Best Web Sites
Bookmark this page for our directory to bargain shopping, services, insurance quotes and cheap travel.
From Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine, December 2008
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The Best Tools to Help You Retire
The Best Stocks and Funds
The Best Credit Cards
The Best for Travel, Cars, Home & Fun
The Best Tech
Investing
BONDS
Investinginbonds.com
A one-stop shop, this free site provides historical prices and call information for specific issues, plus a wealth of market data.
STOCKS AND FUNDS
Morningstar.com
For copious commentary and statistics on both stocks and funds, this site is hard to top. The juicy stuff will cost you $159 per year for a premium membership.
Financial Services
CREDIT REPORTS
AnnualCreditReport.com
Forget copycat sites. This is the official Web site where you can get a free report from each of the three credit bureaus once a year.
CREDIT SCORE
myFICO.com
Buy your score from one credit bureau for $15.95 or from all three for $47.85. Plus, get advice on how to raise your score, and use the site's EZ Error Correct system to dispute mistakes.
TAX CALCULATOR
Kiplinger.com
If you got a tax refund, give yourself a pay raise by using our easy tax-withholding calculator (kiplinger.com/tools/withholding).
SOCIAL SECURITY CALCULATOR
www.ssa.gov/estimator
Type your name, Social Security number, birth date, birthplace and mother's name into this secure site, and it will show your estimated benefits based on your up-to-date earnings record.
HEALTH INSURANCE
eHealthInsurance.com
Provides immediate quotes for most major health insurers and compares policies. For personalized attention, call 800-977-8860 or find a local broker through www.nahu.org.
HEALTH INSURANCE
Coverageforall.org
Offers strategies for finding coverage, especially for people with medical conditions or modest incomes.
MEDICARE
Medicare.gov
Chock-full of detailed information about Medicare, with excellent tools to help you pick the best Part D plan or Medicare Advantage policy based on your specific medications and health condition.
LIFE INSURANCE
AccuQuote.com
An easy way to get term-insurance rates from many of the top companies. Call 800-442-9899 for personalized help, especially if you have a medical condition.
LIFE INSURANCE
Insure.com
Use this site to see the detailed criteria you must meet to qualify for each company's term-insurance rates.
AUTO INSURANCE
InsWeb.com
Lets you compare price quotes from several major insurers (the number varies by state). Also a good resource for money-saving tips on every kind of insurance. For personal help, contact an agent through the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America.
HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE
AccuCoverage.com
For a fee of $7.95, you can calculate how much coverage you need. Plug in data about your home's age, building materials and other details, and get an immediate estimate of its replacement cost.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Naic.org/cis
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners maintains complaint records for each insurer in every state. Focus on the complaint ratio: the number of complaints for every dollar the insurer collects in premiums.
Consumer Services
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Gethuman.com
Chop down the phone tree. This site lists customer-service numbers for almost 800 major companies and government agencies, plus the codes to reach a live representative quickly.
Reader Comments (2)
Posted by: Hassan at 07/16/2009 11:08:48 AM
There is another site worth mentioning here for life insurance that also provide Whole life and Universal Life insurance quotes along with Term Life insurance quotes. www.BeamaLife.com
Posted by: Bill at 09/04/2009 04:21:05 PM
another great site you may want to check out is www.savecabbage.com