Posts Tagged ‘life cover’

Getting Life Insurance If Your Are HIV Positive

Saturday, July 17th, 2010

Many people feel that life insurance is at the top of their priority list, especially those who have loved ones who depend on them for their financial security. Life insurance policies offer comfort to those who want to make sure their dependants can survive after they are gone. Finding out you are HIV positive may make things harder when searching for a policy that will cover you now. Some life insurance companies will offer enough insurance to cover the cost of the funeral for someone who is HIV positive but there will be very few willing to offer lump sum payments to your dependants after you pass away.

You may have life insurance policies already in place and you should locate them and start reviewing them to see if they include any riders. Your employer may have a life insurance policy included in your employment package or you could have one that is linked to your home mortgage. Any existing policies should be kept active and be very careful not to allow them to terminate or lapse, upon doing so you may find that you cannot get them back with your HIV status.

You may have social security benefits available to you and by visiting your local social security office they will be able to explain if you do and give you the amount in which will be paid. You can make any changes that are necessary concerning your beneficiaries at the office during your visit as well.

An attorney can be helpful to explain the death benefits that you have in place and to answer questions about beneficiaries and how they are to be paid after your death.

Speak with human resources at your current employer and find out if there life insurance programs that you might qualify for as part of your employment package. Many employers will take out automatic life insurance policies for their employees that will pay out a lump sum pr make payments that are a percentage of the employees current wages. The type of group policies require no underwriting or qualifications. If your employer offers this type of benefit you will be able to obtain it and might even be able to include a rider policy with it as well.

If your job does not offer any type of life insurance policy with the employment benefit package you might consider finding a job that will. You could possibly earn less and you may not be doing what you were trained to do but having the peace of mind that your loved ones will be cared for is worth it.

Your HIV AIDS counselor will also be able to help with finding you programs or life insurance companies that may be able to assist you in your search for peace of mind. There are several insurance companies that are now accepting clients that are HIV positive because of the great results the AIDS medications has on their life span.

Guaranteed insurance companies are available to anyone even if they are terminally ill. The policies will usually only cover the cost of your funeral or burial and will have much higher premiums.

Graham McKenzie is the content syndication coordinator a leading South African Life Insurance and Life Cover portal. For tips on how to save on your life insurance visit our website.

Life Insurance And The Underwriting

Saturday, July 3rd, 2010

So many people apply for life insurance policies, but only a few of them get approved for the same. It is certainly not the easiest of jobs to get a life insurance policy. You may have enough money to pay the premiums, but it does not make you eligible for the policy. Your application for a life insurance will be assessed and analyzed. In other words, a thorough underwriting would be done on the application. Underwriting consists of the risk analysis to approve the application, and the decision on appropriate premium amounts to be paid by the individual.

Companies hires experts, called the underwriters to do the underwriting for them. At the end of the day, insurance companies need to earn profits that make them so choosy about accepting life insurance applications. There are three steps involved in the process of underwriting which are examine the application, decision to insure or not, determine the premium. Below is a discussion on these steps.

Examination of the application is all about collecting the client information. Various details about the applicant are collected and stored for assessment. The details could include marital status, sex, type of living area, age, and current health status etc. The applicant is measured against each of these parameters.

After the details are collected, the decision making phase starts. Here all the parameters are gauged one by one, and the applicant is remarked for each parameter. These parameters are also known as the risk factors. For an applicant to have his application approved, he must score low on these risk factors. Although each of the risk factors has its own weight and importance, it is common belief that most insurance companies emphasize more on the age and health of the applicant. A young age and a good health of the applicant make it easy for the insurance company to approve the application. Similarly, an old aged and ailing applicant may not get a nod fro the insurance company. Living environment is another aspect considered by the companies. A good living environment implies that the applicant would suffer lesser ailments, and hence live long. As against this, a polluted and unhygienic living environment creates doubts in the minds of the insurance company. The gender of the applicant can also play a role at times. Many companies believe that women live healthier and fitter than men, for they do not take depressions. Interestingly, married men are believed to live a healthier life than the married women, indicating that the marital status also plays a role in the approval or denial of the insurance policy application. Lastly, the living habits of the customer also determine the fate of the application. If the applicant is a smoker and/or drinker, the chances of an approval are bleak.

The above risk factors not only determine the approval or denial of the insurance policy, but also the monthly premiums. Once the application is approved, the score of the applicant on the risk factors also decides his pr her monthly premium amounts. A young and fit individual would have to pay lower monthly installments, as compared to an old and ailing individual.

Graham McKenzie is the content syndication coordinator a leading South African Life Insurance and Life Cover portal.

A Brief History Of Life Insurance

Thursday, June 17th, 2010

The word insurance refers to any contract where a person pays another person or business to insure the safety, but to be more precise, pay for the replacement of any such personal property if said property is lost, destroyed, or damaged in some other way other then the neglect or purposeful destruction of the owner of said property. There is insurance for just about anything, insurance is generally divided into four areas; vehicle, property, health, and life insurance.

Insurance has been around since civilization began. The earliest form of insurance was the old protection rackets that organized crime families still use even today. Criminals or rulers of a country would ?guarantee? that a business or home would not be damaged or destroyed by criminal activities for a weekly cut of said profits of the business. This form of blackmail and extortion quickly led to merchants and shopkeepers living in their businesses. So that when the criminals came they would be greeted by sword and spear. These actions, taken by these early businessmen, led to the old saying, ?The greatest protection comes by the sword.?

The earliest known form of a true form of a contractual insurance agreement came as early as 3 or 2 millennia B.C. These simple agreements stated that a merchant, trader or transporter of goods would guarantee the safety of said cargo or shipment. If the goods were lost, the transporter of said goods would pay either the sender or receiver for the loss or both. Other agreements were simply a fee paid by the transporter so that of the goods were lost then the fee would cover said loss of goods. These agreements were usually done by a verbal agreement, but they were later back up by laws etched in stone and papyrus.

As human society became more modern, many traders would hire retired soldiers, i.e. mercenaries, to help shepherd their goods from place to place. These men could in some ways be called the first security guards of human society. But it was hazardous and difficult work, but for the soldiers of fortune of that time it was some of the best work one could get.

Now in the modern age insurance is now a necessity for a normal life in every nation on Earth. Insurance now covers Life, property, health, and even liability from lawsuits. The insurance commodity is now a multi-billion dollar business. The first known insurance business was started after the Great London Fire in 1666. The fire destroyed-,200 houses. After this tragedy, Nicholas Barbon opened an office to insure buildings. In 1680, he established England’s first fire insurance company, “The Fire Office,” to insure brick and frame homes.

In the 21st century all insurance companies sell some form of life insurance. It is the number one form of insurance purchased globally. Much of it is sold to people after they have children in hopes that in the event of a premature or unexpected death the sum paid to the survivors will be able to use the money to bury their loved ones and support them financially.

Graham McKenzie is the content syndication coordinator a leading South African Life Insurance and Life Cover portal. For more information on the different types of life insurance visit our website.

Whole Life Insurance Explained

Tuesday, June 1st, 2010

The whole life insurance plan offers coverage if you die, with compensation fund for your family, however it as has several other advantages benefits as well. This type of plan offers you coverage for your entire life, even though it is costlier than other insurance plans. A part of the money that you pay monthly invested, and you can decide to withdraw that money only when you hit a particular age, or when if there is urgency.

After your die, your family members may have several kinds of expenses to bear. By buying a life insurance you are shielding them from several financial breakdowns. Based on your style of living, your family may have to face more expenses than you expected. First the funeral expenses, which now costs almost a fortune. Another important fact is that now your family has one working member less. This can be tough with families having young children. You too may also wish to defend your business, or give some funds to charitable trust after death.

Incase you timely pay your premiums; your family members can look forward to a huge amount of money. This amount is dependent on what you have arrangement in your insurance plan, even though it is generally over five times your annual salary. You can select to withdraw your cash early, when in emergency. This is achievable as the insurer has invested some part of funds. You can also set your plan in a way that you get the money after a fixed age or in emergency. This is very useful when you require additional fund for tuition, or for buying a house. This way, a whole life plan may act as a loan, but not essentially as cost-efficient as a normal loan.

Insurers identify your capability for making payments based on your credit record and health. If you purchase insurance plan when younger and have high-quality credit, you will pay less. If you progress your lifestyle and quit smoking, then you can lower your premium rates. This implies you lose weight, quit smoking, and do a good diet. You can get better your credits by making payments for all outstanding debts and resolving complaints on your credit record, which are not true.

Sometimes whole life insurance is more than what is actually necessary for your needs. There are other types of life insurance plans you can look into if it is not. Some types of plans cover you temporarily, but they have lower monthly payments. Even if you feel your family will need a large amount of compensation for your death, there are still other plans to look into. Make sure to do plenty of research on insurance companies and agents in your area before you choose one that you trust. You can use the internet, the phone book, and friends to find information on companies that might offer much lower prices than others.

Graham McKenzie is the content syndication coordinator at Lifeinsurance-Southafrica.co.za South Arica?s leading Life Insurance and Life Cover portal.

Planning For Happiness With Life Insurance

Friday, May 28th, 2010

These days investing in life insurance makes more sense than ever, and with the new profits and advantages of today’s insurance companies, it can really be a great option. It’s especially convenient that we’re also able to customize the type of policy we want based on our individual needs, thus allowing for the best possible fit policy wise.

Insurance companies allow us to pick the kind of coverage we need and how much of it we need, and pay off premiums with discounts for being a low-risk policy holder. With just a little time and energy put into planning out our futures we can enjoy a comfortable insurance arrangement and rest up for the remainder of our lives.

With the added security of insurance to cover us when unexpected things happen, we can safely plan out our lives with a foundation of known variables and minimized risks. The insurance industry is sophisticated and has a facet to deal with almost every aspect of your life, and this lets you make better financial plans with better results even if you’re unlucky. Don’t get lulled into a sense of false security just because you have a lot of money!

Many formerly rich people made that mistake,but pride leads to disaster, and if you don’t compensate for the worst then the worst will surely happen. Recent economic troubles have shown us that no amount of money makes someone safe from disaster. Money is worthless without the wisdom to keep it throughout your life. No matter how good things look right now, it’s always smart to have something to fall back on if things take a turn for the worst tomorrow. With maturity, self-discipline, and an eye on the long-term, you easily get insurance that is both affordable and useful. Once that’s done, you can relax in knowing the insurance company’s got your back.

A few years back, my aunt unexpectedly lost her husband. However, because my uncle had been investing in the universal life insurance policy for a couple of years, she was getting good returns, allowing her children to complete their education with no added financial hardships.

If you look for the best policy to meet your needs, buy from an honest and trustworthy company, and completely understand all the rules and clauses involved, there’s no way you will regret getting life insurance. Even if you never get thanked for it, it’s something you should do for yourself and your loved ones.

Susan Reynolds is the webmaster for a leading South African Life Insurance provider. For more information visit: http://life.insurance123.co.za/

Life And Health Insurance ? The Difference

Sunday, May 23rd, 2010

Don?t get perplexed with the several different terms in the insurance industry. Life and heath insurance plans are quite dissimilar and offer you coverage in various ways. It is important for you to research well about the various plans offered before you buy one.

Life insurance protects your family after your death. The compensation money which your family gets after your death is completely depends on the type of plan you are in. In most of the cases the compensation amount is 5 to 6 times of the annual income of the policy holder. The insurance plan is based on you making timely payments to the company.

Before an insurance company will cover you for life insurance, they will want to determine how much of a risk you will be. It is difficult to get life insurance once you are older, or if you have any serious health problems. They may look at your credit to determine whether you can make the monthly payments. Once they have enough information on your lifestyle and credit they will offer you a premium, which is what you are required to pay every month in exchange for your coverage.

Two major types of life insurance plans are available. One is the term insurance plan which offers you coverage for a specific timeframe, when you are required to make payments. This is ideal if you are looking for a short period deal. Many people opt for term life insurance when they have kids, so that they are protected when they are small and can get free of it when they are financially independent.

Health insurance is much different. It is intended to cover all or part of your medical bills related to your health. Some people get this type of insurance to cover their small doctor visits, while others get it as a safeguard in case they get a large and unexpected medical bill.

One of the most exclusive kinds of insurance is full coverage insurance, which covers all type of medical expenses that comes to you. There is a plan called 80/20 plan, in which you have to pay only 20 % of your medical expenses and rest will be covered by the company, even if the amount is large. There is another plan in which the company will provide you fix amount of money as coverage and the rest you have to add to fix your medical expenses. Getting best plan for you is completely depends on the type of requirement you have.

It is also possible that you get life and health insurance from your employer. Look whether your employer has better deal for you which allow you to make lesser premiums on same benefits. The premium for your health insurance plan is almost determined in the similar manner as it is for life insurance plan. If you have adventures hobbies like rock climbing, and sky diving which is very dangerous, it is very difficult to get the deal on reasonable premiums. There are so many ways by which you can lower your monthly payments. First you have to improve your credit by clearing your past due and disputing false charges if any. If you are a smoker you can reduce your premium rates to half by simple leaving smoking for a year.

Graham McKenzie is the content syndication coordinator at Lifeinsurance-Southafrica.co.za South Arica?s leading Life Insurance and Life Cover portal.

How to Structure a Group Life Insurance Policy?

Tuesday, May 11th, 2010

Group life insurance plan is decided by a manager or company with more than five or at least 10 workers. The employer bargains for lesser rates with the group policy providers. The insurer in this case, offers coverage to all the employees involved in the plan. This insurance plan can be a big advantage to your organization, incase you want retention of workers. You can do several things with a plan like this one.

Payment arrangements can be set up in several different ways. You can choose for the coverage to be paid solely by your company, or half through the company and half through the employee. Employees can choose not to be a part of the group plan if they want, but you will need at least five, and usually ten people to start a plan like this.

A group life insurance company usually comes with fairly low coverage, somewhere between 1-2 times your salaries. Employees can add their own life insurance to this plan if they think it’s not going to be enough. Every employee also has the right to change the beneficiary for their particular plan whenever they want.

Employees are benefited in several ways by the group life insurance plan. As this is a group plan, the insurer doesn?t take into consideration any individual person?s responsibility. An organization is in fact taken in assessment as a whole, and the premium rates are accordingly fixed. None of the employees can be deprived of their coverage, so that everyone can enjoy the benefits. Incase an employee quits job, they may get their policy renewed again with the same organization within a month of quitting job.

You can easily set up a group life insurance policy. Look around to find the most suitable plan with good rates, and see which insurance company offers a better plan. After you find a good company, you can get start setting up a group plan by involving the other people in your company who are willing to take part. You may have to collect information about each of the employees who wants to take part in the policy with you. The insurer will simply ask you about your business and its nature of work. This is required to know how much risk is involved in the workplace for the employees. When you recruit new staff, they may too become a member in the plan, by filling up some simple forms.

If someone leaves the company they can still keep their life insurance, but they must make it into a private plan. The employee has thirty days to change the plan. They will have to start making monthly payments themselves and the premiums are likely to be higher, but they can continue having coverage under the same company.

The group life insurance policy is a means of making your organization more advantageous. This can be taken as a fringe benefit offered to anyone who is appointed. The staff will stay for long in the company, and this will let you save time and money on recruitment and training. There are several company group life insurance policies that come along with a disability plan, which you may also club with your insurance plan.

Graham McKenzie is the content syndication coordinator at Lifeinsurance-Southafrica.co.za South Arica?s leading Life Insurance and Life Cover portal.

Life Insurance Policy Guide

Sunday, April 25th, 2010

Life insurance may be extremely troublesome for few people. There are so many aspects that can decide the amount of your premium. What can you do to make sure that you get the lowest rate of interest possible? Looking around the best life insurance company is an important factor in getting suitable rates; however there are other factors besides this.

Firstly, you must apply for your life insurance when you are still young. If you have family members who are depend on you for a living, then you must get a life insurance. There are some people who think of this only when they become old, which means having to pay higher monthly premiums. If you delay, it is possible that you may fall sick. People with sickness find it very difficult to get a reasonable life insurance.

The next step is to quit smoking, if you do. Smokers face premiums twice as high as people who don?t smoke. You can file to lower your premiums after a year of not smoking, but it is more cost efficient to just quit right away. If you smoke occasionally you will find that you can sometimes get decent rates from an insurance company, but you really have to shop around.

As mentioned before, your life insurance company takes a great deal of effort to ensure that you are healthy and fit. Check with your doctor to make sure you have normal cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and weight. Try on improving these areas if you can to ensure lower premiums. Of course, if you are already seriously ill you will find it very difficult to get good rates, if you can find anyone at all.

You might also want to stop any type of dangerous activities you participate in. If you are evolved with sky diving, rock climbing, or even if you drive a motorcycle, your life insurance may not cover you. Some plans have clauses that specifically say that if you die while doing any of these activities you are automatically disqualified. You can purchase insurance for these activities, and you may even be able to get them covered on the plan you are getting, but they will come with much higher rates.

The most common road people take is to get term life insurance instead of whole life. Term life insurance only applies to the period during which you are paying. Your relatives will receive the money after you have died, that is of course unless you died doing one of the excluded activities. Whole life insurance is a little different. With these plans you pay a larger premium, but you might get to see the benefits from it if you live long enough. Part of the money you pay is invested so it becomes more than you originally gave. At a set time in your life you may be able to access these funds if you want. If you die before the plan is up your family receives the money as normal.

Graham McKenzie is the content syndication coordinator at Lifeinsurance-Southafrica.co.za South Arica?s leading Life Insurance and Life Cover portal.

How to Get Term Life Insurance?

Thursday, April 15th, 2010

You must look for some sort of life insurance incase you have family members dependent on you. The life insurance plans provide compensation to your family if you suddenly die. It helps them to manage a living in your absence. Several types of life insurance plans are available, and each of them has clauses which are advantageous for you in different situations. Some are costlier than the others, but they usually provide a better plan or extra cover. There are certain plans which put a part of your money in investments, so that you get some returns while you are still alive, after a certain period.

One of these life insurance plans is called term life insurance. Term life insurance applies only during a certain term, the time during which you are paying the monthly fees. If you do not pay the monthly fee you are not covered. Premiums are adjusted according to how long you plan to have the insurance, whether it is 5 or 30 years. Many times the rates go up after you hit a certain age.

Term life insurance is suitable for many who have family members who need financial security for a short and limited period of time. You may get a term life insurance when your kids are small and get rid of it when they grow old enough to financially sustain themselves. Such insurance plans are generally very reasonable and offer you the prospect to purchase insurance without committing yourself to a very long term plan.

You can get the term life insurance in two different ways. You can first see if your work offers you any type of coverage. Even if, the plan offered by employers offer simply a coverage which is worth a year or two year?s salary, you may get this clubbed with your normal insurance plan.

Secondly, in order to get a suitable term life insurance, you must look for a reliable insurance broker. You must shop around enough before selecting a company and representative that?s suitable for you. They may guide you properly in getting a plan which properly covers all your needs. You must utilize all your available resources to search a good broker. You may meet some of them, before choosing one.

Life insurance companies adjust their premiums according to specific factors, regardless of what type of life insurance it is. You should try to quit smoking and become healthier if you want to get cheaper insurance. This makes you less of a liability for the company, and they are more willing to give you good prices. It is also best to get your insurance while you are young, because older people have a much harder time getting decent prices.

Search well to find the most suitable deal. You are seeking a plan which has lower monthly payments and greater coverage. While calculating your coverage requirements, you may consider six times your annual salary. The insurance company will recommend is you this standard amount of money. Besides these factors, getting a term life insurance is much easier and it offers coverage in various situations.

Graham McKenzie is the content syndication coordinator at Lifeinsurance-Southafrica.co.za South Arica?s leading Life Insurance and Life Cover portal.

Get The Best Deal On Life Insurance

Tuesday, April 6th, 2010

Life insurance is vital to a lot of protection policies, specifically if there is one main breadwinner for the family and losing this person would be terrible since the whole family’s lifestyle would be affected. The purpose of life insurance is to help support your family if this loss happens. There are a variety of suggestions that you should think about when picking your insurance company and trying to spend less money for your insurance.

If a person is looking to save on a purchase of any size, looking around at more than one place that offers the item is the best path to follow. By doing so, you are more likely to notice a variation of prices. Life insurance can be applied to the example. If life insurance is something that interests you, make sure to look around on major sites to find the best rate that suits your needs.

The Internet is the first place you should look for information. It is possible to look at the fees of many insurance companies with just a click of the mouse when you go online. You will have a better and more efficient search. But, don’t move too fast and just look at one website at a time. It is suggested that you look at a minimum of three related websites. This will bring up several insurance companies for you to think about.

The next source is a local publication that includes newspapers, advertisements and the telephone book, which are just a few examples. Use these to find the information about the five best local insurers whom you want to know. After collecting all the information you can contact them.

The final word is to talk to people you are acquainted with about who they have insurance with. Occasionally this is an excellent method to use to locate a dependable insurer that is devoted to offering the standard of insurance you desire.

When you have discovered several insurers that you are curious about then it is time to have a discussion with them. Possibly you can handle all of the details through email, however communicating on the phone is usually better. You should be honest from the start. Tell them you like them because they have a good standard of service. Also request that you desire the cheapest price that is available for the coverage you require.

An issue that may be very important includes the time that you pay. Several insurers might decrease your price if you will pay one time yearly or two times a year rather than each month. You should think about if this is wise for you, and make the effort if it is. Also think about letting the same insurance company take care of all your insurance policies. In a lot of situations this can make you eligible for cheaper prices for the separate policies. You may also be able to have a good deal with a cheaper price if your job offers group insurance plans.

Make sure your insurance company is a good standard and secure insurer before you start to negotiate. Life insurance is designed to shield the people you love. If you can’t depend on your insurer when you are with them they might not be what you desire to depend on when you are not around.

The author is a content coordinator for a life cover company in South Africa. To get a free quote visit insurance quotes.