Month: November 2018
Although government jobs are some of the most stable careers in the economy, federal employees are still watching their bank accounts and trying to save money. The good news is that many companies offer public servants deals on vacations, clothes, phones, auto insurance and home improvement. We have researched and compiled a list of the Top 10 Secrets of Federal Government Employee Discounts.
1. Food
10 percent discounts are offered to military members dining at IHOP, Denny’s, T.G.I Friday’s, Long John Silver’s and the Hard Rock Cafe. Applebee’s also offers a 15 percent discount at selected locations.
2. Clothing
10 percent discounts are offered at Nautica and New York and Co. Fans of Old Navy know the company offers a discount on the first of every month. These discounts can also be used in conjunction with coupons and other methods of saving.
3. Auto Parts
5 to 10 percent is offered at Kragen Auto Parts. Advance Auto Parts offers active and retired military members 10 percent off. AutoZone offers military discounts as well.
4. Insurance
Depending on the state, Geico offers between 3 to 10 percent off automobile insurance. Liberty Mutual also offers car insurance discounts.
5. Home Improvement
Lowes and The Home Depot offer 10 percent discount at most locations. The government is also offering up to $1,500 in tax rebates for installing energy-efficient products. LongFenceandHome.com offers a discount to federal employees and military personnel on a wide variety of products and services.
6. Eyes
Group Health Eye Care offers a 20 percent discount on prescription eyeglasses or sunglasses. Additionally, there is a one-time offer of 20 percent on contact lenses.
7. Gyms
Washington Sports Club offers 33 percent discount on their monthly membership fee.
8. Travel
When planning a trip, Govarm.com is our recommended site for vacation and leisure services. However, some other respected government travel sites are: Club Quarters, Government Vacation Rewards, Holiday Inn Express, and La Quinta Inns and Suites.
9. Communication and Technology
Verizon offers a 20 percent discount on phones, calling plans and accessories. When looking for home computing software and hardware consult Dell. They offer at least 10 percent when purchasing their products. Do you prefer Macs? Apple has recently offered various discounts on iPods and computers.
10. Fedsave.com and RecGov.org
These are the top recommended sites for searching government discounts. Fedsave.com offers a subscription which includes a free monthly newsletter highlighting savings and special offers on everything discussed above.
Government discounts are abundant, but are often overlooked. With some quick research, you may find yourself saving a lot of money.
Any couple that goes through a divorce has to deal with many issues, but those that have children usually go through even more acrimony when dealing with custody and support for their children. Child support is financial support provided by the noncustodial parent. Child support includes, cash payments (based on the parent’s income and the needs of the child), health insurance for the child, payments for child care, and payments for reasonable health care costs that are not covered by health insurance. Family Court determines the amount of child support the noncustodial parent will pay. Under New York State law, parents are responsible for supporting their child until the child is 21 years old.
There are guidelines in which the court uses to determine the amount of child support that is owed to the custodial parent, based on the noncustodial parent’s adjusted gross income and on the number of children involved. The court first determines the noncustodial parent’s gross income. The court then multiplies the adjusted gross income by the standard guideline percentage for the number of children. These percentages are as follows:
17% for one child
25% for two children
29% for three children
31% for four children
at least 35% for five or more children.
Then the noncustodial parent’s share of child care, medical, and educational expenses is added to the income percentage amount. The combined amount, percentage of income plus share of expenses, is the basic child support amount.
For incomes over $130,000, the court determines whether or not to use the percentage guidelines and may consider other factors in setting the full child support payment.
The main problem that many noncustodial parents have an issue with is that many fill out long and tedious expense forms and when it comes time to determine the monthly the courts do not take into consideration the expenses of the noncustodial parent. If you cannot pay your child support you can file a “petition for modification” with the court that issued the support order. Only the court can change what you owe. Just because you think you cannot pay, do not stop paying. Continue to pay what you can while you wait for the court to make a decision. You should know that the court will only change the amount of support you need to pay if there has been a substantial change in your ability to pay.
Dealing with child support and child custody it can be very emotional, remember that in the end you want what is best for your children.
Medical expenses can be one of the biggest problems for the elderly as well as those who belong to the lower strata of the society.As such the federal government provides what is known as the Medicare, to everyone over 65, the disabled as well as the lower class people in certain specific contexts.The Medicare tends to cover the basic medical expenses providing, specific number of doctor and hospital visits and stays basic medicines and therapy. But at times Medicare is not able to cover all the costs regarding healthcare; live extended hospital stays, higher surgeries and others; called the Medicare supplements.These generally need to be covered by the patient and can be a trouble at times of crisis.
Also known as Medigap, referring to the gap in Medicare, these elements of Medicare can get too costly and beyond common man’s budget, as such the most common practice is to get Medicare supplement insurance. And as evident from the notion itself, the Medicare supplement insurance is so designed to pay up for the Medigap at times of need. The Medicare facilities are indeed a help to the growing population; it not only ensures longevity but also helps give out the basic healthcare need to the people.
And most of the facilities falling under the program is provided with professional expertise and al no or reasonable cost. But when it comes on to medical complications, the situations can get grim and then the need for a proper and efficient higher healthcare facility arises. This can call in for a lot of money and it is always safe to get insured against high prices that healthcare me cost. With more and more people turning to Medicare supplement insurance, the companies are rolling out more variety and customer friendly policies to meet the growing demand- Check out Medicare supplements insurance And Medigap
It’s the quandary that people in debt face every day: How do I spend as little as possible on debt and still manage my risk? Lenders might offer a person taking out a credit card extended credit card payment protection for a small monthly fee, but people may feel they don’t have the spare cash to spend on securing a balance. In their mind’s, paid credit card protection is for those people who are rich enough not to need it, because they can afford the additional cost of carrying it. However, this type of thinking is exactly the opposite of what should be going through someone’s mind when they’re offered payment protection. Instead, they should be weighing the risk of defaulting on debt more than the cost of the small monthly payment used to make sure they can continue making payments if they get ill or are made redundant in their jobs.
How the rich might weigh the risk of not carrying payment protection
First, rich people would figure out how much of a balance they typically carry and whether they have enough savings to cover the balance should they suddenly lose their business or get seriously ill. If they are already carry disability or life insurance, this might help in the case where they were suddenly diagnosed with an illness or suffered a major accident. It would not help them if they lost their business and the associated income. For that they would need to rely on their savings or investment accounts to help repay outstanding debts.
Or, rich people with huge outstanding balances may decide that claiming bankruptcy would be the better option if their hope of repaying their debt in a few years is miniscule when compared to the size of the debt. For those that don’t have the option of a large bank account or business investments to cover an outstanding credit balance, the paid credit card payment protection can offer some peace of mind when they lose a job or get sick or injured. This is much truer for someone who is depending on an employer and a healthy economy to keep from being made redundant. Business owners might decide that claiming bankruptcy makes more sense.
When bankruptcy is not an option
If your livelihood depends on being able to work in your profession, it may be a very bad idea to file bankruptcy to get rid of credit card debt – even if your business fails. Bankruptcy in the UK can bar certain professions from practicing if that individual is declared bankrupt by the courts. In such cases, a payment protection plan can offer some peace of mind that debt payments will be made and creditors will not force that individual into bankruptcy through non-payment. This will give them time to work out an individual voluntary arrangement to resolve all the debt without a bankruptcy declaration. This can not only save their credit for a time, but also save their potential earning power for the future when thing might be a whole lot better.
Other risks that demand that you take out credit card payment protection
Other types of risks that can help you decide whether you should pay the monthly fee for extra credit card protection is whether your loss will affect more than yourself. It may be one thing to lose a credit rating, but quite another if the loss of a job or an unexpected illness also puts your family at risk. If you can cover a mortgage with unemployment benefits for a period of time, but not the additional credit card payments, then you might want to consider taking out extra credit card payment protection. If you happen to be made redundant through no fault of your own, the benefits can mean that you will be able to keep your family fed and housed, even while maintaining a good credit history. This will undoubtedly help you if it takes a bit of time to find a new job or if a job offer is dependent on a good credit history. It can also save you from having to dip into retirement or investment accounts to make up the difference. When the risk of non-payment affects more than just you because you are the primary bread-winner, it makes sense to add extra protection to your accounts to keep you solvent even when things don’t go exactly as you had planned.
Travelers buy travel insurance with a view to make their trip safer and worry free. The common mistake that travelers make is to buy travel insurance without analyzing the coverage that the plan provides. This is not only a waste of money but can put you into serious trouble if you have to depend on the travel insurance plan on your trip. There are some common pitfalls that one must avoid while buying travel insurance. Some of them are:
Dont make false declarations
While buying a travel insurance plan you will have to speak out any existing medical conditions that you may be facing or may have faced in the past. It is very important that you make correct declaration while taking the plan. Making false declarations might save you money for now but could lead to your claim if any being rejected in the future. This is because if the insurer finds out that you were suffering from an ailment which you did not disclose, the insurance contract can be terminated.
Dont wait till the last minute
One common mistake that travelers make is to buy travel Insurance at the last minute. This can turn out to be a disaster move as the policy might not have the coverage that you require. Last minute buying will not give you time to read the fine print of the policy and determine whether it meets all your requirements. Planning your requirements in advance and choosing your travel insurance plan will also save you money. This is because you will get ample time to check and compare premiums of different service providers.
Dont break the law
The golden rule of travelling is to always abide by the laws of the country of your travel. Your travel insurance policy will not serve any purpose in case you enter into any illegal activity. The coverage of your travel insurance plan is limited to legal activities alone. The best thing to do is to check the rules and regulations of the country you are planning to visit before your travel. This will help you have a better understanding of the local rules and will help you abide by them.
Dont enter into adventure sports unless your insurance covers it
Normal travel insurance plans do not cover any hazardous or dangerous activities while on travel. Hence it is very important to plan in advance the kind of activities that you will be taking part in before you travel. If you plan to go for skydiving or paragliding make sure that you buy additional coverage for it along with your regular travel insurance plan. Sufficient coverage would be of great help in case you sustain injuries or meet with an accident while doing such activities.
Dont buy without reading the fine print
This is the most important rule of all. Never buy insurance unless you have gone through the terms and conditions mentioned in the policy. This will give you a clear close idea as to what you are covered and what you are not covered for.
These are some of the important point that can help you avoid the common pitfalls while buying travel insurance. Above all use your commonsense before signing on that dotted line.