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Most people understand how to bargain for a lower insurance premium based on the equipment present on their vehicles. Do you have an air bag ? You can get a discount. Same for anti-lock brakes and anti-theft devices, but there are some lesser known options that can also save you money if you know how to ask the right questions or supply the right information to get cheap car insurance rates.

• Level of Education Some studies indicate lower risk profiles for given degree holders, in particular those with degrees in engineering, science or math. Savings fall in the range of 10 to 30 percent when available.

• Current Occupation Did you know that teachers and farmers have the lowest risk-associated occupations? Farmers might have to press the point, but it’s fairly simple for educators to score discounts of 10 to 30 percent.

• Military Service Many insurance providers, including GEICO, give discounts of 2 to 15 percent to military personnel, both active and retired. An additional attractive option is decreased coverage levels during periods of deployment when the insured vehicle is placed in storage.

• Age In general, people who are retired can avail themselves of a considerable level of discounts. Hartford, for instance, offers a AARP Auto Insurance Program with savings of as much as 45 percent. (Membership in AARP can benefit drivers in a number of ways regardless of the insurance company involved. Members should investigate this angle fully before negotiating their policies.)

• Continuing Driver’s Training Defensive driving courses and other driver’s safety programs can be used to lower premiums with almost all insurers. Normally this is an option people look at after a traffic citation, but the classes can be taken at any time for insurance purposes. (Note that these classes can now be taken online or via CD or DVD.

Drivers should also remember to investigate procedure-based discounts like those awarded to multiple policy holders in a single family (husband, wife, and a teenage driver, for instance.) Family rates on premiums can lower costs considerably. Also, don’t neglect new programs offered by some insurers for teenage drivers when monitoring or GPS systems are placed on the car. Car leases may come with a substantially lower insurance premiums, but be aware that this option has become much more rare as automakers have been forced to retreat from leasing due to the current economic climate. Above all, insurance customers should conduct their own research and ask as many questions as needed to be comfortable with the coverage offered. Always comparison shop. Never be uncomfortable about haggling. Simply telling an agent that you’ve been offered a better rate by the competition can go a long way toward opening up the discounts you need to get the most affordable coverage possible. Just remember to shop around and request car insurance quotes from multiple providers…

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I hope you enjoyed the last not-so-serious Onion video. Alright, sit up and get ready for something important. Financial infidelity: The marriage breaker. Secretly overspending from the family coffers can be a deadly to your marriage.

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These are probably the only two Personal Finance articles you need to read this year and in 2008.

The Simple Dollar Everything You Ever Really Needed to Know About Personal Finance on the Back of Five Business Cards

The Digerati Life 8 Lessons I Learned From The Cheapest Family In The Nation

We will be hosting a number of Guest Bloggers very soon. Stay tuned. Contact me if you would llike to write for us.

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According to CNN Money, auto sales may be the latest casualty in the subprime fallout. Between lenders tightening their lending standards and the general uncertainty about where the market is going, consumers just aren’t looking at throwing money at a depreciable asset. According to CNN Money:

CNW Research, which specializes in surveys of car buyers, found in its latest reading that 13.6 percent of the potential market’s customers were canceling or postponing plans to make a new-vehicle acquisition any time soon, up from 10.1 percent last year.

I’m not sure how much more automakers can take – especially US automakers. It’s not enough that they are already behind the eight ball because of the high cost of unions. But now they are dealing with record gas prices, tightening lending standards, and an uneasiness from some consumers as they watch their home equity drop and their payments go up.

Of course, bad news for automakers often means good news for consumers. Automakers fearing a sales slump will be throwing out a lot of incentives to get you to buy.

Automakers, led by GM, are upping cash-back offers and other inducements to try to breathe life into sales in the face of headlines about home foreclosures and market meltdowns.

So if you’re in the market anyway, you might as well explore your local dealerships to see what deals they have for you. If you aren’t looking to spend a lot, check out Cars.com’s top 10 cars under $10,000. Remember to be tough and negotiate – they need you more than you need them.

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Check out this cool mileage comparison tool over at BankRate.com. Just select your class of car or truck and the price of gas in your area to see how much you will be paying for each tank of gas and for each mile traveled.

Don’t get too hung up on mileage, though. You also want to make sure the car performs well in crash tests unlike the car below.

Credit goes to Consumerist.com for pointing each of these gems out.

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