Money Management

Reducing auto insurance rates is possible with a little bit of knowledge. Learn how drivers can save on coverage. [[{“value”:”

Car insurance premiums are soaring, with prices up around 26% at the start of 2024 compared with the year prior. Unfortunately, paying so much for auto insurance can be a huge financial burden.

The good news is, there are ways drivers can reduce the huge costs they’re paying. Following these four tips could provide some relief and leave a little extra money in a bank account to use for stuff that’s a lot more fun than insurance.

1. Taking a defensive driving course

Defensive driving courses give motorists the skills they need to reduce the chances of a crash. A lower collision risk means reduced premiums. Typically, motorists who take a defensive driving class can get around a 10% discount on premiums.

Always check with an insurer to find out how much completing a particular course might save, and to see if any specific requirements must be met to get the premium reduction. This can help drivers ensure they benefit from the price reduction they’re expecting.

2. Earning good grades as a young driver

Insuring young drivers is a financial nightmare because insurers know inexperienced motorists with brains that are not yet fully developed tend to present a higher risk of something going wrong.

However, good students — usually defined as those with a B average or better — are viewed as safer. As a result, some insurers reduce premiums by as much as 20% for those who have the grades to qualify.

Young drivers who have good grades should let their auto insurance company know so they can benefit from this chance to save.

3. Bundling insurance coverage

Insurers reward people who buy multiple policies. Bundling auto insurance and homeowners insurance could allow policyholders to reduce premiums for both policies by as much as 20% to 25%, depending on the company offering the coverage. The more kinds of coverage purchased, usually the lower the costs become.

While it’s important to make sure the insurer has a good reputation for handling home and auto claims (as well as claims for any kind of policy included in the bundle), this is often a good way to save and simplify things since there will only be one insurer to pay — or to make a claim with if something goes wrong.

4. Asking about discounts

Finally, asking about discounts can be important, too. Insurers offer the chance to save for many reasons, including being a member of specific groups or working for a certain employer. Many people don’t know about all these chances to reduce premiums, so they don’t alert their insurer that they have a specific job or are a member of a club that lets them save.

By taking these four steps, motorists will often find they can score a notable reduction in premium cost. None of them are difficult, and with prices up so much, it’s worth trying all of them to get a little bit of financial relief.

Our best car insurance companies for 2024

Ready to shop for car insurance? Whether you’re focused on price, claims handling, or customer service, we’ve researched insurers nationwide to provide our best-in-class picks for car insurance coverage. Read our free expert review today to get started.

We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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While Sam’s Club doesn’t always offer the lowest prices, there are real deals to be found. Here are five clearance items you won’t want to miss out on. [[{“value”:”

We spend hours each month digging through Sam’s Club pricing and have learned a few things along the way. For example, it didn’t take long to figure out that Sam’s discounted prices are not always the lowest available. Anyone considering a purchase should conduct a quick online price comparison first, for the benefit of their personal finances.

So we did a price comparison for each product featured in this month’s clearance section and were reminded that some Sam’s Club offers are truly unbeatable, including these five.

1. ProForm Vue

Sam’s Club clearance price: $280

ProForm price: $799

Available via shipping only

If you’re unfamiliar with the ProForm Vue, imagine a 20.5″ x 58.5″ mirror. The mirror sits on a heavy base so you can place it in any room where you like to work out. Embedded in the mirror is a 22″ HD touchscreen where iFIT workouts stream. Each workout is led by an elite iFIT trainer who illustrates proper technique. As you follow along, a 2-megapixel camera is focused on you, reflecting your image onto the mirror and helping you see if your form is correct — all without draining your savings account. This Bluetooth-compatible ProForm Vue comes with:

Pivoting mirror with integrated tabletFull-color touch display10 lb. barFour 2.5 lb. platesTwo 5 lb. dumbbell barsHooks for accessories, bars, and weights.30-day iFIT membership (after which individual plans cost $15/month)

2. BigMouth Inc. Sweet Treats Splash Pad with Sprinkler

Sam’s Club clearance price: $30

Poshmark price: $60

Available via shipping only

Summer is right around the corner, and if you’re looking for a way to stay cool, this 13-foot splash pad may provide the solution. It’s low to the ground, making it easy for everyone to enjoy. And with water spraying out of both side bumpers, it’s the perfect cooling station for backyard barbecues and parties. Better yet, it’s like taking a mini-vacation without racking up debt.

If storage is an issue, you’ll appreciate that it’s lightweight enough that it’s easy to deflate, fold, and store the splash pad away until the next time you’re ready to cool down.

3. Bumpboxx Ultra Graffiti Retro Wireless Bluetooth Boombox

Sam’s Club price: $120

Bumpboxx price: $199 plus $19 shipping

Available via shipping only

Speaking of parties, this is not your standard 1980s-style boombox. The Bumpboxx Ultra weighs only seven pounds and allows for TWS wireless pairing with two units. It also comes with:

Extreme rear bass radiatorCharging blockRemote controlCarrying strap3.5mm lineRCA adapter1-year manufacturer warranty

4. Alesis Harmony 61 MK3 Keyboard

Sam’s Club clearance price: $120

Guitar Center price: $189

Available via shipping only

The Alesis Harmony keyboard is perfect for beginners, whether that’s you or a child in your life. The keyboard has 61 piano-style keys, built-in speakers, and 300 built-in sounds including a host of other instruments and sound effects. There are 40 built-in demo songs and 300 built-in accompaniment rhythms that will have you sounding like a pro in no time. In fact, once you’re ready, you can record your own songs using the “Record” mode. You’ll also receive:

Three months of Skoove Premium online music lessonsEasy-to-assemble standBench with three adjustable height settingsHeadphones that automatically mute the speakers when you want to practice in privateSustain pedalMusic rest for holding sheet musicPower adapter

5. JBL Tune Bluetooth Wireless Headphones

Sam’s Club clearance price: $50

Best Buy price: $130

Available via shipping only

Do you have plans to travel this summer? If so, you’ll thank yourself for picking up a pair of these JBL Tune Bluetooth Wireless Headphones. The first selling point is that they’re noise-canceling, so whether you’re on a plane or in a car with some (very) noisy kids, you can have a moment or two of peace. It’s hard to believe that headphones could have so many other features, but here they are:

Over-ear, super comfortable fitMulti-point connections that allow you to switch from one Bluetooth device to anotherEnabled by Google, the headphones immediately connect to Android devices (although the headset can easily be paired with iOS devices)Hands-free calling (just in case you decide to use them to make and receive calls)Lightweight and foldableAbility to pair multiple devices

Finding a real deal at Sam’s Club isn’t tough, but it does take a little shopping around to ensure you’re getting the best price. The good news is this: Landing a great price leaves you with more money in the bank to do the things you enjoy, like travel and spending time with friends.

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We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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“The Most Magical Place On Earth” will start charging more next year. Read on to see what costs you might be in for. [[{“value”:”

For many families, there’s nothing more magical than a trip to Walt Disney World. Whether you’re a fan of Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, or Epcot, even a single day at Disney World has the potential to lead to a lifetime of memories.

But a vacation like that is going to come at a cost. It’s not a secret that Disney World is a pricey destination. And what makes budgeting for a trip like that even harder is that there are so many variables at play that dictate how much you’ll spend.

Obviously, the more tickets you’re buying, the more of a credit card tab you’re going to rack up. But aside from that, the cost of a Disney trip will depend on:

Your travel datesThe parks you want to visitWhether you want the option to visit more than one park per day

And none of this includes the add-ons you might end up paying for, like the option to skip lines or attend special events.

Disney World recently put 2025 tickets on sale. But if you’re shopping for dates next year, you may find that the price of many tickets has increased — so consider yourself warned.

Prepare to pay more

As mentioned above, because the price of a Disney ticket varies by date and park, it’s impossible to sum up Disney’s price hikes in a single sentence. It’s not like the cost of a ticket is now $185 across the board, because it all depends on where you’re going and when.

However, some of the lowest single-day, single-park tickets have increased by $10 for 2025, bringing the price up from $109 to $119. And for high-demand periods, the cost of a single day at Magic Kingdom has gone from $184 to $189.

However, the maximum single-day, single-park ticket price in 2025 is $189. And that’s the same as the peak price in 2024.

But it’s worth noting that ticket prices for November and December 2025 are not yet on sale as of this writing. December is a popular time to visit the park, especially during the week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, so we could see higher single-day ticket prices pop up.

How to save on a Disney vacation

You can easily break the bank by spending a week — or even a few days — at Disney. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t steps you can take to spend less. Some of those include:

Sticking to one park per day, since you’ll pay more for a hopper passStaying off-property (meaning, at a non-Disney hotel), since you might pay a lot less for lodgingEating off-site (an option if you stay off-property)Forgoing the photo packages (it’s convenient, but not a necessity)

One Disney add-on you may want to spring for, though, is Genie+, which lets you skip the lines at certain attractions. The price varies by park and by date. But the logic is, if you’re going to be spending a lot of money on a Disney vacation, you don’t want to waste half of your day waiting in long lines if you can avoid that.

Another option you may want to consider is booking your Disney vacation through Costco. Many of Costco’s deals include resort credits, free food, and cash to spend at Costco after your travels.

All told, Disney World is not an inexpensive trip. And come next year, your tickets might cost even more. But if you plan accordingly, you might manage to shave a little bit of money off of your total.

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We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.Maurie Backman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Costco Wholesale. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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If you didn’t fund a Roth IRA in 2023, you missed out. But all isn’t lost. Read on to learn more. [[{“value”:”

Back in the day, it was common for people to work for the same employer for decades and collect a pension upon retirement that, combined with Social Security, allowed for a reasonably comfortable lifestyle. But these days, most private-sector employers do not offer pensions. And while Social Security is still around, those benefits generally don’t replace a very large portion of workers’ pre-retirement earnings.

It’s important for anyone working today to save for retirement on their own. Thankfully, certain accounts let you save for retirement in a tax-advantaged manner. And Roth IRAs are one of them.

In 2023, Roth IRA contributions maxed out at $6,500 for workers under the age of 50 and $7,500 for those 50 and over. But maybe you didn’t get a chance to max out your Roth IRA in 2023. Or maybe you didn’t contribute to one at all. If so, you may have missed a big opportunity to enjoy tax-free investment growth. But the good news is it’s not too late to address that.

When you miss out on tax-free gains

With a Roth IRA, your contributions aren’t made on a pre-tax basis. However, investment gains in your account are tax-free, and so are the withdrawals you take in retirement. That’s huge, because many people end up having to live on less money during their senior years. Not having to pay taxes on that income could lift a big financial weight off your shoulders.

But let’s get back to those tax-free gains for a minute, because those have the potential to be really lucrative. Let’s say your Roth IRA investments generate an average yearly 8% return, which is a little bit below the stock market’s average of 10% over the past 50 years. Had you contributed $5,000 to a Roth IRA in 2023, by 2053, you’d have a little over $50,000. And that $45,000 gain would be yours free and clear of taxes.

That’s why passing up Roth IRA contributions any year is a mistake. If you can’t swing those contributions due to financial constraints, that’s one thing. But if you simply opted out of making Roth IRA contributions in 2023 when you had the money, you may have made a huge mistake — one that you can thankfully still fix.

You still have time to fund your Roth IRA for 2023

While 2023 might be in your rearview mirror, you should know that for any given year, you have until the following year’s tax-filing deadline to finish funding a Roth IRA. So if you didn’t max out your Roth IRA in 2023, or you didn’t contribute as much as you could’ve, you have until April 15, 2024, to put money into that account, up to last year’s $6,500 or $7,500 limit.

Now, one thing you should know about Roth IRAs is that there’s an income limit for being able to make contributions. In 2023, your contributions were reduced as a single tax-filer with an income of $138,000, and contributions were off the table once your income exceeded $153,000. For married couples, in 2023, contributions were reduced at a joint income of $218,000 and off the table for incomes above $228,000.

If you weren’t eligible for a Roth IRA in 2023 and therefore didn’t fund a retirement plan at all, consider putting as much money as you can into a traditional IRA between now and April 15. Just as you have until the tax-filing deadline to fund a Roth IRA, so too do you get that leeway for a traditional IRA.

While a traditional IRA won’t give you tax-free investment gains and withdrawals, you’ll get to shield some income from taxes. Plus, you’re allowed to convert a traditional IRA to a Roth account after the fact. So all told, if you can max out a 2023 IRA, it pays to do so between now and mid-April, whether it’s a traditional IRA or Roth.

Alert: our top-rated cash back card now has 0% intro APR until 2025

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Click here to read our full review for free and apply in just 2 minutes.

We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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