There is an Act in New Jersey, called the Automobile Insurance Cost Reduction Act, which allows New Jersey drivers the ability to buy basic car insurance policies in New Jersey, for cheaper than all of the other available car insurance policies in the state.

In all honesty, there isn’t much that will beat the most inexpensive car insurance policy plan available, however there are some things that you should know about the insurance plan which is being offered before you eliminate all of your other options.

The Automobile Insurance Cost Reduction Act is useful in that it allows all drivers to obtain inexpensive car insurance in New Jersey, because the policy that is offered is significantly cheaper than what you will pay for a standard automobile insurance policy. This basic car insurance policy includes $15,000 per person, for personal injury protection, and $250,000 for significant or permanent injuries. This plan also includes $5,000 of property damage per accident.

Unfortunately, liability insurance for bodily injury is not included in this basic insurance policy, however, it is an option that can be added, to the tune of $10,000 per accident for the policyholder.

This basic car insurance policy also does not include uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, nor does it include collision or comprehensive coverage. Collision and Comprehensive coverage are options which can be added on, but it depends on which form of the basic car insurance policy was issued to the policyholder.

Although this basic car insurance plan is the cheapest available, it offers very minimum coverage. This coverage is enough to get you by if you simply need a cheap insurance plan, but there are much better plans with better and more comprehensive features and even though these plans are more expensive, they are well worth taking a look at when you are considering all of your options.

The basic car insurance is a quick and inexpensive fix for people who are currently driving without insurance, or who cannot get regular automobile insurance coverage because of their credit rating, or their driving record. However, this basic car insurance policy is not for everyone, because the coverage offered is not exactly desirable.

When it comes to choosing the right automobile insurance plan for your situation, it is absolutely imperative that you really shop around. Affordable car insurance in New Jersey can be easy to find, as long as you understand where to look, and how to properly compare quotes in order to ensure that you are receiving the best available policy.

There are many different approaches that you can take when it comes to obtaining car insurance quotes, but the method which is generally quickest and the most effortless is simply to do a search online for car insurance companies with offices located in New Jersey. Most websites dedicated to car insurance will offer you the ability to obtain a free quote simply by inputting some information about yourself, your vehicle and your driving record.

Once this information is sent in, the insurance company will respond with a free automobile insurance quote. There is no limit to how many free car insurance quotes you can collect, so you should make a point to spend a great deal of time researching before you come to any conclusions. You should collect car insurance quotes from every local insurance provider that you can find, then sit down and really weigh your options before coming to any conclusions.

Just because an insurance company offers you an extremely low quote, this does not mean it is the best available insurance for your situation. The basic car insurance policy offered by the Automobile Insurance Cost Reduction Act is proof of this, because even though the insurance quote seems great, the coverage is not really worth the price that you pay for it.

In addition to price, there are some other factors that you should consider when you begin to shop around for insurance providers. There are a large number of different insurance companies and agents available on the internet, each competing to give you the best possible quote for your automobile insurance. Many of these insurance companies have offices in various states, but they may not have a local office in New Jersey. What this means, is that if you ever have questions or concerns pertaining to your insurance policy, you will not have a local insurance provider to turn to in order to address these problems.

This is one of the largest problems associated with doing your automobile insurance shopping on the internet. Before you choose an insurance provider, make sure that there is either a local office that you can visit when you have questions, or that there is a toll free 1-800 that you can call, with a friendly voice on the other end who will walk you through your concerns. Large insurance companies do not always have your best interest in mind, so make sure that you are opting for insurance coverage through a company that will continue to be helpful and easy to work with after you buy your insurance plan.

Something else that you need to keep in mind while shopping for insurance is that there are providers who will offer special discounts and rates if you ask for them. While you are weighing all of your options and considering all of your choices, ask the local agencies that you are considering if they offer any special rates or discounts. In an attempt to be competitive, and to make sure that you choose them as your insurance provider, most insurance companies will discount your rate, or offer you a special deal.

You should also make sure that you are obtaining the right kind of insurance for your situation. For example, there are special insurance plans designated for young or new drivers in order to offer them discounted rates. Additionally, vehicles that are older than fifteen years may qualify for antique car insurance, which entails a discounted rate for cars which are appreciating in value rather than depreciating as a normal vehicle would.

Source by Stuart Brown

There are a lot of things in life that make you scratch your head and say, “Huh?” but not many of them go hand in hand with the same level of frustration as taking a look at your new car insurance rates-and seeing them go up. Nobody wants to pay too much for their insurance. You’ve got enough bills each month, you don’t need any more! It’s not enough to know that your car insurance rates are climbing, however. You’ve got to know why.

After all, if you know what’s going on you have a chance to turn it around in your favor!

There are plenty of reasons car insurance rates might go up. Some of them you have control over-for example, every time you have an accident you can expect your rates to go up by up to 40%. Speeding tickets send car insurance rates flying, and hopping behind the wheel of a Maserati Quattroporte is going to cost you a lot more than riding around town driving a rusty truck with three on a tree. If you really want to keep your car insurance rates down you’ll keep your driving record clean and choose carefully when you go shopping for a new car.

You’re also going to find that your car insurance rates are directly related to the amount of coverage you have on your car. That doesn’t mean that you want to drop your liability insurance levels or abandon comprehensive or collision insurance (despite what your lender had to say about it). You might be surprised, however, to discover exactly how much fat you have in your car insurance policy. For example, do you really need rental insurance? How about emergency roadside assistance? When you add those on to your car insurance coverage your rates go flying up.

Of course, that doesn’t mean everything that makes your car insurance rates go up is your fault. Have you noticed how much more you’re paying for milk these days? How about gas (which, coincidentally, cost $0.86 in 1979)? Inflation has sent the price of everything flying up these days, and that includes the cost of auto repairs and health care. Want to guess who that affects? Right. The car insurance industry that pays out hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in car insurance claims for exactly that.

The state has certain regulations that car insurance companies have to follow when it comes to your auto insurance rates, so there’s only so high your rates can go. The key is to know exactly what’s causing your rate increase so you know what you have to do about it-if there’s anything to be done about it after all.

Source by Anthony Peck

Most people realize that one key to keeping their car insurance rates low is to avoid being in an accident. While some companies have first accident forgiveness, more than likely at some point that accident will affect the rates you’re paying for your auto insurance. Many vehicle accidents are a result of distractions, in fact statistics show that distracted drivers have three time the chance of being in an accident. While there are a variety of distractions that can be a cause of an accident, one of the biggest distractions causing more and more accidents today are using cell phones while driving.

The root cause of many of these cell phone related accidents are from people who are either dialing their phone or searching their contact list while driving. Both acts are very dangerous because it normally forces the driver to look at their phone to complete the act. And at high speeds and/or in congested traffic, a second or two is all it takes to either cause an accident or be slow to react when another driver has made a bad move. Unfortunately just talking on your cell phone or listening to someone else can be almost as dangerous since it tends to lessen your focus on the road and what’s going on around you. The percentages that studies indicate are astounding, with 80% of accidents occurring within a couple of seconds of a driver being distracted.

While many people have turned to using hands-free sets while talking on their phone, statistics indicate that while it helps with the dialing aspect of using a cell phone, the overall percentage of accidents have dropped very little. Even if you aren’t actually holding the phone, talking and listening to someone can still be a distraction.

Text messaging is another form of cell phone use that is proving to be very dangerous. Text messaging requires you to look away from the road, even longer than you would if you were just dialing a number.

There are many drivers who feel that they can concentrate on a phone conversation and the road at the same time, but this is generally not the case; your attention is always divided. Others feel that they can look back up quick enough to avoid an accident, but one actually never knows when the right time to look away and the right time to look back at the road can be. All it takes is a split second to slow your reaction time so it’s imperative that drivers be concentrating on the road and aware of their surroundings at all times.

Some states have already banned talking on cell phones while driving, and other states are working on following in their footsteps. There are even some states that are doing their best to outlaw text messaging while driving as well, since it has proven to be so dangerous. Before you get in your car and start talking on your cell phone, consider your well being, the well being of others, as well as the hike in your car insurance rates that could occur. Don’t be the foolish one that says “it could never happen to me”. Use cell phones wisely, and for best results, limit cell phone talking while driving to emergencies only. If you must talk on your phone, take the time to pull off the road while carrying on the conversation.

Source by Dean Larson

Homeowners Insurance Leads and Quotes

Let’s face it, these days it is extremely important to get your house insured by an insurance agent.  But the most important question, do you know where to find an insurance agent who can provide you with an insurance quote on your home?

It is always recommended that you use a homeowners insurance company and seek tips and advice from a reputable and reliable insurance agent.  Only qualified and professional insurance agents can offer the correct insurance quote and coverages. 

Below are some imperative details that need to be considered with an agent when asking for a quote on homeowners insurance: 

1.  Be certain to Make sure you have enough insurance to cover the cost of rebuilding your house at current construction costs. To figure out the amount of coverage needed, take the total square footage of the house and multiply by current local rebuilding costs per square foot. For example: A 2000 square foot home with local rebuilding costs of $150 per square foot (2000 * 150) comes to $300,000 of dwelling coverage.

2.  Make sure that your personal possessions are properly covered. We recommend that personal possessions are insured at replacement cost NOT actual cash value.

3.  Most homeowners policies will also provide coverage for loss of use. This means that if you need to live somewhere else while the house is being restored the insurance company will pay for this expense.

4.  Liability coverage is also included on most homeowners policies. This is very important. The minimum on most policies is $100,000. We recommend at least $300,000.

5.  In addition to the coverage’s mentioned, there are many other coverage’s to consider depending on the type of house, the contents in the house and any other structures located on the property. We recommend a review of your coverages be handled by a local insurance agent. 

When you obtain the answers you are now in a better position to get the correct homeowners insurance quote.

Just as an owner of a home needs insurance on their house, an insurance agent also needs homeowners insurance leads that will generate him activity for their agency. 

For an agent to get the right insurance leads, you need to focus on the LOCAL community.  *Below is an example of how to get the correct homeowners insurance leads.

*The agent MUST have the necessary tools to drive traffic to the business website with a focus on the LOCAL community.  As the Internet is used in 75 percent of households, the quickest method of communication is via email and the web. 

We offer the best homeowners insurance source of information and insurance agents.  Find top homeowners insurance agents by your zip code and learn the basics about homeowners insurance on http://www.insuremyhouse.com/  

Source by Daren DiSantis

Term life insurance is becoming a very popular benefit to offer to employees as part of a comprehensive benefits package. Increasingly, employers are realizing that attracting good talent means matching what large companies are offering and term life is usually part and parcel of such a plan. Let’s look at the benefits of offering this type of benefit to your employees.

I don’t how else to say this but group term life is cheap. When employers approach us to quote term life for their companies, they usually are surprised by the final quote. Unlike the ever-increasing specter of health insurance, they’re actually shocked in a good way. Term life has decreased in priced significantly over the past decade but the group option is even less expensive due to larger risk pools and a little term called adverse selection.

As we discussed in our term life and risk article, the larger the number of people sharing risk on one policy, the better. This by definition IS insurance. If a group of 25 employees are getting group term life, not only are they entering the risk pool with all the other companies out there, they already have a built-in risk pool of 25 people. Even better. As for adverse selection and life insurance, this term means that a person hopes to gain an unfair advantage over a life insurance company based on information he/she has (and the company does not). For example, if I am not diagnosed with anything but I feel that something’s “wrong” with my health, I might apply for term life insurance. The paramedical exam may not pick up the issue and I answer the application correctly but two years later, I keel over from a heart attack. This is (a form of) adverse selection. Small group term life eliminates this “interest of the one person” selection by the simple reason that it’s a group of individuals. The result of these two factors plus the economies of scale that companies have in offering a benefit to 25 people instead of just 1 is lower pricing.

Another great benefit of offering term life to employees is that it may be guaranteed issue. This means, your group may qualify under more lenient guidelines (since adverse selection is less of an issue) or regardless of health status/history. The option of guarantee issue underwriting is partially dependent on size of your company with guaranteed issue being more likely the larger company is.

Lower pricing and guaranteed issue are great benefits but the real reason most employers offer group term life insurance is simple…employee’s want it. Aside from the worrying feeling of not having it for themselves on a personal basis, employees see it as a part of a complete benefit package. The fact that an employee is working already tells you that there is a need for life insurance. As we discussed in our term life insurance needs article, the best approach is to think of life insurance as replacement of lost income over a period of time. Employers have found that by offering what is a very inexpensive benefit (Group term life), they are able to attract and retain better employees. Even though they may (hopefully not) never have to use this coverage, there is a “stickiness” factor by offering the benefit to employees. Health insurance is the benefit that’s really critical because of the large risks it protects from but life, dental, and vision all have a stickiness quality that keeps good employees 1) happy; and 2) with you.

Offering term life insurance to employees is also one of those decisions that eventually you may look back on and sigh. There’s nothing worse than losing an employee and explaining to the family members that you did not offer group life insurance. Hopefully the family members never ask what the cost would have been. That’s not a conversation you want to have over $7/month savings. Send us your group census information (ages, zip code, amount of life insurance) and we’ll get a quote right over to you.

Source by Dennis Jarvis

If you’ve never had to file an insurance claim, consider yourself lucky – in more ways than one. While it’s terrific that you haven’t suffered a loss significant enough to file a claim, you’re also lucky not to have had to suffer through the insurance claim game.

How do you play the insurance claim game? Let’s just say that there’s more involved than tossing the dice, crossing Go and collecting $200. While the object of most games is to win, this game starts with a loss. It doesn’t matter what the loss is; it could be a crunched car, burned down house, theft of valuables, water damaged carpets and cabinetry, a blown off roof, or any number of damages. Whatever the loss, that’s the hand you’re dealt.

Each different loss type has its own related hassles. This makes the game more challenging! Let’s say that your house has been flooded thanks to a burst pipe in the walls. Not only do you have a loss, you have a major mess and the potential for further damage (such as mold growth if the home is not dried out within 72 hours). The clock is ticking. Isn’t this fun?

But we’re just getting started. You also have safety hazards to deal with, emergency repairs to make, insurance paperwork to file, water damage professionals to hire, and temporary lodging to find.

Now, your opponent takes a turn. Who’s the other player in this game? Your insurance company and, yes, they are playing against you. At stake is potentially tens of thousands of dollars and this isn’t Monopoly money we’re talking about. This is real U.S. Treasury currency.

You’ve paid your premiums and you are entitled to a fair settlement. However, the insurance company is a business that must minimize losses in order to be profitable. This includes minimizing YOUR loss.

Insurance companies often have contracts with “preferred” vendors who have agreed to pre-determined rates in order to earn their business. One of the first moves any insurance company makes is to steer you to their preferred vendors.

Your turn. While using the insurance company’s recommended contractor may be fine if you don’t have a preference and are unsure of whom to call for repairs, you are under no obligation to follow their recommendation. Most states allow “customer choice,” meaning you can pick your own contractor for repairs; in this case, a water damage restoration company.

Your opponent’s turn. Your insurance company is on the offense and will send an adjuster to your home to estimate the damage. This adjuster is friendly and likeable. However, he is a company representative that needs to minimize losses. He may overlook those warped baseboards or suggest a coat of paint rather than complete drywall removal. In addition, he won’t necessarily prompt you to list all damaged personal belongings.

Your turn. Because your opponent is on the offense, you must put up a strong defense. Start by having either your contractor or a public insurance adjuster (an insurance adjuster that represents you) present when the adjuster arrives. By having a professional on your side, less obvious damage won’t get overlooked or underestimated. In addition, have a complete inventory on hand documenting ALL damaged items, big and small. This ensures that nothing is overlooked.

The game continues with your opponent throwing mountains of paperwork your way, claim denials, low-ball settlement offers, unnecessary delays, and other tricks from their play book. If you play your cards right, you’ll work out a fair settlement offer, hire a reputable contractor for repairs, replace your damaged items, and restore your home to its previous condition.

If you must play the insurance claim game, remember that your insurance company has a huge home field advantage because the company plays the insurance claim game day in, day out. You only play it a few times in your lifetime – if you’re lucky.

Dryout® Inc.
1415 Colonial Blvd.
Fort Myers, Fl. 33907
Mr. Mark Decherd
http://www.dryout.net
239-437-7100

Water Damage

Dryout Inc Emergency water damage restoration, drying, deodorization, decontamination, disinfection, mold removal, water and fire damage repair services by a network of trained specialists, technicians and restoration professionals across the USA.

Source by Mark Decherd

Sixteen year old Sally is southbound on I-5 near Eugene, Oregon. She hears a ring and knows she has just received a text message. After rustling through her purse, she finds her phone and checks the message. Her best friend Jane, back in Washington, has just seen Steven, Sally’s latest crush, at the Vancouver Mall.

“Should I talk to him?” Jane wants to know.

Sally has to be in Ashland in three hours so stopping is out of the question. And besides, she has no problem texting and driving. She could do it blindfolded.

Minutes later Farmer Tom, who is harvesting ryegrass seed, is blindsided by Sally’s red VW bug. Farmer Tom spends five weeks in the hospital and misses the high point of the seed harvesting season.

Back home in Vancouver Sally peruses her State Farm insurance policy and wonders: “BI–Bodily Injury, what does this cover?”

The policy says it will “pay damages which an insured becomes legally liable to pay because of bodily injury to others caused by accident resulting from the ownership or use of your car.”

Hmm…thinks Sally…what are “damages?”

DAMAGES DEFINED

Black’s Law Dictionary defines damages as “a sum of money awarded to a person because of the [wrongful act] of another.”

“Ok, so “damages” just means money,” Sally rightfully concludes.

“But how do the courts decide what money to award?”

TYPES OF DAMAGES

Damages, says the Blacks Law Dictionary, come in three broad classes: actual, nominal and punitive

Nominal damages are those awarded where a right has been violated but there is no substantial injury. When Sally drove on to the farmer’s field that was a trespass. Had she done so with no loss to the land or equipment or farmer that would have entitled the farmer to nominal damages (usually one dollar) for trespass.

Punitive damages also known as exemplary damages are intended to punish the defendant. They may be awarded where the conduct of the defendant was particularly wicked. Had Sally intentionally drove off the road to run over the farmer a jury in Lane County, Oregon might award punitive damages against her.

Actual damages also known as compensatory damages are those awarded for actual or real loss or injury. This is what bodily injury insurance most commonly covers. In most auto accident cases, actual damages break down into general damages and special damages.

SPECIAL DAMAGES

These, says Blacks Law Dictionary, are the “actual result of the injury complained of, by reason of special circumstances or conditions.” Special damages are easily quantifiable. In a bodily injury case three important special damage components are medical, lost income, and household services.

Medical Expenses

This includes hospital visits, prescriptions, and neck braces. Medical expenses need to be reasonable and necessary. Juries may trim down the medical expenses they consider excessive. If Farmer Tom ran up a $10,000 chiropractic bill the jury might decide he overtreated and cut the bill down to $3,000.

Farmer Tom might have a hard time sleeping after the crash and insist on a new Vera Wang bed prescribed by his family doctor. This would be a hard sell to convince a jury that this was a necessary medical expense relating to the accident.

Lost Income

Farmer Tom hired family members and friends to complete the seed harvest so the crop was not lost. The additional expenses he incurred reduced his profits and so he would have a claim against Sally for lost income. This would be covered by her bodily injury policy.

Household Services

Farmer Tom and his wife are very progressive and so divide up the household tasks. He is responsible for mowing the lawn and washing the cars on Saturday. To replace himself in these tasks Tom had to hire a neighbor boy. The money paid for these services would be recoverable by Tom in a personal injury claim against Sally so this would be covered by her bodily injury policy.

GENERAL DAMAGES

These are the difficult to quantify side of bodily injury damages. What is commonly known as “pain and suffering” comes under this category. Loss of enjoyment of life also falls under this category. General damages is often roughly calculated using a multiplier such as 1x, 2x, 3x times the reasonable and necessary medical expenses.

ATTORNEY FEES

If you are sued by someone after an accident, your bodily injury coverage will also pay for an attorney to defend you. These lawyers, known as “insurance defense attorneys” will be hired by your insurance company for you.

SUMMARY

Bodily injury coverage protects you if you are sued after causing physical injury to another. The coverage extends to anyone using your car with your permission. Your coverage also protects you if you are driving someone else’s car with permission.

The basic elements covered include medical expenses, lost wages, household services, pain and suffering, and attorney fees to hire an attorney to defend you.

Source by Rex Bush

When searching for antique auto insurance, it is important you understand what you are getting. This specialty insurance also comes with many restrictions and can sometimes interfere with what you would like to accomplish while owning an antique automobile. To most, an antique automobile is something they enjoy viewing, working on and restoring it to its original condition. These people typically only take their car out when it is necessary to keep up on its maintenance. There are however, those people that like to take there car out for a spin every now and again and would typically be breaking the mileage rule on a typical antique auto insurance policy. So what do you do about that? Below is a company that understands different antique owners needs and has done everything it can to accommodate them.

Grundy Worldwide:

Grundy is a company that deals with antique car owners worldwide, just as their name states. When it comes to antique automobile insurance coverage, Grundy Worldwide is a leader in its industry. Here are a few key points that makes Grundy Worldwide really stand out from the crowd.

– Grundy deals with agreed value. This is very important to check into to when looking for antique auto insurance. There are some insurers that will just take the book value for your car, even if you put in thousands more.

– No matter what year your antique car is, you will be covered by Grundy.

– Grundy offers higher liability limits. Many insurers will over low liability limits that might leave you a target for being sued if a major accident were to occur.

– When you sign a new policy, you automatically receive coverage, not wait times.

– A big perk of this company is unlimited mileage. As explained before, there are antique car owners that enjoy using their car.

To get a complete list of benefits for Grundy Worldwide, please visit: http://www.grundy.com

It is imperative that you go with a well known company when looking to insure your antique automobile. When determining if it is a good company to do business with, check the following facts. Make sure they are reputable with customer service. If a company does not have good customer service, how do you think they will handle it if you had to make a claim on your insurance? Most companies are searchable through the internet. Here, you can find the good the bad and the ugly about a company. Hopefully you will only find good. If you happen to find a bad review of the company, identify why. Maybe the person is out of line or unrealistic, or maybe they have a concern that would not even pertain to you. Do not down a company just on one bad review. Give them a fighting chance. If you do, however, find many bad reviews, it is best to stay away from that company. Another good idea is to make sure the insurance company you are looking to insure through accepts appraised value. Otherwise, they will only give book value.

In addition, get a policy that you can meet the requirements to. Insurance fraud is a huge punishable crime. Do not be the one to get beneath its wrath. There are insurance companies out there that can accommodate your needs. If you break the terms, your policy will become void. This means you will be in a hole with no way out.

Source by Nick Vernon

Like many people buying car insurance, you shop around and buy online. You’ve found a really good, cost-efficient deal. So when it comes to the final checkout, do you choose to tick Yes or No in that Legal Expenses Cover box? It will add a little more to the total, and it’s not an absolute requirement, so you may be tempted to leave it out. Not least because it’s definitely not the most well-known part of insurance! It is, however, something we think you really should consider adding if it’s not in the policy as standard. And here’s an example of why:

Earlier in the year Jake, one of our freelance writers, was involved in a car accident. His Golf Mark I is his pride and joy, and he’s spent many happy weekends working on it. So naturally, he wanted total insurance coverage for every eventuality – even legal expenses.

This certainly proved to be the right decision after the accident. The car was hit from the rear, so some of the vehicle damage could be fixed. The insurance company worked fast to deal with the claim. Unfortunately, Jake also suffered a broken wrist and some whiplash. If he hadn’t taken legal expenses cover, the bill for a solicitor to pursue his compensation claim would have been solely his responsibility. Fortunately, since he had the cover, Jake was able to get his compensation quickly. Working as a freelance writer, Jake doesn’t have the safety net of employer sick pay. Lost hours mean lost money. Jake was out of work for a month – and a month’s wages. With legal expenses cover, however, Jake was able to claim for loss of earnings and will receive compensation for them any day now.

The total cost of this peace of mind and earnings security? An extra £2 a month on his premium, surely a worthwhile investment for anyone’s money!

Fully comprehensive car insurance ensures that your vehicle is well taken care of, but how about the driver? Jake’s accident was not his fault, but he had to spend a month off work. Without legal expenses cover, the cost of getting compensation would have fallen to him. With it, he was as well protected as his beloved car, and didn’t have to worry about being able to afford to make a claim.

Take another example of a typical accident: you are unharmed, but your car has to wait in the repair shop for two weeks while parts come in. Without replacement car hire as part of your insurance deal, you will have to rely on public transport – not the reason you bought your own vehicle! With legal expense cover, you can use a hire car and know that your trouble and inconvenience will be compensated.

All you need to do when you claim on your legal expenses policy is to provide the accident details in the same way you normally would – all the paperwork will be taken care of for you. It’s possible that you may need to speak to your solicitor, or appear in the stand in the event of the case going to court, but you won’t ever have to pay any legal fees.

And the cost is low, sometimes even free. Admiral include it as standard. Most insurers do make a charge, but it averages around £20 a year – for example, More Than charge £17.85, and Budget add an extra £24. Consider the legal battles that have resulted from accident claims in the past – especially those where serious injuries and claims were involved. Compensation – and costs – can run into millions. No-one can doubt that in cases like these, legal expenses cover is a worthwhile addition to any policy.

So next time you buy car insurance, make sure your policy includes legal expenses cover. Take it as an extra if it’s not part of the standard package. You’ll barely notice the extra cost, but you’ll certainly be aware of the benefits if you ever need it.

Source by Robbie Forbes

Water damage is one of the most common reasons for insurance claims, not only because of the extensive damage it can cause but also because there are so many different possible causes that can lead to it; anything from a toilet overflow to a full-scale flood. Furthermore, there are so many things involved should water damage occur. Not only will the insurance companies have to deal with the bills for cleaning up the water, they may also find themselves paying for furniture damage, mold removal, repainting, etc. Different insurance companies have different insurance coverages, so what one company offers may be completely different to what another is selling you.

Water damage can be very destructive, both to people and to the home. Depending on the kind of water, there might be contamination that can cause health hazards. Water damage can be extremely damaging to the homes. It can also stain your floors, walls, and ceilings, ruin your carpeting, and in worst-case scenarios, even cause mold to start growing, which can trigger further health hazards. The situation will be much worse if your house is made of wood, because it can make the material decay in a short span of time. All of these can drastically affect the resale value of the house, something you should seriously think about even if you don’t have any intention of selling your home at this point in time.

Toilet overflow is one possible cause of water damage. It is usually caused when someone accidentally drops something down the toilet. This is common in households with children, who, whether accidentally or deliberately, flush one of their toys or some other object.

The question is, does insurance cover water damage caused by toilet overflow? In general, most insurance companies thankfully do cover that in their policies. These include replacement or repair of the toilet and the pipes, as well as settling the bill of the company that will clean up the mess. A lot of these also include repair or replacement of any home furnishings that became damaged and mold extermination that is caused by the overflow.

To be sure, ask your agent or read the policy to see if it actually covers toilet overflow in case the insurance company turns out to be one of the organizations that don’t provide coverage for that. In the end, it is just a good idea to find out which water damage circumstances are covered by your policy and which are not, and if possible, increase your coverage as needed.

Source by J.A. Rodriguez

Whether you are self-employed, or own a small business with less than 50 employees, there are resources available to help you find affordable small business health insurance in Massachusetts.

A self employed business owner with his or her self as the only employee can get business health insurance, and is therefore entitled to the same benefits. But being self employed and paying for individual health insurance can also lead to a significant tax deduction. It’s best to do your research and see which option will suit you better.

For small businesses with two or more employees, it’s best to start by shopping around. The fastest way to do this is by using Ehealthinsurance. Ehealthinsurance provides a quoting service that allows you to compare plans side-by-side from the leading companies in the insurance industry. You only have to submit one application, and the response is instant. This service alone can save vast amounts of money and time.

When you pick your plan, choose to pay a higher deductible. This, coupled with higher co-pays for doctor visits, can significantly cut the price of premiums. Plus, increasing the size of your group will reduce your costs too. You can do this by joining with another business, or an insurance pool.

Finally, check with your local Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce and the Massachusetts Department of Insurance. They are excellent resources for information regarding small business health insurance in your area. They can usually refer you to a good company, or they may have an insurance pool of their own. It never hurts to check.

Source by julian

Have you taken time to get auto insurance comparisons in Florida? You may be paying a higher price than you have to unless you get comparison quotes you will not know. Florida and the No-Fault system have worked to provide coverage to those even if they are not at fault in damage.

You will first get a quote for the required coverage, which is PIP or Property Damage Liability. This does not cover bodily injury so add that into your quotes and find the cost since you should have this covered.

Cover your assets and make sure they will not have to be used to pay for expenses. Another coverage that will protect you with bodily injury is Uninsured-Under-insured coverage. This speaks for itself, as it will take up the payments when you are under-insured.

The Florida state laws require at least ten thousand dollars cover with Personal Injury Protection. The law is rather lenient compared to other states in the US. This means you may need to add on, to your policy and make sure you have enough coverage.

You have the option to get as many quotes as you want. Most of the quotes are not from licensed insurance agents but are from companies representing many carriers. The national market features the leading insurance companies and these companies are ranked by their history of performance to pay claims in a timely manner, and how many complaints they get from customers.

You should pay attention to low quotes because they could end up only being a problem and carry a bad history with their customers. When you get quotes, the data you are asked for, is submitted and the list of quotes will come up on a page. Different websites vary but you should find a selection of packages, or customizing adding on to the required cover. The declarations are listed on your policy and show exactly what your policy will cover.

When you do not want to use the calculators or submissions for quotes, just look for the phone number and you will get the same information being assisted by a person. You can also buy your insurance on line. Be aware of the fact there are always those websites that are not legit. The easiest way around this is to check with the states Insurance Regulations Board or the Better Business Bureau if you question a companies ranking.

Keep up with payments, a lapse in your policy will not cover any accidents that take place when your policy is in a lapsed period. Get enough quotes, add extras on, and find the price that protects you the best.

Auto insurance comparisons in Florida are available on line ready to serve you and help you find the quote that suites your needs and your budget. The key to getting accurate quotes is the information you submit. The other key is to get enough to cover your assets making sure you are adding on the coverage you could need. Only you and your own habits of driving answer this decision.

Source by Jim Bassett

Every person wants to ensure that he and his family is financially secure. Living comfortably is very important, even in the time of crisis. To have a sense of security one needs to purchase a life insurance plan.

Which life insurance plan should one go for?

This is a vital question. There are two types of insurance plans available. One can go for a permanent plan if one needs to secure his life till death. If a person wants to get secured for a short period of time, then he must go for a temporary plan. Term life insurance is one such temporary plan that gives the insured maximum profit in a short period of time.

Permanent Insurance and a Term life insurance Plan – A person purchases a permanent insurance plan when he wants to get life time insurance. This plan would mature only when the insured person dies. Therefore, the premium that needs to be paid every year is also more in case of the permanent plans.

On the other hand, even the best term life insurance does not cover the insured till death. It might so happen that the insured dies within his term. In this case, the entire amount will be paid to the beneficiary. If the insured dies one day after the policy ends and is not renewed, then he gets no money. This is the risk factor involved in such temporary plans. But, one must not overlook the advantages of such a plan. In a term life insurance, one needs to pay much lower premiums compared to the premiums paid in the permanent policies. The insured person can renew the policy at the end, if he feels the need for it.

In a nutshell, the use of a life insurance program depends from person to person. It varies with the need and priority of every individual. Therefore, one needs to think and plan his requirements before purchasing any insurance program.

What are the types of term life insurance plans available?

The insurance company offers a wide range of term life insurance plans. The five types of term life insurance plans available are:

•    Annual renewable term insurance plan- In this plan the coverage is automatically renewed at the end of each year.  The premium amounts keep increasing every time the policy gets renewed.

•    Renewable term insurance plan- In contrast with the annual renewable term insurance, this coverage gets automatically renewed at the end of each term (5 to 20 years).

•    Level premium term insurance plan- The premium paid at the end of each term is constant in this plan. Therefore, if a person purchases this plan in his early days, he will be benefited in the later days of the policy.

•    Decreasing term insurance plan- Unlike the above three plans, the cash benefits keep decreasing every year in the decreasing term insurance plan.

•    Convertible term insurance plan- According to this plan, the insured person can convert his present term insurance policy into any of policy. As the risk involved is more, this plan is bit costly.

Select the most suitable plan and get a secure future!

Source by milonruther

If you suffer a loss to your home, such as a house fire or water damage, you must present an inventory of personal property to your insurance company in order to be paid for those damaged items.

In this situation, one should look into using an  Insurance Claim Personal Property  company to aid in documenting, valuation and presenting your contents claim.

A policy holder should look for a team of  highly trained and knowledgeable researchers that locate, quote, and substantiate the claimed item’s true Replacement Cost Value (RCV).

Those experts should quote item’s current Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP), in order to confirm that the insured’s claim represents and supports the maximum dollar amount they are entitled to under their policy.

This valuation method ensures that the Insured is claiming the realistic and true value of loss, allowing them to replace damaged items in their local market, while complying with the terms and conditions of the standard HO-3 policy.

Unfortunately, the insurance carriers’ Claims Adjusters will often erroneously base their RCV findings on discount websites, temporary sale prices, and large volume discount prices. As most Adjusters do not receive any formal training on accessing and evaluating damages, they rely on self-perceived knowledge of common costs, erroneous and outdated databases, and their own desire to reduce their client’s financial liabilities.

Always remember, the Insurance Adjuster is employed by the carrier and is obligated to protect the interests of their employer.

By recognizing the Claims Adjusters’ lack of valuation training and their obligation to the carrier, it quickly becomes clear that the burden of proof lies with the Insured.

As the Insured’s retained representation, a Public Adjuster must provide an accurate and detailed claim of the damages to stand a chance of receiving a fair settlement amount.

As with any claim, carefully researched information and the use of experts and specialists will result in an accurate, compelling, and powerful document to prove the damages. Personal property claim experts utilize proven and practiced methods of valuation that consistently provide Public Adjusters with settlement amount valuations that exceed expectations.

By prioritizing compliance and accuracy and utilizing backup documentation to enable the review and confirmation of all findings, Contents Claims specialists should provide all parties with the satisfaction of knowing that the claim documents involved truly represent the amount of loss. This process results in less time spent on disputing legitimacy and more time spent on settling the claim.

Experts know exactly what information is needed to accurately document an inventory of damages, including:

• Substantiating sources
• Adding supporting documentation
• Using proprietary in-house assessment tools
• Researching the replacement value for discontinued products
• Hyperlinking to websites to substantiate high value items

Digital Inventory Insurance Claim Experts should prove the true amount of a loss and are trained to determine the depreciation of each item to evaluate its actual cash value.

Source by Thomas Di Sieno

The weird world of insurance doesn’t stop at your bog standard health, life and car policies. No, in fact if you can think about insuring something the chances you probably can and someone’s done it already. Sit tight as we take you on a whirl round the weird world of strange insurance policies.

The first weird insurance policy is the most out of this world of the entire bunch. Alien abduction policies are proving more and more popular with London-based insurance company Goodfellow Rebecca Ingram Pearson having sold a total of 30,000 insurance packages to date. Alien abduction isn’t the only supernatural insurance policy on the market however with ghost, werewolf, vampire and even asteroid insurance all available to purchase.

Weather insurance might sound odd on paper but in fact weather insurance is the oldest kind of insurance around. Farmers’ earnings have long been tied to rain and shine but weather insurance now covers more than just farmers. Golf tournaments can insure against rain, hot air balloon companies can insure against lack of wind while film companies are big fans of weather insurance when it comes to shooting on location.

With film makers insuring against the weather, it wouldn’t be Hollywood without the A-listers getting in on the action as well. Mariah Carey is thought to have insured her legs for a gargantuan $1 billion dollars while supermodel Heidi Klum allegedly insured her catwalk perfect legs for an astonishing $2.2 million. Some quirky body part insurers include Merv Hughes – an Australian cricket player – who insured his iconic moustache for almost $400,000. The food critic Egon Ronay is also thought to have insured his taste buds for the same amount.

Planning a relaxing holiday to some of the world’s kidnap hotspots of Russia, Mexico, Columbia or Eastern Europe? You might want to take kidnap insurance with you! Kidnap and Ransom insurance is popular with wealthy people and their families should they be held hostage and a price demanded for their release. The only catch here is that the insurance company doesn’t pay for the person’s release first hand, instead they reimburse families after they have paid the kidnappers.

Finally, for anyone planning that ‘big day’, taking out wedding insurance might be a worthwhile option. With the average UK wedding costing upwards of £10,000 – excluding the honeymoon – you can protect your wedding against last minute cancellation. Couples can go further to cover individual elements of their big day such as the bride’s dress, drunken damage to the wedding reception or even poor wedding photography.

Protection against alien abduction, kidnap and drunken revellers; who would have thought that pet, travel and life insurance weren’t the only things you could insure.

Source by Harvey McEwan

There are many car insurance companies that will refuse to work with non UK residents who need car insurance. Non residents can get around this matter if you are also taking your car from wherever you live to the UK. A UK non resident will be able to travel with their car and keep their car insurance from America, France, or another country that you are originating from.

Other car insurance companies will continue to cover your car as long as you are driving it, no matter what country you are in, but you will want to check with your individual insurance company to see if you need to change you current plan or do anything else in order to stay covered in another country.

Most companies within the UK will not give a non UK resident the ability to get car insurance during their stay, whether it be for a few weeks, months, or even years. In order for a person to get car insurance, as UK non residents will either have to rent a car the whole time that they are in the country, or go without their own car.

Another way to be able to get car insurance coverage in the UK is to get an international driver’s license. Remember that many countries around the world will not recognize an American driver’s license, but an international one is easy to secure and will let you drive in a number of different countries.

And even though you have an international driver’s license, you still may have difficulty getting car insurance. If you are looking to buy a car in the UK, you will need insurance when you buy it. But if you are bringing a car in from another country, you may not have to change your current coverage.

If you do find car insurance, UK non resident fees will probably be much higher than those who have already been driving for a number years within the UK. This goes for people who have a license from a different country, students who have not been driven very long, and other international drivers. The UK road laws are strict about those who have not driven for very long in the UK mainly because most countries in Europe drive on the opposite side of the road, and insurance companies do not want to have to deal with claims due to negligence of this situation.

Source by Maria Mbura

Like Utilization Management, a third party, other than the healthcare provider and the patient, becomes involved in the treatment process and is necessary for Medical Case Management.  While Utilization Management involves only the provider of medical care services, whether hospital, doctor or specialist, Medical Case Management intervenes with both the provider and the patient, taking a much more active role in the treatment process.  Utilization Management is generally a remote activity achieved by paperwork, computers and telephone, with occasional on-site review of medical records and bills.  In Medical Case Management, a lot can also be done by telephone:  gathering information, arrangement for treatment, etc.  It is necessary, in most cases, for a medical care manager to personally communicate with all interested parties in the treatment process; the providers, the patient, and the patient’s family.

Medical Case Management should not be used for routine cases as it is not considered cost effective for commonly used procedures and treatments.  Statistics indicate that 40% of medical care costs are attributed to 3% of the patients – those very seriously ill or injured.  40% of medical costs are attributed to 17% of patients with chronic illnesses.  Applying Medical Case Management to just 20% of the patients allows over 80% of medical care costs to be controlled.  (NOTE:  These statistics illustrate the “Pareto” rule, that states that roughly 80 percent of most events can be attributed to approximately 20% of their causes).

Determining just how cost-effective Medical Case Management is, or can be, is difficult to determine because catastrophic and chronic medical problems involve longer periods of time, called “long-tail claims” in insurance parlance, than other medical care which is usually of a short duration.  Therefore, in catastrophic and chronic cases, the cost savings can only be projected.  People rarely take such projections into serious consideration, as there can be too many events that can completely destroy the estimation.  Therefore, there is really no way to “prove” that the medical case managers can actually effect such savings.  However as a larger data base is created with experience, it appears that such savings are actually realized.

Insurance Continuing Education

Continuing Education Insurance

Continuing Insurance Education

Source by edward hulse

Usually, when we think of purchasing life insurance, we picture a sole bread-winner or a spouse. There is life insurance for minors and in some rare cases, it might make sense. Let look at situations where life insurance on minors makes sense and what the parameters might be.

The first law of life insurance is there needs to be a vested interest in the life of the person being insured. This means that I cannot take out a policy on my neighbor (unless of course, she’s my spouse and we have a really strange relationship). This might work in the world of Big Love, but for most people, life insurance is usually within a family or structured around business uses. Life insurance for minors are subject to this same litmus test.

The common reason for life insurance is to offset lost income or pay down debts/expenses. Based on this, there are only two apparent needs for purchasing life insurance on a minor. One is that the minor has income and we’re not talking the paper route. A child star might be an example but this is pretty uncommon. In this case, the family is probably financially dependent on their minor child. The life insurance company may request the basis for the proposed insurance especially for larger amounts of term life insurance coverage. On the flip side, it’s hard to see how minors would have assets or debts unless they were especially precocious. It might make sense to provide the equivalent of final expense for minors in spite of the depressing thought of it. This would provide a smaller term life benefit to provide for potential (though unlikely) funeral expenses, travelling, lodging, etc that results from the death of a minor. This use of term life is pretty rare and probably falls under the category of over-insurance. Can you believe you just heard that coming from a life insurance agent? Again, life insurance is about peace of mind so if this type of insurance on a minor makes you sleep better at night, then by all means.

Let’s look at some of the parameters of minor life insurance. In most states, up to a certain age (around 14 on average), a minor can cancel a policy and receive part of the premium back since the contract was entered in on their behalf. The legal age as it pertains to entering into a contract between a minor and a life insurance company resulted from this ability to back out. The beneficiary usually has to be a close relative.

Due to HIPAA privacy laws and other protections of privacy, the minor applicant will usually have to authorize other documents such as request for medical records, MIB (Medical Information Board), and FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act) authorizations.

What’s our take on life insurance for minors. The occurrences that merit such coverage are usually very unique and rare. Usually, the situation is so unique that it demands life insurance such as with the child star scenario mentioned above. There’s only so many young Michael Jackson’s so we feel that life insurance premium is better spent where the real risk of financial catastrophes can be found…the primary earners for a family.

Source by Dennis Jarvis

There are many home safes on the market today, and like many industries, it has its own vocabulary. But everyday people own home safes,and most do not want to learn the industry lingo in order to purchase the one that is best for them. Most safes are security and fire tested by the independent Universal Laboratories, and have a UL rating based upon the security and fire testing that they have passed. These I have discussed in previous articles, so today I want to take a look at other rating systems that you may come across when you are shopping for a safe, many that meet agreed upon insurance standards.

B-Rated Security Steel Safes
A B-Rated safe meets a set of agreed upon insurance standards. The B-rating basically wants a safe to have a minimum of a 1/2 inch steel in the door and 1/4 inch steel in the body. It also must have a drill resistant hardplate around the lock. One thing to be aware of is that many of these safes do not have any fireproofing, only steel. This is for maximum dollar to steel protection against theft. They often contain huge and numerous locking bolts, and have predrilled holes in the bottom so that they can be anchored to any foundation. They are designed as a maximum security safe that is affordable, just be aware of their fire rating, because a B-rated safe does not have to meet any minimum fire resistant testing.

TL-15 Safes
These are popular jewelry safes or vaults as some like to call them. These are mainly used in jewelry stores, check cashing establishments, pawn shops, or by collectors of very expensive items. These home safes are UL listed with both a Fireproof Safe rating and Burglary rating. These home safes are also insurance rated and come with predrilled holes for easy bolting down to the floor. These safes are heavy and not fun to move.

Some basic features of TL-15 safes are composite construction with a 5″ thick door and a 2″ thick body, 1-1/2″ bolts, full length hinge side locking bar, dual re-locks, and a drill resistive hard plate.

TL-30 Safes
These are the top of the line in the safe building industry. You will find TL-30 Safes for commercial use in jewelry stores, credit unions, pawn shops, and homes that only want the best in quality safes. The next best thing is the vault at Fort Knox! The TL-30 has several relockers and hardplate on top of hard plate. It also has ball bearings sandwiched in between layers. A 1-1/2 hour UL fire rating is standard, and a TL-30 will also have the same basic features mentioned above for the TL-15 home safes.

It is important to notify your insurance company if you purchase one of these home safes (a TL-15 or TL-30) because they may give you a discount on your home owners content insurance.

European Grade 1 Safes
This is the European equivalent of our American TL-15, though they are put together different than the American safe. It is a fantastic design with a lot of thought put into its design. The fire rating is at 2000 degrees for one hour, which is a much higher temperature than we test at in the U.S. One thing you will notice is the weight is as much as 70% lighter and it has no exterior hinges. They depend on the bulk of the steel being “Drill Resistant Hard Plate”. If you are interested in a TL-15, it is worth considering European Grade 1 home safes before purchasing, you will be impressed with the features. Excellent insurance rating and they are also ready to bolt to the floor or wall.

So, if you have a lot of valuables to protect, consider home safes with any of the above ratings. Not only do you get superior protection and security, but you may also save a bit on your home owners insurance.

Source by MJ Marks

You have saved and invested your money wisely. You have a diverse portfolio including stocks, mutual funds, bonds, and various other holdings including real estate. In fact, you have just purchased an apartment building. Now you are shopping for apartment building insurance. Before you wade into this quagmire, there are several things you should know before finding and purchasing that apartment building insurance policy. Insurance for actual damages to the building and property is only part of the equation. The apartment building owner must also of course look into the liability part of being an owner. The apartment building owner is responsible for accidents and injuries that take place on the property to tenants and guests.

So basically, your insurance will have two parts. The first half of the policy will cover actual damages to the building and property, and the second half will focus on your liability as an owner. This liability insurance will include bodily injury and medical insurance that will cover the initial medical bills for the injured party. A building owner is required by law to have both types of insurance. The liability insurance will also cover litigation fees if this becomes necessary.

Before purchasing insurance, the owner must decide exactly which type of policy is needed and look at the requirements of their particular property. These policies are often difficult to obtain and are often very expensive. This is due to the high liability of the landlords. Landlords will also want to insure themselves against damage done by tenants. This is often covered by having a mandatory security deposit, but oftentimes the damage incurred will exceed the security deposit. A landlord will also need mechanical breakdown insurance to fix utilities within the apartment building.

As with any other type of insurance, there are thousands of choices out there. Let’s take a look at three companies that offer insurance and see what they have to offer. Many companies carry policies and they are usually listed under business insurance.

In conclusion, apartment building insurance is a very complicated thing. As an owner you must make sure that you have all the coverage you need in all the areas you need it in. Meet with several different agents and look at lots of companies to find the right insurance for you. Make sure that you are familiar with the laws of your particular state and be informed of all municipal regulations as well. As a building owner, there is no way you can know enough about insurance policies as well as the laws governing your building.

Please visit Apartment Building Insurance for information on specific companies.

Source by Brock Timberman