In April I got a chance to again work for Correlation Consultation, editing and rewriting an executive summary of a report for the US Secretary of State’s Global Impact Economy Forum.

The study is called: A Global Study of Impact Investing + Insititutional Investors.

As Correlation Consulting says in its announcement of the report: “In this report, 51 of the world’s foremost institutional and institutional-sized asset owners — pension plans, corporations, foundations, ultra-high net worth individuals and families and development finance institutions — provide insight into their impact investing activities, case studies that can be used as successful models, and tips for those investors beginning or deepening their impact investing programs.  Participating asset owners represent more than $2.5 trillion of combined assets. This report focuses on those impact investments that create a return of capital and competitive, market-rate and premium (above-market rate) financial returns.”

About a year ago, I covered a forum on impact investing for this San Francisco firm. I wrote stories about the event for its website during the three-day event.

Some interesting jobs can be found on Craigslist, but often not ones that pay well. There are so many lousy paying jobs for writers on Craigslist and elsewhere that I could provide daily updates on the outlandish ones.

I recently came across an ad for a website looking for comedy writers. I have a good sense of humor, so I wrote to the generic email to see what it was about and if they could use my services.

They could, but at $6.50 per post of about 200 words. I won’t say here what the website was, because I don’t want to embarrass the owner. It’s an interesting site that uses humor in short reviews of a related site that is much bigger.

I politely declined the job assignment, saying that $6.50 for one story doesn’t work for me as a freelance writer.

Here’s part of the email they sent me:

I have the same goals as any blogger:  Provide quality content, attract gobs of traffic and make enough money through ads and other stuff to keep the project alive until I can sell it for a gajillion dollars to some deep-pocketed corporate entity.  Modest ideals, to be sure, but mine own.

We pay beginning writers $6.50 an article.  On the plus side, our articles tend to be short, usually around 200 words, and there are few deadlines.  You can have a byline if you want one and a link to your own site.  There’s also the opportunity to build a following.  Usually writers invoice me via PayPal when their tab gets to $25 or so but you can be paid any time you want.

If that sounds okey-dokey, drop me a line and we’ll talk about a story assignment.

I’m writing weekly blog posts, stories and some interesting press releases for an auto insurance website in Chicago.

The idea is to have informative stories and posts that readers and potential customers will see as helpful to their daily lives and will return to the site for more information and to buy auto insurance there.

Here are links to some of the stories I’ve written for Active Insurance, so you can see the type of work I do:

Where to find good food trucks in Chicago.

The worst intersections in Chicago.

Vehicle insurance requirements.

How to buy low liability auto insurance.

Dangerous Chicago intersections for pedestrians.

I’m continuing writing for Active Insurance Agency in Chicago about auto insurance and related issues. Today the site started a blog, which I’ll update weekly, and the first entry was about where to find good Chicago food trucks.

I’m also writing original weekly stories for the website in an effort to attract readers and customers who will want to stay on the site and read and learn more about cars, and will hopefully buy auto insurance there.

I think it’s a good way to publicize your business: Providing quality online content that will draw in people and get them to stay there and learn more about what you sell.

She’s suing his auto and home insurance policies, seeking $350,000 in damages.

It’s an interesting story that reminds me of my days as a newspaper reporter covering the courts. There are always plenty of wild lawsuits being filed, providing a lot of copy for newspapers and websites.

I wrote a “slideshow” for Bankrate this week on cities with the highest utility bills. What ended up being published was less of my writing and more of my research — which is fine.

I was assigned to write an intro to go with the list of cities in the slideshow, but it didn’t run. I’m including the story I wrote on my blog for anyone interested in details behind what you see at Bankrate.com, such as how much utility rates regularly rise, tips for saving energy, variables in the data, and some interesting links.

Here’s the story:

By Aaron Crowe

The heatwave that has gripped much of the country this summer must be spiking usage of air conditioners and the electricity that run them, as six of the top 10 cities with the highest utility rates are areas that have experienced record high temperatures.

Residential electricity rates are typically higher in New England and the Mid-Atlantic states, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, but recent figures from a comparison shopping website for utility rates show that states such as Florida and Texas have the highest rates.

The national average for utility and essential home services, which WhiteFence.com defines as electricity, phone, TV, high-speed Internet and natural gas, was $248.46 in May, according to the White Fence Index. The index is derived from orders the company takes from customers each month, along with information from utility providers. It surveys 21 major metropolitan areas, and variables include home size, electricity rates, usage and weather.

Small homes in Los Angeles, for example, will have smaller electricity bills than big homes in Dallas that use air conditioners most of the time in hot months. Electricity made up the biggest cost in the index, with the national average at $93.33 per month.

Orlando, Florida, led the list of cities with a $302.53 monthly bill for utilities and home services, or $54.07 more than the national average. According to the Alliance to Save Energy, electric utility rates were growing lower than the rate of inflation before 1985, and from 2000 on they’ve been growing slightly higher. A 2010 report by an energy company found that electricity prices rose 15 percent since 2004 when adjusted for inflation.

Websites such as White Fence help consumers shop for better utility rates, although in some areas there isn’t a choice for electricity or natural gas, although there are choices for TV, Internet and phone services.

Other than turning the power off, there are other steps people can take to lessen their power bills. The Alliance to Save Energy and EnergyNOW have a list of tips, including getting an air conditioner tuneup, using ceiling fans, weather stripping, using curtains during the day, and buying a new refrigerator.

Here are the top 10 cities for utilities and home services, according to the White Fence Index, followed by monthly cost and amount over the national average:

Orlando, Fla.: $302.53, or $54.07 above the national average.
Houston, Texas: $292.16, $43.70.
Phoenix, Ariz: $289.00, $40.54.
Dallas, Texas: $288.80, $40.34.
New York City, NY: $288.26, $39.80.
Las Vegas, Nev.: $275.44, $26.98.
Boston, Mass: $272.20, $23.74.
Charlotte, N.C.: $268.95, $20.49.
Portland, Ore.: $261.66, $13.20.
Seattle, Wash.: $252.09, $3.63.

With profit margins that industry analysts estimate exceed 50 percent, it’s easy to see why retailers promote extended warranties on everything from computers to cars.

Having future repair or replacement costs covered can indeed be reassuring. And even just knowing where to call can reduce stress. “Service contracts are designed to minimize the hassle associated with downtime and repairs, while maximizing a product’s functionality and the owner’s enjoyment of the product,” says the Service Contract Industry Council, or SCIC. The trade association’s members offer about 80 percent of all U.S. service contracts, a term used interchangeably with extended warranties.

But experts warn that the peace of mind comes at a stiff price that can be hard to justify, particularly if you charge it and pay financing costs as well.

“I never buy extended warranties,” says James Ward, a marketing expert at Arizona State University and director of its full-time MBA program.

Ward’s aversion to extended warranties is widely shared. Consumer experts say that savvy shopping and solid financial planning can help you prepare for breakage or repairs without forking over big bucks for a contract you may never use. The keys are to do your research, explore alternatives and don’t let fear drive your decision-making.

By Aaron Crowe

In 2010, more than 29 million pieces of luggage around the world were “mishandled” — lost, stolen, damaged or delayed, according to a company called SITA. That’s up 6 percent from the previous year.

Given those figures, you might want to check more than your baggage if you’re flying soon. You also might want to check into “excess valuation” coverage from the airline or a broader travel insurance policy — both of which could ease the financial pain of lost luggage.

The airline’s liability

An airline’s liability for loss or damage to a checked bag is limited to $3,300 for each domestic passenger, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. That’s fine if your bag and its contents are worth $1,000. But if your bag and its contents are valued at $5,300, you’re out $2,000

For most international flights from the United States baggage liability is limited to about $9.07 per pound for checked luggage and $400 per passenger for unchecked luggage, according to Airfarewatchdog.com.

However, the website says, those dollar amounts won’t cover your loss if you’ve packed expensive clothing or other costly items. For international travel, you might need to buy “excess valuation” from the airline, Airfarewatchdog.com says. The “excess valuation” costs $1 for every $100 in additional liability, up to $5,000 per passenger.

Should you buy travel insurance?

If you’re worried about losing your luggage and vacation wardrobe during a European getaway, travel professionals suggest looking into travel insurance for international flights with multiple legs and connections. But for domestic flights, it may not be worth the cost since the odds are low that you’ll lose a bag, insurance experts say.

Luggage insurance is bundled into travel insurance, so it can’t be bought on its own, says Carol Mueller, vice president of Travel Guard North America, which sells travel insurance. About 25 percent to 30 percent of U.S. travelers buy travel insurance, compared with 8 percent before 9/11, according to Mueller.

Travel insurance typically is bought in case you need to cancel a trip without forfeiting the fare and in case of a medical emergency away from home, Mueller says. Lost luggage is the third most cited reason for buying travel coverage.

Whether lost, stolen, damaged or delayed, baggage and its contents normally can be replaced with $500 to $2,500 worth of travel insurance, Mueller says. Travel insurance typically costs 5 percent to 7 percent of a trip’s total price tag, Mueller says, so a $3,000 vacation could cost $150 to insure.

Corporate travel expert Kevin Coffee points out that some items of “considerable value” usually aren’t covered by travel insurance and should be put in your carry-on bags to reduce the likelihood of the airline losing them. Those items include jewelry, prescription medicine, collectibles, hearing aids, smartphones and software.

Give me some credit

If “excess valuation” coverage and travel insurance aren’t in the cards, your credit card company may be able to come to the rescue.

For instance, if you have a Visa Signature credit card and pay the entire cost of your airline tickets on that card, you may be eligible to receive reimbursement for your checked luggage, carry-on luggage and their contents if they’re “misdirected” or stolen.

The Visa Signature reimbursement would bridge the gap between the $3,300 maximum payment from the airline and the “claimed” value of the luggage and contents.

MasterCard says it will reimburse the cost of repairing or replacing your checked or carry-on luggage if it’s lost or damaged while traveling on an airline — but only if you paid for the airfare with an eligible card.

New rules on baggage fees

New Department of Transportation rules that expand airline passenger protections require airlines to refund any fee that was charged for checking a bag that ends up lost. The rules are set take effect Aug. 23, 2011. Some of the wording of the rules still is being worked out, but it’s expected that airlines will pay fair market value for missing items, says Adam Bates, vice president of Insurance Services of America, which sells travel insurance.

“Delayed” luggage that takes a few hours to find may not fall under the federal payment criteria.

Warren Chang, vice president and general manager of airfare search engine Fly.com, says: “Airlines know that reuniting passengers with their baggage as quickly as possible and without incident are an integral part of maintaining customer satisfaction.”

I recently wrote a story for InsuranceQuotes.com about the nine best ways to buy auto insurance online. I did original reporting throughout for this evergreen story.

Here’s the beginning of the story. The full story can be found at InsuranceQuotes.com.

By Aaron Crowe

Just as more consumers are gravitating toward shopping sites like Amazon.com and Zappos.com, more auto insurance consumers are shopping online than ever before.

According to a 2011 study by J.D. Power and Associates, 54 percent of auto insurance shoppers are getting quotes online. That’s up from just 3 percent in 2005, says Jeremy Bowler, senior director of the global insurance practice at J.D. Power.

Typically, online auto insurance shoppers are saving 10 percent to 15 percent on their premiums, Bowler says. But how can you make sure you’re finding the best deal on the web? Here are nine shopping tips.

1. Don’t limit online shopping to one or two companies.

“It doesn’t take a lot of time, from the comfort of your living room couch or during lunch hour at work, to get that third or fourth quote,” Bowler says.

Read the rest of the story by clicking here.

Look at more of my portfolio and see the types of stories I can write for your business.

I created a Facebook page for the business, which has the nifty URL of: www.facebook.com/AaronCrowe.net.

Go there and ‘Like’ it and you can follow what personal finance stories I’m working on, new clients I’m working for, and tips on how to increase readership through my personal finance stories, videos, photos, graphics and social networking.

Or, click on the big box on the right of this page or any other page on my website, and find me on Facebook. I look forward to sharing more information with you there on how to expand your business with my personal finance stories.