There is nothing that makes your wallet squeal louder today than pulling into the gas station and dropping $50. Gasoline prices have risen more than 12 percent over the past 12 months, and some experts are predicting they'll reach $5 per gallon in the next six months.

The average household now spends $50 per month more on gasoline than last year, notes financial planner Rick Rodgers, author of The New Three-Legged Stool: A Tax Efficient Approach To Retirement Planning (www.TheNewThreeLeggedStool.com).

"But that's not the whole picture," Rodgers says. "Higher fuel prices affect a lot of other expenses in the family budget, from heating to food. The government estimates the average household is spending $150 per month more this year because of higher oil prices."

You can try to ease the pain at the pump by using your car less, but you should also look for other places to offset that extra $150. Car insurance is a good place to start.
According to the Insurance Information Institute, the national average auto insurance premium is $850 per year. Can you reduce that? Rodgers says you probably can. He offers six ways:

• Shop around regularly. Your insurance agent doesn't have a lot of incentive to reduce your premiums.  I recently met a consumer who told me he had been with the same agent for 15 years. After he shopped his insurance with another agent, he saved $1,600 on his premiums for all his coverage. The internet makes it easy compare costs for the same coverage, or you can get an independent insurance agent to shop for you. Contact the Independent Agents Association at (800) 221-7917. (Be sure the company you go with has a good credit rating and claims-paying history.)

• Bundle your coverage. Bundling is combining different types of policies (auto, homeowners, liability, etc.) with the same company. The theory is that the company will discount the premiums if they have all of your business. The most common combination is packaging your auto insurance and homeowner's policies together.  Or, find companies that will bundle auto insurance with renter's or tenant's insurance.  Bundled packages usually result in a 10 to 15 percent savings.

• Ask for discounts. You may qualify for discounts, but you won't know until you ask. They're commonly offered for good driving records, anti-theft devices, vehicle safety features (anti-lock brakes, air bags, automatic seatbelts), low annual mileage and insuring more than one car. The spunky Flo from Progressive claims discounts are also available for buying your policy online, paying in full up front, and being a loyal customer.

• Take a defensive driving class. Even if you've been driving for years, you can learn a lot from driver education and most insurance companies recognize the value of a refresher course, which can help you avoid accidents. The amount of discount varies by insurance company and from state to state, although most insurers offer a 10 percent discount on your premium for three years.  AARP offers a driver safety program for those over age 50, and it's available online.

• Increase your deductible. Do your auto and homeowners policies have low deductibles?  If so, you may be able to reduce your premiums 15 to 30 percent by raising the deductible on your collision and comprehensive coverage.  Make sure you have an emergency fund set aside to cover the cost of repairs before you make the change. But your homeowners policy may be the first place to consider raising the deductible, since statistics show the average homeowner files a claim only once every nine years. Be sure to check with your mortgage holder first; some specify maximums.

• Change Cars. This is probably the most difficult savings tip to implement but may have the largest impact on your premium.  Used cars are cheaper to insure than new ones (excluding antiques); sports cars are more expensive to insure than minivans. Insurance companies like cars with safety features and low repair costs.  Insure.com surveyed 900 vehicles in the 2012 model year and lists the rankings from the most expensive to least expensive on their website.  Six of the 10 cheapest were minivans.

About Rick Rodgers

Certified Financial Planner Rick Rodgers is president of Rodgers & Associates, "The Retirement Specialists," in Lancaster, Pa. He's a Certified Retirement Counselor and member of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisers. Rodgers has been featured on national radio and TV shows, including "FOX Business News" and "The 700 Club," and is available to speak at conferences and corporate events (www.rodgersspeaks.com).

Washington, D.C. - At a House Education and Workforce Committee hearing today, Congressman Dave Loebsack, and both Republican and Democratic witnesses, stressed the importance of incorporating his SECTORS Act or sector strategies into the majority's Workforce Investment Act (WIA) reauthorization that the Committee Majority is currently moving forward. Last month, legislation introduced by the minority included Loebsack's language to retool and streamline our workforce development programs to train workers for specialized fields by bringing together key players in our communities.  The Majority bill includes some support for sector strategies but needs significant improvements, which is why Loebsack urged them to work in a bipartisan fashion on improvements moving forward.

"Every weekend when I am back in Iowa, I speak with employers about the importance of this approach to grow our economy now and in the future," said Loebsack.  "We need to better organize training and education by bringing together all the critical people in the community, higher education, and management to determine how to save and create new industries and streamline the workforce system to get people the training they need to secure good jobs and the skills employers want."

Making Adoption Affordable Act will increase tax credit for families looking to adopt

Washington, DC - On the deadline for taxpayers to file their federal income tax returns, Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) introduced a bill to renew and expand a tax credit for families that choose to adopt children.

The Making Adoption Affordable Act will permanently expand the federal adoption tax credit to $13,360 and make it refundable -- allowing more families to take full advantage of it.  Unless Congress acts, the current adoption tax credit of $12,360 will expire at the end of the year.

"Deciding to adopt a child is one of the most compassionate decisions a couple can make," Braley said.  "Unfortunately, it also carries with it significant financial costs.

"Renewing and expanding the adoption tax credit will help remove a barrier to more families deciding to adopt.    It's a small investment that provides a big return: getting more children into loving homes and out of the costly foster care system.

"When a policy puts more kids in loving homes and also saves taxpayers millions of dollars in the process, expanding it should be a bipartisan no-brainer."

The federal government partners with states to care for orphaned children.  Adoption is preferable to foster care not only because it results in better outcomes for children, but because it is far less costly for taxpayers.  As of 2010, foster care costs to taxpayers averaged $47,000 per child, per year.

The adoption tax credit is a proven incentive to promote adoptions.  Before its last expansion in 1998, the tax credit was claimed after only 50,400 adoptions.  After expansion, in 2004, the tax credit was claimed in nearly 87,000 adoptions, representing a nearly 50 percent increase.

Last week, Braley traveled across eastern Iowa to discuss his effort to renew and expand the adoption tax credit with Jonathan and Kayla Craig of Des Moines, who claimed the tax credit after adopting their son Joseph last year.

A copy of the Making Adoption Affordable Act can be downloaded at the following link: http://go.usa.gov/yxQ

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Parents and educators are always trying to spark student participation whether it's in the classroom, in the local community, or throughout the world.

When middle-school students at Allison Academy in North Miami Beach were asked what they could do to improve their country, they focused on what they understood - bullying, violence and racism.

Those problems are all rooted in the same issues, says Rachel Albert, author of "Quest to Telos," (www.QuestToTelos.com), a young adult novel where fantasy meets reality and even world peace is possible.

"They stem from a lack of personal integrity and absence of social responsibility," she says.

"Children who choose to put those values into practice are actively working toward peace. But they can only put into practice what they've learned; instilling those values may seem simple, but many parents miss the mark and actually model the opposite."

Throwing money at social problems like racism or violence doesn't resolve them, Albert says. But children can.

"The energy from kids' excitement can make a real difference and we need their energy focused right here at home," says the mother of four. "They see problems; it's up to us to give them the tools to address them."

The following tips can help parents teach their children personal integrity and social responsibility, giving them the keys to world peace.

• Never lie in front of your kids. It may seem obvious, but many parents lie in front of their children or encourage them to lie; misstating a child's age to save money on movie tickets or allowing them to take credit for school projects completed by the parent.  These seemingly inconsequential lies suggest it's OK, even good, to distort the truth. This causes long-term damage a million times more costly than whatever was gained in the short term.

• Give your kids a reason why. Author Mark Twain once said that the two most important days of your life are the day you are born and the day you figure out why.  If you fail to tell your kids why we are here, you have missed the opportunity to
figure out what motivates them and gets them excited. This is the most important key to getting kids' cooperation and empowering them to help the world.

• Don't criticize your children. Criticism is toxic, so why do almost all parents criticize their kids?  When we focus on what they aren't, they believe they can't. This creates angry children who express their pain by bullying others.  It's better to tell them how you feel rather than what you think of them, e.g., "I feel frustrated that you didn't listen to me," or "Can you say that in a more loving way?"

• Don't speak badly about other people. This is probably one of the hardest things to do, considering we're a generation that pays for gossip.  Speaking badly about others teaches kids to look for what they view as the negative in others and take joy in sharing it.

• Model charity. Actions speak louder than any words. When you teach kindness to children, they tend to feel empathy and have more successful lives, a crucial step toward achieving world peace.

Once we tackle the issues plaguing America, then as a model nation, we will be ready to tackle world peace, Albert says. Kids are hungry to form an identity and make their mark on the world. It's easier to try to bring peace to another country, but that never works. We need to start at home.

About Rachel Albert

Rachel Albert is a certified court reporter and business owner. "Quest to Telos" is her debut novel; it's being used by a private school to develop an inspirational, critical-thinking curriculum for middle-school students ready by the summer. Albert is currently working on a sequel. She is a staunch advocate of boosting teen literacy while inspiring kids to make a difference starting with their own hearts.