Vehicle insurance takes care of the cost of repairs and any damages, not to mention legal expenses if you were involved in an accident with damage to property and self. It is a smart investment now to save money and cover vital liabilities and expenses if the need ever arises. Knowing where to buy the best insurance policies is the next step when it comes to securing your financials. The following insurance providers rank among the top companies in the country.

Progressive Commercial Truck Insurance
The company is among one of the largest insurance corporations when it comes to commercial insurance plans. Basic coverage includes damages for liability, injuries to your body, property damage, uninsured or underinsured motorist protection, any medical payments for recovery, and collision coverage. The insurance also provides protection for cars, SUVs, utility vans, bus, motorhomes or RV and different types of commercial trucks like bucket, catering and refrigeration units.

Esurance Commercial Truck Insurance
The basic coverage is very similar to that of Progressive insurance, but Esurance also provides comprehensive coverage for pet injuries, fire, theft, loading, unloading, towing, and labor costs for additional coverage options. Additional coverage is possible with affiliate partners through Commercialinsurance.NET with options available for many types of automobiles. A financial rating is one of the most important points to consider before buying insurance plans and Esurance has a favorable A+ rating.

State Farm Commercial Truck Insurance
Commercial business protection that includes coverage for employees, deliveries and many types of commercial vehicles are among primary features of insurance plans by State Farm. Personal injury, medical expenses, liability, and damage to property are services offered for the plan. State Farm also offers discounts for personal auto insurance. Note that discounts for commercial vehicles will differ and must be verified before you purchase.

Allstate Commercial Truck Insurance
Allstate may have the best customer services backed by a good financial rating and reputation, but there are limited options when it comes to truck-specific coverage. However, the insurance company underwrites its own policies and has a decent A+ financial strength rating. Additional coverage includes rental reimbursement for hired and non-owned automobiles also.

Nationwide Commercial Truck Insurance
The company offers flexible insurance policies custom made for every client. Apart from insurance coverage, the Nationwide commercial also offers plans for investments, banking, annuities, and even your retirement. While most insurance companies don’t offer an online quote, Nationwide provides a number of online quotes with the package or multipolicy discounts.

Other popular commercial truck insurance providers include Titan Insurance, Farmers Insurance, Travelers, The Hartford, and Liberty Mutual insurance.

Commercial truck insurance is just one of the many expenses you will incur as an owner of a successful transportation or logistics business. It is not advisable to skimp on insurance as accidents can happen at any given point in time and without warning.

Consider the following factors before you buy an insurance policy.

Certification
Standard certification is one of the factors to consider before buying any type of commercial truck insurance. Common industry standard certifications similar to ISO are important to separate the best policies and plans from hundreds of providers in the market. Apart from certification, rating agencies issue ratings that deem the insurance companies prudent to issue policies that are backed by good financials.

Claims and settlement
Filing claims and recovering the amount due are two separate things. You may be able to file a claim with the relevant authorities, however, the process of recovery will take both time and a lot of efforts. Check to see if the commercial truck insurance provider offers cashless claims in the garages that form part of the insurance network. A cashless claim process is easy to follow and convenient to manage when the time comes for settlement.

Coverage
Read the policy and compare carefully to identify general and specific coverage with possible exclusions from the terms and conditions. Read the fine print carefully as the devil is in the detail, hidden from plain view. Factors like driving record, different types of cargo, and even route options can also affect coverage.

Type of policy
There are many different types of commercial truck insurance that vary accordingly depending on the service provider. You can get online quotes and compare before narrowing down policies from the top insurance providers. For more details, you can contact insurance agents and get quotes.

Credit record
Your credit record will influence the terms and conditions of any commercial truck insurance policy you plan to purchase. Insurance companies review credit ratings and do a thorough background check of applicants to screen potential candidates. A clean and accurate credit report or rating will ensure a smooth screening process.

The condition of the vehicle
The premium that will be applicable for insurance policies will also be determined by the condition of the vehicle. For high end and luxurious semi rigs or trucks, the premium will be higher in comparison.

Customer support
At the end of the day, customer support is crucial. An efficient system to tackle consumer grievances and manage queries for current claims or process is necessary. The insurance company must be able to facilitate all your requests every step of the way right from the day you purchase the policy.

Every individual saves for a comfortable retirement life. In order to enjoy a stress-free retirement period, it is important to invest at an early stage and plan your retirement to make the right investment decisions. Consider your current financial condition and set your retirement goal; based on the same, you may make investment decisions that will allow you to grow your wealth. Roth IRA accounts are highly preferred by investors due to the taxation benefit. Consider these investment plans during your retirement planning. When you withdraw the amount at the time of your retirement, you will not have to pay any tax on the same. There are a number of funds you can choose to invest in. Carry out a market research or consult the portfolio manager to make a well-informed decision. We have listed out the top five Roth IRA funds for investment during retirement planning in 2018.

• TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Retirement Fund
  This investment generates a high return over a long period of time through income and capital appreciation. It invests in institutional class shares or other funds of the trust and in other investment products. This fund is ideal for investors who are already entering retirement.
• Vanguard Target Retirement Income
  This fund is a part of the Vanguard target-date series and is suitable for those in retirement or those looking for a target date fund with a conservative strategy. It has retirement dates of 2015 through 2065 in five-year increments. This is the best when you are planning your retirement. It allocates 30 percent of the funds into stocks and 70 percent into bonds. Its parent company, Vanguard is the largest mutual fund provider in the country and offers an array of mutual funds to choose from.
• American Century One Choice in Ret Port
  The main purpose of the investment is to seek current income followed by an appreciation of capital. It invests into American Century mutual funds, which represent a variety of asset classes and investment styles. It allocates the major portion in stocks followed by bonds and a small portion in money market funds.
• USAA Target Retirement Income Fund
  There is capital appreciation and current income with this investment. It allocates 35 percent of its net assets into funds that invest in equity securities of alternative asset classes and the remaining 65 percent is invested in fixed income securities.
• Fidelity Advisor Freedom Income Fund
  The investment strives to generate a higher return with principal preservation. It invests in bond funds, domestic and international equity funds, and short-term funds.

Consider the prevailing retirement annuity rates and weigh your options when making an investment decision during the retirement planning. Determine the amount you want to receive at the time of your retirement, consider your current financial position, and make your investment decisions accordingly.

One of the best investment moves you can make is to open a Roth IRA account when you are planning your retirement. It is a legal tax shelter and you will contribute money that has already been taxed. Hence, you will not be taxed again when you withdraw the amount. The interest earned on it is tax-free as well. You only need to keep the money in the account for a certain period of time and upon your retirement, you can withdraw the money, which goes straight to your pocket without any deductions.

Top Roth IRA funds for 2018
It is easy to open an account and invest in the IRA fund. Choosing the fund can be a little difficult. However, there are a number of options that will help you maximize your wealth.

• Vanguard High Dividend Yield
  This fund generates high income and keeps an eye on the index of stocks that have an above-average dividend yield. It is top heavy, which means the biggest stocks make up a significant percentage of its assets and its top holdings including large stock companies. It is a high dividend yield fund, which means before you retire, the dividends will assist your investment compound quickly and you will be able to take complete advantage of the tax benefit of the IRA. It may offer a reliable stream of income after you have retired. This retirement planning fund has a low expense ratio, which means you get to keep most of your gains.
• Vanguard Dividend Appreciation
  This is one of the top Roth IRA funds for generating income in the long term. If you are planning for your retirement dividend stocks are considered to be an ideal long-term performer in the market. They have an appeal for the investors who want their combination of income and growth to increase in the long term. This fund has high liquidity and a low expense ratio. It looks for stocks that have a strong track record of growing their dividend payouts over time. This strategy leads to significant dividend growth and above-average yield. It is for those investors who do not need maximum income right now but want to increase their chances of bigger payouts in the future and plan for their retirement.
• iShares Core S&P Mid Cap ETF
  The fund invests in smaller companies that have produced marginally higher returns than large caps. With this fund, most of the return is generated from capital appreciation rather than the yield. The fund has more than 400 companies and is downright cheap with a low expense ratio.

Investors need to have knowledge about the retirement annuity rates when making an investment decision during retirement planning. In order to generate higher wealth in the long run, it is important to start saving and investing at an early stage.

Every individual spends a lot of time and efforts in planning for their retirement. The income generated throughout your life will help you live a comfortable life once you retire. A Roth IRA (individual retirement account) is an ideal place to park your funds for retirement. You can put money into the account after paying income tax on the same and then your account will grow tax-free. During your retirement, you will not be required to pay any taxes on the withdrawals if you follow the rules. It will give you more financial freedom than you have right now.

Here are the best Roth IRA funds for 2018.

The fund is an extensive planning tool and has a simple and quick account opening process. You may enjoy robust customer service at minimum account fees.

Merrill Edge
The fund has no minimum account balance requirement and offers robust customer service for minimal processing fees. It has a seamless integration and a single login access to the Roth IRA account and the Bank of America account.

Ally Invest
Ally Invest has a low commission and no minimum account balance requirement, which makes it an ideal choice for investors. It also has no annual fees and offers a solid suite of research for customers who are active and like to make investment decisions after thorough research. It also has the lowest fee per trade.

E-Trade
E-Trade has a large lineup of mutual funds in addition to an extensive library of retirement advice and tools. There is no minimum account balance requirement and no transaction fee for a number of mutual funds.

Buffalo Discovery Fund
The Buffalo Discovery Fund is a growth fund worth considering. It is fairly small, which means that the managers can make meaningful investments across small and midsized companies. It has performed well in the last five years and the portfolio managers have a disciplined approach to finding opportunities that will increase their returns.

Fidelity Balanced Fund
The Balanced Fund is also known as an asset allocation fund, which invests into assets and bonds. It brings stability and maintains a certain level of growth. It has generated significant gains in the last five years and it targets large-cap stocks. However, the bond portfolio remains conservative and that is how the balance is maintained between stocks and bonds.

Investors need to consider the retirement annuity rates when making an investment decision. Starting early is the key here. In order to generate wealth in the long term, it is important to make investment decisions at an early stage and choose funds that have a strong growth history and meet your financial requirements.

An individual retirement account or IRA is, without a doubt, one of the best ways to save for one’s retirement. An IRA is a tax-advantaged account that enables the account holder to save money by investing in financial markets. Nonetheless, with hundreds of options out there, figuring out which account is right for you can get tiresome. So, let’s take a look at the best options out there. 

• Betterment
  Despite being one of the newer firms in the market, Betterment has created quite a name for itself. This is because they are reliable and help one manage their retirement goals effectively. One can open an account free of cost and pay an annual fee of only 0.25% of their total balance. Moreover, navigating at Betterment is easy because everything is online. 

• Fidelity
  With no account opening charges and penalty-free withdrawals, Fidelity is one of the best IRA options out there. They offer different types of IRAs, such as traditional, Roth IRA, and rollover IRA. There are also IRA options available for kids who want to start investing and saving early on. Moreover, one can always visit any of Fidelity’s branches across the country.

• Charles Schwab
  At Charles Schwab, one gets 24/7 assistance and a number of online tools and resources to ease down investing. They help you understand which account is suitable for you and help you create one accordingly. They have a number of investment options, such as stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. They do not have any required minimum balance or charges for opening the account. 

• SoFi
  At SoFi, one can speak to any of their financial advisors for free before taking any decision.  They offer a variety of different account options one can choose between. Moreover, one can easily open an account online within minutes. One also gets access to various zero-commission investment options such as stocks and bonds. 

• Vanguard
  Vanguard is one of the best options out there for people who are very conscious about their costs. They offer expense ratios that are 83% lower than the average rate in the industry. They also offer more than 200 commission-free mutual funds for one to invest in. They are also flexible with other investment options, such as stocks, bonds, and ETFs.

A W-2 tax form is a statement prepared by the employers for their employees. This form includes details about an employee’s total earnings, Medicare earnings, Social Security earnings, and federal and state taxes that are withheld by the employee.

Before you give the W-2 tax form to your employee, you should know about these important details of W-2 tax forms.

Different parts of the W-2 tax forms
W-2 tax forms contain numerous parts. Here is a brief overview of different parts of the W-2 tax form.

• Copy A is the part that goes to the Social Security Administration (SSA). This part is printed on a red form that can be scanned using a laser scanner. In case you are filing a paper copy of the return, you must only use the paper provided by the SSA.
• Copy 1 is for the locality, state, and city
• Copy B part is for filing the federal tax return of the employee
• Copy C states the records of the employee
• Copy 2 is another copy for the locality, state, and city
• Copy D is for the record of the employer

Where can I find W-2 tax forms?
One cannot copy the W-2 tax form from the Internet. As mentioned earlier, the Copy A of tax forms is printed on a special type of paper that can be scanned using a laser scanner, which cannot be found on any website. Only official forms must be used here. You can talk to your tax preparer and get your official W-2 tax forms.

What information is required to be completed in W-2 tax forms?
Information about your business This will include your business name, business address, employer ID number, and business State Tax ID number.

Information about your employees You need to mention the Social Security Number or other tax identification number of your employee, the name and address of your employee, and the like.

Information about employee income The information about total wages and withholdings of each employee for the last year has to be reported. Total Medicare wages, Social Security tips, total Social Security wages, total wages, and other compensation.

Apart from these, you also need to state information on retirement plans and special benefits. Box 12 and 13 of W-2 tax forms talk about retirement plans and employee benefits plans respectively.

What if there are errors made on a W-2 form?
It is recommended to check for common mistakes in tax forms before you send them off to your employees. However, if you have submitted incorrect forms to Social Security Administration, then you must fill and complete W-2c forms. Ensure that you do not miss out on the final deadline for submitting the revised information along with the W-3 transmittal form, which needs to be resubmitted.

The amount of taxes withheld from the paycheck for a financial year is used to file federal and state taxes. This amount is shown in W-2 forms.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) needs employers to mention the salary, wage details, and other information of their employees on the W-2 tax forms. This tax form also mentions information about all the federal, state, and any other taxes that are withheld from your paycheck. All the details in your W-2 form are extremely important when your preparing for filing the returns. This is crucial for the employee. To make sure that you do not miss out on the filing of this tax form, the IRS ensures that they send the form to the employer not later than January 31st, following the close of the financial year that is on December 31st.

Only an employee can receive the W-2 tax form. In case you are self-employed or an independent contractor, you would get the statements of earnings on Form 1099 and not receive the W-2 form.

The W-2 form is bifurcated into different boxes that shows numerous items that are related to your income. The first box is for the annual salary payments and wage along with the information regarding the federal tax that is being withheld in the second box.

It is to be noted here that just a part of your income is subject to the Social Security tax. The third box of the form reports the amount that is less than your total income for the financial year. The other parts of W-2 tax forms include Social Security tax, Medicare taxes that are pending, and other information with respect to the employees’ state income tax that is being withheld.

The identifying information segment of the W-2 tax forms is a vital section that can be noted by the IRS in cases where your reported income and information on W-2 tax forms do not match. Moreover, the accuracy of the reported income is checked by matching the payments stated with the corporate tax return policy of your employer. Also, the IRS receives a copy of the W-2 tax forms and are aware how much tax you owe. So, in case your name and Social Security number on your tax forms is inaccurate, make sure to immediately report the same and ask your employer to correct it.

Remember when you are filing your tax returns, a copy of W-2 tax forms must always be attached. In case you are e-filing your returns then the information of your W-2 is sent with the tax return; however, if you are filing the return by mail, you will need to place a hard copy of the W-2 tax form with your return.

It is easy to get loans today, but not easy to get low-interest loans. Today banks charge a huge amount of money in the form of interest, which will give you cold feet even before you meet the bank manager to approve your loan.

The truth is that lower your interest rate, the easier it gets to pay off your loan. There are certain loan strategies that you need to learn if you want to save up on your loan interest amount.

Read on to find out how you can get low interest on loans.

Repair your credit score
One of the best ways to get low-interest loans is to have a decent credit score. If you have bad credit and are planning to apply for a loan soon, try to repair the score as much as you can. You can do so by catching up with past payments that you are yet to clear. Another way to do so is by limiting your credit card use and spending less.

Irrespective of where you take the loan from, it is in your best interest to keep your credit score good from day one.

Pay attention to whom you borrow from
A common mistake many people make is that they go to big banks to get a loan from and settle for the first quote that they come across. This is the worst thing to do. Most of the times, big banks charge a fortune in the form of interest on small mortgage loans. Instead, you should check with local credit unions and small banks that are most likely to give you better low-interest loans.

Consider setting up an automatic payment
Banks appreciate when you as a customer sign up for automatic payment option. Thereby, you do not have to worry about the payment deadlines and personally making the payments. It is noticed that because the banks want people to pay their money on time, they come up with beneficial offers that will give you a lower interest rate if you set up an automatic payment option while taking a loan.

Search for online lenders
Today, there are many digital lenders who give you a loan at a much lower interest rate compared to the traditional lenders like banks and credit unions. Search for an online lender who is affiliated with a reputed physical financial institution if you are planning to consider online lenders as your option.

Take your time to do thorough research before you sign the fine print and take the loan.

When it comes to loan interest, the lower it is, the better our lives are. You already are low on cash if you are applying for a loan and then to make it worse these days banks charge a far-fetched interest on them.

So, what do you do? You cannot stop taking loans. The best thing you can do is to get smart and follow some hacks that will help you get the best loan rates.

Here are five handy tips that will help you get low-interest loans:

Evaluate your credit score
The first thing you should do before you apply for a loan is to check your credit score. You won’t go far if you have a horrific credit score. On the other hand, if you have a good credit score and you earn decently, it will open many doors for you and you can take a loan from almost any bank, online lender, or credit union.

Understand the loan terms carefully
If you manage to find a low-interest loan lender, make sure that before you sign the deal, you understand all the terms mentioned in the fine print. Make sure that you can manage the payment terms that are mentioned by the lender. Be aware of the penalties that you are accountable for if you are late or early in paying off your loan.

Research extensively
Enough emphasis cannot be put on this tip. You should never take a loan from the first bank you enquire at. Make sure you browse, seek expert advice, and then decide from whom you want to take the loan from.

Consider borrowing a little more
This might sound like a bizarre thing to do, but it is observed that if you borrow a small amount, you must pay more as interest than if you borrow a little more money. This is because by borrowing more money your loan shifts to the next annual percentage rate bracket, which lowers your interest rate.

Low interest is not the end
Yes, agreed that finding a low interest is one of the top priorities when you are looking for a loan. However, don’t get blinded by this single factor. There are many other important factors that you need to consider along with getting a low interest. One such factor is whether you pay off your loan quickly. This would make a big difference as if you are paying a high handling fee just to return the loan early, you are better off taking some other loan with a slightly higher interest rate.

Taking a loan is a big financial decision. Just don’t be in a haste and know what you are getting yourself into before you sign the deal.