Read more on Temple Daily Telegram

Read more on Orlando Sentinel

Read more on NewsInferno

Read more on Port Clinton News Herald

In fact, according to a 2003 survey by global human resources services firm Hewitt Associates, 42 percent of people cash out their retirement savings when they change jobs. The number is higher for younger people and people with lower balances: 50 percent of people aged 20 to 29 cash out, while 72 percent take cash if the account balance is between $5,000 and $10,000.

There is a smarter way to handle your retirement fund when you change jobs: Simply roll it over. By transferring your funds to a Rollover IRA, you avoid paying taxes now, giving your money the opportunity to grow tax-deferred. You also won’t be hit with an early-withdrawal penalty if you don’t take out funds before you turn 59 1/2.

Among the many financial firms offering Rollover IRAs, T. Rowe Price has one of the more simple and flexible solutions. Its free interactive CD-ROM, “The T. Rowe Price Rollover Planner,” helps investors decide what to do with their existing 401(k)s when changing jobs or retiring.

“The T. Rowe Price Rollover Planner” includes a distribution calculator that allows investors to compare the dramatic differences between taking cash distributions when changing jobs and keeping the money invested in tax-deferred accounts.

For example, a 35-year-old with $25,000 in a 401(k) who chooses to cash out would end up with just $15,750, assuming a 27 percent tax rate and a 10 percent early-withdrawal penalty. If the money were rolled over to an IRA, however, the account would be worth an estimated $252,000 before taxes when the individual reaches age 65, assuming an 8 percent average annual rate of return.

Higher Rates of Accidents

Both the United States and Canada allow teens to drive, but statistics show that this may not be the safest option. In 2007 in the United States, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that 13 percent of all drivers that were in fatal car accidents were between the ages of 15 and 20. While this percentage is dropping, as it was up 9.1 percent in 2006, it is still a danger. The statistic increases to 15 percent of all police-reported crashes that were not necessarily fatal. Canadian statistics are similar. Other statistics show that teens are as much as four times as likely as adults to be involved in an accident with a fatality.

On top of this lies the fact many teens drive while intoxicated. MADD of Canada reports that 40 percent of teenage drivers who are killed in car accidents were involved in those crashes because they had been drinking. Statistics indicate that teens are less likely than older adults to drive after drinking, but those that do are at a higher risk than an adult to get in a crash. These two facts mean that teenage drivers must pay more for Canada insurance products for drivers.

Possible Reasons for the Risk

Why are teens at higher risk than older adults to be involved in a car crash? Experts think there are two reasons. First, many teens are risky drivers due to the fact that they do not always think through the consequences of their actions. They may drive too quickly in order to get to school on time or are easily distracted by other passengers in their cars. They are also more likely to text or talk on the phone while driving than an adult, despite bans on such actions.

A lack of experience is another factor. Teens simply have less time behind the wheel than most adult drivers, which makes the likelihood that they will be in a crash that much higher. Because of this, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among North American teens. In fact, in Canada around 11 percent of all driver deaths are teen drivers, and teen drivers are responsible for over 20 percent of all passenger deaths. Car insurance Canada insurers recognize this and assign higher rates as a result.

What Can Be Done?

One option, which has been successfully tried in Ontario, is to implement a graduated licensing program. This allows teens to get their driver’s licenses only after completing a series of steps. This gives teens more chances to practice driving in less distracting environments. Young teens cannot drive late at night and have limits on the number of passengers in their vehicles. This can reduce teen car crashes by as much as 60 percent.

Parents can also help by modeling good driving to their teens. As a parent, make sure that you are driving without distractions like cell phones or PDAs, and teach your child how to stay safe. Also, keep your teen accountable when using the family car, and make sure that you know who will be traveling with him.

Teens are more dangerous drivers than adults. Teens are four times more likely to be involved in fatal accidents than adult drivers, and because of this auto insurance rates are going to be higher. Rest assured, however, that with the proper teaching and enough practice, your teen does not have to be part of this statistic.

But it would be good to ask around whether you get extra benefits if you are a woman who is looking for any kind of car insurance options.

During these recent years, lots of companies focus on the growing, untapped segment of women drivers. In fact, if you pay close attention to some of the catchy ads that are turning heads these days, you would be pleasantly surprised that many of these aim at tapping possibilities in cheap women’s car insurance. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that cheap women’s car insurance emerged mainly to usher in the new era of respecting and addressing the special requirements associated with women drivers. Some of the popular ads do focus on conveying the message that women drivers are offered better options in terms of cheap women’s insurance.

Perhaps one reason why insurance companies are doing is because they are aware of the fact that women drivers are more careful drivers than men. Statistics prove that women drivers are more careful in conforming with driving regulations and not prone to road rages either. So jokes apart, the actual joke is now on men because women drivers get much better options, thanks to cheap women’s insurance.

At the cost of sounding gender biased, it cannot be denied that today’s contemporary woman celebrates her gender and this attitude has fueled the competition between companies to offer cheap women’s insurance rates. No doubt, it would be wrong to state that all women drivers are better drivers than all men drivers. But with numbers on the side of the women, the jokes about them should ideally come to an end.

Apart from American car insurance companies that are cashing in on women drivers as the ideal segment to target, the UK has also shown signs of providing cheaper women’s insurance rates so perhaps the trend is finally going global. For more information, it is best to search on the Internet.