If you’re like many people, trimming your budget is a necessity in this tough economy. Making cuts in everyday spending is a good place to start, but did you know you could be shelling out a lot more cash than you need to each month to protect one of your largest assets?

If you have a car, you must have auto insurance. Primerica, the largest independent financial services marketing organization in North America, offers three tips to trim auto insurance expenses and help you make the most of your hard earned dollars!

Tip #1: Downsize Coverage
Raising your deductible can save you money, just make sure you can cover the increased deductible out of pocket. If your car is at least five years old, dropping collision and comprehensive coverage could reduce your premium by 25-40%.¹ (If you still owe money on the car, the lender may require you to keep this coverage.)

Tip #2: Bargain Hunt
Most common is the multiple policy discount, which can lower your rate 10-20%.¹ Other discounts include safe driver, good student and cars with anti-theft devices. If you drive less than 10,000 miles a year, you could qualify for a low mileage discount.

Tip #3: Shop Around
Auto insurance is a highly competitive business and it’s to your benefit to shop around every six months. Simply comparing quotes could save you hundreds of dollars a year.² Through Primerica Secure™, Primerica’s auto and homeowner’s insurance referral program, the average client saves as much as $478 annually!³ Primerica Secure does the shopping for you, and presents you with multiple options so you can make the best choice for your needs and budget.

To get started, or for more information, contact your local Primerica representative!

1 Kiplinger’s, September 2009
2 The Wall Street Journal, October 7, 2009
3 The average savings amount is based on a survey of insurance premium information provided by 567 purchasers of insurance from Answer Financial between January 1, 2009, and March 31, 2009.

Primerica’s IPO continues to make big news – this time on the local scene. The July 9, 2010 edition of the Atlanta Business Chronicle featured an in-depth profile of Primerica and our co‑CEOs, John Addison and Rick Williams!

The lengthy article celebrates Primerica’s independence and our upcoming June 2011 Convention, to be held at the Georgia World Congress Center.

Check out the article and see what all the buzz is about!

(http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2010/07/12/story1.html?b=1278907200^3618611)

The Primerica Home Office wrapped up its summer Stamp Out Hunger food drive, benefiting the Lilburn Cooperative with a total of 4,500 items collected.

Field Technology gathered the most items by far – bringing in 1,914, or 44 items per person.

Stamp Out Hunger is a nationwide effort to provide food to local food banks, which experience challenges during the summer months due to lower donations. If you want to help those in need right now in Gwinnett County, Lilburn, Stone Mountain and parts of Tucker, the Lilburn coop is a great community resource.

If you would like to support a food bank in another area, visit http://feedingamerica.org for US food banks and http://foodbankscanada.ca/main.cfm for those in Canada.

Atlanta city leaders, reporters from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Atlanta Business Chronicle, the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB) and top Primerica, Inc. executives met on June 17, to celebrate the return of Atlanta’s largest corporate meeting: the biannual Primerica Convention.

Primerica announced the return of our Convention to Atlanta’s Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) and Georgia Dome, which will be held June 15-18, 2011. The Primerica Convention boasts more than 50,000 attendees and is expected to impact the local economy by generating more than $57.8 million.

“Signing for our 2011 Convention signifies a triumphant return as a Georgia-based public company,” enthused John A. Addison, chairman of Primerica Distribution, and co-CEO and Director of Primerica, to the gathered crowd. “Primerica’s representatives from all 50 states, Canada and Puerto Rico value this Convention as an investment in their businesses, and we are thrilled to be back and able to provide this opportunity for professional development.” Added chairman of the board and co-CEO D. Richard Williams, “By holding the event locally … we also support our hometown.”

ACVB President and CEO, William Pate, also expressed his excitement. “The conventions industry is an insurance policy for the city and the Primerica Convention plays a big role in Atlanta’s success.”

Primerica began holding its Convention in Atlanta in 1993. The event is so large it utilizes three wings of the GWCC, encompassing 1.4 million square feet of exhibition space. General sessions are hosted in the Georgia Dome in effort to accommodate Primerica’s thousands of attendees.

Read more about the 2011 Primerica Convention on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and via the Atlanta Business Chronicle.

Freedom is what Bill and Sarah Stewart, of Lubbock, Texas, were looking for when they were introduced to Primerica in 1978. “Back then, I was a youth minister,” remembers Bill, “and I just loved my work – helping young folks and making sure that they had positive role models and experiences before heading out into the world. But, as important as my work was to me, I needed to provide for my young family’s quality of life.

“When we came across Primerica, Sarah and I saw how we could earn a great living, help others and have the freedom to make our own decisions about our lives. We could envision how growing our business would give us the freedom to do what we wanted and in our own time.”

One project that is near and dear to Bill and Sarah is the Emmanuel Orphanage in Kota, India. Bill and Sarah were so impressed with the work they witnessed on a visit to the orphanage that they funded construction of a new building.

“Seeing what the folks who run that orphanage do to transform the lives of the children in their care – it’s very moving,” says Bill. “These are children for whom society doesn’t have any room. They would just be thrown away to live short, desperate lives on the streets were it not for the good people at the school.”

“It was really rewarding to be able to do something like that – and it’s certainly not something we could have done if we had not started and built our Primerica business all those years ago.”

Most Americans don’t have wills. If you’re among this majority, it may not concern you that the state could wind up distributing your possessions and financial assets. But what about life and death decisions? If you don’t want a stranger making those choices for you, Primerica encourages you to obtain these three legal documents.

1. Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care. Also known as an advance directive or health care proxy, this lets you identify who will make medical decisions for you if you cannot.

2. Durable Power of Attorney for Finances. This designates who will handle money decisions for you.

3. Living Will. This tells doctors (and your family) exactly what type of care you do or do not want to receive if you are terminally ill and incapacitated. (Some states combine #1 and #3 into one form).

Don’t leave such important matters to someone you don’t know. Attorneys will charge you $300-$500 to draw up these documents.* For a subscription fee of as little as $25 per month (in most areas) you can have access to top rated attorneys through the Primerica Legal Protection Program. One of the features of this coverage that is free is will preparation. Plus, document (like Power of Attorney) preparation is just $20 each for covered members.** How’s that for peace of mind?

Talk to your Primerica representative today and put these key safeguards in place to protect yourself and your family.

*MSNMoney.com, viewed July 20, 2009
**Limitations and exclusions may apply. Please review the plan for information regarding benefits limitations and exclusions.

He’s smart, charismatic and was born to play in the “big leagues.” She’s smart, beautiful and a partner with her head in the game. Meet Collis and Britney Temple — just two of many young Primerica entrepreneurs who believe they can have it all — and are proving they’re in it to win it.

“I didn’t want to get a ‘job’ and I never wanted to work for someone else,” Collis says. “My parents have always been entrepreneurs. They set a great example for me.”

Collis, a 30-year-old from Baton Rouge, LA, is a born competitor. He graduated from Louisiana State University in three years, and was already working toward a Ph.D. He was a star player on LSU’s winning basketball team and had a bright future ahead of him in the NBA playing for the Detroit Pistons before a pre-season injury changed the course of his future.

For most people, the loss of a pro basketball career would be devastating … unless you had the true mind of a champion like Collis. He rebounded — in a very big way. He joined Primerica and made the decision to become an entrepreneur.

Collis saw that with Primerica, he’d still have the opportunity to live the lifestyle he’d always dreamed about and could still tap into his competitive spirit and be a winner. “I knew immediately that Primerica was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” he says.

With the same work ethic and focus that kept him on top in class and in sports, Collis’ fierce competitive spirit rose to the forefront. He built a successful Primerica business and was living his new dream.

A couple of years later, he met his match: Britney. “Britney owned a modeling agency and had moved back to Baton Rouge from Chicago to establish her business,” recalls Collis. Once she learned more about Collis and his Primerica business, Britney didn’t hesitate to join the business.

“Learning about Primerica was surreal,” says Britney. “I graduated from college with a degree in finance and had interned at a big finance company. I wanted to study finance because I grew up with a single mother who struggled financially to raise two kids.

“I wanted to learn about money and change my family’s legacy. I believe the company I interned for wouldn’t have anything to do with you unless you had a large amount of money to invest,” she remembers. “Primerica helps middle market families learn how to become financially independent. What they do for everyday families blew me away. I knew I wanted to be part of this.”

Being able to partner and grow a business together with Collis was another deciding factor in joining Primerica. “Partnership is everything,” Britney enthuses. “I’ve played competitive sports and worked in corporate America — both encouraged me not to work with someone but to work against them.

“Our business has grown because we work together,” she says. “It’s the key to success in any business but few companies actually realize and utilize partnership.”

Collis and Britney’s partnership has made them more successful and competitive than ever. They’ve aligned their goals and are on their way to fulfilling their dreams.

“The opportunity here is unlimited,” Collis says. “The younger you are, the more focused you can be. As long as you’re coachable, focused and put the effort in, you can collapse timeframes and realize success much sooner than you ever could in the corporate world.”

If you need help kicking the credit habit, try paying with cash. New studies show those who pay with cash:

Spend less. Those who pay with credit – and even debit – buy more things, pay a higher price for them (sometimes twice as much) and are less aware of how much they’ve spent than those who pay with cash.*

Learn positive habits. For example, learn how to save for items you want versus charging them and impulse buying.

Gain leverage. Storeowners will often shave huge percentages off big-ticket items for customers who pay with cash.

Become wealthier. Since there’s no postponing the payment, you learn to truly budget and live within your means. And those who plan and budget are almost 40% wealthier than those who don’t.**

*Money, July 2008
**SmartMoney, September 2008

If you start with a $500 balance on your credit card at 19.8% interest, then each year make two additional charges of $75 each, and pay only the minimum monthly payment of 3.5% of the balance or $20, whichever is greater, after 25 years the interest charges amount to $3,121.

After 25 years, you still have a balance of $624!

Disco hits played this past March 5 as Primerica Home Office employees joined the American Cancer Society’s Linda Story to kick off two months of fundraising for the Relay For Life of Gwinnett County with a balloon release.  What started as one man’s marathon effort in 1985 – when Dr. Gordy Klatt, of Tacoma, WA, walked around a track for 24 hours to raise money for ACS – has grown into to the world’s largest fundraising movement to fight cancer with 5,000 communities in 19 countries taking part.

You can buy luminaria to honor friends and loved ones who have died from cancer or are living with cancer, right here at the Gwinnett ACS Relay for Life site. Better yet, join us at the Luminary Ceremony on May 7 at the Gwinnett Fairgrounds! If you’re not in the Atlanta area, find out about an event near you by visiting the Relay for Life site.

The Primerica team of employees has been recognized as an All Star team each year for its very high level of fundraising. In 2006 Primerica was recognized as one of the Top 10 teams in United States for its efforts that year — which is no small feat given that there are over 200,000 Relay Teams across the country.

Primerica and its employees have given a total of $432,787 over the last five years! That’s what the ACS terms “Diamond Level” among fundraising teams — and what Primericans call an honor and a privilege.

“Primerica employees have driven cancer patients to treatment, served on boards and committees, asked for donations in many creative ways and always with a willing heart. We, the American Cancer Society, can not ask for a better partner,” says American Cancer Society Area Executive Director, Randy Redner.