Aoyuan Dawson Street near Brentwood Town Centre Skytrain

Aoyuan Dawson Street by Aoyuan International is a new vibrant community in Burnaby, South East of Willingdon Avenue and Dawson Street. The project includes signature residential towers, commercial and retail space over four phases on an 9.3 acre site. Aoyuan Dawson Street will include around 1,400 condominium units and 50 townhomes. This community has stellar location, just a 3 minute walk to the Brentwood Town Centre and Millennium Line Skytrain Station.

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Aoyuan Dawson Street near Brentwood Town Centre Skytrain

Aoyuan Dawson Street by Aoyuan International is a new vibrant community in Burnaby, South East of Willingdon Avenue and Dawson Street. The project includes signature residential towers, commercial and retail space over four phases on an 9.3 acre site. Aoyuan Dawson Street will include around 1,400 condominium units and 50 townhomes. This community has stellar location, just a 3 minute walk to the Brentwood Town Centre and Millennium Line Skytrain Station.

The post Aoyuan Dawson Street near Brentwood Town Centre Skytrain appeared first on Vancouver New Condos.

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M1 Finance Review – Robo Advisor with a Twist

When you’re ready to begin investing, you usually have to make the choice between a robo advisor and a traditional broker. But what if you could have both? Find out if this robo advisor with a twist is right for you in our M1 Finance review.

M1 Finance

's rating

9.3

Investment Options 8.8

Fees 10.0

Technology 9.5

Additional Features 9.5

Ease of Use 8.8

Pros

• No fees
• No minimum deposit
• Flexible investment selection

Cons

• Learning curve in using the system
• Outside investment accounts cannot be connected
• Not for day traders

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Have you ever found yourself investing with a robo advisor and needing just a little bit more customization?

For example, maybe you just wanted to add one specific stock or ETF to your portfolio, but you couldn’t.

On the other hand, have you ever had an account with a more traditional broker and wished there was some way to add more automation and direction to your portfolio?

I’ve experienced both, which is why I was excited to learn about M1 Finance.

Although you may have never heard of M1 Finance, they’ve been around for about three years now. M1 Finance is a robo advisor with a twist–they offer some of the benefits that a traditional broker does.

Because they fall somewhere between a robo advisor and a traditional online broker, we’ve decided to go more in-depth on the company so you can determine if it’s a good fit for you or not.

In this M1 Finance review, we’ll discuss some of the key features, the pros and cons, some basic pricing information, and who the broker is best suited for. Let’s start with some of the most exciting features M1 offers.

M1 Finance Features

“Pie” Investing

Investment pies are the foundation of how M1 Finance invests your money. These investment portfolios, known simply as “pies”, determine your risk tolerance for investing.

Based on Modern Portfolio Theory, these templates vary in their makeup and you customize your portfolio as much or as little as you’d like. You can choose pre-determined pies or pick your own investments for your pie. It’s basically a simple way of looking at asset allocation.

One of the nicest features in using pies is that M1 will maintain that asset allocation for you until you change it. This is a really nice benefit and avoids you having to constantly check and rebalance your portfolio.

When you sign up for M1 Finance, you’ll be given options to select a pre-built pie with as many as 100 different “slices” (a “slice” is simply a security–i.e., stock or ETF–in your portfolio). But again, you can choose your own investments and fill your pie with as many slices as you’d like (okay, now I’m getting hungry).

On the pre-built side, you can find pies that, for example, target a specific retirement date or focus on socially responsible stocks. If you want to build your own, you can choose from close to 2,000 ETFs or individual stocks.

One thing I found particularly cool is you can actually split your pie up between a pre-built section and a custom section. M1 really lets you get creative with your asset allocation.

M1 Borrow

M1 Finance just released a new feature for their account holders–M1 Borrow. This is a system that allows you to borrow up to 35% of the value of your portfolio at a very low interest rate–4%.

The benefits here are pretty solid. Compared to other types of loans like a HELOC or credit card consolidation loan, the M1 Borrow loan is quick and pretty cheap. There’s also no rigid timeline on when you have to pay it back, as long as you meet the qualifications to have the loan.

Since you’re using your investment portfolio as collateral, M1 won’t do a credit check, involve an application or loan officers, and you won’t be denied. To qualify, though, you need to have a taxable investment account with M1 Finance and have at least $25,000 in the account.

There are risks to taking a loan like this, though. Your loan is based on the value of your portfolio–so if that drops, your ability to borrow may as well. If you’re unfamiliar with investing, that increases the risk. Remember you may have to pay money immediately to get your loan back to that 35% of total value mark if your portfolio balance drops below a certain level.

I would definitely recommend speaking with a financial professional before taking a M1 Borrow loan, but as long as you know what you’re getting into and you can manage the repayment, it’s a great offering and would be an excellent option for consolidating things like student loans, HELOCs, credit cards, or even reinvesting in something.

Automation

Automating your finances is important. We all know that. But automation with investing is something that’s becoming a necessity. M1 Finance does a great job with automation in a few ways:

1. Recurring investments. I love this feature because you can set an auto-deposit to occur whenever you want. That money goes into your M1 Finance account and becomes automatically invested for you, based on your pie.
2. Automatic rebalancing. I mentioned this above, but to go a little further, M1 will make sure your deposits are intelligently allocated to the proper pie slices so you won’t stay out of balance with your targets. In the old days, you had to manually calculate this and determine how much to send to which piece of your portfolio. Now you don’t even have to worry about it–just set it and forget it.
3. Tax efficiency. M1 uses what’s called “Tax Minimization” on all of their accounts by using a lot allocation strategy. What this does is automatically prioritize the sale of a security to be of the most benefit to you, from a tax-perspective. This allows you to reduce the amount you’ll pay in taxes for selling securities (automatically of course).

Is M1 Finance for You?

If you’re someone who is either new to investing or simply don’t have time to track all of your investments and don’t want to worry about every dollar every day, M1 Finance might be a great fit for you.

Because it’s a robo advisor, you deposit money and tell M1 how you want to invest, and they’ll do the rest for you. I see this platform working very well for busy professionals, parents who don’t have the time to manage their portfolios, and people who want to save money by handling their own investments but don’t want the hassle of evaluating individual stocks.

On the flip-side, if you’re someone with a deep knowledge of investing and you subscribe to stock selection methodologies like value investing, this probably isn’t for you. If you prefer to do deep technical analysis on your stocks and make your own, independent decisions, this probably isn’t for you.

Overall, this is for someone who wants to set it and forget it. If you want to get more involved with analysis and expand your investment options, I would suggest a more traditional online broker.

M1 Finance Pricing

One of the best parts about M1 Finance is that there are no fees when you open an account and meet the minimum qualifications. And those qualifications aren’t steep either–a $100 minimum balance for a taxable account and a $500 minimum balance for a retirement account. This allows you to make trades with no commissions, which is a pretty sweet deal.

The downside to not having fees is limitations to the types of securities you can actually invest in. While you can invest in stocks and ETFs, M1 Finance does not offer options, mutual funds, bonds, CDs, forex, or futures. If that’s important to you, then avoid M1.

Pros

• Recurring deposits. A great “set it and forget it” feature, you can set up auto-deposits and M1 will automatically allocate it for you.
• No fees. Having no type of management or commission fees is a nice feature for an online broker. This alone can save you thousands of dollars over time. One thing to note–you’ll still pay the expense ratio of an ETF.
• No minimum deposit. Technically you don’t have to deposit a dime to open an account with M1 Finance. You may appreciate this for the fact you can open an account and go in to play around with the system before “committing”. Once you’re ready to invest you’ll need at least $100 ($500 for a retirement account).
• Flexibility in investment selection. Unlike some other robo advisors, M1 will allow you to customize your “pie” and add in your own stocks and ETFs. This added layer of customization will allow you to have more of a say in how your portfolio looks.
• Big selection of ETFs. Currently, M1 has a selection of close to 2,000 ETFs for you to choose from. You can add up to 100 “slices” in your pie.
• Cash investment. M1 doesn’t let cash just sit there and collect dust. Once your account reaches $10 in dividends, it’ll invest that money for you. You just have to set your maximum cash balance and M1 will take care of the rest.
• Fractional shares. This reminds me of my old-school ShareBuilder account, but M1 allows you to purchase fractional shares of a stock. What this means is if you deposit $500 and you buy a stock that costs $200 per share, you’ll end up with 2.5 shares with no cash left over, instead of 2 shares and $100 left over. That’s an over-simplified example, but it should help you understand the point.

Cons

• There is a learning curve. Other robo advisors take the decision-making almost entirely out of your hands. Some look at that as a benefit. M1 allows a lot of decision-making and customization, so there is definitely a learning curve to using their system.
• No recognition of other portfolios. Your overall asset balance will be weighted by what you have in your M1 portfolio. That’s fine if this is the only account you have, but if you have a 401(k) or accounts with other brokers, you can’t connect those accounts to M1 to see a more holistic view of your asset allocation.
• No professional advice. M1 Finance doesn’t have any licensed financial professionals available for you to speak with. While this may not seem like a big deal when you’re starting out, you may eventually want to talk with someone when your account reaches six figures. They do have customer service, but nobody who can help guide you in your investment strategy.
• Terrible for day traders. If you’re someone who likes to make multiple trades a day, stay away from M1. The way that M1 can keep their trading platform free is by only trading once per day at the same time through what they call batch trades. Because they’re moving such large volumes, it allows them to offer this for free. There’s also risk in this as you may not get the best buy or sell price due to timing.

Try M1 Finance

M1 Finance Alternatives

To me, the best comparison to M1 Finance is Betterment. Betterment is slightly more expensive (because they do charge minimal fees), but they offer more options. Betterment has licensed advisors on staff for you to speak with if needed, for instance. They also don’t offer as much portfolio customization as M1 does, so that may be a pro for some and a con for others. You can read our full Betterment review to determine which is a better fit.

Final Verdict

M1 Finance is an interesting broker. They are different than many other robo advisors and have some things to offer that others don’t.

If you’re looking for a low-cost way to start investing and you want to at least have the option of customizing your portfolio, M1 Finance is a great option. Make sure you’re okay with not being able to talk to a licensed financial professional, though. Also, due to the lack of investment options, you will be limited to ETFs and stocks (which is fine for some).

Try M1Finance Topics: Investing • Reviews

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5 Go-To Meals in 10 Minutes or Less

You know how it goes. Class until 4pm, Gym until 5:30 and then 40$ worth of Safeway produce later you arrive home at 7:30, ravenous with at least 30 minutes of chopping and cooking ahead of you. Or…a bowl of frosted flakes?

The temptation is real.

Instead of calling it quits on a balanced meal altogether and heading for the leftover shelf-stable comfort food or that Domino’s pizza from last Saturday night, here’s five meals in ten minutes or less that won’t break your budget, or your will power for that matter.

1. Poached Egg on Herbed Avocado Toast

Recipe and Image from Pinch of Yum Website

Ingredients:

2 eggs

2 slices whole grain bread

1/3 medium avocado

2 T Parmesan cheese

Salt and Pepper

Fresh herbs (parsley, thyme or basil) for topping

Cherry tomatoes for topping

Directions:

Bring a pot of water to boil (use enough water to cover the eggs when they lay in the bottom). Drop the metal rims (outer rim only) of two mason jar lids into the pot so they are laying flat on the bottom. When the water is boiling, turn off the heat and carefully crack the eggs directly into each rim. Cover the pot and poach for 5 minutes (4 for super soft, 4:30 for soft, 5 or more for semi-soft yolks).

While the eggs are cooking, toast the bread and smash the avocado on each piece of toast. When the eggs are done, use a spatula to lift the eggs out of the water. Gently pull the rim off of the eggs (I do this right on the spatula, over the water) and place the poached eggs on top of the toast. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and fresh herbs; serve with the fresh quartered heirloom tomatoes.

2. Chickpea Pasta Noodles with Vegan Kale Pesto

Photo by Eaters Collectiveon Unsplash

Ingredients:

1 T olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 bag frozen mixed vegetables

1 box Chickpea-flour pasta noodles

1 cup cherry tomatoes

2 cups spinach or dark leafy greens of choice

1 container Trader Joe’s Vegan Kale Pesto

Directions:

Boil water for chickpea noodles. Chop yellow onion and garlic and sauté over medium heat in olive oil for 5 minutes. Add frozen vegetables and sauté for another 5 minutes. Meanwhile, boil noodles for duration detailed on packaging. Drain noodles and mix in vegan pesto and sautéed vegetables.

Assemble plate with handful of greens, 1.5 cups of the pesto noodles and garnish with sliced cherry tomatoes. Enjoy.

 

3. Spicy Thai Peanut Salad with Sautéed Mushrooms and Tempeh

Photo and Recipe from @bodybychickpeas

Ingredients:

1 pack organic tempeh

2 cups sliced fresh or frozen mushrooms

¼ cup teriyaki sauce

1 bag Trader Joe’s Cruciferous Crunch

1.5 cups cooked edamame beans

1.5 cups brown rice (microwavable is fine)

1 chopped bell pepper

Salted peanuts, for garnish

For Peanut Sauce Dressing:

½ cup natural Peanut Butter

2 T tamari or soy sauce

3 T maple syrup

1.5 T rice vinegar

2-3 T Sriratcha

Water, to desired consistency

Microwave brown rice and let cool in fridge. Cube the tempeh and sauté over medium heat with mushrooms and teriyaki sauce until heated throughout. Assemble cruciferous greens mix, edamame beans, and chopped bell pepper. Add cooled brown rice. Mix together dressing ingredient and pour over salad. Top with 3/4 cup sautéed mushrooms and tempeh mixture and garnish with 1 T peanuts. Enjoy.

 

4. Easy Loaded Sweet Potato

 

Picture and Recipe by Kara Lydon, The Foodie Dietitian

Ingredients:

1 medium sweet potato

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 bunch kale, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

½ cup black beans

½ Avocado, Mashed

Rinse and dry sweet potato and poke 4-5 slits in it for ventilation. Microwave for 4-8 minutes or until cooked through. Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium heat in a saucepan. Add garlic and cook for 60 seconds or until fragrant. Add kale and toss to coat. Turn off heat and season kale with salt and pepper.

Remove sweet potato from microwave and cut in half lengthwise. Top with sautéed kale, ½ cup black beans and ½ of one avocado, mashed. Enjoy.

 

5. Easy Mediterranean Bowl

Image from Culinary Hill Website

Ingredients:

1 small cucumber, chopped

½ cup cherry tomatoes

2 cups arugula

7-8 kalamata olives

1/3 cup chickpeas

2 T store-bought hummus

1/3 cup cooked quinoa

1 teaspoon olive oil

Vinegar of choice

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Wash vegetables, chop them and place in a mixing bowl. Add olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. In a bowl, add the drained and rinsed chickpeas, quinoa, olives and hummus to the vegetable mixture. Top with more salt and pepper as desired. Enjoy!

 

If you’d like assistance on your journey to well-being or feel that you would like to improve your relationship with food feel free to contact Erin @ ekukura@ucsd.edu.

For more information on services go to: https://recreation.ucsd.edu/wellness-services/nutrition/

 

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Terraces 3 in the heart of Langley

Terraces 3 by Brydon Projects Ltd. is a new luxury townhome development in the heart of the city of Langley. The 56 three-bedroom townhouses bring modern living to the family home, featuring personal roof top patios and 9’ ceilings. These homes come equipped with forced air heating, rough-ins for air conditioning, quartz countertops and stainless steel whirlpool appliances. Just steps away from schools, recreation, shopping, dining and entertainment, these homes are built with the family in mind. 

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Terraces 3 in the heart of Langley

Terraces 3 by Brydon Projects Ltd. is a new luxury townhome development in the heart of the city of Langley. The 56 three-bedroom townhouses bring modern living to the family home, featuring personal roof top patios and 9’ ceilings. These homes come equipped with forced air heating, rough-ins for air conditioning, quartz countertops and stainless steel whirlpool appliances. Just steps away from schools, recreation, shopping, dining and entertainment, these homes are built with the family in mind. 

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Will Amazon Offer the Best Checking Account?

Would you bank on Amazon? You can find almost anything on the site and soon you may event be able to find your checking account. Now, the question is, will Amazon offer the best checking account?

Amazon recently slipped the news that it will be offering an online checking account. The company, known for taking over existing businesses and products, looks to be preparing to jump into banking. According to Wall Street Journal, Amazon is talking with various banks, including JP Morgan Chase & Co about creating a branded online checking account.

And why not? It already offers some great credit card options. But will this checking account actually come to fruition? And could it prove to be one of the best online checking accounts available? It all depends.

Amazon Checking Account Won’t Become a Bank

From the online chatter, this Amazon checking account prospect is still pretty vague. But one thing is clear: Amazon doesn’t plan to actually become a bank. It didn’t really become a credit card provider, either, for its branded credit cards. These are managed in partnership with other banks and credit card companies. My own Amazon card is manage by Synchrony Bank, for instance.

Right now, it looks like Amazon is planning to form a similar partnership for an online checking account. Prime contenders appear to be JP Morgan Chase or Capital One. These banks already have offerings in the online checking account space. This project is still fairly new, though, so another bank partner may wind up coming out of left field.

Bottom line: Amazon doesn’t want to be your bank. They just want to sell you all the things you could ever possibly need. Preferably using their branded credit cards and checking accounts.

It Will Further Tie Consumers to Amazon

With that said, you can expect that any Amazon checking account will make it even easier to buy from the company. Their branded credit cards, unsurprisingly, offer the biggest cash back perks for Amazon-related spending. And it could be that a debit card from an Amazon online checking account could do the same thing.

Besides making it easier–and possibly more rewarding–to buy all you need on Amazon, an Amazon checking account would make it easier for Amazon to access customers’ spending data. It’s unclear how much personal data they could gather from a checking account. But they could likely get at least aggregate data on how people are spending money from Amazon checking accounts.

The main advantage for Amazon, though, seems to be that they won’t have to pay processing fees to other banks and credit card holders. If you’re spending on Amazon with their products, Amazon doesn’t have to pay additional payment processing fees. And with the billions of transactions that happen on Amazon, reducing fees on even a fraction of them could stand to save the company a significant amount of money.

Who is the Target Market?

Again, we’ll have to wait for more details here to know exactly what Amazon is planning. But right now it looks like primary target markets will be the unbanked/underbanked and teenagers. It will likely also keep millennials in mind, since they’re already Amazon’s primary target market. Amazon already offers Amazon Cash, a way for people with no debit or credit card to shop at stores in person. But this is kind of a cumbersome way to manage money, and it doesn’t let consumers shop at as many places as a traditional debit or credit card.

With that said, Amazon Cash is already tapping into the unbanked/underbanked/teenage market. And the Amazon online checking account could be expected to do the same. Of course, if they offer a truly great product, they might steal Amazon customers left and right from more traditional banks and financial institutions.

What To Expect

So what should you expect if Amazon does roll out a digital checking account? Well, you can expect it to be pretty easy to set up and even easier to spend on Amazon. You can probably expect very low fees or even no fees on a monthly basis, and likely lower-than-average fees for things like overdraft charges and minimum balances.

Of course, having an Amazon checking account could make shopping on Amazon easier, too. Right now, using a checking account, rather than a debit or credit card, on Amazon can be a bit of a pain. If it’s an Amazon-branded account, this won’t likely be a problem. And you may find that the account even comes with rewards for Amazon-specific spending.

However, we’ll have to wait and see what Amazon has in store as more information about its potential online checking account becomes public.

Will It Work For You?

We can’t really recommend an account without any details on it, of course. But chances are if you’re a frequent Amazon shopper, you may benefit from an Amazon checking account. You’ll just want to be sure that you keep your spending under control with the millions of temptations for overspending on the website. And be sure you check into the privacy fine print on the account. You’re already giving Amazon loads of personal data just by browsing and shopping there. You may not want to turn over even more personal data by signing up for their checking account.

Alternatives to an Amazon checking account

If you’re in the market for a new checking account and don’t want to wait for a possible Amazon roll-out, then maybe one of the following banks would work best for you. HSBC Advance Checking is great if you direct deposit your paychecks. The account is free if you maintain at least a $5,000 balance with recurring deposits from a third party.

Chime is also an excellent choice and offers an easy way to save. When you make purchases with your Chime debit card, the change is rounded up and saved to a Chime savings account with 0.01% APY. That’s not the greatest interest rate but you could always transfer those savings to a high-yield account elsewhere. Even better, there are no monthly fees to maintain the account.

FNBO Direct’s Online Bill Pay account pays 0.65% APY and also comes with no monthly fees. Another free option is Ally Bank. There’s no minimum deposit required to open an account and the interest rate is tiered based on your balance.

Finally, if you can maintain $100,000 in combined personal or commercial deposits or even in investment balances with HSBC, you should look into their Premier Checking account. Of course, what really makes a bank stand out is seeing what they can offer you. We put together a list of best checking and savings account promotions and deals that you’ll want to check out before making a decision. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll see Amazon on that list.

Topics: Banking

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Income Tax And Rental Properties: Some Things To Consider

With a population of close to three million, Chicago is America’s third largest city. In terms of the housing market, this translates into 1,194,337 households within the metropolitan limits, about half of Illinois’ grand total. Since the affordability of properties … Continue reading →

The post Income Tax And Rental Properties: Some Things To Consider appeared first on Chicago CPA, Accountant, Tax, Audit, Small Business Accounting Services.

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Norquay Nine

Norquay Nine by Bosworth Ventures is a new boutique townhouse development located at 2396 East 34th Avenue in East Vancouver. This project brings 9 exclusive townhouses to Norquay Village for the modern family, featuring large windows and modern finishes. All units include carefully considered floor plans, contemporary designs, spacious balconies and luxurious kitchens. Norquay Nine offers stellar location, just a short walking distance to shops, schools, services, transit, and community centers.

The post Norquay Nine appeared first on Vancouver New Condos.

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BRILLIA

Brillia by Benest is a new condo development located at 2628 Duke Street in Vancouver. The 29 unit project features 1, 2 and 3 bedroom homes, fully equipped with smart living features such as voice controlled Google Home throughout, Nest thermostats and smart LED lights. The units include refined finishes including various colour schemes and floor-to-ceiling windows, along with European-inspired modern kitchens. Brillia amenities include a landscaped rooftop featuring BBQ areas, a children’s playground, and communal space, a fitness studio, secured underground parking and storage, electric vehicle parking, and car share stalls. This project brings peace of mind and convenience through warranty coverage, 24-hour security, and wheelchair accessibility.

The post BRILLIA appeared first on Vancouver New Condos.

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Norquay Nine

Norquay Nine by Bosworth Ventures is a new boutique townhouse development located at 2396 East 34th Avenue in East Vancouver. This project brings 9 exclusive townhouses to Norquay Village for the modern family, featuring large windows and modern finishes. All units include carefully considered floor plans, contemporary designs, spacious balconies and luxurious kitchens. Norquay Nine offers stellar location, just a short walking distance to shops, schools, services, transit, and community centers.

The post Norquay Nine appeared first on Vancouver New Condos.

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BRILLIA

Brillia by Benest is a new condo development located at 2628 Duke Street in Vancouver. The 29 unit project features 1, 2 and 3 bedroom homes, fully equipped with smart living features such as voice controlled Google Home throughout, Nest thermostats and smart LED lights. The units include refined finishes including various colour schemes and floor-to-ceiling windows, along with European-inspired modern kitchens. Brillia amenities include a landscaped rooftop featuring BBQ areas, a children’s playground, and communal space, a fitness studio, secured underground parking and storage, electric vehicle parking, and car share stalls. This project brings peace of mind and convenience through warranty coverage, 24-hour security, and wheelchair accessibility.

The post BRILLIA appeared first on Vancouver New Condos.

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10 Common Mistakes You’re Making With Your Checking Account

Did you have to pay for your checking account this month? Maybe a few dollars, but no big deal, right? Wrong. Those dollars add up quickly if you’re not careful. That’s just one of 10 common mistakes you’re making with your checking account.

I got my first checking account at the age of 13 (with my parents’ help, of course). It was fun for newly-teenage me: I now had a place to put all of my babysitting earnings, complete with a personalized checkbook that I used as often as I could find an excuse. Back then, writing checks and keeping an account ledger were exciting.

These days, I don’t find my bank account quite as thrilling, and writing checks has become more of a painful part of adulthood than fun. Even still, there are a few ways that a checking account can be more painful than usual, if you’re not careful.

Here are 10 of the most common checking account mistakes that people make, and how you can avoid them at all costs.

1. Being Too Loyal

When I got that first account at 13, it was at the same bank my parents used. I didn’t know better and for many years into adulthood, figured that all banks were the same.

What I didn’t realize, until I got married and switched to a credit union, was that banks are not created equal. Checking accounts come with a variety of features and expenses, savings accounts offer various rates of return, and the other financial products that you might one day need–a mortgage or personal loan, for instance–may not be the most enticing at the place you already bank.

Whether you’ve been with the same bank for 10 years, feel like you’re not getting enough from your bank, or need something like an auto loan, feel free to shop around! Who knows: you might learn that there’s a much more lucrative world waiting for you just down the block.

2. Insisting on a Brick-and-Mortar Branch

In that same breath: if you haven’t at least considered an online checking account, you might be missing out. The idea can be a little uncomfortable–especially if you’re using the same bank as your parents or picked the branch with a drive-thru closest to your office–but online banks offer some of the most feature-rich accounts on the market today.

Online banks are exactly what they sound like. They don’t typically have branches that you can walk into (with the exception of those like Capital One 360, allowing you to utilize many of their Capital One Bank locations), which can make it harder to deposit checks or ask questions face-to-face. However, with a slew of tech features and enticing account offerings, they more than make up for what they lack.

Online banks are usually free, meaning that you don’t have to worry about monthly maintenance fees. They typically offer a smartphone app–often with mobile check deposit–so you can still manage your money on the go. Plus, most of them also offer higher-than-average savings account rates, making it a great place to do all of your banking.

If you’re only sticking with your brick-and-mortar bank because it’s all you know, or because you’re simply uncomfortable with a branchless bank, you should definitely keep an open mind. Online banks are not only just as convenient in many cases, but they can also save you a lot of money.

3. Paying a Monthly Fee

Free checking accounts are incredibly easy to come by these days. For example, most online banks are free these days (as we talked about in #2), but many brick-and-mortar banks also offer free checking account options. If you’re paying a monthly fee just for the convenience of using a certain bank, you’re overpaying.

Some banks have “free” checking accounts, but to avoid the monthly fee you either need to keep a specific minimum balance, receive direct deposits into the account, or use a debit card a certain number of times. That’s fine if you want to stick with an account like that–just make sure that you’re meeting the requirements to avoid a monthly fee.

No one should be paying a monthly fee just to allow a bank to hold their money.

4. Paying ATM Fees

No matter which bank you use, there are ways to avoid ATM fees. Some banks have a large network of ATMs to choose from, so you can almost always find one nearby that will allow you to withdraw cash fee-free. Others, like online banks, may have a smaller network of ATMs, but instead offer a ATM fee refund each month. The latter is my personal favorite as it’s the least limiting, but there are always ways around an ATM fee.

Figure out which option your checking account offers and utilize it. If you simply can’t get to an ATM that’s in-network, you can still avoid the high fees involved with grabbing cash. You can always pay for a purchase with your debit card and choose cash back, which is my go-to. There are also money-sending apps, such as Zelle and Venmo, if you need to pay someone back but don’t have the greenbacks available to do so.

5. Keeping Too Little In the Account

If you want to see just how expensive your checking account can be, let it get overdrawn. Once your balance dips below $0, every single transaction that comes through is subject to the (often sky-high) overdraft fee. This means that a $1.50 gas station purchase could easily wind up costing you $36.50, if you weren’t tracking your balance.

It’s best to try to keep a buffer of at least $100 in your account. That way, if a merchant accidentally runs your card twice, or you forget about a recurring payment, you won’t wind up in the red. You should also be checking your account daily and watching the balance, as well as tracking your transactions as you go. If your account starts getting too low, be sure to transfer from savings or make a deposit before you go into the hole.

6. Keeping Too Much In the Account

It’s a bad idea to keep too little in your checking account, but that doesn’t mean you should keep all of your money in there. In fact, keeping too much of your money in a checking account can be just as expensive in the end!

Checking accounts aren’t known for their interest rates. That is, after all, what savings accounts were designed for: to save and collect interest. If you’re keeping significantly more money in a checking account than you actually need each month, then you are missing out on potential interest earnings that could net you quite a bit of money each year.

Instead, put just enough in your checking account to cover your monthly bills and spending, and watch the balance as you go. Put the rest in a high-yield savings account, where it will earn maximum interest, and then transfer some into checking if you spend more than expected.

7. Not Watching Transactions

Your checking account isn’t a rotisserie oven: you can’t just set it and forget it! There are many reasons to continually watch your transactions as they roll in, no matter how well-planned your finances may be.

If you’re not watching your transactions on a regular basis, you could easily miss fraudulent or duplicated charges. Bank account fraud is a little trickier than credit card fraud, too, and you could wind up sitting around without those stolen funds while the bank irons out the issue (as opposed to credit cards, which will just refund your account for the charges while they sort everything out).

Don’t just assume that because your debit card is in-hand and requires a PIN, that you’re safe. No account is immune to fraud or errors, but the sooner you catch them, the easier they are to resolve.

8. Not Watching Your Balance

No matter whether you plan your finances to the penny each month, there could still be surprises. That’s why it’s always important to keep an eye on your balance throughout the month.

You could also easily forget about a transaction you made or a recurring payment, which may drop your account below $0. If you weren’t paying attention and this happens, you might wind up with hundreds of dollars in overdraft fees… all of which could have been avoided with a quick transfer of funds.

Moral of the story: always keep an eye on your balance. Mobile apps and text alerts make this incredibly easy, so there’s no excuse to lose track of where your checking account stands.

9. Failing to Really Understand Overdraft Protection

If your checking account offers overdraft protection (and most do), it can be both a blessing and a curse. It’s important, though, to understand exactly what that coverage entails, whether or not you ever plan to use the feature.

If you don’t enroll in overdraft protection, any charge that would bump your account to anything below $0 is declined. This means checks, debit card transactions, or check card purchases are all declined or returned.

If you do enroll in overdraft protection, your checking account will cover checks or debit card transactions that come in even if your account dips to a negative balance. This can be helpful if you want to avoid things like a returned check charge, or even just a denied card at the grocery store checkout. However, it comes at a price.

Each transaction that comes through once you cross below that $0 threshold is subject to an overdraft fee. Some banks have a courtesy period, where you can deposit cash within a business day and avoid all fees. Most, though, are happy to charge anywhere from $20-35 per transaction that comes through.

If you have a large charge that drops your account to $0, and then have three very small charges come through–let’s say they’re only for $2, $4.10, and $6.40–you can expect most banks to sock you with three hefty overdraft fees. That $12.50 in charges could easily cost you $105 in fees alone at many chain banks.

Enrolling in overdraft protection can spare you returned check fees or simply the embarrassment of having your card declined. But if you aren’t careful, it can be a very expensive feature to have.

10. (Unsafely) Shopping Online

Almost everyone shops online. It’s convenient, it’s often cheaper, and we just don’t have the time to walk the malls anymore. But shopping online with your checking account can be an unsafe idea.

Some merchants will allow you to make ACH payments directly from your checking account, which is similar to using a digital check. If the merchant doesn’t have a secure site, though, your banking information could easily be intercepted or stolen and your account drained.

Even Visa- and Mastercard-branded debit cards aren’t immune. Merchants have their systems hacked every single day, with customers’ most personal information stolen in the process. If you use a credit card, you have built-in protections and can easily combat fraud. If you’re using a debit card instead, your funds are more at-risk.

I personally recommend using a credit card every time you shop online. However, if you’re going to use your checking account’s debit card, be sure that the site you’re shopping on has an up-to-date security certificate and can be trusted.

Checking accounts aren’t the most glamorous financial products around, but they’re necessary for almost everyone. By avoiding these 10 common missteps, you can ensure that your checking account runs as smoothly (and affordably) as possible.

Topics: Banking • Personal Finance

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The Thurlow in Downtown Vancouver

The Thurlow by Intracorp is a new project bringing natural luxury and sophistication to the West End of Downtown Vancouver. This 32 storey tower features 96 1, 2, and 3 bedroom units, with plenty of indoor and outdoor amenity space. Homes will have stellar views of English Bay, Stanley Park, Downtown Skyline and the North Shore mountains. The Thurlow is just steps from the water, seawall, high-end fashion district, cultural centres and the Vancouver business district.

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Elevate at Sunstone

Elevate at Sunstone by is a new project in the village of Pemberton, just 20 minutes North of Whistler Blackcomb ski resort. Elevate will feature modern and open-concept townhomes,  integrating into the natural setting, including green space, community gardens, bike paths and nature trails. The 52 homes, ranging from 2 to 3 bedrooms brings West Coast contemporary design to outdoor living, with expansive decks with unobstructed views of Mount Currie.

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The Thurlow in Downtown Vancouver

The Thurlow by Intracorp is a new project bringing natural luxury and sophistication to the West End of Downtown Vancouver. This 32 storey tower features 96 1, 2, and 3 bedroom units, with plenty of indoor and outdoor amenity space. Homes will have stellar views of English Bay, Stanley Park, Downtown Skyline and the North Shore mountains. The Thurlow is just steps from the water, seawall, high-end fashion district, cultural centres and the Vancouver business district.

The post The Thurlow in Downtown Vancouver appeared first on Vancouver New Condos.

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Elevate at Sunstone

Elevate at Sunstone by is a new project in the village of Pemberton, just 20 minutes North of Whistler Blackcomb ski resort. Elevate will feature modern and open-concept townhomes,  integrating into the natural setting, including green space, community gardens, bike paths and nature trails. The 52 homes, ranging from 2 to 3 bedrooms brings West Coast contemporary design to outdoor living, with expansive decks with unobstructed views of Mount Currie.

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First Light by Westbank in Seattle

First Light by Westbank is a new 48 storey residential project in the heart of downtown Seattle, Washington. The elegant tower will integrate architecture and art, using light and glass to modernize and liven all aspects of the building. The 459 units, equipped with a cool and natural design will include floor to ceiling, triple-paned windows with stellar Olympic Peninsula mountain and ocean views. Amenities include a private luxury car share program for residents, 24 BMW electric and conventional bikes, 3000 sqft wellness center on the 46th floor, pet services and a 47th floor residents salon for gatherings, celebrations and meetings. First Light features a floating rooftop pool with one of the best sunrise and sunset watching vantage points on the West Coast.

The post First Light by Westbank in Seattle appeared first on Vancouver New Condos.

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First Light by Westbank in Seattle

First Light by Westbank is a new 48 storey residential project in the heart of downtown Seattle, Washington. The elegant tower will integrate architecture and art, using light and glass to modernize and liven all aspects of the building. The 459 units, equipped with a cool and natural design will include floor to ceiling, triple-paned windows with stellar Olympic Peninsula mountain and ocean views. Amenities include a private luxury car share program for residents, 24 BMW electric and conventional bikes, 3000 sqft wellness center on the 46th floor, pet services and a 47th floor residents salon for gatherings, celebrations and meetings. First Light features a floating rooftop pool with one of the best sunrise and sunset watching vantage points on the West Coast.

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Why You Need a Feeling of Importance

I’ve been re-reading the book
How to Make Friends and Influence People
(arguably the first self-development book ever written) and getting a lot out of it.

Dale Carnegie’s assertion that all humans are looking for a sense of importance really strikes me.

This is the basic principle of the book, upon which all of his other observations are built, and I absolutely agree– although I tend to get more specific, and say all humans are looking for love, attention, acceptance, approval, respect, and belonging.

We’re saying the same thing though.

Let’s take a look at the relationship the need to feel a sense of importance has on a person’s self-worth.

Our self-worth and self-esteem are often created by things which give us that sense of importance. While self-love comes from inside, it is extremely difficult to cultivate without some feedback from the people around you that you are valuable and valued, especially during formative childhood years.

A feeling of importance is somewhat relational by nature, as you can’t exactly feel it in a vacuum. You might experience a feeling of importance in relationship with another person, group, community, animal, plant, or even things such as a teddy bear or the weather.

The problem I see, especially when it comes to body image, is that the need for a feeling of importance becomes badly distorted.

A person will get a natural feeling of importance from whatever they are noticed, praised, and celebrated for as children and as they grow into adults, and our gender plays a role in how this is expressed.

Boys are taught that the only way to be important is to be tough, strong, stoic, and in a word: masculine. Through positive reinforcement when he is brave and strong, and negative reinforcement when he is insufficiently masculine, a boy will grow up into a man whose feeling of importance is distorted.

We see this effect now in toxic masculinity, through violence, a man’s feeling of entitlement to women’s bodies or sexual attention, and a need to control or oppress others in order to prove his importance.

Girls on the other hand are sent the message that they can only get a feeling of importance by being “pretty” and “good.” (“Good” in this context means they don’t require attention or effort from anyone.)

As girls grow up, we learn that being desirable, specifically to men, and being selfless, are the only acceptable places from which to draw a feeling of importance.

This message is learned over and over through positive reinforcement, like attention, praise, and celebration for how pretty, beautiful, cute, sexy, and “good” (aka quiet, passive, polite, and free of needs) we are.

It’s also learned through negative reinforcement when we are bullied or shamed for our physical flaws, or punished for being “needy,” “crazy,” or “difficult” when we have feelings or needs.

The toxic effect is that the vast majority of women suffer from negative body image, body anxiety, and obsession over food, weight, shape, and perceived flaws, and try desperately to hide anything that might make someone displeased or inconvenienced, including our true personalities, needs, opinions, and full selves.

If we all seek a feeling of importance, this need gets badly distorted more often than not.

Often we end up feeling a sense of competition, a need to prove that we are better than other people. For men this tends to mean violence, oppression, and making people do what they want. For women this tends to mean jealousy, insecurity, and controlling their food intake and body/appearance.

For everyone, it means being disconnected from each other, as the feeling of importance becomes a zero sum game, a competition for a finite amount of “importance”; a feeling that there is never enough to go around, and that someone else getting any means less for you.

We begin to view each other as enemies, thinking that other people are trying to steal what is rightfully ours, be that attention, a social niche, a partner, financial success, or anything else that gives a person a distorted feeling of importance.

So what’s the solution? Is it ok to need a feeling of importance, and if so where should it come from?

I say yes, it’s normal and natural and completely ok– but it doesn’t need to be a competition.

Let’s paint a hypothetical picture.

* Imagine as a child, you grew up in a home where the adults really listened to you, were interested in you, gave you clear and consistent boundaries, opened loving discussions for feedback when your behavior was out of bounds, you were treated with respect and bodily autonomy, and you were taught that the only person whose experience you are responsible for is your own.

* Imagine you were praised for how hard you worked to learn, instead of “being smart.” For how courageous you were to keep trying at something, instead of “being talented.” For how your presence impacted people in specific and positive ways, instead of just “being pretty” or “being good.”

* Now imagine as an adult that you live in a community of people who truly see and respect you, where kindness and belonging is the default.

* Imagine people look you in the eyes, and all strangers assume they will like you when you first meet.

* Imagine people take the time to ask you questions and really listen to your answers, and are willing to open up and be vulnerable in response, that people are transparent and clear when they’re upset with you and need something, and are equally transparent and clear when they are grateful for, inspired by, admiring, or adoring you.

* Imagine you express your authentic self freely, and regularly share your gifts with your community, which are received gratefully whether those gifts are creativity, hard work, humor, vision, empathy, particular skills, or physical strength. Imagine you are called upon when your gifts are needed and people express genuine appreciation, and you know that asking others for support is a gift to them because it makes them feel good to be able to help.

In this hypothetical, each person’s sense of importance wouldn’t need to come from being better than anyone else. It wouldn’t come from competition, or status, or proving or earning your worth.

How much differently do you think you might feel about your body or appearance, if this was the world you lived in? How much less urgency might you feel to be prettier, sexier, thinner, or more perfect?

I don’t have a solution, of course, but I think it’s worth considering that a lot of body image issues really come down to a distorted desire to get a feeling of importance, in a world that tells women that they are not important unless they are desirable to someone else.

Thoughts?

<3
Jessi

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Allstate Insurance Review

How do you save money on insurance? By regularly shopping around for the best deals. We’ll tell you about some discounts worth checking out in our Allstate insurance review.

Allstate

's rating

9.6

Policy Options 9.8

Policy Costs 9.5

Customer Service 9.5

Mobile App 9.5

Claims Process 9.5

Pros

• Available in all 50 states
• Agents in your local area
• Multiple discounts offered
• Several policy options available

Cons

• Rideshare coverage not available in every state
• Average customer satisfaction

---

Table of Contents

• What Allstate Offers
• Coverage and Discounts
• Auto Insurance
• Home Insurance
• Motorcycle Insurance
• Renters Insurance
• Valuable Personal Property Insurance
• Recreational Vehicles
• Life Insurance
• Mobile App Pros and Cons
• Customer Satisfaction
• Alternatives
• Is Allstate Right for You?

If you’re in the market for a new insurance policy–whether home, auto, or life–Allstate has probably popped up in your search at least once or twice. The company, which was the 4th largest auto insurer in the country in 2017 (and 3rd largest in 2016), is the top pick for many Americans. But is this company the right one for you and your family?

Let’s take a look at what Allstate has to offer, what makes this company unique, and why it’s one of the largest insurers in the country.

What Allstate Offers

While Allstate is best-known for its auto insurance coverage, the company also provides a one-stop-shop for customers looking to buy auto, home, business, and/or life insurance policies. It’s the largest publicly held insurer in America, and is available in all 50 states. Allstate was founded in 1931, providing stellar customer service and peace of mind to Americans for almost a century.

Try Allstate

Unlike some insurers where you’ll just deal with the company directly, Allstate provides you with agents in your local area. These agents are available to help you in-person with your shopping, purchasing, and claims needs, day or night and whenever tragedy strikes. Allstate values itself on these local agents, allowing the company to feel as though it’s part of each and every community served

 

Allstate offers coverage for vehicles of all types, including cars, trucks, motorcycles, RVs, and even boats. If you’re looking for life insurance, Allstate offers both term and whole life policies to suit your needs. Want to protect your small business from risks or unexpected events? The right business policy could be exactly what you need. And if you want coverage for your home, you can purchase both homeowners and renters insurance through the company.

Coverage and Discounts

No matter your needs, Allstate agents can create a policy to cover them.

They offer a variety of auto insurance options, whether you want to buy state-minimum liability or insure your whole family with comprehensive and collision coverage. You can also build your own package with their property damage, bodily injury, and even uninsured motorist coverage options. If you want the peace of mind that comes with roadside assistance, they have a number of packages and price points to choose from.

Auto insurance discounts include:

• Smart Student discount
• Multiple Policy discount
• New Car discount
• Full-pay and ePay discounts
• Anti-theft Device discounts

Whether you own or rent your home, are the landlord of a rental property, own a condo, or even have a mobile home, Allstate can protect you. Coverage options even include things like personal property insurance (for jewelry or other valuable items), guest medical coverage, yard and garden coverage, electronic data recovery, and even host coverage if you plan to rent out your home through Airbnb (or similar services). Your home insurance policy shouldn’t be identical to your neighbor’s, so Allstate wants to ensure that you have the coverage that perfectly fits you and your needs… not a cookie cutter policy.

Home insurance coverage discounts include:

• Claim-free discount
• Multiple Policy discount
• Home-buyer discount
• Safe Home discount
• Easy Pay Plan discount

Allstate provides life insurance options for term, whole life, universal life, and even variable universal life coverage. You can purchase a policy that will cover you for as little as 10 years or until the rest of your life.

Allstate Auto Insurance

Since Allstate is known best for auto insurance, here’s a little bit more about what they offer to their drivers.

With an Allstate auto policy, you’ll enjoy benefits like new car replacement, a safe driving bonus (for every 6 months that you go accident-free), accident forgiveness, deductible rewards ($100 off for each year you go without a violation), and even a claim satisfaction guarantee (not happy with the way a claim is handled? You can get up to six months’ of premiums credited back).

If you want to save even more, you can take advantage of the Drivewise app. Simply download Allstate’s safe-driving app and drive as usual; the app will track your speed and braking behavior, and use this data to analyze your driving habits. You’ll be rewarded with at least 3% off just for using the app, and if you’re a safe driver, and as much as a 15% discount.

Drive for Uber or Lyft, or thinking about signing up to ride-share? Allstate also offers coverage for ride-hailing drivers, which kicks in when they have passengers in the car. Rideshare coverage isn’t yet in every state, so be sure to ask your local Allstate agent if it’s available where you work.

Allstate Home Insurance

If you need homeowners insurance, Allstate is a great place to start your search. The insurer offers options to meet your needs, no matter what kind of home you have, the coverage you’re looking to buy, or what you plan to do with your property (such as rent it out).

Home insurance policies are designed to cover your actual dwelling with everything from theft, fire, smoke, windstorms, hail, falling objects, freezing pipes, sudden and accidental water damage (a leaking hot water heater, for example). Home insurance can also protect your guests and loved ones in cases of injury in your home.

If you live in a condominium, you can buy Allstate home insurance, too. This coverage will protect your family and your belongings in case of things like fire, smoke damage, and other accidental and sudden losses. Just be aware that certain issues–floods, water backups, and earthquakes–are excluded from most condominium policies, including those offered by Allstate.

If you plan to rent out your home to tenants, Allstate offers landlord insurance policies. These are not only designed to protect your dwelling from the typical perils (like floods or falling trees), but also against the specific risks that come along with renting out a property. This type of coverage can protect your general financial assets, as well as your monthly rental income, were a situation to arise.

Allstate also provides insurance policies for manufactured homes, though the policy coverage varies slightly. Contact a local agent to determine exactly what you need to protect you and your home, and what’s available in your state.

Allstate Motorcycle Insurance

If you prefer to cruise around on two wheels instead of four, Allstate has a policy for you. It will provide protection for both you and your motorcycle (or scooter), whether it’s your daily rider or stays in storage most of the year.

Allstate bike insurance offers policyholders protection in terms of liability, collision, comprehensive, and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. The coverage limits and terms, as well as requirements for your policy, will vary state-to-state. Be sure to contact a local Allstate agent to create a policy that’s right for you and the area in which you live.

Allstate Renters Insurance

Renting a home means that you’re not responsible if the A/C unit suddenly goes kaput or the foundation shifts. But what if the home is burglarized and your valuables were stolen, or a fire/smoke damage ruins your belongings? Your landlord may not be on the hook for much, if any of that, which is where an Allstate renters insurance comes into play.

A renters insurance policy is considerably cheaper than a homeowners policy, as you are simply protecting yourself and your belongings–not the dwelling itself. For only a few dollars a month, you can ensure that if your rental home catches fire or burglars steal all of your valuable items, you aren’t on the hook for their replacement.

Keep in mind that, as with most renters insurance policies, Allstate does not cover flood damage to your belongings with renters coverage.

Valuable Personal Property Insurance

If you have high-dollar items (furs, jewelry, camera equipment, and even antiques), you may want to look into a valuable personal property policy through Allstate. Even if these items were to be lost, stolen, or damaged in an otherwise-covered event (through, say, your homeowners policy), you still might not get their full value. That’s because other policy types have coverage limits, and your most valuable items are likely to exceed these limits.

Be sure to look into your insurance policies to see the individual and total coverage limits. Then, think about the most valuable items in your home, and consider whether you need personal property coverage. If someone were to break in and steal a diamond necklace, for instance, the replacement value for that piece might exceed the individual item limits offered by your homeowners policy. Without personal property coverage, you’re stuck covering the difference out of pocket.

Recreational Vehicles

Allstate also offers coverage for your “toys.” We’re referring to snowmobiles, boats, ATVs, etc. The types of coverage, limits, and prices for these policies will depend on your state, the age of the recreational vehicle, and more.

Allstate Life Insurance

Allstate doesn’t just protect the things you own; the insurance company also offers policies to protect you.

If you’re looking for either a term or whole life insurance policy, you can find one through Allstate that offers a range of coverage options to protect those you love most. You can purchase a life insurance policy on its own or bundle that coverage with your auto, home, or renters insurance to save quite a bit, too.

Allstate term life policies are available in terms of 10-30 years, with coverage options of $200,000 to $1,000,000. You can also choose the exact number of years you want for your insurance term–this means that whether you want 12 years or 23, you aren’t stuck buying in increments of 5 or 10 years.

Whole life policies are also available from Allstate.

Mobile App Pros and Cons

Allstate offers a free mobile app so you can have access to all of your products and services on the go. Whether you need to check coverage, file a claim, or pay your premium bill, you can do so with a few taps of your thumb.

The Pros

With Allstate Mobile, you can:

• Contact your Allstate agent immediately
• Access proof of coverage/your ID cards
• View your policy information
• Email coverage information to yourself
• Start a claim
• Manage existing claims’ progress
• Earn discounts through the Drivewise program
• Take and upload claim photos to Allstate
• Access roadside assistance if you have a flat tire, dead battery, need a tow, or run out of gas
• Pay your bill

Allstate Mobile App Features

Aside from simply managing your coverage and accessing the specifics of your policy, the Allstate Mobile app also offers a few bonus features. Through your mobile device, you can also:

• Plan a digital fire escape route through your home or work
• Get parking reminders
• Locate the nearest gas stations
• Save money with Allstate’s car buying service

The Allstate Mobile insurance app is available in the App Store and on Google Play.

The Cons

As with any mobile app, there are some downsides to using Allstate Mobile.

The biggest complaint from consumers is in regards to the Drivewise feature. While this offers customers an opportunity to earn discounts for being a safe driver, the app isn’t as polished as some would like.

First, the app is always running in the background, which could easily drain your cell phone’s battery, whether you’re driving or not.

Second, there is currently no way for you to note when you start or end a trip–or when you’re a passenger in someone else’s vehicle–so some customers question whether the data is accurate.

Another common complaint is in regards to taking photos for submitted claims. As of this writing, the app will only allow customers to submit new photos through the app. This means that if you’re not in front of the vehicle and are trying to upload photos taken previously, you won’t be able to do so.

Lastly, even though Allstate offers life insurance policies, the app does not allow you to view the policy details on your smartphone. You also cannot pay premiums through the app for life insurance coverage, as you can other policies.

Customer Satisfaction

There’s a reason that Allstate is consistently in the top of the insurance market share: customers are usually pretty happy with their services.

JD Power and Associates gives Allstate four stars in categories like claims, policy offerings, the billing process, and interactions with customers. In 2016, Allstate was the 3rd-largest auto insurance company in the country, only falling to number four in 2017.

Allstate has an A rating and is accredited with the Better Business Bureau, though customers give the company just over 1-star on BBB ratings. The Allstate app, however, seems to make customers incredibly happy: it has 4.4 stars on Google Play and 4.8 stars on iTunes.

Alternatives

Allstate offers easy ways to find quotes online. Just click on Get A Quote online and choose the product(s) you want to see how much you can save on your coverage.

Get a Quote Online

You could also contact an Allstate agent directly, who could help walk you through the exact policies that you need, and the bundle discounts you could earn by purchasing more than one type of coverage.

It’s important to shop around for the lowest cost for quality coverage, though. If you want to ensure that you’re getting the best possible price for the policies you choose, there are other options available to you.

You could look at PolicyGenius, for instance, which is an aggregate insurance quote company. Through PolicyGenius, you can see quotes from multiple insurance companies at once, saving you the time and energy of entering your information on various different sites.

You can also see if you qualify for discounts through any organizations or banking institutions of which you’re a member. Some credit unions, for example, will have special insurance rates through specific insurers, and even offer online portals to get direct quotes.

Read more: PolicyGenius Review

Is Allstate Right for You?

Depending on your needs, Allstate might be just the right insurance company for you. Whether you’re looking for auto, life, home, boat, motorcycle, and even business coverage, their local agents can build a policy that’s just right.

The company holds one of the largest market shares among U.S. insurers. They rank about average when it comes to customer satisfaction, but above average when it comes to claims and policies. Plus, they offer discounts for a number of reasons, so you can trim costs on whatever coverage you choose.

The next time you’re shopping around for insurance, give Allstate a look. Whether you wind up buying a policy, they’re definitely worth getting a quote (and even talking to a local agent) to see if this company is the right choice for you and your family.

Go To Allstate Topics: Insurance • Reviews

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