October 2014

Peach State Problems: All About Car Accident Settlements Georgia-Style

When you’re traveling through Georgia, be on the lookout for drivers. If you’re in a car accident here, you may be surprised to learn that car accidents are handled a little bit differently than in some states you might be used to driving through.

Georgia’s At-Fault Rules

Georgia has unique at-fault rules. At-fault drivers are liable for any personal injury or any property damage that is the result of a auto crash or accident. The insurer will first try to pay the claim out of the policy before assigning liability to the individual personally. In Georgia, an injured person can either file a claim with his or her insurer, file with the other drivers’ insurer directly, or file a personal injury lawsuit in civil court.

The Minimum Requirements In Georgia

In Georgia, all drivers must carry at least $25,000 in personal injury for the injury or death of another person. While this is the state minimum, this is usually insufficient if injury or death actually occurs. A $50,000 minimum limit for injury or death of more than one person is also required. Finally, all drivers must carry $25,000 in liability coverage for property damage.

These limits might seem low, and they are. Most accidents, unless they are very minor, can easily exceed these minimum dollar amounts. Any amount not covered by insurance will be covered by the individual, personally.

Time Limits

Generally speaking, you have two years after a car accident to file a personal injury lawsuit in Georgia. You have four years after a car accident for filing a lawsuit for property damage. But, you should always speak with an Atlanta car accident lawyer before you make any final decisions about whether or not you’re still able to file suit. Some circumstances may alter the way you file or your time limits.

Life Insurance Myths – The Truth About Getting the Best Coverage

by Guest Contributor

Some consumers avoid thinking about their family’s need for life insurance because it requires them to consider their own mortality, and unfortunately, that prevents them from educating themselves on the topic. There are certain life insurance myths that lead many to misunderstand its purpose, cost and availability. There is also a healthy amount of distrust regarding the insurance industry as a whole. This may be because, in exchange for your hard-earned cash (premiums), consumers simply get a promise. Insurance is not tangible – it is a financial instrument with an “if-then” statement. If something bad happens, then you get a payout. If nothing bad happens, then you got peace of mind and not much else. This “trust” issue isn’t helped … Read more

The Budget Traveler: Travel Tricks on the Internet

by Jennifer Davies

The following post was written by Jeffery Hernandez. Coming from a Humble Background, Jeffery completed his Master’s in Business Administration and now works as an Independent Financial Advisor. He loves playing chess, reading novels and spending time with his wife and kids. Follow him on Twitter @_JeffHernandez0

Getting out and hitting the open road is a common American fantasy, maybe the most common one there is. But how many of us are actually taking the time to get out there and experience the wonderful diversity of the world. The truth is probably fewer than we’d like to admit.

Of course traveling isn’t the easiest thing in the world to do. It requires some expendable income and a flexible work schedule that just isn’t attainable for a lot of people.

I’ve always wanted to do some more traveling myself, but paying for rent, groceries, and car payments always gets in the way. I couldn’t help but wonder, are we really unable to afford travel, or are we just not looking in the right places for ways to do it inexpensively?

I did a little investigating around the web and found some tools that make traveling accessible to the masses. Thankfully, the Internet provides prospective travelers a great source for new tools that can help to make traveling an affordable and feasible reality. Let’s take a look at what I found to make seeing the world a little bit easier on the wallet.

Sharing Economy Apps

As the tech industry continues to dominate economic headlines with an ever increasing number of smartphone apps to save the world, it can be hard to parse out the quality ones from the not-so-impressive (We’re looking at you, Yo).

However, startup companies like Uber, Lyft, and AirBnb are making traveling more affordable and accessible to a lower tier of the economic bracket. Although these rapidly growing companies are seeing their fair share of critics, they can save users a fortune when compared to the traditional stalwarts they seek to replace.

Take AirBnb for example, those looking for a cheap place to stay in a new city can temporarily rent out a regular person’s apartment, often for significant lower prices than those charged by hotels. While hostels are always an option for travelers on a budget, AirBnB gives its users the opportunity to rent an apartment without dealing with raucous bunkmates who want to party until the wee hours of the morning.

Different Types of Insurance Available

by Guest Contributor

Insurance is a financial product in which companies that offer it will take on some form of monetary risk in return for the payment of premiums. There are many types of insurance that you may want to consider purchasing to protect yourself and your family.

An individual will typically invest in it to guard against having to pay out a large sum of money for common problems that may occur. Being insured gives peace of mind that should disaster strike, the financial implications of this can be dealt with and some of the common insurance products available include the following.

Life Insurance

No one wants to think about dying although all adults need to consider the problems this can leave for family members. This is especially true for those that are breadwinners, and life insurance is designed to pay out a sum of money in the event of the insured person dying.

This is most commonly paid to a family member and is a way for someone to ensure their loved ones are provided for in the event of their death. Contacting a company that offers this is a way to get life insurance quotes that will show how much money can be obtained for different premiums.

Property Insurance

Anyone buying a home or business premises will usually have to get property insurance as part of the deal for receiving a mortgage. This type of business insurance can have a few elements to it, with the two most common being building and contents.

The building part covers for the cost of damage to the property caused by fire, flood, and other disasters. The contents part covers for the loss of the property owner’s belongings due to theft, vandalism, or damage.

When To Hire A Collection Agency For Nonpayment

by Guest Contributor

The ideal business world would have perfect mathematical precision especially when it comes to small business invoicing. In all likelihood, invoices will be paid on time. But, the day may come that one goes unpaid.

What do you do? How to do you approach the person or entity that owes you money?

The best thing to do is initiate formal communication, in writing, with a demand letter. This can be best drafted by your attorney, but you can likely handle it yourself if you haven’t one. A simple search will show you good examples of this kind of letter.

While this letter doesn’t have any legal “weight” in the sense that the other party is any more obligated to pay their outstanding debt than before, it may be enough to get a certain kind of debtor to pay up. One or several letters does succeed in letting you set the tone for what is to come. The other party will know where you stand and will be much likelier to take you seriously.

If you set up the right kind of contract with the other party in the first place, there will be a clause in place about litigation. If they default, basically, they will have to pay your court and legal fees, in addition to their own, in the event that you sue. That’s a lot of money to avoid paying back money, so many lendees will back down at this point, settling with you out of court. This is the sensible thing to do anyway, and you never know how a party will react.

If you don’t have this kind of legal recourse, you’ll do well to hire a lawyer who specializes in small business cases, or hire a collection agency. There are different kinds of collection agencies, ones that buy your debt from you and others that coerce the other party into servicing their debt, and then taking their fee from that amount. Know all of the details before you bring one of these on board.

The Pros and Cons of Trading Forex

by Guest Contributor

Every good investor knows that before you take on a new investment, you need to weigh your options carefully. It isn’t enough to just do good research on the market. You really need to make an active decision about whether the foreign exchange market for currency is right for you. To help you make that decision, consider these important points.

Understand That You Are Speculating When Trading Forex

In a sense, you are selling one currency against another and betting that the currency you buy is going to increase in value while you hold it so that you can sell it for a profit. That’s the basic principle. But that means one of two things.

Either you have to have a watchful eye on your investments and pay close attention to the markets as they move, or you need to become familiar with the stop loss order so that you don’t lose more than you bargained for in the end. If you do not understand the risk associated with Forex trading and only focus on the potential payout, you are making a grave mistake.