It is a common notion amongst people to believe that choosing a car insurance is as straightforward as choosing the right car, when buying a car. The fact is that car insurance can actually be pretty complicated. Many people simply nod their head and make their monthly insurance payments but they don’t really understand what their coverage offers them.

Car Insurance Basics

Liability coverage is likely to be offered when you buy your car insurance. This is the basic coverage that you will find with any insurance policy and basically what this coverage does is pay for the bodily injury and property damage that is caused to others involved in the accident that you are at fault for.

Medical bills and lost wages are taken care of by the bodily injury coverage while property damage will cover up for the repair or replacement of the property that you damaged. This coverage does not pay for the damage that happens to you or your vehicle.

Liability insurance is often broken down into numbers such as 20/40/10, which means that your coverage includes $20,000 in bodily injury, $40,000 in bodily injury per accident, and $10,000 in property damage coverage.

The difference between collision (or comprehensive) coverage and liability coverage is that the former will repair your vehicles as well as the vehicles and people that you hurt in the accident caused by you. With this type of coverage you won’t be able to receive more than the value of your car, but you will get something to put toward repairs or replacement of the vehicle.

The most expensive type of coverage is this one. But if you select to have a high deductible you will be able to keep your payments down and still have this coverage that you need if you are involved in an accident. Comprehensive coverage is considered as the ideal type as it also covers the damages caused to your car such as fire, theft, natural disasters, and/or hitting animals in the road.

You have a lot of choices in coverage options to choose from , for your car insurance policy. One such option is medical payment coverage. This coverage will pay for your as well as your passengers medical expenses when you have been involved in an accident.

One of other options also include PIP (personal injury protection) coverage. This coverage can help pay for those medical expenses but will also help you if you are unable to work, unable to take care of your kids, or if you have to pay for a funeral.

Uninsured or under insured motorist’s coverage is yet another type of coverage you may want to consider purchasing. This coverage will help you pay for damages if you are struck by an uninsured or underinsured individual.

Other options that you may want to consider are rental reimbursement if you have to rent a vehicle because yours is in need of repair or stolen, towing and labor coverage, and gap coverage, which is coverage that pays the difference between the cash that you receive for a total car and the amount left on the car loan. When you are in any these situations, the add on features can come in really handy.

Most people spend more time shopping for their car than they do shopping for the best auto insurance rates. This is a mistake. As a smart consumer, you need to allot time for getting the best rate for your insurance. Your three goals are getting the best insurance rates, getting the best financing and getting the best price.

If you don’t shop around for the best rate your insurance premium can be more than your car payment. I’ve seen it happen and it’s not pretty. You are all happy and excited about your new car up until you find out how much the insurance is going to cost you. Then you struggle just to make the insurance payments. Or worse, you cut coverages to keep within your budget. For example, having the highest deductible, $1,000-$2,000.

It’s not hard to shop around for the best rate either. There are several comparison sites that will give you several quotes from multiple insurance companies to make sure you get the best rate. Use them. It only takes 10-15 minutes and it can save you from plenty of financial headaches. Just like the Geico commerical says, “15 minutes could save you 15% or more,” 15 minutes on a insurance comparison site will guarantee you get the best car insurance rates available.

When you do shop around, always be sure to have a copy of your current policy available for comparison. This will make getting the quote as painless as possible. That way you compare all the coverages and make sure you are getting the same discounts with the new company as the old one.

One thing that can surprise you is monthly payment fees so be on the lookout for these. Some companies charge you a monthly fee when you make monthly payments, maybe $3-$4 a month. That’s an extra $36-$48 a year you need to factor into your comparisons.

There’s nothing like thinking you’re getting a great deal only to find out it’s a good deal once all the dust is settled and you get your new policy. If you’re only going to save a few dollars a month after you switch to the new company maybe it’s best to stay put. Sometimes you will lose loyalty discounts with your current company that you won’t get with the new company. Or the customer service or claims service is great at the current company. These days that is worth more than a few dollars a month to me so keep these small things factored into the equation.

Shopping for car insurance is quick and easy and you may even save hundreds of dollars per year. All it takes is about 15 minutes. Make sure you put ‘shop for car insurance’ on your car wishlist when you go car shopping.

We all hope to stay well and healthy all the time, but we all know that we are going to be sick or may even be unfortunate and have an accident at some point in our lives. We all have access to the state health services but if you want additional private cover then this is where taking out a private medical insurance comes in. This article explains about health insurance in general and how quotes are worked out in general.

Private medical insurance will cover the cost of your treatment when you are unwell, but the kind of cover and amount of the cover you get varies considerably from policy to policy.

Make sure that when you are considering which health insurance policy to take out that you carefully read the policy so that you can find out which illnesses you are covered for and which illnesses are not included in the policy cover. It can also be the case that your medical insurance policy may require you to use particular hospitals for your treatment.

So what are health insurance quotes calculated on? Well providers calculate your policy quote on several factors, the most important being your age, your health, your medical history, your occupation and they also look at whether you smoke or not. If you do smoke, then you are likely to get a more expensive medical insurance quote.

Some health insurance policies let you choose to have an excess which if you decide to have this option it will lower your insurance quote. Another important thing to take into account when taking out a private medical insurance policy is that no matter how much you decide to spend on your cover you will not get cover for certain illnesses. These illnesses include long term illnesses, alcohol abuse, AIDS, suicide attempts and illnesses that are related to old age.

It is very important that when you take out your cover that you advise your healthcare insurance company of everything that is relevant to your health insurance application. This means you must tell them about any pre-existing medical condition or illness that you may have and it is highly likely that they will not cover you for these pre-existing medical conditions or illnesses.

And finally it is worth mentioning that it is always a good idea that you shop around to find the most suitable and affordable private medical insurance solution for you.

Visitor Travel Medical Insurance plans sometimes referred to as Visitor Medical Insurance or Visitor Health Insurance plans can be purchased anytime even during the middle of a trip.

Medical emergency is a situation when a life-threatening medical condition existed, or the lack of medical attention would endanger his or her life, limb or sight and requires immediate medical treatment or has painful symptoms requiring a relieve to suffering or discomfort. Many Travel Health Insurance plans focus on providing coverage for your medical expenses resulting from sudden illness or injuries during your trip, with many policies covering trips from seven days to 3 years.

Many people find that understanding Visitors Medical Insurance can be a challenging process because there are numerous insurers with many different kind of plans, different deductibles, various coverage options and restrictions. Purchasing a plan that caters to your needs is not always easy. You can actually make your decision making process easier by taking advantage of the tools offered by the insurers’ website. It can help you to compare all major insurance plans, get free instant travel quotes and purchase a plan that best meets your specific needs.

Many insurers have offered the option of purchasing a Visitor Health Insurance online and this can get very misleading for many people because they thought that they can get immediate visitor health insurance coverage online. You should be aware that Visitor Health Insurance policies may establish a certain waiting period before it covers pre-existing conditions which are health problems you had before you bought the insurance, as long as the waiting period is reasonable by current standards set by the insurance associations.

If you think a Visitor Health Insurance is too pricey, you can save money on Visitor Health Insurance by obtaining a Dental Discount Card and an RX Prescription Card separately from your visitor health insurance program.

Visitor Travel Medical Health Insurance is ideal for tourists to US, for parents and other family members visiting the United States. The medical expenses at overseas can be very high especially when it involves hospitalization.

You can reduce the financial risk of unforeseen accidents or medical emergencies by buying visitor medical insurance.

Lastly, if you travel frequently to foreign countries you should get a Visitor Medical Insurance because with sufficient health insurance coverage, you can reduce the financial risk of unforeseen accidents or medical emergencies. Most importantly, you won’t have to see situation going catastrophic

Terminal illnesses not only destroy lives, but they can also erode the financial stability of individuals and their families. A viatical settlement, however, can provide financial support and emotional comfort to those with serous diseases.

A viatical settlement is simply the sale of the benefits of a life insurance policy to a third party. Viatical settlements, also called “viaticals”, allow individuals facing a terminal illness to use the present day value of their life insurance policy to ease the financial burdens.

The viatical settlement business originated in the 1980s as a way to give terminally ill AIDS patients early access to their life insurance benefits. Since then, the use of viatical settlements has broadened significantly. Viaticals now include policy holders suffering from Lou Gehrig¹s disease, cancer, heart disease and other life-threatening illnesses.

The Importance of Viatical Settlements

Viatical settlements can provide an important source of funding for terminally ill people battling the high costs of medical care. An estimated 40 million Americans are not covered by health insurance, and many are often unable to earn a living because of their illness. These individuals must cover their medical costs out-of-pocked on top of daily living expenses such as food, shelter, utilities and transportation. Viatical settlements allow people in these circumstances to maintain a level of financial security during their final months or years.

Viatical settlements are completely legal transactions based on this concept: Investors buy life insurance benefits from insured individuals for a percentage of the face value of their policies. Then they collect the full amount of the death benefit on the policy when that person dies. For terminally ill people, viatical settlements allow them to receive a partial payment on their policies while they are still alive. They can use these funds to pay for their health care, to meet daily living expenses, or even take a well-deserved vacation with their families. The bottom line is: Viatical settlements enable individuals to take advantage of their life insurance benefits before they die and enhance the quality of the life they have remaining.

How Viatical Settlements Work

Viatical settlements are relatively common. Here’s how they work. The owner of the life insurance policy sells the policy for a percentage of the death benefit. The discounted price received is typically 60 to 70 percent of the policy’s face value.

The viatical settlement buyer becomes the new policy owner and/or beneficiary of the life insurance policy and is responsible for paying all future premiums. The buyer also collects the death benefit of the policy when the insured dies.
The original owner of the insurance policy, incidentally, may not necessarily be the individual with the life-threatening illness.

The approval process for viatical agreements is generally based on the nature of the illness or condition and a doctor’s review of the insured’s medical records. Usually the viatical settlement transaction is facilitated through a broker or a trusted insurance agent—without the buyer ever meeting the ill person.

Guidelines for the Sale of Viatical Settlements

Almost any type of life insurance can be sold through a viatical settlement as long as the policy doesn’t prohibit transferring ownership rights. Universal, whole, term, and even group life insurance policies are usually accepted.

However many policies include a “contestability clause” that allows an insurance company to cancel a policy if it discovers that the policy holder had a preexisting condition. Therefore, most settlement companies will only buy policies that are at least two years old.

There are generally two types of companies that purchase viatical settlements. The first type buys life insurance policies directly from ill people, using either private funds or proceeds from the sale of company stock. These companies, themselves, hold all the rights to the insurance policy and act as the designated beneficiary of the policy. These are considered to be “non-brokered” transactions because the viatical settlement provider purchases the policies directly.

The second type of viatical settlement company acts as a broker or intermediary—the category into which most settlement companies fall. They match a group of potential buyers with a life insurance policy available for sale, rather than directly purchasing the policy. As the broker, the viatical settlement company doesn’t own the policy. Instead, it is entitled to a percentage of the death benefit or purchase price—usually 4 to 6 percent—as compensation for its services.

Most people carry some form of insurance such as auto, medical, life, etc. Since the average cost of the more than 2 million weddings in the U.S. is over $20,000, wedding insurance can cover billions of dollars caused by damages. With so much money spent on weddings knowledgeable couples incorporate wedding insurance into their overall wedding planning strategy. Wedding insurance offers protection against something going wrong, the wedding being cancelled or postponed.

Wedding insurance allows for flexibility in coverage. Just to mention a few, policies may cover for cancellation, unforeseen expenses, wedding gown, video and photographs, jewelry, venue property, gifts, liability, medical expenses. Depending on the coverage wedding insurance can cost as little as a couple of hundred dollars.

Some of the most common items covered by wedding insurance are:

Jewelry: This coverage is designed to replace or repair damaged wedding rings.

Liability: If someone falls on the dance floor, it can cover some of the medical expenses. Some wedding reception venues may require such insurance in the contract. This policy can also help if someone of the wedding party damages equipment or furniture. Without this coverage you and your new spouse may find yourselves in court with one of your wedding guests.

Weather: Unfortunately, natural disasters have been part of our lives, and for the most part unavoidable in the future. This type of coverage is very much influenced by your geographical area.

Video and Photography: This coverage will help you to reunite the wedding party in an event when your photographer is a no show, or the photographs are defective or damaged, the negatives are lost, etc.

Service Providers: This coverage will help minimize the damage caused by vendors who fail to provide a contracted product or service, it can cover such as non-refundable deposits, and expenses occurred due to finding new vendors.

Although you can’t insure against a gloomy day, you can certainly insure against disasters such as hurricanes or fires. Wedding insurance can cover just about everything except for a change of heart. Disasters and mishaps will have their toll on your overall wedding experience, but you can minimize the long-term effects by obtaining wedding insurance.

Buying California car insurance is expensive. But with a little trick and dedication, you can find the right car insurance California that is both cheap and provides good coverage.

Here are the ways to save for your can insurance California:

Research
Check several sites that offer can insurance California. This is probably the best way to get the cheapest car insurance rate since each company follows its own rate. Make sure you know what type of coverage you are looking for so as not to dive on the first and cheapest car insurance you have laid your eyes on. Remember that cheapest might not be the best so make sure you weigh the claims and the price you have to pay.

Safe driving
It always pays to be a good driver. And what a better way to reap from this is to get a lower California car insurance rates. California can insurance companies reward safe drivers with special car insurance rates. To become eligible on this, you have to get a clean record both on traffic violation and insurance claim. If in case you only have one or two traffic violation, you can take the defensive driving course. This is to remove and clean your traffic record.

The only drawback is you have to wait for several years to enjoy the lower California car insurance rate. That means you have to stay away from traffic violations for a very long time! But if safety is already in your system, this would be easy for you to do. After all, it is you who will reap if you drive safely even without receiving any California car insurance discount.

Update on time
Many auto insurance companies in California and even in other states in the United States base their insurance rates on your history. Failure to update your policy even for one day could cost you additional dollars. Make sure you update on time so that you can avoid higher California car insurance rate.

Monitor your odometer
Don’t get it wrong. You don’t have to limit your driving. Well, if getting car insurance discounts means more to you, you can drive occasionally. But what we are trying to say here is that several car insurance companies in California base their rates on the annual mileage reading. If you love to drive for miles, you should not be surprised if you get high car insurance rate than those who drive less.

Capitalize on discounted auto insurance
Discounts on car insurance would be able you to save money. And there are several ways to get it. Here are the different ways to get discounted auto insurance:

1. Discounts on good driver. Yeah it is already mentioned but you have to know that everybody, regardless of the age could receive a good driver discount provided he/she maintains a clean driving record.

2. Discounts of multi-car owner or multi-driver. If you have two drivers with the same car insurance policy, you can get this discount. Much more if both of these drivers have clean records.

3. Discount on having safety and anti-theft devices. If you care enough for your vehicle, your can get a reward. Most car insurance companies in California give discounts on drivers who have installed safety and anti-theft devices.

Reading auto insurance policies can be like trying to decipher advanced calculus. It’s really not that difficult if you understand a few basic terms. Collision, Comprehensive, Bodily Injury Liability and Property Injury Liability are the main terms you need to fully understand.

You’ll appreciate Collision Coverage in the event you need repairs or replacements if your vehicle collides with another vehicle or property. The higher the deductible you elect, the lower your premiums will cost you. If you’re at fault for something, well of course it would still be an accident, as I doubt you’d plan to run into that guard rail, but how much would you be able to afford to pay out of pocket for repairs? $250? $500? $1,000? Just like medical insurance, you’d have to pay that deductible amount first and then the insurance company would pay for the remaining charges for the repair.

Another term to become intimately familiar with is Comprehensive Coverage. This is the coverage that pays for damage caused from falling objects, fire, certain natural disasters, theft and vandalism. Deductibles work the same way as with Collision; the more out of pocket costs to you, the less your insurance premium.

In addition to knowing how much Collision and Comprehensive coverage you have, you’ll want to know about your liability coverage. Let’s say you rear-end another driver. Or your foot slips off the brake onto the gas pedal and you plow down a mailbox. Your liability coverage will kick in and pay for the damages that you caused with your insured vehicle. You liability coverage will, or could, include bodily injury (people) and property damage.

You don’t want to go without Bodily Injury Coverage. If you were at fault in an accident and others involved needed to go to the hospital and/or lost wages from missing work, those costs would come out of your pocket if you are not insured with Bodily Injury Coverage. It doesn’t take a genius to know how quickly those amounts can add up. This type of coverage can also help you in the event the other party takes legal action against you. Many states require you to carry Bodily Injury Coverage.

The other part of liability includes Property Damage coverage. Can you imagine how much it might cost should you accidentally drive into the side of someone’s home? You wouldn’t want to be caught without property damage insurance should you need to pay for repairs to another vehicle, building or anything else you might hit. As with Bodily Injury coverage, Property Damage coverage also helps protect you in the event of a related lawsuit.

Every policy will have its limits and various degrees of coverage. It’s important that you understand the basics of what you are paying for and why it is necessary. No one plans for an accident, be prepared!