Students Of Success

What kind of life insurance policy do you have? Is it a “term” policy? Is it a “whole life” policy or “universal life policy?” If you don’t know what kind of policy you have, you could be in big trouble. Everyone needs to know what kind of policy they have, how much it is and the most important factor, how long it will last. But too many times in my career I have met with people that don’t know what kind of policy they have or I have heard this “My husband or wife takes care of that.” What are you going to do when you need to know this vital information? This information could be the difference between being able to pay estate taxes or landing in the poor house. The point is you need to know.

This article focuses on the “universal life” policy which came really into bloom during the eighties and was touted as a new way to fund life insurance right in between whole life and term life. The “universal life” or “flexible premium life” allowed you to do what it says, “be flexible” with your premiums, you could pay this much or that much and keep the face amount but the “cash bearing” aspect of the policy would be different depending on how much you paid into it. This kind of policy can be a powerful tool in insurance planning if done correctly but can lead to disaster as well and I have seen this one too many times.

I sat one time across from a gentleman just about to turn 70 and was reviewing his policy which was in fact a universal life policy. We were looking at it when we came to the part in the policy called the schedule of premiums and the contract outlay and low and behold, his policy was in default due to lack of premiums and cash value. Needless to say this man’s insurance policy was not any good and he was 70 years old. This can and will happen to you if you don’t look at your policy and know what you have and where your money is going. Age 70 is not a good time to start shopping for life insurance.

This is what happens in situations like this and it can and could have already happened to you. The agent has sold you an under-funded policy. By this I mean that you are not paying enough premiums to sustain the life of the policy. If you had an agent sell you a universal life policy without an illustration to age 100 showing the policy lasting through to this age, you might have made a mistake and more than likely you have an under-funded policy. This could have happened by either the agent looking for a quick sale or the premium was too much for you budget so you decided on the lesser amount. Either way this should have never happened.

Part of the monthly payment goes towards insurance and the remainder goes towards the cash account. What is usually not discussed is that the cost of insurance goes up every year. The earlier years it is not noticeable but as you get older those costs increase. Now as the years go by you are still making that $50 a month payment but the cost of the policy is actually $75, where is the difference being made up from? If you answered the cash account you are right. Every month, $25 dollars is being pulled from the cash account and every year that will increase as well. You will not get a call from the agent telling you that you need to increase your monthly premium. This is why it is called under-funded and you and your family will pay dearly for it with the cost of having no insurance when it counts.

The solution is easy. Most states now require an illustration because of this deception so make sure you get an illustration and the agent shows you where the policy last through age 100. More than likely when this happens a good agent will be able to show you that your policy face amount has increased as a result of good funding. Never the less you will then have the peace of mind knowing your life insurance will be in force and you won’t be one of the unlucky people shopping for life insurance at the age of 70. Actually the goal I have for each and every one of my clients is to have a universal life policy that when they retire they will never have to pay another premium again. Retirement is the time to stop paying bills, not increase them.

Raul Ramirez is a licensed agent in the state of Florida. He owns and operates Gulf Breeze Insurance Inc. http://www.gulfbreezeinsurance.com an independent Florida health insurance, Florida Dental Insurance and Life insurance agency. Please feel free to use this article on your website or newsletter so as you include the bylines.

Are you one of the million of Britons famous the world over for being a pet owner and lover? If so, do you have pet insurance? If not, you may well want to read on if you want to save yourself millions of pounds….

Let’s look at two, not uncommon, scenarios that may happen to a pet owner in the UK:

Scenario 1:

You own a dog. The dog is out in the garden. The post comes to the house to deliver a letter. In the course of delivering the letter your dog bites the postman.

Scenario 2:

You own a horse. The horse is grazing in the field. The horse is startled, jumps the hedge and crashes into an oncoming car.

Do you know what would happen in both of these scenarios? Well, if you don’t already know, as you may recall from the recent famous case involving Princess Anne, in Scenario 1 you could be liable to pay damages under the Dangerous Dogs Act. Less well known, in Scenario 2 you could be liable to pay damages under a recent House of Lords interpretation to the Animal Act 1971. Either way, you’re paying.

How can you limit the liability you’ll suffer if either of these unfortunate events where to occur? Without some form of pet insurance policy you could not. As such, if you have a pet and want to save yourself from the prospect of having to pay out a potentially large amount of money in compensation damages to a third party – now is the time that you should be considering getting pet insurance.

Although pet insurance is unlikely to cover you for the full costs you that you may need to pay to both defend your self against a claim and also pay compensation if you lose, as there is likely to be a minimum excess payment and maximum cap payment, for a reasonable annual premium payment you can arrange to have cover that would pay a large portion of this amount.

At the end of the day, however, having pet insurance is like having any other type if insurance. Would you go out n the roads and drive your car without insuring yourself against an accident? Would you leave all your valuables at home without having any home contents insurance? Do you want to take the chance that you could be used for million in personal injury compensation without having paid a minimal amount in pet insurance?

Joseph Kenny writes for the Loans Store and offer more information on personal loans and other loan topics available on site.
Visit today: www.ukpersonalloanstore.co.uk/

Dental insurance is necessary in helping you maintain a healthy smile and overall dental health. Since research has shown that dental health has a direct relation to your over all health condition and reduces the chances of heart disease and stroke, people are much more concerned with their teeth and gums. Health plans usually cover basic dental, however supplemental dental insurance is also available for procedures not covered by your health plan. Many forms of affordable dental insurance are available such as individual, group and family plans for all sorts of dental coverage needs. Without dental insurance, any work done to your teeth can be a very costly expense, even a routine cleaning and check up can easily cost you hundreds of dollars.

If you are looking for affordable dental insurance to minimize the impact of those costly, yet essential visits to the dentist office or orthodontist, this information may be of use to you. Many varieties of dental coverage and supplemental dental insurance plans are available and are easily reachable through the net covering you and your dependants for routine treatments, dental emergencies, dental injuries and other serious dental problems. It can be very useful and won’t cost you a cent. You may have a plan with your employer, however if you are retired, have experienced a job loss or are self employed, you can opt into an affordable group, individual or family plan independantly.

Quite often dental visits may be necessary for procedures other than simple routine cleanings, and as stated above, this can be very expensive. You may want a plan that will cover you for all dental work, find a dental insurance plan that will be appropriate for you and your family. Insurance specialists can probably help you find a dental insurance plans tailored to your requirements. Find examples of procedures that may be covered below.

Procedures you may need dental insurance for ;

- oral surgeries
 - cosmetics
 - periodontics
 - prosthodontics
 - endodontics
 - orthodontics
 - pedodontics
 - crowns
 - dentures
 - bridges
 - braces
 - root canals

These are some examples that may apply to you or someone in your family. There are many coverages for dental insurance online that are easy to find and can be quite accommodating. People are realising the importance of healthy teeth more than ever, and it should be affordable to keep your smile bright and confident. There are affordable dental insurance plans out there, you just have to know where to look, and the web is a great place to do that.

If you want to save money when you purchase your car insurance here are a few ways that can help you as you search for auto insurance.

First thing you can do is comparison shop. It cannot hurt to call around to see what other prices are out there. If the price is higher you know you are where you need to be and if you find a lower rate you always have the option to change. You can use information from Florida Department of Financial Services, or a similar department within your state, to help you decide. This Florida department can show you what types of coverage are out there and give you sample rates. You can do this for other states by using the National Association of Insurance commissioners web site. Armed with this information you can get quotes from a number of companies and find the best one for you.

Increasing deductibles is another way to lower your premium. A deductible is the portion of money you pay before the insurance company pays for damages or injuries. The higher your deductible is the less exposure the insurance company has, thus your premium will be lower. If you choose the highest deductible you can afford you may save hundreds of dollars over the term of your policy.

Dropping comprehensive and collision coverage on older cars is another way you can to save money on your insurance policy. This type of coverage protects your car if it is damaged or stolen. Usually it is the cash value of the vehicle at the time of a loss minus the deducible. On older vehicles the value is lowered already by depreciation. You need to take into consideration the premium you pay, the value of the vehicle and the deductible you have. You may be paying more for the coverage then the vehicle is worth. If there is a loan on the car, you may have to keep this coverage on the car until you pay off the loan. After the car loan is paid off it is your choice if to keep these types of coverage and at what levels.

Buying a more economical car may help reduce your insurance. Yes, driving that corvette is fun but if you want to save money maybe you can be driving something that is a little less expensive. Vehicles that are costly to fix or that have a higher chance to be stolen are generally higher priced as far as your insurance premium. There are reports that you can check to find out which cars are stolen more often. One of these types of reports is by The Highway Loss Data Institute. Parts and repair times also tend to me more costly on higher end vehicles. A vehicle that is easier to repair will save with labor costs thus help lower your premiums.

Some companies give discounts if you do not drive your car as much. If you live close to your job you may get discounts for this lower mileage usage. Some companies may also list the car as an “occasional use” vehicle based on the mileage, which can reduce your premiums.

Asking about which discounts are available is a great way of reducing your premium. Discounts are given for safety features such as airbags and anti-lock breaks. Anti theft systems can reduce costs as well. Owning a house, being married, driver training courses and having no tickets or accidents are all ways that may make it possible for you to be eligible for discounts. Getting a list of discounts from your company is a great way to reduce your costs.

Maintaining a good driving record is also a major determining factor on how much the premium will be. If you can maintain a safe driving record, one without violations and/or accidents, your rates will be lower then someone who is more reckless. Many companies give discounts if there are no violations on your driving record. This is due to the company potentially having less exposure insuring a driver with a clear driving record than the driver with multiple tickets and/or accidents.

One final way to save on insurance is to keep your policy enforced. By making payments on time and keeping your policy intact you avoid extra late fees and you avoid costly tickets for not carrying the proper type of coverage that your state requires. You avoid possible a suspension of your driver’s license and you also may be eligible for discounts for renewing your policy all by just keeping up with your premiums. Most companies will give renewal discounts as an incentive to stay with them and keep your policy valid and in good standing.

These are just some ways that you as a consumer may use to lower your insurance costs. Now get out there and start saving some money!

Visit http://www.carinsurance.com for Auto Insurance Rates.

James Diaz is a representative of CarInsurance.com. You can visit CarInsurance.com at http://www.carinsurance.com or contact them at 1-877-327-8728.

CarInsurance.com’s online insurance marketplace gives an opportunity to consumers and to insurance companies. We offer the ability to shop for car insurance online.

Consumers can receive quotes from many insurance companies, in some states you are able to purchase your insurance instantly, online. You don’t have to drive your car to buy car insurance. Buy online… anytime!

According to a recent survey almost a quarter of UK citizens are over weight but, says Cancer research UK, 25% of these are simply not interested in losing weight. We are in fact the second most obese nation in Europe, second only to Greece.

This not only concerns the UK Government, who have just announced a concerted campaign to tackle the problem via GP’s, but also the life insurance industry.

The problem is that many people are still sensitive about their weight. Sensitive to the extent that they’ll convince themselves that they’re sticking to a diet when they are patently not. The loss of a pound or two occasions celebration, whereas the same two pounds going back the next day remains unannounced. Ring any bells for you?

Well normally, a porky or two about your true weight doesn’t harm anyone - other than perhaps yourself. But now life insurance companies are having to take a much closer interest. They suspect that lots of people are telling lies about their weight on their life insurance applications.

Consequently, Scottish Provident, one of Britain’s biggest life insurers, is tightening up its application procedures. Now, as well as asking applicants how much they weigh, they’ll be asking when they last weighed themselves. It’s an attempt to encourage applicants to answer more accurately rather than pluck a figure out of thin air or being economical with the truth.

A spokesman for the insurer said, “We know that people normally understate their weight, mainly because they are in denial about the subject, although there are also some people who will lie just to get cheaper premiums”.

The British Medical Association classifies someone as “obsess” if their Body Mass Index (BMI) exceeds 24 but most insurance companies are now using 30 as their obesity definition. Above that figure and you’ll find that they’ll load your premium and even ask to have a medical examination. Anyone who is overweight could easily see their life or critical illness insurance premium loaded by up to 50% - and extreme cases, cover will be refused.

So, if you want to know your BMI, take your height in meters and multiply it by itself. Then take the result and divide it by your weight in kilograms. The result is your Body Mass Index.

Whilst BMI has become the accepted method of assessing someone’s weight, it does have limitations as it doesn’t discriminate whether the weight is being carried in fat or muscle. And a study of 33,000 adults reported recently in The Lancet, concluded that the medical profession’s “over 24” BMI obesity definition could be raised to “over 25” without harming health. That’s the equivalent of adding an extra half stone. Their research also found that only adults with BMI’s in excess of 35 suffered a pronounced lowering in life expectancy.

But in accepting a BMI level of 30, the life insurance industry has taken a cautious mid position. Well, if it was your money at risk, wouldn’t you?

Express Life Insurance are specialists in Life Insurance and Critical Illness Insurance

For first time homeowners or for those who have never really taken a serious look at their Homeowners insurance, determining what Homeowners insurance coverage you need can be a trying time. One of the most important tips to keep in mind when determining what type and how much Homeowners insurance you need is to make this determination before you get started talking with an insurance agent.

It is extremely easy to get sucked into buying extra insurance that you will never use by a sly talking agent on the phone. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t take an insurance agent’s advice at all, but just be certain of a ballpark figure for the type of coverage and the amount of coverage you need and want before you get started.

One of the first questions an insurance agent will ask is the value of the home being purchased. This simply means the basic exterior and interior value of the home as it is when you purchase it, without belongings. Remember that an insurance agent should ask specific questions regarding the exterior of the house, such as whether it is brick, vinyl siding, wood or a mixture, as well as questions regarding a porch, deck or sunroom.

Insurance agents should also be asking specific questions regarding the basic appliances on the interior of the house, and will want to know how old the plumbing and electric system are, the air conditioning and heating unit, the appliances and will even ask questions about whether you have expensive countertops or flooring, such as granite or marble.

Keep in mind that while you purchased the home for a certain price, say $100,000, the Homeowners insurance company may want to allot payments for the structure of the house to be anywhere from $10,000 to $40,000 over the current appraisal and market value of the house, to deal with inflation. It is up to you to decide if you want to agree to these terms, but remember that the price of repairing these items in the home will increase over the years, and you don’t want to be left with not enough money from the insurance company to cover full replacement of your home at any given time.

If you have purchased a home that will soon be remodeled or reconstructed, you may want to go ahead and add a considerable amount to this portion of the insurance coverage, that way if anything happens in the process of remodeling or as soon as the home is remodeled the total cost of remodeling will be covered without a problem. Of course you can always wait until the remodeling is completed to call and get a new price quote, but it is best to have the insurance set in place prior to the completion of the remodeling.

The second major factor that should be considered in determining the amount of Homeowners coverage needed is the interior value of the goods in the home. This is a difficult task for some people who have not kept good receipts of purchases and that makes it easy for insurance agents to suggest more coverage than needed in the interior goods department.

Before calling for price quotes, it is best to sit down and try to briefly itemize the major purchases in your home, including furniture, large appliances, and electronics. Many basic interior coverage plans do not cover certain electronics such as computer systems or laptops, so be sure to ask about laptop or computer coverage if this is an item you have in your home. As well, some insurance policies will cover jewelry but others will require a separate “special” interior Homeowners policy, although adding this on would only cost approximately $30-$80 a year for most jewelry owners.

The final determination for how much coverage needed should be location. It is extremely important to consider whether you will need hurricane insurance, flood insurance, wind and hail damage insurance, or even tornado insurance.

Bear in mind that even if you live in a hurricane zone, you may also be required to purchase separate flood or wind insurance, in case your home floods or the windows blow out from the storm. The same goes for tornado or earthquake insurance, as you may be required to have separate amenities added to the policy to cover wind damage or even flooding.

Credit: Ian W Anderson of homeownersinsurance.cc, the homeowners insurance information site. For more homeowners insurance information and articles like this one visit: Homeowners Insurance

Self Employed Health Insurance

A dilemma on cost effective self employed health insurance solutions, has put the American health insurance consumers who are self employed at odds with health insurance coverage over the last few health years. Demand for affordable Self employed health insurance policies is constantly on the rise and health insurance consumers are wondering what to do about health and self employed health insurance rising at such a high self employed rate. Health insurance in general has been rising and health insurance consumers with health need to know about health insurance.

Self employed health insurance can be frustrating for health insurance consumers mainly because of health and self employed health insurance price. With this health insurance article we’ll outline some self employed health insurance facts you can do to lower your health insurance costs. First, look at the self employed health insurance deductible. With health insurance the higher the self employed health insurance deductible, the more the health insurance consumer will save. Instead of a $600 self employed health insurance deductible check on a $1100 health insurance deductible. Next, self employed health insurance co pays with health. Instead of a $12 health insurance co pay try a $15 self employed health insurance co pay.

Next with health, check the self employed health insurance company out carefully. Health insurance companies should be checked out when getting a self employed health insurance plan. Ask the health insurance company questions and grill them on health and self employed health insurance customer service issues to ensure your health employees are getting a good health insurance plan.

We’ve solved the self employed health insurance industry problem by providing cheap health insurance plans for your self employed business. Free Health insurance quotes can be delivered via email by the click of a mouse. Shopping health insurance has never been easier for health insurance consumers than right here. If you are still not happy, please read this article Self Employed Health Insurance - What does that mean?

For more info visit Self-employed health insurance Quote and
Affordable Health Insurance Blog

There are three main types of car insurance available, starting with the cheapest and least common:

Third Party

This is the minimum level of insurance required by law - all drivers must take out at least this kind of policy. It covers damage caused to someone else’s car, or injury to them, in the event of an accident that is your fault. With this kind of insurance you won’t be able to claim for any injuries or losses sustained by yourself for any reason.

Third Party, Fire and Theft

This is a step above basic third party cover. If your car is stolen and not recovered, or destroyed by fire, you’ll be able to make a claim. You’ll still be insured against damage or injury to someone else in an accident blamed on you.

Comprehensive

With comprehensive insurance, you can claim for damage to your car even if the damage was caused in an incident that was your responsibility. This kind of insurance also covers the same things as third party, fire, and theft. Comprehensive cover usually allows you to drive someone else’s vehicle with their permission under 3rd party cover, though you should check your policy specifically for this.

Extra Features

So those are the basic kinds of insurance, but policies from different insurers can offer different extra features that you can take into account when choosing who to insure with. This is especially true of comprehensive policies, which can have quite a few added extras. When comparing policies you should bear in mind that nothing is ‘free’, no matter what the advertisments say. If you don’t need a specific feature, you might be able to get a lower price by getting a policy that doesn’t offer unnecessary frills.

No Claims Bonus

If your insurance cover includes a No Claims Bonus or No Claims Discount, then for every insured year that you don’t make a claim, your premiums will be reduced by a percentage, to reflect the fact that you’re showing you’re not a big risk to your insurance company. The discount will grow year by year until you hit the upper limit available, which is generally 60-70% depending on your insurer. If you make a claim, your bonus will usually be reduced, either back to it’s previous level or even cancelled completely.
Some policies offer a ‘no claims bonus for life’ option which locks your bonus at its current level, even if you make a claim. This can be a good option if you’ve already reached a maximum discount as this will be protected no matter what happens in the future. Finally on this topic, many insurers will allow you to transfer over your discount level built up on a policy from a different company. You’d obviously be less likely to switch insurance companies if it meant losing your discount, so this will be an option in almost all cases.

Named Drivers

You can also add named drivers onto your policy, so that they will be covered when driving your car. This is popular with parents, who often add their children who have just passed their driving test to their policies. Quite often this is the only economical way to get a new driver insured in today’s insurance market.

Courtesy Car

If your car needs repairing after an accident and is off the road, with this feature you’ll get free use of a hire car to keep you mobile until you get your own car back.

Windscreen Replacement

Broken windscreens will usually be replaced for free under a roadside assistance scheme, but if you don’t have that kind of cover or windscreens aren’t included, make sure you can get a free replacement from your insurance.

Audio equipment

If you plan to install expensive in-car audio equipment, check that the policy will cover replacing it if it’s stolen from your car. Some policies have limits on the value of audio equipment they are prepared to cover.

Roadside Assistance

Some policies come with an element of breakdown and recovery cover included, or will offer discounts on such cover. If you already have breakdown cover, you may find this saves you money by letting you cancel your separate policy.

George McGonigal
QuoteMeNow.biz

George is webmaster of an online insurance resource for Northern Ireland motorists and homeowners. We bring under one roof insurers who cover Northern Ireland that can offer online quotations to allow our visitors to compare rates in the comfort of their own homes. Visit Car Insurance Northern Ireland: for competitive insurance quotes online. Fast quotes for Home Insurance Northern Ireland: without obligation. Fast quotes for Motor Insurance Northern Ireland: from a panel of top insurers.