It is always against the law to drive without auto insurance, but that doesn’t mean you have to cancel your cable TV or your subscription to Better Homes & Gardens. There are better ways to do money and retain your finances in line, including these unique auto insurance discounts.
1. Gracious Drivers
Being a satisfactory driver has its advantages: You don’t have to pay for costly repairs to a damaged vehicle, no one ever gets wound on your inspect and you might qualify for unique auto insurance discounts. Specifically, some states require that insurers provide premium discounts to consumers who complete driver safety courses, according to the AARP.
Thirty-six states require the discount if you take the Driver Safety Program in a classroom with an approved instructor, and 10 states even require it if you take the course online. This can mean a serious auto insurance reduction even if you’ve had tickets or accidents in the past.
2. Retirees
Did you know that there are unique auto insurance discounts for retirees? Some car insurance companies give reduced rates to seniors who are at least 55-years-old and are no longer employed full-time.
This is not a requirement, of course, and all insurance providers are different. However, if you can find a provider in your area who offers this discount, you’ll set a bundle on car insurance.
3. Students
Younger drivers aren’t left in the dust. Other unique auto insurance discounts include reduced rates for full-time students. If you’re getting your education, you probably don’t have extra money to throw around, and with the discount you might be able to afford a few non-Ramen meals outside the dorm.
In most cases, unique auto insurance discounts for students require that the consumer be under 24 or 25 years of age and believe a certain grade point average. You might not qualify if you are married or included on your parents’ insurance coverage.
4. Students’ Parents
One of the most unique auto insurance discounts available is the reduced rate for students’ parents. If you support a child (he or she lives with you, in other words) you might qualify for a discount. However, there are always lots of stipulations, so you’ll want to check with your insurance agent for details.
5. Farmers & Ranchers
Many farmers and ranchers own dedicated vehicles that never leave their property. In this case, you might qualify for a unique auto insurance discount that insures your truck for less.
Remember that in order to qualify for this discount, you will need to own an applicable vehicle that follows the rules on the policy. Otherwise, you might wind up paying much more.
There are plenty of other novel auto insurance discounts that you might not have heard about. If you want to take advantage of them, you’ll need to sit down with your insurance agent and discuss the options available to you.
It is also a good idea to research other insurance providers from time to time. You never know when a original auto insurance discount is going to crop up that would save you money on car insurance.
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Filed under Infinity Car Insurance by on Mar 14th, 2011. Comment. 
When looking for auto insurance we all want the same thing – to save money. This is especially true given the current economic times. However, the current trend is to scour the internet searching for the best deal in car insurance. This, while useful at times, is often confusing, time attractive and even overwhelming – it would take days to search through all the available auto agencies online. Therefore, it is often much easier and more time effective to search the old fashioned map, pull out the phone book and call local agencies for. Searching among local insurance agents often offers various benefits.
Everyone, it seems, guarantees that they will save you money on your current insurance rates. Geico promises 15% or more, Progressive promises to compare quotes for you to find you the best rate; Allstate promises “you will save more”; Situation Farm promises the “best rates”; and the list continues on. Undoubtedly, all these companies, and many others, honestly are interested in saving you money, they want your business and in order to get your business they have to be competitive in their pricing.
Nevertheless, almost all these companies’ websites use fairly generic information forms when generating your car insurance quotes. These estimated quotes are often much higher than what they would be if you where to actually visit these agencies in person or declare with an agent. These is because local insurance agents also want your business, often more so than a national company, and are aware of the prices online and are likely to be wiling to do whatever they can to beat any online price you may find. A marvelous example of this is my experience with Allstate.
When I entered my information into Allstate’s online quote estimator the estimate was just over $1000 every six months or $180 a month. My wife and I have two cars, and have totaled one with in the last year, and have been in three other accidents (it has been a banner year). However, when I went into a local Allstate agent’s office he quoted me an insurance premium which was much less: $790 for six months or $132.38 a month. I was surprised at the difference. This may not always be the case, but often is. If you are truly looking for the best auto insurance rate available to you it would be worth your while to devote at least half of your looking efforts towards local agencies. Sometimes the best deals are with local car insurance agents who sell for a larger national company.
Filed under Car Insurance Reviews by on Feb 25th, 2011. Comment.
There are a number of factors that settle whether or not individuals will see increased car insurance rates. Some of these factors may surprise the average driver.
1) Smaller cars can actually increase the car insurance rate of a driver. This is surprising for people looking for energy efficient cars. Russ Rader, from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, states that the reason for these higher rates is because smaller cars like Mini Coopers tend to get into more crashes.
2) Cars that have high theft rates and are expensive to repair will increase car insurance rates. Cars like foreign cars and sport utility vehicles fall into this category and can cost drivers more than they request.
3) Every year, consumer groups give cars a safety rating. Cars that have low overall safety rating will increase car insurance rates.
4) High performance and sports cars, like Porches, garner higher car insurance rates because drivers of such vehicles tend to drive at accelerated speeds, causing them to get into more accidents. The rates increase further if drivers are in their 20s.
5) Cars that have been modified and upgraded after their purchase will also garner a higher insurance rate; therefore, it is better to keep the car as it was when you bought it.
6) Carinsurance.com states that two-door cars have a higher car insurance rate than four-door cars. The reason for this is that two-door cars fail on numerous counts, including safety, theft, and repair costs.
7) Cars that have high numbers of recorded rollovers, like pickup trucks and many sport utility vehicles, increase car insurance rates for drivers. Consumer Reports runs annual tests on different models to determine which ones have a greater rollover threshold.
http://www.insurancerate.com/181-insuring-your-sports-car.html
http://www.insure.com/articles/carinsurance/most-least-expensive-2009.html
Filed under Car Insurance Ratings by on Feb 23rd, 2011. Comment.
This list is for fans of The Office. How good has it been this year? That’s a rhetorical question, unless you really think it hasn’t been very good – feel free to let me know.
In fair two new episodes the bar has been raised. Then again, The Office seems to come by funnier every season. I hope they can continue this pace. I was a little concerned that the show may “jump the shark” because of the relationship between Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) and Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer), but it hasn’t. Fonzie isn’t even near the ocean yet.
In honor of The Office’s strong begin yet again this year, here are my Top 10 movies featuring The Office cast members:
10. Sahara (2005)
Not my favorite movie, but I don’t think it was bad as some of the reviews it received. Rainn Wilson (Dwight Schrute) plays a prominent role in this flick as Rudi Gunn, one of Matthew McConaughey’s sidekicks.
9. Jarhead (2005)
John Krasinski appears in this flick about the first Gulf War as Corporal Harrigan. Not a gargantuan role, but the movie was good (not great) and I enjoy most of John’s work.
8. Kinsey (2004)
For those of you who don’t know (or haven’t seen the movie), Dr. Alfred Kinsey conducted groundbreaking research in human sexuality at Indiana University back in the 1940′s and 50′s. John Krasinski makes an appearance as a newlywed who, along with his wife, seeks out the advice of Dr. Kinsey, a zoologist by training, when he and his wife have, well, let’s just say they have some questions. A pretty small role for Krasinski, but the movie is good and his scene is quite amusing.
7. Knocked Up (2007)
Knocked Up has brief appearances by Steve Carell (Michael Scott), as himself, and B.J. Novak (Ryan Howard) as an obstetrician. This movie would have ranked higher with more cast member participation. That being said, Knocked Up is a great flick – a lot of humor and a lot of heart. I literally had to stop the movie at least twice because I was laughing so loud.
6. The Replacements (2000)
I honest love this flick and I don’t care who knows (obviously). Guilty pleasure or not, it is just entertaining. So who is The Office cast member in this flick? None other than Pam’s ex-fiance, Roy Anderson, as played by David Denman. Denman plays deaf tight end, Brian Murphy, in The Replacements, who (spoiler alert!) catches the winning pass at the end of the movie. Lucky guy. I wonder if they’ll ever bring Roy back to the Scranton Branch of Dunder Mifflin.
5. Almost Famous (2000)
Rainn Wilson has a limited role in Almost Famous as Rolling Stone writer David Felton. This is one of my favorite movies of all time. If Rainn would have had a more prominent role, this flick would have been ranked higher.
4. Blades of Glory (2007)
Jenna Fischer has a prominent role in Blades of Glory as the sister of the evil skating siblings, Stranz and Fairchild Van Waldenberg. While this isn’t Will Ferrell’s best work, it is fun and Jenna does a great job playing the innocent sister. But why would she be interested in Jon Heder’s character? Ahhh, movie magic.
3. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
Either you love Anchorman or you hate it. I like pretty much anything Will Ferrell does, which means I like Anchorman. Steve Carell is phenomenal as the weatherman in this flick. That’s lawful, I actually used the word phenomenal to report his performance. Watch it again if you don’t occupy me.
2. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Think Steve Carell is only good at straight-ahead comedy? Think again and then check out Little Miss Sunshine. Great movie. Great work by Mr. Carell.
1. The 40-Year Old Virgin (2005)
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Steve Carell has dominated this list. It also shouldn’t surprise you that this flick is No. 1. This is a tremendous movie. It also has the most appearances by cast members of The Office. In addition to Steve Carell, Mindy Kaeling (Kelly Kapoor) appears as Paul Rudd’s ex-girlfriend, and Jenna Fischer and Phyllis Smith (Phyllis Lapin) both have uncredited appearances. Like Knocked Up, The 40-Year Old Virgin is hilarious, but also has a lot of heart. You can’t say that about a lot of other such comedies in this genre.
Filed under Car Insurance Questions by on Feb 18th, 2011. Comment.
I toyed with the idea of purchasing online car insurance. I thought I would save a lot of money. After all, I see hundreds of Progressive and Geico insurance commercials each and every day. These commercials promise large savings. After I did a itsy-bitsy research myself, I found that I might keep a few dollars. What I would lose, however was priceless: a relationship with a car insurance agent.
I like my car insurance agent. He is always there to answer my questions. When someone backed in to me at a Walgreen’s parking lot and then filed a claim against ME my car insurance agent was there. When I received a exclusive bill on a Saturday morning, it was my car insurance agent’s cell phone that I called. There are many benefits of having a car insurance agent as opposed to an online policy. I would like to share five car insurance agent benefits with you:
Benefit of Having a Car Insurance Agent #1: You Have Somewhere To Go If you Have a Question
If you have an online policy and need a question answered, you have to call a 1-800 number. I am sure that many people can vouch for the fact that sometimes you don’t get the best service through a 1-800 number. Of course, there are exceptions. I am sure there are many polite and courteous people working at online insurance companies that will benefit you. However, if you have an urgent question and can’t reach someone by phone you can visit your car insurance agent.
Car Insurance Agent Benefit #2: Someone is Watching Out for You
A vast car insurance agent encourage is that you always have someone watching out for you. If there is a new discount available, they will apply it to your account. If they have a new product available that might save you some money, they will call and tell you about it.
Benefit of Having a Car Insurance Agent #3: They May Help You Set Money on Other Insurance Policies
A great car insurance agent benefit is that they can support you with most of your insurance needs. Most car insurance companies that have agents have a colossal array of insurance services available – from auto insurance to life, renters, homeowners, boat, RV, and even medical insurance. Your car insurance agent knows your personal needs and can recommend policies. Sometimes the discount you are given on the policies for having multiple policies almost pays for the added policy itself. Having an insurance agent that knows what you need and can get you the policies you need is a great benefit.
Benefit of Having a Car Insurance Agent #4: A Car Insurance Agent Can Keep Your Records in Order
I can’t speak for all car insurance agents, but my car insurance agent keeps a file of any documentation I give him. I have a homeowners policy through him and I gave him a CD with photos of what is in my home. On the CD was also my excel spreadsheet of what I paid for my big ticket items. I have a copy of the CD in my fire proof safe, but if something happens to that too I know I have my records in order. My car insurance agent keeps that CD in the event I have a catastrophe we can start working a claim right away. They won’t even have to ask me for a list of my items, as they will have everything suitable at their disposal!
Car Insurance Agent Benefit #5: Having a Relationship with a Human
These days you don’t even have to even call a pizza place and talk to a human to place an order. You can order pizza online, send flowers online, bank online, you can even go to school online. The Internet and computers have taken an interesting role in our lives, oftentimes replacing very common social mechanisms. Sometimes it’s nice to just have an idle conversation with an accurate human being. If you are in a car accident, your computer can’t send flowers and a get well card to the hospital. Your computer can’t call to see if you are doing okay. Your computer can’t get obvious paperwork around for you. Having an actual car insurance agent reaps the benefits of actually having a business relationship with an precise human being who cares about you and your family. That’s one benefit that’s hard to replace.
Filed under Car Insurance Questions by on Jan 24th, 2011. Comment.
