London, England. – In times of economic uncertainty more and more people are looking to alternative modes of travel that will save them money, with many considering driving as the cheaper way to travel, especially if travelling as a group. As people use their cars more as part of their holidays, it is vital that they are protected by the correct car insurance.

Price comparison websites, such as comparethemarket.com, will not only help people compare cover to find the best for them, but are also another way for people to save money on their overall holiday costs.

With many expected to use their car to drive themselves to European holiday destinations, it is also important that drivers understand the rules of the road in the host country. For example France has recently made it compulsory for drivers to carry breathalysers, in addition to the requirement for drivers to have florescent jackets on-board for themselves and each of their passengers.

Simon McCulloch, Director of Insurance at comparethemarket.com said: “As people take to the roads this summer, comparethemarket.com provides customers with an easy way to compare car insurance policies, to find the best cover at the best price for their holiday. Car touring is one of many popular ways people use their cars in the summer, and with the increased usage there is increased risk of incident, therefore getting the right car insurance cover is an obvious first step to having a happier holiday.”

Specialising in more than just car insurance, comparethemarket.com provides customers with an easy way to find the right deal on a wide range of insurance and financial products including home insurance, van insurance, bike insurance, life insurance, pet insurance and credit cards. It also offers comparisons for a range of household utilities including electricity, gas, phone, broadband and digital TV.

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One of America’s most popular personal finance experts, award-winning journalist and bestselling author, Jean Chatzky, makes her television hosting debut with ‘Cash Call With Jean Chatzky’ – premiering Tuesday, February 28, at 8 pm ET, exclusively on RLTV . In her new live 30-minute call-in show, Jean Chatzky helps set viewers on the path to financial health by offering thoughtful advice, a dose of empathy and practical, actionable strategies.

Cash Call With Jean Chatzky is a co-production of NBC News and RLTV, the only cable network that provides viewers with information and entertainment to help Redefine Life after 50.

The show will cover a wide range of topics regarding money management that are especially pertinent to boomers and seniors in today’s complex financial environment. Chatzky will be joined by financial specialists and industry experts as she answers questions from viewers around the country.

Viewers can submit questions via social media platforms: RLTV’s Facebook page and Twitter (@RLTVLive) feed, Jean Chatzky’s Facebook page and Twitter feed (@JeanChatzky), on Skype (Cash.Call) or over the phone at: 1-855-550-RLTV (7588). From insurance to investments, from being a savvy consumer to protecting your credit, Cash Call WithJean Chatzky will provide viewers with actionable guidance on how to keep their money working well now and well into retirement.

Each episode will focus on one theme and feature an interview with a subject matter expert at the top of the show. Jean will then go to the phone lines and social media outlets for viewers’ questions, enabling them to virtually take part in the discussion and get answers to their financial questions. Each show will also include Jean’s “Money Rules” and “The Burning Question” branded segments.

The premiere episode of Cash Call With Jean Chatzky will feature Dr. David Kelly, Chief Financial Strategist for J.P. Morgan Funds, who frequently appears on CNBC and is widely quoted in the financial press.  Kelly and Chatzky will focus on “Making Your Money Last,” offering expert advice and simplifying complex issues such as investing in the market and retirement funds. Weekly episodes will cover crucial financial topics such as: Second Careers, Credit Scores, Financial Infidelity and Insurance.

“Jean Chatzky is an incredibly knowledgeable and charismatic host. Her very personal style, warm and yet candid, has made her one of America’s most trusted financial experts, and we are thrilled that she will be providing RLTV’s viewers with uniquely valuable information and personalized advice,” said Elliot Jacobson, Senior VP Programming and Production, RLTV.

“Americans are living longer and looking for practical financial solutions to maintain their standard of living and quality of life. RLTV is pleased to continue our partnership with NBC News and their talented teams as we provide RLTV viewers with this extraordinary guide to navigating crucial financial topics.”

“NBC News is always looking for new opportunities to extend its brand to new audiences, and Cash Call is a great example of how we can leverage our great on-air and production talent in a creative new co-production with RLTV,” said Cheryl Gould, Senior Vice President, NBC News.

“We are excited to be working once again with RLTV, as we have in the past on the news program Daily Cafe. We share their view that the 50+ demographic is a powerful one that deserves our programming attention. They are a driving force in the economy, in politics, and in consumer spending.”

Chatzky is widely known for her sound consumer advice and financial expertise.  She is the financial editor for NBC News’ Today Show and the author of seven books, including the recent New York Times best-seller Money 911: Your Most Pressing Money Questions Answered, Your Money Emergencies Solved. Chatzky’s newest book, Money Rules, goes on sale March 13, 2012. Executive producers of Cash Call With Jean Chatzky are Beth O’Connell of NBC News and Elliot Jacobson of RLTV.

Cash Call With Jean Chatzky premieres on Tuesday, February 28, at 8 pm ET, exclusively on RLTV. Cash Call With Jean Chatzky is part of RLTV’s multi-faceted yearlong programming initiative, Funding Your Future .  Funding Your Future focuses on the financial interests and needs of adults 50+ as they prepare for their future.

Image Courtesy of   https://www.facebook.com/JeanChatzky

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The year was 1912 and Woodrow  Wilson was president.  Jim Thorpe won Olympic gold in the decathlon and pentathlon events at Stockholm, Sweden.  New Mexico became the 47th state in January followed a month later by Arizona completing the contiguous United States.  In April, RMS Titanic came to rest on the Atlantic Ocean floor at a depth of over 12,500 feet.

On assembly lines pioneered by Henry Ford, roughly 50,000 utilitarian Model T Touring Cars would be cranked out in 1912 — at a cost to eager buyers of $690.  While some Americans today annually spend that amount and more on coffee, $690 was a small fortune in 1912, resulting in the creation of a new class of criminal − the car thief.

The theft of three Chalmers brand automobiles from the streets of Chicago in the summer of 1912 led to the creation of the Automobile Protective and Information Bureau (APIB) under the leadership of Fred J. Sauter, whose employer, Boston Insurance Company, insured one of the vehicles.  Two different insurance companies covered the other vehicles.

Sauter recognized the efficiency in collaborating with the other companies rather than individually pursuing leads to recover the vehicles. Moreover, by casting his new organization as the bridge between insurers and law enforcement he established the model that exists to this day.

Recognizing Sauter’s success, several other organizations attempted to replicate APIB only to cause confusion among insurers and law enforcement as to which organization was the single point of contact for information.

All of that was solved in 1927 when the various groups were consolidated into the National Automobile Theft Bureau (NATB).  Fred Sauter was elected as NATB’s chairman and held that position until he retired in 1962.  Over the years, NATB built a reputation—unparalleled to this day—as the only organization whose special agent investigators define the term “subject matter experts” when discussing stolen vehicle identification.

NATB agents were routinely requested to find hidden vehicle identification numbers (VINs) or to “raise” identification numbers that had been removed by auto thieves attempting to hide the true identity of a stolen vehicle.

In 1992, NATB merged with the Insurance Crime Prevention Institute (ICPI) to form the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB).  The merger combined the vehicle investigation expertise of the NATB with the insurance fraud prevention knowledge of ICPI and established NICB as the premier not-for-profit insurance crime investigation company.

In recent years, vehicle theft has declined, due to better anti-theft technology and law enforcement efforts, and many of the professional thieves have moved on to more insidious and lucrative kinds of insurance crimes — such as medical fraud and cargo theft.  And NICB, while maintaining its core mission of vehicle recovery, has also taken a lead role in combating these crimes.

When NICB questionable claims’ analysis showed a dramatic increase in medical fraud associated with auto policies, NICB established, in 2002, its first Major Medical Fraud Task Force (MMFTF) operations in south Florida and New York City.  Consisting of dedicated NICB special agents and analytical resources, these task forces also work closely with law enforcement and insurance company special investigation unit personnel.

The task force environment puts those resources together where communication, cooperation, collaboration and coordination are easily and effectively accomplished.  The result is a more coordinated and comprehensive attack on the most egregious kinds of medical fraud occurring within the task force’s jurisdiction.

The MMFTF model has been so successful that it has been replicated in Houston, Los Angeles,Washington, D.C., Edison, New Jersey (serving the Philadelphia and Delaware areas) and a secondFlorida task force was recently added in Tampa where Florida’s no-fault law enables auto policy medical fraud to thrive.

Every day millions of tons of merchandise are shipped by truck, train, rail and plane to destinations all across the nation.  While most arrive without incident, a growing number of shipments are stolen in transit by organized groups or individuals eager to make a fast dollar by selling the items through an established network of illicit brokers with direct access to black markets.  In response to this increasing commercial criminal activity, in 2006, NICB and the Marion County, Florida sheriff’s department established the National Cargo Theft Task Force.

“Insurance crime is causing billions of dollars in economic harm to the nation, the insurance industry and to individual consumers every year,” said NICB President and CEO Joe Wehrle.  ”The schemes have evolved and have become more complex, but there is one constant through the ages; someone is getting something to which they are not entitled and for which all of us must pay.

“While the Chalmers automobile that was a popular theft target on the streets of Chicago a century ago may not have survived, NICB has not only survived, but has evolved into an organization that its 1,100 member companies and its law enforcement partners across the country can be proud to support.”

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Expatriates of all nationalities, wherever they are living, will probably have experienced some unpleasant ups and downs with their investments in 2011. Cast your mind back to December 2010 and analysts from UBS were forecasting the FTSE would finish 2011 at 6700, whilst Seven Investment Management went for the sinister sounding 6666.

Many other brokerages forecast the UK market would finish 2011 in a range from 6200 – 6700. Actually, it finished the year at 5572, considerably adrift of the views of many of the experts. With such uncertainly stalking the London and other major global markets, Offshoreonline.org has put together six simple tips for expatriates to help them weather 2012:

1) Get a heath check on your pension and investment portfolio. Volatile stock-markets have made many worried, so clients will want to know their portfolios are well balanced and prudently invested. If all markets are going down, it is likely many portfolios will suffer, but unless you are holding good quality funds, you risk missing out on any upturn when it eventually comes.

Use a UK-regulated broker such as Offshoreonline.org to provide analysis and advice to both those holding a portfolio and those considering new investments.

2) Diversify. Consider quality property. In the year to November 2011, Greater London property prices still managed to advance by 1.4% on average and with rental yields of 5% available in quality locations, that added up to a valuable combination for clever buy-to-let landlords.

3) Use a property search agency to help build your portfolio though, as averages hide the detail. Whilst quality areas such as Wandsworth, Wimbledon, Westminster  (up 7.1%) and others all advanced, many areas in the East of the capital which up to now may have benefitted from the Olympic effect dropped back, some by over 2%, according to search experts Expatfindaproperty.com

4) Consider overseas property too – French real estate has weathered the storm well, particularly in areas such as the Cote D’Azur. Here good quality new homes can be purchased which make ideal rental projects with strong all year round corporate rental demand reflecting a busy conference and cultural calendar incentres such as Cannes, according to Newfrenchrivierahomes.com

5) Check your existing mortgage rates. Many expatriates will find fixed rate contracts coming to an end, but may not have wanted to move mortgage provider. There are still good deals to be had, particularly where the loan represents less than 70% of the value of the house.

6) Check your insurance. Are life and health insurance policies up to date? Going in to 2012, the last thing you want is an expensive medical bill to pay. Get a quote – on average 50% of expatriates do not have any cover – but with apparently mundane complaints such as a trapped nerve in an arm potentially costing over GBP36,000 to treat, annual cover can look very attractive. Modern plans often offer discounts of up to 50% of premiums for those happy to take on an excess, so budgets can be managed.

Above all though, the message is be proactive. Take an interest in your finances and make sure you are on top of the detail to avoid nasty shocks down the line. Plan for the worst, hope for the best.

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