In today’s rough economy every dime counts.  If you are in the market to buy a car you may want to consider a few other things besides the price tag, such as gas, maintenance and insurance.  

According to Forbes.com below are the top 5 least and most expensive cars to insure.

Top 5 Least Expensive Cars to Insure

1. Hyundai Santa Fe, SUV, $832/year
2. Kia Sportage, SUV, $840/year
3. Hyundai Entourage, Minivan, $848/year
4. Kia Sedona, Minivan, $857/year
5. Kia Rio5, Passenger, $870/year

Top 5 Most Expensive Cars to Insure

1. Nissan GT-R,Sports car, $2,533/year
2. Dodge Viper, Sports car, $2,446/year
3. BMW M6, Sports car, $2,236/year
4. Ford Shelby GT500, Sports Car, $2,186/year
5. Mercedes-Benz G-Class, SUV, $2,088/year

For the full list visit Forbes.com.

Related Article: How To Save Money Buying Auto Insurance?

According to a study published last week by the Employee Benefits Research Institute, people retiring today will need a ton load of money to cover healthcare expenses over the course of their retirement.

No one knows what will happen with President Obama’s plan to cut $131 billion in Medicare / Medicaid spending and reform the U.S. healthcare system.  However, for now men retiring at 65 this year (2009) will need $68K to $173K in savings to cover health insurance premiums and out-of-pocket expenses if they want a 50% chance of having enough money and $134K to $378K if they want a 90% chance.

For women, who have a longer lifespan, who retire at 65 will need $98K to $242K in savings to cover health insurance premiums and out-of-pocket expenses if they want a 50% chance of having enough money and $164K to $450K if they want a 90% chance.

Additionally, according to the report retires may need more money because the costs doesn’t cover long-term care expenses.

Those are some really big numbers, considering in some countries citizens pay nothing!  Let’s all hope that by the end of the year, the Obama administration will be successful in reforming the U.S. Healthcare system!

Source: MarketWatch.com

Related Article: It’s Time to Fix the American Healthcare Crisis

JetAmerica today started selling $9 non-stop one-way seats on its new flights between six U.S. cities. The first fights take-off on July 13. During a time of massive cutbacks in the airline industry, JetAmerica is about to spread its wings.

The new low-fare, big-jet air service kicks-off its “Let’s Get America Flying Again” campaign at a news conference today at Toledo Express Airport. JetAmerica is now offering some of the best-buys-in-the-skies above the U.S.A. Its inaugural roundtrip flights launch from Lansing, Michigan, Melbourne-Vero Beach, Florida, South Bend, Indiana and Toledo, Ohio to New York- Newark, New Jersey. Jet America is also flying roundtrip flights from Toledo and Lansing to Melbourne-Vero Beach. Starting August 14, Jet America will fly roundtrip from Toledo to Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Currently, passengers flying these routes are cramped into small turbo-prop planes and regional jets. They also must make connections, endure long layovers and pay expensive fares. JetAmerica will provide full size, fuel-efficient Next Generation Boeing 737-800 series non-stop jet flights at fares 50 to 70 percent less than major airlines traveling similar but indirect routes. JetAmerica expects to be profitable because it is serving secondary cities where there are few flight options and minimal competition. Furthermore, JetAmerica is stimulating markets with some of the lowest air fares in the nation that will encourage business travelers as well as people who fly occasionally or do not fly at all to start flying from their hometown rather than from larger out-of-of-town airports, which previously offered better deals.

If JetAmerican doesn’t fly to your city, the company has several cities under consideration for 2009.  They include Charleston, WV, Chicago/Rockford, IL, Cincinnati, OH, Columbus, OH, Dayton, OH, Greensboro/Winston-Salem/Highpoint, NC, Pittsburgh, PA, and St. Petersburg/Clearwater, FL.

To get your $9 seat visit JetAmerica.com.

Discover Financial Services has launched a Paperless $30,000 Giveaway for customers to sign up for paperless statements.  Apparently, Discover must see some big savings to convince customers to go paperless.

There is one (1) Grand Prize of $15,000, three (3) first prizes of $5,000 each.

The promotion is open only to residents of the 50 United States and District of Columbia who are Discover Card members enrolled for Discover Card Paperless Statements as of 11:59:59 PM (CT) on 5/31/09 and are 18 years of age or older as of time of entry. Void in Florida, New York and Rhode Island and where prohibited by law.

If you are already enrolled in Discover Card Paperless Statements on or before 5/31/09, you will automatically receive one entry into the sweepstakes. If you are not enrolled in Discover Card Paperless Statements, visit Discover.com/sweepstakes beginning 12:01 AM (CT) on 5/1/09 and follow the on-screen instructions to enroll.

After enrolling, you will receive one entry into the sweepstakes. There is no cost associated with enrollment. To be eligible for the sweepstakes, you must enroll for Discover Card Paperless Statements by 11:59:59 PM (CT) on 5/31/09. Limit one entry per person per Discover Card.

A random drawing will be conducted on or about 6/17/09 from among all eligible entries received.

For more information visit www.discovercard.com/paperless-statements/sweepstakes.html

If you are looking for a prepaid credit card to help rebuild your credit then consider checking out the Eufora Elite Credit Builder Prepaid MasterCard. The card will help to build your credit by reporting to all the credit bureaus.  There is a 100% guaranteed approval* with no credit check, which is perfect for bad credit or no credit.  

Direct deposits are free, point of sale transaction are free, 24/7 online access is free, and live customer support is free.

You can also reload the card at thousands of retail locations nationwide with a $5,000 maximum value.  The card also comes with a cash reward program.  
Visit Eufora.com.

* Obtaining Your Card: The USA PATRIOT Act is a federal law that requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify, and record information that identifies each person who opens a Card Account. What this means for you: When you open a Card Account, we will ask for your name, address, date of birth, and other information that will allow us to identify you. We may also ask to see your driver’s license or other identifying documents. “Guaranteed Approval” is contingent upon successfully passing this mandatory identification confirmation.

For more information visit Eufora.com.

Good news for credit card holders! Especially for people who carry a credit card balance.  Legislation is about to be passed to control credit card practices.  The new legislation has bipartisan support and a swift passage into law is expected.

The new so-called “Credit Card Holders’ Bill of Rights” is designed to:

• Enhance protections for credit card customers.
• Prohibit so-called double-cycle billing which eliminates the interest-free period for consumers who move from paying the full balance monthly to carrying a balance.
• Prohibit retroactive rate hikes.
• Ban the issuance of credit cards to people less than 18 years old.
• Customers must receive 45 days notice before their interest rates are increased.
• Clear explanation of credit card agreements instead of the fine print, which is hard to decipher.

The new laws will take effect a year after enactment. However, the new legislation that customer receive 45 days notice before their interest rates are increased would go into effect in 90 days.

According to a study by the law firm Morrison and Foerster; the new credit card legislation could cost the banking industry more than $10 billion a year in interest payments.

Currently, U.S. credit card debt is $963 billion, a 25% increase of the past 10 years. According to CreditCard.com, the average outstanding credit card debt for U.S. households was $10,679 at the end of 2008.

There are about 16,000 U.S. companies that issue credit cards. The largest lenders are Bank of America, Citigroup, Discover Financial Services, JPMorgan Chase & Company, American Express, Capital One Financial Corporation and HSBC Holdings PLC.

According to Index Credit Cards, below are the average interest rates for credit cards:

• Consumer credit cards:  14.17%
• Non-reward consumer credit cards: 12.80%
• Reward credit cards: 14.76%
• Student credit cards: 14.15%
• Business credit cards (non-reward): 11.77%
• Business reward credit cards: 12.84%

Many of us aren’t happy with what banks are currently paying us in our savings account.  However, if you carry a credit card balance you will get a nice return on your money if you simply pay off the credit card balance 100%.  Think about it; your bank is paying you 0.05% interest on your savings account, but you pay your credit card company 14% interest.  What’s wrong with that picture?

If you have investments in stocks, bonds, mutual funds, etc. and still have a credit card balance, unless your investments are paying you more than the interest charged by your credit card, you need to liquidate your investments and pay off the credit card balance ASAP, thus getting you 14% return on your money!