HAPPY PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR 2015

I wish all of you
A Joyful Beginning Of The Year
And More Blessings Throughout
And End With Love 

Happy New Year

Merry Christmas! 2014

May this Christmas
Brings good health, wealth and peace to you home
And make your Christmas a fun filed Celebration
Merry Christmas and Happy new Year!

New York bans fracking Due to Health Risks

Governor Andrew Cuomo's administration made public on Wednesday that New York will be imposing a state-wide ban on hydraulic fracturing, because of numerous potential health risks.

According to New York Environmental Commissioner Joseph Martens he will be issuing an order early 2015 that will ban fracking, which has been under a moratorium since 2008. Currently, only one state bans fracking which is Vermont.

Fracking is a process of pumping water, sand and chemicals into a well to extract oil or gas. Some states say that fracking is a key economic resource while others said it was too dangerous both to environment and health of the people living nearby.

Howard Zucker New York health commissioner said, "The potential risks are too great, in fact not even fully known, and relying on the limited data presently available would be negligent on my part."

New York is located on top of a portion of the Marcellus shale, one of the largest natural gas deposits in the United States.

Obama Asks Senate to approve $1.1 trillion spending bill

President Barrack Obama asked the Senate to approve the $1.1 trillion spending bill, there are legislators from different camps objects the bill and there are even angry Democrats who said that it was a compromise that resulted from the divided government that the American people voted for.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said that the bill is a compromise, and there are colleagues that are not happy with it and they will have a chance to make their objections heard. He added that the senators would vote on the final deal Monday. The bill will continue funding the government up to September 2015, Homeland Security agency is not included since it is funded until February 27.

Fox News Sean Hannity was livid about the passing of this bill he is particulary mad at House Speaker John Boehner's (R-Ohio) for his support of this bill.

Hannity said: "This measure did not sit well with a number of conservatives, including me." "$ 2.5 billion for illegal immigrants and Obamacare is funded through the fiscal year, that's a conservative speaker? I don't think so. It's a sad day that John Boehner doesn't realize that there was an election. The people have spoken ... John Boehner has disrespected all the people who voted for all those Republicans tonight."

He even relate Jonathan Gruber (Obamacare consultant who said the American voters are stupid) to Boehner, "John 'Gruber' Boehner ...  John Boehner 'Grubered' conservatives tonight. And by that I mean the conservative base in particular." " We've got our own Gruber. It's John Boehner. Boehner is Gruber. He's full of it."

Republicans will take control of the Senate next month.

U.S. Economy Added 321,000 jobs in November

Employment numbers are stronger than expected in November as the U.S. economy created 321,000 jobs. Experts and economist was expecting 230,000 increase. The U.S. Labor Department said in a report Friday that businesses have added 321,000 jobs in November. This is the biggest hiring increase in nearly 3 years.

However the unemployment rate was unchanged at 5.8%, and the people who are unemployed is now at 9.1 million. The people who are unemployed for 27 weeks or more in November is at 2.8 million.

November is the 10th month that the economy has added 200,000 jobs, but it must add at least 250,000 jobs on average monthly to keep pace with population.

The bad news is, 6.9 million people who are working are employed part-time since they cannot find full-time job.

Jobless applications In the US jump to 300,000

Americans are feeling the heat as the number of people seeking U.S. unemployment benefits jump last week to above 300,000, the highest in almost three months.

The Labor Department on a report last Wednesday said the weekly applications went up by 21,000 to 313,000. Making it the highest level since the beginning of September. Using a four-week average which is a less volatile indicator, it went up by 6,250 to 294,000.

This increase will not cause any concerns about the overall status of the job market. Some of it were due to seasonal layoffs in business sectors that are affected by cold weather like construction. Claims were under 300,000 for 10 weeks consecutively, which is not the normal level this shows that companies are laying off less workers.

The jobless rate fell to 5.8%, this is the lowest in 6 years, down from 7.2% last year.

Mother Billed $950,000 for Child Birth in the US

Is giving birth in the US this expensive? Toronto Sun reported about Jennifer Huculak from Saskatchewan, Canada has been billed $950,000 by a hospital in the United States for giving birth to her daughter. This happened last year October 2013, Jennifer was pregnant and having vacation with her husband Darren Kimmel in Hawaii. Then her water broke, she was airlifted from Maui to a nearby hospital in Honolulu, Huculak and was confined in the hospital for 6 weeks before giving birth to a premature baby girl named Reece. She gave birth through an emergency C-section and her child was in neonatal intensive care unit for two months before they were able to leave the hospital.

Saskatchewan Blue Cross, her insurance company said that her coverage had been denied because of a pre-existing condition that the company said that can result to high-risk pregnancy. The doctors who operated her told the insurance company that the pregnancy was healthy but still got denied.

Obamacare architect Jonathan Gruber: We Lied About Obamacare, American voters are Stupid

MIT professor and an Obamacare architect Jonathan Gruber video clip was uploaded on Youtube in which he said that Obamacare is designed fool people and he also claim that the American voters are stupid. The video was posted by AmericanCommitment. It was taken during a panel discussion at the University of Pennsylvania in October, 2013.

Gruber said, "This bill was written in a tortured way to make sure CBO did not score the mandate as taxes. Lack of transparency is a huge political advantage. Basically, call it the stupidity of the American voter or whatever, but basically that was really critical to getting the thing to pass."

"In terms of riskrated subsidies, if you had a law which explicitly said that healthy people pay in and sick people get money, it would not have passed,". "You can't do it politically, you just literally cannot do it. It's not only transparent financing but also transparent spending."

If the Democrats lied about this what else did they lie about? I don't think people can trust them again.



Here is a Second Jonathan Gruber video calling Americans stupid

Affordable Care Act or the Obamacare is Heading to a Large Number of Dropouts

A survey from Bankrate shows that about 51% of people who enrolled in Obamacare last year using exchanges said that they would not enroll again on 2015. The reason is the prices for health plans are much higher and they can no longer afford it.

Reasons for this could be a lot people have work and they are already receiving health care benefits, old people that are now into Medicare, and many found out that the high deductibles and an average of 6% increase in premiums is just too high. The survey also shows that another reason for people to forego enrolling in 2015 is the bug ridden website.

The 2nd open enrollment season for the Obamacare will start on November 15, 2014, it will run for only 3 months about half the time as before. Officials are testing the site to ensure it can handle the demand. The biggest challenge now is getting people to sign up, which is why Health officials will change their pitch, last time they promoted it using the benefits of insurance. Now they are planning to focus more on the financial assistance available to consumers and the penalty for not having coverage. Those without insurance will be fined $325 per person or 2% of income, whichever is larger. This is like the big fat government is bullying and scaring people and force them Obamacare.

Cancer Patient Go Through with her Doctor Assisted Suicide

29 Year-old Brittany Maynard took her own life using Oregon’s death with dignity law. She ended her life Saturday by swallowing lethal drugs prepared by her doctors. She became the focus of public and media attention when she and her husband publicized that they transferred from Northern California to Portland, Oregon to exercise the Oregon law. She said that she planned to die on November 1.

Maynard ceased her suffering from a very painful brain cancer right on schedule, despite hinting at a possible delay in a video released last week.

Rest in Peace Brittany!

Middle Class Is Getting Poorer

The Middle Class has felt the brunt of the financial crisis, they are heavily taxed and don't have any handouts like the poor. While the 1% gets get even richer by squeezing the middle class with their overpriced products and services. People in the middle class are not rich, nor poor. They have income and some savings. Expert says that the middle class is gauged by having the median household income of $51,939 annually so it is safe to say that a family who is in between the 25th percentile and 75th percentile can be considered as middle class.

In 2013, the income of the median U.S. household was $51,900, it has not changed from 2012. If you adjust it for inflation it is 8% lower than in 2007, before the recession began. It has not increase since the recession ended in 2009.

If you can save 1/3 of your income after food, mortgage or rent, utilities, and grocery bills you can consider yourself a middle class.

The middle class has certainly changed, their purchasing power is decreasing, WallSt Cheat Sheet listed 7 items that the middle class can no longer afford.

1. Vacations - middle class can no longer afford to have a vacation, they would have to sacrifice something just to have it. Statistics shows that 54% of people gave up purchasing TVs or other electronics items just to go on a vacation.
2. New vehicles - with the high prices of new cars and trucks today the middle class simply cannot afford them.
3. Pay off debt - a lot of middle class workers are having difficulty paying off student loans, mortgages, car loan, and medical debts.
4. Emergency savings - emergency funds are put up as a safety net to protect our finances if we found ourselves out of work, medical expense, or other events that can leave you bankrupt. Most middle class today don't have 6 months emergency fund, and others have no emergency funds at all.
5. Retirement savings - Social Security is not enough to cover basic needs which is why this is really important to have a retirement fund however, middle class just can't afford to save  for retirement.
6. Medical care - According to Feeding America, 66% of US family had to choose between paying for foodstuff or to pay for medical care, while 31% say they have to make that choice each and every month.
7. Dental work - U.S. Department of Health and Human Service said that about 108 million individuals in the U.S. don't have dental coverage and even those who are covered are having trouble getting the care they need.

Health Worker From Texas Isolated on Cruise Ship Possible Ebola Case

A Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital health care worker who is involved in the handling of clinical specimens from now deceased Ebola-infected patient Thomas Eric Duncan is on a cruise ship in the Caribbean. The health care worker is now isolated and quarantined for monitoring for signs of Ebola according to the State Department.

The State Department added that the person has been self-monitoring and he has not yet develop a fever nor any other symptoms associated with Ebola.

The question is what is he doing on a Cruise ship? 

Obamacare Cancels Almost 20,000 Kansas Health Care Plans

Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., released a video titled "AN INTERESTING QUESTION" were he exposed his opponent, independent Greg Orman. On the video it stated that 20,000 Kansans lost their insurance because of Obamacare (Affordable Care Act.)

On the video is shows Greg Orman shaking hands with people and one man ask him about Obamacare if he will support repealing it but Greg simply said "that’s an interesting question" and then ignores the man completely.

Walmart to remove health insurance for 30,000 Employees

Walmart said that they will be cutting the health insurance coverage for their part-time workers like what other small businesses are doing. Walmart is the United States' largest private employer. This sad news will affect 30,000 employees of Walmart and is a result of increased healthcare costs because of the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare. This will be implemented on January 1, 2015, they will stop offering insurance to employees working less than 30 hours a week.

Sally Welborn, Wal-Mart’s senior vice president for global benefits said that "The cost of Obamacare were significant and led us to make some tough decisions."

The trend of companies cutting benefits to cut cost and save money is a concern, base on a survey from Towers Watson, 12% of companies are planning to bar healthcare coverage of spouses with similar aims to cut costs.

Francis DeYoung retired insurance professional and consultant with the Small Business Association said:
“There is such a big cost factor involved. When you are looking at a family plan and you have got to provide coverage for even 4 or 5 employees, it is a big number. There is so many uncertainties in the future and these businesses are scared to death.”

So are you still happy with your Obamacare?

Forbes: Bill Gates richest Person in the US

Bill Gates, Microsoft co-founder topped the Forbes "Richest People In America 2014" it is his 21st consecutive year in a row with a net worth of $81 billion.

According to Forbes it the 2014 list was another record year for American wealth, since the aggregate net worth of the richest 400 Americans reached $2.29 trillion, it has increased by $270 billion from last year.

This years minimum net worth to be included in the list is pretty high at $1.55 billion and because of this some 113 American billionaires failed to be listed.

Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway got the number 2 spot on the 400 with accumulated wealth of $67 billion. Larry Ellison, CEO and founder of software firm Oracle is in number 3 with $50 billion net worth. The fourth spot was a tie between brother Charles and David Koch who both got $42 billion apiece.

Christy Walton widow of John Walton who is one of the sons of the founder of Walmart Sam Walton is on 6th spot with $38 billion. Her husband John died in a plane crash. Michael Bloomberg the former New York Mayor is on 8th with $35 billion net worth.

Facebook cofounder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is raking in money he is now the 11th richest person in the U.S. and the biggest earner his money increased by $15 billion since last year to $34 billion.

Top 10 Richest People In America 2014 List

1. Bill Gates $81 billion
2. Warren Buffett $67 billion
3. Larry Ellison $50 billion
4. Charles Koch $42 billion
4. David Koch $42 billion
6. Christy Walton & family $38 billion
7. Jim Walton $36 billion
8. Michael Bloomberg $35 billion
9. Alice Walton $34.9 billion
10. S. Robson Walton $34.8 billion

Full List: http://www.forbes.com/forbes-400/

Wal-Mart spokesman David Tovar after the Company learned He lied about his Resume

David Tovar will soon be the former Wal-Mart's vice president of corporate communications, last week he wrote a message "Farewell" with the message that he was leaving the company after 8 years of service and that he is a better person and better professional with the experience that he gain from the company, and he said that "I am leaving on good terms and Walmart has been very supportive. I am still here a few more weeks." But it turns out the reason he is leaving is because he lied about his resume. So kids remember this, it's not good lying specially about your resume. It will haunt you someday. Tovar lied about graduating from the University of Delaware in 1996.

In an interview with CNBC, he insist that it was a résumé error and it was discovered when he was under assessment that is a regular process when being promoted to senior vice president.

"As part of that process I was going through additional leadership assessment, including a battery of tests including questions about leadership, drug tests, background checks. In the background check my education was flagged—it was done by a third party company. They asked me about it, and I was 100 percent transparent."

"I got a job and never looked back. I really didn't think an art degree would matter in communications, which was the field I went into."

"Wal-Mart said they could not promote me based on what they found. I said that the more senior job is the one that what I wanted, so we agreed I would leave. I am leaving on good terms and Walmart has been very supportive. I am still here a few more weeks."

9/11 Anniversary

Let's remember the people who died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and remember the people who serve our country for our freedom!

The United States mark the 13th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attack. The National September 11 Museum features artifacts and graphic photos of the attacks, which is now open to the public.

Family members of those who lose loveones in the attack will be gathering on the grounds to read the names of the deceased which is a yearly event. The roll call will pause four times to mark the times when the 1st passenger plane hit the World Trade Center, then the 2nd plane struck. The 3rd pause is for when the 1st tower fell and the last when the second tower fell.

The memorial plaza will be closed to the public for most of the day and available only to family members. It will reopen at 6 p.m., at which point thousands of New Yorkers are expected to mark the anniversary at the twin reflecting pools where the towers once stood.

Healthcare.gov site Still Suffers from Glitch

People can lose their new health insurance policies if they failed to resubmit citizenship or immigration information to the government by the end of next week but with the Healthcare.gov site suffering glitches from time to time, they are having a hard time doing it.

Most of them send the information multiple times just to be sure that they are sent, and others can't access their accounts at all.

310,000 person receive letters from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services asking them to secure a proof of their citizenship or immigration status by September 5 or their insurance will be canceled at the end of the month. Aaron Albright of CMS said the letters were sent to consumers who have no citizenship or immigration documentation with the government. However, agents said that most of the immigrants that they have assisted has already sent the documents during enrollment. 

If you are having problems with Healthcare.gov call (800) 318-2596.

Homeowners who don't have Hurricane Insurance Will have a Tremendous Headache

Homeowners don't have Hurricane Insurance and sustained damaged in their homes due to Tropical Storm Iselle which hit Hawaii will have to dig deep in their pockets to shoulder the repairs. Even if they have homeowner’s policy. Since you cannot purchase hurricane insurance once a hurricane watch or warning is announced. Also, homeowner’s insurance policy does not cover storm damage even if the hurricane status was downgraded to a tropical storm once it reached land. So that means, even if the hurricane is reclassified to a tropical storm three days before landfall, your homeowner’s insurance will not cover the damages sustained.

Check out the full news here: http://khon2.com/2014/08/18/storm-ravaged-homeowners-without-hurricane-insurance-out-of-luck/

Russia Bans Agricultural Imports from US, European Union, Australia, Canada and Norway

Russia on Thursday August 7, 2014 announced that they will be banning imports of agricultural products and food from the United States, the European Union, Australia, Canada and Norway as retaliation to ill-advised Western sanctions against Russia.

Russia Prime Minister Dmitri A. Medvedev said that they will ban importation of pork, beef, fruit, vegetables and dairy products from the European Union, the United States, Canada, Australia and Norway for one year.

Russia is one of the largest market for agricultural exports that amounted to 11.8 billion euros ($15.7 billion) in 2013. That will be a massive lost on the European economy, which is struggling with recession right now.

Russia imported $6.7 billion of meat and meat products in 2013, and most of them were imported from countries that are included in the ban like Denmark (6.6%), Germany (6.4%), USA (5.3%), and Canada (3.8%).

As for Canadian, their $500-million Russian market for pork will be hard to replace. Ireland exported €150m of food and drink to Russia in 2011, and now that market is gone. Irish economy will definitely feel the pain.

European shares dropped as an effect of this ban. In Finland, they are worried that their struggling economy is headed for disaster. 

Russia is still thinking about banning flights over Siberia that will have huge effects on European and American airlines routes to Asia.

Clearly, Barrack Obama and the European Union puppets didn't think this through. Why would you impose sanction on Russia for the Ukraine crisis? US didn't get sanctioned when they invaded Iraq. European Union should have shrugged Barrack Obama's pressure on hitting Russia just because he didn't get what he wants. Barrack Obama is like a spoiled child who throw tantrums when he don't get what he wants, and the European Union leaders are like his nannies who want to please him all the time even though their people will suffer in the end. U.S. Government should just stop sticking their nose on things that doesn't concern them. This is an epic failure on Barrack Obama's foreign policy. If the European Union goes into deep recession, they just have to look at the mirror and blame the gullible moron standing in front of them.

Obamacare Premiums Rising

California officials said that the more than 1.2 million consumers in the Obamacare insurance exchange can expect an average rise in premiums of more than 4.2% in 2015 on California's health insurance exchange.

In other major urban areas will have higher increases than the average, San Francisco had the highest average increase of 6.6%. Orange County is at 6.3%, while Los Angeles was at 4%.

You can check your coverage if it will be affected by the new rates at Covered California's online rate calculator.

The average premium increase for 2015 for the 24 states and the District of Columbia will be at around 7.5% based on the findings and analysis of PwC's Health Research Institute.

Covered California will have 10 insurers next year, including major insurers such as Blue Shield of California and WellPoint Inc.

Insurance Company Refused to pay Operation for Baby's Brain Tumor

Doctors discovered a life-threatening brain tumor in the left temporal lobe of Savannah Snodgrass when she was just 4 months old and she was immediately sent to the Texas Children's Hospital. The doctors decided to observe her since she was too fragile and just too young to undergo a brain surgery. Doctors watch if the tumor is growing. Now the doctors decided to do an emergency surgery last Tuesday July 8 but it was cancelled because Superior HealthPlan Texas HMO, denied their coverage for the operation.

Her mom Tessa Snodgrass, 38 is a retired U.S. Army major, she received the letter of denial from their HMO. She told Fox news that her baby was having seizures that started last March, and was brought to the hospital after having 15 seizures in a 24-hour period.

This is a really sad news, shame on the Superior HealthPlan for making it difficult for their members to get treated. The mother said that the company's reason for denying their claim is that the Texas Children's Hospital is an out-of-network provider and they need to transfer to a new hospital in Austin, Texas which is an hour drive. This is just ridiculous. I hope the HMO company come to their senses and make things right for this angel.

Read the whole story here on Fox News.

Cars that tops the JD Powers 2014 Initial Quality Study

Highest ranked small car: Hyundai Accent

Highest ranked small SUV (tie): Kia Sportage

Nissan Juke (tie)- Highest ranked small SUV

J.D. Power and Associates conducted released their 2014 Initial Quality Study on vehicle brands and Porsche topped the list. They have also noticed the increasing number of issues in all cars overall due to new technologies.
The survey ranks brands and individual models in terms of the number of problems a vehicle incurred per 100 within the first 90 days of ownership, the fewer the better. The survey is the auto industry's number one guide for new cars quality and meet customers expectation.

Porsche which is number 1 had 74 problems per 100 vehicles within the first 90 days of ownership, followed by Jaguar in second with 87 problems. The third is Lexus with 92, and then Hyundai with 94.

You'll noticed that Hyundai has improved tremendously taking the number 4 spot, they were at 10th in 2013. Also Hyundai is considerably cheaper than the high end brands in the top 3. Hyundai’s philosophy has paid off, "Go after the big ones; make measurable improvements."

Dave Zuchowski the CEO of Hyundai Motor America said that, their stunning climb in the survey “speaks to our long-term commitment to quality.” Hyundai vehicles got 3 top awards on the JD Powers 2014 Initial Quality. Hyundai Accent got the highest ranked small car, Elantra got the highest ranked compact car, and their Genesis sedan bagged the highest ranked midsize premium car.

2014 BRAND RANKING

*Average problems per 100 vehicles of brand's whole line:

1. Porsche 74
2. Jaguar 87
3. Lexus 92
4. Hyundai 94
5. Toyota 105
6. Chevrolet 106
7. Kia 106
8. BMW 108
9. Honda 108
10. Lincoln 109
11. Audi 111
12. Chrysler 111
13. Cadillac 115
14. Mercedes-Benz 115
15. Volvo 115
16. Ford 116
17. GMC 116
18. Ram 116
19. INDUSTRY AVERAGE
20. Buick 120
21. Nissan 120
22. Dodge 124
23. Land Rover 127
24. Infiniti 128
25. Volkswagen 128
26. Acura 131
27. Mini 133
28. Subaru 138
29. Mazda 139
30. Scion 140
31. Mitsubishi 145
32. Jeep 146
33. Fiat 206

BEST INDIVIDUAL MODELS BY TYPE

Small car: Hyundai Accent, Mazda2, Kia Rio
Compact car: Hyundai Elantra, Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic
Compact premium car: Lexus ES Acura TL, Acura ILX (tie), BMW 4 Series (tie)
Compact sporty car: Mazda MX-5 Miata, Volkswagen GTI, Scion tC
Compact premium sporty car: Porsche Boxster, Porsche Cayman, Nissan Z
Midsize car: Chevrolet Malibu, Hyundai Sonata, Toyota Camry
Midsize sporty car: Dodge Challenger, Chevrolet Camaro
Midsize premium car: Hyundai Genesis, Lincoln MKS, BMW 6 Series (tie), Lexus GS (tie), Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class (tie)
Midsize premium sporty car: Porsche 911, Jaguar F-Type
Large car: Kia Cadenza, Nissan Maxima, Toyota Avalon
Large premium car: Porsche Panamera, Lexus LS, Hyundai Equus
Small SUV: Buick Encore (tie), Kia Sportage (tie), Nissan Juke (tie)
Compact SUV: GMC Terrain, Chevrolet Equinox, Toyota FJ Cruiser
Compact premium SUV: Infiniti QX50, BMW X3, Audi Q5
Compact MPV: Mazda5, Kia Soul, Ford C-Max
Midsize SUV: Ford Edge, Hyundai Santa Fe (tie) Nissan Murano (tie)
Midsize premium SUV: Lincoln MKX, Porsche Cayenne, Infiniti QX70
Midsize pickup: Honda Ridgeline, Nissan Frontier (tie) Toyota Tacoma (tie)
Minivan: Chrysler Town & Country, Toyota Sienna, Dodge Grand Caravan
Large SUV: Chevrolet Suburban (tie) GMC Yukon (tie), Chevrolet Tahoe
Large premium SUV: Infiniti QX80, Cadillac Escalade
Large light-duty pickup: Ford F-150, Toyota Tundra, Ram 1500
Large heavy-duty pickup: Chevrolet Silverado HD, GMC Sierra HD

Car insurance Guide

If you want to save on your Car Insurance you need to do your research and compare each of them. Insurance premiums are rising, it is up by 10% since 2008 which is big since before 2008 auto insurance premiums average increase is just 1% annually.

Most companies uses credit-based insurance scores to determine premiums. So if you have bad credits, you will have higher insurance premiums. Some companies even use firms that mine databases for personal policyholder information, insurance companies can use it to look for your personal information about your family, your marriage, your work and other information that is relevant and could increase your risks level this could lead to higher premiums.

There are insurance companies that requires their policyholders to have their car restored at their accredited repair shops so that they can cut cost. Some of them even use cheap aftermarket replacement parts.

There are factors that you don't have the power to change however, there are still ways to cut on your premiums for your auto insurance coverage.

1. Regularly (every 6 months) check rates from other insurance companies by getting quote from them online or by other means. However, if you have been with the same insurance company for a long time. They usually gives discount for longevity so your premiums with them will be hard to beat.

You can use Insurance Premiums comparison site to compare premiums. You can check out www.naic.org/state_web_map.htm to find a link to your state's agency. If you live in California use this link:

https://interactive.web.insurance.ca.gov/survey/survey?type=autoSurvey&event=autoStart

If you also compare through Answer Financial, Insure.com, InsWeb, and NetQuote. Sometimes you will not get an immediate results but they will email you the quote.

2. Check the background of the insurance company through research online, because some company charge less premiums but they will low-ball and cut corners when your car needs repairs. Some companies also increase premiums too much after an accident.

3. Your deductible should be just the right amount. If you choose a high deductible you will have a lower premium however you will have higher out of pocket cost when you have a claim. However, if you have a good driving record and you travel less having a higher deductible will be a good move.

4. The liability coverage covers property damage and bodily injuries that you caused in an event of an accident. If you reduce this and had an accident it can hurt you financially. Make sure that you purchase the standard coverage $100,000 per person for bodily injury, $300,000 per accident, and property damage up to $100,000.

5. Protect yourself from uninsured drivers make sure that your plan have uninsured/underinsured motorist protection. If you got hit by an uninsured driver you will be the one to pay for the damages and suit the driver who hit you in court to recoup what you paid for which will take time and more money.

6. If you are driving an old car and the yearly cost of your premiums equals or over 10% of your car's book value, just let go of the collision or comprehensive coverage. You will be paying more in premiums than what you will get to repair or replace your car.

7. If you have two cars, don't get the rental-reimbursement coverage.

8. If you have auto-club membership remove the roadside assistance coverage.

9. If you have a reliable health coverage then you don't have to get the personal-injury protection and medical-payments coverage.

10. Make sure that your Auto Insurance company will use shop that you trust and use original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts.

11. Always ask for discounts. Insurance companies usually gives discount if you also buy your other insurance from them like life-insurance or homeowners insurance.

Life insurance For New Parents

We want the best for our children however, we cannot predict the future and in an event of an untimely death there will be tons of financial headache like  medical bills, funeral bills, or home mortgages. Don't worry you can plan ahead and have a financial safety net to ensure there’s money available for these expenses. Life insurance can be your safety cushion to save you from this financial disaster.

There are two kinds of Life insurance policy, Term insurance and Whole Life Insurance (permanent insurance or universal insurance).

Term insurance - insurance gives you coverage at a fixed rate of payments for a limited period of time. You pay premium for 10 years or 20 years and it entitles you to a specific amount of money. In an event that the policyholder dies during the policy term the beneficiaries are entitled to the payout.

After that period term expires any premiums paid are lost. However, there are policies that allows they term insurance to be extended but the coverage at the previous rate of premiums is no longer guaranteed.

This insurance is cheaper than the Whole Life Insurance.

Whole Life Insurance - this gives you coverage for the duration of your life. It also acts as a savings where the policyholder can access a portion of the money paid as premiums when it is needed.

Whole Life Insurance premiums are higher than Term insurance.

To make sure you do not overpay for an insurance, since the insurance agent may oversell you their products that you don't need use Life Happens insurance calculator to compute your life insurance needs.

Another tip, life insurance is cheaper while you are younger.

Need Auto Insurance? Go to Comparenow.com to compare prices

Value for money is our ultimate goal, and every cents counts. If you can get the same topnotch service for less price you will definitely grab it. All insurance company promise that they offer the lowest price and that you can save money on your car insurance if you buy their insurance. How can you know for sure if you don't compare it with other insurance company. Going to one Insurance company website to another will take so much time since there are about 400 insurance companies in the US.

You can use Comparenow.com to get an instant auto insurance quote for your car by signing up for a free account and entering the basic information that insurance providers need to calculate their coverage costs.

Comparenow.com can help you search for the car insurance that will really saves you money. All you have to do is go to their website, enter your zipcode and click on "Start Comparing". It will then ask you for information about the car and how you use it. Then it will ask you for your address, and other information. Then it will ask you about the car's current coverage. Then after that it will ask you to create a log in using your email address.

Once you have an account you will be asked to Select the package that best meets your coverage needs and then they wil retrieve your quote. Your coverages can be customized by clicking on the "Customize Coverages" link. Then it will ask you to wait for 30 seconds as they retrieve your quote.

The great thing about Comparenow.com, you can get the insurance that will give you the most value for your money. However, please do note that most of the time the insurance companies  cannot offer a quote immediately since they need more time to process your information. What will happen is that they will email you your quotes.

Comparenow is doing what other online price comparison websites like Priceline.com is doing, get shoppers that wants value for their money.

Comparenow is owned by Admiral Group PLC, which is a British insurance company they also owns Henrico-based auto insurer Elephant Insurance Services LLC.

Other price comparison websites for car insurance is AutoInsurance.com which has partnered with Walmart.

Most Americans Don't Budget According to a Survey

The National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) recently published a survey about the Consumer Financial Literacy. The 2014 Financial Literacy Survey that was conducted by Harris Poll online last March, gives us an idea of American consumer's degree financial literacy. It also identifies their behavior and attitude towards trends that is linked to personal finance.

More than 2,000 American adults ages 18 and above took part of this survey, that was sponsored by Experian Consumer Services.

Check out the Key Findings from the NFCC 2014 Consumer Financial Literacy Survey:

Budgeting and Debt:

•  61% of the respondents admitted that they don't have a budget, the highest percentage in six years.
• 1/3 or 34% of US adults indicated that their household carries credit card debt from month-to-month. It was also reported that about 15% or more than 35 million US adults admitted that they roll-over $2,500 or more monthly.
• The proportion of adults who are spending less when compared to last year continues to go down. As you can see on the infographic in 2009 it as at its highest at 57%, it declines annually, it stand at its lowest at 29% in 2014.

Savings vs. Spending:

• 16% of Adults in the US, worries about having not enough "rainy day" savings.   
• 16% of Americans also worries about retiring without having enough money set aside.
•  32% of Americans still don not save any portion of their yearly income for retirenment.

Credit Reports and Scores:

• 65% of US adults have failed to review their credit reports within the past 12 months.
• 60% of US adults have not reviewed their credit score.
• 21% or about 1 in 5 US adults are not at all sure about what types of information are included on a standard credit report.

Survey Confirms the need for Financial Education:

• 41% of US adults gave themselves a grade of C, D or F in grading their knowledge of personal finance.
• 21% of them said that if money could talk, they think their money would say "I'm smaller than most of my friends."
• 73% or 3/4 of US adults agree that they could benefit from financial advice from a professional.

April is the Financial Literacy Month and it is a good reminder for Americans to check their credit report and credit scores since credit knowledge is a very critical part when it comes to understanding personal finance.

With a lot of bad happening like online fraud the public should be vigilant and people should spend time checking their credit report regularly to safeguard and spot signs of fraud if there's any. It will also help people better understand the things that affects their credit, this will give us an idea on how to improve and  make informed financial decisions.

Red flags that Need attention about individual Personal Finance:

• Absence of a budget
• Confusion around credit reports and scores
• Spending beyond what can be responsibly repaid
• Insufficient savings
• Admitted lack of knowledge pertaining to personal finance

According to financial experts budget is the basic tool of financial management, and if a person don't have one he or she will easily lose track of spending.

Click Here to access the info-graphic and to use its interactive features.

If you want more resources to help you with your money and finance management check out the sites below:

Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy - they are a partnership of about 150 national organizations and entities from different background like corporate, non-profit, academic, government and other sectors. Their mission is to help students in pre-kindergarten up to college in advancing financial literacy.

MyMoney.Gov – They teach the importance of the Five (5) building blocks for managing and growing your money which are Earn, Save and Invest, Protect, Spend, and Borrow.

360 Degrees of Financial Literacy – Set up by American certified public accountants that aims to help the public understand their personal finances through every stage of life. The great thing about this tool is, it's FREE.

Mint - Lets you manage your budget with their easy to use personal finance tools and calculators. Track spending and monitor your online banking account. This is a free tool.

Obamacare sign-ups on track to hit 7M as website stalls

HealthCare.gov which is the official website for U.S. consumers to enroll in private health insurance under Obamacare encountered technical issues twice on Monday due to huge surge of people accessing the website before the midnight deadline to sign up for coverage.

More than 6 million people had signed up for a private health coverage through the new Obamacare insurance market. It surpass the target set after a disastrous October rollout. Experts said that if the surge continues, they may exceed the original goal of 7 million.

There were times that there are more than 125,000 people using HealthCare.gov at once, thus straining it beyond its capacity.

President Barrack Obama has aggressively courting healthy 18 to 34 years, but there are reports that most of the enrollees are 35 and older.

McKinsey & Company also shows that 27% of the enrollees were previously uninsured and that roughly 75% of those who signed up for private insurance under ObamaCare have paid their premiums.

Obamacare Deadline March 31st; Important Points to Remember

March 31 is just around the corner and it is the deadline of Affordable Care Act open enrollment. If you missed the deadline and have not purchased health care coverage you may be penalized (tax penalty) on your 2014 taxes filed in 2015. You will also have to wait for the next open enrollment period.

If you have already insurance from your work, Medicaid, Medicare, or others you will not be penalized as long as it have the minimum standards under the Affordable Care Act.

Under the ObamaCare Act everyone is required to have health insurance or if you don't you will have to pay a tax penalty (in 2015 when 2014 taxes are filed). However, there are exemptions.

- The household income of your family is less than the IRS income tax filing requirement ($10,000 if you are single, $20,000 if you are married and filing jointly).
- If you are a member of ministries or religious sects, or of a federally recognized Native American tribe.
- If you are uninsured for less than three consecutive months in a year.
- If you can't afford to get an insurance because of financial difficulties or the lowest premium is more than 8% of your household income.
- If your insurance plan was recently cancelled and you can't afford a marketplace plan.
- If your health insurance does not meet minimum coverage standards, but your state insurance commissioner allows your insurer to continue to offer out of date plans until the October 1st, 2016 additional grace period.
- If you are 26 yearsold and below you can opt to stay on or be added to your parents' health insurance plan, even if you don't live with them.

Subsidies for the cost of health insurance - you can check if you are eligible for financial assistance from the US government, through subsidy. It will be determined based on your household income and family size. You easily check if you qualify for a tax subsidy by using the health care calculator from TurboTax. The subsidy can go directly to your health insurance provider when you purchase insurance if you are qualified. If you qualified you will pay a lower monthly health insurance premium.

Penalties:

In 2014 the amount of one-time penalty is $95 per adult, or 1% of your total income depending on your income. For uninsured children in your household, the penalty is $47.50 per child with a maximum family penalty of $285.

Visit HealthCare.gov to apply for health insurance, you can also compare plans, and enroll online. You can also apply by phone or get in-person help with your application.

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Important Points to remember when Getting Travel Insurance

With the recent unfortunate mysterious disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 a lot of travelers are thinking that you can never say that you are 100% safe. The Malaysian passenger plane which has 239 people on board vanished in the skies over Southeast Asia Saturday March 8, 2014.

The Malaysia jet is a Boeing 777-200 model which have an excellent safety record.

You really can't say what future holds, which is why it is important that you make sure that you and your family are financially secured during unfortunate events like this.

Travel Insurance plans covers these most common risks:

•     Emergency evacuation
•     Repatriation of remains
•     Medical emergency (accident or sickness)
•     Return of a minor
•     Trip cancellation
•     Trip interruption
•     Visitor health insurance
•     Accidental death, injury or disablement benefit
•     Overseas funeral expenses
•     Lost, stolen or damaged baggage, personal effects or travel documents
•     Delayed baggage (and emergency replacement of essential items)
•     Flight connection was missed due to airline schedule
•     Travel delays due to weather
•     hi-jacking

These are the risks that are commonly excluded:

•     Pre-existing medical conditions
•     War or terrorism
•     Injury or illness caused by alcohol or drug use

When purchasing Travel Insurance make sure that it has secondary coverage, this will make a big difference when you need treatment and will save you from further inconvenience. If you have none, you may incur out of pocket expenses and will deal with more headaches in filing for reimbursement from health insurance company. You may also suffer mediocre hospital care in a foreign country if you don't have enough money to cover the cost or they may even deny to give you medical care. Paying additional dollars for secondary coverage is worth it to get primary medical coverage.

Getting a primary medical coverage advantages:

- No out of pocket expenses
- You won't be denied medical care in a foreign country due to cost

Travel Insurance will compensate you if your baggage is lost, stolen or damaged, not only by the airline but also if it is lost, stolen or damaged on your way to your hotel or in a restaurant. However, do note that most policies do not cover electronics such as smartphones, tablets, or laptops so it's important to double check each policy carefully under the Baggage and Personal property section.

Highest and Lowest Insurance for 2014 Vehicle Model

Insure.com has released the survey for the highest and lowest insurance rates for the 2014 model cars. They use information from the 6 leading insurance companies in all 50 states.

Jeep Wrangler Sport topped the cheapest 2014 models to insure at $1,080 annually while the Nissan GT-R Track Edition is the priciest 2014 model to insure at $3,169.

By states, the highest average insurance rates are Michigan which is number 1 then followed by West Virginia, Georgia, Washington, D.C. and Rhode Island. While the five states with the cheapest average rates is headed by Ohio followed by Maine, New Hampshire, Idaho and Iowa.

Cheapest 2014 models to insure:

1. Jeep Wrangler Sport - $1,080
2. Honda Odyssey LX  - $1,103
3. Jeep Patriot Sport - $1,104
4. Honda CR-V LX - $1,115
5. Jeep Compass Sport - $1,140
6. Chrysler Town & Country Touring - $1,140
7. Subaru Outback 2.5i - $1,144
8. Dodge Journey SE - $1,149
9. Honda Odyssey EX - $1,149
10. Dodge Grand Caravan SE - $1,158

Priciest 2014 models to insure:

1. Nissan GT-R Track Edition - $3,169
2. BMW M6 - $3,065
3. Mercedes-Benz CL550 4Matic AWD - $3,019
4. Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT - $2,986
5. Porsche Panamera Turbo S - $2,970
6. Audi R8 5.2 Spyder Quattro - $2,917
7. Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG - $2,887
8. Audi A8 L 6.3 Quattro - $2,869
9. Jaguar XKR Supercharged - $2,854
10. Jaguar XK - $2,610

10 States with the Lowest average auto insurance rates:

1. Ohio ($926)
2. Maine ($964)
3. New Hampshire (963)
4. Idaho ($1,053)
5. Iowa ($1,058)
6. North Carolina ($1,060)
7. Wisconsin ($1,087)
8. Virginia ($1,114)
9. Vermont ($1,149)
10. New York ($1,173)

Source: Insure.com

Self Insure or Pay for Insurance

Is it wise to self insure for long-term care or just buy insurance? Manisha Thakor founder and chief executive of Santa Fe, N.M. based MoneyZen Wealth Management LLC said on her article on Wall Street Journal, that Long-term-care insurance is a new product and it don't have the history of dealing with claims payment like home and auto insurance.

She also said that young people have the power to choose, right to choose to self insure themselves, “By taking the money you would have put in long-term-care premiums and investing them in a low cost 60/40 balanced index fund, you can create your own pool of funds to draw on down the road if need be–and avoid the dreaded “claim denied” scenario,” she said.

But self insuring will take a lot of discipline and majority of Americans I believe will not be able to keep on investing every month and put it on 60% stocks and 40% bonds. The plus side to self insuring is if you don't need long term care you can keep the money to yourself or give it to your heirs.

However, if we take into consideration the inflation rate, it can be costly the price of health care will considerably increase by the time you need it. The plus side of having a good insurance is it can protect you against inflation.

According to the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance there are more or less 8 million Americans that have long-term care insurance. The premiums costs for single males have decrease while the premiums for females increased.

If a 55yo male who is single bought a new long-term care insurance protection in 2014, he will pay about $925 per year for $164,000 of benefits American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance said. He would pay $1,765 for coverage that increases the benefit pool to $365,000 at age 85, a 14.5% decline from last year’s average.

If a 55yo single woman pay an average of $1,225 every year for the same level of benefits available to a single man for $925.

260,000 Vehicles recalled by Toyota US

NEW YORK - After recalling Prius hybrids last Wednesday Toyota are now recalling another 260,000 cars and pickup trucks in the United States Friday because of electrical problems that may caused faulty breaks.

This will affect Lexus RX350s and Toyota Tacomas for the model years 2013 and 2012, also included are Rav4 2012 stated in the report by the US National Transportation Safety Board.

The faulty electrical component of the brake actuator in the brake system of the vehicles has the tendency to malfunction that would turn on warning lights for the stability control, braking and traction control systems.

If that happens the system will malfunction and will no longer operate that can cause crash.

Last Wednesday February 12, 2014 Toyota notify owners in Japan that they will recall 1.9 million Prius hybrid cars after the uncovering some problems with software used to control a power converter.

Bitcoin Crashes, Withdrawals Frozen

There were whispers of uncertainties about Bitcoin even when they were soaring, there are a hint of doubts. However, some people who wants to get rich quick disregard the red flags and were too eager to jump to invest in the cryptocurrency.

The bitcoin crashed, which is its 3rd in recent months, that leaves investors wondering if this is the end of the once promising currency.

The crash was a result of an oversight made by Tokyo based MtGox, which is the largest exchange. They allowed bitcoins to be traded for traditional currency. Then they hold the accounts of all its customers and stop their operations when the company discovered an unfortunate glitch.

MtGox said in a statement: “A bug in the bitcoin software makes it possible for someone to use the Bitcoin network to alter transaction details to make it seem like a sending of bitcoins to a bitcoin wallet did not occur when in fact it did occur.”

Which means the bug permit someone to get additional bitcoin currency and it may be use to exploit the system for fraud. They also said that the flaw in the bitcoin standard allowed fraudulent cancellations of completed transactions.

The currency value dropped by 20%. After hanging in the range of $900 to $1,000 for most of 2014, Bitcoin prices plummets to as low as $500 before recovering slightly to around $700 on Monday.

Congressional Budget Office: Obamacare Will result to Loss of 2 million Jobs, Shrink the Economy

Last Tuesday the Congressional Budget Office said that the Obamacare or healthcare law will diminish work hours that is equivalent to 2 million full-time jobs in 2017.

The latest U.S. fiscal outlook which is a non-partisan CBO indicated that the Obamacare will affect the workforce of the country particularly those who are in the lower income bracket. Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas Elmendorf said that workers will limit their hours so that they will not lose federal subsidies that is provided by the law to help pay for health insurance and other healthcare costs.

The country will feel its impact in 2017 owing to the fact that major provisions of Obamacare

The biggest impact would begin in 2017, CBO said, because major provisions of the law will have started by then. They said that on 2024 the work hours will shrunk by equivalent of 2.5 million jobs.

He further said, "The act creates a disincentive for people to work."

House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis that the law will not lay off workers but people will choose not to work because of this provision.

"As a result ... that (lower) labor supply lowers economic growth," Ryan said.

Elmendorf answered: "Yes, that's right."

Ryan added that this would mean that few people would be joining the middle class.

"It's adding insult to injury," he said. "As the welfare state expands, the incentive to work declines meaning grow the government, you shrink the economy."

Obama's Fact Check Highlights Misstatements in Speech

I've stumble upon an interesting article by Calvin Woodward AP, talking about misstatements made by Barrack Obama on his State of Union address. He gave his State of the Union address on Capitol Hill in Washington,last Tuesday January 28, 2014.

My take about the article is I don't think retiring baby boomers is that significant and it is not the same as unemployed. In reality, most of Americans wants to find full time job but can't, because of the continues exporting of jobs to other countries. 

check out the article after the jump!

Jimmy Kimmel Take on ObamaCare (Affordable Care Act)

Jimmy Kimmel live opening monologue is about ObamaCare, he ridiculed the young people who are supporting the Law since they will be the one to be disadvantaged. Check out the video clip above.

Accenture is now the lead contractor for Obamacare website HealthCare.gov

Reuters recently reported that the Obama government awarded Accenture as the lead contractor for the Obamacare enrollment website. They will be replacing CGI Federal, which encountered  a lot of failures and bugs when they launched the website HealthCare.gov in October for millions of Americans shopping for health insurance. This was announced by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Saturday.

When CGI build the website HealthCare.gov it was riddled with errors, slow speeds, and glitches that gave President Barack Obama a lot of problems and gave Republican another reason to repeal Obamacare.

CGI Federal announced last Friday that its contract that was awarded in 2011, will end on February 28, and would not be renewed.

Accenture said the contract was worth $45 million for the initial phase of the project, and the final value of the one-year contract would be about $90 million.

March 31 is the deadline for signing up for a 2014 health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, Accenture will need to be ready and take on the surge of last-minute sign-ups.