Auto Insurance: Cutting Corners Could Cost You

Posted by on Feb 6, 2012 in Legal | 0 comments

By Edgar Snyder, Esq.

Another year has begun, and the economy is still unpredictable. Nearly everyone is looking for ways to pinch pennies, and people who are widowed or divorced may be scaling back their finances. Cutting coverage from auto insurance policies is common, but it could cost you thousands.

Even though it’s illegal to drive without car insurance, nearly 14% of drivers don’t have it. If you’re ever in an accident, you need to have adequate coverage to protect your financial security – especially as someone divorced or widowed. You can make changes to your auto insurance policy at any time, so there’s no better time than now to make changes to protect your legal rights.

Reviewing Your Auto Insurance Policy

If you’re not sure how much coverage to choose, here are some guidelines to help you understand the options available to you:

Tort

In Pennsylvania, you have the option of selecting Full Tort or Limited Tort. If you choose Full Tort coverage, you can collect money for pain and suffering if you’re injured in an accident, as well as compensation for medical payments, lost wages, and property damage. Limited Tort doesn’t allow you to collect money for pain and suffering.

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2012 Valentine’s Day Gift Guide

Posted by on Feb 4, 2012 in Gift Guide | 0 comments

Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone from Pittsburgh Better Times! To help prepare you buy the perfect gift for your sweetheart, we’ve assembled our annual Gift Guide for this romantic time of the year.

Also, thank you to our readers who also sent in their holiday gift ideas and suggestions for 2012. If you’re looking for a gift idea, our annual holiday gift guide features a wide variety of gift ideas for both men and women in a variety of categories including home, fashion, beauty, family, and fitness.

If you have other suggestions, please let us know and we’ll add it to the list!

Beauty and Personal Care
Books
Fashion and Style Accessories 
Home
Gift Cards
Sweet Treats
Wine, Spirits & Other Drinks

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A Teachable Moment February 2012—Have a Heart

Posted by on Feb 3, 2012 in Related Healthcare Articles | 0 comments

By Dr. Susan Bartell

February is the ‘heart’ month. It’s the home of Valentine’s Day, and it’s National Heart Health Month.  But, having a healthy heart is so much more than cute cards and physical fitness. It is also about ‘having heart’, which means feeling and expressing love for others and for oneself.  As we travel through our hectic lives, it can be easy to forget the importance of love, but the truth is that during these uncertain times, kids need to be able to feel and express love more than ever before because it will keep them feeling safe and secure. Happily, it’s not too difficult to ensure that your child’s capacity for love continues to grow:

Teach by example. When you openly and frequently express love to your child and to other meaningful people in your life, it teaches your child that this is important and normal. Say the words “I love you”, give hugs and kisses, and snuggle on the couch as often as possible. Children continue to learn from their parents through their teen years and into early adulthood, so don’t stop loving and teaching. Your teenager is not too old to hug and kiss!

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The Bookworm Sez: The Magic Room by Jeffrey Zaslow

Posted by on Jan 31, 2012 in Book Review | 0 comments

c.2012, Gotham Books                         $27.00 / $28.50                         285 pages
They were married on the kitchen floor.
You remember it well, since you were the one who picked them up at day’s end. The fashion-conscious bride wore something Grandma sewed, and toilet tissue as a veil. Her beloved, a blue pony with long mane and tail, wore an ill-fitting tuxedo borrowed from another doll that your daughter also loved, but that was not invited to the wedding on the kitchen floor.
It seems like yesterday since she was playing wedding, and now she’s getting married herself. These days, it’s all about the dress – but as you’ll see in the new book “The Magic Room” by Jeffrey Zaslow, that’s only part of the love story.
Fowler, Michigan, is your typical small town.
There’s a sandwich shop there, and a small café. The local mechanic is helpful if your keys get locked in your car. Main Street has seen its share of business closings, openings, and closings again.
But one store has stood in Fowler for more than seven decades; in fact, you might say that Becker’s Bridal is Fowler’s claim to fame.
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The Art of Listening

Posted by on Jan 27, 2012 in Related Self-Improvement Articles | 0 comments

By Jeff Gitterman

Have you ever noticed that the words listen and silent are spelled with the same letters?  Perhaps this is no accident, because in many ways, they mean the same thing.  Have you ever talked to someone and walked away feeling enriched because they were such a good listener, even if they were a complete stranger?  This talent is what accounts for some of the best psychologists in the world—and some of the best salespeople.  Interestingly, the ability to listen is also the trait most people refer to in a great relationship partner or leader.

My own understanding of the power of listening came about many years ago, when I was just starting out as a financial advisor.  One of the initial appointments that I’d have with any new perspective client is what we call a fact-finding session.  The idea is that you’re there simply to get information and gather data like their date of birth, place of work, the kind of house they lived in, income, assets, and so on.

One day, I was getting out of my car and about to walk into a potential client’s house.  I was way behind on my bills, and my mind was going on and on about how much I needed to make a sale.  Desperation poured out of me as I caught my reflection in the car window.   I stopped, looked hard at that reflection and said to myself, “Who would want to buy anything from you?  Look at how desperate you look!”

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