Prepare to Be Wise!

By Marc Podeszek

This book is about life in general. What you need to know. What you need to do. What things you can do to protect yourself and your assets.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 29, 2019
• ISBN: 9781796034349

Book preview

Copyright © 2019 by Marc Podeszek.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 05/20/2019

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I am writing this book for a few reasons. First, I want to let consumers know how to make a great decision on buying or selling a variety of products. Second, this book addresses the attributes of property and casualty insurance. Why is it important to know and understand insurance policies in any state? State guidelines can vary from state to state, but they exist to protect you and your insurance company. Third, my goal is to help you avoid being taken advantage of by people in a field of service or when buying products. Let them make money, of course, but do not let them get greedy and become all about the money!

I have compiled a checklist for you to use when you are planning on purchasing anything from cars to homes.

The topics you will find covered in this resource include

• purchasing a new or used vehicle;

• determining how much to pay and what is a good deal;

• understanding the values of any product, whether it be an automobile, RV, motorcycle, computer, stove, refrigerator, or anything else;

• looking for rebates on any merchandise;

• understanding warranties and why you need one;

• understanding OEM;

• finding a professional to look at a vehicle and the reasons you should do this;

• understanding your auto insurance policy information and what it means to you;

• understanding homeowners insurance information; and

• much more!

The most crucial concern when purchasing a new or used product is doing your homework before you buy. To begin, you need to compile a list of questions regarding the product you desire, such as how much it will cost and what you will be able to afford. Consumers often run to the store or dealership blind, which in the end costs them hundreds or even thousands more in interest through options that are unnecessary. Arm yourself with information to make the most informed, beneficial deal for you, the consumer.

The next thing you need to find out is what kind of interest you would have from your bank, if needed. Then you can check to see what rebates the manufacturers offer so when you get to the store, home, or dealer, you can say the rebate is good until a certain date. Go to your bank and ask if you can find out what amount you qualify for and the interest rate you would have. When you go to the store, home, or auto dealer, you will have an idea of what your payments will be and what you can afford.

First, let’s look at purchasing a used vehicle. We often purchase another vehicle because of a need arising from either a car accident or vehicle failure. This is the time to slow down and do our homework. Buying a used car has a variety of pitfalls. The first area to look into when buying a vehicle is your budget. How much can you afford? Can you pay cash with no payments? What kind of financing can you get from a bank or credit union? Oftentimes you can get financing from the dealership, however interest is usually higher. Once you know how much you can afford to spend on a vehicle, check to see what models are available that meet your budget.

The easiest way to determine an average price before buying the vehicle is to check the Internet. An example of one way to investigate different types of deals is to put in the type and age of vehicle you are interested in purchasing and then look at the ads from different dealerships. To demonstrate this, we will search the availability of a 2009 Toyota Corolla. You can be specific with color, options, engine types, and more. However, to get the broadest scope of vehicles, begin by being simple with your request. When you input a 2009 Toyota Corolla sedan, a variety of choices will appear, from CarMax to local dealerships, giving you a clear idea of what you have available to you. By clicking on the Kelly Blue Book website, this is what was provided. Please note that depending on your zip code and the date you accessed the site, the pricing will differ from what I am going to describe.

Kelly Blue Book gave a range of pricing from $6,855.00 to $9,518.00. The site gives a fair market price of $8,187.00 and a suggested retail price of $8,437.00.

Vehicles at a used car lot are most often trade-ins. What do you think the trade-in value is? Upon looking at the information from the site, I can see the difference in