The Salary Calculator

Why under employment bumps up insurance costs

by Admin

[Guest Post]

Unemployment in the UK has edged closer to the three million mark, and is at its highest level since 1996. As well as not having a regular source of income, unemployed drivers are more likely to be hit by higher payments for car insurance. Motorists who are out work are being advised to shop around for better deals on websites such as moneysupermarket.

An investigation carried out by the BBC revealed that car owners without a job are, on average, paying around 30% more for their insurance than motorists with full-time jobs, while their premiums are potentially 63% higher. There are a few reasons why unemployed drivers are seen as risky by some insurers.

Peter Harrison, an expert on motor insurance from MoneySupermarket explained why: “This is partly because unemployed people are more likely to use their cars during the day and to drive up and down unfamiliar routes to a job interview. Also, some insurers perceive a drop in financial security as a result of losing a job means someone in that situation is more likely to make a claim, hence the rise in the price of premiums”.

When out of work, your car is vital in helping you find a new job, but the impact of losing income means you might struggle to keep up with payments on credit cards and mortgages, which could hit your credit rating. A poor credit rating could also impact upon the price of car insurance. This is why it pays to look for the best deal possible.

With the help of a price comparison site like MoneySupermarket, you can find a car insurance deal which can save you much-needed cash, but there are other ways to help you keep the cost down at a time when you need to tighten your belt. Getting a new quote could save money, as it could go down every year (£2.4bn is wasted by motorists by accepting renewal quotes). Adding someone with more driving experience to your policy could also drive the cost down.

Reducing your mileage could prove helpful. As well as saving on fuel costs, your insurer could take notice and slash the cost of your policy. Keeping in touch with the insurer about your current circumstances is also a good way to save money. Telling them about losing your job as soon as possible is important, as failing to do so could invalidate your insurance.

Tags: car insurance, Economy, guest post, Insurance, unemployment

Election Comparison Calculator launched!

by Admin

With a general election now called for 6th May, the major parties have started campaigning and promoting their policies. All have policies related to taxation, and The Salary Calculator has tried to show you what their different policies may mean to you.

The Election Comparison Calculator aims to help you see the differences between the major parties’ policies on personal income. Using the information available, the calculator estimates how their policies would affect your take home pay. As described on the Election Comparison Calculator page itself, not all the details are available at the moment, and probably won’t be until the next government holds its first budget. However, the details they have provided allow the calculator to estimate what those changes would mean to you.

All the details used to create the calculator are available underneath the results. As explained in that description, the calculator considers PAYE changes – each party also has other economic policies which may affect you in other ways, such as stamp duty or inheritance tax. Some assumptions have had to be made – if you can help provide more detailed information then please contact us. So why not try the Election Comparison Calculator and see what you learn?

Tags: 50% tax, April 2010, Economy, election, income tax, national insurance, National Insurance, Pay As You Earn, pension, Pensions, personal allowance, recovery, tax rates, The Salary Calculator

Time to make some changes

by Admin

2010 beckons and the start of a new year is for many people the time to sort out their career or their finances. The Salary Calculator is here to help you if you want to make some changes to your financial situation.

It might be time to look for a new job – the Christmas break gives one time to consider career plans, and you might think that in January you’ll start looking for new employment, or talk to your employer about a promotion. Use The Salary Calculator when comparing salaries so you know how much extra it would make to you each month if you got that pay rise.

If you need some extra money each month, to save up for a holiday or a new car say, then use the Required Salary Calculator to work out what salary you need to look for to get that extra take-home. There’s hope that early in 2010 we’ll hear that the UK has finally left recession and things will start to pick up – including the job market.

If you’re not interested in a new job, you can consider sorting out your finances. Use the Mortgage Repayment Calculator to get an idea of the effects of remortgaging in 2010, or the Debt Consolidation Calculator to see what you could save by taking control of all of your loans. Why not try to get debt free in 2010?

Here’s to a great new year for everyone, I hope that The Salary Calculator will help you with your money in 2010!

Tags: 2010, careers, debt, Economy, job hunting, Jobs, Loans, Mortgages, Pay As You Earn, pension, recession, recovery, tax rates, The Salary Calculator

Regional job hunting websites

by Admin

There’s still a lot of bad news on the employment front, with a lot of large companies making layoffs and plenty of school leavers with no job to go to. You might think that this is a bad time to look for a new job – especially if you are employed at the moment. But there are still employers with opportunities for the right person, and those helpful people at My Job Group may be able to find one for you.

They have many different websites covering all areas of the country, such as local London jobs, my Edinburgh jobs and my Birmingham jobs. This allows them to target jobs to the area you’re interested in, without you having to sort through results to find those near you. They have listings from many local employers and a search engine to help you find the right opportunity for you.

On each site they also have a Careers Centre with tips on how to improve your CV, write a good cover letter or prepare for the interview – some of these ideas and suggestions might be just what you need to get into your new job! If you’re currently out of a job or just fancy a change, I recommend you take a look and see what’s available in your area.

Tags: careers, job hunting, Jobs, training, unemployment