Term Life Insurance On Your Business Partner

By Ivon T. Hughes

Life insurance is something we often take out to protect our family and our loved ones, but that's only one example of how life insurance can save us in unhappy circumstances. Businesses also need protection and those with partners realize that if a business partner were to pass away, the business itself could be jeopardized. Not only does the work that partner provide in the company need to be replaced, but so do their other valuable contributions.

Term life insurance on your business partners provides the best answer. Term life insurance works well because it provides coverage for a specific time period with higher coverage amounts which require lower premiums. This low cost life insurance option could help you keep your business going in the event of a partner's death. The money from the term life insurance policy could be used to pay off outstanding business loans, hire replacement workers or even to help the deceased's family in their time of need.

In the past, many people dreaded making their own life insurance purchases, so they have never considered taking out a policy on their business partners. Today, however, the ability to get a term life insurance quote online without having to deal face to face with life insurance company's agents, makes the entire process simple from comparison to purchase.

Low Cost Term Life Insurance

To choose a term life insurance policy, you should go online to an independent term life insurance advisor such as The Hughes Trustco Ltd. These advisors can provide you with term life insurance quotes from a wide array of providers. You can conduct your own life insurance comparison in order to find low cost life insurance policies that meet your and your business's needs.

Term insurance rates do vary considerably from company to company and from person to person. The amount of desired coverage, the fixed term of coverage, the health of the insured, and other lifestyle related factors can all influence the cost of the life insurance premiums you will pay. However, term life insurance will always be the most affordable life insurance option available, and when you go through an independent advisor, you'll be able to compare those low cost life insurance options at a glance.

Once you make the decision to purchase life insurance with your business partners, you shouldn't wait. We never know what the future holds and, although we don't like to think about it, an accident could come out of nowhere and devastate everything we've worked so hard to build. Protect yourself and your business today by obtaining a quote on all the parties involved.

About the Author: Ivon T. Hughes, The Hughes Trustco Group Ltd.
Online Insurance Broker - Get a FREE Quote TODAY!
Tel: (514) 842-9001 Email: info@trustco.ca Web: http://www.hughestrustco.com

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Life Settlement: Towards A Free Market For Life Insurance

By Jon Thomas

The Life Settlement market is all about providing due access to needed cash from existing life insurance.

This so-called free market referred to as the life insurance industry’s secondary market is based on a central premise, namely that the value of life insurance is best determined by independent market forces and has been validated in recent years by its rapid growth. It is also amazing to see the value creation and opportunities that this market presents. What it a life settlement and why may it be an attractive financial alternative to policy holders?

Various market providers in this sector of the industry are focused on servicing viatical settlements, life settlements, and senior settlements. Maximizing the profitable offering price for your life insurance policy in what is commonly referred to the secondary market for life insurance. Quite innovative, albeit counter-intuitive, advocating looking at things from a totally different perspective and finding new value in life insurance.

Life insurance provides financial solutions to meet various needs of businesses and families. Over time, however it also needs to be dynamic and change with the holders and their demands. For example as loans are repaid , key executives retire, estates become smaller, businesses are sold, estate taxes are reduced — or better yet, no longer exist of in cases where the policy simply becomes too expensive it is definitely time to revisit said policy.

Until just several years ago, individuals in the situations laid out about above were facing a monopoly, a market situation in which a seller can only sell to one buyer. Imagine if a homeowner, after living in the home for many years, was told that instead of being permitted to sell the home to any willing buyer, he or she could only sell it back to the original builder at the price determined by the builder. Clearly, no one would tolerate such a situation for homeowners, but it has existed for life insurance policy owners. For many years, policy owners have had only one buyer for their policies — the life insurers. The advent of a secondary market has lessened the monopoly power of life insurers and created a free market for policy owners to create value from and using their insurance.

Before the advent of the secondary market, life insurance policies could not readily be sold, and it would have made little sense to speak of a policy’s fair market value. By its very existence, this new and growing secondary market for life insurance bestows on every policy a fair market value like the owner’s other financial assets. A life settlement can now be treated like any other financial vehicle.

Peachtree Life Settlement Funders

http://www.life-settlementco.com

About the Author: Jon Thomas has been involved in finance and insurance,specializing in emerging growth markets since 1979. He continues to write articles concerning the public and their pressing financial concerns.

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7 Sure-fire Ways Of Reducing Your Home Insurance Premium

By Bill Smith

Home security improvement:

All insurance companies will happily offer you a discount for burglar alarms and smoke detectors. Homes with fire and burglar alarms that communicate with a third party monitoring company receive a higher discount on their insurance premiums.

When possible, choose a higher deductible:

To reduce your premium, it is best advised to increase the deductible to the extent you can afford. Your home insurance premium will fall by as much as 20% if you increase the deductible from $200 to $1000.

Multiple insurance – Same provider:

If you consolidate your home insurance and auto insurance with one insurance company, expect a premium reduction between 10 – 15%. This also means you are making one payment for all your insurance needs. Consolidate and win.

Discount for non-smokers:

Some home insurance companies will offer a non-smoker discount to the tune of 15%. Check with your insurance company if they offer a non-smokers discount.

How far is the fire station?

If you live more than 5 miles from the nearest fire station and more than 1,000 feet from a fire hydrant, you can expect a higher premium. Also if you live in the country, you will probably pay higher insurance rate than if you were living in the city.

Type of construction:

The construction type of your home also plays an important role in determining your insurance premium. A wood frame home will cost more to insure than the one built mostly of concrete.

Claims free record and renewal discounts:

If you have not had a claim under your current home owners policy for the past 3-5 years, you will get a 15% discount on your premium. Expect additional discount if your policy has been in force with the same insurance company for 3 years or more.

Conclusion:

I am hopeful you have gained preliminary knowledge on the subject of home insurance premiums. With these helpful tips you will be able to understand and demand discounts on your home insurance premiums. Good Luck!

About the Author: "@Copyrights 2005" - Bill A Smith is an insurance agent and insurance advisor for Sunshine home and auto insurance services. Bill has over 10 years of experience in providing insurance services to clients. Sunshine Insurance Services provides auto, home, health and life insurance to businesses and individuals. Visit us at http://www.sunshineinsuranceservices.com/

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Car Insurance Gearing Up To Drive Down Costs

By Rich Green

For once finances seem to be going in favour of the UK motorist, with Esure (http://www.esure.com/) announcing plans to double its share of the UK's car insurance market - a move which is likely to spark a price war, other internet-only direct insurers passing on to consumers savings based on their low overheads, and specialist insurers offering reduced rates for their particular target markets. A trial pay-as-you-go scheme from Norwich Union (http://www.norwichunion.com ) is also creating a lot of interest for money conscious motorists.

The pay-as-you-go scheme uses a small box costing an initial £199 which is fitted in the driver’s boot, to record when and for how long a driver actually uses their car. The box stays in contact with a satellite which is sent regular updates of the journey data stored on the box, tracking the vehicle and then delivering the information to the insurer. The driver is then charged based upon how far at what time they used their vehicle.

“We got a statement”, said one member of the trial, "which showed what mileage we had done, and on what days of the week, as well as if we had been driving in the evenings or peak hours."

For low mileage users, this system could present significant reductions in premiums, for higher mileage drivers searching about for the best deals at renewal time is an absolute must. Unfortunately, last year five million motorists failed to shop around, missing out on an average premium saving of £180. Shopping around becomes especially important for anyone coming to the end of a free insurance offer on a dealership car and should not simply take the quote offered by the manufacturer's insurer, as significant savings can be made by shopping around. Comparisons sites such as Moneynet ( http://moneynet.co.uk )enable consumers to quickly look at hundreds of insurance providers in one go, making it easy to find the best deals that are available, and they often have their own extra discounts which are provided through their own sites.

While the government tries to work out new ways to extract more money from motorists, the competitiveness of the insurance industry is thankfully helping to drive down the cost of insurance premiums, making it one of the few rays of hope for UK drivers.

About the Author: Richard works in Edinburgh for a media company, occasionally writing for the personal finance blog Cashzilla ( http://cashzilla.blogspot.com/ ), and drinking too much coffee.

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Are You Running The Risk Of An Uninsured Business? Beware Get A “Business Insurance”

By Mansi Gupta

Human life is precarious and so are the activities they indulge in. So it is not just the human life that needs to be protected but the work that he does - his business etc. that needs to be safeguarded. A business is a living not just for its owners but also for the workers and the ones benefited by it. Business insurance thus is too significant to be understood in today’s life.

What is business insurance?

Like life insurance takes care of one’s life, business insurance looks after one’s business. All one needs to do is to select what aspects or parts of the business should be secured. This can be comfortably done after one makes an appropriate assessment of his company’s turnover. Since the insurance companies provide insurance on the basis of company’s turnover.

According to the turnover a businessman can decide how much he can afford to spend on the insurance of sentient (his partners, workers, he himself, main suppliers etc.) as well as the insentient (machines, the workplace, the equipment used, the cash transactions from factory to bank, shipments and the like). A case in point can be- a dye machine that is supposed to be the main machine in a factory and has a high cost price should be insured first. Not just this, the worker handling the machine should also be insured for if any accident happens with him the insurance money will take care of its medical expenses and all. Besides this all heavy machinery, any new machine or plant to be set up, the place where the business is set up, partners in business, workers who work day and night and all other things whose damage or loss can incur financial burden or even crisis can be successfully insured.

Initially there were one or two insurance companies like Oriental Insurance…but now there are ample of agencies like TATA AIG, Chola Mandalum etc., which gives an entrepreneur an opportunity to be selective.

Many companies nowadays provide certain complementary benefits once you get your work ensured by them. The preferable can be the one that offers you a slightly less premium, good and spontaneous returns or benefits and additional facilities. However, the premium rates and returns etc. do not vary significantly from company to company.

Even if it is small scale business (a cottage industry or so) one should not hesitate in getting it insured. For business insurance can save you from many unwanted and unexpected hazards for instance theft, robbery, any accident-breaking of fire, problems that come with time-the malfunctioning of an old machine, and any damage to life and property. Nowadays all sorts of businesses even those which are operated online can be safeguarded through insurance. All it takes is to inquire a little about the companies that can take up your work’s insurance and with open eyes decide what is essentially to be insured and so secured.

“Be sure that you and your business is insured.”

About the Author: Mansi Gupta writes about Small business insurance topics. Learn more at http://www.smallbusinessinsurancequotes.com .

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Disability Insurance 101- What You Absolutely Need To Know

By Rita Roy

Disability insurance is the mutual agreement between the policy provider and the beneficiary in which the provider agrees to pay a certain amount of money to the beneficiary on certain unexpected event leading to a disability, which incapacitates the person in doing his duties of the occupation and / or of any other job.

Disability insurance is of three broad types depending on the clause put forward by the insurance provider:

a) Own occupation disability insurance

b) Income replacement insurance

c) Gainful occupation coverage

1) Own occupation disability insurance refers to the insurance money claimed by the beneficiary on his/her inability to perform the regular duties of the regular occupation although the person may or may not able to do another job.

2) Income replacement insurance means that the policy provider is supposed to pay the agreed amount in case because of some mishap you are not able to do your duties both in your occupation and any other job.

3) Gainful occupation coverage denotes that the beneficiary will get the payment if he / she is neither able to perform the duties of the occupation nor any other work which the person is capable of doing because of his/ her education or knowledge.

There are certain other legal terms attached to this type of insurance. Elimination period is the time period from the time of the disability to the maximum time you are eligible to earn benefits. A short elimination period will be charged higher than the longer elimination period.

The period of time the beneficiary is eligible to earn benefit is called the benefit period. Now the most important thing is certain points which are excluded from the usual policies for e.g. if the claimant has suffered the disability in times of war or even while in alcohol or drugs or having the damage while involved in crime most of the policies either refrain from providing benefits or will provide only limited benefits. These points are to be looked for before signing onto the policies for these are usually written in fine print.

About the Author: Rita Roy writes about Disability insurance topics. Learn more at http://www.disabilityinsurancefinder.com .

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A Good Dental Insurance Policy Can Make Your Smile Brighter

By Raasha Tandon

Dental insurance is a type of insurance in which the beneficiary and the policy provider agree on a plan in which the policy provider pays for the dental services used. This dental service can be from the dentist, dental hygienist or any other person involved in dental health. In exchange for the insurance the beneficiary has to pay the annual premium, co-payment, deductible, etc.

Dental insurance is broadly divided into two types based on the restrictions for the physicians that can be sought, the payment method to the physicians, etc. these two types are: Fee for service plan and the Managed care plan. These types of plans are more or less similar to the general health insurance.

Fee for service plan:

In the fee for service plan the beneficiary is supposed to pay for the services he has taken every time he / she takes those services. The beneficiary can choose any of the doctors or the health care providers by himself and then submit the claim to the insurance company. This is further subdivided into reimbursement plans and the indemnity plans. In the former, you will claim for the bills incurred while having services from the dental health care provider. This claim will be reimbursed irrespective of the type of services sought. In the latter, you will be reimbursed based on the based on the set amount that the insurance company gives for the specific service. In both of the cases it is you who is going to decide who should your doctor be.

Managed care plan:

In this type of plan the insurance company will decide who is going to be your doctor or health care provider. Financial incentives are provided to the beneficiary to get registered in this plan. Financial incentives are provided to the health care professional so that the beneficiary uses these services to the minimum. This is further subdivided into Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) and the Capitation Plan. In the former, there are a group of dental health care providers among which you have to choose one to get the services. It is beneficial for the insurance companies because it is quite easy to manage a small no. of professionals. The capitation plan means that a professional is given the responsibility of both the curative and the preventive dental health services of a certain group of potential patients. The less the services utilized, in other words the better the preventive services the better it is for the professional. The patient is charged in both the cases a capital punishment for utilizing the services of a health care provider outside the plan.

Coverage and payment

The claim is given to the insurance company directly by the claimant of or by the health care provider. Some of the claim is given full but for the most of them partly reimbursement is made. Many insurance companies also keep a cap of certain amount above which the beneficiary has to pay by his / her pocket.

From the above discussion it is quite clear why most people prefer the fee for service plan as it gives them freedom to choose the dental health care professionals.

About the Author: Raasha tandon writes about Dental insurance topics. Learn more at http://www.dentalinsurancelocators.com .

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Business Insurance

By Pank Shru

The success and progress of a business, whether, it is a large scale business or small scale business or home based business is dependent on hard work. It doesn’t matter how good you are earning, one disaster like fire or theft can wipe out all your profits. It can even destroy your business. For saving your effort and money, which you have invested in your business, you need to protect it with the appropriate insurance.

There are a number of different types of business insurance, which you may or may not need for your company pr business. There can be different policies for different businesses. Insurance companies have coverage that can meet the needs of any business owner. The most known type of business insurances are business property insurance, covering your company’s building, software, supplies, and other property in the event of a disaster. However, there are many other types of insurance including employer's Insurance, public liability Insurance, lorry or van Insurance, office insurance, product Liability etc.

For getting insurance coverage for your business, you will need to find responsible, trustworthy and reliable insurance agent or broker. Ask friends and acquaintances in the same kind of business about the agent they use. You should ask the agent or company that provides your personal insurance for advice on the kind of insurance you need for your business. Contact your business trade associations to see if they sponsor an insurance program for your business. Make sure the insurance agent you pick has adequate knowledge about your business's insurance needs. Your agent can tell you what to do to reduce the likelihood of theft, disasters, injuries to visitors, employees and workers, and other business-related losses.

Before choosing an insurance broker or agent one should keep following things in mind:

1) Choose an agent with higher deductible

Deductibles represent the amount of money you pay before your insurance policy starts. The higher the deductible, the less you will have to pay for the policy.

2) Buy a package policy

Sometimes it can cheaper to buy a package policy instead of buying individual policy or coverage. By purchasing your insurance policies from one company, you may be eligible for discounted rates just as you would if you were taking out homeowners and auto policies for your family.

3) Ask about various ways to prevent loss

You may be able to reduce your premium for certain coverages by following your insurer's recommendations. These can include workplace safety, disaster preparation, and human resource intervention.

4) Knowledge of policy coverage

You should have full knowledge about the policies coverage which you are about to buy. So if any disaster occurs then you will have knowledge regarding insurance coverage.

You can save your business from disaster there are many ways to prevent your business from disaster:

1) Give Training to your employees in fire safety, particularly those who are responsible for storage areas, housekeeping, maintenance and operations.

2) You should give a thoroughly check to electricity system. You should use modern electrical system. Faulty wires are the large percentage of nonresidential fires. So get good quality wires in your business premises

3) Make duplicate copies of both computerized and written records.

4) Do some research before a disaster strikes by finding alternatives like facilities, equipment and supplies, and locating appropriate contractor to repair your facility.

5) Set up an emergency plan and training to employees, how to execute it.

These points are to be looked for before signing onto the business insurance policies, these are usually written in fine print.

About the Author: Pank shru writes for Business Insurance http://www.businessinsurancefinders.com

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Insurance Versus Assurance: What Is The Difference?

By Robin Richmond

The world of finance is extremely complicated and there are many factors to consider when choosing any financial protection product.

When looking for a policy you need to know what you are looking for and what is on offer in order that you get the right cover for your needs.

One thing that many people find confusing is the specific use of the term “insurance” and the use of “assurance”. What are the differences between them?

In general, the term insurance refers to providing cover for an event that might happen while assurance is the provision of cover for an event that is certain to happen.

For the purposes of financial provisions, a life insurance policy provides cover for a set period of time. If the worst were to happen during that time (and there are no complications), then the insurance company will be required to pay out the agreed sum to the beneficiary. The only time the policy has any real monetary value is if there is a claim made for payment as a result of an event triggering that claim, such as the death of the person covered. If the person outlives the term of the policy, then the insurance policy will cease and no payment will be made.

Life assurance is different from insurance, and will always result in a payment. This is achieved by combining an investment element along with and an insured sum. This means that over time the value of the policy can increase as the investment bonuses are added. If a person covered by life assurance were to die, then the insured sum would be paid out, alongside the investment bonuses which would have accrued over time. If it is necessary to cancel the policy prior to the end of any designated term period, or the death of the life being covered, then once an investment bonus has been added, the life assurance policy will have an encashment value. It is therefore possible to cash in a policy earlier than its usual termination date, in order to collect on the investment portion. It should be noted that many insurance companies place penalties for cashing in policies early.

The distinction between the two terms has become increasingly blurred. This is principally due to many companies offering both types of policy and grouping insurance and assurance titles in similar contexts, sometimes interchanging the two terms. Richard Brown, Chief Executive of Moneynet.co.uk, clarified the situation by stating, “most life insurance companies offer a wide range of insurance and investment services – for example pension, investment funds, investment bonds, car insurance, home & contents insurance, life assurance, and even loans. Sometimes a ‘life insurance’ company will call itself a ‘life assurance’ company but they mean one and the same.”

More companies within the financial services industry have realised that consumers are becoming increasingly baffled by the choice of financial products available. Although this confusion has resulted in a certain amount of apathy, many firms are resolving the situation by providing comprehensive information guides. This has lead to an increase in the number of the online financial guides and glossaries that have become available. Sites such as http:www.Moneynet/ or http:www.Moneyfacts/, and http:www.MoneyExtra/ not only provide comparisons of financial products, but also information to help consumers make informed decisions. With organisations like Which? writing publications such as ‘Be Your Own Financial Adviser’, the focus has turned to providing consumers with sufficient information to make their own financial judgements.

About the Author: Moneynet.co.uk is the UK’s most established personal finance research and data website. The company offers consumers a wide range of low cost financial products: from mortgages and personal loans; to car, home and medical insurance; credit cards; savings accounts and best-buy fixed rate products.

http://www.moneynet.co.uk

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Finding Employees For Insurance Industry Jobs

By Barbara Krueger

Finding the right employee for any job opening can be a challenge to say the least, and this is no truer than in the insurance industry. With considerations ranging from experience and education to their personal skills, the decisions faced by recruiters and employers can be of critical importance.

When hiring employees for insurance industry jobs it is important to take many factors into account. Summarized, these factors include:

Education & Certification

Experience

Personal Skills

Education & Certification

Obviously one of the first criteria you will be looking for in a candidate will be their education. Whether the employee is applying for a one of your insurance sales jobs, customer service, risk management or some other position you will want to make sure that their education matches the criteria of the job. With this in mind an employer will often find him/herself in a position when multiple candidates are well educated and/or certified. While it may take additional time, looking into the schools themselves may yield significant differences.

A certificate from the "University of Phoenix Online" is worth significantly less than the same certificate from an accredited educational institution but unless you look into the credentials you may be tempted to consider them all equal.

While education cannot be considered the end-all-be-all of hiring any qualified candidate, a solid education from an accredited institution reflects more than a knowledge of the industry - it also reflects the job applicant's ability to write and present ideas clearly and also to stick with something they have started.

And isn't that a key feature in a candidate, whether the education is necessary in their job function or not?

Experience

This is perhaps the most important factor in filling jobs in the insurance industry (or any industry for that matter). What you should be reading into their experience is not simply the number of years they have worked in the same or similar roles however. While experience in a specific field lends itself to a strong understanding of the ins-and-outs of it can also have its downside that must be taken into account.

The value of experience in the insurance industry comes primarily from the reduced training that will be necessary to get the employee functioning. Knowing how to perform a specific function, especially a complex function such as risk management or loss control, can save a company countless dollars in training.

The downside in experience that must be considered is that an employee may not fully understand the processes and procedures unique to your insurance company. No two companies perform all their tasks the same way and an employee who has performed a specific role for one company may assume (incorrectly) that you do or should do it the same way. This can lead to bottlenecks and sometimes even conflict.

An additional drawback to experience that must be addressed when filling insurance jobs is the knowledge that the prospective employee has worked in insurance industry jobs and has chosen to leave an employer. The last thing you want is to fill one of your vacant jobs with an employee who has a history of leaving related positions.

Both of these drawbacks can be addressed with a few simple questions of the employee and to past employers.

Personal Skills

Personal skills are arguably one of the most important criteria when filling insurance industry jobs. While the importance of personal skill is obvious when hiring for insurance agent jobs, these skills are equally important when considering employees for administration and more technical positions as well. While these people may not necessary be dealing with the public on a regular basis they will play a key roll in developing a productive work environment.

Although the primary objective in any businesses is to insure profitability, developing an enjoyable work environment in which the various parties can communicate leads to new ideas, higher productivity due to a willingness of all employees to work together, and perhaps most importantly – a lower employee turnover rate.

For some insurance jobs, personal skills are more important than others however for every position they should be considered. You may even want to consider having the current staff who will be working closely with the new employee meet during the interview process and provide feedback. If your staff work well together their productivity will naturally increase.

Conclusion

While every company and position within that company is different, as long as the above three areas are considered when hiring for any of the various insurance industry jobs available, you as the employer are far more likely to foster a positive, productive and in the end, more profitable company. You will end up with a staff that is properly educated, has good experience if applicable, and works well together. Like any well-oiled machine - this is the recipe for success when filling insurance related jobs.

About the Author: Credits InsuranceWorkForce.com is an established, nationally recognized insurance and financial services 'You-Post-It' job site. If you’re looking to fill insurance jobs or are seeking employment in the insurance industry visit InsuranceWorkForce.com. A virtual one stop employment site, linking employers

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Don’t Be Taken In By Unauthorized Insurance Entities!

By Bill Willard

Insurance fraud costs consumers—businesses included--an additional $1,500 per year in increased premiums. In fact, it can inflate premiums by as much as 30 percent -- National Insurance Crime Bureau

Small-business owners often have trouble obtaining affordable health insurance coverage for themselves and their employees. Where SBOs are in need, dishonest predators will invariably come out of the woodwork to take unfair advantage, which is one reason why health insurance fraud is a growing problem in this country.

Illegal Health Insurance Schemes

Health insurance fraud usually involves group health plans sold to employers for their employees.

Posing as legitimate-sounding but phony unions or trade groups, or falsely claiming the backing of big insurers, fraudulent insurers prey on employers who are badly in need of health insurance by, for example, offering low-cost health care coverage—as much as 50% or more below the going rate. Some even say they’ll issue coverage regardless of health conditions, and with little or no underwriting.

Companies and individuals behind these schemes are seldom licensed in the states in which they do business, and they operate by recruiting unwary local agents to sell these fraudulent products to trusting clients. By putting out false information, undercutting rates and competing unfairly with licensed carriers, unauthorized insurance scams are bilking their customers, and constitute a serious financial hazard to the general public.

Here’s the set up…

Legitimate v. Illegitimate “MEWAs”

Under federal law, self-insured or fully insured “Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangements”--MEWAs—are plans created by two or more employers to furnish employee benefits, such as health insurance. However, unscrupulous entrepreneurs have found MEWAs to be a handy way to market worthless health care benefits to employers for their employees. Here’s how…

While legitimate MEWAs permit individual employers to self-insure health coverage for their own employees, any plan providing coverage to more than one unrelated employer, must be licensed by the state. Yet dishonest promoters present MEWAs to employers as employee benefit plans covered by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), which (they say) exempts them from expensive state licensure, reserve, and other regulatory requirements and allows them to offer health care and other coverage at such low rates.

It just ain’t so, and states cannot allow health care coverage to become a con game played on the unsuspecting by the unscrupulous. Yet many of these phony insurers are domiciled outside the United States, further complicating the false information illegitimate MEWA promoters give employers, and their almost inevitable failure to pay claims.

Other Causes for Concern

The primary legal issue involving unauthorized insurers is the erroneous claim that they’re free from state insurance regulation, but other issues are cause for concern. These include:

• Inadequate financial backing, and the lack of a federal guaranty fund covering unpaid claims.

• Financial impact on the businesses that have fallen for this fraudulent scheme, and the future insurability of MEWA-covered employee.

• Widespread illegal activity by promoters claiming to be insurance companies, and the long-term affect this has on public confidence in state regulation of the insurance business.

Some unauthorized MEWA promoters eventually pay benefits, but usually only for small claims--and only to lure more employers into doing business with them. More often, these phony operations often shut down without notice, often leaving millions of dollars in unpaid claims behind, a trail of uninsured employees and beneficiaries, and devastated small businesses with no recourse but bankruptcy.

This practice is unfair and deceptive—a third-degree felony or first-degree misdemeanor in Florida, for one—and carries serious penalties for anyone who is caught, tried and convicted.

Too Good to Pass Up?

In spite of all that, these plans can appear to be attractive alternatives to business owners who have given up on buying traditional health insurance. And the opportunity to sell such low-cost plans can be too enticing to pass up for otherwise honest, if unsuspecting insurance agents. But unless they keep their guard up, employers and agents have no way of knowing that these too-good-to-be-true sounding plans are, indeed, bogus.

Heed the Warning Signs

Businesses having difficulty obtaining health insurance coverage need to look before leaping at offers that sound a bit too attractive. Legitimate MEWAs can be a cost-effective way to get health care, but to avoid being taken, business owners (and producers) are well advised to get references, get details, and talk to their legal advisors. Ask questions…

• Be skeptical if health insurance coverage that boast unusually low premium rates.

• Promotional materials that seem deliberately to avoid the word “insurance” or any insurance terms; or offers to waive printed underwriting guidelines to enroll employers in the plan.

• A promoter wants to set up a self-funded plan that is "reinsured" by an unlicensed insurance company; or an insurer has "Ltd." or "S.A." in its name. This usually indicates an offshore company that could spell trouble.

• A plan claims to be exempt from state regulation because of its religious orientation or some other constitutional protection; or the plan accepts people without a medical exam and those with serious health conditions that most plans would reject.

• Participating employers have to join an "association" or "union" to obtain coverage; or health care providers complain that their bills have not been paid.

Look Before You Leap

Here’s how to make sure a health plan is being marketed by a licensed insurer:

• Ask for the insurer’s name and check the benefits booklet to see if it names a licensed insurers.

• Verify claims that a reputable insurance company is backing the plan by contacting the company.

• Contact the insurance department to verify that the insurance company backing the MEWA is licensed in your state.

If you’ve been approached by someone selling what you suspect is fraudulent health care coverage by someone you think may be an unauthorized insurer--or know an SBO who bought one these plans--report it to the state insurance department that has jurisdiction.

Want More? Send questions and comments to w.willard3@knology.net.

About the Author: Bill Willard has been writing high-impact marketing and sales training for over 30 years—but as Will Rogers put it: "Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.” Through interactive, Web-based "Do-While-Learning™" programs, e-Newsletters and straight-talking articles, Bill helps small-business owners and independent professionals get the job done: profitably improving performance, helping grow your business, skipping expensive mistakes, making the journey to success faster, smoother, easier. And fun!

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Health Insurance 101 For Individuals And Families

By Michael Ertel

The changing healthcare and health insurance landscape in the United States has resulted in more individuals and families purchasing health insurance coverage on their own. Rather than touch on the number of reasons why this is the case, I would like to provide individuals and families finding themselves in this position with ten basic ideas to assist them with getting the best health insurance policy for their specific situation. Below is a combination of ten questions and suggestions that will provide the tools necessary to get a medical insurance policy that will best work for you and your family.

1)What are your typical health and medical care expenses in a calendar year? Most people are surprised when they go through this exercise to learn that they would be financially better off in most years to purchase a high deductible health insurance plan and use the premium savings to directly offset heath care expenses throughout the year.

2)How long do you anticipate needing the health insurance coverage? For example, many companies sell temporary policies that can be put in force for 1-6 months and they are relatively inexpensive. If you are in between jobs or in a waiting period for employer coverage, this may be your best option.

3)What is your budget? If your budget is tight, having a $1000, $2500 or even $5000 deductible is better than having no coverage at all. The ability of doctors and hospitals to save and prolong life in the United States is in many cases extraordinary. However, their treatment is not free and going without health insurance coverage can in some cases result in you and/or your family losing an entire life’s worth of savings and assets.

4)Be careful to choose a plan that covers the “big stuff”. It is nice to have a policy that covers items such as: physician office visits, routine physicals, outpatient testing, and blood work. However, it is essential to have coverage for major services such as cancer treatment, transplants, critical illness, traumatic accidents, and infectious diseases. Find out the lifetime maximum amount as well as if the policy contains “internal” dollar limits.

5)Always carefully read and understand the pre-existing condition clause and policy exclusions so that you will not be surprised down the road if a claim is denied. This is important whether you are purchasing a standard medical, temporary, or student health insurance policy.

6)Does the insurance company you are considering have a substantial network of preferred doctors and hospitals in your area? In addition to family doctors, what type of access will you have to specialists and the best hospitals in the event you or a family member is diagnosed with an illness that requires specialized care? Also, what are your options for preferred health care providers when traveling?

7)If you need to go “out of network”, will you still have coverage? Most insurance policies will have coverage in the event you need to go outside of their network for care. However, review how these out of network claims will be paid. Will there be an additional deductible? How are reimbursement levels determined for out of network claims? What is your maximum out of pocket for out of network claims?

8)Are you looking for an opportunity to reduce your taxable income? If so, make sure your plan qualifies as a high deductible health plan and look into all of the aspects of a Health Savings Account. In the right situation, HSAs can be an excellent way to pay for eligible health care expenses, reduce your taxable income and save for retirement.

9)What are the financial ratings of the insurance company you are considering? A.M. Best, Standard & Poor’s, and Moody’s are organizations that rate the financial stability of insurance companies.

10)What type of customer service will you get from your insurance agent? Do they specialize in health insurance? Do they have a staff that is willing and able to assist you in the event you have a claim, billing, or other customer service problem?

If you do not have the time or patience to look into all of the items mentioned above, develop a relationship with an independent insurance agent that specializes in evaluating and servicing health insurance policies. A good independent insurance agent will be able to save you time, money, and be an excellent resource for evaluating all of the items mentioned above.

About the Author: About the Author: Michael Ertel is the founder of http://www.MedicalInsuranceNow.com . This is a website that assists individuals and small business owners by providing side by side comparisons of health insurance alternatives. He can be reached at MErtel@medicalinsurancenow.com.

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Compare Cruise Insurance – You Often Get What You Pay For!

By Brian Schmidt

When planning a travel vacation or cruise vacation, the last thing that one wants to think about is trouble or cancellation. Thus travel and cruise insurance is often left on the back burner. However, when the time comes to purchase your vacation insurance, be sure that you compare cruise insurance and travel insurance policies to ensure that you are getting what you expect. As always, it’s “buyer beware”!

That’s not to say that all insurance policies and companies are out to deceive you or hide the terms of insurance pay-outs. In fact, most are very reputable. The problem comes when trying to economize while buying insurance. You really do “get what you pay for” in most cases – especially when you compare insurance policies.

There are often so many variables when purchasing cruise insurance or travel insurance that we can become somewhat complacent with what we are purchasing. Again, “Buyer Beware!” Make sure you know what’s available and what’s included in your insurance policy package. As an example, insurance companies like Travel Guard International, America’s largest provider of travel insurance offers a wide range of benefits with their Comprehensive Coverage. Included in Travel Guard’s packages are the following benefits:

· Trip Cancellation – Providing reimbursement of 100% of trip cost if the trip is cancelled under the terms of the insurance policy.

· Trip interruption – Providing reimbursement of trip cost if the trip is interrupted as covered by the insurance policy such as evacuation due to hurricane.

· Trip Delay – Providing reimbursement for additional accommodations or travel expenses if the traveler is delayed for more than several hours.

· Lost, Stolen or Damaged Baggage and travel documents – Providing reimbursements if luggage is lost, damaged or stolen while the insured is traveling, or if travel documents are lost or stolen.

· Baggage Delay – Providing reimbursement for the purchase of essential items if your bags are delayed more than 24 hours.

· Medical Expenses – Providing reimbursement for necessary medical expenses up to one year after the illness or injury providing the insured traveler sought medical treatment while on the trip.

· Emergency Medical Transportation – Covering the cost of evacuation and transportation to the nearest adequate medical facility.

· Travel Guard Assistance – A 24 hour hotline for emergency assistance, medical referrals, prescription replacement assistance, replacing travel documents and more.

· Livetravel – Travel Guard’s round the clock travel agent service for emergency or last minute travel changes such as rebooking flights, arranging hotels and ground transportation and tracking lost luggage.

· Concierge – 24 hour worldwide access to restaurant referrals/reservations, event tickets, tee times, floral services, ground transportation and more.

As well, in many cases, travelers purchasing Travel Guard insurance within 15 days of making their initial trip payment also receive at no additional cost:

· Pre-Existing Medical Condition Exclusion Waiver – protection if pre-existing medical conditions force cancellation or interruption of a cruise or trip.

· Default Protection – providing reimbursement of trip cost if the tour operator, cruise line, airline or other travel supplier declares bankruptcy more than seven days after the effective date of the policy.

· Change Your Mind – protection against cancellation fees when a trip is cancelled for any reason.

Please keep in mind that these benefits are subject to change, but at the time of this printing, are available. The above describes a comprehensive cruise or travel insurance policy. However, as they say, one size dose not fit all. You need to match your coverage requirements and budget restraints. Again, dealing with Travel Guard International, some of their popular products include:

· Cruise, Tour and Travel – Travel Guard’s most comprehensive travel insurance plan.

· ProtectAssist – Solid travel insurance for the budget-conscious traveler – and Travel Guard’s most popular plan.

· Cruise Guard – Travel insurance designed to surpass the protection plans offered by the cruise line.

· Air Ticket Protection – Protects air ticket investment against change fees, adds other assistance services.

· Student Travel Guard – A portfolio of student travel insurance plans protecting students on virtually all types from Spring Break to Semester Abroad.

We have identified, through the use of Travel Guard International’s plans and policies a vast number of cruise insurance options. We have stated before, but at the risk of being too repetitive, I think that it is important to re-iterate. “You get what you pay for. Buyer beware!”

If you would like more information regarding

Travel Guard International or would like to get a quotation for cruise or travel insurance, check out our article “Travel Guard International Cruise Insurance”. You can find the link on our Article Map listed on the Bio.

You’ve researched for your special cruise. You’ve found a fantastic cruise deal on-line. You’ve booked that cruise on-line. You’ve protected your cruise vacation investment by booking your insurance on-line. Now all that’s left to do is to get excited!

About the Author: Brian A Schmidt is the author and web publisher of http://www.a1-discount-cruises.com your #1 source for cruise information, discounts and great deals! For more interesting articles visit our Article Map pages. If you have any questions regarding choosing cruise lines contact us at info@a1-discount-cruises.com using subject line "Questions".

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High Deductible Health Insurance Plans For Individuals And Families

By Michael Ertel

Do you pay more attention to your car than your body? You change your oil every 3000 to 4000 miles. You have your tires rotated every other oil change. Your air filter and brake pads are changed at the appropriate intervals.

Now, what about your body? You follow the recommended AMA guidelines for routine check ups and other healthcare services. You pay special attention to make sure you eat a balanced diet and always take the time to get enough exercise. The reality is many Americans pay more attention to the maintenance of their car than they do their body.

From an insurance perspective, your automobile insurance company has a certain expectation that you will take reasonable care of your car. Things such as the routine maintenance of brakes and making sure your turning signals work properly are expected by your insurance company. Basic common sense says that proper automobile maintenance reduces traffic accidents and saves both you and your insurance company money.

Health insurance consumers can benefit by taking a similar approach to taking care of their body. For the average American, regular exercise, routine check ups and following your doctor’s advice will reduce your healthcare costs in the long run. It is really very simple. By doing the things necessary to stay healthy, you will need to seek medical care less frequently.

Even with a commitment to stay healthy, you will still need health insurance coverage to take care of the unexpected and sometimes unavoidable catastrophic situations. However, instead of paying the insurance company for a $250 deductible, many individuals would benefit by purchasing a high deductible health insurance plan. Depending on the specific situation, it is not uncommon for individuals and families to save up to 25% on premiums with a high deductible plan. Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) can then be set up to coordinate with the high deductible plan. Approaching health care and health insurance wisely will benefit both your body and pocketbook.

About the Author: Michael Ertel is the founder of http://www.MedicalInsuranceNow.com which is a website that assists individuals and small business owners by providing side by side comparisons of health insurance alternatives.

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Why Does Health Insurance Cost So Much?

By Michael Ertel

Why does health insurance cost so much? Year after year, many of the articles that appear in print detail the specific factors driving the cost of healthcare.

These factors include: general inflation, advances in drugs and other medical devices, rising hospital and doctor expenses, government mandates, increased consumer demand, litigation, fraud, and cost shifting.

The basic answer is that a magic bullet to solve the cost of insurance does not exist because the real difficulty is controlling the cost of healthcare. A simple way to dramatically decrease the dollars spent on healthcare is to reduce the demand for healthcare.

I have seen estimates that up to 40% of all healthcare related expenses result from preventable conditions. These preventable conditions are caused by lifestyle choices such as tobacco, obesity, stress, lack of exercise and poor diet.

Most of us, myself included, make lifestyle choices everyday that eventually increase our demand for healthcare. We are never going to be able to totally eliminate all lifestyle related healthcare costs. However, improved lifestyle choices would cause a dramatic reduction in demand. This would then result in a similar reduction in the dollars spent on healthcare.

Lower demand for healthcare would result in lower health insurance costs, increased productivity, and reduced absenteeism. If your organization has not done so already, your organizational leaders need to seriously consider the benefits of health promotion and disease prevention programs. Your return on investment will most likely be as high as 2:1 in the first year.

About the Author: Michael Ertel the founder of http://www.MedicalInsuranceNow.com which is a website that assists individuals and small business owners by providing side by side comparisons of health insurance alternatives.

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Health Care And Health Insurance Costs Can Be Controlled Through Lifestyle ChoicesSubmitted

By Michael Ertel

As you probably know all to well, the cost of healthcare and health insurance premiums continue to increase at levels substantially above the general inflation rate. The reasons given for these extraordinary cost increases are numerous and include: technological advancements in the medical field, increased demand for medical services and prescription drugs, the aging of the population, cost shifting caused by the uninsured and governmental reimbursement rates, state and federal mandates, and costs associated with medical related lawsuits.

As individual consumers, we have very little control over some of the factors contributing to the cost of healthcare. However, all of us have control over lifestyle related health insurance claims. A simple formula of eating a balanced diet, getting the appropriate amount of daily exercise, participating in annual physicals and other recommended routine care, limiting alcohol consumption, and eliminating the use of tobacco products will no doubt reduce our personal healthcare costs. In addition to reducing medical costs, the other benefits of following such a formula include more energy, self confidence, less stress, and increased productivity. If you are not doing so already, I encourage you to consider practical ways to promote a healthy lifestyle for you and your family. For example, one of the individual health insurance companies my organization works with has an option that will offset 25% of the annual cost of a health club membership. Simple things such as taking a walk, bike ride, or going swimming promote both a healthy body and mind. If you have a sweet tooth, consider limiting yourself to eating desert once a week. You will enjoy it more and your body will thank you.

Health insurance premiums will continue to increase as long as the cost of healthcare continues to go up. The best way to reduce the overall cost of healthcare is to decrease our need for healthcare. Healthy lifestyle choices and prudent use of the healthcare system are the best and easiest ways to get a handle on our healthcare expenditures. Perhaps the greatest benefit of a healthy lifestyle is our ability to enjoy our precious time here on earth to the fullest.

About the Author: Michael Ertel the founder of http://www.MedicalInsuranceNow.com which is a website that assists individuals and small business owners by providing side by side comparisons of health insurance alternatives.

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Insurance-Necessary For Peace Of Mind

By Martin Shiverman

There are many various types of insurance. Insurance is a policy where you invest a certain amount, that you do not get back, that will pay you in the event of a predetermined event. The specifics vary greatly according to the kind of insurance.

Health insurance is designed to help you with your medical care. You will typically pay in a certain amount every month called premiums and you may have to pay a certain percentage

on your doctor's visits or prescriptions but the insurance is designed to help you with the costs. It will also help you in emergencies such as an accident, a broken bone, or a sudden illness. Insurance is there to help you if you are having a baby or another time where you need regular care.

Car insurance is intended for accidents; either your fault or someone else's. You pay on your car insurance premium every month (or quarterly or yearly) and if you are in an accident, the insurance can cover damages. There are two basic kinds of car insurance; liability and full-coverage. Liability will only cover what you are liable for. Full-coverage will cover anything that happens to your car, your body or to the other party in an accident.

The main purpose of life insurance is to cover the survivors of the person who dies. Life insurance can be used to pay off debt, cover burial expenses or take care of surviving children. Life insurance can be very important, especially if you are leaving a spouse that doesn't work, young children, or debts. In the event of your death, the life insurance company would award the amount of the policy to your beneficiaries.

Home insurance, as the name implies is meant to protect your house and property. There is home owner's insurance and also renter's insurance. Renter's insurance will cover your belongings that are in the residence and most often cover damages to the house itself if there were a break in or similar claim to the home. This will keep the renter from having to pay the owner out of pocket if damage to the residence occurred from something like a burglary.

The home owner's insurance will cover for the same things; damage to personal property and also to the residence. Many insurance plans cover natural disasters such as storms or earthquakes. Some plans cover fire and some will not. Usually fire is covered if not set by the owner.

There are many other types of coverage that are important for business owners, including business interrruption and disability insurance. The only way to assure proper coverage is to consult with a professional that has your best interests at heart.

About the Author: Martin Shiverman is the webmaster of FGA Insurance, a website dedicated to helping people have the proper insurance coverages. FGA Insurance - Insurance Made Easy , a great resource for everything related to Insurance.

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Beat Your Competition By Controlling The Cost Of Your Health Insurance

By Michael Ertel

As many of us expect, the New Year will bring both tremendous challenges and opportunities for all of us both personally and professionally. Employers continue to face the major challenge of controlling the cost of their health insurance and other employee benefit programs. Organizations that can best get a handle on the cost of their employee benefit programs have an excellent opportunity to gain an advantage over their competition.

What are some practical ways to control the cost of your health insurance? Here are a few suggestions:

1) Investigate all of your traditional and consumer directed health plan options. Many companies are easing into consumer directed plans by offering them as part of a "dual choice" program.

2) Out of network benefits. If your PPO network has adequate access to network providers, plan designs that strongly encourage the use of preferred providers save premium and claim dollars while the insured still gets the needed care at a discounted rate.

3) Prescription drug coverage. Rx plans that encourage the use of generics and require mandatory mail order for maintenance medications are an efficient use of your benefit dollars.

4) Encourage wellness. What is the old saying? An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of gain.

5) Consumerism. Access to the tools necessary to be a “good” healthcare consumer will allow individuals to get the best care at the best price.

If you do not have time to personally handle the suggestions made above, consider enlisting the services of an independent insurance broker that specializes in designing and evaluating health plan options. A good insurance broker should be able to save you time, money, and ultimately serve as a trusted resource for plan recommendations now and in the future.

About the Author: Michael Ertel the founder of http://www.MedicalInsuranceNow.com which is a website that assists individuals and small business owners by providing side by side comparisons of health insurance alternatives.

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How To Best Handle Health Insurance Plan Changes

By Michael Ertel

Many economists have suggested and recent economic data indicates that the economy is steadily moving in the right direction. A combination of several factors has no doubt had a negative impact on the economy over the last several years.

The recent state of the economy, combined with the increasing cost of healthcare, has made it difficult for all size employers to continue to offer the same level of employee benefits. In the case of health insurance, future plan modifications may be necessary over the next few years.

After much consideration, these modifications may take the form of increasing deductibles, out of pocket maximums, office visit copays, and prescription copays. Employees may also be required to increase their contribution amount. A vast majority of employees understand the current strain facing employers. Employees are particularly aware of the difficulties faced by medium and small business owners.

If you find that plan changes are inevitable, several aspects are very important to pay attention to when modifying your group health insurance coverage. Modify the parts of your plan that provide a savings while having the least impact on your employees. Make sure the changes are fair to both the employer and employee. Develop and execute a strategy that clearly communicates the plan changes as well as the reasons for the changes.

When the outlook for your business does improve, your organization’s ability to capitalize will greatly be dependent on your ability to attract and retain productive employees during difficult economic times.

About the Author: Michael Ertel the founder of http://www.MedicalInsuranceNow.com which is a website that assists individuals and small business owners by providing side by side comparisons of health insurance alternatives.

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Insurance, Fuel And Personal Finance In The UK Following Recent World Catastrophes

By R.Green

Following the increase in UK terrorist activities and the catastrophe that has hit New Orleans, it seems we are all going to have to foot the bill. The total cost of the catastrophe is currently predicted to top $25 billion (£13.6bn), however many analysts predict that the full costs could rise much higher even doubling to $50bn (£27.2bn), although with attempts to reduce the flood waters expected to take several months, it will be some time before a clear picture emerges.

Here in the UK, the effects of the disaster in the US are already starting to be felt through higher costs at the petrol pumps, as European reserves of oil which have been set aside for disaster protection are redirected to America to help their recovery efforts. Oil prices have already been rising in recent months hitting record levels as traders have pushed the price up on fears of supply problems from the Middle East as terrorism worries have grown. Last week the wholesale price of petrol charged by suppliers rose again due to hurricane Katrina and retailers say that more increases are on the way, making the £1 a litre that is being experienced in some areas inevitable across the country. Royal Dutch Shell and BP have already announced that they are set to raise prices still further in the wake of hurricane Katrina. While US motorists have to cope with fuel prices now at a record $3 a gallon, the research group Catalist has found that the average price of a litre of unleaded petrol in the UK was now 92.3p.

Ray Hollaway of the Petrol Retailers Association said, "In the coming week we are going to see increases of 3p or 4p a litre. That's unavoidable because of what happened in the US...We have to accept that the days of 80p a litre are behind us.”

In addition to the actual cost of supplying fuel in the UK, the costs to consumers is further being exacerbated by the governments refusal to reduce taxation levels, and as the oil companies are to spend millions of pounds ahead of all previous expectations, upgrading UK pumps and station forecourts, to technically enable them to charge higher prices as prices spiral beyond the £1 a litre mark.

Analysts are worried that the increases in fuel prices will lead to inflation rises and decreased public spending, as suppliers transport costs increase, and experience has shown that petrol price hikes do not lead to a significant reduction in public fuel demands, but rather it leads to consumers cutting back their spending in other areas causing a slowdown in the economy.

The insurance costs of recent events have caused huge additional expenses to the insurance companies. The impact of Katrina on companies operating onshore and offshore in the Gulf of Mexico has meant that insurers such as Lloyds may be hit fairly hard, with the bill for the Lloyd's market being tentatively placed at around £1bn to £2bn. Lloyds stated that the, “terror attacks in London have had a big human cost, but our analysis suggests that the economic costs may be quite low.” Despite Lloyds’ claims that the effect of the London bombings has cost them relatively little financially, in light of expected future attacks and calls for terrorist activity exclusions to be scrapped, it seems likely that premium increases will be gradually introduced.

Since Katrina, and the Asian tsunami which struck at Christmas, many insurers are becoming worried about the rising costs of the increasing number of serious weather related incidences. As a consequence of the insurance payouts for the devastation and carnage wrought in Asia and by hurricane Katrina, many analysts believe it is inevitable that businesses will also face huge rises in premiums down the line. The Association of British Insurers (ABI) issued a recent report stating that, “in the UK, climate change could increase the annual costs of flooding by almost 15-fold by the 2080s under the high emissions scenario, leading to potential total losses from river, coastal and urban flooding of more than $40bn (£22bn).”

The ABI ( http://www.abi.org.uk/ ) also released research findings indicating that less than 50% of small UK firms have a plan in place to ensure that their business could survive should they be hit by an emergency or disaster, and only 50% of UK households possess any life insurance with 25% of mortgage holders actually have insufficient life insurance to cover their debt therefore placing their home at risk.

With UK personal debt over £1 trillion, decreasing levels of investment through products such as individual savings accounts (ISAs), it is perhaps understandable that many see insurance protection policies as being one of the first expenses that can be put off until money is more plentiful, however it is at these times when finances are tight that these financial products are most important.

The growth of financial services such as UK based Moneynet ( http://www.moneynet.co.uk ), eSure.com, and Confused.com combined with the proliferation of financial information provided by the likes of Which?, the Financial Times and the BBC, has helped to increase competition between insurance providers and assisted in keeping prices down. However the current outlook seems to be that prices are going to rise, but by how much is unknown until the full effect of recent events is calculated. The only thing that is certain is that it no longer matters where the disaster happens, in the end the UK consumer will eventually have to pay.

About the Author: Richard lives in Edinburgh, occasionally writing for the personal finance blog Cashzilla ( http://cashzilla.blogspot.com/ ), and likes the surrealist means of expression. Fish.

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