Top Ultimately Safe Cars Named

The Insurance Institute for the Highway Safety and the National Highway Traffic Administration has these cars as the "Top Safety Picks" and top raters in all crash tests.

The Acura RDX with its price around $33,000 to $37,000 and a fuel economy of 21 mpg garnered the pick due to its electronic stability. This factor helps control the vehicle and prevents it from flipping over during emergency maneuvers. The Acura RDX has a 4-cylinder turbocharged engine and an all-wheel handling system which can continuously shift powers from side to side.

Also named was the Honda CR-V. This unit sells around $23,000 to $28,000 and has 24 mpg fuel economy. Sharing much of its basic engineering with the Acura RDX, the Honda CR-V is more ordinary-feeling and has less expensive car suspension and all-wheel-drive systems. This vehicle also has a more powerful engine than the Acura RDX.

Another Honda made it to the list, the Honda Pilot. This is one of the most popular crossover SUVs which has with it the standard Honda electronic stability control. This car sells around $27,000 to $35,500 and has a fuel economy of 19 mpg.

Next on the list is the Hyundai Entourage which the new minivan from Hyundai. This vehicle with a selling price at around $24,000 to $29,000 and an overall fuel economy at 20 mpg, is very much like the Kia Sedona only that the Kia Sedona has a smooth and quiet ride with comfortable interior and solid build quality. This is quoted from the "Editors Top Recommended Vehicle" by Edmunds.com.

Another car mentioned earlier, the Kia Sedona also managed to snag a position on the list. Having a fuel economy of 20 mpg and sold at $20,500 to $26,000, the Kia Sedona represents an "excellent value", again, this is recommended by Edmunds. Com.

The Mercedes-Benz M-Class is also on the list. This crossover vehicle handles very well considering its size. This $43,000 to $85,000 class has a fuel economy of 19 for ML350 and 16 for the ML500. This car has its featured top parts and the Mercedes repair manual.

Another on the list is the Subaru B9 Tribeca which sells at around $30,000 to $37,000 with a fuel economy of 20 mpg. This particular vehicle has some peculiar design and performs well in crash tests. Another Subaru, the Forester, rank in the top. This Subaru has 25mpg and price around $30,000 to $37,000. Still, another Subaru, the Legacy which is an all-wheel-drive and can perform strongly in the crash tests sells around $20,500 to $34,000 and has a fuel economy of 25 mpg.

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Bermuda Car Rental

Bermuda is a wonderful place to have a honeymoon. As we all know it is among the top islands in the Caribbean that tourists constantly visit to relax and get away from it all. One of the biggest reasons why it is so popular is because of its great beaches. But aside from this there are also many different places that you can visit in the island. Some examples are:

o Crystal caves

o Lighthouses

o Botanical Gardens

o Museums

o Zoos

o St. George

These are just some of the great things that you can see in the island, there are many more. The only problem that some people have is not being able to see all of these. Sometimes going on a tour or using public transportation can really limit what you do. The best solution to a problem like this is to drive around the island yourself.

There are many Bermuda car rental services that you can use to help you do this. Finding one can be very easy as well. All you need to do is run a search through the internet for Bermuda car rental and you should already have all the information that you need to get you started. You should take the time to check out each website and what they have to offer. This will give you a good idea of what you are up against.

Picking the service to work with is also quite simple. If you are not too sure which one to try out there are some tried and tested car hire services on the island. Of course you don't expect to get the cheapest price out of this though. If you are looking for a cheaper option there are some local but reliable services around as well. The best way that you can get a good deal is to shop around before settling for something. Check out what each one has to offer and which one can give you the most for the price that you will be paying.

Don't forget that before you set off driving you will need to familiarize yourself with the various driving rules in the island. You should also make sure that you have the right license or temporary permit to be able to drive; If you keep these things in mind you will surely be able to enjoy driving around and viewing the different attractions in Bermuda.

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7 Smart Ways to Do Car Shopping

Have you ever had the experience of buying a car? If yes, then what is it that you will take into account? But, if you have not been through that kind of experience, great! We will tips you on the important things that you should look out for when you want to purchase a car.

1 - First of all, plan your budget properly. Take note of other expenses as well after you purchase the car like down-payment and monthly installment, fuel consumption, maintenance fee, yearly insurance as well as road tax renewal. Then, decide on a new car or second hand car. The decision is very much depending on the budget you allocate.

2 - Take into consideration as well the purpose of you wanting to buy a car. If you need only the normal ones that can cater 1 to 4 people, get the economical ones. If you are planning to get a car for 6 or more, getting a MPV should be a wiser choice. Car features and specifications are equally important. In this case, the brand name plays the biggest role.

3 - Different brand names offer different features that you can expect for the car. If you are a sports car lover, a Ferrari might be your choice or any other sports car brand. As for an executive or those in managerial level, a Mercedes Benz suits them better. When you purchase a car, make sure they suit your image and the purpose of you getting them.

4 - Like how you did your shopping, it is advisable as well to ask around and look around for a better deal when you plan to buy a car. If you are getting a loan for your car, make sure you get the right finance company, preferably a reputable one.

5 - As we mention earlier, keeping a car might expand your expenses a lot more than you can imagine. You might want to get advises from a mechanic for the maintenance fee of a certain car. Some cars might need higher maintenance fee some are lower. Thus, get the advice you need from an experienced mechanic to save your maintenance cost. Fuel consumption is important as well. Try to get a car that consumes lesser fuel. That saves you a lot on your expenditure.

6 - As the saying goes 'Safety First', it goes the same as well if you are looking for a car. Safety feature is nonetheless one of the most important point to look out for. The safety crash test results and the total of air bags a car has must be taken into account before you decide on a car. Same goes to the warranty as well as terms and conditions. Being under warranty helps a lot because you will not know when your car might give you trouble. So, make sure your car warranty is extended.

7 - Last but not least, your road tax and insurance. The higher capacity of your car engine, the higher the cost for your road tax. If you do not see the need of getting a high capacity engine, then opt for a smaller capacity. Remember as well the yearly insurance of your car is not a small amount too. The cost that you need to cover every year to renew your insurance should be taken account when making your budget.

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Why Athletes Go Broke

The "Real Deal" is broke.

Former Heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield is playing the real life game of Deal Or No Deal. It has been reported that his $10 million estate in suburban Atlanta was under foreclosure, the mother of one of his children was suing for unpaid child support although it appears he has made good on that debt. A Utah consulting company has gone to court claiming the boxer failed to pay back more than a half million dollars for landscaping. Just one more high profile athlete having to scale back his lifestyle to the level to which you have I have been accustomed. Why is it that athletes who seem to have everything are often completely unable to control anything related to finances?

We all played our violins to death when we heard of Latrell Sprewell's financial troubles. On Halloween 2004, Sprewell, who was in the final season of a $62-million five-year contract with the New York Knicks, said he was insulted by the Minnesota Timberwolve's offer of a contract extension that was reportedly worth between $27 million and $30 million for three seasons. Sprewell stated, "I've got my family to feed." That quote become a national moniker for the public perception of athletes as greedy, out of touch individuals. Apparently, Sprewell still can't feed his family. His yacht was recently repossessed and his multi-million dollar mansion is about to be foreclosed on.

While there is certainly the stereotype of the financially irresponsible NBA athlete, no professional sport is immune.

Let's take a look at some high profile athlete financial sob stories over the years:

1. No one my age can forget Jack"The Ripper" Clark , star player for the Boston Red Sox who filed for bankruptcy in 1992 in the middle of his second year of a three-year, $8.7 million contract with Boston; he listed $6.7 million in debts. Jack was a master of financial planning and prudent asset acquisition. His bankruptcy petition listed assets such as 18 automobiles, including a 1990 Ferrari that cost $717,000 and three 1992 Mercedes Benz cars costing between $103,000 and $143,000. He owed money on 17 of the automobiles and was liable for about $400,000 in Federal and state taxes. He had also lost about $1 million in a drag-racing venture. Sounds like Jack would have been more at home in the NBA. You can read about it hereMike Tyson\'s Bentley

2. Johnny Unitas, Hall of Fame quarterback for the Baltimore Colts, filed for bankruptcy in 1991 citing numerous failed business ventures in his petition These failed bits included bowling alleys, land deals and restaurants. He filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1991.

3. Mike Tyson The name speaks for itself. Mike's bankruptcy was highly publicized. Despite earning hundreds of millions during his boxing career, Mike kept it simple. His bankruptcy petition simply stated: " I am unable to pay my bills". According to federal court records, his liabilities totaled about $27 million. You can read that story here.

4. Dorothy Hamill, the women's figure-skating gold medalist in the 1976 Winter Games, filed for bankruptcy after a series of financial setbacks. Hamill said she has experienced financial setbacks as a result of poor financial investment advice and management.

These are just a few of many athletes' tales of woe. It is not a phenomenon limited to professional sports - just ask M.C Hammer. Prior to his declaring bankruptcy, it was made public that his day to day living expenses far exceeded his income of $33 million. If I am going to veer off to celebrities, I certainly have to mention Kim Basinger and Michael Jackson.

When the Toronto Star ran an article alleging that a shocking 60 percent of NBA athletes "go broke" five years after retiring, did we not all pull out that very tiny violin we have reserved for such occasions? The NBA players union and the NBA have both disputed that assertion. The article goes on to talk about all the people taking advantage of and "scamming" these athletes. While I have no doubt there is truth to this, I can also understand how such a generalization would make the NBA uncomfortable. It leaves you with the impression that 60 percent of NBA players are not only financially inept but also idiots in general. This is simply not true. While good business sense is often lacking, I view many of their mistakes as being more mistakes of trust, credibility and lack of life experience than anything else. Smart, busy people who can afford it, hire people with targeted expertise to help them. This allows them to focus on their expertise. Sometime mistakes are made and bad judgment is used in who we hire and hang out with. That is not unique to the NBA or professional sports. This happens to everyone. That is life. It happens all the time. It just does not make front page when we screw up. If there is any question at all as to how badly we as the general public screw up, just look at the personal bankruptcy filing statistics.

In order to get a perspective from the inside, I contacted Jordan Woy, a highly respected sports agent and a principal in the sports marketing/management firm of Schlegel Sports. Jordan has represented numerous high profile athletes

Here is what Jordon had to say:

I think there are several reasons why so many athletes "go broke". First, whether it is a lottery winner, an athlete or a star entertainer, if they are not equipped with the knowledge on how to make and save money they are in trouble. When they didn't earn it through disciplined business practices and they don't have those skills they usually go through it quickly. Most lottery winners or athletes make a great deal of money in a short period of time. They start spending it on things that only go down in value (cars, jewelry, partying, entourage, etc) and start to evaporate the money they do have. They can carry this off until they stop earning big money. This is when the trouble starts. It is hard to believe that MC Hammer, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield and now Ed McMahon are broke. These are people who earned hundreds of millions over time and it disappeared. Lavish spending and entourages were probably the downfall for the first three for sure.

Most athletes play for four to ten years if they are lucky. After they pay taxes (can be 40 to 50%) and agent fees and buy their first homes, cars, outfits, jewelry (plus, cars, clothes and jewelry for friends and family), they are left with very little. When they first "strike it rich" all of their longtime friends and family expect help. Most athletes feel obligated to help everyone out at first then they wise up. They also want to keep up with their teammates. If someone buys a Bentley, they have to buy one; if someone buys a $75,000 watch, they have to buy one to keep up the appearance. Then, of course, when the career ends and they are still living in a multi million dollar house, driving 3 expensive cars (and insurance), traveling in private planes and taking Limo's when they go out on the town, reality sets in. The money dries up very quickly.

However, if athletes educate themselves, learn money management skills and make smart, safe investments along the way, they are usually in very good shape. After representing athletes for over 20 years, we call this our "life plan". We take out clients on working vacations in the off season to places like Las Vegas, Cancun and on a cruise to the Bahamas to learn business networking. We have people from industries such as real estate, oil and gas, financial planning, credit repair, asset protection/estate planning, etc come to educate the players and their wives so they can learn about these business and also determine if they are interested in any of these industries for life after sports. One of the financial planners who comes always says most people die coming down from Mt. Everest not going up. The goal is for these athletes to get to their Mt. Everest AND to get down safely.

So, what do you think? Are the financial mistakes that athletes make any different than your mistakes or mine? They are certainly mistakes made with a higher downside. When we hear these stories are we just unable to comprehend that someone could have that much money and spend it all? Can we learn lessons on how to live our lives from their highly publicized financial gaffes? Do we even care at all?

With all due respect to Latrell Sprewell, we have our own families to feed....

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Long-Term Care Insurance - What to Do & What to Avoid

Long-term care financing and planning takes some thought and education to put together a policy that is best for you and your financial situation. It is easy to get confused and become paralyzed into "inaction." Here are some key points of what to do or not do.

Purchasing Too Much Coverage:

It is important to get some type of long-term care insurance without over insuring. Look at your finances and determine how much you can comfortably afford to pay for long-term care and co-insure with your long-term care insurance policy. Purchasing long-term care insurance can be compared to buying an auto. A Ford will get you to the same place as a Mercedes, but it will cost you much less. Having some long-term care insurance is better than not having any long- term care insurance.

Waiting Too Long:

You will not save money by waiting to purchase long-term care insurance at a later date. The cost for you today is less expensive than it will ever be. As you get older, the rates go up.

Inflation Protection:

You need to seriously consider 5% Compound Inflation Protection, especially if you are under 70 years of age. It costs more, but it adds all the value to your long-term care insurance policy.

A Sound Long-Term Care Plan:

It is necessary to learn what your options are in the event that long-term care is needed. Do you have the assets to cover the expenses and still live the lifestyle you desire? Where do you want to receive care? How quickly can you liquidate your assets? Will you lose money if you liquidate? What are the tax consequences? Do we have enough income to live on?

Impact on Family:

How will a long-term care event affect your family? What happens when a spouse needs care? Will this affect the work of the other spouse? Is the family capable of providing the necessary care? Can the children help? How will this affect their work and family?

Medicare:

Many think that Medicare will cover all of the costs of long-term care. This is not true. It covers some very limited costs that meet Medicare's criteria.

Comparable and Competitive Quotes:

Some companies are more competitive in relation to age or health status. Long-term care insurance quotes should be compared from at least three of the top companies. Different companies have unique "sweet spots" depending upon age, marital/partner status and health

Long-Term Care Insurance Specialist:

Consult with a Long-Term Care insurance Specialist, an independent agent that stays informed of new plans that come into the marketplace. A long-term care specialist can easily help you compare the different plans getting them closer to an "apples to apples" comparison.

Shopping by Price:

Getting the lowest price for a long-term care insurance policy is not the way to plan. The cheapest price may or may not have the options that you will need when you are ready to use your plan.

Top Carriers:

When getting long-term care insurance quotes from three different companies, it is important to check the financial ratings of the company. You should look for companies with at least A ratings.

Long-Term Care Costs:

You need to be informed of the real cost of long-term care (home care, assisted living, nursing facilities) in your area. If you live in an expensive State, you will need to adjust your long-term care insurance benefits according to what the costs are in your area. If you are planning to retire to a less expensive area, then that should also be taken into consideration. Different considerations should be taken if you are planning on living overseas.

A Long-Term Care insurance specialist who represents the top companies can help develop an unbiased plan that is unique to you and your situation.

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How to Remove Window Tinting

At some point of time or the other, the idea may be hitting your mind that getting your car tinted would be a great idea. On the contrary, having a car with tinted windows has become slightly outdated. The tint on the glass decreases your visibility, specifically when you are driving in the night time and possibly, having such windows could be against the law in your own state. Hence you need to locate a cheap method to remove the tinting by doing it on your own. So here are the things which you can do for it:

Luckily, there are a number of verified ways in which you can remove the tinting of the windows of the car at the most reasonable prices and that too effectively. All you require for doing this are simple tools, a bit of spare time time and good amounts of elbow grease. The other things that you need to bear in mind while clearing the tinting of widows is to keep one of the windows open to avoid inhalation of any kind of fumes. Besides this, in case you are employing a steamer or a dryer, see that you do not burn yourself from them.

Removing Window Tinting with Steaming:

This stands to be the simplest and the most hygienic way of removing tinting from the windows. What actually happens is heat is applied on the interiors of the window making use of a hand-held steamer or a dryer. Doing this would help in melting the glue so that you can mildly drag the sheet out along with removing it. One should go slow while performing this method to remove the tinting as pulling out the sheet toughly would break it and would result into retention of glue on the window.

Removing Window Tinting by Washing and Scraping:

This method consists of cutting and pulling the sheet by a razor blade. As soon as the sheet is pulled out, the glue that stays back on the window should be scoured with soapy water. Besides this, you have to be extra cautious while performing this method to remove the tinting on windows as it may happen that the windows may get scratched or damaged, causing harm to the defroster lines.

Removing Window Tinting by Ammonia and Heat:

Before performing this method to remove tints from the windows of your car, you need to do a number of preparations. For this, you need to park your car somewhere in the sun and cover the interiors of the car with a poly canvas or trash bags in order to shield them from upholstery. After this, you need to spray the interiors of the window with unadulterated ammonia and then wrap it up with a poly-bag, ensuring that it sits properly against the window. Thereafter you need to spray the exteriors of the window of the car with the help of soapy water and wrap it up also with a poly bag.

Hence, by resorting to these methods, you can easily remove the tinting of the windows of your car.

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