Funeral Plans: What You Need to Know

The caisson carrying the casket of Army Captain María Inés Ortiz arrives for funeral services (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It’s never easy to plan a funeral. However, it is important to have a clear idea of what kind of areas that you need to cover if you do have the responsibility for arranged one - what are some of the key steps that you need to take to ensure that you don’t have to deal with any unexpected problems in the preparation for and the day of a funeral, as well as after the event? From working with a hospital, to choosing a funeral provider, and including going over details with officials, it’s worth considering the following steps.

First Steps

You’ll first need to have arrangements in place with a hospital, a nursing home, or emergency services for a funeral; in many cases, these can be worked out in advance through written wills and documents that state preferences. Make sure that you are able to be in contact with medical services and a funeral provider.

Choosing A Funeral Provider

What kind of funeral provider you choose will depend on a number of different factors, from whether or not there are a list of approved providers as part of your life insurance, through to who’s available in your local area. You may find that you have a strong cooperative service in your area that can offer a comprehensive service.

Choose the Right Plan

Look at multiple aspects of a funeral before deciding on a plan, and use a will and funeral instructions to set out the details - these details can include whether or not the deceased wanted a burial or cremation, as well as what kind of service is required. You’ll also need to discuss budgets and features with a funeral director, which can include the expense of a coffin, procession, and grave marking services.

Going Over Details with Officials

Make sure that you take the time to go over all details with officials before a funeral - this can be invaluable to ensuring that nothing is missed, and that there hasn’t been any miscommunication. Particularly look at aspects like the choice of songs or readings at a religious ceremony, as well as at delivery times.

Items

Work through a checklist of the kind of items you want to include in your funeral plan, which can then be folded into an overall budget by a funeral provider and director; such items might include urns, grave markers, as well as other services such as online notifications and acknowledgements that can be difficult to put together at short notice.

Post-Funeral

After the funeral, you’ll need to be able to handle any legal issues that might arise - make sure you have a solicitor to go through wills and an estate, and contact any employers, insurance companies, and banks to make sure that all records are updated. It’s best to get as much help as you can for this kind of work.

In general, it’s always best to plan for a future as far ahead as possible, and to compare as many different funeral providers as possible. Discuss what you want to do with loved ones, and get a clear idea of what needs to happen. Even if plans aren’t too specific, it’s better to have some kind of framework in place.

Author Bio: Liam Ohm is a freelance writer, writing on subjects such as funeral services to financial planning. In his spare time he enjoys running and attending seminars.

Vacation Budgeting: Is it Wiser to Rent or Drive Your Own Car?

There's no clear-cut answer when you're asking whether it's better to rent a vehicle or use your own car. However, there are several calculations that will help you do the math. With these equations, you can make a budget-minded choice for your next road trip.

Fuel Costs and Opportunities to Drive Greener

Your fuel cost is one of the easiest things to calculate for your trip. You can find the MPG of nearly any vehicle online. Simply compare the MPG for your car with that of a rental. If you're not taking a lot of luggage with you, opt for the smallest car you can comfortably fit in. Renting a hybrid vehicle will also cut your fuel costs. Unless you have a fuel-efficient hybrid vehicle yourself, you can almost always find a rental with better fuel mileage than your own vehicle. A rental will probably win this category.

Maintenance Costs vs Rental Fees

If you drive your own vehicle, you need to consider the maintenance costs associated with your trip. Your next oil change, tire rotation, front end alignment, and factory scheduled maintenance will all be moved up by a long road trip. AAA estimates that the average cost for maintenance, not including oil or gas, is 4.42 cents per mile for a medium-sized sedan. The cost for tires is 0.91 cents per mile. You'll cut these costs with a rental and replace them with your rental fees. Divide these by the number of miles you're driving for a comparison.

Vehicle Depreciation Considerations

Every mile that you put on your car speeds its depreciation. Most vehicle depreciation comes from the number of miles driven and not the age of the car. Use a resource like Kelley Blue Book to calculate the current value of your car as well as the projected value with the mileage from your trip. This will tell you what your long-term depreciation costs will be.

Paying Now vs Paying Later

Comparing your calculations for the above categories will let you know whether a rental car is ultimately cheaper than driving your own car for your next road trip. The last thing that you need to consider, however, is when you'll be paying. Many costs associated with driving your own vehicle come up later. You won't pay upfront for depreciation or maintenance, while you will pay upfront for your rental. If your car needs maintenance before the trip, however, you should visit a qualified shop like Tindol Ford to have this done before you leave.

The Value of Comfort

Comfort doesn't have a monetary value, but it's worth considering. A rental will be fresh and clean for your trip with no extra effort on your part. However, your vehicle may have features the rental does not. Consider the benefits of a larger trunk, more cup holders, or heated seats, whether these come with your own car or the rental. If this competition is close, this may tip the scale. Doing your math will help you make the best choice of vehicle for your next trip. Simply add up these important values and you'll find the best answer for your needs.    

Financial Advisors: Do You Need One?

Finance (Photo credit: Tax Credits)

The global economic turmoil has, in one way or another, affected every single one of us. And many of us have found themselves in completely different financial situations and are now trying to find someone who could help them with their new issues and difficulties. Thankfully, it seems that it is ridiculously easy to find free relevant help on various websites these days. But is it really that easy? Aren't things a little bit more complicated?

The Issue of Relevance

Well, the truth is that free advice often comes with plenty of strings attached. Let's start with the most important issue – the relevance of the advice. What you are often going to find when browsing through the various websites is general help for general issues.

It will then be left to your skills and intelligence to figure out how exactly do those hints apply to your specific situations. There is no doubt that you will be able to put some of those things to good use, but there will surely be more questions on your mind – and what are you going to do then?

Trustworthiness

You also have to remember that financial matters are often rather sensitive, so you certainly do not want to share them with someone you cannot trust. Well, would you really trust someone you know only from a website to give you good advice? And, if asked to (and it's really hard to see how someone could give you more than just general tips without getting more information from you), would you want to share your private information with that person? The answer to both of these questions surely has to be negative, doesn't it?

The Hidden Costs

Furthermore, you have to be aware of the fact that those who are offering free help on-line are not really doing it out of goodwill. You will soon find out that only one particular company will be suggested as the ideal choice and that other alternatives are going to get no mention at all. That is not to say that you are not going to find genuine and objective advice from time to time, but can you really take the risk of being led astray and having to spend more time and resources later on?

Conclusion

At the end of the day, it is easy to see that paying for an actual financial advisor might be worth it in most situations. Of course, there is no need for doing so if you are looking only for a few small hints and tips that could point you in the right direction, but you should undoubtedly get a professional to help you out with some of the more complicated and sensitive issues.

Professional financial advisors will give you trustworthy advice that will be relevant to your specific situation with no strings attached whatsoever. They will help you compare all the various options objectively and without any hidden advertising. That help comes with a price tag – but its always more than worth it.

Hugh Tyzack is the founder of GBP Loans Limited, which specializes in no fee guarantor loans and which is now one of the UK's biggest providers. You can find more details about 12 month loans  from www.loansforbad-credit.co.uk by visiting his site. You can also follow Hugh on Twitter @GBPLoans and on Google+.

How to Have a Successful Business Meeting

If you spend a lot of time in business meetings you know that they can get out of hand sometimes. The original reasons for calling the meeting go out he door and you go off in some other direction and never accomplish anything. To have more productive meetings and not waste time you need to get organized. A well organized meeting can produce great results and increase communication between all.

Productive business meetings just don't happen. They come from the careful planning of a team of people who know how to organize. What does it take for a successful meeting? I have listed a few ideas that will help you get organized.

Plan and Prepare

No successful business meeting has ever occurred without intensive planning. Set basic goals of what you want to cover and accomplish. Inform all those that need to attend the meeting ahead of time and find out who will attend. Hold the meeting in a venue that is both comfortable but also inductive for work. Prepare media, equipment, and refreshments ahead of time to insure your attendees comfort and ability to work.

Agenda

An agenda is important to give to all attendees so they will know what is going to be covered and what is expected from them. The need to prepare by bringing all necessary documents. The agenda should list all items to be covered and the estimated time of each. The agenda will keep the meeting on track and force it to start and finish on time. It will also keep the meeting from going off in a wrong direction. Include the principle attendees access to the agenda for approval and input.

Choose a Unique Venue

In the business world it's necessary to attend many conferences. Keep in mind that your attendees may become jaded to the normal conference venue. To keep their attention it's beneficial to book your conference at an international location. It's important to pick the right venue so your attendees will feel comfortable and more prone to accomplishing the goals of the conference. Conference venues in London can provide that uniqueness.

Promote Participation

Whoever is running the business meeting should plan who is to attend and what they are going to contribute. A good business meeting should not be dominated by one or two people. It should be a time when all should contribute their particular skill set to accomplish the goal. If someone is not going to produce or learn something form the meeting then they should not attend. The moderator should balance the meeting and allow for all to participate fully. 

Proper Goals

Do you have clear goals of what you want to accomplish? Having a goal toward what you want to accomplish in the meeting you increase the success of the meeting. Complicated goals can be made more manageable by breaking them down into smaller more manageable ones. Use a white board or flip board and list the smaller goals and check them off as you proceed. It keeps everyone included in the progression of the meeting and increases the chances of its success.

3 Tips to Avoiding Bankruptcy with Credit Card Usage

Every day, millions of people all across the globe us a credit card. Credit cards can be used for anything from shopping to business expenses. A credit card makes it easy to purchase the items we need or want now, without having to pay any of our hard earned money upfront. 

However, credit cards can be a mean tricky devil. It is important for every credit card owner to be mindful of their expenses and usage so that they do not end up in debt. Many credit card users can fall behind on payments very easily and eventually have to file for bankruptcy to avoid the large sum of money debt they now owe credit card companies. It is best to avoid this situation and below is three helpful tips to allow you to do just that!

Set Credit Card Limits/Usage

It is important for every credit card holder to set a limit or usage amount. If you have one credit card that you use for gas purchases, then make sure you use the card only for that purpose. If you have a card that can only hold $1,000 then do not go over this amount. Be sure that the amount your card holds is an amount that you can pay. If you cannot make the credit card payments then do not make the purchase. Too many times, credit card holders will see an item they want and purchase it, with no thought to how they will pay for the item later. Think out each purchase so you are sure that you will not go into debt.

Emergency Only

A smart idea for credit card holders is to have one card that is for emergency use only. And by emergency use, I do not mean late night pizza and beer runs. One credit account should be open that allows you enough credit if your vehicle breaks down, you need an emergency flight to a loved one, etc. you need a line of credit that is good and upstanding so you have an option if something comes up that you cannot afford. However, be sure that you consider this card as an emergency option only.

Pay Your Debts

If you are going to use your credit card on a regular basis, then be sure to Pay Your Debts!!! It is essential that you never miss a payment. If you miss one payment, a fee is tacked on to the amount you owe. If you miss again, another fee is added. This can cause your bill to continue to rise and since you already owe a large amount of money, added debt is not something you want! This is why it is so important to be sure that you can pay the debt you owe. Make sure the monthly payment is something you can handle and always add extra to your payment, if you can, so the amount will be paid off quicker.

The basic goal is to use your credit card only when you need to and make sure you can make and do make your payments. If you stick to this golden rule then you will be able to have a successful line of credit and stay away from monster debt or bankruptcy.

Visit the author’s suggested site  CreditCardColumn.com for Small Business Credit Cards.

Top 3 Identity Protection Services

While there may be hundreds of identity protection services available on the market today, you may not know what you should be looking for in way of protecting yourself. One of the best ways to decide on which service may be best for you is to compare several companies and read reviews so that you can be properly informed and be confident that you will be well looked after. In this article we will share the top 3 identity protection services that are available for you to choose from. 

Lifelock 

This is an affordable plan that only costs $9 a month. This service is perfect for protecting your bank account information and you can contact them at any time of day or night regardless of the time of year. The only problem with this coverage is that they cannot protect your vehicle registration plate or any of your insurance records. On a recent poll taken though, 9.33 people out of 10 voted that this was still the best service for protecting both you and your family from identity theft protection. 

They have recently added a new protection to their line-up. For an extra $15 a month you can be covered for up to a million dollars if you find yourself in trouble. Lifelock will be there to act as power of attorney on your behalf. They also guarantee that they do not under any circumstance sell your data to third party firms as trust is one of their prime concerns. 

Lifelock has a dedicated identity alert system that sends you notifications if it detects that anyone is trying to use your personal information to apply for payday loans, mortgage loans, ordering new checks, paying for utilities, auto loans, purchasing items from a store, applying for a credit card, or paying for wireless services. Lifelock also offers assistance in keeping your children's identification safe as well. 

Identity Force 

This service is still affordable at $12.95 a month. This company boasts that they offer real identity theft insurance and not just a simple service guarantee. 

The disadvantage to using this company is that it does not offer family coverage or protection for your vehicle registration. 

This company too offers a $1 million dollar coverage and is a great competitor to other leading companies such as Lifelock. The Department of Homeland Security and the FAA have been clients of this company for many years as the company has been in existence since 1978. The security system used within this company is industrial strength protection using an ID Analytics engine to search for stolen information across the internet including in chat rooms and on criminal websites. If detection of fraudulent activity occurs, you are immediately notified which allows you to take action before too much damage can happen. Many other identity theft protection services will not offer coverage for people who live in New York, Identity Force prides themselves on taking care of these neglected citizens. 

While some other companies such as Lifelock do offer one million dollar coverage, their stipulation is that coverage is only if you fall victim to identity theft while under their protection. Identity Force will cover up to a million dollars to you even if it is with no fault of their own. 

Protect My ID 

This coverage is a little more expensive and comes in at $15.95 a month. This service is known for their superb help and support features although it could have more additional features included within their policy. 

While many people are satisfied with this company's service, it only rates an 8.78 out of 10 due to needing help in some areas. 

Things they can boast about though are keeping a constant eye on your sensitive information and resolving any case of identity theft in top notch time and will guarantee you a reimbursement of your lost wages, stolen funds not replaced by credit card companies or bank and any legal fees. This company keeps track of all of your credit reports and lets you know if anyone has tried to get a line of credit or open up a new account under your name. It can also detect if someone is trying to add a new address or redirect your mail to a new place. 

Fraud Resolution Agents will also work closely with you if you do become a victim of identity theft. They will help you clear your name, talk to your creditors and resolve any other issues you may have regarding this fraud. If you need help cancelling any credit or debit cards when you wallet is lost or stolen, they are available to help when you contact their website. 

There are pros and cons for most identity theft service companies out there today on the market. It is up to you to determine what is the most important to you and pick the company that can give you that protection, help and peace of mind. If you are still unsure of what to do after your research, be sure to talk to other family members to see what choice they have made and why. 

Author Bio: The author of this post is interested in writing about travel and technology. If you are still curious on what more steps to take in preventing identity theft? Visit GuestDoor To know more about Traveler's Guide to Preventing Identity Theft.