May 30, 2008, Las Vegas, NV.

1. Loyalty?  That plus 50 cents will buy you a Coke.  Ever heard that saying?  Why be loyal to any company that is overcharging you?  Car insurance rates are constantly fluctuating, often getting cheaper. So rather than being locked in to a high rate for 6 months or a year, shop around each month and do not be afraid to switch policies midterm for a lower rate.

2. Give me a little credit, will you?  Car insurance companies have loads of discounts available.  Make sure you're getting all the credit you deserve. Here is a list of some of the credits you may be eligible for, and a few we're betting you've never heard of:

Airbags Credit (tell them how many your car has for more discounts!)

Automatic Seat Belts Credit

Anti-lock Brake (ABS) Discount

Alarm System (Anti-theft) Discount

Low Mileage Use Credit

Professional Affiliations Discounts (ask!)

Good Driver Discount

Accident Free Credit

Senior Discount

Groups and Memberships Discount (like RCI, CostCo, AARP, etc)

Traction Control Discount

Multi-car Discount

Multi-policy Discount

Car Theft Locator Discount (aka Vehicle Recovery System Discount, GPS Car Tracking System Discount, Lo jack or Low jack Discount, etc.)

Daytime Running Lights Discount

College Graduate Discount

Defensive Driving School Discount

Hybrid Vehicle Discount (bet you didn't know about this one)

Military Discount

Travelink (Ride-share) Discount, and others too, just ask!

3.  Step up and start saving!  Often times we carry low (like $100) collision deductibles because we think we're getting a good deal by doing this.  Yet in reality we're actually paying more money for mere bragging rights.  But what if you never have an accident in five years?  And let's say you're paying an extra $300 every six months for the enjoyment of having a low deductible.  After being accident-free for five years, that just cost you $600 x 5 years, or $3000.  But let's say you do have an at-fault accident in that five years, and your collision deductible is not $100 but $500. Then you're out of pocket the extra $400 for the higher deductible, but you saved $3000 over this time from which to pay it. So you're still ahead by $2,600.  Get my drift?

Today more than ever, every dollar and every penny counts.  It just makes good sense to take control of your finances by looking for ways to trim the budget any way you can, especially when it can be done without disrupting your family's safety.