Monthly Archives: March 2023

Top 10 Car Insurance Buyer Mistakes

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Car insurance, or any type of auto insurance for that matter, is something we simply cannot avoid. In most developed countries, it’s illegal to drive a vehicle on public roads without appropriate cover, so we really have no choice but to bite the bullet and cough up.

With that said, the average person continues to pay more than they need to, simply because they make the same mistakes over and over again. Here are 10 mistakes to avoid when it comes to car insurance:

1. Failure to Shop Around

Many people take out insurance with a particular company simply because the company was recommended to them by friends or family. This can prove to be a very costly mistake because there are so many variables involved, and besides, just because that may have had the best rates last year, doesn’t mean they’re still offering the best rates this year. You need to get quotes from at least six or seven providers before you make a decision.

2. Choosing the Minimum Deductable

The deductable is what you pay out of your own pocket should you submit a claim. The lower the deductable, the less you pay in the event of a claim, but the higher your premiums will be. Increasing the deductable amount, within reason of course, can lower the cost of auto insurance considerably.

3. Keeping the Same Level of Cover

Sure, if you buy a new car, or even a relatively new one, you’ll want maximum cover, so you buy fully comprehensive cover. This type of cover will cover you completely, no matter what, but it costs. But, once your car has aged a bit, and decreased in value, do you really need maximum coverage? After all, you could end up paying more for insurance over a two year period than what your car is worth.

4. Failure to Inquire About Discounts

Don’t assume your insurance provider is going to keep you updated regarding new discounts or special rates. Why would they want to voluntarily lose money?

5. Including Unnecessary Drivers

If you have more than one driver in your home, only include those who use your car regularly on your car insurance policy. This is particularly true in the case of teens. If your teenager only uses the car once or twice each year, rather opt for temporary cover when it’s needed.

6. Including All Drivers as Fulltime Drivers

If your partner or child only uses your car occasionally, ask your insurance provider if they offer discount rates for occasional drivers or limited mileage.

7. Failure to Check Driving Record

While it may not be a common occurrence, many people end up paying more for insurance because their driving record shows a history of traffic violations and/or accidents, when in fact they have never had any such violations or accidents.

8. Poor Credit History

Contrary to what many people believe, many insurance companies, but not all, will run a credit check, and if you have a poor credit history, it can push up the costs of auto insurance dramatically. If your credit score is less than perfect, choose a provider that doesn’t factor in a person’s credit score.

9. Claiming for Minor Incidences

Don’t submit a claim for minor things. If you can pay for minor repairs out of your own pocket, you’ll stand to benefit more in the long run. The more you claim, the higher your premiums are going to be.

10. Not Researching Before Buying a Car

Certain makes and models cost more to insure simply because statistics show they are more likely to get stolen. Check with insurance providers to find out what cars are best avoided before you actually buy a car.

Car insurance is here to stay, but if you avoid these common mistakes, you may just be pleasantly surprised at how affordable cover can be.

Launch Your Business and Sell Your Products On The Best E-Commerce Platform Today

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Undoubtedly the best E-commerce platform today, Shopify is a Canadian E-commerce company headquartered in Ottawa and created by, like many other companies, people who sought out for something, didn’t get it and decided to make it and avail it to the public.

Shopify has had rapid growth through the years and their purchasing of resources, or better yet other small business brands to further build the company is impressive. What’s more impressive is their easy-to-remember slogan: “Whether you sell, on social media, in store or out of the trunk of your car, Shopify has you covered”. A better version is: “Shopify, the best place to sell online, in person, and anywhere in-between”.

Shopify doesn’t leave you hanging either. The platform hosts a Podcast and avails several resources to business owners in the form of blog posts. In fact, you could be an affiliate, investor or someone whom just follows the platform and they wouldn’t let you down.

You’re new to business and the platform in general? You get posts to help you get your first sale. You’re an affiliate? You get the resources you need to help you better understand and promote the platform. You’re a professional Entrepreneur with lots of experience? Believe it, Shopify has you covered.

But a platform as this does have its drawbacks, especially since the evident rise of drop shipping in 2015 where it became saturated with people thinking that outsourcing products from AliExpress was a good idea (even though drop shipping has been here since people thought of selling stuff to other people) and everyone who failed labeled it a “Get rich quick” scheme, even though Shopify has never publicly, or privately insinuated that using their platform assures/insures success.

WHY SHOPIFY?

There are a lot of attributes that make Shopify a sexy platform; particularly that it can be customized according to ones wishes. They are listed below;

• User friendly interface.

• Plans catering to your needs.

• World class customer support.

• Easy customization.

• A blog for your store.

• Access to Shopify experts that’ll help with your store at a negotiable cost.

• An app store with apps to help you manage your store and many more.

SHOPIFY PLANS

Shopify has plans with features that fits every criteria one may garner. There are generally five shopify plans with specific features available for them. The plans and respective features are discussed below;

THE LITE SHOPIFY PLAN

If you have a Facebook page about a particular activity or service and you have products you could sell on your page, then this is the plan for you. It is limited to only selling on Facebook and costs $9.

THE BASIC SHOPIFY PLAN

This plan costs $29 and has cards rates of: 2.9%+30¢ for Canadian cards, 3.5%+30¢ for Amex or international cards and an in- person card rate of 2.7%+0¢. There are no transaction fees for using Shopify payments as your payment gateway, but using external payment gateways has a transaction fee of 2.0% percent.

With this plan you get these features: two (2) staff accounts, ability to add an unlimited number of products, an unlimited amount of file storage space, a $49 retail package, a “good” Shopify shipping discount, shipping labels printed, 24/7 hour support, fraud analysis, the ability to create orders manually, discount codes, a website and a blog and finally a free SSL certificate. Features you do not get on this plan are: gift cards, professional reports, advanced cart recovery, advanced report builder nor third-party calculated rates.

THE SHOPIFY PLAN

This plan costs $79 and has cards rates of: 2.7%+30¢ for Canadian cards, 3.4%+30¢ for Amex or international cards and an in- person card rate of 2.6%+0¢. There are no transaction fees for using Shopify payments as your payment gateway, but using external payment gateways has a transaction fee of 1.0% percent.

With this plan you get these features: five (5) staff accounts, ability to add an unlimited number of products, an unlimited amount of file storage space, a $49 retail package, a “better” Shopify shipping discount (than the basic plan), shipping labels printed, 24/7 hour support, fraud analysis, the ability to create orders manually, discount codes, a website and a blog, a free SSL certificate, gift cards, professional reports and advanced cart recovery. Features you do not get on this plan are: advanced report builder and third-party calculated rates.

THE ADVANCED SHOPIFY PLAN

This plan costs $299 with cards rates of: 2.4%+30¢ for Canadian cards, 3.3%+30¢ for Amex or international cards and an in- person card rate of 2.4%+0¢. There are no transaction fees (, as usual) for using Shopify payments as your payment gateway, but using external payment gateways has a transaction fee of 0.5% percent.

On this plan, every feature is made available to you. Specifically, fifteen (15) staff accounts, ability to add an unlimited number of products, an unlimited amount of file storage space, a $49 retail package, the “best” Shopify shipping discount, printed shipping labels, 24/7 hour support, fraud analysis, the ability to create orders manually, discount codes, a website and a blog, free SSL certificate, gift cards, professional reports, advanced cart recovery, advanced report builder and third-party calculated rates.

THE SHOPIFY PLUS PLAN

Shopify plus plan is Shopify’s “custom” plan. There is barely any information of this plan except that you get what you agree on with Shopify. If a business gets intereste in the plan, they contact an affiliate or some affiliate brands of Shopify and they will submit/refer you to Shopify. After which Shopify will call you and create a store for you based on your agreed criteria.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH SHOPIFY

My personal journey with Shopify has been very interesting. In my first week of opening my first two stores, I’ve had several abandoned carts. Why so many abandoned carts? You ask! Because living in a third world country, Nigeria, I couldn’t get a payment processor. All good options required that a business be registered (Until recently but only for new accounts). It’s sad. So if you fail, it’s always easier to blame it on your country rather than the platform. It’s like back lashing at Google because they didn’t have results for a weird name/word you were searching for.

My first store sold geek merchandise and the second store that I still work on, sells Long Boards. I still can’t get a payment processor and so have a vast amount of abandoned carts while I simultaneously try to make it look appealing and trustworthy. I haven’t given up!

So, I saved the best for last. Shopify allows a 14 day free trial after which you’ll need to buy a plan to keep using the platform unless a development store is created for you. There is still no loophole because once a store is 14 days old; you’ll need to still buy a plan regardless of if it was created as a development store. The only other option is for you to be added as an employee and when the store makes 50 orders, you’ll need to buy a plan and the store gets handed to you. You also have the opportunity to employ Shopify Experts to help you with your store based on what you agreed on.

If you have a product, whether you made it or had it made for you and would like or are ready Launch, then there is no better platform to sell on than Shopify.

Auto Insurance – Getting What You Thought You Paid for From Your Car Insurer

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Auto insurance coverage policies seem to vary significantly from company to company. Use the following tips to choose a reputable insurance company for your auto coverage.

State insurance departments, consumer agencies and independent research companies issue reports about insurance company performance in terms of consumer satisfaction. Always do some research and find out about your auto insurance company before you choose your insurer to avoid difficulties in getting the coverage you thought you were paying for. Insurance companies make more money when they can collect high premiums and pay out less on claims. When you’re buying auto insurance, this rule applies and is the reason that customers often find themselves arguing with the company they’re paying come claim time.

When you are dealing with an insurance agent, make certain the agent is legitimate. Insurance agents must be licensed by the state where they are selling insurance. If you are using an agent who is with a specific company, you can verify their association with that business by calling the company itself. By verifying your agent’s qualifications you greatly reduce the possibility you will be sold an inferior or phony auto insurance product.

Remember, your insurance policy is a contract between you and the insurance company. You provide accurate information about your driving record and vehicle and the insurance company agrees to provide you with certain kinds of coverage at a particular price. As with any contract, the terms must be in the contract in order for them to be honored. During the course of your conversation with an agent, do not be afraid to ask what section of the policy covers a particular feature they are describing. When you get your insurance coverage you can then quickly check the policy to make certain you got the coverage you bargained for.

Consider what repair shops the insurance company you are using normally deals with. You will want to check distance from your home and research each repair shop to make certain it has not received multiple consumer complaints. The quality of the repairs your vehicle gets is important to you.

When you are shopping for auto insurance, you can use the Internet. However, before you submit your personal information everywhere it is a good idea to contact an individual agent at the company. The more you can verify about the company, the agent and the reputation of the company before sending out your personal information, the better. You can also choose to get preliminary quotes and information online and then visit local insurance company offices to complete the purchase of your policy with an agent you meet face to face. Also, having multiple quotes in hand you’ve received from an online auto insurance quote comparison service puts you in a better position to negotiate with a local agent.

Auto insurance is a highly regulated business. If you believe you are being pushed into a settlement amount or are being dealt with unfairly, before you sign any document regarding a claim, consult with an attorney and your state’s insurance department.

When you choose an auto insurance company you are concerned with more than the cost of your insurance coverage. Use the above tips to make certain you’re getting what you pay for.

Getting a Home Loan After Bankruptcy

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Getting a home loan after bankruptcy is not impossible. If you know exactly how to improve your chances of successful loan qualification, you actually do stand a very good chance of qualifying for a home loan mortgage, even if you have declared bankruptcy.

Now, it is absolutely imperative you keep your credit score in tip top shape. If you have a bankruptcy or default on your credit history, any sort of lender will be very suspicious of lending you any money. This is because lenders operate on risk, and you, as someone who has declared bankruptcy, are very high risk indeed. If you can prove to the lenders that you can control your spending and pay your bills on time, they will give you a loan, bankruptcy or no bankruptcy.

Where many people go wrong here is that they get far to impatient. There is an unwritten rule amongst lenders that people who have declared bankruptcy should not apply for a loan until two years after their bankruptcy discharge.

This is because it will take a person several years to repair their credit rating to a good status. It also provides lenders with a fairly look interval from which to examine your payment histories. If you maintain flawless credit payments for two years, this is a good sign that you will make payments on a loan.

To build up your credit, you should consider getting a credit card if you don’t have one. There are a variety of options out there to choose from. You may initially find it difficult to get an unsecured credit card; however, you can always get a secured credit card if you can’t qualify for anything else.

So, if you want to get a home loan after bankruptcy, it is possible. But you will need to have good credit – something achievable within a couple years of responsible spending.