Which Hybrid is the Most Cost-Effective?

CNN is running a story that compares the best & worst hybrids for your dollar. The rankings shake out like this

#1) Toyota Prius - Cost $22,279, annual fuel cost savings $543.

#2) Chevy Malibu Hybrid - Cost $22,140, annual fuel cost savings $116.

#3) Toyota Camry Hybrid - Cost $25,200, annual fuel cost savings $483.

#4) Ford Escape Hybrid - Cost $25,075, annual fuel cost savings $458.

#5) Saturn Vue Green Line - Cost $24,170, annual fuel cost savings $303.

Read the full story at CNN.

Best Promotional Gifts for Your Company

There are plenty of really crummy give aways that companies spend money on for trade shows, so why not do something different and give something away that is different and that people actually want? Inc. Magazine has a list for you with pictures, prices and where you can get them. Inc.'s list includes company logo'd fishing lures, staplers, gummy worms, and more.

Check out the full list at Inc.com.

Finance Your Vehicle

If you are having difficulty obtaining credit to purchase a car and live in the U.K. you should consider checking out CarFinance.Netcars.Co.Uk. The company offers car financing, car credit, car loans and payment protection for consumers throughout the UK.

It is possible to go to a bank to obtain financing, but while the banks generally offer lower rates - they have more difficult credit requirements and offer credit only to those who have very good credit histories. Finance brokers like Netcars can offer loans to purchase a car at any car dealership at rate comparable to other finance companies.

Here’s how the process works:

1) Whether you know which car you’d like or not you can begin an application with the company for a new or USED vehicle provided the car is under 10 years old and has less than 100,000 miles. You will eventually need to provide the company with mileage details and dealer details.

2) The company will process your application and call you to verify details. A credit check will also be run under your name.

3) Next, you find your car.

4) The company tries to process applications in 24 hours and claims to have an acceptance rate of 90%.

5) The company will email or mail you documents for signing.

6) Drive your car away from the dealership.

While financing companies should not be the only place you look for a loan when purchasing a car. They may offer advantage over a bank or car dealership financing in some cases. Head over to Netcars to learn more about their company and financing options available to you

Free Websites That Help You Save Money

Mint: Think a free stripped down version of Quicken, Money or other personal finance packages delivered via the web. Mint connects to over 3,500 U.S. financial institutions and even suggests where you can get higher rates.

Rent-o-meter: Want to know if your landlord is ripping you off? Are you charging your tennants the market rate? Simply enter your address, monthly rent, number of units, and unit size. The Rent-o-meter gives you a snapshot of whether you are getting a good deal or not.

Buy-side Realty: Megadiscount (no service) broker that will give you back 75% of the commission they receive from the broker. For example if you purchased a $200,000 home and the buyer's agent typically gets 3% of the purchase price, you pocket about $4,500 out of the deal.

Trulia: Demographic information on various areas. Find homes for sale, track trends, local real estate data and more.

Zecco: This online broker has received some mixed reviews and they recently altered their business model from free trades -- to free trades if you maintain a $2,500 account balance. Still pretty good. If you don't want to keep $2,500 in the account then it will cost you $4.50 per trade.

Bankrate: Bankrate aggregates the going rates for mortgages, home loans, credit cards, cd's, and has a lot of other useful financial information too.

Zillow: Real estate valuation service. Check what homes are selling for in a particular area. There have been plenty of people who claim its data is flawed and that it can be far to high or low, but even if imperfect it still has some useful data for people that are home shopping.

How to Beat Black Friday

There are always deals to be had on Black Friday but do you really want to stand in line for hours and fight the crowds for the 4 in stock cheap televisions that Best Buy has in the store? Plus, who has time to sift through a hundred ads to find where the best deals are?

Thankfully, the internet has made this easier too. The following are websites that can help you get your Black Friday shopping done faster and help you sift through to find the best deals out there.

About.com - Has a list of 10 tips for shopping on Black Friday.

DealNews - Has a list that has an even larger list.

TVPredictions - Has a list of 10 rules before buying a HD TV on Black Friday.

GottaDeal.com - Has a frequently updated list of retailers ads and list of on sale items. My personal favorite is the list of online items you can purchase right now and beat the rush.

BlackFriday.info - Has a searchable list of ads online including stores that have some of the items online right now.

Good luck fighting the crowd.

2007-2008 IRA Contribution Limits

Although you have until April to get your retirement contributions figured out, below are the limits for this tax year (2007) and 2008 for those of you thinking ahead. For 2007, individuals under 50 can contribute up to $4,000. This number rises to $5,000 for 2008. If you are over the age of 50 you can make "catch-up" contributions and contribute $5,000 in 2007 and $6,000 in 2008.

It should be noted that these limits apply to individual contributions to Roth IRA's, traditional IRA's and to SEP plans.