can disable. Heated drying helps prevent water spots on your dishes, but so do rinsing agents like Jet Dry. If you already use a rinsing agent, you can forego the heated dry method. This is because rinsing agents coat your dishes and make it difficult for water to stick to them for a limited time. Your dishwasher releases the agent later in the cycle so it can clean effectively first, too, so you don’t have to worry about water being repelled at the wrong time. If you’ve never used a rinsing agent before, it’s very easy. You simply look for a small, often circular cap on your dishwasher’s door, unscrew it, and load it up with your rinsing agent until full. Then just stop the dishwasher once it enters the heated dry stage and let everything dry on its own.

LOAD YOUR DISHWASHER EFFICIENTLY

While you can just stuff clothing in a laundry machine and call it a day, dishwashers require a little more care and effort to load efficiently. How you pre-wash your dishes matters, and the design of each rack offers specific advantages.

When pre-washing your dishes in the sink, your goal isn’t to remove all signs of food. If it were, you wouldn’t need a dishwasher in the first place. You need to worry about pieces of food, and simply leave any food residue for the machine. If you like to be extra clean and thorough, you may want to wash more. Remember that pre-washing dishes requires water, and if you’re constantly running water for a longer period you’re likely wasting it.

Where you places your dishes matters. The bottom rack works best for plates, and plates should face into the center of the dishwasher. Utensils obviously go in the dedicated carriage on the bottom rack, but how you place them might seem counterintuitive. Place all utensils with the handle at the bottom. This means the sharp end goes up, so be very careful that you don’t hurt yourself. The handle doesn’t get as dirty, so it doesn’t need as much attention as the other end of your utensils. Facing the sharp ends upwards allows more water to reach them.

Place your bowls and cups on the top row. Cups should face down and bowls at a slanted downward angle. If you don’t face rounded items downward, water will get caught inside them and may not reach the lower dishes as much as it needs to. A similar effect occurs when you place bowls and cups on the lower rack, as they’ll catch water when facing upwards and block water from the top rack when facing downwards. Always load them up top. Additionally, tupperware and other thin plastics belong up top as well, regardless of their shape. The heat from the washing machine can warp them, and that’s less likely to happen on the top rack.

When dealing with large and flat objects (e.g. a cutting board), do not place them close and parallel to the dishwasher door. When loaded up front like this, flat objects can prevent the detergent door from fully opening and the detergent from being used at all. This prevents the dishwasher from properly cleaning your dishes and you’ll have to run the load again. That’s twice the power consumption.

Finally, use a good detergent. You might not think this matters much, but some detergents actually do a better job of getting stubborn food off of your dishes. I’ve tested many and, in my personal experience, Quantum Finish and Miele are most effective (though Quantum Finish almost always costs less). Both clean aggressively without the harsh effects (and ultimately damage) caused by some soaps.

OTHER APPLIANCES AND ELECTRONICS

We recently learned that most appliances and electronics don’t have a very high energy cost—they only account for about 17% of energy use in the average American household. That said, some devices have a more significant impact than others. Here’s what you want to watch out for:

  • Modern video game systems (e.g. Xbox 360, PS3)
  • Electric kettles
  • Always-on desktop computers
  • Television sets (especially plasma-based displays)

With the exception of electric kettles, which are easily replaced by boiling water on the stove, reducing energy consumption with electronics requires actually turning them off. When you have tons of devices and appliances, shutting them off regularly gets annoying. The easiest solution? Stick everything you can on a power strip and turn off the power strip. Chances are you have a few of those around the house already so you won’t need to buy them. In the case of computers, even letting them sleep can draw a decent amount of power, so you should shut them off completely. To avoid the nuisance of turning them on and off, simply schedule your startup and shutdown times so the computer handles the task automatically.

12 Ways to Save Money on Car Insurance

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12 Ways to Save Money on Car Insurance

After painstakingly researching their car purchases or leases, many consumers just call their car insurer and pay whatever they’re asked to pay. With some research into the coverages you need and the discounts you can get, saving money is easy. Many factors go into setting the price of insurance premiums, from the types of policies you purchase to the model of car you drive, where you live, and the multitude of discounts you can take advantage of.

The goal of this guide is to help you learn about the factors that go into setting car insurance rates and the strategies you can use to get the best deal. Fortunately, you can do most of the research online from the comfort of your couch. We’ll cover the following topics in detail:

  1. You Gotta Shop Around
  2. Make Sure You Get the Discounts You’re Entitled To
  3. Keep Your Low Rates Low
  4. Get a Higher Deductible
  5. Consider Pay-Per-Mile Insurance
  6. Let Your Insurance Company Track You
  7. Don’t Pay for Coverage You Don’t Need
  8. Pay Your Bill in Full
  9. Consider Insurance Costs Before You Choose a Car
  10. Get a Short Loan and Make a Big Down Payment
  11. Don’t Always Make a Claim
  12. Update Your Policy Annually

1) YOU GOTTA SHOP AROUND

When buying a car insurance policy, one of the best ways to save a boatload of money is to get prices from multiple insurance companies before you commit to buying. While it’s easy to just go with the insurance company you (or even your parents) have had forever, they may not offer you the best price or potential discounts.

Once you know the coverage levels required by your state and your lender or leasing company, comparing insurance premiums online is easy. U.S. News partner QuoteWizard can streamline the process even more by searching multiple insurers for policies that meet your needs.

2) MAKE SURE YOU GET THE DISCOUNTS YOU’RE ENTITLED TO

Car insurance companies offer a wide variety of discounts, whether you’re a new driver or you have been behind the wheel for decades. Some will be automatically included when you get an insurance quote, while others will require you to ask your insurance company or agent to find out if you qualify.

Insurance is a realm where it is legal to charge different groups different premiums and offer varying discounts, so long as those groups are not protected classes and the insurance company can show a link between the rates they’re charging and the risk they face.

BUNDLE THOSE COVERAGES

A simple way to save some cash when buying auto insurance is to bundle your coverage with your homeowners or renters insurance policy and any other car insurance policies you have. In many cases, you can save 10 percent or more on all of your policies when you bundle your auto and home insurance policies together. In households with more than one driver, placing all drivers and vehicles into a multi-policy package of coverage can save you even more.

Of course, for bundling to work, each of the car and home insurance policies has to meet your needs and budget. It won’t save you in the long run if one of the components of the bundle does not provide the coverage you need at the right price. In some cases, other policies, such as life insurance, can also be part of the bundle.

TELL YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY WHERE YOU WORK

Some companies offer discounted insurance rates to customers with different jobs. First responders, for example, may qualify for insurance discounts. It’s important to tell your insurer what you do for a living and ask for a discount, as they might not think to check for such a deal.

PREFERRED PARKING

Some insurance companies offer discounts if you park your vehicle in a residential driveway, garage, or another secured facility. That’s especially true if your zip code is in a major urban area. The more secure your overnight parking, the less likely your car is to be broken into, stripped, or stolen. That, in turn, can lower the cost of your comprehensive coverage.

LOOK FOR AFFINITY DISCOUNTS

Affinity-based car insurance discounts are reserved for those customers who are members or customers of an organization, such as AAA, a fraternal organization, or even carry a particular credit card. Other organizations that frequently offer affinity discounts include college alumni organizations, professional trade associations, and financial institutions such as credit unions.

You’ll need to ask your insurance agent, car insurance company, or the organization promoting the discount how you can take advantage of the offer.

GO TO SCHOOL

When you’re just starting your life behind the wheel, many insurers offer discounts if you take driver’s education classroom instruction and behind-the-wheel driver training. They feel that the more education you have before you start driving solo, the more likely you’ll remain accident-free.

However, driver’s education isn’t just for teens. Many insurers offer discounts for older drivers who take classes to keep their driving skills sharp. They hope that by showing older drivers how their driving abilities change with age, they’ll have fewer at-fault accidents. Check with your local AAA affiliate or AARP to find a class in your area.

Depending on the insurance company, drivers may be able to get a discount for taking a car control or defensive driving course from a performance driving school, such as those found at motorsports facilities.

GOOD GRADES MATTER

Car insurance companies can show a link between kids who get good grades and fewer at-fault collisions. That allows them to offer lower premiums when teen drivers can prove they’re doing well in school. Most insurers consider a “B” average or higher the threshold for good grades. They’ll typically ask for periodic report cards or other documentation from the school to verify academic performance.

3) KEEP YOUR LOW RATES LOW

Once you have car insurance, there are many ways to keep your policy premiums as low as possible. Some are obvious – like driving safely – while others are less so.

DRIVE SAFELY

The fastest route to more expensive car insurance is to have a history of accidents and traffic tickets. They’re a red flag to insurers, as there’s a direct connection from your driving history to your chances of getting into a future collision. Car insurance rates for drivers considered low-risk are much lower than those for drivers that insurers determine are high-risk.

If you get a ticket, and it’s the first you’ve received in a few years, many communities will offer a chance to go to traffic school. Doing so will keep the ticket off your driving record, which can save you money on your car insurance.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

If you move to a different state, or even a different zip code, you’ll want to check with your car insurance company to see if you can get a better deal. Insurance companies base rates on the zip code where you live. Some areas have higher cost claims histories than other regions, and those differences are reflected in the cost to insure a vehicle.

ACCURATELY PREDICT YOUR MILEAGE

It is important to track the number of miles you drive carefully. If a change in job, commute, or other factors lower the distance you drive, you’ll want to report it to your car insurer. The less you drive, the lower the chances you’ll have an accident, so low-mileage vehicles cost less to insure than those that are used for commuting long distances each day.

Some companies offer low-mileage discounts on cars that are only driven occasionally. Those discounts are great for seniors who drive very few miles each year.

LET YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY KNOW ABOUT LIFE CHANGES

It’s important to let your insurance company know about changes in your life, though some may result in premium increases, rather than decreases. Making sure your insurer knows about marriages, kids, divorces, new cars, and children who have moved away to college can change how your insurance is priced.

On the flip side, failing to let your auto insurance company know about life events could cause them to cancel your policy. Replacing a policy with a cancellation on your record can be an expensive challenge.

KEEP YOUR CREDIT SCORE HIGH

Many consumers don’t realize that their credit scores play a significant role in the price of their auto insurance. Because insurance providers can show a link between claims and credit scores, they’re allowed to use credit-based pricing in most states.

By paying your bills, car payments, and rent or mortgage on time each month, you can ensure your score stays high. Missing payments is the quickest way to a lower credit score and higher insurance costs.

4) GET A HIGHER DEDUCTIBLE

One of the easiest ways to reduce the price of car insurance is to increase your deductible to the highest level you’re comfortable with. Auto insurance pricing is based on risk. The more of the risk you’re willing to take on yourself with higher deductibles, the lower your insurance rates will be.

Before you raise your deductibles, however, you need to look at your ability to absorb the cost if you are involved in a collision. If, for example, you are able to pay $1,000 out of pocket without financial calamity, you can save a significant amount of money in premium costs by raising your collision coverage deductible to $1,000.

Before you start raising your auto insurance deductibles, it is essential to look at both your state DMV insurance requirements and those of your lender or leasing company. Most auto loan and lease contracts come with specifically required deductibles and coverage limits.

5) CONSIDER PAY-PER-MILE INSURANCE

If you don’t drive very much, one way to save money on your auto insurance is to move to a pay-per-mile or usage-based insurance policy. With usage-based coverage, you generally pay a base rate and then a small fee for each mile you drive. Typically the insurance company will give you a small device (called a telematics device) that plugs into your car’s OBD II port to track your mileage.

Pay-per-mile coverage only makes sense if you drive a limited amount of miles per year. If you drive a lot, the fees on a pay-as-you-go policy can get quite expensive. Some companies cap the maximum daily charge, so if you take a long road trip, you aren’t excessively penalized.

6) LET YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY TRACK YOU

One of the newest ways to save money on car insurance is to let your insurer track your time behind the wheel. Using a telematics device that plugs into the OBD II port under your dashboard, they can track when you drive, how far you drive, and your driving habits. If you accelerate aggressively, brake hard, or trigger advanced safety systems, such as stability control or automatic emergency braking, your insurer will know. They’ll base their assessment about your risk on how they see you driving.

While items like traffic tickets and collisions can take months to be reflected on your driving record, your insurer can see changes in your driving habits as soon as the information is uploaded from their tracking device.

If you’re a great driver, letting your insurer track your driving can lower your car insurance costs. On the other hand, if you treat the road as a racetrack, having a tracker in your car is a monumentally bad idea.

7) DON’T PAY FOR COVERAGE YOU DON’T NEED

It may sound obvious, but many consumers pay for car insurance products and add-ons they don’t need. If, for example, you have roadside assistance from AAA, you shouldn’t pay for that coverage a second time with your insurance company.

Another coverage that’s easy to keep paying for after you no longer need it is gap insurance. Gap coverage ensures that you are able to pay off your loan or lease if you’re a victim of auto theft or your car is declared a total loss. If you have reached a position of positive equity on your car loan, or the amount you have left to pay on your loan or lease is small, you can save money by dropping your gap insurance. Note, however, that some leasing companies require gap coverage to be in place for the duration of the lease.

You can learn more about gap coverage in our guide to gap insurance.

DON’T OVER-INSURE AN OLD CAR

As cars age, their value almost always declines. At some point in a car’s life, buying collision and comprehensive insurance is no longer worth the expense. It’s especially true if you have high deductibles on those coverages and still pay a hefty amount in premiums. If your vehicle’s value has declined to the point where you could replace it out-of-pocket without too much financial stress, you should consider removing the comprehensive and collision coverage from your policy.

Of course, everyone’s risk-tolerance level is different. If it would stress you out to completely remove the coverages, look for a balance of cost and deductible you could feel comfortable with.

Stop overpaying for car insurance!

8) PAY YOUR BILL IN FULL

Most car insurance bills come with the option of paying the entire balance at once or breaking the balance into a series of monthly payments. What’s left in the fine print is the fact that paying the bill over a period of months adds finance charges to each of the payments. Though they might only be a few dollars, over time the finance charges can add up. Paying the bill as a lump sum eliminates any possible finance charges. Most people in USA don’t realize they are paying too much for car insurance

Another way policyholders can save a few bucks is to charge their premiums on a credit card that has cash back rewards, and then pay off the balance before any interest is charged. If you don’t pay off the credit card balance in the month you make the charge, the credit card interest will negate any advantage of using the rewards card.

9) CONSIDER INSURANCE COSTS BEFORE YOU CHOOSE A CAR

Most consumers only consider the cost of car insurance after they’ve purchased or leased a new vehicle. It’s a better idea to think about car insurance much earlier in the auto buying process. Different cars cost vastly different amounts to insure. Some of the differences are based on horsepower, included safety equipment, and historical cost to repair.

You probably won’t get discounts for anti-lock brakes or anti-theft devices, as most cars today have them, but you may see a discount for multiple airbags and other safety systems. Advanced safety technology, such as automatic emergency braking, may qualify you for future discounts, but they haven’t been around long enough for auto insurers to consider them effective in reducing claims.

The only way to get a precise insurance quote on a new car is to provide a vehicle identification number (VIN). The VIN allows an insurer to see the exact equipment that’s on the vehicle. Save up to 54% on car insurance

10) GET A SHORT LOAN AND MAKE A BIG DOWN PAYMENT

Another way to save money your auto insurance for a new car is to make a sizeable down payment and keep your car loan as short as possible. Doing so keeps your loan to value (LTV) ratio low, and let’s you avoid the need to purchase gap insurance.

When your LTV is 100 percent, your car insurance company will likely be able to pay back your entire auto loan if your car is stolen or declared a total loss. If it’s higher than 100 percent, you’ll have some cash to put toward a down payment on a replacement car.

Our article on why long-term auto loans are a terrible idea illustrates many other reasons why they should be avoided.

11) DON’T ALWAYS MAKE A CLAIM

If your vehicle is damaged in a collision or other mishap, your first inclination may be to call your insurance company. When the damage is severe, or there are injuries stemming from the incident, it’s critical that your insurance company is one of the first calls you make.

When the damage is minor and doesn’t include anyone else’s property, it’s a good idea to visit a body shop and get an estimate before you contact your insurance company. The estimate may be below or close enough to your deductible that it’s not worth filing a claim and risking a hike in your premiums. In this situation, it’s best not to contact your insurance company until you are sure you want to file a claim. With some insurers, merely calling your agent and asking for advice about filing a claim counts as an accident on your driving record.

12) UPDATE YOUR POLICY ANNUALLY

When you ask many consumers why they have insurance with a specific company, the answer you’re likely to hear is “that’s the company I’ve always had.” While you can get significant discounts by staying with one insurer, blindly doing so exposes you to paying more than you should.

Instead, it’s a great idea to look for quotes from other insurers every year or two to ensure you’re getting a good deal. Online tools, such as U.S. News partner QuoteWizard make the process of getting auto insurance quotes quick and easy.

At the very least, you should talk to your agent or insurance company every year to let them know if your circumstances have changed and find out whether they’re offering any discounts or promotions you can take advantage of. If you have found better prices at another company, offer them the chance to meet or beat the competition with a policy that includes similar coverages.

5 Reasons You Need Car Insurance

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5 Reasons You Need Car Insurance

Car insurance may be mandatory, but is it really necessary? Roughly 1 in 8 drivers forgo it altogether, and unfortunately for that 1 in 8, the perks of reliable insurance reveal themselves only when you need it most. If you find yourself on the fence, find out how car insurance protects your ride, your livelihood, and your wallet.

1. pay a little now to save a lot later

There are more than 6 million car accidents in the U.S. each year, on average, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That’s a nerdy way of saying that accidents happen.

Now imagine a world without car insurance. Each time you take the expensive machine out for a spin, you’re essentially risking your bank account and some or all of your assets.

An accident is more than an inconvenience. After all, the average property damage cost of a car accident in 2013, according to the National Safety Council, was $9,300. And that’s not including accidents that cause disabling injuries, which averaged out to $80,700 per crash.

A car insurance policy protects your finances from these astronomical (and unexpected) expenses. Aside from helping you with the cost of an accident, your car insurer can help protect you (and your assets) from liability lawsuits through your policy’s liability coverage.

A policy that includes liability coverage with high limits, comprehensive and collision coverage for your car, and medical payments coverage for you and your passengers can save you thousands after an accident.

2. saving time and inconvenience when accidents happen

If you have car insurance, your insurer’s expertise will help you through the unpleasant post-accident process, like working with another driver’s insurer, walking you through the claims process, helping you find a great repair shop, and getting your claim settled quickly and fairly. And if you hit a proverbial bump in the road (like getting into an accident with an uninsured driver), your insurance company can help you recover costs through your policy’s uninsured motorist coverage.

Accidents are hard enough without having to go it alone.

3. peace of mind for you, a driving stud

There is a fair share of driving duds out there too. And car insurance offers financial protection from the driving mistakes of others.

Maybe you’re an esteemed scholar of traffic law. Maybe you have stellar hand-eye coordination. Maybe you’ve never been in a car accident and are arguably the best driver on the planet. By definition, that would mean that all other drivers are worse. And there are a lot of drivers out there. A reliable car insurance policy protects you from the red-light texter, the reckless driveway-leaver, the make-up-applying fast-laner, and the end-of-the-rope road-rager.

Because drivers are so unpredictable, you just never know when an unavoidable accident could happen. Insurance exists to protect you from that scenario.

4. car insurance can supplement your health insurance

If you’re injured in a car accident and have insufficient health insurance (or none at all), car insurance can help. Most insurers offer coverages that cover injuries you sustain as a driver or passenger (and in some states, personal injury protection coverage is required).

Even if you do have health insurance, car insurance can help pay for things your medical coverage might not — possibly including care for accident-related injuries, dental work, funeral costs, or extended nursing care during your rehabilitation.

5. it’s typically the law

And breaking the law is no good. Most states require its drivers to carry a minimum amount of car insurance in the form of liability coverage or financial responsibility bonds. Even New Hampshire requires you to post a bond that proves your ability to pay for potential post-accident expenses.

And since insurance is usually legally required, driving without it can result in fines and the suspension of driving privileges. Some states may even impound your ride. So unless you’re a happy cyclist training for the Tour de France, a suspended license may really throw a wrench into your daily commute.

Tax Attorneys

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Tax Attorneys

There are accountants, and there are attorneys. Both are available to help you in your hour of need, but the term “attorney” has a more ominous ring to it because it implies that you’re not just fighting numbers—you’re fighting the law.

To some extent, this is accurate. Tax attorneys can handle certain things that accountants can’t, although you don’t necessarily have to be in the fight of your life before an attorney’s services—rather than an accountant’s—can come in handy.

Tax attorneys are lawyers who specialize in the complex and technical field of tax law. They’re best for handling complex, technical and legal issues associated with your tax situation. A tax attorney can step in after you have a problem, but consulting with one in advance can also help you avoid problems. 

When Would You Need a Tax Attorney? 

The Internal Revenue Service has its fingers in a lot of pies and not all of them pertain to individual tax returns. Estates must file returns and businesses must do so as well. You might need the help of a tax attorney when handling any of these types of situations:

  • You anticipate having a taxable estate when you die. As of 2018, this means that you expect the total value of your estate will exceed $5.6 million, or $11.2 million if you’re married, although this threshold tends to increase annually. Your heirs would then have to pay an estate tax of up to 40 percent of the balance over these amounts as of 2018. A tax lawyer can help you devise estate-planning strategies to help you stay below the exemption threshold and avoid a huge portion of your estate going to taxes.
  • You’re starting a business. What type of business entity should you set up? Do you want to incorporate? Can you function as a sole proprietor? Any business setup you choose will have tax ramifications. Legal counsel can advise you about the structure and tax treatment of your company, including some non-tax issues you might not otherwise have considered.
  • You engage in international business, and you need help with contracts, tax treatment, and other legal matters.
  • You plan to bring a suit against the IRS, you’re under criminal investigation by the IRS, or you want to seek an independent review of your case before the U.S. Tax Court.

In the latter cases, you’ll want someone who is familiar with a courtroom. Although certain non-attorneys can represent clients in court, it will likely be best to be represented by someone who is well versed in the law. This is especially true if you’ve committed tax fraud, such as claiming deductions or credits to which you weren’t actually entitled.

Your relationship with your attorney and anything you say to him or confide in him is typically privileged. This means he’s under no legal obligation or duty to divulge it to the court. This is not always true of accountants.

What You Should Look For in a Tax Attorney

Tax attorneys must have a Juris Doctor degree, commonly referred to as a J.D. They must be admitted to the state bar. However, these are just the minimum requirements for practicing any type of law. Additionally, tax attorneys should have advanced training in tax law. Most will have a master of laws (LL.M.) degree in taxation, referred to as an LL.M.

Some tax attorneys also have a background in accounting, although they don’t involve themselves with preparing tax returns for the most part. Their expertise is more focused on the legal implications of tax situations, not saving you as many tax dollars as possible. Nonetheless, if you’re facing a complex accounting–as well as a legal–matter, you might want to look for an attorney who is also a certified public accountant so you can cover both bases. They’re rare, and they’re often expensive, but they’re out there. 

Questions to Ask a Tax Attorney

Here are a few questions to ask when you initially meet with a prospective tax attorney:

  • Is the attorney admitted to the state bar?
  • What does the attorney specialize in?
  • How much does the attorney charge?
  • If the attorney can’t personally help you, can you be referred to another tax attorney who may be more familiar with your type of problem?

The Best Online Colleges of 2020

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The Best Online Colleges of 2020

According to recent data, roughly 6.3 million U.S. college students took at least one online course during the fall 2016 term. This figure represents an annual increase in distance learner enrollment over the past 14 consecutive academic years. But finding great online colleges can be difficult because each institution is so different. To help find the best online college for you, we cover important topics like accreditation, financial aid, and other baseline considerations to make when choosing from top-rated online colleges below.

Top 10 Accredited and Affordable Colleges Online

  1. Northern Arizona University
  2. The University of Alabama
  3. Judson College
  4. Seina Heights University
  5. North Carolina State University
  6. The University of Southern Mississippi
  7. Saint Leo University
  8. The Univeristy of Illinois at Springfield
  9. Mississippi College
  10. Webster University

How Online Colleges Work

Although online and brick-and-mortar courses share similarities in terms of readings, lectures, and assignments, these programs also differ in several ways. Additionally, finding great online colleges can be difficult due to the wealth of differences between each institution. Here are answers to some of the most common questions about online versus brick-and-mortar programs.

1. How are online courses delivered?

Most online courses require students to log into their school’s learning management system (LMS), a comprehensive platform that contains course syllabi, assignments, and students’ grades. Before enrolling in courses, online students should research hardware and software requirements for their school’s LMS to ensure their computer is compatible. Additionally, students can use smartphones and tablets to access their school’s LMS. The best online university programs offer multiple accessibility options for distance learners.

Online courses often consist of required readings and lecture videos, which may be livestreamed or prerecorded. Distance learners can complete these assignments entirely online. Some courses also include discussion elements; in these cases, students typically participate in group chats with their professors and fellow classmates. Some online courses also feature in-person components, such as site-based practicum training. These courses are known as “blended” because they integrate online and brick-and-mortar elements.

2. Are online courses self-paced?

Some online courses are self-paced, or asynchronous. In this format, students may complete their assigned readings and lectures, in addition to exams, on their own timetable — though some asynchronous courses may require weekly check-ins. Courses that are synchronous, or not self-paced, typically mirror the weekly assignment format of campus-based courses. Good online colleges offer a mix of asynchronous and synchronous pathways to accommodate students with different preferences and schedule restrictions.

3. Do online courses include any in-person requirements?

Many online courses incorporate in-person training and networking into their curricula. This is especially common for programs in fields that require in-person experiences for postgraduate licensure, such as education or nursing. Additionally, some distance courses require students to meet with classmates for team building or project work.

4. How are online course exams administered?

Online courses frequently include at least one examination. To mitigate the risk of cheating, distance learners may need to take the exam at a testing facility with a proctor. Alternatively, the course’s professor may administer the exam online and monitor students using webcams or anti-cheating software. However they are administered, these exams are typically as rigorous and demanding as those completed in classrooms.

5. How long does it take to earn a degree online?

Some online programs feature an accelerated format and require less time to complete. These include bachelor’s programs that can be finished in fewer than four years and master’s programs that take less than two years. However, most online degrees match their brick-and-mortar counterparts in terms of completion time.


What is a home warranty?

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What is a home warranty?

Buying a home is usually an expensive proposition. The median price of a home in the U.S. is now $226,800, up 6.1 percent over the past year, according to Zillow, the online real estate marketplace.

As you consider how to protect your investment, don’t be tempted by television and online ads pitching home warranties, which promise to protect against calamities not covered by traditional homeowners insurance policies.

These warranties are actually service contracts that guarantee to pay the cost of repair or replacement if covered items, such as appliances, plumbing, and heating and air conditioning systems, stop working.

The Limitations of Home Warranties

Having a home warranty may provide you with some peace of mind. But you should realize that providers of these plans build in wiggle room that can make it easier for them to deny payouts. As a result, consumers often complain to the Better Business Bureau about home warranties because they didn’t get the benefits they expected, according to Katherine Hutt, a spokeswoman for the bureau.

A possible alternative to buying one of these plans is to self-insure. Consumer Reports has long recommended that consumers put the money they would otherwise spend on a home warranty or a service contract into a savings account dedicated to product repair and replacement. Or you could stash additional money for those costs in your general emergency fund. Either way, you won’t risk paying for a plan that may not provide the coverage you expect.

If you’re thinking of buying a home warranty, your first step should be to evaluate whether it covers what you want it to. There are plenty of limitations; these plans generally don’t cover nonmechanical items such as windows or the structure of your home, for instance.  

Also keep in mind that if you’re purchasing a new home, the items inside are probably still covered by the manufacturer’s warranty and the builder’s warranty, says Edgar Dworsky, a consumer lawyer who runs the website Consumer World. You may have more reason to consider a home warranty if the home and the appliances are older.

5 Questions to Ask About Coverage

Before you buy a home warranty, consider how comfortable you are with the answers to these queries.

1. Do I already have protection? As noted above, new-home appliances may already be covered. Even if your appliances aren’t new, they may still be under warranty if you made the purchase with a credit card. That’s because some credit cards extend warranty length, Dworsky says. For example, many American Express cards add up to 24 months of coverage (to a manufacturer’s warranty of two to five years) on items you purchase with it. 

2. How much will this warranty cost? The answer depends on the kind of plan you buy and the provider you choose.You can generally purchase one of three kinds of home warranty: a plan for a particular appliance, a plan for all your appliances, or a plan for your appliances and your plumbing and electrical systems.

Prices may also vary depending on where you live. The American Home Shield website, for example, says a plan that covers most major appliances runs about $480 annually for a home in central Ohio; one that also includes the home’s electrical and plumbing systems costs close to $600.

By contrast, a homeowner in Westchester, N.Y., might pay $900 to cover major appliances and $1,020 to include electrical and plumbing.

In addition to the cost of the plan,there are probably going to be additional expenses. If you have a problem with an appliance or system, even one that’s covered, you’ll have to make a copayment when the contractor comes in to do the work. Those fees range from $60 to $125 depending on the work that needs to be done, according to the plans we examined.

3. Am I clear about what the warranty covers? Hutt says that most of the complaints that the BBB receives about home warranties stem from the fact that consumers don’t understand the coverage their plans provide.

The takeaway: Be sure to read the terms and conditions carefully. When we examined home warranty plans, we found that some policies will cover your refrigerator but not the icemaker that comes with it. Other policies may cover your hot-water heater but not the water tank itself.

Sometimes, if your appliance breaks under certain circumstances, it won’t be covered. An oven, for instance, may not be covered if it stops working while in self-clean mode or if it’s damaged by a power surge, according to the plans we looked at.

How you care for your appliances may also matter. If you failed to perform routine maintenance or if an appliance wasn’t properly installed, the home warranty provider could argue that it can refuse to pay for repairs. There could also be a pre-existing condition—even if it wasn’t evident to you when you bought the home warranty—that allows the provider to deny coverage of the item.

4. Will this plan repair or replace a broken item? Most home warranties explain that if a repair is considered too expensive, the provider might offer to replace the broken item instead. But in a situation like this, the home warranty company may give you only the depreciated value, requiring you to pay the difference out of pocket to get the same model you had before.

5. Are there limits on how much this plan will pay out? There are, but they depend on the kind of plan you purchase and the provider. Over a 12-month membership term, the plan from America’s 1st Choice Home Club, for example, pays up to $2,000 to access, diagnose, repair, or replace each covered item.  




Education Grant Benefits And Opportunities

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Education Grant Benefits And Opportunities

How to Find the Right Sources

Few college-bound students have the financial resources to pay for their post-secondary education entirely out of pocket. Even students with substantial college savings plans typically find that they are left with sizable amounts of unmet need. The average total cost of attending a public four-year college is more than $20,000 per academic year. Students planning to attend a private college or university can expect to spend more than $30,000 per academic year. A college education is a costly proposition, and all indications are that those costs are only going to increase.

With the cost of a college education continuing to rise, most students will need to consider various types of financial assistance. It is not unusual for a student’s college fund to be comprised of some combination of personal savings, family contributions, scholarships, grants and student loans.

When preparing a college fund, no financial resource should be ignored. Education grants are one of the most popular, and most valuable, sources of financial assistance for college students. With the right grants, students can make their dreams of a higher education a reality.

How College Grants Differ From Scholarships & Student Loans

Unlike student loans, college grants do not require repayment. College grants are just like scholarships with 1 exception: cholarships may be need-based or merit based, whereas most grants are typically need-based. Students must fill out a FASFA to check their elegibility for federal grant programs.

College grants are primarily awards of free money, that do not require any repayment on the part of the recipient. They can be directed toward specific educational expenses, specific types of students, or general purpose. Unlike scholarships, which are typically awarded on the basis of academic achievement or athletic, artistic or extracurricular performance, grants are awarded according to financial need. This is not to say that academic merit will not be considered, only that financial need is given greater weight in the final decision making process.

As students begin to investigate possible grants for college, they will likely find a variety of award-for-service grants. These types of grants are typically allied to a distinct course of study, and are applied to students with definite career goals. Typically they address critical shortages in certain professional fields including healthcare, legal aid, teaching and social work. A grant-for-service requires recipients to agree to a predetermined term of service, working within their chosen field, at a critical need facility or in an under-served community. If the student fails to meet their obligations, the grant will revert to a standard student loan, and the student will be expected to repay all monies received plus interest.

Federal Grants

Federal grant programs for college-bound students form the bedrock of all financial aid in the United States. These programs should be the first stop for all students looking for financial assistance to help them pay for college. Federal education grants are funded by the government, and administered through the U. S. Department of Education. Federal education grants help thousands of students pay for college every year. Without these grants, many students would not be able to realize their higher educational goals.

The following Federal grant programs are currently being offered to U.S. Students.

  • The Federal Pell Grant – Since 1972 the Federal Pell Grant has been helping students in the United States fund their college educations. More students rely on Pell grants for financial assistance than any other grant program in America.
  • The Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant – The FSEOG is designed to give financial aid to undergraduate students with extreme financial need. The FSEOG program is funded by the Federal government, and administered through the financial aid offices of participating colleges and universities. Students must apply through their college of choice, and grants are awarded on a first come, first served basis.
  • The Federal TEACH Grant – The TEACH Grant is an example of an award-for-service program. The grant provides Federal funding to students who agree to take up a teaching position in a high need field, or critical shortage facility, following graduation. Recipients must sign a contract agreeing to a predetermined time of service. Students who fail to fulfill their teaching obligations will have their grant revert to a student loan, and will be responsible for the full repayment, plus interest, of that loan.


Online Bachelor’s Degrees

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Online Bachelor’s Degrees

Pursuing an accredited online bachelor’s degree can help you take the next step in your career – without leaving your home. Through your program, you’ll attend online lectures, study from home, manage a busy schedule and interact virtually with professors and classmates.

An online college degree may appeal to those who want more flexibility in completing their education, or who want to take classes while working full time or parenting. Choosing where to enroll online will likely be challenging, but below you’ll find tools, advice and other resources to make your search easier.

Online Bachelor’s Degree Overview

Colleges offer online degrees in a range of fields. Click on a degree program to explore what courses you’d take, how long the program takes to complete, career options and median salary. For example, to earn an online health science bachelor’s degree, you would take courses in public health, health communications and epidemiology.

About an Online Degree

When considering an online college degree, check whether a program is accredited. Schools that offer accredited degree programs must pass certain quality standards set by independent organizations. Accredited online degrees are widely accepted in the academic and corporate worlds. If a degree program is unaccredited, you may have a difficult time transferring credits or proving that your education is legitimate to an employer.

Those who choose to study online will be in good company: Enrollment in online courses has steadily grown over the past decade. But if you log on for your education, watch out for scams, and make sure you do your research to ensure the online degree program suits your needs and will advance your career.