Best Motorcycle Insurance for 2016

You probably love lots of things about your bike: the excitement, the speed and maneuverability, the way it connects you to the road and to other bikers. But part of enjoying it is feeling safe while you’re on it—not just physically, but also financially. When you consider that even the most careful riders can still get into an accident (or have their bike stolen or damaged), the need for good motorcycle insurance is clear. That’s true whether or not it’s required in your state; the risks don’t change just because you cross state lines.

Just like car insurance, the best motorcycle insurance strikes a balance between adequate coverage and affordability. Before you start searching though, it’s essential to understand the precise financial risks posed by riding: the potential cost of damaging your own bike, someone else’s’ property, and the costs involved if you injure someone else. After that, it’s about finding ways to save money and still have the coverage you want from a reputable insurer. As with all insurance, premium amounts will vary from person to person, but my top four picks—Progressive, Safeco, Nationwide and Foremost—are a great place to start shopping, no matter what kind of bike you own.

Find the Best Motorcycle Insurance Rates Enter your ZIP code below and be sure to click at least 2-3 companies to find the very best rate.

The Simple Dollar’s Picks for Best Motorcycle Insurance

I started with a list of 82 carriers and eventually pared down to just four. Each of  the top picks combine the qualities most important for good motorcycle insurance: great financial strength, thorough coverage options, many available discounts, and strong claims service. Here they are:

• Best Motorcycle Insurance Overall: Progressive, Safeco, Nationwide
• Best Bare-Bones Coverage: Safeco
• Best for Custom/Vintage Bike Owners: Foremost, Progressive

Motorcycle insurance isn’t required in every state, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t buy it.

Amazingly, five states—Hawaii, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, and Washington—don’t require any motorcycle insurance at all, and several others with no-fault auto insurance laws exclude motorcyclists from the personal injury protection (PIP) coverage that’s required of other drivers (and pays medical bills after an accident). Why? The basic answer is that these states treat motorcycle riding as an “assumption of risk” by the biker, similar to water skiing or rock climbing, and therefore don’t require insurance companies to offer coverage. The thinking goes like this:  because you’re knowingly engaging in a “risky” activity, any injury or property damage that results is your sole responsibility. But even in states that treat motorcycle riding just like driving a car (i.e., as a necessary means of transport), the required insurance minimums aren’t that high, and they typically only apply to liability, in case you’re responsible for someone else’s injuries or property damage. No state requires you to insure your own bike against damage caused by an accident or anything else, including theft. The bottom line is that no matter where you live, there’s a good chance your state’s minimum motorcycle insurance coverage won’t be enough. You can check your state’s minimum auto insurance requirements here.

So even though you might be tempted to save a few bucks by purchasing just the bare minimum your state requires, it’s probably a shortsighted move. After all, insurance is about protecting your financial future, and owning a motorcycle carries financial risks. Just so we’re clear on exactly what those risks are, here are the various motorcycle insurance coverage types and their purposes:

• Liability (Bodily Injury and Property Damage): Covers expenses that result from injury to others, damage to their property, or lawsuits they file after an accident. Required in most states.
• Medical Expenses (First Party Coverage): Covers your own medical bills after an accident. Required in some states, optional in others.
• Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist: Covers your medical and property damage costs in the event that the other person is at fault and doesn’t have adequate insurance, or in the case of a hit-and-run. Required in some states, optional in others.
• Collision: Covers repairs to your bike after a collision. Optional in all states.
• Comprehensive: Covers repairs to your bike if it’s damaged by anything other than a collision (such as vandalism or weather damage), or if it’s stolen. Optional in all states.
• Guest Passenger Liability: Covers injuries and property damage to anyone who’s riding on the back of your bike at the time of an accident. Optional coverage sometimes included in standard liability limits.

The best motorcycle insurance companies have four things in common.

Before getting into specific attributes, let me first say that I only considered companies whose motorcycle insurance is available in at least 40 states (since I wanted ones I could recommend to a national audience). I also threw out companies whose policies are actually underwritten by a different company, since this effectively makes them middlemen between you and your coverage. When you’re filing a claim, you shouldn’t have to play a game of telephone to communicate with the people cutting the checks. After those two basics, my research pointed to four other traits of a great motorcycle insurer.

They’re financially sound.

What matters more in insurance than knowing your claims will be paid? Nothing. All four of my top picks earned “A” ratings from A.M. Best (the leading insurance rating agency), making them safe bets to deliver the cash if and when you need it.

They offer all the major coverage types.

Whether or not it’s required in your state, you should still be able to buy all the protection you want for your bike, from extra liability to replacement cost collision coverage. In addition to the categories listed above, there are also “specialty” provisions and endorsements for things like custom gear and original manufacturer parts, but I focused on the big four: liability, uninsured/underinsured motorist, collision, and comprehensive. These address the biggest financial hits you could take as a result of riding your bike.

They have plenty of available discounts.

If you’re a responsible rider who takes care of his bike, pays on time, and is a loyal customer, your insurance company should reward you with a lower premium. After all, you’re reducing your risk of a claim, as well as possibly some overhead costs for the company. I made a checklist of all the discounts I came across and compared each company’s offerings. Here are the ones I looked for:

• Claims-Free: You either avoided accidents altogether, or didn’t ask the insurance company to pay.
• Safety Course: You educated yourself on how to reduce the risk of getting into an accident.
• Motorcycle Association Membership: You belong to an association (such as the Harley Owners Group) whose members take pride in their bikes and are likely more careful with them.
• Bundling: You insure your home, car, boat, or other property with the same insurer.
• Anti-Theft Device: You’ve made it harder for thieves to steal your bike.
• Paid in Full: You pay your entire annual premium at once, saving the company from reminding you when an installment is due.
• Anti-Lock Brakes: You’re reducing the risk of flipping your bike.
• Renewal: You extended your coverage for another year, eliminating the company’s expense in assessing new risk and giving them more business.

They make the claims process easy.

Being involved in an accident, whether or not it’s your fault, is extremely stressful. So is getting your bike stolen, vandalized, or otherwise damaged. That’s why the claims process is so important: it’s when the company really shows you how it’s got your back. However, it’s also one of the hardest things to rate in advance, since you have to wait for an incident in order to file a claim (to do otherwise is insurance fraud). So in the absence of viable hands-on testing, I relied on two sources: my evaluation of how easy each company makes it to submit a claim in the first place (including the options to file online or with a mobile app), and JD Power’s most recent 2015 U.S. Auto Insurance Claims Satisfaction Study, which surveys auto insurance owners on their satisfaction with their respective companies’ claims. Not every company is represented on the JD Power list, so I really only used it as a way to make sure that a company wasn’t loathed by its customers. As it turned out, three of my top four (Nationwide, Progressive, and Safeco) scored better than average. The fourth (Foremost), wasn’t rated, but impressed me enough with its claim-starting process (including a live chat option) that I still feel comfortable recommending it.

Top Picks for Best Motorcycle Insurance

Progressive — Best Overall

Progressive’s standard motorcycle coverage was some of the best I found, which surprised me because it’s such a huge company with multiple lines of insurance. With their collision and comprehensive, you automatically get $3,000 of additional coverage for custom accessories and safety gear. On top of that, Progressive guarantees OEM (original equipment manufacturer) parts in all repairs, meaning that your Indian will be repaired with genuine Indian parts, or your Harley with Harley parts. For vintage bike owners, Progressive was also the only company of my top four with an “Agreed Value” option for collision and comprehensive coverage. This is crucial if your bike is a collector’s item that doesn’t follow the normal rules of depreciation; you can insure it for an appraised value that’s agreed on by you and the company.

Progressive’s online quote process was also the only one that actually gives you a quote at the end, rather than following up later with an email or phone call from an agent. It’s not a huge deal, but it’s just a little simpler, which is always a plus when you’re shopping online.

Nationwide — Best Overall

Nationwide got the highest JD Power claims satisfaction score of any of my finalists, which is a pretty great endorsement by itself. They also double Safeco’s automatic allowance for safety equipment replacement to $2,000 on collision coverage, though it doesn’t apply on liability alone like Safeco’s does. The $3,000 custom equipment earmark comes with every comprehensive policy (same as Safeco and Progressive), as well as the option to fix your bike using original parts, although unlike Progressive’s OEM feature, Nationwide’s is only available if your bike is less than 10 years old (and you pay extra for it). Their online quote process also has one slightly annoying aspect: while they advertise that you can “get a quote online,” you actually have to input your information and then wait for a call.

Safeco — Best Bare-Bones Coverage

Along with exemplary coverage options and discounts, Safeco has a few other extras that impressed me. I really like that they include $1,000 for replacement safety equipment—with no deductible—on all their liability coverage. This means that even if you only have your state’s bare-bones liability insurance (and no coverage for yourself or your bike), you’ll still be able to get new safety gear immediately following an accident. Safeco also matches Progressive’s additional $3,000 for custom accessories on any collision/comprehensive coverage, and has a cool perk for Harley owners: full-value replacement for two years on any Harley-Davidson that you purchased new. Their quote process ends with an email, but is still pretty straightforward.

Foremost — Best for Custom/Vintage Bike Owners

Foremost stands out for having the highest automatic coverage for after-market equipment ($3,500) out of any comprehensive/collision policy I saw, making them a great choice for bikes with significant custom additions. That same coverage also includes the highest-dollar safety apparel coverage I found ($1,500), proving Foremost’s commitment to protecting your body as well as your bike. Even though Foremost itself wasn’t ranked in JD Power’s claims survey, its affiliate Farmers was rated on par with Progressive and Safeco (Nationwide barely edged out all three). Foremost also has a nifty live chat option as part of its claims process, a nice perk for those who hate waiting on hold, but still want to have a real-time conversation with a rep.

Seven Things to Know Before You Start Shopping for Motorcycle Insurance

Go with stand-alone motorcycle insurance rather than an endorsement on your existing auto policy.

If you already have car insurance, you might be able to simply add motorcycle coverage as an endorsement or “rider” to your existing policy. But beware: the coverage you get through a rider likely won’t be as thorough, or as customizable, as what you’ll get with a stand-alone motorcycle policy. Making sure you have the exact right coverage is reason enough to go with stand-alone, but it could also save you money vs. an endorsement, because endorsement pricing often doesn’t account for the precise risks you’re insuring against.

Prioritize your coverage according to your needs and budget.

If your state doesn’t require motorcycle insurance of any kind, it’s technically your choice whether or not to buy it. But smart bikers will pony up for protection against their biggest risks. What those are depend largely on how you ride. If you’re a collector who never takes your vintage Triumph off your own property, you probably don’t need liability or uninsured motorist coverage. It would make more sense to buy just collision and comprehensive, probably with some higher limits to accommodate your rare hardware.

However, let’s say you live in a state like Florida, with low auto insurance liability minimums, and you ride your bike everywhere. In this scenario, your risk of being hit by someone with scant liability insurance is much higher, so you’d be smart to purchase underinsured motorist coverage, in case you’re hospitalized by an underinsured driver. In fact, if you only had enough money for either collision or underinsured motorist coverage, you’d be better off with the latter, given that it guards against a greater financial risk.

Older, less powerful bikes are cheaper to insure.

This isn’t a shocker, but the flashiest, highest horsepower motorcycles are also the most expensive to insure. The reasons include higher replacement cost, greater risk of accident, and higher desirability to thieves. So if you care about saving on insurance, it might not be worth purchasing a brand new 172-hp Suzuki Hayabusa (named by Motorcycle.com as the most expensive to insure). And, if you’re thinking of buying a motorcycle just to get from point A to point B, you’ll save by going with an older model and/or smaller engine, too.

Umbrella coverage can be a cost-effective way to increase your motorcycle liability limits.

It’s no fun to think about, but if you cause an accident that leaves someone else hospitalized, they could potentially sue you for much more than the required liability coverage in your state. If you have assets that would be in danger in that scenario, consider buying an umbrella policy on top of your existing motorcycle liability. Why? Because an umbrella policy covers your liability for accidents involving not just your motorcycle, but also your home, auto and boat (if you have one). As a result, it’s cheaper than buying extra coverage expressly for the “dangerous” activity of riding a motorcycle. But it provides the exact same coverage (as long as you don’t use it first for a claim involving your home, car, or boat).

“Umbrella liability is the most bang for your buck out of any insurance coverage out there.”
John Darr
Independent Insurance Agent, Darr Schackow Insurance

If you’re insuring more than one bike, “stacking” can help you squeeze more value out of your uninsured motorist coverage.

Some (but not all) states allow a practice known as “stacking” when you’re insuring multiple vehicles with uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage. If allowed, it’s a smart way to multiply your limits without actually buying any additional insurance. If you have more than one vehicle on your policy and you “stack” your uninsured/underinsured coverage, your limit is multiplied by the number of vehicles. So if you’re an Alabama biker with UM limits of $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident, and have two motorcycles on your policy, stacking would increase your limits to $100,000 per person, $200,000 per accident for no additional charge.

About half the states expressly forbid stacking, but even if yours doesn’t, you’ll still need to contact your insurer to make sure they allow it. Insurance company policies on stacking also vary from state to state, so just because Progressive allows it in Pennsylvania doesn’t mean they do in Missouri.

Take a safety course, even if you’re an experienced biker.

Most motorcycle accidents happen within a person’s first month of riding, but even if you’ve been riding for years, it doesn’t mean you can’t improve your skills. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation licenses safety courses nationwide with the goal of “lifelong quality education and training for current and prospective riders”. Not only will a safety course make you more aware on the road (thus decreasing your risk of accident), it will also save you money on your insurance premium.

“An MSF-certified RiderCourse is a golden opportunity for even experienced riders to gain new skills and safety strategies.”
Cindy Northup
Adjunct Instructor for Motorcycle Safety Foundation, Florida Rider Training Program at State College of Florida

Your credit score matters.

Don’t be surprised when insurance companies ask you for permission to check your credit history when requesting a quote. Most do. Studies have shown that there is a correlation between a low credit score and a greater likelihood of filing a claim. Those with higher credits scores will almost always receive a cheaper insurance quote than those with a low credit score.

The Bottom Line

Whether or not your state requires you to get motorcycle insurance for your bike, you should protect yourself from the financial risks of riding a motorcycle. The minimum legal coverage is rarely enough to offset real world risks, particularly in states with low minimums where other drivers are more likely to be underinsured. The best motorcycle insurance can be tailored to fit both the bike itself and the risks that come with the way it’s used. Finally, you’re never too old or too experienced to learn how to become a better rider, and taking a safety course is one of the best ways to save money on your insurance premium from one of my top recommendations (Progressive, Safeco, Nationwide and Foremost).

Find the Best Motorcycle Insurance Rates Enter your ZIP code below and be sure to click at least 2-3 companies to find the very best rate.

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Calling All Fashionistas: These 3 Companies are Hiring Online Stylists

I’ve never been much of a fashionista, but being a work-from-home stylist would be a total dream gig for plenty of my friends.

Lucky for them (and maybe you), the explosion of clothing subscription services means the need for online stylists has never been greater.

We’ve written about how to find work as an online stylist before — and now several companies are actively recruiting.

3 Online Stylist Jobs You Can Get Right Now

Want to work in your yoga pants while making others look fabulous?

Check out online stylist jobs with:

1. Dia & Co

This service for plus-sized women is looking for remote stylists to work 20-40 hours per week.

The pay is $12 per hour, with the potential for full-time employment and a raise after 60 days of work.

You must have at least two years of experience in retail or customer service, plus a “knack for styling.”

2. Bombfell

This popular men’s clothing subscription service is hiring a part-time stylist who lives in New York, New Jersey or Connecticut. You must have a four-year degree and two years of fashion experience.

The listing doesn’t reveal pay, but it does say you’ll work at least 15 hours per week and receive a 30% discount.

3. Rocksbox

Love turning an average outfit into a total showstopper? As a remote stylist for Rocksbox, you’ll curate boxes filled with designer jewelry.

No specific experience is required, but you must be “passionate about fashion with an ability to recognize and spot new trends.”

You’ll start as soon as possible and work anywhere from 10 to 40 hours per week.  

And remember, if none of these are an exact fit (see what I did there?), click over to our stories about remote styling jobs or becoming a personal stylist for more ideas.

Your Turn: Will you apply to any of these jobs?

Susan Shain, senior writer for The Penny Hoarder, is always seeking adventure on a budget. Visit her blog at susanshain.com, or say hi on Twitter @susan_shain.

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Savings update: rates drop yet again with interest rate cut expected

Sylvia Morris

piggy-bank-sad300.jpg

Rates are falling fast ahead of the expected cut in Bank of England base rate from 0.5% to 0.25% later this week. Big banks pay less than 1% on fixed rate bonds and cash Isas for a year.

Rates are falling fast ahead of the expected cut in Bank of England base rate from 0.5% to 0.25% later this week. Big banks pay less than 1% on fixed rate bonds and cash Isas for a year.

The top one-year fixed rate cash Isa comes from Virgin Money at 1.3% while for two years Paragon Bank's new deal pays 1.5%.

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The Best Cheap Dental Insurance

I feel bad about my teeth. They’re oddly small for my mouth, so I’ve had every orthodontic treatment you can rattle off, including headgear, multiple retainers, and braces — twice. I often have nightmares about my teeth and wake in a cold sweat. I’m not alone in my dental anxiety: According to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, 12 percent of adults ages 20 to 64 haven’t been to the dentist within the past five years. Since minor dental issues generally don’t cause the kind of pain or discomfort we’d expect for medical problems, we convince ourselves that we can get away without worrying. I know I did. That could be why 114 million Americans go without dental insurance, myself included.

I left my full-time job to work freelance eight months ago, and since then, have been playing fast and loose with insurance, so I started my search for the best cheap dental insurance. Without a company-supplemented plan, I thought traditional insurance was out of my financial reach. What I found was that this wasn’t entirely true, and also uncovered some insurance alternatives like dental savings plans that for some could be an even cheaper option.

The Simple Dollar’s Top Picks for Best Cheap Dental Insurance

• Best Overall: Delta Dental
• Best Dental Savings Plans:  Cigna Dental Savings & Humana

Every special snowflake has their own dental history and care needs, so rather than give you one overall pick, I selected a few providers and plans. I looked at 28 dental insurance providers available nationwide to make the selection, which I narrowed down to five contenders. Ultimately, the quotes I received were based on the best deal for a single female under 40 (that’s me!), so if you have a spouse or dependents to cover, you’ll want to look at the information I gathered on family care that’s provided a little later, and see how much it might cost to add individuals to your personal plan (most plans will allow you to add additional members for a lower per person premium).

Here’s something to chew on: Quality preventative dental care is cheaper than you think.

It’s important to understand that dental insurance is nothing like medical insurance. There’s a reason it’s cheaper: dental plans are just not meant to cover very much. According to Steffaney Prince, an office lead and insurance coordinator at a dental office located in Sacramento, “Dental insurance needs to be thought of more like an assistance plan, not a full, comprehensive plan.”

“Most plans still typically only cover $1,000 to $1,500 per year,” says Prince. “That goes very fast with two continuing care appointments (cleanings, exam, X-rays) and a few fillings. You’d better hope you don’t need a root canal, crown, or deep cleaning. And let’s not forget wisdom teeth: that’ll wipe out your max in one shot.”

Because of these quirks, for some people, investigating insurance alternatives or paying out-of-pocket might be a better idea. Essentially, if you have good dental health, you might actually save money by forgoing insurance for your twice yearly appointments (I’ll address that a little later). This was a huge surprise for me, and an option I definitely considered, since I’m young(ish) and take good(ish) care of my teeth.

However, stuff happens. If you want to be prepared for possible emergencies, or if your dental profile is one that will require more frequent future care (and here’s where my orthodontic history trips me up), then a more traditional dental insurance plan may be better suited for you, because it can help shield you from larger, one-time expenses.

Best Cheap Dental Insurance

At first, I looked at “traditional insurance” — we’re talking HMO or PPO plans. You’ll pay a monthly or annual premium and, subsequently, receive either free or heavily-discounted services. You may have a deductible and an annual maximum, and generally, to get the largest discounts, you’ll have to see a dentist in your insurance network. Also, keep in mind that pricing varies dramatically from state to state. A basic plan from United, for example — a good all-around provider, but one I eliminated for being too costly to classify as “cheap” — would run you $26.62/month in California or $67.77/month (plus a $50 deductible) in New Jersey.

Delta Dental — Best Overall

I looked closely at five major providers — Cigna, Delta, Humana, Starmount, and United — that offered affordable plans on a national scale. Delta Dental quickly bubbled to the surface. For one, Delta Dental has the largest network of any of the providers we looked at; in fact, almost 30 percent of Americans are covered under Delta, or one of its affiliates. Its reach is extensive, so it’s highly likely you’ll be able to easily find a dentist who accepts its insurance within easy distance from you. As a major player in the game, it’s also developed a solid reputation for financial strength, with an A from A.M. Best and an A+ from Standard and Poor.  

As for price, it can’t be beat. A bare-bones HMO plan, like its basic Care Dental Insurance plan, which I was quoted, is $123/year, plus a $15 enrollment fee for a single, 32-year-old female in New York. That breaks down to about $11.50/month for the first year, and less thereafter. That’s literally pennies a day.

Delta’s great prices and strong network propelled it to the top of our list.

Impressively, there’s also no deductible and no maximum on this particular plan, which is rare for dental insurance. That means your benefits kick in right away and you won’t be capped on coverage if you end up needing a lot of work in one year. Additionally, it advertises no waiting period for any service, including serious dental work. That gives it a major leg up on the competition, many of whom want you to wait at least 6 months for non-preventive treatments such as fillings. For example, Guardian Dental’s PPO Plus plan has a two year waiting period on orthodontic work.

Now, some drawbacks. You will have to choose a primary care dentist and stick with him or her to avoid additional charges. For example, if you receive emergency services at a dentist other than your primary care provider, insurance will only cover $100 before you start paying out of pocket. Additionally, unlike some of the other top choices I considered, such as Starmount Dental, Humana’s HMO, or United, you’re on the hook for more co-pays (with other, more expensive insurance, you’ll often get all preventative care covered in full). There’s a $5 co-pay per office visit, and $20 for a cleaning, although your annual x-rays and comprehensive exams are fully covered. Still, even with these co-pays, the low monthly cost makes it worth it. Costs for specific care procedures vary: I was quoted $37-$110 for a filling, which is a wide range that will depend on multiple factors, such as which state you live in (like all things, dental work will cost more in major cities) and where your filling is located (certain spots require more careful and time-consuming work). And don’t expect a low-cost plan like this to cover any major procedures in full: a major root canal might run you $600 — not free, but less than the $1000+ average you’d pay for a root canal in New York, for example.

Delta got an added boost for being a favorite of Prince for customer service and for paying claims in a timely manner. Its website is easy to navigate and quotes are super accessible online; my particular agent wasn’t the friendliest, and was slightly pushier than others I spoke with about getting me to sign up, but that’s not necessarily representative of the whole company.

Best Dental Savings Plans (and Why You Should Consider Them)

When researching cheap dental insurance, I kept coming across dental savings plans — something that was brand new to me. As it turns out, if affordability is your goal, these plans may actually be a better bet than traditional insurance. What you’re getting with a dental discount plan is access (via a monthly or annual fee) to a group of dentists who have agreed to offer their services at a lower cost. You pay the dentist the lower fee directly. These plans are great in terms of affordability, but (this is becoming a theme) you need to do your research. Some of these plans don’t cover specific procedures, or cover only the bare minimum in terms of care — the cheaper silver fillings, say, instead of the “tooth-colored” alternatives. That said, there’s no maximum, no deductible, and far less paperwork since the plans are more straightforward.

I found two national dental savings plans that were very similar in cost (whichever one is cheaper will depend on where you live) and had strong reviews across the board. Essentially, these two are tied: you’ll have to look at both to determine how the savings compare in your neighborhood.

Cigna Dental Savings

You’ll pay $96 a year for individual access to the Cigna Dental Savings program, which promises an average saving of 37 percent on dental services. Cigna also offers savings programs for families and seniors, at $144 and $156 respectively. These programs also come with bonuses like Identity Theft Protection, discounts on vision and hearing care, and prescriptions. It’s worth looking into these bonuses to see if they might save you more on other required medications or services.

Cigna boasts attractive options for families and seniors.

The Cigna website doesn’t provide quite as much information as Humana provides (minus one point), so I decided to call its customer service line to get a quote on particular services in my neighborhood. That said, I was connected to a friendly and knowledgeable Cigna representative with less than a minute of wait time (plus one point). For my ZIP code in Brooklyn, my representative found a dentist who charges $100 for a cleaning for patients paying out-of-pocket. With the savings plan, I’d only pay $54, which is a savings of $46. So, if you were to get two cleanings a year, you’d basically recoup the premium in savings. Similarly, she quoted me $185 for a filling out-of-pocket, versus $71 with the savings plan.

Cigna’s Dental Savings Plan is available in 37 states (look to another plan if you live in AK, CA, ID, IA, MT, ND, OK, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA or WY), and its dental network includes over 92,000 dentists.  

Humana

Basic individual access to Humana’s Dental Savings’ Plan is $8.99/month, plus a $15 enrollment fee for New York City residents. (I also looked at it for a few different ZIP codes, and found some variation. For example, in Florida you’d pay a dollar less: $7.99/month.) For New York, that averages out to $10.24/month, making it slightly more expensive than Cigna.

That said, your upfront costs might be higher, but your savings are seemingly stronger. For example, the average cost of a dental cleaning in Brooklyn is $67; with Humana’s Dental Savings Plus, you’d pay $25. A filling would be $81 with Dental Savings, versus the average of $118 out of pocket. Again, remember that these prices aren’t guaranteed: they will vary by region and by the dentist you choose. Also, NB: They do ask if you are a tobacco user in the online quote tool; it didn’t change the price of the quotes I was given, but will likely result in more costs later on.

Like Cigna, Humana’s Dental Savings Plan offers additional discounts on services like vision and hearing, and claim to provide an average savings of 37 percent on prescriptions at more than 62,000 pharmacies nationwide. Humana’s Dental Savings also provides discounts of up to 30 percent on some acupuncture and massage therapy treatments at participating providers, so, you know, get in line.

I found Humana’s website easier to navigate and more transparent in pricing than Cigna’s, and it provided more upfront information about costs; however, the sales rep I spoke with seemed genuinely tired, but hopefully you’ll have better luck.

How We Found the Best Cheap Dental Insurance

If you’ve had any run-ins with the insurance industry, you’ll note that all of the top picks are recognizable names. There aren’t many upstarts in the insurance industry, as it takes time to build up a trustworthy financial profile — the linchpin of the insurance industry. I made sure each top pick was strongly rated by Standard & Poor and/or A.M. Best, meaning each have a solid history of paying claims out accurately and in a timely manner. Each also offers a variety of plans (from HMO to Dental Savings) at a variety of pricing tiers. Truthfully, there’s not a ton of difference in the top-tier companies working in this space: most of their differences show up in the various price models they’re able to provide in different states. It’s often a difference of just a few dollars, so you’ll want to look at each of our picks to see who can give you the best deal.

Since the priority here is affordability, I cut any insurance provider that wasn’t able to offer a comprehensive plan for less than $20/month. If you have deeper pockets, there are more expensive plans that offer more flexibility and broader coverage over a variety of treatments, but those aren’t for us. I also didn’t want to recommend a top pick with limited access, so I sliced away any providers that didn’t operate in at least 40 states. Other guys that got the chop? Providers offering group plans that are only accessible through an employer, since those didn’t fit my needs, or the needs of anyone else who is self-employed.

I then reviewed elements of the different offerings, looking at sample quotes for different ZIP codes. If a provider didn’t have an easy, online quote tool, it got the boot. I spent a few afternoons playing whack-a-mole on automated phone services, often getting re-directed to dead air or full mailboxes. Starmount Dental, for example — which met all of the initial criteria — gave me three different phone numbers, all of which took me to automated voicemail boxes that asked me, politely, to please leave a message. Aaaaand cut. To spare you the frustration, all of the top picks have responsive, clear websites with accurate and straightforward quote tools, and provided acceptable to exceptional customer service over the phone.  

I also looked for plans that had minimal to no waiting period between when you purchase coverage and when it kicks in for preventative care, like cleanings or x-rays. My top picks also state they have no waiting periods for oral surgery. I cut any insurance company that was going to make you wait over a year for treatment; since this review is about getting the most bang for your buck, having to pay to wait around before your coverage goes into effect wasn’t going to fly.

OK, so do I REALLY need insurance?

Many Americans, if they’re covered at all, receive dental insurance through a group plan as part of their employment package. These plans should entitle you to two routine cleanings and exams each year — the recommended minimum from the American Dental Association — along with a set of x-rays. Additional procedures — think fillings, crowns, root canals — will cost you, with co-pays that depend on how robust your insurance package is. But if you aren’t receiving dental insurance through your employer, it may be that you aren’t bothering with dental care at all. And that, friends, is bad news.

But let’s say you’re in great dental health: you took advantage of comprehensive family coverage when you were a kid, have continued to get regular (twice yearly) cleanings, practice impeccable home-care (and yes, that means flossing), and are not a smoker or sugar addict. Basically, you’re a saint. Should insurance be on your radar?

Maybe not. Remember Steffaney Prince, the dental office manager — arguably someone who spends more time than most dealing directly with insurance providers? She says that since many people don’t understand what they’re getting when they purchase insurance, a better strategy for someone with great existing dental health could be to put the money they would spend on insurance (say, $20 a month) in a savings account to be used to pay for out-of-pocket preventative dental care.

I also used myself as a test case with Dr. Sally Cram, a periodontist (that’s a dentist who specializes in major gum disease and severe decay) in Washington, D.C.: as a mostly healthy 32-year-old female with solid preventative care (I floss, I promise!) and a history of twice-yearly cleanings. Might the upfront costs of two cleanings and checkups a year and periodic x-rays be less than what I would pay in annual premiums and co-pays?

“Actually, yes,” says Cram. I tried it out with one of our top picks for Dental Savings Plans: Humana charges $122.88/year and $25 for a cleaning, meaning my yearly cost for just the two cleanings plus the membership fee would be $172.88. That’s actually more than the $134 I’d pay out-of-pocket for two cleanings

So why would I pay more for the dental savings option? Well, once you start to add on procedures such as x-rays or the odd filling, that’s when you see the savings start to add up.

I’m certainly not going to say you don’t need insurance, but if overall savings are your goal, you should talk to your dentist before moving forward. If you have hallmarks of gum disease or have had dental problems in the past, you will absolutely want to look for insurance that is more comprehensive. Periodontal patients, for example, need to have cleanings every three months, and those costs will pile on quickly. Since I also have bridges and residual issues from my metal-mouthed history, I need to look for insurance with more provisions for extended care.

We used Dental Optimizer’s Dental Cost Calculator to find the estimated amounts for several common dental costs and compared them to our top picks.

Dental care is more important than you may think.

Most people don’t consider their dental health until a crisis occurs. Dr. Cram says: “I’m seeing more and more young patients because they simply don’t pay attention. They’ll come in and say, ‘Oh, well, my parents used to make me go to the dentist, but then I went to college and I haven’t been in a few years…’ and that’s where the problems really show up.” In other words: preventative care matters, and that means seeing your dentist regularly.

Other reasons why dental care is important:

• The cost of going without dental insurance can result in spending more on other health issues.
• Studies show that individuals without dental benefits are more likely to have extractions and dentures and less likely to have restorative care or receive treatment for gum disease.
• Those without dental benefits report higher cases of other illnesses, specifically cardiovascular and heart diseases (so, the fact that dreams about teeth are traditionally interpreted as dreams about death might not be that bananas).

Stressed? Quick, unclench (most plans don’t cover TMJ).

Get smart about your dental care (and insurance).

There are only two people who know what kind of insurance is best for you, and neither one is an insurance agent. Next time you visit your dentist (Now! Go now, you toilet mouth!), spend five extra minutes discussing your dental history and insurance options.

“It’s important to have what we call a ‘dental home’ — a dentist who knows your history and the problems you’ve had in the past that can help you predict your future dental needs,” says Cram. “For example, if you have a lot of old fillings, it’s more likely you’ll need crowns later, which could be expensive and would be reason to get more comprehensive insurance.”

You might want to be in and out of that chair as quickly as possible, but trust the good doctor. Your dentist has more experience than you do with the inside of your mouth, and he or she is best qualified to tell you what kind of care you might need in the future, and whether insurance could result in cost savings for you.

Once you have this conversation with your dentist, it’s up to you to do the research into your insurance plan. “Be a good consumer,” says Cram. “Know what is covered under your plan, whether you have a copay, what your deductible is. Many people don’t realize their coverage has a maximum. Ask these questions before purchasing insurance and certainly before going to the dentist.”

Finally, when getting ready to make your choice, be sure to check to see if your current dentist is in the network you’ve selected; or, if not, make sure the dentists who do participate are, a) easily accessible to you, and, b) decently reviewed on sites like RateMDs. If you’re going to be paying for insurance, take advantage of it by getting your frequent cleanings.

Let’s Face It — Dental Insurance is Confusing

The insurance industry is inherently overwhelming and mired in lingo and legalese. As our resident dentist, Dr. Cram, put it: “The average person doesn’t understand their dental insurance.” Luckily, you’re far from average. For reference, here’s a quick rundown of the four main types of dental insurance:

Dental Health Maintenance Organization (DHMO): If you’re not picky about who’s sticking their fingers in your gullet, an HMO plan may fit the bill. Your insurance company will provide you with a list of dentists from which to choose a primary care provider. From there, you’re only on the hook for co-pays (the percentage of cost you pay directly to the provider) as long as you visit your in-network provider. HMOs carry the lowest premiums (fees) of dental insurance plans, and do not carry a deductible or annual maximum.

Dental Preferred Provider Organization (DPPO): With higher premiums comes higher flexibility. Like HMOs, PPO plans have a recommended network of dentists, for whose services you’ll pay less; however, you can see a dentist out-of-network and still get a portion of the fees for these visits reimbursed. You’ll pay for that flexibility with a deductible (the amount you pay out-of-pocket before insurance kicks in — $50 or $100 is average) and generally higher monthly amounts, as well as an annual maximum — usually between $1000 and $1500 (frustratingly, these numbers haven’t changed since the ’70s, not even to adjust for inflation). Because these plans are more expensive, I generally didn’t consider them as part of this review. They are, however, a solid choice if you can afford it, and have more care requirements. Still, remember that the standard of care you receive isn’t linked to your dental coverage: “People think that higher premiums mean they are going to receive better service,” says Cram, “but that isn’t always the case.”

Dental Indemnity Insurance: Also known as a fee-for-service plan, you’ll have access to a greatest variety of network dentists than with any other type of insurance. As with a PPO, you’ll have a co-payment that varies by the type of service (preventative versus cosmetic) and a deductible. The main difference between indemnity and PPO is price: you’ll pay more in premiums for the array of dentists you can visit, and more per visit in co-pays. As such, they aren’t included in this “cheap” review.

Dental Membership Plans Consider a membership plan with your local or preferred dentist. Many offices now offer these in-house memberships, which are free of waiting periods or maximums. A sample plan (the Marconi Dental Plan, available in California, for example) is $299/year (just under $25/month) and gets you two annual exams and cleanings, x-rays, fluoride treatment, and 30 percent off further dental treatment. Most of these in-house plans waive co-pays and deductibles and don’t have an annual maximum, and since you’re dealing with all billing and reimbursement issues in-house, it’s likely you’ll spend less time trying to negotiate with terrorists (sorry, insurance agents). Talk to your current dentist to see if they offer something similar — and if not, you may want to shop around for a new dental office.

Did You Know?

All in the Family: The ADA recommends that children visit the dentist no later than their first birthday. Costs for kids can add up quickly, so you’ll want to make sure your kids have comprehensive dental coverage early. It may not spare your kid the shame of spending the period after lunch digging through the dumpster behind the cafeteria because she accidentally threw out her retainer, again (me, I was that kid), but it will ensure they form good dental habits early. Check out your options through the Affordable Care Act. Additionally, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) provides free or low-cost coverage for more than 7 million kids under age 19.

Blowing Smoke: Unsurprisingly, you’ll pay more for your coverage if you’re a smoker — and you’ll also need more care. Tobacco consumption – either through smoking or chewing – causes a myriad of oral health issues, from tooth staining to gum lesions to esophageal cancer. Not like you need another reason not to smoke, but non-smokers will pay less for dental care over the course of their (longer) lives.

Looking for Dental Care on the (Very) Cheap?

Insurance and dental savings plans aren’t the only options for inexpensive dental care. Maybe you’re a student who moves frequently, don’t have the resources to research insurance options, or are experiencing a dental emergency and don’t have a primary dentist. If so, here are some other ways to obtain cheap dental treatment.

• State Coverage. Certain states have assistance programs to assist in dental care for lower income families. Check this site to see if you’re eligible.
• The Affordable Care Act. In 2014, the Affordable Care Act gave 1.1 million Americans dental benefits through health insurance marketplaces. This is especially worth checking out for families: 35.7 percent of medical plans now have provisions for pediatric or family dental benefits.
• Local Dental School. In grad school, I frequented the Aveda hair school for cuts at $20 a pop, which was great until they dyed my hair purple. That said, my mom swears by the dental care she used to get at the dental school at her university. If you’re feeling brave, you can usually get discounted dental procedures at a school clinic.
• Oral Health America. If you’re over 60 (or caring for an older adult), check out ToothWisdom.org for low-cost dental care options for seniors.

The Bottom Line

Dental care should be a priority, and not in the “set it and forget it” kind of way. Your teeth need you, but they may not need traditional dental insurance. Talk to your dentist and figure out what kind of care or issues you should expect in years to come, and attack your insurance accordingly. If your care needs are likely to be minimal, and you have enough savings to cover the cost of a pricier procedure in case of emergency, you may be better off going it alone — as long as you are still able to afford your annual preventative care. If you’ve neglected your teeth or are likely to need a lot of care in the future, look into insurance, starting with our Best Overall pick, Delta Dental. Concerned about price? See if a dental savings plan, including those offered by Cigna Dental Savings and Humana Dental Savings Plus might best meet your needs. Either way, comprehensive preventative care matters, and it’s not as far out of reach as you might think.

The post The Best Cheap Dental Insurance appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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Seriously?! You and Your Boo Could Get Paid to Run This Gorgeous Hotel

Do you and your significant other constantly talk about “leaving it all behind”?

About traveling the world and going on adventures — together?

Well, here’s your chance to get paid to spend a year living in one of the most beautiful and exotic destinations in the world.

Ashburnham Tea Estate is looking for a Guesthouse Manager. It wants a couple to run its boutique guesthouse in the foothills of central Sri Lanka, an island nation off the south coast of India.

And it sounds pretty amazing…

How to Get This Dreamy Hotel Job in Sri Lanka

Image from Ashburnham estates/Facebook

Right now, Ashburnham is hiring a couple who’s “looking for a new challenge and an opportunity to learn about a new culture in a breathtaking setting.”

You and your honey would be responsible for running the guesthouse, with tasks as varied as “hosting guests, managing the daily spend budget, sourcing supplies, managing the staff and organising (sic) guest activities.”

According to the job listing, it’s a “beautiful 1930s colonial bungalow set on a 100 acre working tea estate.” Its reviews on TripAdvisor are near-perfect, with guests calling it “magical,” “delightful” and even “heaven on earth.”

Image from Ashburnhamestate.com

Intrigued?

You must be hardworking, willing to learn new skills and “ideally have some hospitality background” — though it’s not essential.

The salary is £500 per month (about US$658) per couple. That’s not much, but keep in mind you’ll also receive food, drinks, accommodations and access to a vehicle.

It notes a work permit or visa sponsorship “may be available for this opportunity,” which is a rarity for international jobs.

The deadline to apply is Friday, August 12. The full-time position starts in October and requires a commitment of one year.

Previously, an English couple held the position. Here’s what they had to say:

“With a working tea plantation on your doorstep, surroundings of tropical jungle, and abundant wildlife, there can’t be many more spectacular settings, but that’s only half the charm of running Ashburnham Estate.”

Image from Ashburnham Estate/Facebook

The other half?

“The real experience of working with the amazing local staff, engaging in rural Sri Lankan culture and community, and hosting the genuinely interesting guests that pass through our doors is what has made this an incredible life experience for us.”

Um, I only have one more thing to add: Better get your application in before I do!

Your Turn: Do you think this sounds like a fun job?

Susan Shain, senior writer for The Penny Hoarder, is always seeking adventure on a budget. Visit her blog at susanshain.com, or say hi on Twitter @susan_shain.

The post Seriously?! You and Your Boo Could Get Paid to Run This Gorgeous Hotel appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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Know Your Rights: Here’s How to Get a Free Pocket Constitution

Current events making you want to take a second look at your rights? Got a little one who’s wondering what all this “constitution” business is about?

Well, thanks to the ACLU, you can answer their questions — and your own! — without having to spend a dime.

The ACLU is giving away its pocket-sized version of the U.S. Constitution for free through Election Day.

The freebie announcement came last Friday, following a certain speech at the Democratic National Convention last week you’ve probably already heard about.

Khizr Khan, father of a fallen Muslim-American war hero, offered his copy to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump during his speech on Thursday.

The American public responded by snapping up their own copies. By Saturday, the 52-page pamphlet had become a best-seller, according to ABC.

How to Get a Free U.S. Constitution

Although the pamphlet is normally priced at an affordable $5 at the ACLU’s site (or just $1 on Amazon), you can get your hands on it for free through Election Day, which falls on Nov. 8 this year.

To claim yours, just head to the ACLU’s website and place a copy into your shopping cart. Then, add coupon code “POCKETRIGHTS” at checkout.

Even if you already have a copy, it’s free, so why not grab it? It’s a great tool to help teach your kids about their country’s laws, and you could always donate it to the library.

And like Khan, you can probably think of somebody who should have another look at it, too.

Your Turn: Will you take advantage of this free pocket Constitution deal?

Disclosure: A toast to savings! Thanks for allowing us to place affiliate links in this post.

Jamie Cattanach is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. Her writing has also been featured at The Write Life, Word Riot and elsewhere. Find @JamieCattanach on Twitter to wave hello.

The post Know Your Rights: Here’s How to Get a Free Pocket Constitution appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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The Proven Method to Ranking on the First Page of Google For Any Long-tail Keyword

So you want to write an article that ranks on the first page of Google for a long-tail keyword?

Fine. So does everyone else.

Ranking on the first page of Google for well-selected long-tail keywords remains one of the fastest ways to get your content in front of thousands of people.

But how do you do this?

One option is to sign up with one of the shady SEO agencies that promises “first-page ranking in two weeks!”

I think we can all agree, you don’t want to do that. The days of fly-by-night-snake-oil-salesmen SEO agencies are long gone. If anyone promises first-position rankings, run the other way. There are no guarantees in the world of SEO.

Unfortunately, as a result of these con artists, some people think that first-page ranking is still a myth. I can’t say I blame them.

Maybe you’ve wondered too: is first-page ranking even possible today?

With the search algorithm changing so frequently and millions of pieces of new content being released on a daily basis, it could seem like a fool’s errand to try to create top-ranked content in Google.

But it’s not impossible.

To be completely transparent, you won’t rank for the term “Apple” or “Google” anytime soon. Those are head terms, not long-tail keywords. They are also trademarked, talked about, and dominated by large and established businesses.

But we’re not talking about head terms. We’re talking about long-tail keywords—the kind of terms you want to rank for in order to get more eyeballs, clicks, and sales.

After all, someone has to rank on the first page of Google. The sites that are ranking on the first page of Google right now had to do something in order to earn that rank.

What did they do to get it?

Today, I’ll show you the simple and proven method for ranking on the first page for any long-tail keyword.

This isn’t some shady trick, hack, tweak, black magic, or programming voodoo. In fact, this requires quite a bit of hard work, time, and effort. If you’re expecting “one sneaky trick that Google doesn’t want you to know about,” you’ve come to the wrong site.

This is the honest, no-BS method for truly outranking your competition, authentically gaining rank, and staking your claim in the most valuable digital real estate on the planet—the first page of Google. 

1. Do your research

While many people believe that keyword research doesn’t matter anymore, it’s just as important now as it’s ever been.

In fact, the only way you can hope to rank highly for a keyword is to make sure you do your research.

And that’s where we need to start with this whole effort—researching the correct keyword.

What should you look for when researching the right keyword?

Length

The first thing you should always do whenever you are trying to rank for a long-tail keyword is to make sure the keyword is long enough.

I always suggest a minimum of four words.

Take a look at the type and length of searches that constitute a long-tail keyword.

Don’t go overboard and write content for a 10-word phrase, but anything fewer than four words, and you’ll likely face too much competition to get your article ranked.

Competition

Whenever you are trying to find a great keyword to rank for, you want to look for something that’s not highly competitive but still has a respectable number of monthly searches.

Long-tails don’t have a lot of search volume. But you shouldn’t worry about this. You’re not going for high volume—you are going for focused intention.

It’s better to have a few searches and rank high than to have tons of searches and not rank at all.

Run your selected long-tail keywords through Google’s Keyword Planner tool to find out how much competition you’re facing:

The good thing about long-tail keywords is that there are many of them. In fact, 70% of all search traffic today comes from the long-tail.

The key to this is to look for more descriptive keywords, ideally keywords that will convert well.

User Intent

Something that’s more important than the keyword itself is the intent behind the keyword.

For example, when someone searches the keyword you are trying to rank for, are they searching because they want to browse, shop, or buy?

The good thing about long-tail keywords is that it’s fairly obvious to figure out what the user is searching for.

Take a look at these queries:

The head terms—”camera” and “digital camera”—aren’t very descriptive. You might not be able to get a focused understanding of what the user is searching for.

But the long-tail keywords are valuable. Someone searching for “sony digital camera 7.1MP with 3x optical zoom” is looking for a specific product.

With a few additional variables, you can create and deliver precisely the kind of content the user is seeking:

• Buy sony digital camera 7.1MP with 3x optical zoom
• Compare sony digital camera 7.1MP with 3x optical zoom
• Research sony digital camera 7.1MP with 3x optical zoom
• sony digital camera 7.1MP with 3x optical zoom features
• sony digital camera 7.1MP with 3x optical zoom accessories

If you can figure out the long-tail intent—and it’s not that difficult—you can masterfully craft content that will match that intent. As a result, your content will quickly rise to the first page.

2. Write keyword-rich headlines

One of the keys to ranking in Google is to ensure you write keyword-rich headlines.

Headlines matter. They matter to people, and, therefore, they matter to SEO.

Most people will only pay attention to the first two words of their search phrases to decide whether or not you have the content they are looking for.

So make sure you play with variations of your headlines to include the necessary keywords and grab the reader’s attention as quickly as possible.

For example, let’s take the search phrase “make money online.”

Here are a few headline variations you could use to rank for that keyword:

1. How to Make Money Online in 3 Simple Steps
2. The Proven Method to Make Money Online in Any Niche
3. The No B.S. Guide to Make Money Online This Weekend
4. How to Make Money Online TODAY Using Skills You Already Have
5. How to Make Money Online Without Any Marketable Skills

These headlines include the keyword, are clear in their purpose, and let readers know what they are in for right from the start.

When you use your selected long-tail keyword in the title of your article, you make the keyword stand out in the SERPs.

Remember, Google is smart. It can figure out what people are trying to search for even if that person isn’t doing a very good job of actually searching for it.

3. Pay attention to user intent

I mentioned this in the first section: align your content with user intent.

In other words, focus on the why behind a user’s search query.

For example, if someone types in “Buy 43” Panasonic TV,” you can safely assume the user intent is to make a purchase.

However, if the keyword is “43” Panasonic TV Reviews,” you can assume the user intent is to gain information.

You can think of these various types of intentions as concentric circles that correspond to the stages in a marketing funnel:

You can take this a step further on your quest for keyword domination by looking for key phrases that have top-ranking, highly-shared articles you could improve.

Here’s what I mean.

Let’s say you are trying to rank for the keyword phrase “content marketing strategies for your blog.”

You plug this keyword phrase into Buzzsumo and get these top three results:

“The Worst Content Marketing Strategy Mistakes You Don’t Know You Are Making”

“How to Do an Audit of Your Content Marketing Strategy for Your Blog”

and

“Advanced Content Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Blog 10X”

Here’s the thing.

Most people who are looking up the phrase “content marketing for your blog” are probably content marketing newbies, not looking for mistakes, audits, or advanced strategies.

This gives you a fantastic opportunity to write content that better addresses the user intent for that keyword and will, therefore, rank higher in Google.

For example, using the above long-tail keyword, you could write articles titled:

“The Best Content Marketing Strategies to Rapidly Grow Your New Blog”

“Simple Content Marketing Strategies for Your Blog to Double Your Traffic”

Or

“Proven Content Marketing Strategies to Double Your Blog Traffic in 90 Days.”

These titles are much more focused on the user intent behind this keyword search and will quickly rise to the front page of Google.

Why will they quickly rise to the front page of Google?

Because they meet the user’s intention.

Google’s algorithm is focused on providing the best possible search result for user queries. If you can successfully meet those intentions, you’ll be rewarded.

4. Write, write, write

I always tell people that if they want to rank in Google, they’d better get used to writing—and writing a lot.

Let’s face it. If you’re blogging once a month, you’re not generating enough content to get ranked.

Articles that rank in Google are typically 2,000+ words and filled with pictures, embedded videos, and internal links.

Whenever you write an article you want to rank, you should treat it as more of an “Ultimate Guide” than just a normal post.

Make the content so good that you could sell it as a standalone product if you wanted to.

Also, be wary of stuffing your article with keywords. Instead, focus on providing massive value to your audience, not pulling one over on Google…because you can’t pull one over on Google.

5. Market your new article like crazy

Now that you’ve written your article, it’s time to market the living crap out of it.

Ramit Sethi sums it up in his unscientific graph:

Putting it on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn is a given, but there is a lot more to it than that.

What really matters is telling the right people about it.

Reach out to influencers to see if they’d be willing to link to your content; create a YouTube audio version of your content with a link back to the article in the description; or even create a podcast with a summary of your article.

Use every possible avenue to get your article in front of as many eyes as possible.

The more times your article is seen, shared, and commented on, the better your odds of higher ranking on Google.

Conclusion

Most people think that ranking on the first page of Google for a long-tail keyword is impossible, but most people are wrong.

If you put in the effort, write quality content that offers real value, and market your content effectively, you can expect to see your article on the first page of Google in no time.

I’m going to say it one more time: You can’t trick Google.

Instead, you’ve got to put in the long hours. You have to feel the sore fingers and the exhausted brain. This is hard work. There are no shortcuts.

Delivering real solutions to real people is the key to success. Your content must be better than everyone else’s. That’s all there is to it.

By following this process, you are guaranteed a spot on the traffic-scoring, conversion-boosting A-list of marketing power: the first page of Google.

Do you have any Google first-page success stories? How did you do it?

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Asda, Sainsbury’s and Tesco to cut petrol prices

Helen Knapman

filling-car-with-petrol.jpg

A petrol price war among the major supermarkets has been sparked, with Asda, Sainsbury’s and Tesco all announcing forthcoming price cuts.

A petrol price war among the major supermarkets has been sparked, with Asda, Sainsbury’s and Tesco all announcing forthcoming price cuts.

Asda has today cut both diesel and unleaded prices by up to 2p per litre, bringing its national price cap down to 106.7p per litre for diesel, and to 105.7p per litre for unleaded at all of its 272 petrol stations.

read more

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Questions About Birthdays, GEICO, Steam, Pay-Per-Views, and More!

What’s inside? Here are the questions answered in today’s reader mailbag, boiled down to summaries of five or fewer words. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question.
1. Achieved financial goals; now what?
2. “Zooming out”
3. Cutting back until miserable
4. Frugal children’s birthday gifts
5. Wallet or money clip
6. International cell phone advice
7. Uses for abundant green beans
8. Balance transfer and debt payoff
9. GEICO “catch”
10. Recovering old bank account
11. Cash for Steam account balance
12. Watching PPV events

One of the genuine highlights of fatherhood for me is our family dinner table conversations. From a very early age, Sarah and I have made having a family dinner together a priority, and we manage to all eat together at our dinner table at least five nights a week. The discussions we have… they’re truly a highlight of my day.

Almost every evening, I do a little bit of homework into some sort of philosophical question or scientific question or current event, and at the start of dinner, I’ll raise it as a discussion topic with my wife, wording it in the form of a question that even our youngest child might have some input on.

For example, I might ask, “Is it okay to cross illegally into another country for a job if there aren’t any jobs in your own country?” Regardless of the conclusion you might come to from that question, it’s a good topic for discussion because it gets into issues of relative right and wrong. What is the greater “right”? It is not an easy question to answer, and that’s why it makes for a really good discussion topic if everyone is calm and open-minded.

I might ask something like why one of our children’s tastes have changed over time, or how exactly we go about choosing who we’re going to talk to in a group of people we don’t know. Why do we make those choices?

Why do I like these discussions? Almost every night, I can look into my children’s eyes and see the gears in their head turning and turning and turning as they try to work through the topic at hand. There are often periods of silence in the conversation where everyone is thinking a little bit… and it’s the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard.

I wouldn’t give up our family dinners – or our family dinner conversations – for anything.

Q1: Achieved financial goals; now what?

For the last 20 years or so, my single-minded financial goal has been to retire as early as possible and then travel around the country in a small camper van which is an Airstream I’ve had for a while. I finally reached my target number in January and quit in April. Since then I have been driving around the country in this van, staying in lots of campgrounds and parks and seeing all kinds of stuff.

And I’m kind of depressed. I feel aimless and pointless right now. I miss having a big central goal that I was working toward and every idea I have to replace it just seems silly.

You have had so much great advice and food for thought during the last parts of my journey. I’m hoping you’ll have something for me now.
– Derek

I’m wired in much the same way you are. If I don’t have an overarching goal in life, I drift. I feel empty. I can often spiral into a very melancholic state. At this point, financial independence is a great long term goal for me, but without it, I’m fully aware that I’ll probably start drifting and feeling empty and meaningless.

I think the absolute best thing you can do right now is spend some serious time figuring out your next big goal in life. You have enough money to cover your basic needs without working, and that’s great. You have the means to travel about easily, and that’s also great. So what can you do with all of that spare time and that freedom?

Perhaps you could write an investigative book on the decline of our national park system (it’s still great, but there are signs of decline, mostly due to inadequate funding). Maybe you could start a YouTube channel, recording daily videos of your wanderings (I’d watch this). There are lots and lots of big projects that you could take on, lots and lots of possibilities.

Go through all of those possibilities. Brainstorm like a madman. Write them all down in a notebook while you’re camped at some beautiful vista. Go back through all of your ideas constantly.

What you’ll find – and I say this because I’ve found it myself many times – is that out of that huge pile of ideas, a few of them just jump out at you. They seem more meaningful and powerful than the others.

Your answer lies in those things. Keep digging. You’ll find what you need.

Q2: ‘Zooming out’

I’ve noticed one thing in common with the personal finance sites I read (yours included) is that they are, for lack of a better way to say it, “zoomed out.”

What I am trying to say is that the worthwhile sites focus on why you are doing things rather than the how and seem to largely assume that if you understand the why, the how is easy.

Thoughts?
– Alex

I completely agree. It’s easy to understand the “how” of most personal finance things. It’s mostly just doing the things you already do every day, just doing them slightly differently.

The real question, for me, is “why” would I do them differently? Why do I do the things that I do? How can I do them “better,” and what does “better” even mean? Why save money at all? What really matters in my life and how do I attach the day-to-day things I’m doing to those key elements in life?

The things that people think of as frugality or as nuts-and-bolts personal finance are just simply the steps you take to answer those bigger questions. Those steps are interesting, and it’s fun to optimize them, but the real fulfillment and value comes from really figuring out those bigger issues.

Why am I here? What do I really need these things for? Where am I going? Those are endlessly deep questions, and coming to a better understanding of them is going to lead to better personal finance success.

Q3: Cutting back until miserable

A few months ago my showerhead needed replacing so I decided to install an ultra low-flow showerhead in order to conserve water. I figure it’s just water falling from the ceiling, so what’s the big deal? My local hardware store found a 0.8 GPM showerhead for me but the guy there told me that they couldn’t pay him to use it. I should have listened.

I hate this showerhead. It feels like there is not enough water coming out, ever, even to just rinse off my body let alone my hair. I get out feeling still soapy no matter how much I rinse and the whole thing is just miserable.

So I’m probably switching back to a 1.5-1.8 GPM showerhead. This felt like a waste of money and is really frustrating.

What could I have done to avoid this? Cutting back to the point of misery is awful and it ends up costing more money to boot.
– Anna

In general, I tend to listen to the recommendations of experts when I’m buying things that I’m not 100% certain about.

In your situation, as soon as the guy at the hardware store expressed doubt, I would have started doing my homework. I probably would have asked him why he was so negative about it, and then went home and read as much info as I could find about shower heads.

Then, if I didn’t know exactly what a truly low flow shower head felt like in the shower, I’d probably follow their recommendations. I’d stick with the low end of the generally recommended range, which is around 1.5 GPM.

I’m not saying you did anything wrong here. Instead, what I’m saying is that this is a natural step in your evolution as a frugal shopper. Your skills will get better and better from here.

Q4: Frugal children’s birthday gifts

Our family is trying to cut back on spending this year and so far it has gone really well. We have paid off both credit cards and have some money in savings for emergencies.

Coming up soon is our children’s birthdays. In the past we have given them expensive gifts but we have decided that spending that kind of money is a bad idea for a lot of reasons not just our finances.

Do you have suggestions as a parent for giving inexpensive gifts at birthdays?
– Erika

For our children’s birthdays, we typically get them one or two nice items that they’ve been wanting. Their siblings usually each get them a less expensive item, often one that accessorizes the main item. They also have grandparents and aunts and uncles that give them gifts, too, so they’re not lacking in stuff.

For example, for one birthday, we gave a child a Nintendo 3DS that he’d been talking about for months and months, along with a single game. His siblings each gave him a (used) game as well.

By focusing on just one main gift, we’ve found that our children really appreciate that one gift and value it. When they were younger, they used to receive multiple gifts, and it was inevitable that some were simply sat off to the side. That didn’t mean the gift was unliked, just that it was not grabbing their attention at the moment. That’s a bad outcome, in my opinion, so we cut the number of gifts drastically and focused instead on quality gifts.

• Related: Free Yourself From the Kids’ Birthday-Party Trap

Q5: Wallet or money clip?

Do you prefer to use a wallet or money clip for carrying money?
– Anderson

I’m 100% on board the money clip train. I keep just a few cards in the center of my money clip with cash around them in my front hip pocket most of the time, and I use a money belt when we’re traveling (basically an under-the-shirt pouch for holding valuables which makes pickpocketing much harder).

I find that most of the time I don’t want to be carrying very many things. I usually have my drivers’ license with me along with a single credit card and my medical insurance card. Everything else is largely unnecessary. I can look up most of the customer rewards programs and such via email or phone number, so I don’t need to carry those cards, for example.

I feel more secure out and about with things in my hip pocket than with a wallet in the back pocket, too. Plus, as I said, if I ever don’t feel secure, I slip things into a money belt.

Q6: International cell phone advice

I’m going to do some international traveling soon. I called my cell provider and their international rates are absolutely atrocious. If I turn my phone off of airplane mode I am going to bleed money. Any advice for international cell use in both Canada and Europe?
– Michael

First of all, check with your employer to see if they have any options that you can use, especially if there is any business purpose to your travel. They may have something that you can use.

If not, I suggest looking into a pay-as-you-go phone in each country you visit. Although the initial cost may be painful, the actual usage of the phone is going to be far cheaper than the international rates on your normal phone. If you’re going to be in those countries for more than a few days and you actually need the mobile services, that’s the direction I would recommend.

On our own recent travels to Canada, we just put our phones in “airplane mode” for most of the trip, then used wi-fi at the hotel and placed any necessary calls via Skype. It worked well for us.

Q7: Uses for abundant green beans

I planted a lot of green beans in the spring and now we have a TON of beans coming in. Canning my only option? Don’t know what to do with all of these beans!!
– Denise

Pickle them. Ferment them. Freeze them. Trade them to your friends who are gardeners for other produce. Sell them at a farmers market or at a curbside stand. You have a ton of options when it comes to an abundance of something like green beans.

I personally like pickled green beans with a ton of garlic added during the pickling process. You basically do the exact same thing you do with pickled cucumbers – let them sit in a very briny solution for a while. You can preserve them in this way via canning, but I like to just make a bunch of pickled green beans in the refrigerator to munch on as a snack.

We’re also active produce traders, as we have several friends and family members who garden. If we end up with an abundance of something, we just trade it to someone for something they have an abundance of.

Q8: Balance transfer and debt payoff

Right now I have three credit cards. Credit card A has balance of $8,000 and 19.9% interest. Credit card B has balance of $5,000 and 19.9% interest. Credit card C has balance of $1,000 and 14.9% interest. Got a balance transfer offer from credit card C. Which balance should I transfer? Does it matter?
– Alice

I would transfer the balance from credit card B.

The reasoning here is very straightforward. If you get rid of the balance on a card, you’ll have a smaller set of monthly payments. Yes, your payment for card C will go up, but it will not go up as much as card B drops.

Once you’ve transferred, focus entirely on paying off card A, making extra payments if you can. Once that card is gone, throw everything you have at card C.

Doing things this way will minimize the overall amount of interest payments you’ll have to make, and choosing card B over card A will eliminate a debt the fastest.

• Related: Best Balance Transfer Credit Cards

Q9: GEICO ‘catch’

Keep seeing ads about how GEICO can save you up to 15% on your car or home insurance in just 15 minutes. That’d be hundreds for me. What’s the catch? Is it a scam?
– Mark

It’s not a scam. They’re just trying to make a nice catchphrase that you’ll remember. The “save up to 15% in 15 minutes” is fairly memorable and sticks in your head.

Will they actually save you 15%? Maybe. Maybe not. I’m going to bet that they usually won’t, but they probably will in some cases. That’s why they include the “up to” part before stating the 15% savings rate. In the end, it’s really a meaningless ad, aside from the general sense that they’re touting that it’s easy to get an insurance quote from them.

I have friends who use GEICO and they have no real complaints with the company.

• Related: Best Car Insurance Companies of 2016

Q10: Recovering old bank account

Back in the 1980s when I was a kid my grandparents opened an account for me at the little bank in their town. They put money in there for me all the time and told me it would be there for me when I got older and needed it.

My grandma died a few years ago and I hadn’t thought about that account in years. Just thought about it and decided to call the bank. They wouldn’t confirm or deny an account and wanted me to come into their bank with some forms of identification.

It’s a fairly long trip. How do I know whether it is worth it to recover this account?
– Mitchell

Given the situation, it’s impossible to tell whether it will be worth it for you or not. My guess is that if you bring the documentation they requested, you will gain access to the account (provided it exists, but I would assume they wouldn’t have you come if there wasn’t something there).

Still, I recommend that you do this. Why? If you don’t do this, you’ll be wondering about the account for a long time, probably the rest of your life. I’d consider this one of life’s “loose ends,” one that’s going to be worth tying up just for your own peace of mind, if not for the money.

If you have other family members in that area, make it into a trip to visit some of them. Stop in and see an aunt or a cousin you haven’t seen in years, or have dinner with several of them at once. Again, it’s an opportunity to tie up life’s loose ends.

Q11: Cash for Steam account balance

I have a balance of $84 sitting on Steam (ed: Steam is an online store for computer games where you can download them digitally without owning a copy). I don’t play computer games much any more so I would like to convert this into cash. Unfortunately there does not seem to be any way to do this nor can I easily give the money to anyone. Do you have any ideas how I could make my money back off of this? I don’t want to sell the account as I still play a few games on there every once in a while.
– Charles

I was actually in this very situation a few years ago. What I ended up doing is offering to buy games and gift them to friends at a slight discount provided they paid me for the games via Paypal.

I had a few friends who were up for this, so they simply sent me a Paypal payment, then I bought them the game as a gift using my Steam account credit.

Of course, this requires trusting friends who also actually want games on Steam. You can entice them a little by offering a discount on the games they want, but remember that the discount effectively comes out of the money you’ll generate from this.

Q12: Watching PPV events

I enjoy watching WWE and UFC. I usually go to bars to watch the events and they have a $5 cover charge on those nights and the drinks are expensive. Thinking about just watching at home with a few friends so it’s less noisy but still fun. How to make it cheaper w/ cost of PPV?
– Drew

Well, for WWE pay per views, the solution is to just get the WWE Network so you’re effectively paying $10 per pay per view instead of whatever crazy amount your cable provider charges. There are lots of ways to stream that through your television.

As for the UFC pay per views, they’re going to be trickier. They cost $60 a pop for HD, so if you’re paying $5 a head, that means you have to have 12 friends over to break even. If you have friends that are on board with both UFC and WWE events, you could get away with a smaller group and charge $5 apiece for both WWE and UFC events and then use most of the money to pay for the UFC events. You could also consider going to a bar for the UFC events and then watching the WWE events at home.

As for drinks and snacks, I’d recommend having everyone bring some drinks and then splitting the cost of a pizza or some other delivered food rather than preparing stuff in advance. That’s because, if you prepare stuff in advance, payment for it gets awkward – people aren’t sure if you’re being a good host or if they should pay you for it, and discussing it can be really awkward. If you have a decent cover charge (say, $10 a head for a WWE event), you could easily provide the snacks and some of the drinks, too.

Got any questions? The best way to ask is to follow me on Facebook and ask questions directly there. I’ll attempt to answer them in a future mailbag (which, by way of full disclosure, may also get re-posted on other websites that pick up my blog). However, I do receive many, many questions per week, so I may not necessarily be able to answer yours.

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