charitable donations

Apache is functioning normally

Americans donate billions of dollars each year to nonprofits — both at home and abroad. That money is essential to helping those nonprofits carry out their missions.

But how do you know that money will be used the way you want?

If you’re donating money to a charity, take a minute to make sure you know where your money is going first.

3 Things to Consider Before Donating Money to a Charity

If you have the money to make donations — or even if you don’t, but feel strongly about a certain cause — it’s important to evaluate the charity first.

Are donation dollars helping support a worthy cause — or supporting high administrative costs?

You want to get the most out of your donation dollars. Here are some tips to help.

1. Make Sure You’re Donating to a Legitimate Organization

It never hurts to check out the charity’s profile on a watchdog site such as Charity Watch or Charity Navigator.

You can search the organization and find its address, mission statement, tax filing status and total expenses vs. total contributions.

Charity Watch will also tell you how much it cost the charity to raise $100, which can be a sign of the organization’s efficiency (or lack thereof).

Charity Watch gives organizations a letter grade, like A, B or C. Charity Navigator rates organizations on a scale of one to four.

2. Know Where Your Money Is Actually Going

You don’t want your hard-earned money to go into someone else’s pockets — unless that’s who you donated it to.

The number that can help you understand where your money is going is called the program efficiency or expense ratio.

Higher efficiency ratios are a good thing. They illustrate a charity’s productivity in providing services in line with its mission.

A general rule of thumb: The most efficient organizations spend at least 75% of their budgets on programs and services, with the rest going toward administration and fundraising costs.

Finding the spending ratio is super simple. Go to Charity Watch and search for an organization. You’ll see a “program expense ratio” that reflects the total expenses a charity spent on programs relative to overhead.

3. Take Note of the Group’s Nonprofit Status for Your Taxes

When you make a donation, check to see if it’s tax deductible. This is important to some donors because donation dollars can be deducted from taxable income. That means it won’t be taxed.

To determine the status of your monetary contribution, look for the charity’s tax status.

You can find an organization’s tax status on Charity Watch or Charity Navigator. Or simply go to the organization’s website, the IRS or GuideStar.

The two most common tax statuses for charities are 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4).

A 501(c)(4) donation is generally not tax deductible, while donations to 501(c)(3)s are.

As a result, if you’re trying to get a tax break, look for a 501(c)(3) organization before you make your donation.

The IRS has a great resource about charitable donation deductions for those looking to save money at tax time. Read up!

But remember: You can only claim charitable donations if you itemize your taxes. And most Americans don’t itemize.

According to The Tax Foundation, about 87% of Americans took the standard deduction in 2019 instead.

For the 2022 tax year, the standard deduction is $12,950 for an individual, $25,900 for married couples and $19,400 for heads of household.

That means your deductible expenses — including your charitable donations — will need to equal more than $12,950 (or $25,900, if you’re married and filing jointly) to be able to take advantage of a charity tax benefit.

For many of us, that will not be the case.

Rachel Christian is a Certified Educator in Personal Finance and a senior writer for The Penny Hoarder. Carson Kohler is a former staff writer.

<!–

–>

Source: thepennyhoarder.com

Apache is functioning normally

Have you heard about Fetch Rewards? My Fetch Rewards Review will show you how to earn free gift cards by simply snapping a picture of your receipts with your phone. That’s it – Fetch is really that easy!

Fetch Rewards is a cash back and gift card cell phone app that rewards you for purchases that you’ve already made.

With this app, you can scan your grocery receipts (from any grocery store or wholesale club, any time) and earn free gift cards.

Plus, Fetch Rewards is free. You don’t have to pay money to sign up or to use the app.

I will explain more in my Fetch rewards app review, but with Fetch, you earn points when you submit your receipts to the Fetch Rewards app from any grocery store, clothing store, restaurant, gas station, and more. Yes, ANY!

Then, you redeem your points for gift cards (to places such as Target, Amazon, or Apple) and other rewards.

All you have to do is take a picture of your receipt with your cell phone and easily earn points.

Here’s how Fetch Rewards works:

  1. Shop like you normally would
  2. Scan your receipt after you’re done
  3. Earn points on Fetch Rewards

You can sign up for Fetch Rewards here. 

Content related to my Fetch Rewards review:

Fetch Rewards Review

 

What is Fetch Rewards?

I want to start my Fetch Rewards review with some basic information about the company and app. Fetch Rewards is based out of Madison, Wisconsin, and this shopping app has helped millions of people save money with the tap of a button as you simply scan physical and digital receipts.

Every month, over 11,000,000 people use Fetch Rewards. It is super easy to use Fetch and receive free gift cards.

I keep saying it’s simple because it really is! Every time you shop or dine out, you can scan your receipt into the Fetch Rewards app.

You can scan receipts from any grocery store, clothing store, pet store, home improvement store, club store, restaurant, gas station, and more. Basically, anywhere you shop, you can snap a picture of the receipt and scan it into Fetch.

You can even use your digital receipts from online purchases such as Amazon, Target, Instacart, and more by connecting your online accounts.

If you have a receipt, then you can scan it!

You earn points when you submit your receipts, and Fetch pays you in points that you can redeem for gift cards. 

There are many redemption options. Here are some of the places you can receive gift cards from:

  • Starbucks
  • Dunkin Donuts
  • Amazon
  • Target
  • Visa gift cards
  • Airbnb
  • Old Navy
  • Ulta
  • Barnes & Noble
  • Bass Pro Shops
  • Instacart
  • Sam’s
  • BJ’s
  • Best Buy
  • Lowe’s

And so many more!

You can also decide to put your points towards charitable organizations, such as The Red Cross or the Clean Water Fund. You can even use your points to enter sweepstakes in the Fetch app.

Don’t worry, I’ll explain more about how to redeem your points further down in my Fetch Rewards review.

 

How does Fetch Rewards work?

Here’s how Fetch Rewards works:

  1. Sign up and download Fetch Rewards by creating an account or connecting a Google or Facebook account account, and then make a password for your account.
  2. Go shopping like you normally do.
  3. Scan your first receipt and earn points. To do this, you simply go to your Fetch Rewards app and click on the orange circle at the bottom of your screen that says “Snap.” You then take a picture of your receipt. If you have a digital receipt, you can just tap on the blue circle instead.
  4. Redeem your points for gift cards, make charitable donations, enter sweepstakes, and more.

I have personally used Fetch to prepare for my Fetch Rewards review, and I can promise you it’s just that simple!

 

How much can you earn with Fetch Rewards?

The amount you can earn on Fetch Rewards really depends on your spending, whether you are completing the Fetch Special Offers, and so on.

Because I am writing this Fetch Rewards review, I wanted to use the app for a while to give you the best review possible, and I was able to earn around $56 in free gift cards in 2-3 months by simply spending how I normally do. I didn’t put any additional effort in the app other than just scanning my shopping receipts.

As you can see, Fetch Rewards clearly won’t make you rich, but you can easily make a little extra money shopping like you normally do.

I also don’t think that I spent more than 20 minutes total in the Fetch app. It’s easy to use and only takes like 10 seconds to scan a receipt. You don’t have to do anything else.

 

What stores can I use for Fetch Rewards?

The great thing about Fetch Rewards is that you can use any retailer or store where you buy groceries, from big box stores, to mom and pop stores, to drug stores, convenience stores, hardware stores, liquor stores, gas stations, club stores (such as Costco), and more.

With any receipt I get, I scan it into the Fetch Rewards app. It takes less than a minute, and you earn points with every scan – so easy!

Plus, you don’t have to jump through any hoops to get points. You don’t need to pre-select the offers in the Fetch Rewards app or scan barcodes, plus there are no surveys or ads. Simply go shopping at your favorite retailers just like usual.

You simply scan your receipt after you are done shopping and earn points.

 

How many receipts can I scan on Fetch a day?

Fetch Rewards allows you to submit 35 receipts within a 7-day period. Electronic receipts that are processed on your account do not count toward the 35 receipt limit.

Other things to know about using Fetch Rewards:

  • Fetch Rewards works for stores located in the United States and Puerto Rico.
  • You have 14 days to scan your receipts to earn points.
  • When you scan your receipts, your receipt must include the store name, the items that you bought, the date of your purchase, the store’s address, and the total amount that you spent. All of that information is included on your receipt.
  • If you scan a receipt with a participating item from the Special Offers tab, then you will get bonus points.
  • If you have a long receipt, you simply just snap more pictures to make sure that your whole receipt is included.
  • You should never make fake receipts or scan the same receipt twice in order to try and get more points. This violates Fetch’s terms of service. Always be honest!

 

Does Fetch Rewards take gas receipts?

Yes, you can scan your gas receipts with Fetch Rewards.

If you’re looking to earn even more from your gas station purchases, then I recommend Upside.

Upside is an app that helps you find gas stations, groceries, and restaurants where you can earn cash back. You simply sign up for a free account, and then look at the Upside app to find places near you.

You can earn up to $0.25/gallon cash back at gas stations, up to 30% back on grocery purchases, and up to 45% back at restaurants.

You can check out Upside here to learn more.

Fetch Rewards Special Offers

What receipts give you the most points on Fetch?

There are several main ways that you can earn points on Fetch Rewards, such as:

  1. Scanning receipts. When you purchase something, whether it be online or in-person, you can take a picture of your receipt with your cell phone and earn points. Every time you scan a receipt in the app, you will receive a minimum of 25 points.
  2. Complete special offers. When you are logged into your Fetch Rewards account, you can see what products will give you the most points. As you can see in the image above, you simply just go to the Fetch Rewards App and go to the Discover tab. There, you will see what items will earn you the most points and extra points. Special offers can give you anywhere from 250 points to even over 5,000 points. New special offers are added almost every day too, so even if you don’t see something today, there may be something that interests you tomorrow. Now, you don’t have to look at the Discover page if you don’t want to – it’s simply just another way to earn more points. You can just use Fetch Rewards and scan your receipts without ever doing anything else in the Fetch Rewards app.
  3. Refer friends and family. Sometimes, you can receive around 2,000 to 4,000 points by referring a new user. You can simply head to the Refer A Friend tab in the Fetch Rewards app to find your referral code.
  4. Joining the Huggies Rewards+ Club. If you use Huggies diapers, you can earn up to 50,000 points by simply purchasing certain Huggies items, such as Huggies Diapers or Huggies Little Movers. Plus, you can get Huggies special offers points as well which are quite high as well.
  5. Save on prescriptions. With Fetch, you can also save on your prescriptions. GoodRx is a free prescription price comparison tool that anyone can use. Simply head to your “Me” tab and click on GoodRx. You can then show this card when paying for prescriptions. You’ll get 10,000 points on your first prescription purchase, and then 1,500 points for future purchases and refills.

For me, I mainly just scan my receipts and refer others to Fetch Rewards. But if I wanted to earn more, there are several other great ways to increase the amount of rewards points that I can earn.

 

How many points equal a dollar on Fetch?

On average, 1,000 points equals $1 in rewards.

10,000 points is equivalent to around $10.

 

How do I redeem a free gift card from Fetch Rewards?

To redeem a Fetch reward, you will simply go to your Fetch account, and look at the bottom of the app. Look for the Rewards tab and tap on that.

Here, you will see what you can use your points on, such as:

  • Gift cards up to $50
  • Sweepstakes entries
  • Charitable organizations
  • Fetch merchandise, such as t-shirts

Then, you click on the button that shows how many points you want to use.

Next, you click on the orange button that says “Get My Reward” at the bottom.

You will then be asked to confirm that this is what you would like to do. It typically takes around three days to process your redemption request.

Once your reward is ready, you will get a notification. You can then go to your Rewards tab, then click on “My Rewards” to find your reward. Here, you will see your gift card code so that you can redeem your gift card at the company that you have chosen.

What’s the Fetch bonus code?

Fetch Rewards does not currently have an active bonus code. But, once they do, I will update this and let you know.

 

What is the catch with Fetch Rewards? How does Fetch Rewards make money? What does Fetch Rewards do with your receipts?

These are all great questions, and they are definitely things I want to cover in this Fetch Rewards review.

Fetch Rewards is so easy to use, but what’s in it for them? Why do they give out rewards and free gift cards just for scanning your receipts?

Fetch Rewards is paying you for the data they get from your receipt. They don’t see your name or other private or personal information. Instead, they are observing trends in shopper behavior. They then use this information to help their partners better understand their customer’s shopping habits.

Fetch Rewards also makes money by finding good deals for those who are signed up for Fetch Rewards. The Special Offers section in the Fetch Rewards app is an area where companies pay to be featured in this list, sort of like an advertisement. Companies know that they can get a lot of people looking at their company in the Fetch Rewards app, so they pay Fetch Rewards for this advertisement.

 

Is Fetch Rewards safe?

Yes, Fetch Rewards is safe to use.

They go through many steps to protect your personal information, and all of the data that they collect is anonymized and aggregated with everyone else’s, so your personal information is never shown.

Also, your receipts only show the last five digits of your credit card number, so you don’t have to worry about that being shared either because Fetch can’t see it.

 

Do my Fetch Rewards points expire?

If your Fetch Rewards account is not used for 90 days, then your points will expire. Your account will receive inactive status if you haven’t submitted any receipts or redeemed any rewards in a 90-day period.

This means that you just simply need to scan a receipt or redeem your Fetch points so your points never expire. If you get in the habit of scanning your receipts every time you shop, you shouldn’t have a problem with expiring points.

It’s very easy to stay active as pretty much everyone spends money in a 90-day period.

 

Is Ibotta or Fetch better?

Fetch Rewards and Ibotta are very similar.

Fetch Rewards is a little easier to use than Ibotta because all you need to do is scan your receipt into the Fetch Rewards app, and then you are done. With Ibotta, it’s more like clipping coupons and takes a little more time, but you may be able to earn a little more with Ibotta.

The great thing is that you can use the same exact grocery receipt for both Fetch and Ibotta. So if you have the time, you can try using both to earn even more rewards and free gift cards. This will allow you to increase your earnings by doing very little extra work.

Here’s how Ibotta works:

With Ibotta, you simply create an Ibotta account, unlock rebates and rewards, go shopping, verify your purchases, and then get cash.

You can redeem rebates from over hundreds of stores, such as Walmart, Target, Kroger, Publix, Walgreens, Home Depot, Old Navy, Chewy, and more.

You can also earn cash back online and in-store with Ibotta.

Ibotta is one of the easiest money making apps because you’re making money shopping like you normally do. They pay in cash or gift cards to Amazon, Starbucks, and other stores.

 

Is Fetch legit? – Fetch Rewards Reviews

Yes, Fetch Rewards is legitimate.

I looked through other online Fetch app reviews and found it’s rated 4.8/5 in the App Store with over 2,600,000 ratings.

In the Google Play store, the average Fetch app review is 4.6/5 stars with over 475,000 reviews on Fetch rewards and over 10,000,000 downloads.

You can see even more Fetch Rewards reviews on Trustpilot.

 

How do I contact Fetch Rewards?

If you have any questions or concerns with Fetch Rewards, you can contact them at [email protected].

You can also go to your app, click on the “Me” tab on the bottom, then click on “Help Center,” then “Contact Us.”

Here’s a screenshot of my Fetch Rewards Account. In 2 months, I have earned 55,566 points, which is equal to a little over $50 in free gift cards.

My Fetch Rewards Review

I hope you enjoyed my Fetch Rewards review. I have been using it for several months now and it is very easy to use.

Fetch Rewards rewards shoppers for shopping at their local supermarket and other popular retailers.

With Fetch Rewards, you can start earnings points by submitting both physical receipts and e-receipts so that you can turn your points into Amazon gift cards, Visa gift cards, and more. There’s no coupon clipping and it is very easy to use.

Simply just upload receipts that you have and earn Fetch Rewards points.

You can upload receipts from retailers such as Target, Walmart, Costco, Publix, Kroger, Walgreens, Home Depot, and more. Small stores, big stores, and everything in between.

This is a must-have shopping app that will help you to save more money, without spending a lot of extra time or effort on your end.

You can sign up for Fetch Rewards here.

Do you use Fetch Rewards? What other questions do you have for this Fetch Rewards review?

Related Posts

<!–

–>

Source: makingsenseofcents.com

Apache is functioning normally

Budgets are a vital part of balancing your spending and making progress towards your goals. We all know they are important — but that doesn’t mean making them is a breeze. Now that we’re nearing the close of 2020, it’s time to start your budget for next year. 

If we’re being honest, your 2020 goals were likely derailed by the pandemic. You likely made some adjustments and might have taken on some extra debt in the process. But the fact is, you can’t create an effective budget without first identifying your roadblocks. Use these steps to create your 2021 budget. 

1. Calculate your income

To start things off, you need to know your total income (gross income from all your sources). If you freelance or have a variable income, admittedly, this might not be easy. In this case, you can use an average. But, you might want to create a tighter budget to account for this gray area. If you have additional forms of income from a side hustle or source like child support, make sure you include it here. It’s worth emphasizing that your gross income will typically be a larger number, compared to your net income — which accounts for funds left after deductions or withholdings. 

2. Look at your bills and balances

After calculating exactly how much money you make, you’ll need to lay out all of your bills and balances. We know this is probably the last thing you want to do, especially after 2020. Unfortunately, it’s probably the most important part of creating your budget. Collect your bank statements and bills to evaluate your balances and due dates. It doesn’t matter if you use the latest budgeting software, an excel sheet or a pad and paper, whatever it takes.

[ Read: The Best Savings Accounts in 2021 ] 

When making a list of your monthly expenses, it might help to break them down by fixed or variable expenses.

  • Fixed: These expenses are the same amount each time, like your mortgage, rent or student loan payments.
  • Variable: This is where it gets tricky — variable expenses can change from month to month — entertainment, food and travel expenses. 

3. Find opportunities to cut spending

Now that you’ve laid it all out and you know what percentage of your income is promised to bills, you’ll be able to find the spots you can pull back. You’ll need to be both realistic and a little harsh at this stage. Planning an inflated budget won’t help you manage your spending or achieve the goals you set for yourself. 

[ From Trent: How to Create and Customize Your 2021 Financial Goals ]

For example, take-out is easy and sometimes a better option than going to the grocery store during the pandemic. But it’s not good for your wallet. The amount of money people spend on food has increased since 2019, so consider cheap-and-easy meals that save you time if you have a bloated budget. 

Another pitfall many see in their spending is their subscriptions. Did you sign up for any free trials and forget to cancel last year? Evaluate your monthly subscriptions and see which ones you aren’t using. Charges like this can sneak by, sometimes without you even noticing –– but it adds up pretty quickly. After eliminating frivolous spending, you can redirect that money directly into your savings. 

4. Don’t forget your emergency fund

So you have the bare bones of your budget laid out. You have found the areas you can cut back on and know how much extra money you’ll have each month. Now you need to decide what to do with it. 

If 2020 has taught us anything, it is the necessity of building an emergency fund. This is not an area you want to overlook. If you’ve taken a detailed look at your expenses and what you spend, you’ll have an easier time finding the money to put in your emergency fund each month. You never know what could come up over the next year. It’s better to prepare now rather than scramble later. A little planning now will help you avoid predatory options like payday loans or cash advances. 

In this article

5. Plan for your taxes

Taxes will be a little more complicated this year, especially for the millions of Americans who received unemployment benefits. Unless you opted into having taxes being withheld from your payments, you’ll see a larger tax bill for 2020. Not all states will tax these benefits, though federal taxes will be due. 

[ Read: Income Tax Guide for 2020 ]

You’ll also need to look at your 401(k) or IRA contributions for the year. Contributing to these accounts will lower your taxable income. Any charitable donations you have made will also need to be accounted for, as they often mean additional deductions on your taxes. A little math now and a quick could help you maximize your write-offs.

Too long, didn’t read?

As you think about budget adjustments to welcome 2021, remember that there’s no wrong way to maintain a budget as long as you’re tackling your spending and keeping track of where your dollars go. It sounds like a simple idea, but it might seem difficult to pull off when you start. Use this list to organize your priorities when working on your budget. Hint: To ease step number one, write down every single monthly expense you can find. Here’s a quick and easy budget model to get you started and a detailed list of budgeting strategies. From there, our list will be easier to follow. Good luck, and let us know if you have any other methods that work for you.

We welcome your feedback on this article. Contact us at [email protected] with comments or questions.

Image Credit: NoSystems Images/Getty Images

Source: thesimpledollar.com

Apache is functioning normally

This is a guest post from CJ at WiseMoneyMatters.com. This post represents CJ’s viewpoints, which are not necessarily my viewpoints. (Although I, too, hope to pay off my mortgage early.)

Note: This is embarrassing. I don’t think I’ve ever had a post with an error like this slip by me before. I apologize. I’ve removed the offending section, not out of any attempt at revisionism, but out of interest in accuracy. Please let me know if the piece is still mathematically unsound. (And a sincere “thank you” to those who caught the error!)

The other day, I was telling my wife’s grandmother that we had sold our house. We are downsizing in order to eliminate our mortgage more quickly. It looks like we will have our mortgage completely paid off in three to five years, depending on when kids enter the scene. She gave me a speech about how our house is one of the only tax deductions we have, and how most accountants recommend you keep a mortgage payment for that reason.

I think this logic is misguided. Let me show you why.

The Standard Deduction

The 2009 standard deduction for married couples will be $11,400. That means in order to gain any benefit from tax deductions, your interest paid must exceed this number. In other words, you would have to pay $950 per month in mortgage interest (not principal) in order to see any tax benefit from your mortgage payment.

If you had a mortgage on a $200,000 house at 6.25%, you would be barely exceeding the standard deduction for the first few years, assuming the deduction never increases (which it usually does). After that, you would be better off taking the standard deduction assuming you receive no other deductions.

So, in reality, such a tax deduction would only be helpful in house purchases in which your mortgage is $200,000 or more. Anything else and it’s almost pointless.

J.D.’s note: As I usually do with articles like this, I asked my accountant for feedback. His response was: “This article seems accurate, but the author makes the assumption that an individual will only have mortgage interest to deduct when comparing to the standard deduction. Other items that are deductible include state income taxes, property taxes, and charitable donations.”

He also added: “You should not look at the tax savings as the reason to purchase a home. It is only one component, and a minor one at that.” Basically, he agrees with CJ.

A Poor Trade

If you do itemize deductions, you’re still paying more in interest than you’ll save on taxes. This is the second thing that people overlook.

If you are paying over $11,400 in interest, that does not mean that you are paying $11,400 less in taxes. It means that $11,400 of your income is not counted as taxable income.

Let’s say you’re in the 25% tax bracket. If you pay $20,000 in mortgage interest, it will save you $5,000 in taxes. $20,000 of your income does not count towards taxes. Effectively, you are paying $15,000 to get your tax deduction. This is not the most financially sound advice I’ve ever heard. If you take such advice, I’ve got a really good deal. I will pay you $33 in exchange for $100. That’s the same type of financial advice as someone telling you that keeping a mortgage is a good thing for tax reasons.

The Risk Factor

The final benefit to paying off your mortgage is that it reduces financial risk to yourself.

Keeping a mortgage payment (and especially a high mortgage payment) is risky. In the unfortunate circumstance that you lose your primary source of income, your largest “asset” can quickly turn into your largest liability. This is a big reason why so many people are facing foreclosure these days. They got into a mortgage payment they couldn’t afford (or could barely afford) and all of a sudden when a small hiccup comes up in life, they are living on the street. Emergency funds are important to help offset these risks, but to truly eliminate the risk, you should pay off your mortgage.

I’ve heard of people who took out mortgages on their homes during the housing bubble so that they could invest the money in stocks. They argued that you get the tax benefit and stocks appreciate quicker than a house. As we can see now, this is an unwise financial decision. Sure, you could make lots of money. You could also make lots of money by winning the lottery, but that doesn’t make it a wise retirement plan.

When it comes down to it, I would rather have the safety of knowing that if the economy crashed and I had to work at McDonald’s for the rest of my life, I could still survive just fine with my current lifestyle.

Final Thoughts

While I know there are a lot of variables and other tax deductions I didn’t cover here, I think it’s safe to say that the old notion that keeping a mortgage simply for its tax benefits is not the best advice you can get. When it comes down to it, get the financial advice of a professional regarding your individual situation but don’t simply take their word for it. Have them show you the numbers before you start throwing your money away. I’d argue that even if the numbers are close, the risk factor puts paying off the mortgage in a slightly better position than not.

I’d love to hear some comments or scenarios where keeping a mortgage is better than taking the standard deduction.

Source: getrichslowly.org

Apache is functioning normally

Life insurance can be an integral part of most any complete financial plan. The takings from life insurance coverage can be used in a wide variety of ways, such as for paying off debt, continuing to pay everyday expenses, ensuring that a child or grandchild has funds to attend college in the future, paying estate taxes, and/or ensuring that one’s funeral and other final expenses are taken care of.

When looking for the best life insurance policy, it is imperative to make sure that you have the right type and amount of coverage. That way, your survivors won’t need to worry about financial hardship at an already difficult time in their lives.

It is also essential to ensure that the life insurance carrier you are planning to purchase the coverage through is secure and stable from a fiscal standpoint and that it has a positive reputation for quickly paying out its policy holder claims. One insurance carrier that meets these criteria is The Hartford.

History of The Hartford Life Insurance Company

The Hartford has been in the business of providing life insurance coverage for more than two centuries. The company had its beginning back in the year 1810 when it was formed as a fire insurance carrier. The Hartford quickly differentiated itself from other insurance companies at that time, when in 1835, a fire destroyed New York’s fire insurance district and the leaders of the company pledged their fortunes to help with paying the claims.

Throughout the years, the company grew and expanded, adding some insurance products along the way. Hartford continues its path of excellence today. In addition to offering financial protection through insurance coverage, the company helps in the communities in which it serves and promotes volunteerism and charitable donations. The Hartford also became a founding partner in the U.S. Paralympics in 2003, and it has been named as one of the world’s most ethical companies nine times.

The Hartford Life Insurance Review

Today, The Hartford offers an extensive list of insurance and other financial products, which can help its clients to customize their wealth enhancement and protection essentially. The company has a key focus on property and casualty insurance, as well as mutual funds and group benefits. It also offers life insurance and retirement annuities.

In the year 2016, Hartford had a net written premium of more than $10.5 billion just in personal lines insurance. In fact, Hartford is a leading direct personal lines insurance carrier, with a 30+ year partnership with AARP. The insurer has a leading share in P&C small commercial, and it is rated as the number two provider of workers’ compensation insurance. The Hartford is also ranked as the number four insurer in the group disability market, and number seven position in group life insurance coverage.

.box-4-multi-260border:none !important;display:block !important;float:none !important;line-height:0px;margin-bottom:15px !important;margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important;margin-top:15px !important;max-width:100% !important;min-height:250px;min-width:250px;padding:0;text-align:center !important;width:100%;

Hartford Life is also a primary provider of group life insurance and in voluntary life insurance benefits. It serves more than one million small business customers with its coverage products. In 2016, the company had revenues of more than $18.3 billion. The Hartford is headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut.

Ratings and BBB Grade

Due to its strong financial position, The Hartford has high ratings from the insurer rating agencies. These include an:

  • A+ from A.M. Best Company
  • A+ from Standard & Poor’s
  • A1 from Moody’s Investor Services

Also, while The Hartford is not an accredited company through the Better Business Bureau (BBB), it has been given a rating of A- from the BBB, based on an overall grade scale of A+ to F. Over the past three years, The Hartford has closed out a total of 293 customer complaints – of which 13 were closed out over the past year.

Of these total 293 customer complaints, 202 had to do with problems with the company’s products and/or services, 71 were related to billing and/or collection issues, 12 were in relation to advertising and/or sales issues, 6 were delivery related, and the remaining 2 had to do with guarantee and/or warranty issues.

Life Insurance Policy Options Offered by The Hartford

The Hartford provides several options in terms of life insurance coverage. These come primarily by way of group life insurance coverage, as well as in voluntary life insurance plans that are offered through the employer-sponsored market.

Helping to protect employees against the unexpected is a key focus for many employers. Knowing that employees and their loved ones are covered financially can contribute to enhancing peace of mind, and in turn, employer productivity.

The Hartford offers industry leading group life insurance that includes features such as the following:

  • Enhanced Continuity of Coverage 
  • Living Benefit Option 
  • No Interruption in Premium Waiver Elimination Period
  • Portability and Conversion 

In addition, there are also a variety of other programs that can provide employees with access to online tools and services that can help with guiding them through major life decisions, such as funeral planning and / or the creation of a will.

The Hartford also offers Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance (AD&D) in the group life insurance arena. Here, protection is available to employees, as well as for spouses and / or children against losses that can stem from unforeseen covered accidents.

With this plan, there is 24-hour accident coverage that can be combined with an employee’s group life insurance offering – or alternatively, it may be purchased by the employee as stand-alone coverage. There are also various riders available with this plan that can help to better customize the insurance to fit an employee’s individual needs.

The Hartford also offers a variety of voluntary life insurance options in the employer market. The coverage amounts of this life insurance can range from a flat dollar amount to multiples of the employee’s salary. There are also additional benefits offered, such as help with the preparing of a will, funeral planning, travel assistance, and more.

The term life insurance coverage that is provided via the Hartford’s voluntary benefits can include a living benefit option / accelerated death benefit, as well as accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D), and a disability waiver of premium. As with the group life insurance coverage, the voluntary life insurance benefits offered by the Hartford are both portable and convertible.

The coverage is also quite flexible, allowing employees in many cases to choose face amounts of between $25,000 to $250,000, as well as coverage for his or her spouse – up to 100 percent of the employee’s value.

With the voluntary benefit offering, there is also children’s coverage available. This coverage can range up to $15,000 in benefit. And, the coverage for all the insureds is typically guaranteed issue. This means that the individuals will be covered, regardless of their current health condition.

In addition to life insurance protection for employees, the Hartford provides value added services that can help an employee’s recovery in the event of an unexpected situation. Just some of these services include the following:

  • Counseling Beneficiaries – This service offers compassionate expertise that can help employees to cope with the financial, legal, and emotional issues that come from losing a loved one.
  • Funeral Planning and Concierge Services – These online tools can guide employees through a loss, such as help with planning a funeral.
  • Will Services – The Estate Guidance Will Services that is offered through The Hartford can help with protecting a future with an online will, which is backed by support from licensed attorneys.
  • Travel Assistance – With travel assistance, employees can get information to help them with feeling safe and secure.
  • ID Theft Protection and Assistance Services – Today, the fastest growing crime is identity theft. Once an identity has been stolen, it can wreak havoc on an individual and their family for many years to come. With ID theft protection services from The Hartford, employees will have access to educational materials that can help with preventing such a crime, as well as access to case workers who can assist with resolving issues that can arise from identity theft.

Other Products and Services Available

In addition to life insurance coverage, The Hartford offers many other products and services to its customers. These include the following:

Auto Insurance

The auto insurance that is available through The Hartford includes car / vehicle coverage, as well as coverage for classic vehicles, RVs (recreational vehicles), boats, golf cards, snow mobiles, and ATV (all-terrain vehicles).

Home Owners Insurance

The home owner’s insurance offered via Hartford includes coverage for one’s primary residence and investment property, along with renter’s insurance, condo insurance, flood insurance, and overall umbrella insurance coverage.

Business Insurance

The Hartford works with businesses to protect what is important to them. The company provides a wide variety of different business insurance protection options to choose from, depending on a company’s needs. These include:

  • Business owner’s policies
  • Workers’ compensation
  • Commercial auto insurance
  • Commercial property insurance
  • Data breach insurance
  • General liability
  • Home based business insurance
  • Employment practices liability
  • Personal Liability Insurance

How to Find the Best Life Insurance Premium Rates Through The Hartford

If you are seeking the best rates for life insurance coverage from The Hartford – or from any highly rated life insurance carrier , it is recommended that you compare policies and the prices of multiple plans with an independent insurance agent or broker  – and from there, you can choose the option that will be right for you and your precise needs.

Source: goodfinancialcents.com

Getting the most from your charitable deductions

Charitable deductions can be a complex and confusing area of your tax return. Understanding what you can deduct and what you can’t deduct can be confusing. Documenting it properly adds yet another layer of difficulty. To help sort it all out, I talked to Kelly Erb, (a.k.a. Taxgirl), and Kay Bell (of Don’t Mess With Taxes).

    • Erb is a tax attorney who runs her own tax law firm with her husband. She’s also been blogging about taxes for the past six years. Before striking out on her own, she clerked for the IRS, specializing in estate and gift taxes. She also worked for a boutique law firm that primarily handled estates and gifts.
  • Bell is the author of The Truth About Paying Fewer Taxes, and the founding editor of Bankrate’s tax section. She has worked on Capital Hill with the House Ways and Means committee.

Both women offered great tips for getting the most from your charitable deductions while taking care to avoid pitfalls that could get your return flagged.

Should You Be Taking Charitable Deductions?

Most people give at least some money to charity, but few of us take our charitable deductions. In fact, only about a third of households itemize their deductions. The rest simply take the standard deduction, which for the 2010 tax year is:

How Long Will $800,000 Last in Retirement?

Saving for retirement is one of the most important parts of securing your financial future. While programs like Social Security can help, they often aren’t enough on their own. This is why it is crucial to have retirement savings of … Continue reading →

The post How Long Will $800,000 Last in Retirement? appeared first on SmartAsset Blog.