During the past 10 years there has been a dramatic upturn in Obesity and overweight adults in America and as you can imagine it has had a serious cost impact on the U.S. healthcare system. While many consumers who are denied health insurance coverage for being overweight or rated with a “fat tax” may feel that they are being jilted by the insurance underwriting system. Fair or not treatment for health issues associated with overweight and obese individuals does have significant reprocussions on the economy and the overall cost of healthcare.

The underwriters use a system for determining your height and weight calculations to determine acceptable ranges. The correlation of the two defines a number called the BMI or ” body mass index” and gives the underwriters an estimate of bodyfat. According to the department of human health services a BMI of 30 is considered obese and 25 to 29.9 is overweight. If your BMI is higher than 43 you will not likely qualify for traditional health insurance coverage. If your BMI is between 29-43, a health insurer may choose to offer you health insurance with a rated up premium. If you have pre-existing health issues in relation to your weight, such as diabetes, hypertension or heart disease, a health insurer may deny you coverage altogether, even if your BMI is within range. In addition to the BMI the belly fat or waist circumference is a good indicator of future health problems associated with excess weight such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension. Overweight inactive individuals with a propensity to store excess stomach fat will eventually experience insulin resistance, and or other heart health issues. When underwriters review an application and see that an applicant has a combination of these pre-existing conditions a red flag is immediately raised regarding the application. Underwriters have certain risk criteria they use when combining your BMI with other risk factors such as smoking, and the health issues previously mentioned that might be exacerbated when combined together. Certain combinations of these will result in a decline for health coverage.

Excess Weight Affect Your Health and Cost of Healthcare?

While many overweight individuals may feel they are being railroaded by the insurers, the conclusion is that between 2 and 7% of all health care cost are associated with overweight and obesity, which resulted from health issues associated with the treatment of the overweight factors such as hypertension, insulin resistance or diabetes, high cholesterol, cardiac conditions, certain forms of cancer, respiratory issues, inactivity, absenteeism from work, mortality cost, and loss of family income from premature death.

What You can Do to Obtain Approval For A Health Insurance Policy

If you believe you may be overweight and may not qualify for individual or family health coverage, you can take a few precautions prior to submitting a health application. You should find a qualified health insurance broker who offers more than one carrier’s products and is knowledgeable about some of the underwriting requirements or is able to research the best plan for you. You can complete a prescreen application which will allow the broker to communicate with underwriters the issues prior to submitting the application and improve your chances of approval and avoid a potential decline. A decline can really be detrimental to obtaining creditable coverage. You should also review the BMI tables while not all tables are the same this will give you an idea of how close or far you are from current healthy body mass index levels for your height. Lastly consider improving your health for your own benefit by starting some basic exercise like walking 30 minutes a day, educating yourself about nutritious foods, eliminating empty calories like sugar and saturated fats and creating a lifestyle that makes you feel good, makes you productive, make you look great, reverse some health problems altogether and extend your life and most of all affords you quality health insurance.

Source by Christopher D. Beard

If you are entering property management for the first time, you might have decided to rent your home out to others because of a job transfer or you down-sized or upgraded to a different home. While you might be maintaining your homeowner insurance policy on your rented property, it is important that you understand the reasons you need to carry rental insurance on the property. Many people don’t think about this until an incident occurs.

Rental insurance comes in several different forms. Many insurance companies might require a supplemental rider to an existing homeowner policy. This might especially be true if you have just rented out a part of your home to others. On the other hand, you can find some companies that will require a separate rental insurance policy that offers higher liability limits and has certain exclusions to the contents of the property.

When you are in the business of property management, you never know if tenants might have somebody come onto the property that will have an accident, for example. Even the most innocent circumstances can lead to liability, if you are the property owner. Limits on liability coverage might not cover some circumstances where large medical bills occur or where there might be negligence on the landlord’s part. This is where rental property insurance can be the most important protection for those that have entered property management on a whim or were forced to rent out their home due to a change in living situations.

There are several things to consider when you are in the business of renting property. Having enough liability coverage is important or you could lose personal assets when you get sued. The costs of these types of coverage are in line with your homeowner policy premiums, but there are different limits and exclusions, in certain cases. It is important you understand the differences in your insurance needs. You can be protected from loss of rental income, vandalism and theft by renters and other things that a normal homeowner policy doesn’t offer. These can be important when you are stuck with two mortgage payments and a home to repair, in order to make it livable and rentable again.

The peace of mind that comes from having the proper insurance coverage is worth considering. When you get rental insurance to cover your property, you are protecting yourself against several circumstances you might not have thought of. The increased liability exposure can come from the negligence of tenants, but if you have adequate insurance coverage, this won’t need to be a concern. You can’t know whether a tenant will maintain a property the way you would and this can lead to additional risks that might not be covered under traditional homeowner insurance policies.

Having the proper insurance in place is part of property management, meant to protect your property, as well as yourself. There are many different things to consider when you are renting your property out to others. Having the proper rental property insurance is one of the more important ones.

Source by Aleksandar Bryson

Insurance is essential to cope with unexpected risks and misfortunes in life. There are very few resources to get monetary aids when in times of desperate need. Getting your life & health insured is beneficial not only for you but also safeguards your family when in need. This is just one of the kinds of sales pitch you may use to convince people to take up an insurance policy. However the above statements can be communicated by anyone who has no proper knowledge about the insurance cover, premiums, policies, regulations and laws that go with it and may only end up giving incorrect information if probed deeper into this subject. This is when Insurance professionals come into the foreground as they deal with every nuance of insurance and are extremely well equipped with the versatile insurance products available in the market today.

The main objective of Illinois Insurance continuing education is to deliver exceptional skill and knowledge through online to all insurance professionals, agents, brokers as well as underwriters so that they may be competent to sell these products. Nowadays Illinois Insurance continuing education course is offered online where in the basic requirements are that you avail minimum of 30 hours of continuing education every 2 years. The Illinois Insurance Continuing Education also requires that you take up at least one mandatory insurance course which is for duration of 6 hours if you deal with long term care insurance in this state. However, this insurance CE requires that you complete your chosen optional courses as well as the mandatory one before the due date for your license renewal arrives. Different states in the United States have different rules and regulations governing insurance continuing education requirements and courses.

In Illinois, you are not allowed to take up the same course which you have done earlier in a span of three year period to ensure that you don’t get stuck dealing with just one core insurance product with nil or lack of adequate knowledge on the others. Illinois Insurance continuing education ensures that you emerge as a successful insurance professional with holistic perspective and knowledge on all the insurance products that are being offered in the industry. If you are initially dealing with Life Insurance, then it is recommended that you also learn to sell health and property insurance policies so that you can challenge yourself to perform better in all spheres, thereby increasing your avenues to generate maximum sales.

Therefore, insurance CE courses motivate and inspire you to handle different products to test your mettle and you may be surprised with yourself. There are hundreds of multinational insurance companies which are looking for competent and multi talented insurance sales force who are knowledgeable as well as skillful in selling the different products to various target segments be it corporate, individuals, business concerns or communities. Last but not the least, the Illinois insurance continuing education offers independent as well as classroom study courses and you can chose the medium that fits your budget best.

Source by edward hulse

Can I insure a modified or classic car; who will offer insurance cover?

Yes, you can insure a modified car but because your car is a specialist car, not all auto insurance companies might be willing to provide coverage for it since it requires high price replacement parts and also skilled labor if the car is involved in an accident. Thus, you have to take a special car insurance that is designed especially for modified and classic cars.

How can I cut down my car insurance premium?

If you wish to cut down on your car insurance premium you must take care of a few things. Park your car overnight in the garage rather than leaving it on the drive. Fit insurance approved anti-theft devices; consider Third Party Fire and Theft for older cars. Find out discounts offered by the insurance provider when requesting quotes. Young drivers (under 25), who are often charged extremely high premiums, should have an extra driving course certificate.

What is ‘excess’?

It is the amount you have to pay when you make a claim for the loss or damage to your car. It can be voluntary or compulsory. If someone else causes the accident you may be able to reclaim the excess through the legal cover, which can be taken out with your car insurance policy. Otherwise you lose the excess. Voluntary excess is the amount you agree to pay to the company. It offers premium discounts. Compulsory excess is generally imposed to young drivers. Because their risk factors are high and the companies don’t want to insure them. So, in order to insure, they have to surrender with this payment.

What is legal cover?

It provides expertise and assistance required to recover uninsured losses such as medical costs, loss of earnings and excess payments where the fault was not yours. It is available as an optional with most car insurance policies.

Can an insurance company cancel my auto policy?

Yes, you auto insurance policy may stand canceled if you fail to pay the premium or if your consumer’s license has been suspended or revoked during the term of an auto policy. Also, if there is a fraud or serious misrepresentation when completing the insurance application, if the you are convicted to a crime, or if changes are made to the property that increase the risk of loss then the company may cancel your insurance policy.

Source by Joseph Kenny

Myth #1: Standard home insurance covers flood damage.

Fact: Standard home insurance does NOT cover damage caused by a flood. If you feel that you need coverage for a flood you should purchase a separate flood insurance policy.

Myth #2: The Medical Payment portion of my homeowners insurance will cover injuries to me and my family.

Fact: MedPay, a common feature of standard home insurance policies, is there to protect you in the event that someone other than you or your family (a neighbor, friend, etc) gets hurt on your property and they do not want to sue you. MedPay will typically cover up to $1,000 for each covered claim to someone outside of your family. If you or your family, however, gets hurt on your property they are not covered by your home insurance policy.

Myth #3: If my home is ever lost, my insurance company will reimburse me for whatever I tell them I owned at the time of loss.

Fact: In the event of a covered loss your home insurance company will ask you to make a list of everything you own and include specific details such as purchase price, date of purchase, serial numbers, etc. (Imagine trying to do this from memory!) The best way to avoid this situation is to have a home inventory already put together. Use a checklist like this one: http://homeinsurance.com home insurance home inventory checklist. Make sure to include photos, receipts, serial numbers and anything else that will help you prove ownership. Don’t risk not having everything replaced in the event of a disaster. Make sure to keep your inventory in a fire proof safe or at a friend’s house so it is still around when you need it!

Myth #4: If I file a home insurance claim, my home insurance premium will definitely go up.

Fact: While many home insurance companies do look at your claims history, there are many other factors that determine how much you will pay for home insurance. Filing one claim over a period of a few years might not increase your home insurance premium. To be on the safe side, always think twice before filing a claim for minor damages to your home. Consider your deductible. If the total cost of repair is not too much more than your deductible you might want to consider paying for the repairs yourself. While this might cost you more upfront, it might save you from an increased premium. If, because of a stroke of bad luck, you have to file multiple claims over a period of a few years and your premium is steadily increasing, rest assured there are other ways to save on your home insurance. Ask your agent about home insurance discounts. Sometimes simply installing a smoke alarm, burglar alarm system or by adding your auto policy to your home policy, you can save a great deal of cash.

Myth # 5 All of my valuables- like jewelry -will be covered in the event of a burglary.

Fact: There are limits on the amount of coverage you can receive for valuable such as jewelry, furs, etc. For example, most companies put a cap of $1500 on total jewelry lost during a burglary of your home. If you find that your jewelry values over $1500 you should talk to a home insurance agent and schedule an endorsement on your policy giving you additional coverage.

Myth # 6: My home insurance covers mold and/or other issues related to lack of maintenance.

Fact: Actually, a standard home insurance policy does not cover issues related to a lack of maintenance. For example if a plumbing leak that was left unfixed caused mold to grown in the interior walls of your home- mold removal and remediation would NOT be covered in your home insurance. Remember that your home insurance only protects you from damage caused by covered perils such as wind, hail, lightening, fire and theft. Keeping your home well maintained and safe for others is your responsibility and your home insurance company will decline coverage for maintenance related claims.

Myth #7: Flood Insurance is only for people who live in a flood zone.

Fact: Lending institutions, such as the bank that holds your mortgage, will require you to obtain flood insurance if you live in a major Flood Zone. However, keep in mind that all homes are at the risk for flood and standard home insurance policies do NOT cover flood related damage to your home. Due to the recent flooding in the Midwest the importance of this type of coverage for homeowners outside of a major flood zone has become even more apparent. If your home is flooded and you do not have flood insurance you will be on your own to replace your home and its contents. Flood insurance is a wise idea for every homeowner.

Myth #8: I will have to skimp on my coverage in order to save money on my home insurance.

Fact: Saving on your home insurance does not mean that you have to give up important parts of your coverage. It is very important to always be adequately insured in the event of a loss. However, there are lots of ways that you can save money on your home insurance that do not involve changing your coverage. Home Insurance discounts are available for homeowners who use burglar alarms, smoke alarms, deadbolts and other protective devices. Want more savings? Ask your agent about combining your home insurance and your auto insurance policies- you can usually save up to 15% this way.

Myth #9: When determining my coverage, I should use the purchase price for my house as my dwelling coverage amount.

Fact: A common mistake when homeowners are getting quotes for their home insurance is that they use the purchase price of their home to determine their dwelling coverage. Yet, the purchase price of your home includes the land under your home- which does not need to be replaced in the event of a fire or other peril to your home. For this reason, your dwelling coverage should always reflect the replacement cost of your home- or how much it would cost to rebuild your home in the event of a total loss. To determine this amount, multiple the sq. footage of your home by local construction costs. You can use a http://homeinsurance.com/calculators/ home insurance calculator to help you determine the amount if necessary.

Myth #10: You can not buy a home without purchasing homeowners insurance.

Fact: This is a tricky one. Because while you actually CAN buy a home without home insurance (a lender may not require it or you may, although rare, pay cash for the home) you should still always have home insurance on any property you own. Whether a lender requires it or not, the risk is always there. It would only take one fire or lightening storm to destroy your home and leave you uncovered.

Source by Jane Benton

Natural disasters such as wildfires, hurricanes, tornados, and floods have been making headlines. We’ve seen hundreds of homes go up in flames in southern California; thousands of homes battered by hurricanes and tornados in Texas and the south; and thousands more submerged by the mighty Mississippi and other swollen rivers. These catastrophes play themselves out over and over. The locations may change but the story is the same: heartbreaking devastation.

While wildfires, catastrophic storms, and floods cause widespread damage, the nation’s homes are regularly damaged by less ominous forces: baseballs that break windows; stovetop fires cause smoke damage ; burst pipes damage walls, flooring, and furnishings. Other regular homeowners insurance claims include fire, theft, vandalism, mold, hail damage, water damage, and more. Throughout the nation, homeowners regularly file insurance claims, even in the absence of catastrophe.

No matter what has damaged your home, if it’s covered by your insurance policy, you can rest easy knowing that it will be taken care of – or can you? Insurance companies are businesses that need to make a profit in order to survive. Part of that profit comes from premiums and another part comes from minimizing insurance losses.

One way to minimize insurance losses is to limit what they will cover. For example, life insurance companies will likely deny a life insurance policy to a 98-year-old smoker with emphysema. After all, that would be an unnecessary risk and a bad investment, unlikely to turn a profit.

Another way to minimize insurance losses is to underestimate the damage or overlook potential losses. For example, if your house has been burglarized, the insurance company may undervalue your possessions or fail to prompt you to list everything stolen. In fact, it’s your responsibility to document the losses, not the adjuster’s.

If you need to file an insurance claim, keep in mind that although the adjuster is a nice enough person, he is also an insurance company representative who needs to minimize company losses.

You have several options to ensure that your interests are protected. First, perform a thorough home inventory. You should do this before your home is damaged if possible. Go room through room and document everything. Take extensive notes, photos, and video. During your inventory, note valuable items such as artwork, jewelry, furs, and coin collections. These often have low insurance limits. If you have such valuables, purchase an insurance rider to make sure that you are adequately insured.

Next, get organized because you will have tons of paperwork associated with your claim. Use an expandable folder to keep track of everything including receipts, repair estimates, documentation, notes, and forms.

Do your homework and read your insurance policy. Look up terms that you don’t understand. In addition, visit your states office of insurance and learn about the regulations in your state. You may have specific rights that aren’t spelled out in the policy.

Be assertive and proactive. When the adjuster visits your home, point out the damage and ask him to look for hidden damage. Make sure the adjuster does a thorough inspection. If possible, have a third party contractor, like a roof inspector (if you need roof repairs), present. The contractor will be able to point out damage that the insurance adjuster may not have noted otherwise.

Depending on the scale of your home’s damage, you may want to hire a public insurance adjuster to represent your interests. In addition, you might consider a “do-it-yourself” insurance claims kit to better arm yourself for the insurance claims battle ahead.

Source by Mark Decherd

Be assured with residential landlord insurance for houses, flats, and blocks of flats. It is easy to get a landlord insurance quote fast and buy it online. Get an expert advisor’s online help before making an informed choice about the insurance. Whether it is a fully owned property or on a mortgage, whether it is occupied or not, whether it is furnished or not- there is an insurance cover for everything.

What Does Landlord Insurance Cover?

This insurance usually covers buildings with accidental damage. It accepts all types of tenants as well as unoccupied properties. There is also protection for loss of rent. Nasty damage done by tenants may also be covered on request of the client and so can the legal expenses. These insurance providers can also provide employers liability cover and rent guarantee on request.

Buy To Let insurance and get instant online quotes and covers online. It is easy to revise a policy and to make an online claim. If a client wants to make amendments in the policy or cancel it he needs to put the request in writing. This can be done by contacting the company’s executive by post or through email. Clients can also check flood data on their properties. This cover is for landlords, all tenants including professionals, Dss, students, and even asylum seekers. Some companies even provide overseas and UK Holiday Home insurance.

The residential landlord insurance can comprise of full comprehensive dangers, trace and access cover, and accidental damage to glass and sanitary ware for free. The cover can be customized after an evaluation of customer’s need and budget by an insurance advisor. The clients can also get up to 20 percent no claims discount. The premiums start from as low as £89.

The insurance premium needed will be determined after consideration of a number of different underwriting factors which are considered during the quotation process. A proposal sheet or statement of fact will show the cover a client chooses and the selections will vary based on an individual’s personal circumstances.

Residential landlord insurance is usually provided at extremely competitive rates and covers all sizes of properties in the UK. The companies’ products are underwritten by leading UK insurers. There is a broad array of unique buy-to-let landlord insurance products which are offering complete features and attractive benefits for all customers online.

Clients can select the mode of payment they are comfortable with to pay their premiums from a number of easy payment methods. Most companies accept major debit and credit cards. Clients can also choose to spread the cost of their insurance by direct debit. They can be offered the facility whereby the premium will be spread over equal monthly installments (subject to a small interest charge). However, there may be conditions on such policies. For instance, a company may only offer the direct debit facility only on policies applied over the telephone.

There is significant risk of harm to buildings and parts of all properties whether rented or not but the risk of rented properties being harmed is a big one. It is always advisable to safeguard yourself with the most suitable residential landlord insurance.

Source by Iulian Ghisoiu

Any form of critical illness can affect an individual and those who are diagnosed with the same should focus on recovery. However, the critical illness can take your budget for a toss and could result in the loss of an entire life’s savings. But there is an option to avail insurance for critical illness as this would allow an individual to focus on their health instead of getting stressed over monetary problems. The insurance for critical illness provides you with a large amount for medical treatments for critical illnesses. There are many companies which provide for critical illness insurance and have almost 30 illnesses insured. The insurances for critical illness usually include cancer, heart attack, stroke and multiple sclerosis. The critical illness insurance allows you to use the insurance money during the period of critical illness.

 This critical illness insurance can be used for purposes like paying the hospital fees or using the same for other medical expenses, which are related to the illness. The critical illness insurance is very similar to the life insurance policy and it is vital for the individuals who had a history of these diseases. The insurance for critical illness would help you to avoid drawing money from personal savings and this money can be used to pay off debt. The insurance for critical illness allows your partner to take time off work so that he or she can take care of you. Basically there are different levels of critical illness insurance and so it is vital to understand the same. The basic coverage for this kind of insurance has five or six conditions and the comprehensive coverage will cover all of the illnesses. The comprehensive coverage for critical illness insurance will cost more and you can get almost 80% coverage benefits in most cases.

 The cost of the Critical Illness Insurance depends on the health of the insured too. Like life insurance, the insurance for critical illness costs also increase, depending on the age of the individual. The insurance meant for critical illness helps you to get reductions on tax and not worry about hospital bills during the periods of such illnesses. The takes care of paying for medical treatment; they also provide you with additional amounts for making up for income, which had been lost due to loss of work.

 The Critical Illness Insurance also has provisions for paying off debts and mortgages during such periods. Some of these illness insurances also extend to children and protect them in case of such illnesses. When you are trying to avail the critical illness insurance, you should make sure that you survey the market and the deals available by the different insurance agents. Those with heredity critical illness disease should try to get this insurance at early ages, and extend the same up to retirement period. Avail discounts like reduced premiums for your spouse and children, so that you can save costs on insurance and also protect them against the high cost of treatments in these kinds of critical illnesses.

Source by Diwakar Pandey

As technologies advance, so grow new liabilities. Nowhere is this more evident than in the area of creating, storing, sharing and transmitting electronic information.

Previously, only the publishing and broadcast media industries needed to be largely concerned with liabilities related to copyright infringement, libel, slander and defamation. But today, when virtually every type of company now publishes websites, distributes emails and broadcasts electronic media, the need for media liability protection crosses all industry lines. Hi-tech companies that support the creation and distribution of electronic media for others are particularly vulnerable to these growing liabilities.

Enter Media Liability Insurance

In response to this growing liability and need for protection, the insurance industry has developed Media Liability Insurance. Essentially, this is a form of “errors and omissions” or “professional liability” insurance designed to protect firms from claims that allege financial loss due to the distribution of proprietary or false information. Liabilities that are typically covered include:

– Copyright and trademark infringement

– Defamation of character or product

– Personal disparagement

– Invasion of privacy.

Are You Vulnerable?

Consider: Your webmaster posts customer service advice on your website that, unbeknownst to you, includes copyrighted information. Your marketing team broadcasts a product-comparison email that includes false and damaging information about your biggest competitor. Your electronic brochure includes a testimonial from an industry heavyweight – only your sales department neglected to get that individual’s permission to use their name, words or likeness. Each of these errors or omissions by your firm can result in an expensive lawsuit, a sizeable judgment and a damaging hit to your firm’s pocketbook and reputation.

Coverage Concerns

Not all Media Liability Insurance policies are the same. Coverages and rights can vary significantly. In addition to comparing policy limits, deductibles and premiums, consider the following questions:

– When does coverage apply? Because Media Liability Insurance is written on a “claims-made basis, claims or incidences that could potentially lead to a claim typically must be reported to the insurer during the policy period.

– Where does coverage apply? Is international coverage included? This can be a critical concern for businesses that operate overseas.

– What costs are covered? Policies may or may not cover punitive damages. While all policies cover defense costs, some policies count these costs against your policy limits; others don’t.

– Who makes decisions? Who gets to decide whether to accept a settlement, you or your insurer? Who gets to select your legal counsel?

Virtually any business has media liability exposures. Careful management of information and Media Liability Insurance can go a long way to minimizing those risks.

Source by Jim Cochran

Collision coverage is designed to provide protection in the event of an accident that is your fault, and many drivers automatically assume that they cannot afford to be without this protection. But while collision coverage does provide important protection, each car owner needs to do a cost benefit analysis to determine if that protection is really worth the cost.

When You Do Need Collision Insurance Coverage

Let us start with a look at some situations in which collision coverage really is essential.  If your car is new, collision coverage provides important protection for a very valuable asset. Without that coverage in place you could be left with a loan payment, no car and no money to buy another one.

Collision coverage is also essential if you have an older car with an outstanding loan. Again, without collision coverage on your vehicle, you may not have the money needed to pay off the loan. This would again leave you with lots of debt and no way to get to work.

Things Get Trickier

While it is certainly important to have collision coverage in place when your car is new, and while you have an outstanding car loan, the decision process becomes a bit trickier after that loan is paid off. If you are lucky enough to have a car that is completely paid for, it is important to take a look at its true market value and determine if collision coverage is still worthwhile.

To get an idea of the value of your car, pick up a copy of Kelly Blue Book. This guide is routinely used by insurance companies to calculate the value of vehicles declared total losses, and chances are Kelly Blue Book is one of the resources your insurance company will use if your car is involved in an accident that renders it undriveable. Look your car up in the guide, make an honest assessment of its condition and its mileage, and use the value you see there as a guide. You can supplement the information found in Kelly Blue Book with other sources, like newspaper classified ads and the prices charged by your local lot, but it is best to err on the low end of the value range.

If your analysis shows that the true market value of your car is less than $3000, it may be time to drop collision coverage on your car. But before you make the final decision it is important to review your itemized bill one more time to determine exactly what the coverage is costing you. It is also important to make sure you have enough financial resources in place to buy a good used car, or at least put a down payment on a new one, in the unlikely event your car is totaled in an accident. Unless you have at least some money put away in an emergency fund, dropping collision coverage can be a shortsighted move, even if it would otherwise be a good idea.

Fortunately, you can use the money you save by dropping collision coverage to build on the emergency fund you already have in place. For instance, if your collision coverage is costing you $150 for a six month policy, dropping that coverage would save you $300 per year. If you have the fiscal discipline to funnel those savings into an emergency fund, you can insure yourself against the loss of your vehicle by continuing to put money aside each month.

In the end each driver will need to make his or her own decision about the coverage he or she needs. No two situations are the same, and there are no hard and fast rules for when collision coverage no longer makes sense. While the $3000 car value is a good rule of thumb, it is just that – a rule of thumb. You will need to look at your own financial situation to determine if the potential value of collision coverage outweighs the added cost.

Source by Jc Denton

According information given by the California Department of Motor Vehicles, as of January 1, 2007, if you request an out-of-house / public driving record printout, any DUI offense on your record will appear for 10 years from the violation date.

Under this new law, DUI’s that had previously been taken off a person’s driving record have now been put back on. For example if you had a DUI back in 1998 and had it removed from your record 2005, and had since received a good driver discount, under the new law, the DUI would be back on your driving history and you may not qualify for a good driver discount again until 2008.

Many insurance companies check your motor vehicle record only once every three years or when you’re applying for a new policy. Sometimes, accidents, tickets, and drunk-driving convictions can escape your insurer’s attention or don’t end up on your motor vehicle record. However, if your insurer does find out about a driving under the influence (DUI) conviction, you’re likely to feel the pinch of higher rates and possibly policy cancellation or non-renewal. Shopping around will definitely yield the lowest rate, as they vary greatly.

There are two ways insurance companies generally deal with customers convicted of DUI. First, your insurer will likely raise your car insurance premiums and label you a high-risk driver if it finds out you’ve been convicted of DUI.

Second, your auto insurer may cancel your insurance mid-term or terminate the policy at the end of the term because of your DUI conviction, especially if you are currently in a preferred class. Your company will send you a notice stating why you’ve been canceled, and then you’ll have to find another insurer while having a cancellation on your claims history and a DUI on your driving record.

Most state laws require DUI convicts to get an SR-22 from their insurers, so you can’t hide. Your insurance company may have to provide the DMV with an SR-22 form, which removes your license suspension by providing the state with proof of your insurance. An SR-22 also means your insurance company is required to notify the DMV if it cancels your auto insurance for any reason. In this case, you’ll likely have to file proof of insurance for three — sometimes five — years with your state’s department of motor vehicles. Some insurance companies don’t offer SR-22 policies, so you may also be non-renewed or canceled because your company can no longer provide what you need.

Certain states don’t allow insurance companies to drop you in the middle of the policy term even for a DUI, so make sure There are two ways insurance companies generally deal with customers convicted of DUI. First, your insurer will likely raise your car insurance premiums and label you a high-risk driver if it finds out you’ve been convicted of DUI.

Second, your auto insurer may cancel your insurance mid-term or terminate the policy at the end of the term because of your DUI conviction, especially if you are currently in a preferred class. Your company will send you a notice stating why you’ve been canceled, and then you’ll have to find another insurer while having a cancellation on your claims history and a DUI on your driving record.

Most state laws require DUI convicts to get an SR-22 from their insurers, so you can’t hide. Your insurance company may have to provide the DMV with an SR-22 form, which removes your license suspension by providing the state with proof of your insurance. An SR-22 also means your insurance company is required to notify the DMV if it cancels your auto insurance for any reason. In this case, you’ll likely have to file proof of insurance for three — sometimes five — years with your state’s department of motor vehicles. Some insurance companies don’t offer SR-22 policies, so you may also be non-renewed or canceled because your company can no longer provide what you need.

Certain states don’t allow insurance companies to drop you in the middle of the policy term even for a DUI, so make you know the laws in your state.

Source by andy taylor

Electrical contractors take up the profession because they enjoy fixing things that are broken, solving problems and both thinking practically and logically. While purchasing electrical contractor insurance in New Jersey may not be enjoyable, the reasons for having it are clear to most electricians working contractor jobs.

While all contractors perform skilled work, electrical contractors have training and expertise that gets them specialty assignments and ensures they’re almost certain to be well compensated and in demand. What the job can’t promise is complete safety from injury and liability. Even New Jersey’s most conscientious electrical workers face unanticipated risks.

A veteran electrical contractor will almost always have a horror story from working years in close contact with the powerful physical force of electricity. Receiving training, following workplace safety procedures and maintaining a deliberate, systematic approach to electrical problems are all important precautions—but are no help when the worst happens.

Major utility electricians are likely to have a strong health plan and corporate insurers on their side in the case of an accident—but a New Jersey electrical contractor has compelling reasons to research and purchase policies. Both individual contractors and outfits with significant staff and personnel should look carefully at insurance policies geared towards their needs.

Danger is nothing new to an electrical contractor. What may be less familiar are the legal and financial risks a contractor faces every time they take a job. Fire, public expense and casualty—including death—are the outcomes every electrical contractor works carefully to avoid. A comprehensive policy tailored to the work done by these skilled professionals is simply a logical business step.

Insurance is a strong practical choice both in terms of enhancing a business’ industry profile and in terms of long term planning. More formal, lucrative contracts attached to high-growth enterprises will almost certainly require coverage. Electrical work raises a project’s liability—and the fact that this cost is often passed on the contractor is a simple industry truth.

Legal costs alone can easily strip away an electrical contractor’s finances in the event of an accident. Purchasing quality insurance is simply another step careful contractors take to protect themselves. A comprehensive policy can help shield a contractor from claims for damages that could otherwise spell the end of a career.

An electrical contractor faces a high level of competition in New Jersey; in this environment, reputation is critical. But shining on the job is only one part of the business. Today’s electrical contractor industry demands driven individuals who are willing to dot Is and cross Ts when it comes to paperwork. Being insured is just one more way for a responsible professional to build a reputation.

Franchino Insurance http://www.franchinoinsurance.com specializes in electrical contractor, plumbing contractor, flood insurance, electrical bond, plumber bond, commercial insurance and business insurance in New Jersey and the surrounding areas.

Source by Martin Van Nostrand

No matter what kind of coverage you desire, you certainly want to find the lowest auto insurance rate possible. A wise car insurance shopper should become educated about the various factors auto insurance providers used to determine rates. At the most general level, car insurance rates are determined by the estimated “risk” level of the driver. The lowest car insurance rates are quoted to those drivers who are perceived by the provider to carry the lowest risk. Of course, it is impossible for auto insurance companies to know for certain how likely it is you will get into an accident. Instead, providers use a series of calculations that take into account local and national averages.

The factors that may affect your car insurance rates in the State of Texas include:

• Type of car you drive – Car insurance providers assume that someone who drives a sports car is more likely to speed than someone who drives an SUV, therefore placing him/her at a higher risk. The insurer may adjust the premium substantially if the deductible is increased, hence reducing the insurer’s exposure.

• The area where you live – Geography, population density, culture and other local factors have an impact on how likely you are to have an accident. Insurance providers attempt to take such factors into effect when calculating your auto insurance rate.

• Your claims history – Obviously the more accidents you have had, the more likely it is that auto insurance providers will consider you a risk, and consequently, you can expect higher rates. Texas is a state where insurers count incidents regardless of “fault” in determining probability.

• Your credit score – Making the assumption that a responsible person will be a responsible driver, the best car insurance rates are given to drivers with impeccable credit histories.

• Your age – Statistically speaking, mature drivers have fewer accidents and therefore can expect to be quoted low auto insurance rates. If you are over the of 65 you may however notice as rate increase as some insurers believe that reaction time and awareness may diminish thus creating risk that may outweigh the drivers long term experience.

• How you use your car – The more miles you drive each day, the higher your probability of accidents. How you use your car-for business, pleasure, or simply to get to work-will have an impact on whether you will be able to find a low car insurance rate.

Realize that there are three kinds of insurance companies in the State of Texas: preferred, standard, and nonstandard. Preferred companies offer the best car insurance rates, while standard companies are usually higher. If you encounter an insurance company that seems to target drivers with poor records or bad credit, it is probably a nonstandard company. In some cases you will find that an insurance company is a group of companies, which includes one or more provider in each class. They give the best car insurance rates to the least risky clients through their preferred companies, the higher rates to the more risky drivers through the standard or nonstandard providers.

Source by G. M. White

In this insurance we don`t need to qualify medical exam which some insurance company require and if the insured dies before the end of this time, than don`t need to take mind because it provides a graded benefit. To find it easily you only need to fill out your insurance information one time and get fast quotes for your guaranteed issue life insurance policy.
Body:
Before go in deep we should know that what is guaranteed issue term life insurance, as we know that with guaranteed issue life insurance no medical exam is required. At the most, you’ll have to answer some health-related questions, although some policies don’t end of this time,
Guaranteed issue term life insurance was created for those who have trouble obtaining basic term life insurance coverage. It is also known as a simplified issue policy. In exchange for guaranteed coverage, you will be charged a higher term life insurance premium. Purchasing a guaranteed issue term life insurance policy is ideal for people who were born with or have developed constant medical problems.
If you initially buy the five year term, you may renew every five years after that until the age of 80. At age 80 your policy automatically becomes exchangeable for a stable life insurance policy. If you choose to purchase the 20 year term, your monthly rates will stay the same for the full term of your policy regardless of any rate increases. Upon completion of the first 20 years you have the option of purchasing an additional 20 year guaranteed issue term life policy. A 65 year old in decent health can still buy term. They may not be able to find a 30 year term policy, but they can find 10 year policies at affordable rates. Maybe that extra 10 years will be enough to pay off an extended mortgage or get the kids out of the house.

There are some insurance carriers offers the option to convert a 20 year term policy into permanent life insurance coverage after the first 20 year period is over.
There are many benefits by this insurance:-
1- It cannot be canceled in case when you develop a fatal poor health.
2- You can activate an accelerated death benefit in case of physical condition.
3- Your coverage is guaranteed to stay active for the whole term of your coverage. If you purchased the 20 year term, reporting would end if your benefits were accelerated.
4- You have the 30-days money back guarantee on the policy. If you decide that the guaranteed issue term life insurance policy is not for you
The good news is that people are expected to live longer, even longer than they did a decade ago. Since we did live long enough for our term policies to expire, we can expect to live even longer! However, we may not have outlived our need for coverage. Exclude
Sometimes the waiting period is 2 or 3 years, and that is used instead of health underwriting to qualify applicants. So, if you are considering a senior life policy, try to qualify for simplified issue instead of guaranteed issue if you can. But guaranteed issue policies usually refund all premiums paid with interest even if the waiting period has not been satisfied. So, for an older person who cannot find any other insurance, it is still a good deal.

Source by Daryl Stewart

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Low the PIAB Act 2003, anyone intending to act rectification for a private trauma moldiness alter an curative to the Own Injuries Classification Gameboard. Mostly, the example within which you can convey a right is strictly small by law to two eld from the escort of the accident. There are exceptions to this for persons low 18 eld of age and any another categories of cases. You are wise to love your realised remedy conveyed to the Fare as presently as workable and advantageously before the expiry of the two-year period.

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More presonal accident insurance infromation please visit www.presonalaccidentinsurance.com

Source by freestyleonnet

A survey shows that one in 10 respondents aged 18 to 55 has no idea of HDB fire insurance and what the limits or benefits of coverage are in Singapore. Also, many Singaporeans confuse the coverage of home content insurance and fire insurance, 75% of respondents believe that fire insurance will compensate losses or damage to their possession and property causing by water, fire, theft and other events.

Before talking to fire insurance in Singapore, the coverage of home content insurance and fire insurance should be known first. Home content insurance covers damage to building structure, fittings, fixtures, renovation and loss and damage to the household items or personal belongings such as money, jewelry, antiques and watches etc. Fire insurance in Singapore only covers the home main structure as a result of a fire.

Why fire insurance in Singapore is necessary for the house owner since home content insurance has a more comprehensive coverage? Well, fire insurance as a separate policy adding to protect the house owners’ property has its reasons.

It’s likely that your daily activities in your house will leave you undergo the possibility of a home fire which might threaten your home and belongings. Keeping warm by the fireplace or cooking are not the only activities that will pose a risk. Burning candles or incense will also carry a possibility to pose a fire. Once it happens, smoke alarm is not enough and tragic personal injury and devastating damage as a result of it.

However, fire insurance in Singapore has its limits. Only the flat or the apartment is provided by HDB or its approved developer can be cost of restoring the damage causing by a fire works. According to the types and sizes of the property, the levels of coverage require are different. For HDB flat, fire insurance can better protect their personal belongings, home contents and renovated contents for unforeseen events. For private apartment, the basic building structure and common areas are maintained and covered typically by the Management Committee of Strata Title Plan, that is enough to protect the home contents, renovated items, valuables and personal belongings. For landed homeowners, both home contents insurance and fire insurance are needed for a comprehensive protection for their properties.

Data show that fire damage claims accounted for 37%. While water damage claims accounted for 21% and theft accounted for 11%. Without fire insurance, it would be a great loss to them once there was a fire.

Source by hlasinsurance

Go to most other first world countries and you will find a national electronic system for medical records. There’s general agreement programs like this save lives. Yet, in the US, there’s little or no sign there will even be comprehensive systems in individual states, let alone across the USA as a whole. What’s happening and why?

Taking Germany as an example, its electronic records program aims to link more than 2,000 hospitals, 100,000 general practitioners, more than 20,000 pharmacies and the top 200 health insurers. So, with the click of a mouse, it will be possible to see each individual’s medical history, all the relevant diagnoses and, most importantly, all the treatment prescribed. So, if anyone is brought into a hospital unconscious following an accident and he or she can be identified, it should be possible to discover whether there are any underlying medical problems, drug allergies or other issues that might affect the current treatment. It will also help control the abuse of medications because all prescription records will be collected together. It should also help improve diagnosis with each doctor able to see how and why earlier conditions were identified and treated. In some instances, it may also make it easier to identify previous errors in diagnosis. Hence, the program is not popular with doctors who fear their insurance premiums will rise if mistakes are found.

Progress in Germany has been slow with the different interest groups resisting the implementation, but real progress is now being made. Coming home, a new group calling itself the Care Connectivity Consortium is proposing basic steps to creating a wider system of information exchange. There are a number of influential members such as the Mayo Clinic, and the proposal starts with easing the transfer of electronic records from one doctor to another in all the affiliated group members. This should be a relatively simple software deal. After all, you can go into any outlet of a chain or franchise and, with a little negotiation with the software system, discover when you last stayed in a hotel, bought a burger, and so on. Cloud applications are everywhere with large organizations now processing and storing information online.

But there are real security problems with credit card and other large public and private organizations proving targets for hackers. Once you add in medical records, the damage to privacy could be real if there was a data breach. Worse, there’s no agreement on who should pay for this electronic system. The hospitals might see it as an unnecessary overhead given the decades they have managed without. It’s also not clear why insurers might want to pay for this resource. And, even if we solve all the problems of finance, we would then have to agree the format in which the information was to be stored. Getting everyone to agree on a single system is going to be a challenge. Under the circumstances, there’s no prospect of a national medical records system. We will simply carry on as now, buying individual health insurance policies and hoping the doctors can talk to each other to agree on the right treatment. Health insurance plans do not require the exchange of perfect information. Until this changes, no one will pay for a better system.

Source by aidanjesse

You are obligated to pay the fine that comes with photo radar tickets, however, Auto insurance companies can not legally increase your car insurance rates. To ensure you are not being charged extra, go to your local DMV and request your Drivers Abstract. The drivers abstract lists all tickets, suspensions and demerit points over the past 5 years. Saving money is on everyone’s mind. The only way to ensure that you find which companies offer the lowest price is to do an online rate search. InsuranceHotline.com offers free rate searches for drivers.

This article explains the difference in rates between photo radar tickets and police issued tickets.

Radar

Photo radar appears to be a license for the wealthy to speed.

There are no consequences to getting caught by photo radar. You pay and get away. You do not go to court and your insurance rate never goes up.

When pulled over and ticketed by a police officer your insurance rate will skyrocket. Tickets from photo radar have no insurance consequences, as the ticket is assigned to the car, not the driver.

Here’s a rate comparison between a driver with 3 photo radar tickets verses a driver ticketed 3 times by the police.

Driving Profile ———- Lowest
3 Photo Radar Tickets $1,425
3 Police Issued Tickets $3,731

Drivers who get pulled over and ticketed by the police are charged under the Highway Traffic Act and suffer the consequences of increased insurance costs, and possible policy cancellation. This is a strong deterrent and keeps our roads safer.

Photo radar results in fewer police patrolling the streets. So “cheers” to the drunk driver. Three tickets by photo radar may cost the drunk driver a few hundred dollars. Getting pulled over by the police would cost them their license. Hopefully, if the police don’t catch these drivers, karma will.

Radar Detector: The police use Omni-directional radar devices, so they can shoot ahead, behind, to the side, actually, in any direction. If the radar device catches you, you are not automatically guilty.

If you are planning to fight the ticket, it’s good to know that the radar device is used to corroborate what the officer saw. Did the police officer see you speeding? Further, you don’t want to make the police officer’s documentation that thorough as a result of your cross examination. Save it for court.

Red Light Cameras: Red light cameras are used to catch drivers who run red lights. The negative consequences are that drivers use poor judgment of whether or not to go through a yellow light. Knowing that there is a red light camera can result in violent braking, which can cause an accident instead of avoiding one.

The ticket does not affect your insurance because it’s assigned to the vehicle, as the driver’s identity cannot be confirmed.

Source by Lee Romanov

Calculating Your Personal Property Value for Home Insurance

When shopping for home insurance, you will generally be asked to provide an estimate of the value of your home and its contents. This is so the insurance company can calculate the cost of your monthly premiums based on the value of your overall insurance policy. While this may sound like a simple task, there are many additional factors to consider. To help ensure that your home and assets are adequately insured, here are a few tips to help you when calculating the value of your personal property.

Make an Inventory List

Most people aren’t really aware of all they own. Regardless of whether you are a tenant in an apartment building or a private home owner, making an inventory list is the first step to ensuring you are adequately covered. Draw up a spreadsheet and have a section for each room. Make several columns with headings such as: Item, Description, Acquisition cost, and Replacement cost.  Start in your bedroom and list every single item. For example, “Item: Necklace; Description: 20 cm long thin gold chain with flower pendant; Acquisition cost: none – received as a gift; Replacement cost: $200.” Then move onto furniture, clothing, linen and ornaments. Most often, you will not be able to remember what you paid for a particular item or you may have simply inherited some items of furniture. You may also not be aware of what its current value is. Don’t be overly concerned about that at this stage. The important thing is to draw up a list. In this way, you can make sure that you account for all the items in your home. It is often difficult to record items after they have gone missing or been destroyed. It is much easier to make a record when you can still see all the items in your home.

Your Household Contents Are Not as Valuable as You Think

While many of the items in your home may have a sentimental value, they unfortunately may not have much real value. Think of when a neighbor has a garage sale. What sort of value would you expect to pay for used or old furniture and furnishings? In the same way, your bedside table that you inherited from your grandma may not be that valuable. The exception to this is antique items,; however, it is important to remember that just because an item is old does not mean it is a precious antique. An antique’s value is based on its design, rarity and era. If you think a piece of furniture could be an antique, find out as much as you can about it and then research it. You can also ask for an appraisal by an antique dealer, although these are seldom accurate.

Establish a Replacement Value for Your Home and Its Contents

Rather than the sale or purchase value of your assets, insurance is more interested in what it will cost to replace your valuables should they be lost, destroyed or stolen. For example, if you have a newly built home with a mortgage to pay off, your insurance value of your home should be enough to cover the cost of rebuilding plus interest due on the mortgage. It is also important to update your insurance in terms of current values. What it cost to build your home 10 years ago is not going to be the same value as what it will cost to rebuild the same home today or tomorrow. Because of inflation, building and maintenance costs escalate each year. While it is unlikely that you will ever receive the full replacement cost of your home, you can make every effort to make as accurate an estimate as possible when insuring your home.

One way to get a good indication of the market value of your home is to ask a real estate agent for an appraisal of your property. They will consider things such as location, age, construction methods, security and finishes. Some agents will charge a small fee to do the appraisal for you but it can be worth it to get a current market value of your property. Once you have that you can then add to it your inventory list of your household items to get the total insurance value of your home. Some insurance firms use formulas to estimate the true value of your home but these differ from company to company. When asking for quotes, it should be possible to establish what formula a company uses. This will then give you additional insight on how they value your home.

Source by Frank Kasimov

To you, it’s just your home, but to an insurance company and their arcane policies, it’s not just a “structure”, but potentially several “structures”, each of which must be assigned the right insurance policy coverage to make sure your home is protected from disaster. And don’t foget your personal possessions are another matter unto themselves!

The rates you pay for your standard homeowners’ insurance policy includes the following essential types of coverage. These are:

1. Coverage for the structure of your home.
2. Coverage for other structures.
3. Coverage for your personal belongings.

1. The Structure of Your House

Coverage for the structure of your house is the part of your policy that includes repairs or rebuilding if your home (dwelling) was damaged by fire, hurricane, hail, lightning or other disasters listed in your policy. Your “dwelling” typically includes your house, attached structures and fixtures in your house such as built-in appliances, plumbing, wiring, heating systems, and permanently installed air-conditioning systems. This coverage does not cover damage caused by floods, earthquakes or routine wear and tear. When you buy your homeowners’ insurance it is very important that you purchase enough to rebuild your home.

2. Coverage for Other Structures

Most standard policies also cover detached structures such as garages, storage sheds, and fixtures attached to the land such as fences, driveways, sidewalks, and retaining walls. These kinds of structures are usually covered for about 10% of the amount of coverage you have on your home. If you believe you need more coverage on these structures, make sure you talk to your insurance agent. If a detached structure is used for a business purpose, it is not covered under a homeowner’s insurance policy.

3. Your Personal Belongings

Items such as furniture, clothing, and sports equipment are covered if they are stolen or destroyed by insured disasters. Some policies may have limited coverage for small boats but not motorized vehicles unless they are unlicensed and only used at your home. Some belongings or items may have limited coverage. These could include artwork, firearms, electronic data and money. Usually you have 50% to 70% of the amount of insurance you have on the structure of your home. It is very important to conduct a home inventory to determine if you have enough coverage to replace these belongings.

Many people learn after a storm or fire that they didn’t have enough coverage to replace their belongings. After a catastrophe, would you be able to remember all the possessions you’ve accumulated over the years? Making an inventory will help you decide on how much coverage you actually need. Start by making a list of your possessions, describe each item and note where you bought it and its make and model. Include all your sales receipts, purchase contracts, and appraisals. For your clothing, make categories and note items that are especially valuable. When it comes to major appliances and electronic equipment, record their serial numbers.

If you are just setting up a household, starting your home inventory can be simple. If you have lived in your home for years, the idea of doing a home inventory can be daunting. Start by going room to room. Note recent purchases and do your best to remember what you can of older items.

Your inventory can be documented by photographing each item or by making a video tape. Make sure to store these documents in a very safe place, not in your home. You can download free home inventory software at www.knowyourstuff.com. Better yet, keep your records and digital photos inside a free KeepandShare account. Read about using KeepandShare for home insurance inventory.

Costly items such as silverware, jewelry, and furs are covered but there are usually dollar limits. Your coverage even includes “accidental disappearance,” meaning if you lose the item it is covered by your policy. However, there is no deductible. To insure expensive belongings for their full limits you need to buy a special personal property endorsement.

Trees, plants and shrubs are also covered under the Personal Belongings part of your policy as long as they were damaged by insurable perils. They are not covered if the damage occurred from wind or disease. The coverage is usually 5% of the insurance on your home.

Your policy also includes off-premise coverage anywhere in the world. Sometimes the limit is 10% of the amount on the policy.

Your policy should include up to $500.00 of coverage for unauthorized use of your credit cards.

Source by Gary Hayduk