Insurance is a form of risk management

Wednesday 14 March 2012

Understanding The Minefield of Car Insurance

Looking for a car, be it a brand new model or a pre-loved car with one or more previous owners, you do compare the many features of the vehicle. Yet when insuring your car, many times this is the last thing you would think of doing. Yes, you make sure you ask what is the cost of insuring the particular car you are about to buy. The savings on premiums offered for low-cost policies could also influence you.

Yet, you could be paying more in the long term.

When You Are Liable

How these low cost insurance policies work is, that they have low liability limits, some could be as low as $25,000, this could mean if you are involved in an accident and are liable then you could be responsible for paying for the other person, the hospital and medical expenses, loss of income and other damages. $25.000 doesn't go far these days so the amount over and above you would be personally responsible for.

Always make sure you have enough cover with your car insurance policy. Read your policy carefully and when you are not understanding something or are not sure, get advice from someone who does know.

Choosing Your Insurance Agent or Insurance Sales Representatives.

Choosing an insurance agent has its advantages. Assessing your needs is part of what the insurance agent will do and will also look into your risk profile so they have a good understanding of your insurance requirements and your car insurance coverage.

Don't get an insurance agent and an insurance sales representative confused. An insurance representative works for a particular insurance company, so they will be recommending that insurance company's policies. Whereas an insurance agent works independently and will source out the best car insurance policy from all the insurance companies, the one that will best fit your needs.

There are a some things you will want to discuss with your insurance agent for your car insurance and these are:

What you feel about asset protection and insurance

What you expect if you need to make a claim

Your assets and your net worth

Your Car Needs Replacing After An Accident

This is an important area of car insurance. Many car insurance policies pay for total losses on the cash value of your car and not the replacement cost. Depending on the age of your car, you could be at a loss of quite some dollars, as you will have to come up with the difference if you wish to have the same car.

The age of your vehicle will determine the outcome of this clause in your car insurance policy. Many car insurance companies will cover full replacement if you car is bought brand new. They will do this for a specified time and then you should make sure you have a full understanding of what happens after that time. Often companies will do the full replacement for a year, there will also be special offers for special car promos.

If you see that teensy, weensy print at the bottom of an advert "Conditions Apply", make sure you determine exactly what the 'conditions' are.

The insurance policies that pay, after total loss during the first twelve months, the total purchase price plus all costs, will each year after, lock in the car valuation as set by the industry's standard 'retail' Blue Book.

Look After The Little things

You can find what is covered or not covered with your low-cost car insurance policy by reading the fine print. When you first sign your policy, these items may not seem so important. Many things with any insurance policy seem fine until you need to make a claim. This is where the so called savings will be eaten away. The savings of the low premiums you have been enjoying when you need to claim because of an accident, the costs start to come in.

If you are saving on your car insurance policy premiums, you may find you are required to use a certain repairer as nominated by your car insurance company, you will need to comply or pay for them yourself. Other policies may cost you more in premiums but could have a clause that enables you to have your own repairer without any penalty as far as the cost to you goes.

There is an area often overlooked with car insurance policies and that is your personal items that are in your car at the time of an accident. These items will also need to be replaced if your car is a total write-off.

How To Choose Your Car Insurance Coverage?

Take a look at the declaration page of your policy to find out your coverage. If you are unsure what it all means, then ask advice from an independent insurance agent, this is the one that doesn't work for any car insurance company and will have your needs as his client, as the first priority.

It is the legal responsibility of the independent insurance agent to provide the proper coverage for their clients.

For you to understand an insurance policy be it a car insurance policy or a house contents insurance policy is very important, so make sure you get everything explained to you.

Universal Term Life Insurance Guide 101

Universal term life insurance is a combo of term life insurance and universal life insurance. It is a kind of term life insurance. Term life insurance is insurance for a specific term period for instance from 5-30 years. Term life insurance is meant for people who have a financial liability such as a house t be insured. Term life insurance policy is of three kinds- universal term life insurance, one-year renewable term insurance policy and adjustable term life insurance.

Universal Term Life Insurance is a novel and refreshing concept in the cash-value insurance contract. It is deemed that in comparison to other cash-value insurance policies, the universal term life insurance policy provides more transparency and flexibility.

Talking abut universal life insurance first we find that this insurance that is a type of permanent life insurance offering the low-cost protection of term life insurance and savings element that gets invested to build a cash build up; is also a transparent and beneficial insurance scheme. In the context of life insurance policies, the term 'transparency' means that the policy is unbundled, or broken down into savings, expense and protection components. For instance after the life insurance company receives a premium from the policy owner, it calculates a charge for expenses and adds it to the rest of the cash value policy. After this the life insurance company pays for the mortality charge, any additional charge, out of the cash value of the policy that pays for the protection of the life insurance policy. The amount so taken out also combines interest to the remaining cash value. In toto this policy acts as your savings account as well as a one-year renewable term account.

The transparency of the universal term life insurance is also reflected by the fact that the amount the premium payer invests into the policy is recycled into various features of the policy. This is of great benefit to the owner and even to the company indirectly.

The flexibility of universal term life insurance is about the premium and death benefit. The policy is quite adaptable in the sense that the policy owner can increase as well as decrease the premium at his discretion but in accordance with the concerned life insurance company. For instance changing the death benefit can affect the rate of growth of the cash value. So in case the death benefit increases unexpectedly, the life insurance company intervenes to ask the insurer to qualify again for the universal insurance on the grounds of evidence of insurability. Thus in order to avoid this re-qualification due to health and job related issues; you should not make any sudden ad significant increases in the death benefit of your policy.

However prior to purchasing a universal term life insurance make sure that you have in hand a written contract or agreement that delineates the manner in which the policy takes up the federal income taxes. This is mainly due to the fact that sometimes under prevailing tax laws, when it comes to federal income taxes the death benefit can be disqualified as being term life insurance. As a result the beneficiary bears the brunt by paying hefty taxes on the death benefit after the death of the insurer.

Mansi Aggarwal recommends that you visit Universal Term Life Insurance [http://www.lifeinsurancelowdown.com/universal_term_life/index.html] for more information.

Trying To Decide If You Should Get Pet Insurance?

Trying to decide if you should get insurance on your pet? Even if you haven't had a run-in involving your late pet, pet insurance has probably crossed your mind. If so, do you have pet insurance? If not, you may well want to read on if you want to save yourself thousands of dollars.

With pet accident and illness insurance you get full coverage insurance; namely, your insurance company will agree to pay for all the costs and expenses incurred as a result of your family pet having suffered any illness or accident. Then, in the unfortunate instance that your pet is missing and never recovered, the insurance company will pay a percentage for the value of your dog, provided that the animal has been missing for 30 to 90 days. Depending on the vip pet insurance policy.

When purchasing pet insurance online or requesting a quote, you will have to fill out a form that asks for standard information such as the breed of your pet, etc. It depends on the age and breed of your dog, but you can find pet insurance premiums as low as $10-$15 per month. Insurance premiums are affected by the age, health and breed of your pet, as well as the type of animal.

On the other hand, if you have special breed dogs that pose no threat, then you may want to consider a different type of pet insurance. At the end of the day, however, having pet insurance is like having any other type if insurance. Pet insurance is like other forms of insurance and has the general liability, bodily injury, and property damage.

There are various types of pet insurance available, including third party liability coverage, which will protect you if you pet harms, destroys property, causes an accident, and so forth. There are various levels of pet insurance to choose from, including Senior and Standard Pet Coverage plans. In addition, pet insurance plans also allow you to choose the veterinarian you would like your dog to see.

As with human health care insurance, pet insurance pays the health care provider, in this case the veterinarian, according to a schedule worked out by the insurance company. You might have wondered why people have health insurance and most pets don't, when the medical costs seem practically the same! And yet, navigating through the underbrush of fine print involved in pet insurance may have put you off. Is it worth the money?

Included in many vpi pet insurance policies are the covering costs of advertising in your area and local newspapers for your lost pets safe return. With the rising costs of pet healthcare and with the extremes that many of us would go to for our pets, pet insurance is becoming very popular with pet owners. To prepare for such an occurrence, many owners are taking out insurance for their pet, to offset any costs that may be incurred and to ensure their pet gets the best treatment.

Most pet insurance policies carry an excess which means that you have to pay a small amount towards the cost of any treatment claimed for under the policy. If an insurance policy doesn't seem like the answer for you and your pet, there are other options, which should be discussed with your veterinarian. Absolutely free non committal pet insurance quotes are there to assist you in finding the best deals, and applications are very user friendly for your convenience.

One thing you do need to keep in mind when arranging your family pet insurance is the excess amount. Also, make sure you shop around, there are loads of different pet insurance policies available and you can half the cost if you do your homework. Brokers Online provide you with a huge amount of information on pet insurance and cheap life insurance.

The cost of these different pet care pet insurance plans ranges from $99 to $200 for every policy term year depending on the type of policy. Moreover, as with human travel insurance policies, pet travel insurance can be purchased either as annual policy or as a one-off travel policy.

Pet insurance covers all kinds of emergencies, injuries and illnesses, as well as visits to the vet's office, prescription fees, tests to diagnose ailments, x-rays, etc. Pet insurance plan can give you peace of mind as it takes away all the financial tensions that come first to our mind, when our pets get ill.

Michelle Johnson is known for her knowledge about dogs. For more great articles visit her blog at http://rustydogblog.blogspot.com

Tips for Reducing Your Home Owners Insurance Rates that are Quick and Easy

Your home will likely be the largest investment you ever make, so it is critical that you keep this investment safe. This is where home owners insurance comes into play. You will be glad you are properly insured especially in the event of some sort of loss such as a fire or home burglary. When compare to auto insurance or health insurance, home owner insurance is relatively cheap but worth every penny. There are some very important aspects of insurance you need to know. There are tips to reduce your insurance costs, where to get home insurance and ways to decrease your insurance rate.

You are now ready to buy that new home you have saved for over the past several years. Many people wonder if they can actually own a home without home owners insurance. The answer is yes and no. If you have a mortgage on your home, the lender will likely require you to carry homeowners insurance so that they are protected in the event the home is destroyed. If you own your home outright, no one will insist you have home insurance coverage, we do however recommend that you maintain coverage so that you don't lose everything you have worked so hard for.

Why you need home owners insurance:

Homeowners insurance is the safety net you require to protect your family against the loss of your home and your belonging. With the proper insurance policy, you will be covered for damage to your property as well as liability in the event you or your family injures or damages someone or their property.

When talking to your insurance agent, ensure your home or mobile home insurance policy covers the structure of your home, personal belongings, liability protection and living expenses should your ever have to live away from your home because of fire or other damage.

Shopping for home insurance:

Home owners insurance is available from local insurance agents in your community as well as insurance companies that sell coverage over the internet. You can often request a free online home insurance quote. Other excellent resources include your friends and family who are happy with their current home insurance provider. You can also find an extensive list of companies in your local yellow pages.

Home insurance rates:

The rate you will pay for your homeowners insurance will largely depend on the following:

o Size of your home and additional buildings such as garages or guest houses

o Nearest fire hydrant and fire station

o Actual building costs in your community

o Crime rate in your neighborhood

o Occurrence of natural disasters including hurricanes, tornados and hail storms

o Home's construction materials and unique features

o Age and condition for plumbing, electrical and heating systems

An agent will be able to give you an accurate home insurance quote based on the factors above. To help them, have this information readily available.

Tips for reducing your home insurance rates from 5% - 25%:

1. Homeowners insurance is a competitive business so be prepared to shop around to save money on your rates.

2. Raising your deductible from $500 to $1,000 can save you as much as 25% on your premium. The higher the deductible, the lower your rate. We recommend a deductible no smaller than $500 to start with.

3. Use the same insurance company for all your insurance requirements including auto insurance, boat insurance, home insurance and travel insurance. This alone can reduce your rates by 5%-15%.

4. Securing your home with smoke detectors, security alarm systems and dead bolts can drastically reduce your home insurance rates.

5. Stay with the same insurance company long term. This will definitely help when you asked for any other discounts they are offering.

We hope that this information will help you when shopping to insure your most valuable asset, your home.

Amy-Jo Strutt is an expert author and regular contributor to [http://www.insuranceprotectioncoverage.com/home-owers-insurance.html] To find out a about all your insurance needs, check out [http://www.insuranceprotectioncoverage.com/index.html]

The Importance of Life Insurance Agents

The main job of a life insurance agent is to guide potential buyers through the process of buying a life insurance policy. This professional is responsible for giving buyers information about the different products and services available with the company and the same is also responsible for the sale of the insurance policies of the company besides guiding policyholders at the time of the claim settlement. Experienced insurance agents are given the task of taking care of the applications whereas new insurance agents are given the task of sales of the insurance policies.

The job of the insurance brokers is to help the policy buyers to get the best policy which will best suit their needs financially and also take care of their beneficiaries. Also, insurance agents act like personal finance advisors to serve the purpose.

Policy buyers are usually confused as to which provider and policy they should go for. Insurance agents or brokers play an important role here by guiding them and helping them to choose the best option possible which will suit their financial needs. Insurance agents are the source that acts as mediators between insurance providers and policy buyers. This gives a better picture of the role of the insurance agents that they play in the whole process of buying an insurance policy.

The process starts as the insurance agents get requirements from policy buyers and business clients to find out what will suit their needs, check out all the insurance policies available in the market at the time and then decide what amount of insurance cover would suit them the best. The job of an insurance agent includes collecting premium, processing accounts, renewing policies, negotiating with the insurance providers to get the best possible rates, etc.

Some other work done by insurance brokers include giving information to policy buyers at the time of settlement of claims, making records and reports for insurance underwriters, correspondence and data processing. All these tasks are also performed by insurance agents.

There are discounts provided by many insurance providers. Also, there is an option for tie-up with other policies. This is done in order to lure people to buy policies from the insurance providers. Like, u can get a Motor insurance or Health insurance with a Life insurance policy at affordable costs. Therefore, many insurance brokers have information about different areas of policies which they might need to sell along with the one they specialize in. But there are many agents who work individually and should provide unbiased advice to the potential policy buyers.

The basic entry to become an insurance broker starts with being an insurance technician, trainee broker or a junior accountant. After getting good experience and qualification, you can go up to the position of an insurance agent.

There are different qualifications required by different companies to become insurance agents. But the entry level in the field of insurance is usually through some training programs or apprenticeship programs offered by many insurance companies. People from Math or Management background should join big insurance companies. To get good jobs in this field, an additional advantage would be experience in the field of sales, financial customer service or office work.

Denny is a Top Insurance Traffic Producer in the US. He drives traffic to top insurance carriers across the country. If you need any type of insurance or would like a free quote then get your Free Online Insurance Quote Today and check out our national insurance leaders Get Yours Now

The Secrets of Cheaper Car Insurance

Wouldn't you love to get your car insurance at bargain rates? There are proven ways to cut your insurance premiums and, whilst most of them are no secret, many of us neglect to put them into practice. You just have to know what to do and where to go and your premiums could tumble.

Cutting the cost of your car insurance is more important than ever these days. According to the AA's British Insurance Premium Index, the average annual comprehensive car insurance premium is running about £822 annually. That's it's highest rate ever. But you can cut your car insurance premium in half if you shop around carefully and pay attention to a few little factors that can raise or lower your car insurance costs.

1. Shop around.

Shopping around is the key to getting the best possible rate on your car insurance. Whether you're buying cover for the first time or renewing your existing policy, you should check insurance comparison sites to find the best possible deals. Ask for quotes from a number of different insurance providers - but be sure that you check the same options with each provider so that you are comparing like with like.

2. Get quotes from an insurance broker.

Insurance brokers represent many different insurers, so when you work through a broker, you can check prices from a range of insurers at the same time. Do keep in mind, though, that your insurance broker has an agenda as well - and will only tell you about the insurance providers that he or she represents.

3. Buy directly from the insurer.

When you cut out the middleman, you'll save because there's one less cut to be taken out of the pie. One way to benefit from both the variety offered by an insurance broker is to check quotes through a broker and then get a direct quote from the insurer's web site.

4. Check multiple quotes through an insurance comparison site.

There are two kinds of insurance comparison sites. One is a broker site, where many insurers are represented and the web site owner gets a commission for each referral to an insurance company. The other type is the independent price comparison search engine which offers honest comparisons and reviews. You can apply for quotes online both through the broker site and at the insurer's own web site and decide which offers you the best deal.

5. Get quotes for no-frills and internet-only car insurance

If you want comprehensive car insurance but are not bothered about all of the optional extras included in many policies, you could save money with simple, no-frills cover. These offer all the comprehensive cover basics to keep you on the road but cut out some of the options many drivers never use to save you money. You could also cut your premiums by using internet-only insurers who keep their overheads low by only selling and administering their policies online. They claim that these savings are passed onto the customer in lower premiums. Again, the key is to shop around and confirm these claims for yourself.

6. Buy your insurance online - but not before double-checking your quote on the phone or in person.

Buying online will typically save you 10% to 20% on your premium, but it's not a hard and fast rule. Be sure to check with the insurer directly as well though.

Shopping around can really pay off but, keep in mind that there are other things you can do to cut your premiums as well. The top five tips for reducing your car insurance premium in addition to shopping around for the best deal are:

Reduce the number of miles you drive annually.

Add your partner to your policy.

Avoid making claims for small accidents.

Pay for your insurance annually.

Take an advanced driving course.

For more tips on beating your motor insurance renewal premium plus customer reviews of budget policies such as Simple Cover from Norwich Union and internet only insurers like Swiftcover car insurance, visit http://www.uk-insurance-index.co.uk