How to Keep Carpooling Safe for Children

Keeping Carpools Safe for Kids

Carpooling can be an economical and practical alternative mode of transportation if you and your neighbors or friends have children who go to the same school. However, as you (or anyone else who is driving) are dealing with precious cargo, make sure that you and your car are ready to handle the responsibility:


Meet with the other parents and guardians. Discuss the rules and guidelines for carpooling. Make copies of this. Include emergency contact information of everyone. Distribute so that everyone knows. Have the parents or guardians write down any of their children medical condition or allergic reactions of which you should be aware. Have everyone sign an agreement form.

Be prepared for anything. Check that your insurance covers everyone carpooling with you.This includes equipping your vehicle with a fire extinguisher and a first-aid kit. Always make sure that your vehicle is in tip-top shape.

Make sure children are protected from stormy weather as they get in and out of vehicle. Once inside the car, ensure that all the kids are buckled up. Have each child’s parent do this for them so that they are assured of their child’s safety.

Have the kids place their books, bags, and lunch boxes on the floor. So in case you need to step hard on the brakes, these objects won’t fly off and hurt the children.

Close and lock the doors. Make sure that you check that all fingers, feet, and limbs are safely inside the vehicle before doing so.

When everyone is settled, remind the children about safety guidelines and proper behavior before driving off to school.

Make a head count to be sure that everyone is present and that no one is left behind.

Have a parent or a guardian present when you drop their children at home. In the same manner, if you are dropping children at a child-care facility, make sure that you turn them over to the direct supervision of a recognized staff member.

[ via tipz.com ]

5 Important Things When Buying Life Insurance

Finding the middle ground between being "insurance poor" and unprotected requires assessing real needs and choosing products that are affordable. This article introduces different types of insurance products and the role that they can play in a personal financial plan.


1.Buying Life Insurance

Conventional wisdom says that life insurance is sold, not purchased. In other words, some people are reluctant to discuss the importance of owning life insurance, and others are simply unaware of the need to have life insurance. Although many large companies provide life insurance as part of their benefits package, this coverage may be insufficient.

Who needs life insurance? If there are individuals who depend on you for financial support, or if you work at home providing your family with such services as child care, cooking, and cleaning, you need life insurance. Older couples also may need life insurance to protect a surviving spouse against the possibility of the couple's retirement savings being depleted by unexpected medical expenses. And individuals with substantial assets may need life insurance to help reduce the effects of estate taxes or to transfer wealth to future generations.


2.Types of Insurance

Term insurance is the most basic, and generally least expensive, form of life insurance for people under age 50. A term policy is written for a specific period of time, typically 1 to 10 years, and may be renewable at the end of each term. Also, the premiums increase at the end of each term and can become prohibitively expensive for older individuals. A level term policy locks in the annual premium for periods of up to 30 years.

Declining Balance Term insurance, a variation on this theme, is often used as mortgage insurance since it can be written to match the amortization of your mortgage principal. While the premium stays constant over the term, the face value steadily declines. Once the mortgage is paid off, the insurance is no longer needed and the policy expires. Unlike many other policies, term insurance has no cash value. In this sense, it is "pure" insurance without any investment options. Benefits are paid only if you die during the policy's term. After the term ends, your coverage expires unless you choose to renew the policy. When buying term insurance, you might look for a policy that is renewable up to age 70 and convertible to permanent insurance without a medical exam.

Whole Life combines permanent protection with a savings component. As long as you continue to pay the premiums, you are able to lock in coverage at a level premium rate. Part of that premium accrues as cash value. As the policy gains value, you may be able to borrow up to 90% of your policy's cash value tax-free.

Universal Life is similar to whole life with the added benefit of potentially higher earnings on the savings component. Universal life policies are also highly flexible in regard to premiums and face value. Premiums can be increased, decreased or deferred, and cash values can be withdrawn. You may also have the option to change face values. Universal life policies typically offer a guaranteed return on cash value, usually at least 4%. You'll receive an annual statement that details cash value, total protection, earnings, and fees.

Drawbacks to this type of insurance include higher fees and interest rate sensitivity. Universal policies include up-front fees as well as ongoing administrative fees totaling as high as 5% to 7% of your premiums. You may also find your premiums increasing when interest rates decline.

Variable Life generally offers fixed premiums and control over your policy's cash value. Your cash value is invested in your choice of stock, bond, or money market funding options. Cash values and death benefits can rise and fall based on the performance of your investment choices. Although death benefits usually have a floor, there is no guarantee on cash values. Fees for these policies may be higher than for universal life, and investment options can be volatile. On the plus side, capital gains and other investment earnings accrue tax deferred as long as the funds remain invested in the insurance contract.

Universal Variable Life insurance is the most aggressive type of policy. Like variable life, you control your investment in mutual funds. However, there are no guarantees on universal variable policies beyond the original face value death benefit. These policies are probably best suited to affluent buyers who can afford the risks involved.

Key Terms and Definitions

* Face Value -- The original death benefit amount.
* Convertibility -- Option to convert from one type of policy (term) to another (whole life), usually without a physical examination.
* Cash Value -- The savings portion of a policy that can be borrowed against or cashed in.
* Premiums -- Monthly, quarterly, or yearly payments required to maintain coverage.
* Beneficiary -- The individual(s) or entity (e.g., trust) that is designated as benefit recipient.
* Paid Up -- A policy requiring no further premium payments due to prepayment or earnings.


3.How Much Insurance Do I Need?

A popular approach to buying insurance is based on income replacement. In this approach, a formula of between five and ten times your annual salary is often used to calculate how much coverage you need. Another approach is to purchase insurance based on your individual needs and preferences. The first step is to determine your unique income replacement needs.

Currently, a large portion of your income goes to taxes (insurance benefits are generally income tax free) and to support your own lifestyle. Start off by determining your net earnings after taxes. Then add up all your personal expenses such as food, clothing, magazine subscriptions, club memberships, transportation expenses, etc. The remainder represents annual income that your insurance will need to replace. You'll want a death benefit amount which, when invested, will provide income annually to cover this amount. Then, you should add to that the amounts needed to fund one-time expenses such as college tuition for your children or paying down mortgage or debt.

Income replacement for nonworking spouses is an important and often overlooked insurance need. Coverage should provide for your costs for day care, housekeeping, or nursing care. Add to this any net earnings from part-time employment.

Finally, estimate your own "final expenses" such as estate taxes, uninsured medical costs, and funeral costs.


4.Other Types of Life Insurance

Survivorship life insurance (also referred to as last-to-die or second-to-die) is a unique type of contract that insures the lives of two people. It pays a death benefit upon the death of the second insured. Therefore, it is typically less expensive than two individual policies. Survivorship life is often used for estate planning, where it may be possible to potentially leverage today's dollars -- via insurance premiums -- into a potentially significant death benefit that can be used to fund estate taxes, create wealth for future generations, or benefit a charity. These policies may be available if one insured is medically "uninsurable."

First-to-die life insurance insures the life of at least two people and pays a benefit upon the death of the first insured. This policy is useful for covering a mortgage or other large debt obligation where there is more than one debtor. In addition, it can be an ideal tool for funding a buy-sell agreement within a closely held business.


5.Conclusion

Life insurance is an important component of a sound financial plan. Buying insurance involves asking a variety of personal lifestyle and financial questions. If you are not already working with an insurance professional, you may want to consider the advice of a fee-for-service financial planner who can offer you an objective review of your insurance options. When you decide on what you want, there are many solid insurance companies to choose from. Consult your library or an independent insurance professional for companies with the highest ratings from the four ratings agencies: AM Best, Duff Phelps, Standard & Poor's, and Moody's.

Summary

* Term insurance is basic, inexpensive coverage with premiums that increase over time and have no cash value.
* Consider a term policy that is renewable and convertible to whole life should your needs change.
* Whole life provides level coverage with level premiums. A portion of those premiums goes into tax-deferred savings.
* Check rates on whole life policies and compare them to other investment opportunities.
* Variable life offers control over your investments.
* Premiums on variable policies are fixed, but face value and the value of your investments can fluctuate.
* Universal life offers more investment options, but is highly sensitive to interest rate changes. Universal variable life is highly flexible, but offers no guarantees beyond the original face value.
* Insurance needs are based on income replacement and personal preferences.

Checklist

* Determine exactly how much money your survivors would need from life insurance in order to maintain long-term financial security.
* Decide whether you prefer term life insurance or a policy that also includes a savings feature.
* Shop around for the best deal, and read the policy before making a purchase. Don't assume you'll be getting benefits that aren't clearly spelled out.

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[ via finance.yahoo.com ]

How To Identify a Target Market

Before beginning your advertising campaign, it is important that you first identify your target market. A target market is basically the type of person that will want or need your product or services. By targeting a specific market, you will be able to save money by spending less on marketing and increase marketing. The process of identifying a target market is called market segmentation. Using market segmentation, a business can use a top-down approach to identifying a target group or niche. Once you have identified a niche using target segmentation, you will be able to concentrate your efforts on marketing to attract a specific consumer group.


As a business owner or executive, you have probably heard of using market research
. Market research is the process of using various techniques to collect, analyze, and report data about potential consumer groups. Formal market segmentation requires comprehensive market research. The market research will help you to identify quantitative and qualitative patterns in consumer groups. Quantitative data refers to numbers such as age, income, and family size while qualitative data relies on characteristics such as education, occupation, and personality. There are severals ways you can go about segmenting a population to target a market. Some are more relevant to your business than others. The following describes different aspects of market segmentation that will help you in identifying a niche and maximizing your marketing dollars.

1. Demographics:

* Age: Teenagers targeted by acne medication company.
* Income: A person earning $200,000 is more likely to purchase a Cadillac than a person earning $10,000.
* Family size: Wholesale distributors that keep prices low by selling in bulk would target larger families.
* Education: A calculator company may target high school math students.
* Occupation: A shoe company might sell a shoe targeted for construction workers.
* Gender: A handbag company will target women.
* Nationality/Race: A small business selling foodstuffs from Africa would target the immigrant African community.
2. Geography:

* Region of the world: The shoe company, Puma, most aggressively targets consumers in Latin America and Europe for their soccer shoes.
* Climate: A snow plow manufacturer will target areas where it snows.
3. Behaviors:

* Brand loyalty: Apple targets a niche of consumers loyal to its products.
* Value of quality: Higher-end watch companies like Seiko target consumers that value high-quality timepieces.
4. Psychographic:

* Personality: A person who likes to show off is more likely to buy a Hummer H2 than a reserved person.
* Lifestyle: A shoe company like Vans, that sells skateboarding shoes would target skateboarders with their advertising.
* Interests: Stores that sell arts and crafts materials target hobbyists and students alike.
5. Other Questions to Ask in Market Research:

* Readiness to buy: How soon will they purchase your product?
* Frequency of purchase: How often will they purchase your product?
* How likely are they to purchase your type of product?
* What kind of music do they like?
* What kind of ____(fill in the blank) do they like?
6. Types of Market Research:
* Surveys are the most commonly used and least expensive market research method available. They can be conducted online, in person, or by phone.
* Focus groups are a method by which companies gain feedback on products by asking questions in an interactive group setting. This method might also be used to gain feedback on services, concept, advertisement, ideas, or packaging.
7. An Introduction to Surveys:

* Establish goals of survey. What market segmentation criteria will you use? Ask specific questions so you won't lose sight of your target.
* Sample size. Who will be asked to complete the survey? The sample size should be as random as possible to ensure a variety of different type of people complete it. Also, the greater the sample size the greater the accuracy of the research.
* Method.
1. Personal interview: Ask past customers to answer some of your questions.
2. Telephone: Hire telemarketers to conduct the surveys for you.
3. Mail: Purchase the addresses from direct mailing companies and mail in bulk.
4. Web-based: Search for a website with a survey panel that has existed for a long time and has good results for past clients. You can also conduct your own research by putting surveys on your website or sending e-mail messages with links to your survey.
* Planning the research.
1. How much will the research method take?
2. How long will it take to write and edit a survey?
3. When will you implement the survey?
4. When will you complete the survey and analyze the data?
* Processing and analyzing data.
1. For large market research campaigns with a very large sample size, computer software is a must. You might want to hire a company that conducts surveys or someone familiar with statistics to help you with this aspect.
2. For smaller market research campaigns you can simply look through the surveys and get an idea of what your niche is.
3. Create a report detailing your findings and how it will fit into your marketing plan.

By Daniel A.
howtodothings.com

WiMax: Growth Back On Track

Since the recent economic meltdown growth of WiMAX deployment has really slowed, however experts are said to think that by the end of the year WiMax should take of again.

WiMax is said to be growing mostly in developing nations such as Africa, the Middle East, India, Europe and Asia, and following the recent 16% drop in revenue this growth is needed.


Some of the growth breakdown is also said to be caused by the initial success of WiMax, therefore some people see this pause of growth as a chance to re-organize. Hopefully with the upcoming prospects of WiMax the company’s involved will be able to deal with quick growth a lot better.

Jamie Pert
[via product-reviews.net]