Skechers to Pay $45 Million to Settle Advertising Charges
The Federal Trade Commission announced Wednesday that Skechers USA agreed to pay $40 million to settle charges that it deceived consumers by ?making unfounded claims that Shape-ups would help people lose weight, and strengthen and tone their buttocks, legs and abdominal muscles.?
Will Adult Children Have to Pay Mom's Nursing Home Costs?
A Pennsylvania state appeals court has ruled that the adult son of a nursing home resident is responsible for her unpaid $93,000 bill. And the decision has some elder care lawyers wondering if this is just the beginning of a trend.
Celebrity Entrepreneurs on the Rise?
Whereas once upon a time a celebrity lending his or her recognition to further a product was called a sell-out, today getting behind a product and using one’s fame to help it along is called entrepreneurship. And rightly so. The kind of active investment we’re seeing from celebrities like 50 Cent, Ashton Kutcher, Sean Combs and Leonardo DiCaprio is marked by market research, personal engagement in the product and an ownership stake. Sure, a lot of these glitzy moguls-in-the-making have business managers and research teams, but compare their entrepreneurial endeavors to what they could be doing – renting out their likenesses to underwear ads – and you’ve got to admit they are a little bit more engaged.
The Five W's Of Bad Investing Behavior
Investors are prone to making irrational decisions. The simple truth is that what feels good, or what satisfies an immediate impulse, is not always compatible with generating positive, long-term returns.
Daily Wrap: 5/16/2012
The markets were higher this morning, bolstered by some encouraging economic news, but fell back into negative territory later in the day, despite comments made by German Chancellor Angela Merkel saying she wants Greece to stay in the euro zone.
Analyst Moves: BCS, GRPN
Barclays (BCS) was upgraded today by UBS (UBS) from neutral to buy with a price target of $13.85, as the firm believes that the stock is attractive at current price levels.
Here are some useful tips on reducing insurance costs:
Shop Around
Although it may sound an obvious thing to do, you will be surprised at how many people just renew their policy without comparing prices. It’ll take some time, but could save you a good sum of money.
Check consumer guides, insurance agents and online insurance quote services. Ask friends what they are paying for their policies. This will give you an idea of price ranges and tell you which companies have the lowest prices. But don’t consider price alone. The insurer you select should offer a fair price and deliver quality service.
Raise Your Excess Amounts
Excess amounts are the amount of money you have to pay toward a loss before your insurance company starts to pay a claim, according to the terms of your policy. The higher your excess, the more money you can save on your premiums.
Buy your home and car policies from the same insurer
Some companies that sell homeowner, car and personal liability insurance policies will offer you a reduced premium if you buy two or more insurance policies from them. But make certain this combined price is lower than buying the different policies from different companies.
Improve your home security
You can usually get discounts for fitting a smoke detector, burglar alarm or dead-bolt locks. Some companies offer quite substantial reductions on premiums if a sophisticated sprinkler system and a fire and burglar alarm that rings at the police, fire or other monitoring stations is installed. These systems aren’t cheap and not every system qualifies for a discount. Before you buy such a system, find out what kind your insurer recommends, how much the device would cost and how much you’d save on premiums.
Maintain a good credit record
Establishing a solid credit history can cut your insurance costs. Insurers are increasingly using credit information to price homeowners’ insurance policies.
To protect your credit standing, pay your bills on time, don’t obtain more credit than you need and keep your credit balances as low as possible.
Stay with the same insurer
If you’ve kept your policy with a company for several years, you may receive a special discount for being a long-term policyholder. But make certain to periodically compare this price to ensure that you are getting the most competitive price.
