Posts Tagged ‘business;finance’

Recession’s Pressure on Life Insurance Coverage

Thursday, July 16th, 2009

Most people who have life insurance coverage know the importance of life insurance, it is the reason that they bought it in the first place. Life insurance in its purest form is basically cash benefit redemption upon the death of the insured person. The problem is that over the years the premium payment that you have to do every month or year can be quite tiresome, some even learning to resent them as they drain much needed cash from us every month.

The resentment and emotional distress about the constant premium payments are actually made worst in recessionary times. This is because most realize that money isn’t as easy to come by anymore and that they should actually take steps to start reducing their expenditures in the face of possibly losing income or having your income reduced in the future. It is almost always at this stage that families start to look at the different expenses that they have and look at ways at reducing them. More often than not, they would seriously consider dropping their life insurance coverage to save a few bucks.

It is however in our view that life insurance coverage should be one of the last things that you consider dropping just to save a few dollars. The “cost” of you dropping your coverage means you are foregoing many hundreds of thousands of dollars at the end of your life to help the rest of your family. It is easy to forget why you opted to get life or term insurance to begin with, but if you weight up all your expenses versus the benefits that easy gets you, you will actually find that dropping your coverage is a very bad idea indeed.

In valuing life insurance, you can’t look at it at the individual’s standpoint. You have to value it by looking at it from the family’s perspective. You have to ask yourself the question, will my family be financially O.K if you’re no longer in the picture; Most of the time the answer will be no. If that is the case then you know that your life insurance coverage is of vital importance. You simply can’t afford not to have life insurance coverage and leave your family in that situation if you die.

Another problem of how life insurance is judged is in terms of its scale and period. This is especially true when you contrast it against the recession. A life insurance coverage plan is something that you invest in for your life; it is very long term proposition. The recession however is a much shorter term problem. If you decide to drop your life insurance coverage then you are reducing your long term benefit for a short term gain. This is again a very unwise thing to do.

Almost everyone has expenses that they don’t absolutely need that can be reduced or even eliminated without much discomfort or loss. If you look at the entire family then the number of expenses that can be reduced grows even larger. You can look at reducing things like the number of channels on your cable TV to save a few dollars here and there. You can bring the family to a cheaper restaurant every Sunday or you can even look at buying a cheaper whiskey for your nightcaps.

Life insurance is a very important part in keeping the risk to your family in check should you pass on. It is never a wise idea to end the life insurance coverage just to save a few dollars a month. There are so many other areas where you can cut back on and insurance especially for your family certainly isn’t one of them.

About the Author:

Can You Save Money by Comparing Insurance Quotes

Wednesday, July 15th, 2009

As we move further into the 21st century, our lives have become increasingly busy, and our free time keeps decreasing. With this decrease in free time, people are becoming increasingly careful of how they spend the free time that they do have. Because of this, people have begun looking for quick decisions and solutions for the details in their lives. However, some of these decisions should be given proper consideration before they are made; for instance, the detail of choosing an insurance policy. Quick, uninformed decisions about insurance policies can not only cost you more money in the long run, but also cause much frustration and loss of even more precious time in the future. One solution to this problem is to carefully compare insurance quotes. Comparing quotes allows you to make sure you are getting the policy that is right for you at the lowest price.

Choosing an insurance policy without comparing rates can be done for many reasons. Young adults may be under the impression that the company used by their parents is the best company out there. They may make the mistake of not looking for another company at all, instead signing a policy with their parent’s company right away. However, doing this could result in paying far more for a policy than is needed; money that they could easily save by comparing policies.

Some people believe that as a result of the global economy, there really isn’t much difference between different insurance companies. They wrongly think that almost every company offers the same benefits packed in the same way at a similar price. They think it isn’t worth their time to consider other companies. That may ultimately force them to pay for benefits they don’t use because they do not know what is available elsewhere.

The bottom line is, whatever the reason that people choose not to compare insurance quotes before purchasing a policy, the decision will more likely cost them money that they didn’t have to lose. Comparing insurance quotes is a process that is simple, and comparing insurance quotes before purchasing a policy can save people money, time, and frustration during the life of their policy.

Most of the doubts that people have when comparing insurance quotes is due to not understanding the process. It can be very intimidating to someone if they do not understand the process of comparing insurance quotes. This intimidation will cause hesitation, which might cause them to accept the first policy presented to them, just to circumvent having to compare the quotes.

The good news is that the process has gotten much easier. Insurance quote comparison sites offer its users the convenience of finding out lots of information from one place. Before those sites existed, if you wanted to get insurance quotes, you had to call each individual insurance company, get in touch with an agent, give him your information, and wait to hear back from him. This process could take weeks or months, depending on how many quotes you ask for, how easy it is to get in touch with an agent, and how quickly he responds to your inquiry. Keeping all of the quotes organized and in a form that it easy to compare would be quite difficult.

With the convenience of online insurance quote comparisons, you can access all the information in an easily comparable format, in one place. You only need to enter your details once, and within a short period of time you are presented with a number of policies to compare. This makes it exceedingly simple to compare companies and policies to one another, allowing you to save the most amount of money.

About the Author:

What To Do If You Are Accused Of Insurance Fraud

Wednesday, July 15th, 2009

Insurance fraud is a very costly problem for most insurance companies. Fraud is quite expensive for policy holders and for policy issuers, because there are so many ways for fraud to be committed. Thus, insurance companies devote numerous employees to finding insurance fraud and ensuring that offenders are brought to justice. While it may seem a bit intimidating to know that insurance companies constantly try to find crime, these efforts allow them to reduce their costs and the prices of their policies.

Insurance fraud is a crime, and there are many ways in which such fraud can be committed. These include home, car, personal injury, health, personal effects, and insurance fraud. The fraud can be perpetrated with false claims, forged documents, excessive amounts claimed, and in many other ways. If insurance companies can prove that they’ve been defrauded, then they will be repaid. The offenders will also be convicted of felony charges. Felony convictions will result in permanent damage to the careers of the people convicted, and they frequently result in time in prison.

After being accused of committing insurance fraud, it is important to first find out the details of the charges being made against you. This can be done by hiring an attorney to get the information or by getting the information yourself from the insurance company. Either way, it is important to maintain a professional tone as you gather the information.

There are pros and cons to both options. If you retain a lawyer, the insurance company might re-evaluate their case against you to decide if they will win their case in court. It shows them that you are serious about resolving the situation quickly. Retaining a lawyer costs a lot of money, however, and if the claim is just a misunderstanding, you might not need to do this.

You can also choose to handle the situation yourself. Obviously, this is a less expensive alternative; however, if the insurance company has a strong case against you, you may find that you are in over your head without the help of an attorney. Simple misunderstandings, ones that can be handled with the filing of some paperwork or a quick call to a doctor, are things that can be handled without legal help. If the situation quickly escalates, it may be wise to go ahead and hire an attorney.

If you were accused of committing a crime and reviewed the charges against you, decide whether or not the charges were reasonable. If you feel there was a misunderstanding of the charges brought against you, the first step would be to try to handle the situation on your own. Contact the party involved and go over the charges line by line, explaining your defense to the charges against you. Gather all relevant documents and files and if necessary contact all parties that could support your position.

It is better for the problem to be resolved as quickly as possible, especially if the issue can be taken care of outside of court. Handling things outside of court is the best way to avoid official charges being filed against you. However, if you feel the insurance company isn’t willing to negotiate or deal fairly with you, it is better to enlist the help of an attorney and take the matter to court.

About the Author:

Security Items That Directly Affect Your Car Insurance Quote

Tuesday, July 14th, 2009

While you shop around and compare many different car insurance companies to try and find the best possible rate you might want to take into consideration that there are many things affecting your rate. The make and model of vehicle you drive is one of the main items looked at by insurance companies. You should also expect that your age, driving record and what the vehicles use is will affect the premiums. What may surprise you is that a security device or an alarm system could greatly reduce your rates.

A good security device installed on your vehicle can save you hundreds of dollars on a full coverage car insurance policy. The most competitive rates are given to those individuals who have anti-theft devices installed on their cars to protect against theft.

The highest at risk for theft are owners of older style cars. Most older cars do not come equipped with anti-theft features; therefore they are a much easier target. This increases your policy price by a great deal. The easiest method for protecting your policy from increases in the policy price is to install a security device on to your car. Not only will you save hundreds on your policy, you will be less likely to have your car stolen.

If your car is equipped with a locating device you should expect to benefit from large discounts on your automobile insurance policy. Locating devices are easily installed and are not be visible on the car. In the case that the vehicle is stolen the locating device will let law officials locate the vehicle and in many cases not just retrieve the car but thieves as well. The locating device will transmit signals that show the location of the car. The location devices are designed to work where ever you are, even internationally. The location devices have been life savers for hostage, kidnap or car jack situations.

Thieves want the easiest steal; if your vehicle appears harder to break in to it will remain safer. A simple installation of a steering wheel boot or a column collar is usually enough to deter the thief. When installing a security device the insurance company will reward you with lower rates since the car is at a lower risk for theft.

Even if a GPS tracking system or steering wheel brake is installed on the car you should still equip it with an alarm system. Door locking systems are nothing for a seasoned thief so an alarm system that sounds whenever someone tries to enter the vehicle will decrease the vehicles chance of being stolen even further.

The insurance rates will be reduced according to how much protection you can offer against theft. Parking in parking lots that offer CCTV cameras are well lit greatly reduces your chances of having the car stolen or you being attacked. If you are parking while it is still daylight keeps in mind that you may not be returning to the vehicle until after dark.

Ensure all doors are locked and any security devices are in place before you leave the car. Never leave the car unlocked or keys inside.

About the Author:

What is an Insurance Claim?

Thursday, July 9th, 2009

Insurance claims are written records submitted by policy holders to an insurance company with which they have an active policy. This submission is made in the hopes of receiving monetary benefits. The claim serves as the application form for compensation under the terms of the policy, and must be filed by the policy holder before the insurance company will release funds to any medical facility, repair shop or eligible contracted service. Submission of an application is not a guarantee of approval; the insurance company will assess the situation before approving or denying the claim, and their decision is based on an independent investigation into whether the claim is meritorious and valid based on the terms of the claimant?s policy.

Those taking out policies for life, home, health, or vehicular insurance have to make payments, or premiums, regularly to the insurers. Usually such premiums are used for the purpose of settling others? insurance claims or for building up the insurer?s available assets. But sometimes accidents occur that cause true monetary damage, like car wrecks, tornadoes, or even accidents that are work-related. Then, the policy holder who is injured maintains the right to file a claim so that he or she will be able to obtain some money from the insurer.

It is standard practice for policy holders to file their claims with an agent at the local branch of their insurance company. It then becomes this representative?s responsibility to verify the details of the claim as well as work out the terms of any resulting benefits payments from the main insurer. Not all claimants deal with local agents, however. Frequently claim forms will be filed directly by an approved authority such as a medical professional, contractor or automobile repair shop, or the policy holder may even decide not to file an insurance claim at all. This usually occurs if the injury is negligible or another party has agreed to pay for the damage.

Once your insurance claim has been filed, the company generally schedules an adjustor to review the case. Basically, the adjustor will determine if the claim is reasonable and whether the estimates for repair are fair. The rationale for the adjustor is to avoid fraudulent claims whereby some companies may increase their bills based on the fact that the damage is covered by insurance. In most cases, the insurance company will accept the adjustor’s analysis of the situation as the final word.

Many factors come into play in determining the time period for approval or denial of a claim. One deciding factor is the date and time the claim is made by a policy holder, which has a significant effect on turnaround time. For instance if the claim is made after close of business on a Friday, the insurance company will not receive the claim for processing until they open again on the following Monday. Another factor that determines processing time is the type of evidence presented in support of the claim. If the claim is obvious and clear cut, a decision can be made on the spot. If the claim is more complicated or missing information, then it will take longer to process.

Not all insurance claims will be recognized by the insurance company. Claims may be rejected for many different reasons. For example, a claim may be rejected if the claimant has not paid their premiums in full, causing their policy to lapse and become inactive. Claims may also be denied if another insurance company covers the damages itemized in the claim. This is often the case with car accidents where the other party is found to be at fault. Another reason for rejection is that the type of accident or damage claimed does not fall under the type of incident covered by the policy. The majority of insurance policies have guidelines that clearly set out what type of damages will be covered. If the claim is made for an incident that resulted from negligence or a natural and inescapable ?Act of God?, then the insurance company is within its rights to withhold benefit payments.

The only way to request payment under the terms of a policy of insurance is to complete an official claim form. However, whilst the insurance company is reviewing the circumstances it stays as just a claim, and payment is not guaranteed.

About the Author:

Comparing Insurance Quote Considerations

Thursday, July 9th, 2009

It’s always a good idea to compare insurance quotes to help you to decide which policy is right for you. In fact, choosing an insurance policy without comparing quotes from different companies can leave you paying too much for a policy that doesn’t fit your needs. Sometimes, comparing insurance quotes can even bring to light benefits and coverage that you hadn’t previously considered but would benefit from having. The simple process of comparing insurance quotes is a great way to ensure that you get the type of policy with the level and types of benefits that you want at a reasonable rate.

As you start collecting insurance policy quotes so that you can compare them, there are several things to consider. Making sure that you give the right attention to these considerations will help you to sort through the many available policies to choose the one that works best for you. These considerations will also help you to make sure you’ve considered all options to choose the policy that fits your needs the best.

The first consideration you should make when you start to compare insurance quotes is the comparison between what the policies offer and what you actually need. If you start comparing policies that offer very little of what you need, you waste your time. Although the attractive premium cost might entice you, you will ultimately not be satisfied with a policy that meets few or even none of your needs. Make sure that the policies you choose to compare offer reasonably the same needs that you have; this is the way to make sure that you are considering policies that you will be happy with.

Secondly, you should consider exactly what benefits each insurance policy offers when you start comparing quotes. If you start to compare insurance policies with vastly different levels of benefits, your comparison will be greatly skewed. If one policy is bare-boned and the other offers lots of bells and whistles, the premiums are obviously going to be significantly different. More than that, it could lead to a lot of confusion and second-guessing. If you choose to compare insurance policies that offer the same or about the same level of benefits, you will get a more accurate picture of the differences in cost between the policies.

You can save yourself a lot of time and a lot of confusion by deciding exactly which benefits you want from your insurance policy. By deciding which benefits you want before you start looking at quotes, you can more accurately and fairly evaluate the quotes you have. It will also save you from waffling while in the midst of looking at quotes. If you choose your benefits before looking at the quotes, you will save yourself time and the aggravation of going back and forth on the debate of the policies’ differences in benefits. It will also likely save you money in the long run, as you’ll be less likely to make last-minute decisions on benefits as you look at the quotes.

Another consideration that can help you to choose the insurance policy that will work best for you is to do a little research on the companies that offer the insurance policies. This may require a bit more research on your part, but it can help you make a decision between two companies that you are interested in. For instance, some companies offer a more hands-on approach to their clients. They may give more personal attention to their policy holders. These companies more often than not charge a little more for their insurance policies, but if this level of service is appealing to you, you might not mind paying a slightly higher premium for the service. If, however, you are more budget-conscious, this is certainly one area that you may be able to compromise on without losing benefits in the policy.

About the Author:

A Better Way To Buy Home Insurance

Thursday, July 9th, 2009

In order to secure a good home insurance policy, it is always prudent to research, shop around, compare quotes and plan features as offered by different reputed insurers and narrow down to the ones offering low costs, wide coverage home insurance policies. This is the indeed the better way to buy home insurance, advise personal finance experts in the US. They continue to explain common pitfalls that many US homeowners looking at buying home insurance programs make in their quest for shopping the best policy: haste spells a lot of waste of good money for some as signing up for the first local home insurance company that sends a representative over when you move into a new locality is not the smartest thing to do.

You have no clue as to what reputation the company holds, how financially secure the company is and what sort of competition they are facing from other insurance companies hence you must be patient while making such a decision.

Thus, finding out about the proven ways to secure a lower premium, high coverage home insurance plan such as the strategies mentioned above are just two of the many better ways to buy home insurance.

We cover still more methods for you below, so stick around and read through this article – and who knows? You just may strike a bargain with your chosen home insurance service provider after negotiating points like these!

However, you need to do your research regarding home insurance coverage because this is necessity, not a luxury anymore, with so many risks existing for a high-value purchase that a home is, that securing your home against theft and vandalism, which are crimes even posh and highly guarded localities may suffer today has become a priority.

Thus, if someone asks you, ‘are you grateful for your home insurance?’ and you say, ‘yes’ with your chosen home insurance program offered at low costs with wide coverage, you are a smart shopper of home insurance plans.

If, however, your answer to this question is ‘no,’ don’t despair – there are proven strategies for changing your poor home insurance coverage into a good home insurance plan today. For instance, research and compare the various home insurance companies and how these measure up against each other in terms of features, benefits and premium rates simply by clicking online for their reputation and choose the right plan – one that offers wide protection coverage for your home at affordable rates.

About the Author:

Most Common Variables Considered When Calculating Travel Insurance Rates

Thursday, July 9th, 2009

Travel Insurance is a form of limited or special situation insurance that covers loss arising from a specific event. This could be flying in an airplane or riding in a train. The policies are based on the behavior of a group of individuals engaged in an activity and the likelihood that a loss will occur.

Travel Insurance is rated based on the occurrence of a loss as it affects a group of common interest, such as airline passengers. This differs from individual coverage, which rates the risk of loss occurring based on the personal preferences and habits of the insured. It would be difficult to use individual underwriting standards such as age and health status to travel insurance since not everybody flies in an airplane.

Group insurance factors in the community experience of the group as a whole in order to access the probability that loss will occur. Community experience factors can include the number of air disasters in a given region, or in a given year, or by a given carrier. When assessing loss exposure on a group basis it is easy to discern certain trends and patterns regarding the chance of loss. Since air travel is deemed safe with air disasters occur very infrequently (roughly 1 in 2.5 million), the rates for travel insurance is very low.

If you accept that activities such as air travel are safe with a low probability of occurring, why the need to buy travel insurance? Insurance is about something not happening, as oppose to a loss occurring. Insurance provides a way to restore value in the event of a loss and for some, having the piece of mind that some benefit may be available may be important.

Travel insurance policies are typically issued in kiosks at an airport. It may also appear as a rider associated with a credit card or to a person’s property and casualty indemnity coverage. However it is purchase, the benefit provided is a low amount of coverage, maybe no more than $25,000 (although a few higher death benefit policies exist). This is done based on the community experience-rating factor that looks at the incident of death or dismemberment occurring based on the chance of an airline disaster.

How old you are, how physically fit you may be, whether you smoke or not, are all rating factors or variables that are not important to issuing travel insurance. None of those factors has an impact on a plane taking off and landing and the likelihood that a crash will occur. That the instances of plane crashes are so low suggests that very limited factors need to be considered when pricing travel insurance.

Insurance is based on a concept of risk transfer. This means that the individual pays a premium amount that insures that if something were to happen, the insurance will provide a benefit to compensate the policy’s beneficiary. The amount paid in premium is low relative to the potential benefit that is paid. The insurance company rates the potential for loss and prices its policy accordingly so that it is able to pay if that loss occurs. The higher probability that a loss can occur means a higher premium. Applying group underwriting principles to travel insurance helps provide a product that is low cost and pays a uniform benefit.

About the Author:

Honesty Is The Best Policy For Getting Your Insurance Quote

Wednesday, July 8th, 2009

Several hours can be spent over the phone or online receiving quotes from automobile insurance agents. It is a pain to give dozens of various agents your details. To be sure you have the absolute best possible premium you must shop around and compare. The major headaches begin after you start a policy to find the quoted price was much less expensive than you are being told to pay. This happens all too often when a driver does not give accurate information to the quoting agent.

You should expect that bad information given during the quoting process will only lead to a bad quote. There is no way for the agent to give you a real truthful quote if you have given them false information. You may not want to tell them about your tickets but they will find out and it could affect your policy price.

The time frame for how long violations are used against you will vary from insurance companies. One company may have gave you a better price but will penalize you for the violations they find while others may have been slightly higher but would have not changed even with finding the violations. The only way to avoid frustration, waste of time and the possibility of wasting hundreds of dollars on an insurance policy is to be truthful during the quoting.

You should know the insurance companies will find the violations and the end result is that you pay higher premiums than what you were originally quoted. There is no reason to spend so much time on acquiring quotes from numerous insurance companies if you are going to be dishonest. You will not be able to make a good decision based on the information given as it will be inaccurate and incomplete.

If you have wasted a huge amount of time on comparing quotes for your car insurance to only receive quotes that are not accurate, then how to expect to decide between them? You may even be refused coverage from some insurance companies if they find that you have been dishonest during the quoting process. Even after you have spent so much time finding the best quote, made the down payment and began the policy the insurance company can cancel it after running your information and finding out about your hidden violations.

It makes no sense to hide traffic violations from the insurance companies, they are always found. You cannot make a good decision on coverage if you are unsure what the actual amount will even be, why even get the quote? Being honest with the insurance agent is the only way to receive an accurate quote for your car insurance premium. Not only will it save you valuable time and frustration but could end up saving you hundreds of dollars on your car insurance policy as the end result.

About the Author:

Most Common Variables Considered When Calculating Life Insurance Rates

Tuesday, July 7th, 2009

Life insurance provides a benefit in the form of it policy amount to protect against the loss that arises from premature death. It is based on the insurable interest, or the potential that a direct financial hardship will occur due to the death of the insured. The insured is the individual whose life the death benefit is based on and upon whom we rate the risk.

The variables or factors used to determine Life Insurance rates are based on the habits of the individual. A risk is the potential for loss or a reduction in value. The loss of life produces a financial hardship for those left behind and can be assigned a value. Loss is the reduction in value that in life insurance can be loss of future earning potential or expenses incurred for funeral, bereavement, readjustment and moving forward.

The extent to which a reduction in value may occur is the loss exposure. This loss exposure is enhanced by perils that are situations, which cause loss, affected by these hazards:

- Physical hazard, which is some physical characteristic in the environment that presents a peril (i.e. a banana peel on the ground in front of where you are walking); – Moral hazard that is based on an individual characteristic such as dishonesty, theft and fraud; and, – Morale hazard, which is blatant disregard for the law such as driving under the influence of alcohol or driving over the posted speed limit.

The extent to which a person manages risk influences their rates. For example, smoking can be considered a morale hazard because we know that cigarette smoking is a major contributor to lung cancer. Knowing this and still engaging in the habit means that the person understands the risk but does not care. Since we also know that cigarette smokers die sooner than non-smokers, smokers pay higher insurance premiums for life insurance than do non-smokers.

Another factor that is considered when rating life insurance is the person’s health. This is a valid risk factor because we know that people who exercise are healthier than those who do not exercise and people who make healthier eating choices live longer than those who eat junk food. These are those morale and physical hazards that are measured by the insurance company and priced, based on the probability of it occurring. The more likely an event occurs, the higher the cost to insure.

Insurance companies are not in the business of paying claims. This statement may seem profound but it is a rational one. It benefits insurers and society as a whole if people live long healthy lives. This helps lowers insurance costs and make it easier to afford. The insurer looks at the rate of death or mortality potential within a classification, such as all 35 year-old males. This is based on the law of large numbers and risk pooling. In order for an insurable risk to be ideal, it must be measurable, produce a financial loss, which is indemnity, be accidental in nature (which is why suicide is excluded), and based on a large group. Lower probabilities occur in larger population groups, such as those ages 25 to 45 and higher probabilities in smaller older populations, age 65 to 85.

About the Author: