Senin, 23 Maret 2009

How to Save Money on Car Insurance

Are You Still Paying Too Much for Car Insurance? You will find a checklist of items to ask your insurance agent that may qualify for discounts. Keep in mind that not all discounts can be applied with all insurance companies in all states.

1. Shop Around

Go to your favorite search engine and type in free car insurance quotes online. You'll see a long list of insurance companies that you may even be familiar with. Visit at least five car insurance websites and look for a link to free quotes. You will then be asked basic information about yourself, your driving history, and your car's make, model, and year. It just takes a couple of minutes, and shortly thereafter, they will email you a no obligation quote. Write down their website address, their toll free number, and customer service email address.

Each insurance company will ask you generally the same questions, and will give you options about how much coverage you will want. Find your current policy, if you have one, and take note of the coverage you currently have. Always provide the same information and ask for the same coverage at each company so you will be comparing apples to apples. Read the fine print and make sure nothing is excluded from the quote like Rental car coverage, towing, medical, etc...

For the purposes of the quote, the insurance company will not ask you your social security number, but keep in mind your actual cost maybe higher or lower depending on your credit history. If you're not sure about some of the terminology or coverage, take notes so that you can ask the insurance company about them directly.

Once you have at least five quotes emailed to you, take the lowest two or three quotes and see if they are less than what you are paying now. Most likely at least one of them is much lower. At this point you will want to call them directly to get the most accurate quote by providing additional personal information. For additional discounts, here is a checklist of things you should ask about.

[ ] $500 deductible
[ ] $1,000 deductible
[ ] Paying monthly, semi-annually, or annually
[ ] More than 1 car
[ ] No Accidents in 3 Years
[ ] No Moving Violations in 3 Years
[ ] Driver Training Courses
[ ] Defensive Driving Courses
[ ] Anti-Theft Devices
[ ] Low Annual Mileage
[ ] Air Bags
[ ] Anti-Lock Brakes
[ ] Daytime Running Lights
[ ] Student Drivers with Good Grades
[ ] Auto and Homeowners Coverage with the Same Company
[ ] College Students away from Home
[ ] Long-Time Customer
[ ] Other Discounts

2. Saving Insurance Premium on cars you own outright.

If you own a clear title to your car, meaning there is no bank loan on it, then you may want to consider dropping the collision/comprehensive coverage. As a rule of thumb, if the cars value is less than $3000, it may not make sense for you to pay for this additional coverage. Over time, the cost of the additional insurance premium will exceed the value of the car. It's pretty simple math.

Check the fair market value of your car either through Edmunds.com or even your local newspaper. See what other people are trying to get for the same car. Keep in mind your cars mileage, condition, and age. Has it been in an accident before? Does it have unusually high mileage in excess of 15,000 miles per year? Does it need new tires? You get the idea. Be realistic, because in the event that this car is in an accident and is damaged beyond repair, it is unlikely you will get the full value of the car.

3. Ask About Insurance Rates in Different Areas

Rates can vary widely even in the same state. Different locals have different accident rates, population, and crime. These all factor in to the final cost. If you are moving to a different area, ask about what the rates are for that town.

4. Ask About Getting Other Insurance Policies Together With Your Auto Insurance

Combining insurance policies with the same company can often give you additional discounts. If you own a home, ask about combining your homeowners insurance with your auto insurance. Also ask about other polices, such as life, health, and business insurance. Most insurance companies cover a wide range of policies and will give substantial discounts when you do business exclusively with them.

5. A Clean Credit History Can Reduce Car Premiums:

Having good credit can also lower your insurance costs. Many insurance companies will use credit information to price auto insurance policies. Drivers with good credit and a clean driving record may qualify as a "preferred" customer with lower risk and will be rewarded with lower premiums.

6. Low Mileage Discounts

Some companies offer discounts to drivers who drive a lower than average number of miles per year. If you car pool, take public transportation like the subway, or work from home, you will most likely drive few miles per year than the average driver.

7. Group Insurance

Some insurers offer discounts to drivers who work for certain companies or belong to professional associations, and alumni groups. Ask your employer, group or clubs that you belong to if they have any special arrangements with different insurance companies.

Using all of these tips can save you hundreds of dollars per year, especially when you have multiple cars and multiple drivers in the same household.

Car Insurance Cost - Types of Coverage

Car insurance is a term that describes the coverage of the risks of your car with the help of an insurance company. The insurance company covers the risk by paying you any monetary losses, in case the risk becomes factual. Hence, having comprehensive car insurance can be very helpful for your budget and for your car.

When you purchase your car, you can never be sure whether you will have an accident or a mishap while you are driving. In fact, with todays traffic conditions, an accident occurring is very common and causes billions in monetary damage every year. In UK alone, it is said that car theft and break ins are so common that about 1.31 million cases have been reported in the previous year with an average increase of 1% this year. An average value of 3,000 British Pounds per car has been estimated for each case of car burglary. So, in this case, an auto insurance provides a comprehensive coverage plan that protects your car from theft or damage due to natural causes or due to unnatural causes. It is understood that an expensive car will have a more expensive car insurance payment, as compared to a regular car.

There are also personal injury protection plans, which cover the driver or the other passengers traveling in the vehicle. For example, lets say that there is an accident in which the driver and the passengers get seriously injured. So, the health treatments and any impending bills can be claimed, if you are covered under this insurance plan. This is a good coverage to be insured with; however this coverage type may have some limits depending on the car insurance cost that is being paid. Some policies cover the cost of a passengers death in the event of a fatal crash.

In some cases, it may happen that you are driving your car and it collides with another vehicle. In this case, the passengers in other vehicle might get injured, then not only do you have to pay their health charges, but you may also have to pay the cost for your attorney if you get into any legal trouble. For that kind of accident, third party liability insurance will help you. This coverage again will depend on the car insurance cost or the premium that you pay.

In the fourth case, your car might collide with another object or vehicle causing property damage as a result. In this case, if your car insurance pays for collision coverage, then you can claim the damage for your insurance company. In all these cases, coverage amount or limit and the method of paying the coverage amount depends on the price of the auto insurance you pay for. The more you pay, the more coverage you will most likely get.

So, these are the basic types of coverage that you get from car insurance provider. However, in some serious cases, it is always wiser to cover your vehicle risks, even if it means a higher car insurance cost. For example, if you are living in a location where car insurance has been made legally mandatory, then you have no other choice. For very risky cases, where you are insuring for your teenager or you have a brand new performance car, it is always safe to insure and thus be tension free. If you follow some useful guidelines, you can get a cheap auto insurance quote from the insurers.

Rabu, 18 Maret 2009

Affordable Health Insurance Quote For Family - How Can I Find A Quote That Works For Me?

By Mike Singh

Medical insurance often brings a sense of relief to families who have experienced the high cost of health care. Whether your family is large or small, receiving medical treatment can put an enormous dent in your financial savings. Having the knowledge that you need family health insurance is only the first step to begin protecting your family and save money from the rising cost of health care.

Why is it important to get health insurance quotes

As with any major purchase it is important to first shop around for the best deal. This same premise applies to purchasing health insurance. To begin gathering family health insurance quotes you can talk to your employer (if you work full-time). Many employers offer a group health plan. If you do believe the plan they offer is what you need you are not required to participate and you can pay for health insurance through a private provider. However, having the information from your employer regarding health insurance is a great starting point for comparing other forms of health coverage.

Talk to friends and family about the type of coverage they have for their families. Often times they can recommend providers that offer a flexible plan for the lowest possible cost. If you have access to the Internet, take some time to apply for several different online quotes. If you are still looking for more information to compare, you can call several different providers of health insurance.

What types of health insurance is available

Once you have gathered all the information you need to make an informed decision you may notice that the health plans offer three primary types of coverage:
* Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs)
* Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs)
* Pay-For-Service (POS)

It is important to not only compare the plans against each other and find out what they each have to offer but to also compare what type of coverage your family needs. Remember to purchase a plan that meets your medical needs and not one that offers coverage for areas that you do not need. You do want to make sure that you have coverage for doctor

Cheap Car Insurance Quotes - Choosing The Best Auto Insurance Company For You

If you're looking for cheap car insurance quotes, you'll want to consider long established as well as newer auto insurance companies for cheaper rates; newer companies are competing for your business, however they don't have the history to back them up. Getting vehicle, truck, auto or car insurance is something everyone who drives a vehicle has to have; yet many people end up paying too much for their auto insurance and they'll never know they are doing so. Today most car or auto insurance companies offer a wide range of policies and plans to their customers and therefore can offer discounted free online cheap car insurance quotes.

You also may want to consider your longevity with your current company, especially if you have a good record in case length of your coverage plays a part in the rates you have now or other variables in your policy that might be different and more valuable to you than with a newer company -- even at a lower or cheaper rate. You definitely want to compare insurance policy features; compare the wide range of deductibles that are offered and compare the level of coverage they provide, this can vary quite a bit. Of course if you're already insured you can choose to stay with your present auto insurance company or go with a new company if you want to, but low cost or cheaper rates may be a good reason to switch to another insurance company.

Make sure to find out all you can about the company you've selected; check online for customer car insurance reviews and ratings but keep in mind that a few negative reviews can happen with any auto insurance company. Many companies will offer lower or cheaper insurance rates or more affordable rates than others with the same type of policies. Make sure you find out exactly how much deductibles will be and any conditions attached to them.

You can also look for insurance companies that offer discounts to good drivers; this is another good reason to concentrate on driving defensively and keep focused on your driving. If you're over 50 years of age, you and your spouse can become members of the American Association of Retired People (AARP) for only $12.50 a year for US residents; they deeply discount insurance and are currently affiliated with one company, thus able to give you an online cheap car insurance quote. You can visit websites and request free cheap car insurance quotes; you'll need to give them basic, detailed information about your car insurance history, your current situation and what you need in terms of your policy.

Several car insurance policies or plans rely on a reasonable estimation of the average annual distance expected to be driven which is provided by the insured; this discount benefits drivers who drive their cars infrequently. Most single line and multiple line companies offer discounts and other great benefits for carrying multiple car insurance policies and other lines of insurance in the same household. Some companies do take into consideration the credit report rating of the customer in determining the level of risk for the insurance company; if you have poor credit or bad marks on your credit report you'll want to find a car insurance company that doesn't look at FICO or credit scores in making its decision about what rates they will charge you in their quote.

A discounted insurance policy doesn't mean that you'll have the best policy so you'll need to check this out carefully first; make sure to compare it with other companies to make sure you're getting the best deal. You want to compare, compare and compare the cheap car insurance quotes that you do get; some may be very similar but some quotes could be quite different.

In the U.S. many insurers offer a good grade discount to students with a good academic record and resident student discounts to those who live away from home. Some companies offer special discounts for women too; make sure to ask if you're female.

And make sure to compare, compare and compare again; get as many quotes as you can find time for and you should be able to come up with some of the best, free, online, cheap car insurance quotes. These are just some of the best tips that can help you save money on your auto insurance and give you an idea what to ask and look for when you are trying to get a cheap car insurance quote. Make sure the company you select offers excellent low cost and cheap rates of car insurance and a good level of customer service too.

How to get Cheap Auto Insurance Quotes?

By Mark Robinson

Almost all the 50 states in US have made it mandatory for the vehicles to get at least a basic auto insurance coverage. However, the final choice of getting either a basic cover or a comprehensive insurance cover (including the liabilities, medical injuries etc.) rests with the consumer.

People who get their vehicles financed must ensure that the final package comes with an auto insurance coverage. A comprehensive cover, though expensive, can take a lot of stress out of the modern day driving routines. If you are ready to and can afford that sort of expenditure, there are various ways in which you can obtain economical auto insurance quotes.

You must not act in haste while shopping for an auto insurance policy and must approach different companies to get the best deal for your vehicle. There are many who'll offer you cheap insurance rates based on your driving habits and the condition of your vehicle and you must gather as many quotes as you can to do a comprehensive comparative analysis. The great surge in auto insurance providers in the market has made it possible for the consumers to pick out best options for their auto insurance needs.

A large number of auto insurance companies have set up virtual offices on internet, making it possible for everyone to get auto insurance quotes within minutes. This way one has direct control over the different parameters of auto insurance and can try their different combinations to see the effect on the overall coverage details immediately. For instance, you can increase your excess by $500 and see the effect on your monthly premiums instantly. This is a powerful tool that allows the customers to choose best- suited policies for their vehicles.

Before you venture out to obtain insurance quotes from other companies, you must first contact your existing insurance company and find out the options available with them. A lot of companies sell policies in the form of packages comprising of combined plans covering health, automobiles, homes etc. They usually give good discounts to their existing customers and offer attractive additional concessions if one buys multiple plans. In fact you can save up to 35%-40% of your insurance just by purchasing home and health insurance from the same company. You can also avail such offers on purchases of insurance policies for more than one vehicle.

In case you are in the good books of law enforcers and have rarely violated traffic rules, you stand a good chance to qualify for some of the most attractive auto insurance offers. Insurance companies will also offer you reduced rates if you have taken some sort of defensive driving or safe driving courses.

Another easy means to obtain cheap auto insurance quotes is by carefully selecting your vehicle and fitting it with high-quality security devices. You can easily get safety gadgets like alarms, hood locks, steering wheel locks and ignition kill switches installed from your nearest automobile equipments shop. Such devices are good deterrents for the prying eyes of anti social elements and will also earn you handsome discounts on your auto insurance premiums.

There are several cheap auto insurance options available in the market and multiple ways to obtain them. Follow these tips to make your task of getting the best auto insurance policy much easier.

Senin, 16 Maret 2009

Renters Insurance Deals - Cheap Online Options

Because of the down-sliding effect of the housing market, people now want to settle as renters by paying rent for apartments; so you may now be asking what it will cost you to take out an insurance policy as a renter. Depending on your situation, the answer is very simple.

Check this example, a careless friend and/or neighbor in the rented complex forgets to put out a naked and burning fire which now burnt down the complex where you have all your expensive and valuable items like furniture, electronics, jewelries, personal computers, clothing etc in; now where do you start in replacing the lost items? who will take charge for the replacements? Where is going to be your refuge point while negotiations for replacements are going on?

Provisions like a temporary empty space might be extended and if it is your lucky day, you may be accommodated in a hotel. They may even refund your deposit or buy you out of your lease but they won’t be paying for anything that you owned; the answer is simple, get good coverage policies for little amounts ranging between $150 to $300.

Imagine how happy you will be having two checks from the insurance company, one to help you move into a new place and another to enable you replace your valuables while you are waiting for the land lord of the complex for whatever he will do.

Every tenants need adequate protection. This will help to secure valuable home contents owned by tenants. Many tenants are unsure on how to go about getting this cover deals appropriately; well it is easy.

Cheap Land Owner Insurance Quotes Compare

The time when landlords had to undertake the stressful task of going about sourcing for the appropriate low rate insurance policies to cover their properties are over.

For you to get your desired landlord insurance cover information, all you need to do now is connect to the internet, log on to trusted websites offering this service and compare their free quotes. This will help you get your ideal home cover deal with easy repayment rates.

In searching for the insurance provider online, make sure that you find out how comprehensive they are; some cover only the land area and the structure. Please take you time to study the fine prints in the policy you are buying. This is very important if you want to have peace of mind during the active period of your landlord insurance deal.

A quick way of getting discounts is by engaging yourself in home safety practices. Safety practices like fixing burglar and fire alarm systems will make home insurance company offer you discounts. This is true because you are also keeping the home cover company free from paying too much on many unnecessary risks; risks that you could prevent from happening.

An advantage in using the internet for your cover needs is that you have full round the clock control of your account and your login details are safe with you.

A secret for getting cheap deals with complete coverage is knowing what you need exactly when comparing free quotes from different companies.

Minggu, 15 Maret 2009

Renters Insurance Coverage - Affordable Options

Because of the down-sliding effect of the housing market, people now want to settle as renters by paying rent for apartments; this will now bring up the question of how much it will cost to get coverage for renters. Depending on your situation, the answer is very simple.

Take a situation where you have rented an apartment in a complex and put all your valuables like furniture, your personal computers, clothing etc and left for work and while you are away, a careless neighbor who also has an apartment in the complex forgot a candle on the table and it burnt down to the table and starts a huge fire which now raised the complex down including all that you have in your apartment, how will you replace your valuables? Who will be responsible for the replacements? Where would you even stay while you are sorting out the issue of payments on?

You may be given a temporary place like an empty unit to stay or if you are lucky, you may find yourself in a hotel. They may even refund your deposit or buy you out of your lease but they won’t be paying for anything that you owned; the answer is simple, for money ranging from $150 to $300 you can take an insurance policy to protect all these valuables incase of any eventuality.

Imagine how happy you will be having two checks from the insurance company , one to help you move into a new place and another to enable you replace your valuables while you are waiting for the land lord of the complex for whatever he will do.

Medical Insurance : A Necessary Measure For A Secured Future

The concept of insurance only came after the introduction of banks. It is often seen, people paying heavy amounts to either register to insurance plans or renew their policy. The question arises as to why has it become so necessary for people. Well, according to most of them, it is a security step for future uncertainties. Life is very unpredictable. No one can say in advance, as to what will happen when. An accident can happen any time, which can require immediate surgery. Hence, in order to make sure,that sufficient finances are available during the time of emergency, Medical Insurance as well as various other types of policies are resorted to, in order to meet the need. Some of the famous organizations that provide lucrative insurance plans are life insurance policy , HDFC Standard, SBI, Max New York etc. Different companies come up with different rates and different features that can assist people to obtain the best possible plan. Other than medical, there are various others also, like travel, life, car insurance etc.

Medical insurance to be secured about. Because of pollution, extensive use of hybrid fruits and water contamination, we all are exposed to different type of contagious diseases. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that we take necessary steps to keep ourselves secure from such hazardous epidemics. Hence, sufficient finances are required for treatment and other health tests. But, when it comes to middle class or upper middle class families, it becomes difficult to organize such huge finances when the situation demands. For this reason such health finances are planned out for future need. A certain amount of money is paid in advance in order to register to a company. Henceforth, the company will be liable to carry your future health expenses are infact most common, because it is the first thing that humans want in case of accidents or other health related issues . Infact, Medical insurance parents. Today, various health policies have come up plans are considered to be a lifetime protection plan that not only keeps you prepared for the bad times in life, but also saves you from expensive medical bills and costly treatments. Other than this, it also provides a list of renowned hospitals throughout the country where treatment can be done absolutely free of cost. One more advantage of the health plan is that it also provides sufficient security for your spouse, children as well as that provide cash-less treatments for patients.

Next to the health plans, there is the travel insurance, that have become common because of unforeseen dangers that may occur while you are travelling by air or train. Infact, it is highly recommended to top businessmen as well as industrialists who are frequent air travellers. If you look into the past few flight records, the number of aeroplane Mal-functions as well as other flight mishaps have increased unpredictably. Flights which were once considered to be the safe mode of travelling, has faced severe blow after a series of hijacks. Travel insurance includes medical cover, passport loss, accidents, financial emergency, trip delay etc. Infact, with the introduction of online application procedures people can get cheap insurance deals.

Life Insurance To Safeguard Your Future

Life insurance is a financial tool that helps protecting the interests of the family members at the event of a premature death of the bread earner of the family. Hence, if you have financially dependant family members, you may consider buying a life insurance plan.

Life insurance plan works as a risk manager, helps you to plan ahead for your future. Some life plans, along with providing the policy holder with the death benefit, also help in accumulating fund value.

Life insurance, since its inception has trudged a long way. Now life policies are available at every possible form to cater the various needs of its consumers- term life plans, universal life plans, whole life plans and so forth.

Term life policy

Term life policy can be termed as the forerunner of the life insurance industry. The term life plan offers coverage for a certain period of time against the payment of premium. The traditional term life policy only pays out the death benefit if the policy holder dies within the term of the plan.

The Term life insurance can further be categorized as the following,

The level term policy: in the level term policy the coverage level and therefore the premium remains constant for the entire term of the plan.

The decreasing term life insurance: the policy coverage decreases with time. This type of plan is ideal for people with mortgage loan. The coverage limit will decrease in accordance with the outstanding loan amount.

The whole life policy
For a whole life plan the coverage continues for the lifetime of the policy holder, i.e. as long as the policy holder continues paying the premium the coverage will continue. The premium level, however, is subjected to stay the same for the traditional whole life plan. The whole life policy is priced higher than the term life plan because of its advantageous features.

How to determine the amount of coverage you need?

It's important to determine the coverage level that you need before shopping for the life insurance. At the outset if you have a family dependent on your income, or have kids to care for, you need life insurance. However, that doesn't imply that life insurance isn't an option for a single individual. A life policy can help in creating substantial saving for the funeral expenses as well.

Here is a formula that might help you in determining the coverage level you need.

• Multiply your income with the number of years you're planning to work.
• Add to it unexpected expenses, like- huge medical bills, to obtain the final figure.
• Incorporate the inflation factor into your calculation.
• Include the additional income that the family might lose at the event of your untimely death.
• You must not miss adding the funeral expenses and the estate taxes while calculating the coverage need.

A figure thus obtained can give you a fair idea about the level of the coverage that may cover all the losses of your family, apart from the emotional loss, if you don't live long enough to take care of them.

Is Life Insurance Needed?

No one has made a contract with God that they won't get sick. Most people are aware that life can be unfair and that being financially comfortable today doesn't guarantee being comfortable in the future. It may all come as a result of a sudden death. Anything is possible for anyone, but what about the insecurity that will knock on your door and will deprive you from your goals and dreams?

It is a fact that some people think they don't need life insurance because they assume enough money by the time a death occurs in the family. However, this assumes either that the time of death is predetermined or that the family will have sufficient funds at any given time to pay for any expenses related to an unexpected death. The first challenge that arises from this perspective is related to the cost of life, which increases from year to year while income levels remain stable. Therefore, a family that depends on job income to live will certainly not be able to afford the expenses of a sudden death.

Life insurance provides enough coverage and assists a family to anticipate financial burdens should a death occurs in the household. Although, people don't like to think about dying, loved ones should be protected and their financial future has to be taken care of.

Life insurance offers security and protection. There are people that believe that the monthly cost of life insurance is excessive and that premiums are paid for no reason if the unexpected event never occurs. It is a fact that insurance money seems wasted if insurance policy is never used. It is also true that it may exceed the cost of life thus burdening the family's budget even more. However, there is no guarantee that this will be the case. Death is inevitable and unpredictable. Wouldn't it be better for the family to have a large sum of money at hand?

Life insurance works for single people as well. A low-risk life insurance would cover funeral costs; at the same time you can invest the premiums you would have paid should you had a high-risk insurance. In that sense, life insurance is a wealth optimizing tool. It can provide liquidity to pay off personal or business loans or good returns on investment, which could be a beneficial way for saving necessary funds for retirement years.

If still you are not convinced that we need life insurance ask yourself simple questions. What immediate financial expenses will your family face upon your death? How long would your dependents need financial support? How much would you want to leave behind to fund your children's education? Would you want your family to be financially doomed because of your sudden death?