Month: May 2012

Part of your financial plan should include protecting your assets, including your possessions, as well as your income, loved ones and health-related financial concerns. Insurance isn’t very exciting, and it can certainly be expensive. But when you need it, you’ll be glad you have it. Unfortunately, there’s no single policy that will give you all the coverage you need.

Take inventory of your insurance coverage. Do you have these 5 important policies?

Life Insurance

Life insurance protects those people who depend on you financially if you die unexpectedly. Consider the hardships on your loved ones if you should happen to die prematurely.

How do you determine how much life insurance you should get?

Consider these matters:

* Replacing your income. How much and for how long?
* Last illness expenses
* Funeral expenses
* Would you like to pay off certain debts, like your mortgage, so you don’t leave those behind for your loved ones?

No one likes to think about these things. However, if you deal with it now, it’s something your family doesn’t have to deal with later.

Health Insurance

Health insurance is expensive, but health care is expensive too, really expensive. A simple trip to the doctor can easily be several hundred dollars. A routine surgery that only results in being in the hospital for a couple of hours can be over $10,000.

Health insurance costs are a burden, but the cost of a genuine medical issue can be catastrophic.

If this isn’t something you can get through your employer, be prepared to do some legwork to find a policy that’s right for you.

Long-Term Disability Insurance

This insurance replaces a portion of your lost income if you become unable to work. The cost depends on the amount of income that you wish to replace, your age, health, the length, and the limits of coverage. Policies will also differ regarding what they consider to be a “disability.”

This coverage can also be quite expensive. Hopefully, you can also get this through your employer. If not, sit down with your life or health insurance agent to go over the details of this important insurance.

Homeowners Insurance

If you still owe money on your home, your lender requires homeowners insurance. If you don’t owe money on your home, you should still carry this type of financial protection. Consider how many thousands of dollars your house and the contents would cost to replace.

The price of homeowners insurance is quite small compared to the amount of coverage you’re getting.

Besides covering the structure of the house and its contents, some policies will even cover putting you up in a hotel until your house is repaired. Any injuries that occur to friends and strangers are also covered under your house policy.

Consider what you need; there are a lot of options for benefits, limits, and price.

Automobile Insurance

Nearly all states require automobile insurance to varying degrees (New Hampshire is the exception). Everyone should have coverage, even if you drive a 1975 Chevy Nova that has been paid off for years. Even in that case, you’re still financially responsible for the damage you cause to other vehicles and property.

Without automobile insurance, you might face a lawsuit that could potentially cost you everything you own. Ensure you have all the coverage you need, not only for your own vehicle, but to cover your liability as well.

Conclusion

Insurance isn’t exciting or sexy, but it’s a necessity. When looking at new policies, shop around because prices and coverage can differ widely from one company to the next.

One tip to save some money: Get a policy with a higher deductible. The more you have to pay before the insurance kicks-in, the less that insurance coverage will cost you.

Do your homework and find an insurance professional you can trust. Don’t just focus on what insurance costs you; think of what it will cost you if you don’t have it.

FURTHER READING:

A Beginner’s Guide to Buying Life Insurance

Viral marketing is the practice of motivating people to spread your message for you. Viral marketing can be an extremely productive way to grow your business. Imagine if you created a video and it was viewed 10,000 times! That would produce significant results, right?

You might not know that Google’s search algorithms take social metrics into consideration when they rank a page. This adds to the potential of viral marketing. It not only boosts awareness – it can boost your page ranking too.

So how do you create a viral message that catches on?

#1 Create a Stir

Controversy is one of the best ways to generate a buzz and get people talking about something. While some industries seem to be prone to controversy, others aren’t. Yet you might be surprise how something as simple as an honest opinion can create a stir.

For example, one corporate attorney’s writing about the copyright issues with Pinterest’s policies and terms resulted in hundreds of links to her site and national coverage. In fact, her article and the stir it caused helped motivate Pinterest to change their terms. And it helped boost awareness for her photography website.

#2 Do Something Unusual or Out of the Ordinary

One of the most common reasons content becomes viral is because it is entertaining. Now entertaining can mean many things. It can surprise people. It can make them laugh. It can also make them think in a new and interesting way.

For example, imagine a relationship coach that shares a video of a couple arguing and inserts a funny voice over or text bubbles into the video. They’re taking a potentially serious issue and adding unexpected humor to it.

#3 Follow Up

Releasing one viral video or one viral report is great. Following it up with another video or report is like adding dry kindling to an already burning fire. It gets hotter. When you’re planning your viral marketing strategy, don’t allow it to be a one-hit wonder. Follow it up and keep the interest flowing.

Finally, be prepared for the influx of interest, drama, comments and feedback. When viral marketing generates results, it can take you by surprise. Many times marketers have found their servers can’t handle the volume, their assistants can’t handle the emails, and they can’t keep up with demand. While you can’t predict the results of a viral marketing campaign, you can plan for them.

FURTHER READING
How to Use Twitter For Viral Marketing (Internet Marketing Success Secrets)

Information Marketing Success: How to Make the Most of Your Online Content for Increased Traffic and Profits (Marketing Matters)

Wouldn’t you love to have more free time? It’s a common wish for a majority of adults and certainly most business owners. There’s so much to accomplish in a day and it’d be nice to have a little free time to relax. The good news is that with a little planning and effort you can get more done in less time. Here’s how:

Systems

Systems are procedures that you can repeat and that achieve consistent results. Sorting the mail is a system. You get the mail. You sort it and give your attention to any immediate needs. Systems bring order to otherwise disorderly tasks and lives. They save time. Take a look at the tasks you perform on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.

Make a list of all the tasks, from the largest to the smallest. Put a check next to the tasks that take up a lot of time. Those are the tasks that need systems, or more efficient systems. How can you streamline each task or process to make it simple and repeatable? Consider how you can use technology, resources, and people to help.

Outsource

Speaking of people to help with your systems, people can also help you get more done in less time. There are a number of ways that you can embrace the concept of outsourcing. You might hire a virtual assistant to manage your business. You could also hire someone to clean your home. Consider how much time you’d save if you outsourced a few tasks. And also imagine what you could do with that time.

For example, if you hire someone to clean your home each week, you not only gain the benefit of an immaculate home – you also may free up two to three hours a week. You can use that time to focus on your business and make money. You can also use that time to unwind and relax. That’s good for business and it’s good for you.

Automate

Technology is a wonderful thing. It can help you streamline your life. For example, Gmail makes it possible to filter emails from your inbox. If you’re like many and you receive hundreds of emails a day, this simple function helps you sort out and focus on the important messages. You can automate many important elements of your business, from email messages to social networking. You can automate your blog backups and your analytics.

Spend some time reviewing your current tasks and habits. What can you eliminate or outsource? What can you streamline? What can you automate? It’s possible, with a little bit of planning and attention, to free up several hours a day and get more accomplished in less time.

Further Reading
How to Work Smarter, Not Harder: 101 Strategies to Make the Most of Your Working Hours and Become More Efficient and Productive

How to Create an Organized and Productive Home Office