‘Fast & Furious’ star dies in car crash while holding charity event for Yolanda victims

Actor Paul Walker died in a car crash in Southern California on Saturday afternoon, according to TMZ.com. He was 40 years old.

Citing multiple sources close to Walker,  the report said the star of the “Fast and the Furious” movies and an unidentified companion died immediately after the new Porsche GT they were riding “slammed into a post or a tree … and then the car burst into flames”.

A post on his Facebook page confirmed the news and said his companion was driving the car.

“It is with a truly heavy heart that we must confirm that Paul Walker passed away today in a tragic car accident while attending a charity event for his organization Reach Out Worldwide. He was a passenger in a friend’s car, in which both lost their lives. We appreciate your patience as we too are stunned and saddened beyond belief by this news. Thank you for keeping his family and friends in your prayers during this very difficult time. We will do our best to keep you apprised on where to send condolences,” the message said.

Walker was in Santa Clarita, a city located 53 kilometers north of Los Angeles, attending a car show to raise money for typhoon victims in the Philippines.

The car show was a charity event for Reach Out Worldwide, the disaster relief organization he founded in 2010 after joining earthquake relief efforts in Chile and Haiti. Reach Out Worldwide has sent medical teams to areas in the Visayas ravaged by supertyphoon Yolanda.

Last week, the actor and his co-stars on ‘Fast & Furious 7″appealed to fans of the film series to donate to the relief efforts in the Philippines in a video shot on the set of the film and uploaded to YouTube by Reach Out Worldwide.

Walker made his film feature debut in the 1998 comedy “Meet the Deedles”, followed by supporting roles in “Pleasantville”, “Varsity Blues”, “She’s All That” and “The Skulls”.

His breakthrough role came in 2001′s “The Fast and the Furious” as Brian O’Conner, an undercover detective who infiltrates the street race scene in Los Angeles to help solve a series of semi-trailer truck hijackings in the area.

The film turned into a franchise that released its sixth installment earlier this year. In May, Walker and co-stars Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez came to Manila to attend the Asian premiere of “Fast & Furious 6″.

It was not yet known if he had finished filming “Fast & Furious 7″, which is set for release on July 14, 2014.

source: interaksyon.com

Do You Spend Too Much on Insurance Each Month?

Most people overpay for their insurance coverage. It’s unfortunate, but insurance agents aren’t always motivated to save you money. They’re motivated to sell you more insurance. Because of this, you might end up with riders you don’t need, insurance coverage that doesn’t make sense, deductibles that are too low, and an insurer who has the split responsibility of pleasing you and outside shareholders. Here’s how to save money without sacrificing coverage:  












Unnecessary Riders

Most agents have riders that they love to sell people. It’s sort of a “personal favorite” of the agent – but you may not need them. A rider is a modification to the basic policy. It modifies the policy to include some type of coverage not normally found in the basic contract.

While some riders could be beneficial, many aren’t. Take accidental death riders for example. These pay only when you die as a result of an accident. Seems reasonable, right? There’s just one problem: the odds of you dying from an accident, by definition, are low. It’s an accident.

Moreover, even if you do become injured in an accident, a coroner may rule that you’ve died from “complications” like internal bleeding instead of the accident itself. You may survive the accident, but die due to an infection you receive in the hospital (i.e. a C.Diff infection – which is common in hospitals).

If you have ordinary life insurance, you probably don’t need the accidental death coverage offered on some auto policies.

Another problem is that you may have riders that just don’t make sense given where you live. This is especially troublesome on homeowner’s policies. For example, earthquake insurance is probably necessary if you live in California. If you live in North Dakota, however, you probably don’t need it.



Low Deductibles

Many agents try to make things easier for you by selling you on a $200 deductible. It’s low – sometimes too low. You can dramatically lower your premium by raising your deductible as high as the insurer will allow and saving the difference. Once you have enough to meet your monthly deductible amount, you can allocate that savings any way you wish.

Only raise your deductible if you plan on building up a savings to cover your higher out of pocket costs.



The Mutual Advantage

Most agents don’t advertise it, but mutual insurers are usually able to offer you a better net premium than stock companies? Why? Because mutual insurers pay dividends to policyholders. For homeowner’s insurance, this means that the insurer will refund part or all of your premium through a dividend payment if and when dividends are paid by the company.

With life insurance, your policy can grow substantially over time with the addition of dividend-funded premiums and dividend-funded additional paid-up life insurance death benefit.

Mutual insurers cannot guarantee that they will pay a dividend every year. That’s why it’s important to look at the historical dividend payments made by the company. Historical performance won’t tell you about future performance, but it will tell you the track record of the company. It’ll allow you to make a decision based on the probability of a dividend being paid in the future.

Most mutual insurers have a solid track record of paying dividends every year.



You’re Paying For Insurance On The Land

One small, little, mistake can cost you thousands on your homeowner’s insurance. When you’re having your home assessed, it’s common to include the land value in the assessment. When you give this figure to the insurer, it prices your policy accordingly. However, while a flood, earthquake, or fire might damage your property, it’s not the end of the world. You really should just be concerned about the replacement value of any structures on your property (i.e. your home, garages, etc.).

Most insurers don’t even cover landscaping, so if the value of your home includes the land, you might be paying for coverage that you’ll never see any benefit from. Have your home reassessed so that you get just the home value. Turn this figure into your insurer and watch your premium drop like a stone.

Louis Winter is a personal finance expert. He frequently writes some of his best tips on money saving blogs. To learn more click AutoInsuranceQuotes.com.

source: 20smoney.com

So You Think Auto Insurance Is Expensive? Here’s The Cost Of Not Having It!

Many drivers bemoan the fact that they have to pay for auto insurance. While it may not be ideal to pay for something you may never use, and while there are affordable auto insurance options in the market, what are the costs of not having auto insurance? Let’s take a look at what expenses you could be facing if you were ever in an accident or caused damage with your vehicle while not carrying auto insurance.  








1) You Will Pay For The Damage To Your Car

Your insurance company typically pays for the damage done to your car and any other car involved in a crash that you cause. If you don’t have insurance, you will pay for damages that could easily exceed $10,000 depending on how many cars were involved in the accident.

2) You Will Pay Medical Bills For Anyone Hurt In A Crash

Standard minimum insurance policies pay for a good chunk of any costs related to bodily injury following a crash. You could be on the hook for hospital bills as well as funeral costs if you kill somebody in your car. A stay at the hospital for someone without medical care could easily cost $50,000 or more.

3) You May Be Liable For Replacing Personal Property

Say a laptop was damaged in an accident that you caused. You will have to pay to replace that laptop because you are the one who caused it to be broken. While it may only cost you $500 to replace it, that is a cost you can easily avoid with a basic insurance policy.

4) You Will Be Fined For Not Having Insurance

You will be fined for not having proof of insurance. The amount of the fine varies depending on what state you live in. However, you can expect to pay at least $100 or more.

5) Your Car Will Be Impounded If You Are Caught Driving Without Insurance

Some states will impound your car if you are caught driving without insurance. Expect to pay at least $75 a night or more depending on where you live and how long your car is impounded for.

6) You Will Pay For Your Own Attorney To Defend Yourself Against Legal Action

Your insurance policy may cover legal representation if you have to go to court. Unfortunately, you will be paying for this yourself if you don’t have auto insurance. You could be paying as much as $150 an hour for a good lawyer.

7) You Will Pay For Your Own Rental Car While Your Car Is In The Shop

A rental car is going to be necessary while your car is in the shop. That could cost you as much as $100 a day or more. If you had insurance, your costs would be covered for up to 30 days.

8) You Will Pay For Any Real Property Destroyed In A Car Accident

What happens if you destroy a house or tear up a yard in a car accident? The answer is that you will pay for the cost to repair the damage. That will cost you several hundreds or thousands of dollars.

Paying for auto insurance may seem like a drag. However, you are going to bankrupt yourself rather quickly if you get into an accident during a time in which you don’t have coverage. The lesson is that you should buy a good policy and be thankful that you have it if you ever need it.

source: 20smoney.com

New York court date in Lindsay Lohan car accident case cancelled

NEW YORK - Embattled U.S. actress Lindsay Lohan appears to be off the hook after being arrested for leaving the scene of an accident last month when her Porsche allegedly clipped a pedestrian in an alley behind an upscale Manhattan hotel.

New York prosecutors said Lohan's scheduled court appearance on Tuesday had been cancelled. No future court date was scheduled, an indication the district attorney has decided not to move forward with the case.

"Apparently prosecutors agreed that there wasn't enough to proceed." said Lohan's spokesman, Steve Honig. "This turned out to be nothing just like we said from the very beginning."

The 26-year-old actress, who has been in and out of court, rehab and prison since a 2007 drunk driving arrest in Los Angeles, was charged on Sept. 19 with a misdemeanor after a man said he had been hit by the actress' car behind the Dream hotel.

Police issued Lohan a ticket with a court date of Oct. 23.

A spokeswoman for the Manhattan District Attorney's office declined to comment on why the case against the "Mean Girls" actress was not moving ahead.

A week after the incident in New York, Lohan reportedly got into a public spat with a man who she said refused to delete pictures he had taken of her from his phone. She claimed the man assaulted her, but charges were later dropped.

Earlier this month, police on Long Island responded to an early-morning 911 call about a verbal dispute involving Lohan and her mother, Dina, but made no arrests, a spokeswoman for the Nassau County police said.

Lohan remains on probation in California until 2014 in connection with a jewelry theft case. — Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com