Credit is one of the most crucial and often forgotten cornerstones of starting a new business. In the aftermath of the financial crisis, banks are less willing to take a chance on small businesses, so the pressure falls on the individual to make sure his credit rating is as good as it can be. There are a few things you can do to ensure that your credit score will help you out when you need it, rather than leaving you in the lurch.

Staying on top of your score is essential – but how do you find out about it? There are many free, personalised websites where data is available to the public so that you can monitor your credit score.

Paying bills on time is essential to it. Missing or late payments show a lender that you aren't reliable and might not pay them back – and your credit score will drop, too. Another way to improve your credit is to make sure to pay down your outstanding loans. Even if you've missed payments in the past, time is the great equalizer and if you continue to pay on time over months and years, your credit score will improve. Lenders are more likely to cooperate with a new business if the business owner is not already awash in other debts. Ensure that your working capital and assets are higher than your debts.

Don't be scared away from credit. An individual with no credit is as much a liability to a lender as someone with bad credit because his future behaviour can't be predicted. It's important to have a credit history, whether it be managing your payments on a credit card or having a house mortgage.

As you work to grow your new business, keep your credit score in mind and you'll be off to bright start.

A new study has found out the preferences of consumers buying insurance for their automobiles. The study was conducted by QuinStreet, Inc. which has based their results on the preferences of 878 participants.

The Insurance Buyer Insight Study has found that a majority of the consumers decided on the insurance policy, based on the price. 65.8 per cent of the participants stated that the price of the insurance was the main basis on which they decided their last policy. Auto insurance costs have increased by 33.3 per cent from 2002 to 2011, according to the Consumer Price Index. The last year itself reported a 3.6 per cent rise in insurance costs and thus the drivers are looking for a better deal. A lot of insurance shoppers are benefiting from comparison shopping and QuinStreet analyzed the car insurance quotes from 17 different carriers for a three year period and found that the average difference in quotes to consumers comes to $1,437.

After finding the lowest quote, the consumers gave preference to the finding trustworthy information, having confidence in their coverage, being able to design a proper package and availing good customer service. The study has also revealed that around 26 per cent of the insurance shoppers tend to use an insurance agent or visited the websites of few of the carriers from their last insurance buy. A large number of participants (70.4 per cent) stated that they would welcome an experience in auto insurance shopping where they could compare the different carrier's quotes and reviews before buying the coverage. On the basis of this, QuinStreet has come out with a system where the consumers can compare and select their insurance package.

The 401(k) Calculator helps to estimate the amount that will be saved in the 401(k) by the time the retirement period of an individual is reached or for a given number of specified years. Regular contributions have to be made without fail every year.

The 401 (k) Calculator assumes a fixed rate of return on the final accumulated amount and yearly deposits. The actual market rate of returns may vary with the changing scenarios from year to year and the change needs to be updated in the 401(k) Calculator. It's recommended that you try a lower rate of return percentage in your calculations to receive minimum guaranteed results from the 401(k) Calculator estimates.

The 401(k) Calculator can be used to make estimation about the 401(k) balance at retirement and also the expected payout after retirement. The estimate in the 401(k) Calculator is based on the contribution percentage, age, salary increase, income and returns on investment. It is advisable to include a reasonable average annual inflation rate in the calculations to get the real value of your retirement benefits. The 401(k) Calculator is programmed to include the various rates and variables and is a great resource for retirement plans.

The mobile version of the 401 (k) Calculator can be downloaded from http://calcnexus.com/401k-calculator.php. There are various online portals that offer the 401 (k) Calculator for free uses too. So go ahead and plan out your future with that little extra contribution and reap the benefits as you reach those years of seniority.