AIA Chiangmai

So that bucket of bolts you drove throughout high school and college has gasped its last exhaust-filled breath. It’s done. That means you’re in the market for a new car. Soon you’ll brave the treacherous world of the car lot. Be careful, it’s a jungle out there. Eager salesmen hover like vultures, ready and willing to separate you from your hard-earned cash.

Once you decide on a car, you’ll then have to survive the depths of the dealership, where finance managers lurk at every cornerpen and paper in hand, waiting for you to sign on the dotted line. But don’t worry, with a little prior planning, you can get that new car without breaking the bank.

First off, you need to make a decision: buy or lease? If you like to drive a car until it diesand with today’s autos running well past the 100,000 mile markthen you’ll probably want to buy. However, if you see yourself in a different ride every couple of years, then leasing might be the right option for you. In a lease, you’re essentially renting the car for a pre-determined amount of time (usually three years). During that time, you’ll have to keep the car in tip-top shape and only drive it for an agreed-upon amount of miles per year (usually around 15,000). After your lease is up, you can purchase the car at a residual price or start a lease on another car.

Once you decide on buying or leasing, it’s time to figure out how you’re going to pay for it. First, decide how much you can afford to spend on a new car. As a good rule of thumb, many experts suggest that you spend no more than 20 percent of your net income per month on a car payment and other related auto-expenses.

Next, decide how you want to pay for it. Once you’re on the lot and fall in love with your dream car, the salesperson will do everything in their power to get you to finance the car through the dealership. Auto financing is a big money industry, and car manufacturers would be remiss to not take advantage of it. Financing with the dealership is tempting, as it’s the quickest way for you to drive off the lot in your new set of wheels.

But buyer beware, dealers know that buying a car can be a mentally exhausting experience, and finance departments will often add hidden fees in the paperwork for services or features you don’t want (e.g., extended warranties, service agreements, etc.). Dealerships also offer attractive financing deals like rebates or low interest rates, but many of them depend on your credit scorewhich you should always know before you even step foot on the lot. You can check your credit score and correct any errors by visiting www.equifax.com, www.experian.com, or www.transunion.com.

If you want to be a truly empowered car buyer, then secure a loan through a bank, credit union or other lending institution before you buy. You’ll generally get a lower interest rate than what the dealership can offer you, and you’ll essentially become a “cash buyer”. This means you’ll have more negotiating power on the total price of the vehicle, lower monthly rates, and no chance of the dealerships finance department sneaking in any hidden fees into a finance contract. Most lending institutions, upon approving your loan, will give you a check that can be made out to a dealership. Negotiate the price of the car along with tax and licensing fees, and off you go.

Whether you lease or buy, finance through the dealer or through a separate lending entity, always read every contract that requires your signature thoroughly. Make sure the figures in the contract are correct and that you understand all of the charges included. Also, if at any time you should feel pressured by a car salesman or lending agency, walk away. Remember, you are the buyer, therefore you have the power.

Happy hunting!

Joe Kenny writes for the Personal Loans Store offering cheap loans and offer more information on car loans and other loan topics available on site.
Visit Today: http://www.ukpersonalloanstore.co.uk

Tags: auto, budget, car, charges, cost, fees, Finance, insurance, interest, Loans, mobile, motor, payauto, budget, car, charges, cost, fees, Finance, insurance, interest, Loans, mobile, motor, pay

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Imagine your horror when you discover your emergency surgery is not covered by your health insurance. You have no idea what to do. AND you’re a recovering patient!

The moral is that if you, or your company for you, purchased a health insurance policy more than five years ago, it would be prudent to review your benefits. You might find quite a few very unpleasant surprises. Wouldn’t it be better to know now rather than later, when you need your benefits and it’s too late to make changes.

The costs for medical services have soared. Many of the benefit amounts in health insurance policies do not cover the current charges.

I recently learned of a case where the patient bought his policy many years ago when medical costs were far less than they are now. His policy stated that his coverage for anesthesia services was one-third of the surgeon’s fee. Meanwhile, the cost of anesthesia services has greatly increased.

The maximum or “cap” in his policy was $1,000, leaving him with a significant - unexpected - out-of-pocket amount for the anesthesia service.

This same patient also found that his deductible was not an annual charge. He learned that he would have to pay the sizeable deductible for each medical event and/or procedure. Unfortunately, he found this fact right before his surgery, too late to make any changes in the policy.

He also found that lab charges would not be covered at all. His policy states that the cost of lab work would not be paid if it is billed from a site outside the hospital; only lab charges billed from the hospital itself were covered. Nowadays, many hospitals outsource some of their services and patients are stuck with more out-of-pocket charges.

Had this patient carefully read through his policy - and done so annually to remind himself - perhaps he could have made changes in his plan to better protect himself.

If your policy is through your company, they likely have an annual Open Enrollment period during which you can make changes to your health insurance plan. Use this annual event as the time for reviewing your policy.

Another reminder: check the pre-authorization, or pre-certification, requirements in your policy. This means calling the insurance company, describing what’s going to happen, and receiving approval for the procedure prior to the actual procedure. Often the physician’s office will handle this step. Make sure that it occurs.

Keep good records of your conversations. Note the date, the time, to whom you spoke, and what was said. Until you know for certain, assume any medical treatment requires pre-certification (often called “pre-cert”).

I hope this information has encouraged you to review your health insurance policy at least annually. You surely don’t want the financial surprises this patient found.

After fighting her own health insurance company, Leland Draper founded The Draper Forum to assist clients as an advocate for Georgia citizens regarding medical insurance. She deals with claims departments and agencies, overseeing claims, including Medicare, Explanations of Benefits, and supplemental policies. On behalf of the client, she copes with physicians’ offices, service agencies, hospitals as well as auxiliary labs and services. She provides this service for her clients because managing, on your own, the chaotic muddle of bills and insurance paperwork is emotionally exhausting and can affect recovery.
Ms. Draper can be reached at http://www.thedraperforum.com and at mld99@juno.com.

Tags: benefits, charges, costs, health, insurance, patient, policy, review, surgerybenefits, charges, costs, health, insurance, patient, policy, review, surgery

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