When it comes to finding a conservative investment, it often involves a rather boring type of investment vehicle. You may be interested in investing in a savings account for the liquidity purposes or a little bit higher-paying CD for longer-term. In the past this involve much thought. We’d see attractive, CD rates in the paper or online and just go with the best CD rate. It’s never involved much thought, but recent bank failures can teach us a valuable lesson here. The lesson being that we should always have adequate FDIC insurance coverage.

In IndyMac bank, which just recently folded can remind us of some very basic investment principles. Fortunately, when investing in a savings account or through a deposit at our local bank. We have the reliance that the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) will be there for us when needed. This is true, by following the FDIC guidelines we should have nothing to worry about. Unfortunately, in this day and age we need to always proceed with caution, when it comes to any investment type, even CDs.

The first step when you take when looking at a CD type investment is to make sure that the bank will be entrusting is a member of the FDIC. Not all banks are FDIC members. This is critical to your investment safety, as those banks not offering the FDIC protection carry greater risks. The first thing most people do is look for the highest possible CD rates, and then make a decision based on competitiveness of those rates. There is nothing wrong with this technique, just make sure the institution you plan to do business with is a member of the FDIC.

The second thing you’ll want to get a is make sure that you don’t exceed the FDIC insurance maximum coverage. This is very important, as you will not be protected for anything that exceeds that amount. This important step is ignored all too often in this country. Unfortunately for the many IndyMac bank depositors, they’re learning a costly lesson. It’s estimated that thousands of IndyMac accounts will not be covered, due to exceeding FDIC insurance limits. Preliminary amounts are in the billion-dollar range. The silver lining here is that hopefully people will learn from these mistakes. We know that from this example, that no bank is safe, regardless of size. Having the proper FDIC insurance coverage is a must.

A standard FDIC insurance coverage is $100,000 per account. The FDIC does not cover anything above this amount. This is her individual, all depository accounts accumulated. This means that if you have a CD, a savings account, and a checking account, they cannot exceed the hundred thousand-dollar mark. So, how do you get around this limited coverage? Well, the most obvious is to establish bank accounts at different institutions. The FDIC insurance rules state that the hundred thousand-dollar per account, per institution. So, it’s rather simple to ensure that you’re covered, it just takes a little bit of work. If you want to keep it all at the same institution, there are a few ways to adequately do so. You could set up a joint account, if you’re married. This would provide up to $200,000, and FDIC insurance. You can set up a living trust, which could provide $100,000 protection for each designated beneficiary. Also, if you have retirement accounts, those actually have a higher limit. The FDIC limit for combined retirement accounts is $250,000.

The important thing to take away from this lesson is not to be lackadaisical when it comes your banking. Make sure you don’t exceed the limits. Talk to your banker, he or she might have suggestions to help you achieve full FDIC insurance protection. This is important, as it’s impossible to tell who will be the next bank to fail, but you can ensure your protection.

Source by Mike Trudeau

Children with asthma, and other pre-existing health problems, have long been discriminated against when it comes to receiving adequate health insurance coverage. Lack of Florida health insurance among children has been well documented along with dire consequences.

That problem has been specifically addressed in health care reform. Unfortunately, confusion over changes to health care in the U.S. continue, including debate over how health insurers may treat children with pre-existing health problems like asthma.

What Does Health Care Reform Do For Children With Asthma?

As the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius may have the last word on this subject. In March of 2010, Sebelius directly addressed the issue in a letter to America’s Health Insurance Plans. After noting that the media had reported that certain insurance companies hoped to find ways around the section of the new law that specifically prohibited insurers from excluding children with pre-existing conditions from coverage, she stated the following.

According to Sebelius, “Health insurance reform is designed to prevent any child from being denied coverage because he or she has a pre-existing condition…To ensure that there is no ambiguity on this point, I am preparing to issue regulations in the weeks ahead ensuring that the term “pre-existing condition exclusion” applies to both a child’s access to a plan and to his or her benefits once he or she is in the plan. These regulations will further confirm that beginning in September, 2010: Children with pre-existing conditions may not be denied access to their parents’ health insurance plan; Insurance companies will no longer be allowed to insure a child, but exclude treatments for that child’s pre-existing condition.”

Her letter also lamented that “For too long, parents across the country have struggled as pre-existing conditions have prevented their children from accessing affordable, stable health insurance coverage. Health insurance reform eliminates this tremendous source of worry and helps ensure children have the care they need.” September 2010 marks the beginning of increased protection through health insurance in Florida for children, and those suffering with asthma may be seeing additional help in the future.

Does Smoking Contribute To Asthma?

Scientists long ago demonstrated that second-hand smoke hurt people, especially children, who suffered from asthma by increasing the incidence and severity of their asthma attacks. Following a 2006 ban on smoking in all enclosed public and work places in Scotland, researchers have now reported a decline in hospital admissions for childhood asthma.

Before the Smoking, Health and Social Care Act was passed, children were being admitted for asthma at a rate that was increasing by 5.2 percent a year. After the new law passed, investigators found that on average such admissions fell by as much as 18.2 percent every year. A decline in these admissions occurred among both preschool and school-age children. The ban even sparked an increase in voluntary reduction of smoking in Scotland homes.

What Are U.S. Researchers Saying About Smoking and Asthma?

Some researchers look forward to similar benefits here in the United States. As chief of the division of pulmonary and critical care medicine at Denver’s National Jewish Health, Dr. E. Rand Sutherland says, “The findings are a confirmation of the beneficial effect of reducing the exposure of children to environmental tobacco smoke.”

He continues that “The study also suggests, importantly, that children [and not just adults] can be the beneficiaries of smoke-free policies which target the workplace and public spaces.”

What about smoking in the home? Researchers have attributed in excess of 200,000 episodes of asthma striking children in the U.S. each year from their parents smoking.

At Pennsylvania State University, investigators calculated that we could see a $1.26 return for every dollar used to help people stop smoking from the resulting reduced medical costs of smokers’ victims. The benefits would not only cut premature deaths caused by smoking, but would also increase productivity on the job.

Source by Wiley Long

The one thing that everyone has to bear at one point is to file a car insurance claim. Now, many people take this big step without consulting their agent and this is the first huge mistake they make. If you make an unnecessary car insurance claim, then it will reflect in a bad way.

Driving records and histories!! These are important and once a claim has been filed (however minute it is) will go in the central record system. This record is accessible by every single car insurance company throughout the world. And the companies looking over your car insurance claims won’t look into detail whether there was police at the scene or not. In many cases, it might not even be mentioned in your files.

Even if you have a car insurance policy in place at the time of the accident, your premium rates would go up. There are many companies which will provide accident forgiveness. Now, some companies will give you this depending on the time for which you have being with them. Other companies sell this accident forgiveness as a part of a package or a deal. Thus, it becomes paramount to car insurance online plans in India where you get this package.

So, when you are in the tough situation of whether to file a claim or not, consider the premium rates and how much extra you might have to pay in the future. Also, some companies only have the accident forgiveness for the first accident, so don’t waste this chance on a small file claim.

There are scenarios where filing claim may become a headache when you are the victim. It has become common for some parties to deny filing a claim on behalf of their customer who had caused damage to your car. They may come up with some technical jargon and put you at a weak spot and you will eventually feel the need to let go. If you cannot do without the claim, then it is better to let your company handle these problems. But before you go and compare Car Insurance Online Policies india

So, there might several scenarios where you will feel the urge to file a claim but it is better to pause and think before making that claim. If it is not worth it, it can show up badly on your driving record and will put you in a great lot of trouble later

Source by Rimita Desai

If you have never taken an insurance policy and don’t know its importance, it is a high time when you must think about the same. You must think about taking up the same as this is something which will help you up when nothing will be there in your life. Yes, when everybody will avoid to help you, this will be there to give you an amazing financial support which you need up the most. So, let’s check out why we should consider the same and how to pick up the same for complete peace of mind.

Here, we are talking about music studio insurance which is very necessary to have. If you own studio and it generally visit with various people, contains a lot of precious accessories, assets and everything else, better think about their overall protection and running a great business ahead. If you don’t know how studio policy can help us, better check out the various importance which will surely push you to take up the same. Here you go-

For great and phenomenal protection

If you own Music Studios In New York or anywhere else, before doing any other thing must go up with the best studio liability insurance which will help you to protect from various sorts of risks, like-

Theft

Yes, most of the time various studios suffer from theft issues which is not at all appreciable. If your studio has lots of precious assets, music instrument, recording accessories, and various other things, at any point of time they can be stolen and you won’t have anything left in your studio. Surely, it is can be a very tough situation, however, to settle down the same take that insurance policy which can guard you from theft and other issues.

Injury and illness

If anybody gets injured or met with an accident in your studio, you are the only person responsible for the same. In this case, your taken insurance policy will help you a lot which will help in solving the situation immediately as well as you can plan up to run your business again in a full swing, like earlier.

Loss of assets and property

As you own precious and valuable assets or property, if it hurts or damages, it may cost you a lot of its repairing. This will surely affect your pocket for sure and hurt you financially a lot. Having a perfect insurance plan will assure you to pay for all sorts of loss or damage which can easily be fixed by you.

For better ROI

If you didn’t face any kind of awkward situation at all, it doesn’t mean that your investment will go waste. Even, you can expect to have the best ROI at the end of the term of an insurance policy which will help you a lot.

Source by micheljordan4

Thanks to rising health care costs, health insurance can cost a bundle. But you can still get low cost small business health insurance in Colorado if you know how. Here’s how to do it …

Small Business Health Insurance

As a small business owner you can buy a group health plan and get lower premiums, plus better coverage than you would with individual insurance. Your premiums are calculated for the group as a whole, and individuals may purchase additional coverage to suit their needs. As an employer you get tax deductions for any contributions you make.

There are a number of types of health insurance plans you can buy that won’t cost you an arm and a leg. Here are the most popular:

HMO (health maintenance organization) – An HMO is a comprehensive health care plan that pays for your and your employees doctor visits, hospital bills, and prescription drugs. You pay a monthly premium and are assigned to a group of health care providers – doctors, hospitals, and specialists.

HMOs usually have no deductibles, and co-payments are anywhere from $5 to $15 per doctor visit, so your out-of-pocket expenses are low. These plans are the cheapest comprehensive health care plans.

MSA (medical saving account) – An MSA is a tax-sheltered savings account, similar to an IRA, that’s used to pay medical expenses. All the money you deposit into your MSA are tax deductible and can be withdrawn at any time to pay for your medical expenses. Any money left in the account continues to grow tax free.

MSAs are typically combined with an inexpensive, high-deductible health insurance plan. You pay for medical expenses with the money from your MSA until the deductible on your health plan is met. Then your plan takes over and pays for your medical expenses. MSAs provide a low-cost alternative to high-cost health plans.

Major Medical Health Insurance – Major medical, or catastrophic health insurance is limited to paying for major medical expenses like cancer and heart disease. These plans typically pay your hospital expenses, surgical costs, X-rays, and lab tests, but do not pay for routine doctor visits or prescriptions drugs costs.

Where to Get Low Cost Small Business Health Insurance

The only way to know if you’re getting a good rate is to compare rates from different companies. You can compare rates quickly and easily by going to an insurance comparison website where you can get rate quotes from multiple companies on one website.

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

Source by ryan@thesatellitetvguide.com

Jenkins Athens Insurance Services, the Concord insurance brokerage and employee benefits firm, has renamed itself Jenkins Insurance Group in a brand repositioning move that consolidates all of its services under one name.

The name change will take place in two steps: the new brand and logo will be introduced immediately for the company’s property and casualty insurance services, and in early 2009 for the firm’s benefits division, Athens Benefits. The Athens name was introduced in the 1980s when the firm expanded into offering employee benefits services.

Jenkins had premium volume of $436 million last year, up from $423 million in 2006. It is the third-largest brokerage in the East Bay, according to East Bay Business Times research.

The company is repositioning itself at a time of upheaval and consolidation in the insurance industry, which has seen commercial property and casualty premiums decline 5 to 15 percent a year for the past four years as companies fight for market share.

The drive to strengthen market share and leadership in growth markets while at the same time increasing economies of scale is behind a number of recent mergers, including Willis Group Holdings Ltd.’s $2.1 billion acquisition of rival Hilb Rogal & Hobbs Co., a deal announced earlier this month. London-based Willis is the third-largest broker in the world behind Aon Inc. and Marsh & McLennan.

Closer to home, Oakland firm Saylor & Hill Co. in May completed a merger with Barney & Barney LLC of San Diego. And Wells Fargo & Co. has made a string of acquisitions in the insurance space over the last several years.

Independent brokerages have sold out to larger firms as founders sought an exit strategy, and, increasingly, as they have found it is harder to compete against larger, deep-pocketed firms.

Jenkins CEO Curt Perata said Jenkins is committed to remaining independent. The 71-year-old company was started by James W. Jenkins and is still family-owned. The founder’s son, James C. Jenkins, is chairman of the company, and a member of the third generation, James R. Jenkins, is president of the Athens Administrators division.

“Rebranding costs a lot of money,” Perata said. “There is a lot of investment and a lot of thought process that goes into the brand.” In this case, the name change was a way to better reflect the values and history and relationships that the firm has, he said. Jenkins has spent close to $500,000 on the rebranding effort, Perata said, which includes a new Web site. “In these times it is significant investment.”

The premium declines are good for Jenkins’ clients, but the flip side is that commissions go down as well. Jenkins has grown its total client numbers 10 to 15 percent on both sides of its business, Perata said, but revenue on the property and casualty side, which accounts for about 60 percent of the company’s total revenue, is flat. Revenue on the benefits side, meanwhile, is growing 10 to 15 percent annually.

In 2007, Jenkins’ revenue was $39 million, roughly flat with $38 million in 2006. Perata declined to disclose exact income figures, but said the income from the benefits side has remained strong while income from the property and casualty side has seen a lot of downward pressure.

Jenkins hopes to leverage the repositioning of its brand to bring in more business, and increase the amount of cross-selling it does between its divisions. Right now, about a third of its customers buy services from both sides of its business, Perata said.

Source by Sofia Abasolo

There’s no doubt, buying a motorhome is very exciting! The thrill of the open road before you, and everything you need for a good night’s sleep right there behind the wheel. But taking your home on the road is also a big financial commitment, so you need to make sure you protect your investment with the right insurance.

There are many things you need to consider when looking for motorhome insurance, and there are many insurers offering great deals. But everyone has specific needs. When comparing policies, don’t necessarily go for the cheapest option! Your dealer may be able to help you, but here are a few things to keep in mind.

First of all, you need to think about where you will use the motorhome. Will it be used solely in the UK, or are you going overseas? Different insurance policies will offer different levels of cover for travel outside the UK. Make sure you are covered for all the destinations you intend to visit.

Who will use the motorhome? If it is going to be driven by you alone, the insurance will usually be cheaper than if you have a number of named drivers. However, if you are planning to lend or rent your motorhome out to friends, family or even strangers, you will need to make sure they are all covered under the terms of your policy. You may be able to add short-term or mileage-based drivers from time to time. Check this with the insurer.

If you are a member of a motorhome club, ask other members, or motorhoming friends, who they are insured with and what their experiences are of that insurer. Try and get a personal recommendation.

Check the level of cover you will get for personal effects, such as luggage, camping equipment and awnings. And think about all the valuables you will carry with you, such as your TV, DVD player and stereo. Does your premium adequately cover these items?

We all believe we are good drivers, but accidents do occur! What will happen to you if you have an accident while you are touring and your motorhome is out of action? Some insurers will offer a temporary vehicle while your motorhome is being repaired, or cover hotel expenses if necessary. Check the level of cover and the terms of any deals here – some are more generous than others.

There’s nothing worse than breaking down in the middle of nowhere in middle of the night. Go for a policy that includes a level of breakdown assistance / roadside recovery, for added peace of mind.

Finally, look for insurers that specialise in motorhome insurance; they will know better than anyone what your needs are, and will be best able to tailor a policy that suits you. Talk to them, that’s what they’re there for.

Now relax and enjoy your trip!

About the author: this article is provided by The Insurance Factory, an insurance company specialising in niche cover including motorhome insurance

Source by Insurance Factory

You may ask why you need mortgage protection insurance, believing that it is just another expense when your money is stretched already. However, have you considered what would happen if you were to suddenly lose your income due to involuntary redundancy or incapacity such as from having an accident or falling sick? How would you service your monthly mortgage debt? Even missing just a few payments will send you in to arrears which could see you in Court facing repossession. It really doesn’t bear thinking about.

You may also believe that the State will help you out with meeting your mortgage commitments. But currently, to benefit from State help, you need to meet strict eligibility criteria. For example, you would be ineligible to claim for State benefits if you had savings over a certain amount. And even if you were eligible to claim for State assistance, the amount you would receive would be very little and in most cases not enough to cover your mortgage repayment. There would also be a waiting period before you could make a claim, meaning you could fall in to arrears at this time.

With mortgage payment protection insurance – also known as MPPI for short – you will still be able to maintain your mortgage repayments even when you are off sick or involuntarily unemployed. The mortgage protection insurance policy will start to pay you a fixed tax free sum every month that you are unable to work or without unemployment for up to 24 months (though some policies just run for twelve months, so do check out the policy features and benefits when buying your cover to ensure you have the right level for your needs). Of course, if you recover or find alternative employment within this time, then the benefit will cease.

You will be able to claim the benefit anywhere from thirty to ninety days after you first become unemployed or incapacitated, subject to the individual policy terms and conditions. Some policies will offer cover that is back dated to the first day of your claim, so that you can take full advantage of the insurance. This is sometimes known as ‘back to day one cover’, so look out for this policy feature when choosing your mortgage payment protection insurance policy.

How much benefit you will receive will have been agreed at the time of taking out the mortgage protection insurance and could also include mortgage associated costs such as life, home and critical illness cover as well as utility bills. Each provider will have their limits as to how much cover you can take out, so, again, check this before you sign up to the policy.

Finally, shop around for your mortgage protection insurance to get the best price on your cover. Traditionally, the high street banks and lenders have been known to sell overpriced cover whereas the independent brokers can often offer substantial savings on the protection, meaning you can get the insurance and peace of mind you need at a price that suits your budget.

Source by Sean Horton

While  C.O.B.R.A. Insurance is often a good choice for many former employees, people often accept the COBRA option when there are better choices.  If compared to private health insurance, COBRA can be too expensive, it can conclude too early and it can put someone else in control of your policy.

C.O.B.R.A.     is often too pricey

COBRA is s short-term solution

C.O.B.R.A. is under someone else’s control

COBRA     is often too expensive

The  C.O.B.R.A. law gives you the right to be covered by a group assurance policy.  One of the more costly misconceptions individuals have about medical coverage is that group insurance policies are less costly than private health care insurance policies that you can acquire on your own.  Although this is sometimes true, it isn’t usually.  In a lot of states, healthcare coverage costs more if bought through an employer.  

This is because of the cost of governmental mandates that apply to group healthcare Insurance policies that don’t apply to individual medical care assurance policies.  A company offering a group coverage policy may have to offer a policy to anyone regardless of their healthcare history.  coverage companies cannot drop an insured person from their private medicalcare assurance policy simply because their medicalcare has worsened since they applied, but they may reject new people who are unhealthy.  This may mean that the insurance company’s costs are much higher for their group coverage policies than for their individual or family medicalcare coverage policies.

You may be offered the group insurance plan that you had before your job ended and/or if your company has made changes in the policies they offer to their current employees, it may be a different health policy.

C.O.B.R.A. is s short-term solution

In most scenarios, C.O.B.R.A. can be kept for a maximum of 18 months, however in certain scenarios, this time period may be extended to 36 months.  This may mean that your coverage can be over when you need it the most.  A good individual or family health insurance policy may cover you until you reach the age of 65.

You may be healthy enough to qualify for a long-term medical coverage policy when your job ends but not 18 months later.  If you or someone in your family develop a condition or have some other medical issue that keeps you from buying a policy at the end of your COBRA eligibility

COBRA is under someone else’s control

When you mail in your COBRA payments, you send them to your former company.  While this happens rarely, sometimes a former employer will keepmoney and fail to pay the insurance company.  

If your company changes the plans that are offered to their current employees, they may also change the plans available to those eligible for medicalcare Insurance because they have taken the C.O.B.R.A. option.  This can mean that your policy may not cover you as well as it used to.  You may suddenly be in the position of having a costly plan that no longer covers you well.

Scenarios where C.O.B.R.A. is better than family and/or individual health insurance:

When C.O.B.R.A. is much less pricey than a private Insurance policy

A private health Insurance policy isn’t available to you

You’re certain to get a medical coverage policy before your COBRA eligibility ends.

There are scenarios where COBRA is a better option than a individual medicalcare assurance plan.  If you can’t purchase a health care plan on your own at a good price and you find that your C.O.B.R.A. is being offered at a good price COBRA may be your best options.  This of course is also true if you can’tbuy a COBRA policy because of a pre-existing condition.  Another situation where C.O.B.R.A. may be a good option is when you will be eligible for Medicare or some other health care plan before your COBRA eligibility will end.

Source by Alston Balkcom

The global insurance industry has been witnessing a healthy spurt of growth and the growth trend is set to continue in the years to come. That is to say, the emerging markets are growing at a faster rate than the mature markets. As a result, the need for custom-made software application that specifically addresses critical business challenges in insurance automation, especially Policy Administration, Claims functions, will be a key determinant to differentiate across both their top and bottom lines.

Specializing in developing custom-made Policy Administration System that is flexible and not at all expensive to run can raise the growth prospects several notches higher. On the other hand, inflexible custom-made software applications that don’t meet the needs of the insurance organizations can straightaway hurt the growth prospects.

What could be the real solution to today’s market dynamics that plot the course of action to replace the antiquated systems with custom-made ones? Supposing you have tens of thousands of claims to process in a day, then what will be the scope and impact of any defects that may arise? A small single decimal point shift can run into millions of dollars!

In the next few sections we shall see how the cost and effort of customization drive can make a profound difference to solving Policy Administration System constraints that involve, inevitably, your organization’s enhanced business capabilities, operation efficiency and profitable growth.

Out With the Old, In With the New

Antiquated systems in whole (or in part) are a thing of the past. To be fair, they should be directed to the dustbins of yesterday’s redundant technology. What we should be welcoming is how we work around these redundant systems to transform them into flexible systems that bring enhanced business capabilities – never mind the cost and effort required for upgrade or replace these obsolete and outdated systems.

Perhaps, the decision is not that easy for insurance companies to take, especially when it comes to bridging the gaps between their business requirements and technical implementation requiring a great deal of thinking and careful approach. But there are a few options for them such as packaged software replacement, custom replacement, and legacy modernization that are readily available in the market today.

Go With the Leader Insurers Trust

This is where Prime Technology’s responsive SaaS-based claims administration software, PrimePAS, comes into the picture. PrimePAS is robust from the word go. It’s beautifully customizable insurance policy administration software application is revolutionizing the insurance claims market. Insurers, annuity carriers and property & casualty commercial lines carriers have leveraged PrimePAS’s excellent track record in indentifying the key levers to mapping the real-world capabilities and drive intrinsic business value to service the entire policy lifecycle. PrimePAS transforms insurers’ ability to improve front-end service quality which we think is a top challenge among insurance executives.

PrimePAS’s administrative framework comprising methods, tools and accelerators streamlines your operations with an eye for efficiency and convenience that achieves immediate benefits. Our flexible insurance policy administration software provides full-record and support functionality to better manage your customers and insurance policies throughout the lifecycle.

Using our policy administration software, servicing clients, channelizing sales activity, and managing overall operations have never been so easy and convenient. We provide customization to the last mile, streamlining of all business processes, allowing you to focus on your customers.

Source by Xemplar Telematics

While travelling is a food for the soul for many people, there are others who like to go on a vacation when they need a break from their life. Whatever may be the reason, travel insurance is something that you must have. It is one of the required assets for any traveller as it protects an insured traveller from the burden and tension of unexpected losses. It also helps the traveller to be safe from any theft, loss or medical expenses while they are on their journey or vacation.

Peace of mind is the ultimate thing for which a person travels and this will not be there, if you don’t have proper travel insurance. While it is not mandatory for a person to get travel insurance when they go on domestic trips, it is advised and mandatory to buy a travel insurance plan for international trips.

Gone are the days when things were done after waiting in a long queue, today you can buy travel insurance online India. If you are looking for a good travel insurance plan, then you need to consider various types that you get in India. The travel insurance plans available for students studying abroad would be different from employees who are on a business trip.

The frequency of the trips also determines the type of insurance plan you should stick to. A travel insurance plan is available for people between the age group of 6 months to 70 years.

The cost of any accident

Anything unexpected could happen and if there is a serious accident or death, then everything needs to be covered under the travel insurance. More often, the travel insurance also includes the travel expense of the family members and aid and hospitalization that the insurer might need.

Cost of any valuable possession can also be claimed under the travel insurance. The benefits of travel insurance do not end here. You also get compensation in case your flight gets cancelled, delayed or hijacked. The food, stay and other financial losses will be covered under the insurance. And if by mistake, you misplace your passport then also you get all the compensation you need to travel to your destination.

Travelling is fun, but you can always make it less stressful when you individual travel insurance online for you and your family. Find out the best plan online and buy it before you make your next trip abroad.

Source by Rimita Desai

 The United States is a very attractive destination for students from all over the world due to the large number of world-class educational institutions in the country. There are also many interesting and diverse courses available in the country, which aren’t available in any other country. This results in thousands of students from different countries in the world applying and enrolling on a daily basis in the numerous colleges and institutions in the United States.

 International student health insurance is something that every student must seriously consider before they take up a course of study in the U.S. The cost of healthcare in the U.S. has increased exponentially in recent years. It is almost impossible to foot the bill of even ordinary medical or surgical procedures without the backup of health insurance. Even if a student is medically fit, has no medical history of any serious illnesses or hereditary illnesses, it is still safe and more secure to have health insurance that will cover any and every emergency or unforeseen medical or surgical circumstances that could arise. Life is unpredictable and it is important to have financial security in life, which can seriously be undermined if a person suffers from any medical crisis but doesn’t have the financial resources to pay for expenses.

 For any student entering the U.S. on a student visa, it is important to know all about the F1 Visa Health Insurance. This visa is the non-immigrant one given to international students and is issued by the U.S. Department of State. The visa is always issued after the student has been accepted for the academic program at any school, college or other institution. This visa has to be mandatorily maintained throughout their academic program in the United States. They can arrive in the country 30 days before commencement of classes and leave 60 days after the completion of their academic program.

 Chinese student health insurance USA depends on what kind of visa the student is coming to the US under. For those coming under the J-1 visa, they would need to have insurance coverage under the program applied for or buy a health insurance independently. The J-1 visa applicants need to have a minimum insurance coverage which amounts to medical benefits of a minimum of $50,000 for each person for each accident or illness, as well as repatriation of the remainder to the amount of $7,500, as well as expenses for any medical evaluations that amount to $10,000. For Chinese students coming on an F-1 visa, there are no such insurance requirements, but the majority of programs would require you to have insurance of your own before you join the program. Some institutions make it compulsory to buy their own insurance plan while others allow students to buy one of their own choice.

Source by Randy Sr

The coverage could be increase or decrease at any point of time depending upon the needs and requirements. But, investors have to be actively involved with the product as the investment risk depends on him or her.

While choosing a ULIP, it is important to understand plans thoroughly in terms of types of market-linked funds available, the fees associated with it, tenure you wish to take the plans for & switching needs. The choice requires considerable analysis and largely depends on the profile and goal of the investor. An investor’s risk taking ability, his or her age, income sources, family needs or return expectation is a crucial factor in determining the right choice for them. It is genuine tendency that a young investor may be more aggressive and opt for equity based funds, whereas an older person with same income bracket may pool his or her money in debt oriented funds to produce safer returns.

Let us discuss a few tips to choose the right product:

The selection of the amount of insurance cover, type of funds greatly depends upon the risk taking ability of the investor. This ability is ascertained through a number of factors, which include the following:

Income 

Your income will determine which type of market-linked fund you wish to opt for. If you have sound income source you will look for balanced funds, but if your income source is low naturally you will have to invest in aggressive funds to produce the desired corpus at the end of your plan tenure.

Investment Amount

The amount that you fuel in towards your ULIP plan will also determine the choice of product. In case an investor expects substantial returns, he or she will be willing to take the risk with ULIPs, whereas for moderate but assured returns, sticking to traditional insurance plans would be better.

Volatility

The kind of volatility an investor is willing to handle also affects the investment decision. It is advisable you should consult financial expert time to time to handle volatility, market movements, future projections and best time for fund switching if any particular fund is not giving the desired result.

Age & Family Members

Your age and number of dependents is directly proportional to the risk taking ability. A younger person will tend to stay invested to average out market fluctuations, hence he or she has a higher risk appetite. But middle to older age person with fewer dependents will invest in safe bonds or funds to produce secured results most likely retirement planners will have such funds on their wish-list.

Important Suggestion

Best Ulip Insurance Policy are market-linked funds that can fulfill your dreams of high returns and eventually give sound financial future for you and your family. But never get carried away and make emotional decision during market crisis or when the product is doing exceptionally well. Understand your risk potential and accordingly go for premium payments. Start at young age, invest in equity based funds, books profits and move the earning to debt oriented funds to produce safer result at the end.  Knowing one’s risk profile, financial situation, the nitty-gritties of various financial instruments, plan with an objective in mind will prove helpful in making a wise decision.

Source:http://www.basearticles.com/Article/247193/How-to-extract-the-best-out-of-ULIP-plans.html

Source by Ritika Shah

What is insurance?
Insurance is an economic and legal form of risk management that is primarily used to guard against the risk of contingent loss. Insurance can be loosely defined as equitable transfer of the specific risk of a loss from one entity to another. This is done in exchange to premium and is something of a guarantee small payment to guard against a much large and quite possibly devastating loss to an individual, business, or entity.

Insurance is sold by insurers, or insurance salesmen that sell policies that are tailored to the specifications needed by the consumer and those offered by the seller. Insurance is thought to be a product as it completes a specific purpose when it is needed, just as any other product. Insurance differs from some other products because the price of insurance is based on a severely intricate set of personalized specifications in direct accordance to the area and time in which the insurance is being purchased.

Who needs a salon insurance?
Like any other business, a salon has risks and possible threats that plague its doors every day. A salon is just that, a business, and is liable to any tragedy or disaster that may befall any other business. In the interest of guarding against such disasters and like circumstances, salons need to safe guard against the financial demands of whatever may happen in that business. In fact, unlike some businesses, a salon might be even more liable to punitive and liability suits set against them. Salon businesses involve being very close to the heads of customers with extremely sharp instruments. There is not much else that can spell potential disaster than that. Even the most professional and expert stylists in the business are subject to error. And in the world of hair care, that sort of error can result in the harming of a customer that can, in turn result in the severe legal actions.

No matter what the professional level is of a particular salon, the fact remains that, the more time that goes on, the higher the chance is that a disaster will occur. A slight nip of an ear, the scrapping of a scalp; no matter what the occurrence may be, many consumers are out to sue anyone and everyone that gives them even the slightest cause to.

As a result of this, legal actions most likely be taken no matter how small or how large the instance may be. In cases such as these, a salon can suffer the most severe and devastating occurrences, possibly resulting in legal and punitive damages against the salon. In many cases, a simple accidental cut in a place not intended can ultimately result in the closing of the doors of a number of salons. Even if the salon has a lawyer, the legal and court charges as well as punitive business can be enough to close down any salon.

Source by Nasreen Haque

Another common misconception is that the HSA itself will lower your health insurance costs.

Moving to a high deductible health plan that is HSA compatible will generally lower health insurance premiums usually anywhere from 30 to 50%. Interestingly, most of the time the high deductible plan (HDHP) will save enough premium dollars to cover the increased exposure. In fact, it is rare when a high deductible health plan does not offer less out-of-pocket cost overall (premium expenses plus out-of-pocket risk).

The Health Savings Account simply allows for the saving of tax-deferred dollars for future health care expenses, which may or may not occur. In other words, the risk of having the increased deductible can be eliminated by funding the HSA.

Money is saved by switching to a high-deductible health plan. Benefits are restored by funding the HSA.

Often using the same amount of money previously being spent on health insurance premiums, one can achieve the following benefits by switching to a High Deductible Health Plan that is HSA compatible:

• 30 – 50% reduction in premiums
• Out of pocket risk paid from tax-free savings
• Long term saving for health care
• Tax deferred savings for anything you want after age 65

What happens to unused funds each year in your HSA?
The money grows tax free and at the age of 65, unused HSA funds may be drawn from as retirement income.

How do you contribute and withdraw money from your Health Savings Account?

Depending on the administrator, bank or trustee of your HSA account, you can generally make contributions in the following ways:

• Mail in deposit checks directly to the administrator/bank.
• Set up a direct deposit arrangement
• From a paycheck withdrawal or directly from an employer

Withdrawals can be made in several different ways:

• Request a reimbursement check by mail from the account administrator
• Use a debit card (if available) to pay for expenses from the account
• The health insurance carrier can automatically pay for expenses from the HSA.

Does money need to be in the account in order for an expense to be eligible for reimbursement from the HSA?

No, as long as someone is covered by a a qualified plan and has their health savings account in place, they may be reimbursed from the account at any time in the future for a qualified expense.

It is recommended that accurate records are kept and receipts are saved for any expenses pay for tax-free out of the health savings account.

Source by Marc Hart

More and more people are buying term life insurance with no medical, no physical or no exam by a doctor, paramedic or nurse. The convenience of actually printing out your policy there and then seems to appeal to buyers a great deal. The surprising thing is how low the premiums are. When viewing the rates people, at the outset, assume that the premiums will be very high. They are definitely not high. In fact they are quite competitive. Go online and compare rates and you will see what I mean. Term life insurance with no medical exam is here to stay.

Types Of Coverage You Can Get

You can apply online for 10 year term, 15 year term, 20 year term and 30 year term policies. These are guaranteed level premium policies. The premiums don’t increase for the periods you contracted for. In some cases they will increase upon renewal. The death benefits of these policies also remain level for the duration. They are also guaranteed level.

How To Qualify For These policies

When you are ready to buy your policy go to your computer and type in the type of policy you want. There are several sites offering term life insurance with no medical exam. What you will find is that most of the sites that you would click are going to one of 3 or 4 sites. These carriers offer good products. All you need to qualify is to answer a few health questions and the carriers will take it from there. It usually takes about 15 minutes to get approved. If there is medical history that would be a problem, or if there is anything that may need to be clarified, it may take longer. A medical exam may be requested under such a circumstance by some carriers.

A doctor’s report may be requested in rare cases. The reason this is unusual is that while you type in your information the companies verify it at the same time.

If you are between ages 18 and 65 you can apply for coverage. You can renew your policy, if you choose to do so, up to age 95.

The Amount You Can Apply For

Some life insurance companies limit the no medical life insurance you can apply for to $250,000. There are others, however, that will issue between $25,000 and $500,000 coverage or even $1,000,000 depending on your age. It would be wise to look at a “life insurance calculator” before you go to the site as this would help you determine the amount you need to purchase.

One of the interesting things about term life insurance with no medical exam is that in some cases you can actually print out your policy online. You don’t have to wait on an agent to deliver your policy. You don’t need to wait for snail mail.

Buying term life insurance has come a long way. It is much easier to do than it used to be. If you are a busy person and just can’t find the time to take care of these things may be it would be best to buy your policy online. Getting term life insurance without having to do a medical is quite a convenience.

Source by Donald Lusan

While earlier it was not the best option, but everyone today is going long term because of the benefits that you get. We are talking about the long term insurance plans for your family. Long term insurance policies have come a long way and even companies are advertising it. Today, people opt for long term insurance policies because the premium rates come down considerably when it comes to long term plans.

When you want a high cover for a low price, long term insurance policy is what you look for. The premium rates of a long term plan will be considerable lower when compared to the endowment plans, money-back policies or ULIP plans. So, before you compare term insurance plans online and buy one, here are a few things you need to consider and ask yourself how much profit you will get from going long term.

1. 1.      The amount of cover you need

Why do people buy life insurance today? The answer is simple. In the unfortunate case of the death of the policyholder, his/her family should have enough to cover for their life. Perhaps, the major expenses that they will occur like marriage and education of his/her child(s). So, decide on the amount of cover you will be needing and then only look for a policy.

1. 2.      Term of the Cover

One needs to consider this factor very closely. There is no point of taking a long term insurance plan for a short period of time. Your long term insurance plan needs to be at least long enough to give you a cover till the age you are planning to work. Earlier, this was used to be 60. But, that is not the case anymore. So, having a long term plan till 65 years is the key.

Never go for long term plans of 15-20 years. When you take a long term insurance plan in your 20s, the premium rates will be low. But, if you go for a fresh long term plan in your 40s, it will cost you a lot of money. Moreover, 40s are the time when you need the insurance. Also, opting for a plan that is flexible with the tenure is a good way to go about it.

1. 3.      Consider inflation too

Inflation is one thing that can change the economic structure and will definitely affect your financial status. Thanks to inflation, the sum of INR 50 Lakhs which you thought would be sufficient in the coming years would go as low as INR 25 Lakhs with just 6% inflation in the next years. When you are looking to Buy Online term insurance policy for your insurance companies online, go for the ones that factor in all these problems. The solution that you need to look for is in a company that either offers a raise of 5-10% every 10 years in your sum assured or index inflation. This way the money you will get at the end of the tenure will be sufficient.

Source by Rimita Desai

Overview

Pursuant to the terms, articles and conventions of the International Labor Organization (ILO) Occupational Safety & Health Convention No. 155, (1981) and the ILO Occupational Health Services Convention No. 161, (1985), the prime responsibility for health and safety of workers rests with employers.

Sierra Leone’s current regulatory framework for occupational injuries dates back to the 1960 Workmen’s Compensation Law, with amendments in 1962, 1969 and 1971. In addition, a plethora of regulations including Part V11 of the Factories Act of 1974 and the recent 2001 National Social Security Insurance Trust Act (NASSIT) govern aspects of industrial injury and disease, financing, notification, investigation and compliance.

The cost, severity and frequency of work place accidents in Sierra Leone has been substantial. Though current statistical figures are not available, a cursory survey of reasons adduced for hospital visits over the last few decades shows an inordinate large percentage attributed to work related injuries and diseases.

The Sierra Leone program is essentially an “at-fault” voluntary employer’s liability system, were an injured worker has to sue his employer or the employer’s liability policy carrier to recover medical expenses and lost wages.

As a tort negligence action for damages, an employer could raise common law defenses, such as contributory negligence, assumption of the risk and the fellow servant rule, to bar or mitigate an injured worker’s recovery.

Need for “No-Fault” Mandatory State Model

The focus of this piece is to highlight and advocate the urgent need for a legislative and regulatory reform of the country’s workers compensation laws, with a goal of transforming the conceptual model from the current voluntary “at-fault” system into a “no-fault” mandatory system.

The inherent endemic problems and barriers driving neglect of worker health and safety are systemic in nature and can only be adequately addressed through a workers compensation program that can also contribute to the improvement of work safety and health practices, so as to limit the need for compensation.

While acknowledging the inevitable difficulties in implementing the no-fault system, none of the barriers would be deemed insurmountable, provided the stakeholders and especially the government are determined to effect change.

A first step in effecting such change is the bringing together of various stakeholders including employers, employees, the chamber of commerce, organized labor, government, healthcare providers and civil society; under the auspices of the Ministry of Labor, Social Security and Industrial Relations and the Ministry of Health to design and adopt a “no-fault” system within a social risk management framework addressing such fundamental issues as:

1) insurance arrangements,

2) compensability,

3) system coverage,

4) benefits,

5) administration,

6) litigation and

7) insurance pricing.

The adoption of a monopolistic or exclusive “state fund” model, requiring workers compensation insurance to be purchased only from the state fund would best be suited for the nascent Sierra Leonean economy and labor situation. Such a system will assure employees of an expeditious remedy, both adequate and certain, independent of any fault on the part of employees and employers. The resultant benefits of improved conditions in the workforce by such State mandated workers compensation insurance program would also result in significant productivity gains.

 Core Principles

It is envisaged that the reformed workers compensation law will embody the following core principles:

1) Insure that an employee who sustains an industrial injury will be provided compensation and thus the means of support while unable to work.

2) Insure that the injured worker will receive medical treatment, without cost to the employee, to bring about a speedy recovery.

3) Insure that the injured worker will be compensated through monetary award for any permanent disability.

4) Insure that the dependants of an employee who dies as a result of an industrial injury will be provided with compensation (death benefits) and burial allowance.

5) Insure that an injured worker is not discriminated against by his/her employer because of the industrial injury.

In furtherance of the above principles, legislation should be enacted mandating the creation and enforcement of liability on the part of all employers to compensate their employees for injuries sustained during the course and scope of employment irrespective of fault.

As previously noted, the current adversarial common law remedy, with its inherent requirements of proof involves:

• An intolerable delay and great economic waste
• Provides inadequate relief for loss and suffering
• Operates unequally between individuals in like circumstances
• Is inequitable and unsuited to the labor and social conditions prevalent in Sierra Leone.

Guiding Theory

The guiding theory of the proposed new workers compensation system is that the “risk” of injury to workers in Sierra Leone should be borne by the industries and employers for whom they work, rather than by the individual worker alone. It is intended to create a paradigm shift away from the socialized healthcare system the costs of which continue to be borne almost exclusively by government.

However, despite the initial burden being placed on the employer, the system envisages that the burden will be distributed as part of the cost of production and doing business among the consuming populace. In such a system, society supports the program as an integral element of commerce and industry, rather than through the current government only supported health care programs and plans.

Challenges of Current System

In the current Sierra Leonean system, a key variable in the social cost of workers compensation is the opportunity cost of the premium payments for coverage versus lack of complaince and enforcement of labor laws.

The refusal of a majority of employers to purchase the voluntary employers liability insurance policy, which offers protection against work place injuries, poses a great challenge to the protection of workers in Sierra Leone. Employers, who mostly are sole proprietors or small scale businesses have over the decades taken advantage of the non-existent enforcement regime, the voluntary at-fault system afforded to the detriment of their employees.

Further, the system being skewed in favor of employers, provides no incentive for them to improve employees health and safety conditions. It is postulated that with the introduction of risk assessments, contributions and premiums would be related directly to the risk level of the workplace, thus offering the employer a direct incentive to take optimal safety measures and thus reduce workplace injuries.

According to National Social Security and Insurance Trust (NASSIT) figures in 2006, there are currently registered with the NASSIT approximately 2,924 business establishments with an insured population of 126,749 employees. The 2005 Business Establishment Survey by Statistics Sierra Leone however, reported a total of 11,021 business establishments in their Business Register. These figures when compared with the proportion of Employers Liability/Workmen’s Compensation policies underwritten by the seven major insurance companies in Sierra Leone underscores the need for change.

The policy coverage for employers and businesses, under the voluntary Employers Liability scheme, provided by all insurance companies in Sierra Leone is conservatively pegged at less than a 3 percent penetration of potential employees.

The difficulty of insuring people in the mostly informal sector, that predominates economic activity and provides a large bulk of workers in Sierra Leone posses an especial risk, as these workers are usually employed in very high risk exposure jobs and industries where the lack of protection is likely to have serious health and safety ramifications.

Conclusion

Having established the NASSIT, designed to administer a mandatory social security scheme, providing financial security for employees in the form of Old Age Benefits, Invalidity Benefits and Survivors Benefits, it is but a logical progression at this time that the Ministry of Labor, Social Security and Industrial Relations in conjunction with the Ministry of Health and other line ministries and stakeholders, should embark upon creating and maintaining a monopolistic workers compensation system to address workplace injuries in Sierra Leone.

Source by Kortor Kamara

Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) and Secured Loans

Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) provides cover in the event of all sorts of things like, accidents, involuntary employment or sickness for secured loan repayments. The Insurance organisation will make repayments against the loan for a period, which is typically either 12 or 24 months.

A secured loan, by definition, will only be provided once you have put up your home as security against the loan repayment, it is important that you seriously consider both the added expense of taking out insurance protection and whether you take it out in the first place. This article outlines how PPI works in the secured loans market and will hopefully aid in the decision making process.

PPI, Secured Loans and APR

When secured loan providers advertise an interest rate they quote what is commonly known as the APR (Annual Percentage Rate). The APR is used to make sure that the potential borrower is aware of the `real cost’ of the secured loan and that the percentage rate quoted includes any concealed costs (like set up fees or commission). In the case of PPI the APR only has to include insurance costs if taking out a policy for the loan being advertised is non-compulsory.

The secured loan lenders are aware of this and to make their percentage rate `visually more competitive’ and more attractive to Customers, the insurance cover will almost always be optional and therefore will not be included in the quoted APR.

Nearly every secured loan provider charges differently for payment protection insurance. This may be based on which company ultimately provides the cover and other factors like age, risk and the size of the secured loan being covered.

This means that when searching for a secured loan it is not only the headline APR rate you should look at, but also the underlying insurance costs of taking out the secured loan. For example, two competing secured loan providers could quote APRs of 9.5% and 10.0%. The ‘man in the street’ would assume that the quoted rate of 9.5% would be cheaper, but there is every chance their PPI will be far more expensive and you may discover that the company quoting an APR of 10.0% will actually provide a cheaper loan (i.e. lower monthly repayments and less money to pay back).

Saving Money on your Insurance

Remembering secured loan providers nearly always make their insurance cover non-compulsory means there is nothing stopping you going to a specialist to provide the insurance cover. Remember that if a secured loan provider does not include insurance costs in the quoted APR then they cannot lawfully refuse you a loan simply based on your refusal to take out PPI with them.

Given the rise in the secured loan market and therefore the requirement for insurance cover there are an increasing number of companies beginning to sell standalone PPI policies. They normally quote cover as a cost per one hundred pounds of your monthly repayment e.g. quoting £5 per £100 means if your monthly repayments are £200 it will cost you £10 for the PPI. It is worthwhile bearing in mind that most secured loan companies provide PPI at a cost of £10 to £30 per £100 of cover required.

Although you must always investigate the excess fees (for example,. it may take one month for the insurance payments to kick in) and whether a standalone insurance provider varies their fees based on factors like age it is worthwhile looking at companies like Paymentcare and Payprotect who advertise rates as low as £4.50 per £100 of cover required. It is worthwhile spending some time looking for other specialist insurance providers on the Internet.

Conclusion

The decision whether to purchase payment protection insurance (PPI) and the costs of getting cover are almost as important as decisions about the actual secured loan itself. With a little bit of time spent looking around and careful consideration it is possible to get loans which in the long run cost you less over their lifetime. If you have any doubts about secured loans and PPI seek the help of an Independent Financial Adviser (IFA) and never be afraid to ask the secured loan or insurance provider to explain their terms and conditions and policies in detail.

Source by Adrian Hudson

Car insurance for college students can be very expensive, especially if they are planning on driving a relatively new car and want full coverage. College students are usually between the ages of 18 and 22, which is a time when the insurance premiums are nearly at their highest. If you want to learn how to get very cheap car insurance, you need to learn what you can do to cheapen up the policy so that you are not paying for things that you do not need and are only paying for what you do need with regard to your insurance.  

The first thing that you need to learn when you are looking for car insurance for college students is that the car can be registered under the name of the parent if the student is commuting to college. This means that if the student goes back and forth to college from home and is not living at school, they may be able to get very cheap car insurance by riding on the policy of their parents. However, this does put parents at a liability risk, so it is best to get the most coverage possible for the student if this is the case. In the case of the student who lives at home, very cheap car insurance can be obtained by having the student as a secondary driver on the car instead of just having the car in their own name.  

Car insurance for college students also depends a great deal on grade point averages. Students who are looking for very cheap car insurance should be advised that the better their grades, the better their premium will be. If they are looking for a way to save money on their car insurance premium and get very cheap car insurance, then they should strive for a B average in their grades. Car insurance for college students often offers a discount for those with good grades.  

The car insurance for college students will be based upon where the car is located as well. If the student is only using the car for college purposes and lives in a college town, this may figure into the premium and enable them to obtain very cheap car insurance. Also, if the car is a later model car and not worth much money, it may be a better idea for the student to only obtain liability coverage instead of full coverage on the vehicle as this can save them a substantial amount of money when it comes to their car insurance premiums.

There are many factors that figure into car insurance for college students. The deductible that is paid out of pocket, the type of coverage that is offered and the grade point average of the student as well as the town where the student is going to college and the distance they travel will all figure into the cost of the car insurance for college students. Those who look around online can find very cheap car insurance that will fit their college budgets.  

Source by Clint Jhonson