How to Get Affordable Car Insurance in New Jersey

There is an Act in New Jersey, called the Automobile Insurance Cost Reduction Act, which allows New Jersey drivers the ability to buy basic car insurance policies in New Jersey, for cheaper than all of the other available car insurance policies in the state. In all honesty, there isn’t much that will beat the most inexpensive car insurance policy plan available, however there are some things that you should know about the insurance plan which is being offered before you eliminate all of your other options.The Automobile Insurance Cost Reduction Act is useful in that it allows all drivers to obtain inexpensive car insurance in New Jersey, because the policy that is offered is significantly cheaper than what you will pay for a standard automobile insurance policy. This basic car insurance policy includes $15,000 per person, for personal injury protection, and $250,000 for significant or permanent injuries. This plan also includes $5,000 of property damage per accident. Unfortunately, liability insurance for bodily injury is not included in this basic insurance policy, however, it is an option that can be added, to the tune of $10,000 per accident for the policyholder.This basic car insurance policy also does not include uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, nor does it include collision or comprehensive coverage. Collision and Comprehensive coverage are options which can be added on, but it depends on which form of the basic car insurance policy was issued to the policyholder.Although this basic car insurance plan is the cheapest available, it offers very minimum coverage. This coverage is enough to get you by if you simply need a cheap insurance plan, but there are much better plans with better and more comprehensive features and even though these plans are more expensive, they are well worth taking a look at when you are considering all of your options. The basic car insurance is a quick and inexpensive fix for people who are currently driving without insurance, or who cannot get regular automobile insurance coverage because of their credit rating, or their driving record. However, this basic car insurance policy is not for everyone, because the coverage offered is not exactly desirable.When it comes to choosing the right automobile insurance plan for your situation, it is absolutely imperative that you really shop around. Affordable car insurance in New Jersey can be easy to find, as long as you understand where to look, and how to properly compare quotes in order to ensure that you are receiving the best available policy. There are many different approaches that you can take when it comes to obtaining car insurance quotes, but the method which is generally quickest and the most effortless is simply to do a search online for car insurance companies with offices located in New Jersey. Most websites dedicated to car insurance will offer you the ability to obtain a free quote simply by inputting some information about yourself, your vehicle and your driving record.Once this information is sent in, the insurance company will respond with a free automobile insurance quote. There is no limit to how many free car insurance quotes you can collect, so you should make a point to spend a great deal of time researching before you come to any conclusions. You should collect car insurance quotes from every local insurance provider that you can find, then sit down and really weigh your options before coming to any conclusions. Just because an insurance company offers you an extremely low quote, this does not mean it is the best available insurance for your situation. The basic car insurance policy offered by the Automobile Insurance Cost Reduction Act is proof of this, because even though the insurance quote seems great, the coverage is not really worth the price that you pay for it.In addition to price, there are some other factors that you should consider when you begin to shop around for insurance providers. There are a large number of different insurance companies and agents available on the internet, each competing to give you the best possible quote for your automobile insurance. Many of these insurance companies have offices in various states, but they may not have a local office in New Jersey. What this means, is that if you ever have questions or concerns pertaining to your insurance policy, you will not have a local insurance provider to turn to in order to address these problems. This is one of the largest problems associated with doing your automobile insurance shopping on the internet. Before you choose an insurance provider, make sure that there is either a local office that you can visit when you have questions, or that there is a toll free 1-800 that you can call, with a friendly voice on the other end who will walk you through your concerns. Large insurance companies do not always have your best interest in mind, so make sure that you are opting for insurance coverage through a company that will continue to be helpful and easy to work with after you buy your insurance plan.Something else that you need to keep in mind while shopping for insurance is that there are providers who will offer special discounts and rates if you ask for them. While you are weighing all of your options and considering all of your choices, ask the local agencies that you are considering if they offer any special rates or discounts. In an attempt to be competitive, and to make sure that you choose them as your insurance provider, most insurance companies will discount your rate, or offer you a special deal. You should also make sure that you are obtaining the right kind of insurance for your situation. For example, there are special insurance plans designated for young or new drivers in order to offer them discounted rates. Additionally, vehicles that are older than fifteen years may qualify for antique car insurance, which entails a discounted rate for cars which are appreciating in value rather than depreciating as a normal vehicle would.

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Accounting Jobs – Top 10 Accounting Job Opportunities

There are numerous varieties in accounting jobs. You will be quite aware of the fact that every company needs an accountant to handle their finances. A multinational company will have a whole department dedicated to accountants where as a small enterprise will have to do with just one or may be a couple of accountants. However the fact remains that a company cannot function without accountants. This calls for a huge career opportunity in being an accountant. Experts are of the opinion that this industry will keep growing manifolds in years to come and that pursuing a degree in accounting is a very wise decision today. Read on to find out the top 10accounting job opportunities which are only expected to increase in times to come.1) Federal Government Accountants: Getting into a government job is indeed both a respectable and responsible position. The reasons include better job security and perks. There are time to time vacancies for government accounting jobs. Make sure you give it your best shot.2) Postal Service Accountants: Postal services are spread over the globe. It is one of the biggest networks ever. The service keeps looking for accountants from time to time. The pay is usually good and you will be very satisfied working as a postal service accountant.3) Certified Personal Accountants: Of all the accounting careers this is the one which is catching the trend at a steady pace. Once you qualify as a certified personal accountant you can handle several clients all at once. You can actually be your own boss and choose how much of work load you prefer and when. This is indeed a job which gives you wings to freedom.4) Tax auditors: Taxes are a very important both on the part of the government and the masses. Tax auditors are thus a very important asset to the society. Make a career as a tax auditor and you will be sure of earning a handsome living.5) Tax preparers: Handling all your tax returns on your own is not child play. You need an expert if you do not want to end up on paying more taxes than you actually should be paying. Tax preparers are professionals who look into your tax issues and help you save the maximum possible.6) Bookkeepers: Do not get confused about the role of a bookkeeper. Their job centres on maintaining accurate records of financial data. It might range from info on payment, income, sales and purchase.7) Payroll managers: Big corporate offices require many payroll managers to take care of their employees payrolls. It is indeed a very demanding job these days.8) Management of enterprises: Accountants no more just stick to accounts. They are now being trusted with more responsible jobs like running a full company or enterprise.9) Local government auditors and accountants: A government job even local holds a great deal of value for accountants. One has a great deal to gain by being in one of these.10) State government auditors and accountants: There job responsibilities are similar to that of their local counterparts. However the benefits and perks are more lucrative.

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Is Project Management Certification Valuable?

Good Day AllIntroduction”Certification is a must!” “Certification is valuable!” “Certification nice but does not add significant value!”"Eliminate the accidental project manager – certify them”"Certification is required”There are too many arguments and positions on the value of certifications so what is reality, if there is one? The reality is limited to one fact: there is no agreement on the value of certification; at least in the domain of project management.What Do We KnowWhat we know is that there are numerous project management certifications, such as PMP, RMP, PRINCE2, MSP, IPMA (four levels), CCC/CCE, PSP, EVP, CPM, and numerous others with all kind of acronyms. We also know that some are specialized in a topic; some are more popular; and some are more valuable. Which is which and how do we define value? Here is where the debate starts.A few more questions:Should human resource managers and executives use professional certification as a filter to screen candidates?Is certification an indicator of excellence or a proof of expertise?Are the ‘certified’ individuals able to play an active role in transforming organizational performance?At least is project management certification contributing to enhancing organizational performance?We can post many more questions here and to answer them effectively and fairly, we are likely in need of a large volume instead of a short article and we need numerous contributors to make the case for-and-against. Once again, what is clear is that there no consensus in the project management professional community on the value of certification, or at least on the value of some of the common and even popular certifications.What Are The Common Views?We can categorize the most common views per the following:Some professionals, training providers, and even professional associations will defend the various introductory certifications and continue to promote them as “expert” level certifications and use terms such as “best practices” and “master project management”… The level of promotion is directly link to the benefit of the promoter and can often border the unethical behavior; or at least misguided.Other professionals will attack these introductory certifications as worthless, or use terms such as: “paper certifications”, “technical ___”, and my favorite “can recite the standard verbatim but cannot manage a hot dog stand. Here again, this practice can be unethical if the attackers have competing products and/or have hidden agendas; so they try to lift their products by attacking the competing products.Other professionals are in between and will offer a somewhat balanced view, with open and clear position and transparency of their affiliations.It is quite difficult and might be inappropriate to judge the various professional certifications and we will not do so; this is a huge topic and we are not qualified to offer such judgment. However, in the area of project management we do have extensive global expertise to allow us to offer a professional opinion although likely controversial.What Is Our Position?We will state the following:Most, if not all, certifications requires significant effort to achieve and do result in gained knowledge.For those with proper experience, a certification may add significant value since these professionals can put a formal knowledge structure to what they have been practicing on the job.We think that most will not argue with this statement: some certifications have significant value, others do not, and it is important to realize the difference.Some certifications have had good value but have lost it or are losing their value although their numbers continue to grow. Sound like a contradictory statement and maybe it is but we will argue otherwise.There is a huge gap in practice and awareness on the value of certifications in the market. This is usually the result of overzealous marketing, and as we mentioned earlier on bordering unethical behaviors.Unfortunately, some professional associations are more concerned with growing their numbers rather than clearly communicating the true value of each certification they grant or spend the necessary screening effort to ensure qualified individuals earn the right certification.Some certifications are introductory or early career but they are ‘sold’ as expert level.Some are general certifications for someone with project management experience (although limited) but are ‘sold’ as project manager’s certification.Most introductory certifications have good value as introductory level but not they are necessarily an indicator that the holder of such certification is an experienced project manager.The Question of ValueDue to some of the factors that we mentioned earlier, many technical professionals with limited or no experiences in project management are obtaining these certifications. Some of them do not even know the difference between a project life span and process groups, or a project plan and a schedule, or even the difference between a change and a variance.The above scenario is leading to contradictory market perceptions:On one hand, quite a few recruiters, human resources managers, and executives are using certification as a filter for screening employment candidates since they believe that these certifications are of a “great value” and indicators of “expert project managers.”On the other hand, for those of us who truly understand the value and limitations of these certifications, the action of professional associations granting these certifications create a situation of “mistrust” in the market and in the credential. We also lose respect for these commercial practices and lack of responsibility.Our RecommendationsFor human resources and recruiting managers and executives, we offer the following advice:Do not take certification as proof of expert level performerCheck into the certification requirements to help you understand if this is a basic level or a senior level or an expert levelDo not take the certification holder for granted… review the CV, challenge the person, ask the difficult questions, go beyond soft skills and ask the hard project management core questions (if you are hiring for a project management position)Does the certificate holder have project management experience or technical experience working on project; do not trust the professional association to verify this for you since they mostly depend on online applications with limited audit or verificationThe ActionIt is important to recognize that some professional associations might not be in the best position to address these concerns and we need an alternative. The alternative is to focus on educating the global community, educating recruiters and executives on the value of certifications.How can we do that?Through this article, we urge professionals and project management thought leaders to join us and launch an initiative under the title “Protecting Project Management: What Executives Need to Know”; this is like a consumers protection initiatives.What do you think?Can we play a role here? How can we be effective in creating the necessary awareness in as unbiased approach as possible?More in future articles!Mounir A. Ajam26 September 2011

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