Sunday, December 30, 2007

Tips for Protecting Your Mortgage Against Accident, Sickness and Unemployment

When you buy a home and take on a mortgage, you expect to be able to make the payments. Times are uncertain though, and many unexpected events can occur knock you off track.

If you fall ill or are unable to work because of an injury, you may be unable to make your mortgage payments. If you are made redundant at work, you could face losing your home because you can't keep up with your mortgage repayments. That's why many mortgage companies suggest that you buy mortgage payment protection insurance. It works like any other insurance - you pay an annual premium, and if you are unable to make your home loan payments for any covered reason, the insurance policy will meet payments (for you for up to 12 months with most policies).

PPI and MPPI - payment protection insurance and Mortgage Payment Protection Insurance - have come under increasing fire here in the UK. Last year, the FSA asked the Competition Commission to look into the market for PPI and make recommendations regarding the market for mortgage protection and other payment protection insurance. The issues have to do with the outrageously high costs and alleged dodgy sales practices around most payment protection insurance.

According to the recently released report on Emerging Thinking from the Competition Commission, the PPI industry rakes in nearly £4bn in premiums each year, just under 25% of it in MPPI - payment insurance for first charge and second charge mortgages. That's £1bn a year in mortgage insurance taken out - yet according to critics of the industry, only 10-20% of that is ever paid out in claims, making a tidy 80% profit for the insurers. Furthermore, the critics continue, the industry uses deceptive sales methods, and the policies include clauses that make it almost impossible for most people to collect.

In light of all the criticism leveled against the PPI industry, though, is mortgage payment insurance a wise use of your money? In some cases, you'll end up paying nearly as much or more for your payment protection cover than you do in interest payments on your mortgage. Despite that, it's important to find a way to protect your home and the loan secured against it. If not MPPI, what can you do to insure yourself against losing your home in case of accident, illness or unemployment?

High interest savings account
One suggestion made by many financial experts is to self-insure by depositing the amount you'd pay for mortgage payment insurance in a high interest savings account to be held specifically in case you can't meet your monthly loan repayments for some reason. The added benefit - if you neer need to touch it, you'll have the additional savings toward your retirement or other goals once your mortgage is paid off.

Disability Insurance
Another option for protecting your insurance payment is to insure yourself against loss of income. Disability insurance pays you a percentage of your income if you become disabled and unable to work. You can use that insurance payment to make your mortgage repayments and meet your other bills and accounts. In general, the insurance premiums for disability insurance are lower than for payment protection insurance, and it doesn't cover you in case of unemployment.

Buy from an independent insurer
If you do decide that payment protection insurance is right for you, shop around to get the best deals. It may be tempting or make sense to buy your MPPI from your bank or mortgage lender, but you could end up paying twice as much for the same cover. By law, your mortgage company may offer MPPI, but they may not require you to carry their insurance as a condition of your loan. According to the latest figures, shopping around and buying your MPPI from an independent insurer can save you tens of thousands of pounds over the life of your mortgage.



For a comprehensive directory of mortgage protection insurance companies together with customer policy reviews and buying tips visit UK Insurance Index at http://www.uk-insurance-index.co.uk.

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Get incredible settlement deal with bonded Life Settlement

Since no one can imagine the future, it is essential to get ready for every up and down. Every human dream to live a prosperous life; therefore, he or she plans a variety of things to secure the future financially; in fact, these long-term plans help a lot in dealing with various financial problems. When it comes to financial security of a senior, there are n numbers of luring schemes in the present market; however, very few of them truly pay respect to the requirements of a senior. However, bonded life settlement is one of these procedures, which justifies the true value of a senior's policy and provides him or her with benefits that they really deserve. It offers seniors a great way to settle their unwanted insurance policy, as it never bothers senior citizen for negotiation of preferred face value and reasonable defrayal.

Bonded life settlement is a process of selling an unwanted policy in which the policyholder transfers the ownership and concerned liabilities to the interested party. This procedure is the finest way to settle unwanted or expensive policies, as after the completion of the deal, the investor becomes liable for payment of the remaining premiums and other duties. For a senior, it can prove to be a great way of arranging for desired money, as he or she can sell the policy at a reasonable rate. In bonded life settlement, the related insurance company carries out the entire process and arranges for all terms and conditions and a fair deal. Owner of the policy can also sell it at a discounted rate but it is advisable only in cases where no interested party is found. In such situations where no one takes interest in buying the excising policy due to high risk, the insurance company itself buys the policy.

If you are a senior citizen and own any unwanted insurance policy, then you can sell it through bonded life settlement; in fact, it will never let you face the discontentment of injustice, as it declares the face value on your policy only after a thorough analysis and calculation. If a senior is not in favor of selling the entire policy, then he or she can go for a partial settlement option. This option enables a senior to sell only a considerable portion of his or her high valued policy but first of all, the policyholder must make sure whether his or her policy as per the criteria of the insurance company or not. Since only high valued policies get the privilege to go for this option, calculation of the total face value and premium is essential before settlement.

Once the total value and premium is calculated on your policy, you can undoubtedly apply for the settlement procedure; within one week of submitting the application, you will start getting calls from interested parties. However, it is not sensible to deal with theses invertors personally, as it can cause fraud or collapsing of your policy; therefore, to get a reasonable deal always inform your insurance company about these investors and their proposal. It is always better to settle your policy under the guidance of your insurance company, as it circumvents deceptions and provides you the true value of your policy.


William Regal is an expert in dealing with life settlement. If you have any queries about life settlement, life settlement broker, life settlement insurance, bonded life settlement, senior life settlement visit: www.mylifesettlementbroker.com

Finding Cheap Health Insurance

With unemployment rates at an all time low in many parts of the country, small business owners must do more than ever to attract quality employees to work for them. If you are finding it difficult to find that diamond in the rough of applications, it might be time to take a look at what you are offering. While salary matters, more and more employees are placing a high degree of concern on what benefits a company has to offer.

This is particularly important where health care coverage is concerned. With more Americans than ever advocating a switch to a socialized health care platform, there is an increased need for companies to provide low cost, quality health insurance in order to attract employees. In todays climate, the small business owner who fails to provide quality coverage will struggle to obtain and maintain a roster of good employees.

In order to obtain the cheapest and most effective health insurance, you will want to find group health insurance that your employees can sign up for. While these rates will not be as good as they would be if your were bringing a larger group of people to the table, they will be what you have to deal with and it may pay for itself in its attractiveness to potential workers.

Of course, you can even play around with your hiring salary rates, lowering them to make up for the costs of providing the health insurance. This of course, depends upon whether you were offering competitive salaries in the first place. There are also some steps you can take to lower the cost of health insurance. A no smoking policy and random drug testing may be slight deterrents to employees but they will affect your insurance rates dramatically.

One way you can improve your chances for cheaper health insurance is to sign your employees to a larger company. This will in effect make your employees contracted workers. This will take some explaining to your employees but it can be a great way to put them in a much larger client pool, thus reducing the costs of health insurance. It will also affect your taxes and those of your employees, so make sure they understand what they are signing up for and alleviate any concerns they might have.

An insurance broker can help you figure out what insurance plan would be right for your company if all of this seems a bit overwhelming to you. What you lose in having to pay a broker you will make up for in the assurance that you have chosen the plan and the company that will be best for your small business needs. In addition to this, do not hesitate to bring your existing employees in on the discussion. Find out what they, as a group, consider the most important aspects of a health insurance policy. This can help you determine what programs you need to offer and what benefits are doing you no good whatsoever.

Health insurance and related benefits are a must for the competitive small business owner. It is getting to the point where those companies that d not offer at least a rudimentary plan will have trouble attracting even the worst employees. You do not want to fall into this category. Research, bite the bullet and sign your employees up for the best health insurance you can afford.


Obinna Heche. Los Angeles - California
Delivering the best home based business ideas and opportunities so you can work at home successfully.. http://www.homeincomeportal.com/obhmy365/

Friday, December 21, 2007

How to Use an Early Retirement Plan to Secure Your Future

It is worth trying to define exactly what early retirement means since expectations vary. During the 1980's, many large employers used their well-funded pension schemes to pay for laying off workers in their fifties by giving them early retirement.

In fact many of these people had no intention of retiring and used these generous packages to move into second careers. They did not retire at all until much later, in their sixties. Nowadays, what most people mean by early retirement planning is not stopping work altogether but having the financial freedom to change their lifestyles, free from children and a mortgage.

Create Sufficient Wealth to Sustain Your Lifestyle on Meager Earnings

First, it makes sense to try to estimate the amount of capital required. It pays to think of income and capital needs in real terms as it is easier to imagine an income need of, say, £35,000 per annum in today's money than the actual income needed once inflation has been factored in. We can allow for the effect of inflation by ensuring that we only use real returns, i.e. over and above inflation. We then need to look at how much there currently is in long-term savings and investments, pension funds and property, etc. It pays to be brutally honest and take a little time for reflection at this point because it is easy to build a plan in which you either have little faith or end up being hopelessly optimistic or pessimistic. Allowing for a realistic return, we can estimate how much these will be worth at the target date and calculate the shortfall, working back to create a plan to meet it.

Once we know how much is needed, the fun starts. Investing for retirement is not just about putting money into a pension plan - it matters less how the money is held than that there is enough of it. Pension plans have the benefit of attracting income tax at the highest marginal rate and growth is free from additional UK taxes. At retirement, however, the balance remaining after the tax free cash of 25% has been withdrawn, must be used to provide an income and this is then taxed. For many, the tax rate in retirement will be much lower than their marginal rate whilst working. Even so, this can cause some problems with tax planning in retirement.

Most other ways of investing do not have the benefit of upfront tax relief, although Venture Capital Trusts offer some for braver investors, but they can offer access and lower tax in retirement.

Navigate Early Retirement Planning with Ease

The point at which you retire probably represents the single most complicated transition in personal finance. Nowadays, there is a bewildering range of choices for early retirement planning and the long term effects of a hasty decision can be catastrophic. The consequences of buying the wrong annuity or wrongly structuring drawdown (or unsecured) pension income can leave otherwise well thought out plans in tatters. Someone neglecting to inflation-proof their retirement income could find their pension halved in real terms over twenty years. A married person failing to ensure that the pension continues for their spouse on their death may be consigning them to a pretty bleak future in the event of an early death. Additionally, tax planning in retirement can be confusing for those used to PAYE.

Those reaching the age of 65 benefit from an increase in personal allowance, enabling more of their income to be taken tax free. This, however, is gradually withdrawn for those on higher incomes leading to some pensioners paying a high marginal rate of 33%. Having greater flexibility, allowing, for example, for the annual Capital Gains Tax Exemption to be used can give rise to considerable tax savings, which is a low- risk way of enhancing investment returns since few people enjoy paying tax.

With life expectancy for someone in their sixties stretching, perhaps thirty years ahead of them, buying an annuity on retirement is becoming less attractive to many. Thankfully, even those with pension schemes now have options. They may draw an income directly from the investment portfolio held within the pension, buy an annuity or use a combination of both.

Drawing an income from the pension, now called an Unsecured Pension, is not for the poorly organised. The investments held must be carefully selected to match expectations of income, allowing for inflation matching, and allow for preservation of capital. No one wants to run short of income too early so a sensible level of income should be taken. Also, thought should be given to rebalancing the portfolio to maintain its risk profile and whether that risk should be changed over time.

As with many planning exercises, it is imperative to allow sufficient time in advance for all options to be explored - it is never too early.


With over twenty years experience in the financial services industry Scott Taylor has a wide-range of industry expertise. The co-founder of Fee Based Solutions, Scott is a passionately dedicated spokesperson for fee based advice and an advocate of a better deal for investors. Scott firmly believes in helping to drive the finance industry towards a more ethical and holistic approach.

Beginner Investors - Beware of Target Retirement Date Funds

You may own a target retirement fund if you’re in a 401(k) plan and you signed up but didn’t pick a fund to invest in or you were automatically enrolled.

This kind of fund has also become popular with individual beginner investors because it claims to be a “one-decision” fund: it adjusts its investments to become more conservative as you grow older and closer to retirement. The theory is great -- you don’t have to do anything. But the theory is flawed.

If you’re 25 or younger your target fund will have a date like 2050. At this distance from retirement, the fund will be predominantly invested in stocks, so an investor needs to understand market cycles or trends to make the most of this investment.

You face two problems and an opportunity.

The first problem is doing the wrong thing: Buying high and selling low. This happens when you let your emotions make your decisions for you.

In a market decline, for example, which happens on the average every four and half years, investors are faced with seeing the value of their accounts fall with each monthly or quarterly statement. Finally, you feel so much pain �" you sell just to stop the pain. You have locked in a loss, real money, and now must start over again.

The second problem is doing nothing and riding out the market’s cycles.

Since 1942, the average bull market in stocks has lasted 4.4 years and produced a return of 149.5%. The average bear market has lasted 1.1 years and produced a loss of 30.57%. So let’s consider:

On average, 2 bull markets + 2 bear markets = 11 years:

If you start with $10,000, and are lucky enough to invest at the beginning of a bull market, in 4.4 years your account is worth $24,950. Along comes the bear market and 1.1 years later your account is down to $17,323. The next bull market takes your account up to $43,221 and the next bear market shrinks it to $30,009. That is a 200% return (($30,000 / $10,000) �" 1) or an annual average return of 18.18%. Not bad at all.

But consider how much bigger your account would be if you missed just half of each of those two bear markets. Why half? Because no one is able to sell exactly at the top �" at the highest price �" or buy exactly at the bottom �" at the lowest price. So let’s say you sold too early and bought too late and cut the impact of the bear market down to �"15.25%.

At the end of those 11 years �" 2 bull markets + 2 bear markets �" your account would be worth $44,714. Your bull market gain is identical. But reducing your bear market loss to �"15.25% results in an account value 49% bigger. That’s a 347% cumulative return or 31.55% average annual return. That’s better than good.

This data began in 1942. You could argue that it encompasses the entire post-war boom �" and baby boom �" economy. That’s true, and what that means is that future bull markets may not be as good and future bear markets may be worse. Which makes this advice more important than ever.

Some people would say that I’m recommending market timing, which I’m not. The fallacy to market timing is that you can predict what’s going to happen. You can’t. But you can follow market cycles or the primary trend. It’s going to change once every five years, on the average. Is that so hard to keep track of?

The bull and bear market data is courtesy of Bespoke Investment Group.

A former financial services executive and journalist, I'm dedicated to helping people understand how to overcome the emotional obstacles to successful investing at http://www.beginnerinvesting101.com and at my blog, http://www.extramayo.net.

Day Trading Systems Why You Are Guaranteed To Lose

Day trading systems are popular and you see lots of track records of huge profits the problem is none of them have a real track record - there all simulated in hindsight and NEVER traded for real. The reason for this is day trading is based on logic that simply doesn't work.

The problem with day trading is the reliability of the data.

The time span is simply to short and to think that you can predict what millions of traders will do in a few hours or a day is ridiculous.

All these traders are motivated by different goals and the majority are ruled by greed and fear - trying to measure that in a short time span is impossible

Volatility can and does take prices anywhere in a day making support and resistance meaningless and you can never get the odds on your side - Period

Of course if you can't get the odds on your side you are going to lose longer term - it really is that simple.

The fact is every day trading track record you see has a disclaimer similar to the one below which is a standard CFTC one - read it carefully.

"CFTC RULE 4.41 - HYPOTHETICAL OR SIMULATED PERFORMANCE RESULTS HAVE CERTAIN LIMITATIONS. UNLIKE AN ACTUAL PERFORMANCE RECORD, SIMULATED RESULTS DO NOT REPRESENT ACTUAL TRADING. ALSO, SINCE THE TRADES HAVE NOT BEEN EXECUTED, THE RESULTS MAY HAVE UNDER-OR-OVER COMPENSATED FOR THE IMPACT, IF ANY, OF CERTAIN MARKET FACTORS, SUCH AS LACK OF LIQUIDITY. SIMULATED TRADING PROGRAMS IN GENERAL ARE ALSO SUBJECT TO THE FACT THAT THEY ARE DESIGNED WITH THE BENEFIT OF HINDSIGHT. NO REPRESENTATION IS BEING MADE THAT ANY ACCOUNT WILL OR IS LIKELY TO ACHIEVE PROFIT OR LOSSES SIMILAR TO THOSE SHOWN".

So we have a track record that really doesn't mean anything at all.

Anyone can do a track record in hindsight knowing the closing prices but the problem with forex trading in the real world is - you have to trade without this key knowledge!

You may ask yourself the obvious question which is - if the system is so good why is the vendor selling it? Or - why don't they show me a track record audited of the trades that they have done.

Well now you know the answer.

Vendors don't normally trade the systems ( and most of them are not traders but simply marketing organizations) because they know day trading doesn't work - but they know hyped copy will sell the system. They simply appeal to the naïve and greedy investor looking for an easy quick buck and he gets a hard lesson from the markets for his trouble.

If you want to trade then you need to have the odds on your side.

This means trading longer term valid data.

You can forex swing trade looking for trades of a few days to around a week - or follow the long term trends, looking for trades that last weeks or months.

The choice is yours on which time frame you choose but you will have the odds on your side which you don't have in forex day trading and will have a chance of enjoying forex trading success.


NEW! 2 X FREE TRADER PDFS & PRFESSIONAL FOREX COURSE

For a wealth of free forex education, currency trading course, free PDF's and more on Currency Trading Basics visit our website at: http://www.learncurrencytradingonline.com

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Auto Insurance - Things You Need To Know

When you apply for an auto insurance quote, you have no idea how much information the insurance company already know about you, and that could affect the premium you will have to pay or even prevent you acquiring auto insurance, if you are considered a bad risk.

Your credit report doesn't even have your insurance risk score. If you have a really good credit rating, because you always pay your debts in good time, you could be rated highly, in comparison with a person who regularly opens and closes accounts, or gets behind in their payments of their accounts. Insurance scores usually move the same direction as your credit history, but not always.

You will do well in making sure that you have conducted your financial life well, before you actually apply for auto insurance.

Another thing that will effect your auto insurance acceptance is your driving record, your previous claims history, and where you live. The state that you live in usually has a required minimum auto coverage.

Some states will also require that you have personal injury protection. You should check you state's requirements to verify how much the minimum is currently, as well as any additional requirements needed to place auto insurance.

Obviously if you have been in numerous previous car accidents, the insurance company you are applying to for auto insurance will be very interested in the facts.

The focus of the auto insurance company will always be on auto insurance losses to themselves.

If you wanted to take a look at your own motor vehicle insurance report, you can access a copy from your state's department, and there are companies you can get your credit history from: i.e.: Truecredit or Experian.

Bodily Injury Liability covers other people's bodily injuries or death for which you are responsible, this means it does not cover you or anyone else who may be in your car, only the person driving the other vehicle. This will protect you against medical bills, loss of income and pain or suffering. If you should require legal defense, you will be covered for that as well. It is possible that a lawsuit be filed against you by another party, and you will want enough auto insurance to cover your expenses without you losing all your personal assets. All this should be stated in your policy.

Auto insurance cover for your own vehicle would be called comprehensive insurance, and that should cover damage to your car if it is stolen, damaged by flood, fire or animals and pays to fix your car, less the excess you have agreed upon. The excess is the deductible that you arrange to pay out of your pocket before claiming from the auto insurance company. In order to keep your premiums low, one usually selects as high a deductible as possible.

Auto insurance covers damage to your car when your car hits, or is hit by, another vehicle or other object. The insurance company pays to fix your vehicle, less the deductible you choose.

If you are driving quite an old car you could consider dropping this coverage, as the coverage is usually limited to the value of the car.

In most cases, your spouse would also be insured if you have named him/her on your policy. You will need to confirm this with your insurance company. If you have a boy/girlfriend you live with and s/he uses your car and is involved in an accident, you may not be able to claim from your auto insurance company, unless you have been given permission and s/he has been added to your auto insurance policy.


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Why You Need Auto Insurance

In America it is a law that you have auto insurance, and if involved in a car accident and do not have insurance your license could be suspended, whether you are at fault or not.

If you are looking for auto insurance for the first time, your premium will be higher than someone who has a proven insurance record. When getting quotes for auto insurance you will be asked to provide a deductible amount, or excess. This is the amount that you will have to pay before the auto insurance company pays your claim. The higher deductible you chose the lower your auto insurance premium will be.

You can be sure that you will be checked to see that you are a viable insurer and that your credit references check out. Most auto insurance companies are now basing the cost of your auto insurance policy on your credit score.

Auto insurance companies quickly and efficiently evaluate their potential customers by using companies like Choice Point who build insurance scores, specifically for the insurance companies. Choice Point provides government organizations and auto insurance companies with a combination of information and analysis on you, but you can obtain copies of those reports at no charge. In both cases, if there is information in your reports that you believe to be wrong, Choice Point will show you how to dispute it - again, at no charge.

As these insurance scores are generated secretly, we aren’t really able to say how we could improve on our scores. However, by keeping a good credit rating by paying accounts and not getting into arrears, and attending to all tax requirements, would be a good start. Also, they will be recording any auto accidents and should you have many, this will be a score against you.

Not all auto insurance scores are the same. They can come from a variety of sources, depending on who builds the software. An auto insurance company might have its own score that incorporates credit related information along with other data ��" such as details you provide on your auto insurance application.

It is advisable to include on your auto insurance policy any other people who may be driving your car - for example, if you have any children of driving age as well as your spouse.

If renting a car at any stage, check that you are covered by their auto insurance; otherwise contact your insurers, as footing the bill of repairs on a rental car in an accident could be very costly. You would want to have auto insurance to cover your costs as well as the other car involved.

If you own a vehicle in Ontario, you are required to, at the very least, purchase the following automobile insurance coverage: Third-Party Liability Coverage: This section of your automobile insurance policy protects you if someone else is killed or injured, or their property is damaged.

When choosing an auto insurance provider, you will want to check that the company is financially secure, and has a good track record. The sole reason for having auto insurance is so that if you have a claim you can recover the bulk of the costs of the damage to your car.

The Auto Insurance Company would first go through your documents, do a proper enquiry about the damage and then decide if they agree for the Auto Insurance Claim. For claiming from the Auto Insurance Company the driver needs to be a minimum of 18 yrs of age or else it is illegal.

So it becomes very important to do research about the auto insurance company you want to take out auto insurance with. Buying the Insurance can protect the consumer from Comprehensive coverage and Collision coverage. This also enables him to have Personal Injury protection and pay the Medical bills. Therefore by making an Auto Insurance Claim, one can not only get paid for their damaged car, but also can insure against the cost of medical expenses.


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Flood Insurance Basics-Essential Information You Must Know

A flood is not always defined as a wall of water rushing towards your property and taking all your belongings into the river to merge with the other belongings of your neighbours. Even a single inch of excess water is enough to cause costly damage to your home and to your belongings.

A flood is something that may happen in the middle of the night while you are sleeping or when you are out of town for a holiday. It is something that may come in at your most unexpected moment, and you are helpless when it comes. This is why you need to get a flood insurance, which is a specific insurance policy that protects your property against damage caused by flood. People who live in an area which is high risk for flooding should definitely consider getting a flood damage insurance. Insurance providers which offer cover policies against flood damage have their own means and use topographical maps to assess the location of your home and see how high the risk is for flood damage is. Because of this, many insurance providers may even refuse flood damage insurance to customers who are at high risk.

Getting insurance for flood cover is just one of the insurance policies available in the market today. People get health insurance, auto insurance, fire insurance, travel insurance, and others but flood insurance is very necessary especially if you live in a flood risk area.

You may not be aware of this but losses and damages due to floods are 30 times more likely to occur than fire losses and this is especially true if your house is located in a flood zone. If you value your home and its contents which you have spent so much to acquire, then think twice and do not scrimp on a few hundred dollars a year to get a flood insurance policy. Do not wait until it is too late. You may also find it pays to get a policy cover for your house building and the contents as well.

Floods are caused by several factors. Urbanization, for example is one of the movements of men that results to flooding. As more and more concrete roads and parking lots are constructed to replace the natural land, the ability of natural lands to absorb water is decreased.

The changing weather pattern is another factor that has made the occurrence of floods more severe and frequent. When there is a mudflow, tidal waters overflowing or when the land along the shore of a lake collapses, flooding is not a remote possibility.

Flood insurance offers customers many benefits in the UK but due to constant flooding, the flood insurance premiums have gone much higher in the UK than they usually do. It is wise to have a flood insurance policy because when the need arises, your flood insurance policy will compensate for the loss or damage of all the items you have declared and you can get your flood insurance claim in no time at all to help you recover.


If you are looking for information or advice on flood insurance or flood plain insurance or flood insurance basics, visit us now. FloodInsuranceAdvice.com is a goldmine for information on all aspects of flood in

Where to Get the Best Affordable Health Insurance Plans

Looking for inexpensive health insurance with a top-rated company? Here's where to get the best affordable health insurance plans with A-rated companies.

Health Insurance Plans

There are a number of different plans available. The most popular ones include:

* Fee-for-service plans. These plans are the traditional plans whereby you pay a monthly premium for health care coverage that includes visits to your doctor, hospital expenses, and prescription drug costs. With these plans you pay deductible (usually $500 to $2,000), then your insurer pays a percentage of your bill (usually 80%).

* Managed health care plans. These plans - HMos, POSs, and PPOs - assign you to a group of doctors, specialists, and hospitals that you use for your health care needs. Your coverage includes doctor visits, hospital fees, and prescription drug costs. Some plans even provide preventive care such as smoking clinics and health club discounts. With HMOs and POSs you pay a monthly premium for services, and a co-payment (usually $5 to $10) per doctor visit. With PPOs you pay as services are rendered.

These plans are much cheaper than fee-for-service plans.

* Major medical plans. These plans cover major illnesses such a cancer and heart disease. They pay your medical expenses after you pay a deductible and a coinsurance payment. Standard plans pay for your hospital expenses, plus X-ray and lab tests, and you pay for doctor visits and prescription drugs.

These plans are cheaper than fee-for-service or managed health care plans.

*Specialized plans. These plans provide health care coverage for particular illnesses or situations. Two examples of these plans are hospital confinement plans that pay a certain amount for each day you're in the hospital, and specified disease insurance that pays your medical costs for a single disease such as AIDS, cancer, or heart disease.

Fees for these plans vary.

Best Companies

There are two websites where you can check out an insurance company:

* A.M. Best (ambest.com) provides an overview of a company's financial stability and its ability to pay claims. Their ratings go from A++ (best) to D (worst). You should choose a company that has an A rating or higher.

* J.D. Power & Associates (jdpower.com) provides consumer ratings for companies based on the opinions of consumers who have policies with those companies. Ratings go from five circles (best), to two circles. You should go with a company that has a rating of three circles or higher.

Most Affordable Plans

The only way to get the most affordable health insurance plan is to compare rates, and the easiest and quickest way to do that is to go to an insurance comparison website.

Visit http://www.LowerRateQuotes.com/health-insurance.html or click on the following link to get the best affordable health insurance quotes from top-rated companies and see how much you can save. You can get more tips in their Articles section, and get answers to your questions from an insurance expert by using their online chat service.


The author, Brian Stevens, is a former insurance agent and financial consultant who has written a number of articles on how to find the best affordable health insurance plans.

Travel Insurance: Be Protected While Traveling!

The famous, John Lennon said, "Life is what happens while you're making other plans." Children, or parents, get sick...people have accidents...fires, tornados, hurricanes, earthquakes can happen. Any of which could cause you to have to cancel or delay your planned vacation.

Travel Insurance is an inexpensive investment which offers the peace of mind of knowing if one of life's little stumbling blocks occurs before, or even during a trip, your Non-refundable trip deposits and payments will be reimbursed.

You can, and should, purchase Travel Insurance when you make your first trip payment or deposit. This enables you to take advantage of important "Bonus Benefits" which may be offered by your chosen Travel Insurance Company (The waiver of Pre-existing Medical Conditions and/or the Bankruptcy or Financial Default of your travel supplier or vendor ie, cruise line or tour operator.). If the Travel insurance is purchased within 14 to 21 days of the initial trip deposit or payment, depending upon the insurance plan, the underwriter may include one, or both, of these valuable bonus benefits.

The main benefit of purchasing your plan as early as possible is to "lock out" pre-existing conditions. Any trip to the doctor prior to the purchase of the insurance is considered a pre-existing condition and would not be a covered reason to cancel your trip. So the sooner the insurance is purchased the more valuable the protection becomes.

Just remember this comparison. You can't purchase car insurance after you have had the accident. The same applies to Travel Insurance...trip cancellation will not cover a person who is already sick, or injured...that's a pre-existing condition.

Travel Insurance is MUCH MORE than CANCELLATION INSURANCE.
Although more than 85% of all claims dollars are paid out because of trip cancellation or interruption, the actual majority of claims are submitted for lost, stolen, or broken personal belongings...Baggage claims. (Lost or stolen passports, visas, and travel documents are also covered under Baggage.)

Another major area for claims is Medical Expenses... This benefit pays all covered "out of pocket" payments related to a sickness or injury, which first occurs on your covered trip, and coverage continues for up to one year of the sickness or injury.

Next comes Travel Delay which reimburses expenses for accommodations and meals for travel related delays such as: a mechanical or weather related delay...loosing your passport, travel documents, money...someone in your traveling party becomes ill or is injured...just to mention a few reasons.

Baggage Delay comes next in volume of claims: If your bags are delayed by your common carrier for more than 24 hours you are reimbursed a daily sum of money to spend on personal essentials. This amount is "over and above" what the airline will give you for the delay.

The last benefit we want to consider, but the most important when needed, is Emergency Evacuation: This benefit comes into play when the worst of things happen...a catastrophic injury or illness occurs. A heart attack, stroke, appendicitis...or an injury which causes us to need a care flight...a doctor or nurse trauma team to fly with us..."Life Saving" at its highest level. It's the unthinkable coverage which has saved many peoples lives and the pocket books of many insured in a very big way.

We have only scratched the surface of travel insurance and already I'm sure you have learned more about Travel Insurance than you probably ever wanted to know. As you can see by these examples, travel insurance is a very important and very practical feature, and should be included, just like your camera, in the planning phases of every trip you take. I hope you take from this the importance of including your travel insurance purchase when you make your initial trip deposit. And Through this you must have realized that there is a lot more to travel insurance than cancellation and interruption. That a single claim like, "My passport was stolen." could generate multiple claims to benefits like travel delay...baggage...and trip interruption.

The only other peace of wisdom I can impart at this time is the importance of using an independent Travel Insurance Broker. Easily found on the internet, an independent agent should give you multiple underwriters to choose from, but without so many plans as to make it impossible to make a selection. Most plans are basically the same in their general exclusions and inclusions...but there are plans which are more individually suited to your specific travel needs. So it is important to deal with someone who knows what they are talking about...someone with experience, knowledge, and integrity and a product line which is comprised of plans which have unique variations making them appeal to the broadest spectrum of travelers.

About Author: We make booking travel insurance online "safe and easy", but also realize not everyone is comfortable purchasing over the internet. And sometimes you just want a live person to speak to, so feel free to call us toll free to discuss your travel insurance needs. We believe that "an informed customer is a repeat customer".

The author has been in the Travel Insurance business, creating and marketing innovative travel insurance products for 20 years...and in the Travel Industry for 18 years with such notable companies as American Express Travel and Thomas Cook World Travel.


We make booking travel insurance online "safe and easy", but also realize not everyone is comfortable purchasing over the internet. And sometimes you just want a live person to speak to, so feel free to call us toll free to discuss your travel insurance needs. We believe that "an informed customer is a repe

Friday, December 14, 2007

10 Tips On Reducing Renters Insurance Costs

Renting a home or office necessitates insurance protection. The insurance protects renters against fire, theft, vandalism, natural disasters or a liability suit. Leading insurance companies offer renter’s insurance policies with varied coverage. Most renters insurance policies cover perils like: fire, storms, explosions, riots, aircraft collisions, vehicle accidents, smoke, mischief, theft, natural disasters, falling objects, floods, electrical or plumbing mishaps, earthquakes, and more.

Be an educated purchaser of renters insurance and make the effort to find out whether the renters policy offers ACV, actual cash value or RCC, replacement cost coverage.

The premium for renters insurance depends on many factors like where you live, the age of the building and so on. There are many ways by which you can aim to reduce renters insurance costs:

1. Buy a policy after making comparisons online and offline. Choose a policy that offers the most at the lowest premium.

2. When choosing a rental home or office think of how the location and age of the building will affect your insurance premiums. Choose a location that is affordable but does not cause a huge increase in insurance costs.

3. Reduce costs by increasing your deductibles. Create a financial plan and make sure you can actually afford the deductible payments.

4. Keep a check list of what will increase renter’s insurance costs. For example do not buy or adopt a dog on an impulse. Many companies are wary about covering owners of certain breeds of dogs and other pets.

5. Maximize safety features in your rental space. Insurance companies offer great discounts when protective devices like fire detectors, smoke alarms, burglar alarms, and fire extinguishers are installed in a rental space.

6. Think about buying a renters insurance policy from the same insurance company that has covered your health and vehicle. When companies know that you are a reliable and responsible citizen they offer what is known as “multi-line discounts.”

7. Read articles and tips on insurance online and determine how you can benefit most.

8. Follow in the rental space the safety regulations recommended by authorities. Take good care of storing inflammables, left over pain thinners, and other hazards.

9. Before buying a renters insurance policy create a list of valuables in your possessions and inform the insurance company about them. Items like art, antiques, diamonds, jewelry, and state-of-art electronics may need additional riders/coverage on the renters policy.

10. Always check online, in magazines and news papers for special offers and discounts being offered by insurance companies.

Being a responsible citizens and having a good credit rating and report is also advantageous and insurance companies offer better deals to individuals who are considered to be low risk.

Get greater renters insurance benefits by planning your life well. Insurance costs have many variables and depend on aspects like your age, insurance coverage, financial standing, debt and more.

The World Wide Web is a thriving marketplace for online renters insurance policies. Insurance bought online is often cheaper than offline. Websites devoted to insurance bring online leading insurance companies and the most affordable options. Customers online can also make use of tools like insurance risk computation, and online quote comparison tools.



Timothy Rudon is a writer for Renters Insurance , the premier website to find renters insurance, apartment renters insurance, renters insurance quotes, home renters insurance, renters insurance online, renters insurance rates, cheap renters insurance and many more.

The importance of considering mortgage protection insurance

Any homeowner should ask themselves if they would be able to continue to repay their mortgage if they were to become unable to work after suffering from an accident, suffering an illness or faced involuntary redundancy. In most cases, the answer would be that they would not be able to cope financially. For those who would be eligible to claim, a mortgage protection insurance policy could be their lifeline.

The majority of homeowners think they would we able to live on their savings or that the State would kick in and help out. However, savings would soon dwindle if you were to be out of work for months on end and the financial assistance the State offers - even if you are entitled to receive help - is very little. Providing you have checked the exclusions in a policy then mortgage protection insurance can be a very valuable lifeline.

Mortgage insurance can be taken out for a premium each month which varies between providers and is based on your age at the time of taking it out and the amount of your monthly mortgage that you wish to insure. You do have to read the exclusions in a policy because the cover is not suitable for the circumstances of all individuals. Common exclusions include being self-employed, suffering an ongoing illness, being of retirement age or if you only work in part time employment. There can be others attached by the provider so it is essential that you do read the small print.

If a policy is suitable for your circumstances then it could begin to payout once you had been out of work for anywhere between 31 and 90 days, this is stated in the small print. Once it has commenced you would receive a tax free income each month which means that you would not have to struggle when it comes to repaying the mortgage and related outgoings such as insurance each month.

Mortgage protection insurance along with other payment protection products have earned themselves a bad name and have caused much confusion which has caused a drop in the amount of policies being sold. However it is not the actual cover itself which is to blame but those who sell it with little knowledge regarding the products. When bought from an independent specialist provider you can be sure that the cover is sold by qualified staff and is your policy is backed up by experience in the payment protection business.

A specialist provider will give you access to the vital information you need to determine if a policy is suitable for your circumstances. Along with this they will offer the cheapest quotes for the premiums which make mortgage protection insurance affordable for everyone. Despite the many faults and ongoing investigation by the Financial Services Authority, mortgage protection insurance is worth considering when you take into account that it could mean the difference between you losing the roof over your head by getting behind on your mortgage repayments or keeping it.



Simon Burgess is Managing Director of the award-winning British Insurance, a specialist provider of mortgage protection insurance, loan protection insurance and income protection insurance.

Loan payment protection insurance still facing problems

Despite the fact that the Financial Services Authority (FSA) investigated the payment protection insurance (PPI) sector and set out guidelines which those selling the cover were to follow, over 4,000 cases of mis-selling are being investigated in 2007. While this fact alone is bad enough, the figure is twice that of the year before, giving consumers cause for concern when buying loan payment protection insurance.

It was hoped that mis-selling would cease following on from the FSA, Office of Fair Trading and Competition Commission investigations, but with the figure doubling it seems that much more has to be done if mis-selling is to end. The majority of mis-selling occurs with the high street lenders who sell the cover alongside their loans, putting huge profits ahead of the consumer’s best interests. Loan protection is a huge profit maker which rakes in over £4 billion a year and greedy high street lenders do not want to lose this profit margin.

A far better way to purchase loan payment protection insurance is to take out the cover with a standalone specialist provider. Always make sure when taking out a loan or credit card that the cover has not been included because although this should be mentioned it has been known to have been included without the consumer being aware. A specialist provider will be more ethical and will make sure the consumer has access to the key facts of the cover and so known about the exclusions which could stop them from being eligible to claim. Common exclusions include if you only work part time, suffer a pre-existing illness, are of retirement age or are self-employed but there can be others.

Once you have checked the exclusions to determine if loan payment protection insurance would be suitable then cover could begin to provide you with a tax free income from between the 31st and 90th day of being out of work. If you continued to be out of work then the cover would provide you with an income to take care of your monthly loan repayments for between 12 and 24 months. This would give you great peace of mind and help to keep you out of debt at the very least.

A change for the better is on the horizon with the introduction of comparison tables in March 2008. It is hoped that the comparison tables will lead to the family of protection policies being more transparent to the consumer and so are able to decide which product would be more suitable. This will be achieved by a series of questions which the consumer will answer and lead to the right payment protection product. Along with this information will be given regarding the exclusions and also the total cost of the protection which means the consumer is able to make an informed decision regarding the suitability of the product.

While the comparison charts are a step in the right direction when it comes to the consumer getting the right advice they cannot replace the advice and information an independent specialist provider can give. They also cannot change the fact that a standalone provider will offer the cheapest premiums for loan payment protection insurance which can save you hundreds of pounds on the cover.



Simon Burgess is Managing Director of the award-winning British Insurance, a specialist provider of loan payment protection insurance, mortgage payment protection insurance and income protection insurance.

Redundancy insurance can give you a replacement income

Redundancy insurance can give you a replacement income if you were to find yourself without money coming in if you unlucky enough to be made redundant. With more and more businesses tightening their belts no ones job is safe and while you could receive redundancy money it would not last very long if you had to repay your mortgage, any loans and continue to pay essential outgoings as well.

Providing you did not take voluntary redundancy and you have checked other exclusions within a policy you could receive a tax free income each an every month you were out of work with which you could continue to repay your mortgage, loan, credit card and essential outgoings. This would greatly relieve the stress and of course means you would not have to break into any savings or redundancy money in order to be able to keep on top of things.

However while redundancy cover can be an essential lifeline it is not suitable for the circumstances of all individuals because there are exclusions which could mean you would be ineligible to make a claim. Some of the most common exclusions include if you are only in part time work, are self-employed, suffer from an ongoing illness or if you are only working in a part time position. Providers can add others so you have to check the terms and conditions of any policy you are considering taking out before you buy it.

Buying the cover that is offered alongside a loan or mortgage is the most expensive way of taking out the cover and very little information is given regarding the exclusions and key facts of the policy. In addition the cover will cost you up to 5% more than had you gotten quotes independently.

Providing a policy is suitable for your circumstances then it would begin to payout once you had been out of work for between 31 and 90 days and would then continue to payout for between 12 and 24 months depending on the provider in question. Mortgage cover taken out as redundancy cover would allow you to continue paying your mortgage repayments and so you would not be in fear of losing the roof over your head. Loan protection cover will give you money so that you can comfortably pay your loan repayments and income cover will protect your income in general so you can pay your essential outgoings.

Payment protection has come under fire for many reasons since the investigation by the Financial Services Authority began in 2005. Mis-selling occurred and fines were handed out to several names on the high street with the most recent being a mortgage firm of which not only the firm but also the Chief Executive received a personal fine. The Financial Services Authority investigated over 4,000 cases of mis-selling in 2007 alone including redundancy cover even though recommendations were outlined which were supposed to be followed. While some changes for the better have been made clearly many more need to be made.



Simon Burgess is Managing Director of the award-winning British Insurance, a specialist provider of redundancy insurance, loan protection insurance and income protection insurance.

Could you benefit from the safety net UK mortgage payment protection insurance provides?

If you should lose your income then you could be left with a big struggle on your hands when it comes to meeting your monthly mortgage repayments if you should find yourself out of work due to having an accident, sickness or be made unemployed. If the product is suitable then UK mortgage payment protection insurance could give you the income needed so you would not be left struggling or worrying.

Mortgage payment protection insurance (MPPI) could mean the difference between you losing the roof over your head and unfortunately many homeowners think that the State would be able to step in and help. While you are able to get help from the State, the financial assistance that you may be entitled to is often very little and cannot be relied upon. Providing a policy would be suitable for your needs then it can make a huge difference and be a valuable safety net on which to fall.

UK mortgage payment protection insurance is offered when you take out the mortgage and while you might think this is the easiest way to take the cover it is not the cheapest by any means. In fact the Competition Commission has recently announced that they are doing everything in their power to take a look at the high street lenders books. It is thought that the high street lenders are making up to 80% profits on selling mortgage and loan payment protection. If you want to make huge savings on mortgage cover then you have to take out the cover with an independent specialist provider.

Independent specialist providers offer cheaper premiums along with making sure that they give you the key facts needed so you are able to determine the policies suitability. Common exclusions in all policies include being of retirement age, if you only work part time, are self-employed or suffer from an ongoing illness at the time of taking out the cover. Exclusions can be added by the provider so you will have to read the small print defined in the terms and conditions before buying.

A quality UK mortgage payment protection insurance policy could begin to give you a tax free income once you had been out of work for between 31 and 90 days and continue for 12 to 24 months depending on providers. Again you have to read the terms and conditions to determine when cover would begin and end and when comparing premiums you should also compare key facts as they can differ. One of the biggest benefits besides saving you money is the experience that a standalone provider can give; a lack of experience is what led to the majority of mis-selling and problems for the payment protection sector.

Although there are many problems including a lack of information and high street lenders charging huge premiums this could soon change with the comparison tables being introduced in March 2008. The tables should help consumers to decide if UK mortgage payment protection insurance is suitable and will highlight the exclusions and tell the consumer how much the cover would cost.



Simon Burgess is Managing Director of the award-winning British Insurance, a specialist provider of uk mortgage payment protection insurance, loan protection insurance and income protection insurance.

UK mortgage insurance is worthwhile taking out

UK mortgage insurance is worthwhile taking out to guard against the possibility that you might find yourself out of work sometime in the future should you have an accident, suffer illness or become involuntarily unemployed. However the cover is not suitable for all circumstances due to the exclusions within the policy.

While the exclusions can differ and you should compare them along with the quotes, there are some common ones. Being retired, self-employed, suffering an ongoing illness or only being in part time work could mean that you would be ineligible to make a claim against the UK mortgage insurance policy. It is the exclusions which were behind the majority of mis-selling when in 2005 the Financial Services Authority began investigating the sector. As a result several well known names on the high street were given fines and then the sector was referred to the Competition Commission by the Office of Fair Trading.

While changes for the better have been made, the Competition Commission announced in late 2007 that high street lenders are still charging high premiums for UK mortgage insurance and loan payment insurance, and raking in up to 80% in profits. Along with this one of the latest firms to receive a fine was a mortgage lender. Not only did the company receive a fine but the Financial Services Authority handed out a personal fine to the Chief Executive. The Financial Services Authority say they will continue to crack down on firms who are mis-selling mortgage protection and loan protection so more Chief Executives should be prepared to put their hands in their pockets.

One of the biggest changes that will go towards making payment protection more transparent for the consumer is the introduction of comparison tables in March 2008; a series of questions will help lead the consumer to choose the right protection policy. Along with this they will highlight the exclusions which can be found in all payment protection policies and make the consumer aware of how much the cover will cost in total. All of these have caused severe problems in the payment protection sector with very little advice being given on policies and what is given being filled with technical jargon which the consumer does not understand.

Buying UK mortgage insurance from an independent specialist provider will get you the cheapest premiums and the best advice and access to the key facts. The advice comes in easy to understand plain English, cover can begin to payout from between the 31st and 90th day depending on the provider and would then continue for between 12 and 24 months again depending on providers so you must read the terms and conditions.

UK mortgage insurance may be surrounded by controversy but providing it is suitable for your circumstances it can make the difference between losing the roof over your head and keeping it and of course it gives you peace of mind so you are able to recover from illness or find another job if you are made redundant. The State cannot be relied upon to give you the money needed each month to meet your mortgage repayments which has left many facing repossession through not having a back-up plan.



Simon Burgess is Managing Director of the award-winning British Insurance, a specialist provider of uk mortgage insurance, loan protection insurance and income protection insurance.

Do not panic buy your house insurance

With the recent claims for flood damage and in some parts of the country, claims for tornado damage, premiums for house insurance are sure to increase. However it is important that consumers are not rushed into panic buying their house insurance and so end up with a poor quality and expensive policy that could be inadequate.

Industry experts have warned that by rushing into buying house insurance individuals could find themselves hundreds of pounds out of pocket if they have not given much thought to their insurance and have not taken the necessary cover. Along with this they could be paying higher premiums than they have to simply because they did not take the time to shop around with a specialist broker for their policy.

A specialist broker will always be able to get a good deal on house insurance providing the individual has give the broker the correct information to work with. A specialist broker can search around the consumer's behalf with the top UK insurers and secure the cheapest premium and best deal. Along with this you should be given the key facts of the policy so you know what you are and are not covered for if you need to claim.

It is always the exclusions in any insurance policy that causes problems and house insurance is no exception. People who panic buy do not only pay through the nose for their cover, but also could find themselves not being able to claim through not reading the small print before buying.

While an online specialist broker will help you to get the best deal on your house insurance the internet can hold many pitfalls when it comes to buying if you do not go with a specialist. By looking around for themselves on direct insurer websites the consumer can get themselves into very deep water especially when they are faced with premiums that seem extremely low. So caught up with low premiums and the need for insurance they forget to check the small print and believe they are covered for such as storm damage, accidental damage and personal contents cover which in some cases is not true.

Consumers would be astonished to learn that the very basic house insurance will probably not cover them for such things as flooding and tornado damage and so the "cheap" cover they bought will in fact cost them thousands in repairs and replacements because they are not covered in their policy. Another pitfall that many fall into when taking out policies that have very low premiums which are "too good to be true" is the amount of excess that they have to pay before they can make a claim.

A specialist broker will be able to find you the cheapest house insurance premiums and that can save a huge amount of time and of course they will have searched the whole of the market place for the cover. However it is down to the individual to take the time to read the small print that comes with any policy they are considering taking out before they actually sign on the bottom line. Cover varied widely as does the premiums and the premiums are not the only thing you should be comparing.



David Thomson is Chief Executive of BestDealInsurance an independent specialist broker dedicated to providing their clients with the best insurance deal on their home insurance, car and life insurance.

Young drivers insurance could be boosted due to them not accepting responsibility for high accident rates

Younger drivers have always been a victim of high premiums when it comes to taking out young car drivers insurance. While this has always been the case premiums could rise higher after it was announced that very few young drivers take responsibility for high accident rates and fail to change their behaviour whilst driving which many consider to be dangerous driving.

A recent study revealed that around 44% of Britain's young drivers believed that older people were not safe on the road and 63% said that harsher measures should be in force such as taking away their license and a ban on driving. Accident rates are soaring and younger drivers are blaming older drivers and so are failing to heed safety measures and change their own ways whilst on the road.

Around 45% of young drivers aged between 17 and 23 questioned believed they were safe drivers and despite the fact that they had little experience on the road classed themselves as confident in their driving ability. Despite their insistence younger drivers have been associated with high accident rates and one very good reason why could be the fact that one in four young male drivers have openly admitted to driving their car after having had a drink or taken drugs. A staggering 44% admitted that they have climbed into the car the morning after a heavy drinking session.

While these findings do suggest that younger drivers are a higher risk 4 out of 5 believe they are targeted wrongly and unfairly have to pay higher premiums for their car insurance. However there are some young drivers out there that do abide by the law and follow safety rules and regulation to the tee and these drivers should go with a specialist broker when it comes to looking for the cheapest young drivers insurance.

A specialist broker will be able to conduct a search based on those offering young drivers insurance for cheaper rates with added incentives. Along with finding cheaper insurance premiums for the younger driver, the individual can take advantage of the hints, tips and information that a specialist will make available for the younger driver which can help to keep the cost of the premiums down.

Taking an advanced driving course which is particularly aimed at the younger driver can make a difference to the cost of the insurance as can the engine size and make and model of car that the younger driver wishes to insure. Above all proving that you are one of the safety conscious younger drivers is the best way of reducing the cost of young driver's car insurance and of course of ensuring that you remain safe and accident free on the road. As with any type of insurance policy, young drivers insurance being no exception, you have to check the small print of the policy before signing on the dotted line. Exclusions can be found in the small print and it will also tell you what is and is not covered and how much the insurance will cost along with the excess that comes attached with all insurance policies.



David Thomson is Chief Executive of BestDealInsurance an independent specialist broker dedicated to giving consumers the best insurance deal. They offer great value home, life and car insurance.

Car insurance quotes could be affected by how dirty your car is

There are many factors which can determine how much your car insurance quotes are but one factor you might not have taken into consideration is how dirty your car is. New research however has revealed that there are over 24 million individuals who are driving around amidst rubbish which could be dangerous and lead to an accident which results in an insurance claim.

Where car cleaning was once a Sunday morning activity enjoyed by the majority now a startling 1 million have admitted that they have never cleaned their car, however it is not the actual appearance that worries insurers. 55% of car drivers also admitted that they did not check their windscreen to make sure they could see clearly through it before setting off on their travels, which of course is an accident waiting to happen. When it comes to checking headlights 81% admitted they do not bother and another 63% give no thought whatsoever to being able to see through their wing mirrors. All of these could potentially cause an accident on the road so there is no wonder that insurance companies are concerned.

While women drivers have been favoured when it comes to getting cheaper car insurance, women were the worst offenders when it came down to checking with around 14 % as opposed to 11% of men admitting they never make ay checks such as these. It is not just the outside of the car that can cause problems with safety related issues, the inside too if cluttered too much can be lethal if you should be involved in an accident and could also be the cause of one. Any loose item in the car could become trapped under the brake pedal making it impossible to apply the brakes, which of course could result in a serious accident.

While of course how dirty your car is will reflect on how big a risk you pose, there are many other factors which determine the amount you are asked to pay for your cover. The easiest way to get access to the cheapest quotes online is to go with a specialist broker. A specialist car insurance broker will search around on your behalf using the details you give to find the cheapest premiums for your circumstances along with the best deals and give you the key facts of the cover.

It is imperative you read the key facts of any policy you are considering purchasing as this is where the small print is found. This will tell you such things as how much excess you will have to pay, how much in total the insurance will cost and also any hidden charges and exclusions which could stop you from claiming. Going for the cheapest car insurance quotes is not always the best as you have to be sure that you have the cover needed for your circumstances. Taking out cheap cover which does not offer breakdown cover if you need it and then adding breakdown cover to it could work out dearer than had you taken out a more expensive policy with breakdown cover attached.



David Thomson is Chief Executive of BestDealInsurance an independent specialist broker dedicated to giving consumers the best insurance deal. They offer great value home, life and car insurance.

Buying Insurance Online

Buying insurance is a major financial decision, and it is important to give this decision the time and care it needs. Buying insurance is more important and complex than most people realize. Neither is it like buying office supplies, and price alone should not be the deciding factor.

The purpose of buying insurance is to transfer your financial risk to the insurance company. It is a fact that buying insurance is practical nowadays and could save you from financial and emotional frustration.

Policies are available to cover an extended stay in a health care facility and even the cost of having a licensed nurse or health care worker treat you in your home. Professional brokers can recommend suitable policies after checking the products of a variety of providers on your behalf. Insurance companies know a great deal about probabilities and they price their policies to cover their risks and overhead costs while allowing for a healthy profit margin.

Nowadays, life insurance policies are closer to investment vehicles, as in many cases the insurance company simply invests your premiums for either a lump sum payment or a monthly payment to begin at a predetermined time.

If there are individuals who depend on you for financial support, or if you work at home providing your family with such services as child care, cooking, and cleaning, you need life insurance. If you are young and have children, or planning a family, life insurance can provide the means for them to finish their education if you're not around to help. There are many important purchases in life, but few are as critical to the long term financial well being of an individual or family as insurance.

If you are married, another way to share risk is to make sure both spouses are employable so your family isn't wholly dependent on only one income.

As long as you continue to pay the premiums, you are able to lock in coverage at a level premium rate. In return for your premiums (your money), an insurance company will contract the policy with you to pay for certain losses. So, generally the premiums will vary depending on the risk of the occurrence you are looking to cover.

The amount of premiums payable depends upon the type of policy, term of policy contract, sum assured and your age. Whether it is coverage for a personal car, one's home, or even supplemental accidental death and disability, the process is pretty much the same: call an agent, state the need, get a price and begin paying premiums.

The insurance market covers a wide range of areas, such as home, car, personal, medical, travel, accident and life, to mention a few of the common insurance policies available. General insurance is divided into six broad categories: home, vehicle, income protection, public liability, personal accident and travel. Protecting hard-earned assets from liability exposure due to property damage or personal injury, which can occur as a consequence of boat ownership, is prudent. For the purposes of security spending, risk management, or just about anything else, you still end up slicing things right down the middle of your personal probability spectrum.

Since buying insurance is buying something you hope you never really need, the only way you will find out if claims are handled efficiently is when you experience a loss, but the first and most important rule when buying insurance is DO NOT be "economical with the truth" - it could spell disaster.



Peter Fisher is webmaster for www.themoneyworldonline.com where you will find masses of information and assistance with buying insurance online for general insurance, health, travel and even wedding day insurance.

Monday, December 3, 2007

Car Insurance... What a Caveman Needs to Know

"It's so easy even a caveman can do it", the announcer proclaims, alluding to how easy it is to save money with their car insurance company. While the advertisement has been hugely successful, even leading to a television series, the reality is neither a caveman, talking lizards, scantily clad models or anything else will make your car insurance any cheaper. Your insurance premium is primarily based on such things as your driving record, age, gender, location, the vehicle that you're insuring, and not on what insurance company you are with. If you really want to see how easy it is to save money with any insurance company, try getting cheap auto insurance with a less than perfect driving record including such indiscretions as speeding, accidents, or the dreaded D.U.I. You'll quickly find that 'easy' is a relative term; perhaps easier than Chinese Arithmetic, but not as easy as the ubiquitous commercials would lead you to believe.

Even a caveman will find it hard to get cheap car insurance in some places. The place that I call home; referred to by many as the People's Republic of Maryland, has a 'point' system in place where you get nailed twice for the same violation. Commit a driving violation here, and you will receive a gift that keeps on giving because not only will you pay when you go to court, but you will also be rewarded with higher insurance premiums when the auto insurance company finds that you've scored some points. If you are a really high achiever and score enough points, you can even get your license revoked or suspended. The 'point' is, your driving record is the major determinant as to how much you pay. If you want to keep your car insurance low..er, avoid tickets, and if you live in Maryland, take the bus.

When it comes to car insurance, it is definitely better to be a cavewoman than a caveman. It's an established fact that all things being equal, you will pay more for auto insurance if you happened to born with the XY chromosome.The reasoning behind this is that since men have the testosterone thing going on, they are more likely to drive fast and reckless and therefore are a higher risk than the fairer sex. Having many years of experience behind the wheel, I would have to add that it's not so much whether or not you are a caveman or woman that matters, but whether or not you are a 'young' cave person. I could not begin to tell you how many times I have seen young Cro-Magnon women driving up on another cars bumper at 70 miles an hour. While this gender discrimination may seem a little Neanderthal to many of us, nobody said that life was fair; even for a caveman.

It also matters where you cave is located. When I was living out in Washington State, I paid less than half for car insurance than what I pay here in Maryland. In Baltimore, you can even pay higher rates just by living in the wrong zip code. I have a brother who lives just two miles from where I reside yet his auto insurance is much cheaper because he lives in a different zip code. You can be the safest driver on the roads but if you happen to live in the wrong area, you might just get penalized for it. Like real estate, when it comes to car insurance, location matters.

Lastly, the type of vehicle that you're insuring also plays a large part in how much you pay for auto insurance. For instance, certain vehicles are more popular with car thieves than others. According to the 'National Insurance Crime Bureau(NICB), the Honda Civic and Accord were among the most reported stolen vehicles in 2006'. 'The report also mentioned that thieves tend to target the most popular vehicles because they offer the best market for stolen vehicle parts and illegal export to other countries'. Insurance companies are aware of this as well, and most will charge a premium for the privilege of owning one of these thief happy cars.

While it may be true that you can save some money by insuring your auto with an insurance company that has a caveman as a spokesperson, the truth is that what you pay for insurance is based on numerous factors such as driving history, age, sex and location. Slick advertising aside, that should be so obvious that even a cave man can see it.



Bill Thomas is actively engaged in Internet Marketing. He also contributes articles on business, life and othe topics. His current website is..Create Income from Home With Your Own... Home Business

Pet Insurance - a quick and easy guide

As a nation we Brits are generally an animal loving society, most households wouldn't be complete without extra family members in the form of our much loved dogs, cats and even house rabbits - throw in a hamster, goldfish and the odd mouse or two (hopefully not literally) and you've pretty much got the perfect balance.

On a more serious note, the majority of us realise that the health of our pets is important and anything we can do to help maintain this should be undertaken.

You'd be forgiven for thinking that apart from giving our pets a high level of care and much love and attention there is little else we can do - you'd also be wrong; much in the same way as health insurance for ourselves, pet insurance is available to help protect your cherished pets and offer financial assistance in the event of a medical emergency or health condition.

Veterinary treatment can be costly with the bills in some cases running into the thousands. As you can imagine pets such as dogs and cats can be rather accident prone especially when left unattended.

Having cover in place will help you avoid heartbreaking decisions involving the health of your pet and financial limitations. This has often been the case for many families and deciding which is more important is extremely difficult - a decision no one should have to make!

There are many different providers of pet insurance and each company will offer its own plans tailored to suit specific species and varying factors such as age and breed.

Level of cover can vary greatly between policies - you will usually find you are covered for injury and most common medical conditions (some hereditary conditions can be excluded, see below). Vaccinations, worming and flea treatments are not normally included but there are an increasing number of specialist insurers offering this as part of their package.

Other common exclusions can include investigative tests such as blood sampling, x-rays and ultrasound examination. If a breed specific hereditary condition is likely such as Atopy (an autoimmune condition in which the body attacks its own skin cells causing much irritation to the patient) often found in West Highland White dogs and Chocolate Labradors, to give but one example.

Some medical conditions occurring in feline and canine patients can necessitate a prescription diet which will usually be costly, therefore you should check if this is covered under a prospective policy. Where necessary you should seek another policy with this level of cover included.

Of course price varies considerably between insurers and you should ensure you don't compromise on quality when opting for a cheaper policy. Factors that can affect the end premium include of course the type of pet you have, the age, breed and health of the pet and any medical history or past claims that could affect your application. As with the majority of insurance policies there will usually be an excess to pay and the amount you set will also affect the monthly payment you make.

For those of you unfamiliar with insurance jargon, the excess you pay is in simple terms a contribution you are required to make in the event a claim. For example if a fractured leg on your cat cost £500 to repair you may be required to pay the first £50 yourself. You will usually have to pay an excess for each separate incident but ongoing treatment of a particular treatment will usually be treated as a continuation and only one excess charged (check your policy to be sure).

You can usually find insurance to cover; Cats, dogs, rabbits, birds and other smaller mammals such as hamsters, rats and mice.

You should consider pet insurance if you have any of these animals as the policy will more than pay for itself if needed.



Chris Rowlands is a UK based author with experience within the financial sector centering on insurances.

Where to Compare Health Insurance Companies to Find the Best

Sixty percent of Americans receive health insurance through their employers, but this still leaves millions of people trying to find health insurance on their own. If you're looking for health insurance, you want to know the easiest way to compare health insurance companies and find the best policy for their needs.

The answer may be no further away than your computer. By using resources readily available to you on the Internet, you can easily check out the financial stability, customer service ratings, and complaint history of insurance companies. You can also use the Internet to shop for health insurance so you can quickly and easily compare quotes to get the best rate.

Check the Financial Stability of Health Insurance Companies

When you file an insurance claim you need to be sure your insurance company will be able to pay your claim. This means that you want a company that's financially stable and secure.

To check on the financial stability of an insurance company, visit the A.M. Best website at: ambest.com. Go with a company that has an A or higher rating.

Check the Customer Service Ratings of Health Insurance Companies

You also want a health insurance company that will provide you with good customer service. To check the customer service rating of an insurance company, visit J.D. Power & Associates website at: jdpower.com. There you'll find customer service ratings of all the major insurance companies. Go with a company that has a three star or better rating.

Check the Complaints Filed Against a Company

To check the number of complaints filed against an insurance company, visit your state's Department of Insurance website. This website will list all the complaints filed by customers. You can also talk to friends and neighbors who use that insurance company to get their opinions.

Shop Online for Health Insurance

The Internet has made it easy for you to compare health insurance company rates. You can go to an insurance comparison website and get fast quotes from multiple A-rated health insurance companies.

The best websites even let you talk with insurance professionals so you can ask questions and make sure you choose the best health insurance company and policy for your particular situation (see link below).

Visit http://www.LowerRateQuotes.com/health-insurance.html or click on the following link to compare health insurance company quotes from top-rated companies and see how much you can save. You can also get more insurance tips there.




The authors, Brian Stevens and Stacey Schifferdecker, have spent 30 years in the insurance and finance industries, and have written a number of articles on how to compare health insurance companies.

Dog Insurance - Only the Best for Your Best Friend

Insuring Fido is not something that immediately springs to mind. When our dog falls ill or suffers an accident, the vet bills can be exhorbitant. It is not unusual for even basic, minor veterinary procedures to cost hundreds of pounds. If our family pet becomes seriously ill or hurt, the bill can run into thousands and place a very great strain on our finances.

If we are unable to afford vet bills for our pet, at the very least this can mean distress and discomfort for them. In the case of serious illness it can mean that we have to make a very unhappy decision to have Fido put to sleep because the treatment that will save him simply cannot be paid for. Insuring our dog ensures that we are never placed in such an unhappy predicament where we have to choose between our loved pet and our financial security.

Today, we have a legal duty to ensure that we provide all the necessary care for our dog or face severe penalties and even run the risk of getting a criminal record for not providing care as required. There is no NHS for pets so we must make sure that as responsible dog owners we can pay for the often, very expensive medical services that our dog may need. Not only can we satisfy our legal responsibility that we now have to care for our pet, but ensure that they continue to enjoy a good quality life and continue to play their part in our lives.

There is also the liability that we carry for the behaviour of our dog. If our dog runs into the road and causes a traffic accident, we as the dog owner can be held liable for causing the accident. If our dog bit someone, we are liable for the damage and distress that is caused. The cost of dealing with such an instance can be ruinous unless we have a means to pay for the bills that are incurred or be able to pay to defend ourselves legally. Dog insurance policies can be used to cover for any such eventuality.

We have all seen posters for missing pets from time to time. Insuring our dog will allow us to be able to cover the cost of a reward for finding Fido should he decide to wander off, as well as help cover the cost of advertising in the local press. Make sure that any policy will cover these basic things as they are frequently the cause of an insurance claim on these policies.

Carrying dog insurance makes a great deal of financial sense. It is cheap and easy to arrange, with cover costing pennies a day which when you set that against the thousands of pounds that a vet bill may result in, is all too easy to see the financial arguement for having the policy. Unlike insuring our lives, medical underwriting is kept to an absolute minimum so filling forms should be quick and very easy to do.

Probably the greatest benefit to be gained from holding dog insurance is the peace of mind that comes with it. You cannot always be certain how your dog will behave or what fate has in store and no matter how much you love your four legged friend, your bank balance may simply be unable to withstand the financial cost of looking after them. Peace of mind can cost you pennies, but there is no price you can place on the value of knowing that if the worst happens you have one less thing to worry about.

If you insure your car, you should insure your dog. It is cheaper and simpler to set up and you are more likely to claim on the policy than claim on your car insurance. Take the opportunity to consider how much it may cost you if you do not cover Fido not just from the financial aspect of him falling ill, but from him taking a bite out the postman or chasing a cyclist across the street. Legally you have to insure your car, but common sense requires you do the same for Fido.



If you are looking for information or advice on health insurance policies or life insurance or Dog Insurance, visit us now. Completely-Insurance.com is a goldmine for information on all types of insurance.

Fleet Insurance - Taking Care of All Your Vehicles By the Fleet

There are a myriad of vehicle insurance types to choose from. Each car or van insurance, however, depends on the vehicle itself and in the ownership of that vehicle. Choosing the perfect insurance package for each vehicle is not an easy decision to make. So imagine if you have a whole fleet of vehicles to get insurance for!

Fleet insurance is a great way of managing the cost of insuring your company vehicles and in ensuring that claims are handled with as less stress and hassle as possible. A company may opt to self-insure by way of insurance bonds. This is very expensive and the risk to the business is high, particularly given the number of claims that are probable and the open-ended nature of the claims that may arise. Handling claims can be a logistical and adminstrative headache and is something that a fleet insurance policy can handle in a breeze.

Fleet insurance removes the burden of having separate policies for every vehicle. Simply consider the monitoring and tracking that would be required to ensure that each vehicle has the proper coverage, gets renewed on time and continued with no period of non-coverage.

Fleet insurance takes away all the worries from the part of the business and vehicle owner. Fleet insurance policies do vary, but the basics remain across all providers. Fleet insurance premiums are governed by the number and type of vehicles, their age and condition as well as the overall mileage that can be expected from the fleet or classes of vehicle within the fleet.

Claims history is also relevant but high risk drivers who otherwise would not or could not be insured may become covered by use of a fleet insurance policy. Individual insurers will have different ways of calculating premiums and assessing the risk that is presented but these processes tend to follow a common path based on the fleet factors we have already mentioned.

Limited liability insurance that is included in fleet insurance policies takes into consideration the fact that you must also insure the vehicles and the acts of the driver and the riders during the normal course of business.

Fleet insurance for lorries and caravans should cover the goods that are to be transported as well. If you are commercially transporting goods that are practically the lifeblood of your business, you also need to look at insuring the cost of these goods in the event of theft or loss while in your control, in transit or during a breakdown of the vehicle. These issues also need to be considered when looking at what a fleet insurance policy can provide for you and the riders of the vehicles, and not simply focusing upon the insurance of the fleet itself.

Running a fleet of vehicles in your business presents some unique problems and issues. Fleet insurance can be a very helpful tool so you can do away with the extra burden and liability that may arise in the course of your business. Getting a fleet insurance for loads of vehicles gives the business owner the much needed convenience that individual vehicle insurance policies do not offer.



If you are looking for information or advice on health insurance policies or life insurance or fleet insurance, visit us now. Completely-Insurance.com is a goldmine for information on all types of insurance.

Health Insurance - Protecting Your Health and Your Pocket

We all know we need to look after ourselves. We eat healthy food, we try to exercise more and we try to make sure we are prepared for what life may throw at us. When it comes to our health, it pays to do everything we can to look after ourselves.

Unfortunately, we sometimes suffer from illness and though we are lucky enough to live in a country with free medical care, it is not always what we would wish it to be. Carrying health insurance allows us to take control of how fast, where and when we receive medical treatment and care. When it comes to our health, it really is a matter we need to be in control of.

Health insurance is something we are highly likely to claim on. We are far more likely to claim on a health insurance policy than our life insurance as the human body is far more complicated than any car and there is more likely to go wrong with it. Are we seriously insuring our cars and not actively considering insuring our own body? What is more important, our car or our families health?

Finding an insurance company that is right for us is important if we are serious about looking after ourselves. We need to consider the extent of the coverage, how much it will cost and most of all, how good the insurance provider is at paying claims once you need the protection. It is not a good thing to be in a position where you need care but your health care insurer is dragging its feet over agreeing the claim!

Underwriting for healthcare insurance policies can be extensive because you are so much more likely to claim on the policy. It is vital that you disclose any pre-existing conditions when you apply for cover and that you are frank and honest about your lifestyle, say if you smoke for instance.

Healthcare insurance providers commonly provide different levels of protection for their policy holders. Obviously, the more conditions that are covered and the greater the benefits that are presented, the higher cost in premiums gets. The quality of care provided is crucial however, and you must make sure that you compare like with like when looking at different policies as potential products to select for your family and yourself.

Health care insurance can be expensive, however if you are in a position where you need to claim you will find the cost to be money well spent. If you need medical treatment for a condition that is debilitating but not critical, you may find yourself in for a long wait on the NHS. You only have to read about the lengthy waiting periods that exist for hip replacements to see the truth in this.

Health care is a priority in our lives, and elections are won and lost over the quality of the NHS. Health care insurance allows us to take personal responsibility for making sure that our family receives the very best in health care when we need it. Take the time to familarise yourself with healthcare insurance and the different options that are available; this is a key part of any financial protection arrangements that you will make for youself and your family.



If you are looking for information or advice on health insurance policies or life insurance or health insurance, visit us now. Completely-Insurance.com is a goldmine for information on all types of insurance.