Before you click “purchase” for that new coffee maker, consider this: statistics show that every dollar spent at a locally owned business generates roughly three times more economic activity than the same dollar spent at a national franchise. Additionally, the revenue from shopping locally boosts area employment, and the taxes support schools and emergency services. Furthermore, shopping locally can also save you time and money. Gas is expensive, and shipping and handling fee...

Its back-to-school season, which means new shoes, apparel, gear and technology for kids -- and a gigantic Visa statement for parents. According to a recent report by Forbes, parents of kids in K-12 will spend an average of $873 per child, while college parents will spend more than $1,100 per child. Multiply this by a few kids -- and thats a lot of money! If youre looking for ways to save this back-to-school season, youve come to the right place. Here are 5: 1. Buy used books. If your ...

If you are sending your kids off to college this fall, you might be wondering about insurance. Specifically, insuring all that stuff you bought for your college-bound kid: computer, books, bikes and, in some cases, furniture. The National Retail Federation (NRF) estimates that the average family will spend roughly $900/college student -- on back-to-school supplies alone. If your child is going to live in a dorm, add $126 to that number for furnishings, the NRF says. For a full breakdown of b...

Those last-minute deals online are too good to pass up: 40% off and free, 2-day shipping? Quadruple rewards points? And no long lines at the mall? Online shopping is a great way to snag great deals -- all from the comfort of your own home (and in your pjs with your favorite warm drink!). However, the like any transaction, there are security issues to keep in mind when buying online -- but by following a few basic guidelines, you can greatly minimize your risk! 1. Be careful with your p...

So youre at the checkout, about to click "purchase" on your online order, when a box pops up asking if youd like to pay an extra $70 for an extended warranty. Youre splurging on a brand-new, $600 DSLR camera... so you hesitate. Should you buy the extra insurance? Is the $70 worth it? Probably not, say the experts. Heres why: New products rarely require repairs. According to Consumer Reports, research reveals that most products usually dont break during the two-to-three-year period...

If youve been asked to swipe your credit card lately, you may have noticed a new machine at checkout. Or perhaps you opened the mail to find a brand-new Visa with a shiny microchip embedded in the front. In fact, by the end of the year, your whole wallet will have undergone an overhaul, with all your old credit cards replaced with new-and-improved chip cards. Here are the details: Whats a Microchip Card? These microchip cards have been around in Europe awhile, but are relatively ...

For a second year in a row, Ohio is offering a weekend-long sales tax holiday to help back-to-school shoppers reduce the cost of clothing and school supplies. Read on for the scoop on Ohios 2016 Tax Free Weekend. This years tax holiday is Aug. 5-7, beginning at 12 a.m. on the 5th and ending at 11:59 p.m. on the 7th. The tax exemption applies to clothing and footwear items that cost $75 or less and to supplies and instructional materials that cost $20 or less. Items priced higher than those ...

Stop the press! We interrupt your normally scheduled insurance news feed with an important announcement: For a third year in a row, Ohio is offering a weekend-long sales tax holiday in August to help back-to-school shoppers reduce the cost of clothing and school supplies. Here’s the 411 on Ohio’s Tax Free Weekend: This year’s tax free weekend is August 4-6, beginning at 12 a.m. on Friday, August 4th and ending at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, August 6th. ...

The holiday season is here! And so is the holiday shopping season. Those last-minute deals online are too good to pass up: 40% off and free, 2-day shipping? Quadruple rewards points? And no long lines at the mall? Online shopping is a great way to snag great deals -- all from the comfort of your own home (and in your pjs with your favorite warm drink!). However, the like any transaction, there are security issues to keep in mind when buying online -- but by following a few basic guidelines,...

Many times we receive the question, "Why is my auto insurance more expensive than my neighbors or friends?"  There are many different factors that go into insurance rates and no one is exactly the same.  Here are just a few of the components of auto insurance rating.  Insurance score- Each company has their own way to calculate your insurance score, but most follow this method. They calculate your score from information on your credit report, accident, and insurance claim h...

“An independent agent is an insurance agent that sells insurance policies provided by several different insurance carriers, rather than just a single insurance company. The independent agent acts as a middleman to connect insurance buyers and sellers in order to facilitate a transaction. Independent agents are not considered employees of any specific insurance company."    I have found that many people dread talking about insurance or to anyone who works in insurance. This...