Monday 23 May 2011

A Better View On Car Insurance


Rates of the Car Insurance gets higher and higher. Not all families can afford this easily, so ca insurance became an issue that should be faced in our lives. If you do not investigate and take some time to research and understand the different types of insurances offered in today’s market, car insurance will surely be a minefield.

Policies vary from company to company. Basically, comprehensive cover is full coverage of your insurance while a third party protects you for damages to someone else’s car.

After deciding what type of insurance you want, ask yourself if you want to insure the car on the agreed value or current market value of the car. You might consider the agreed value option of your car is a special model because it allows you to include added extras. While in the market value option, the insurance company pays out the amount the car is worth at the time of the accident, so the amount could be different to the market value originally spelled out in the policy when you signed up because of depreciation.

You can get down to the smaller and more tedious option once you have worked out what type of cover you want. You may consider some thing like the amount of the excess, if you want to choose the repairer, if you want to loan vehicles if your car is stolen, if you want the policy to cover the car for business use, if your car is repaired using only genuine spare parts and many more.

The Australian Insurance Council’s Group General Manger for Western Australia and the Northern Territory Daryl Cameron said in 85% of cases, policies are bought on price alone. This can be dangerous for people who do not read their policies carefully. He also said that your insurer might refuse to pay out if you are not honest in your insurance quotes.

“It is vital that all known information regarding the vehicle or any intended driver is fully disclosed to the insurer when taking out a policy or when one is up for renewal. If anything changes that may affect your policy, you must tell the insurer; it is extremely important to remember that you have a duty of disclosure,” Mr. Cameron said.
Watch out for the traps that catch many unsuspecting motorists. Ask as many questions as you can to understand what you are getting into. After all, there is no harm in asking.

There are points to remember when considering car insurance. First, research, investigate and take your time when looking for car insurance. Second get a coverage that suits your needs. Third, decide if you want a market value or agreed value cover. Make sure that you fully understand what you are covered for. Know the factors that are excluded in the policy. You should also know the excess when making a claim. Tell you insurer about anything that happens to you that may affect your policy. Know the payment method that suits you. Know if in the case of “At Fault” claim, you can protect your no claim bonus. And lastly, remember that cheapest is not always the best.

Make sure that you are familiar with the cover provided by the policy and not just compared policies on price. Cheaper does not always mean better.


Saturday 14 May 2011

Lower you Life Insurance Premiums


Worried about the spiraling life insurance premium? We have enlisted 5 quickest ways to lower your life insurance premium. Well, keep these points in mind but do tread with caution and act prudently.


Shop around and Bargain
Shop, Compare and Bargain! Well, the oldest principle, old as dirt, but still going strong. Once decided on your coverage, don’t just sign up for the first plan that crosses your eye. Ensure that you shop around (internet is a great place to start) and get a feel of the market. This would help you to bargain hard and get the greatest coverage at the lowest possible price.


Opt for Term Life Insurance – The quickest way to lower your life insurance premium is to opt for Term Life Insurance policy instead of a whole-life policy. The idea is to keep insurance as what it is and not turn it into an investment product. Thus, you can get yourself insured under term life policy at the fraction of the cost of a whole-life scheme with typically the same coverage amount. However, do not forget that Term Life Insurance covers you only for a pre-defined period of time.


Keep yourself Fit – Be a low risk proposition for your insurance provider by maintaining a healthy lifestyle and keeping yourself away from addictions such as smoking, drugs and alcohol. A good health record will result in considerable reduction in your life insurance premiums.


Consult an Insurance Advisor - To reduce your life insurance premium, the easiest thing you can do is to consult a good Insurance Advisor. Since the advisor will be pro in the insurance marketplace, he/she would be able to get you to the most affordable deal in line with your coverage requirements. Essentially a good insurance advisor would compare different market rates for you and would also negotiate the best rates on your behalf. Well, internet is a great place to identify an agent.


Start at a young age!
Insure yourself at a young age. Life insurance premium at a young age is only a fraction of what it could be when you are well into your middle-age. The premise is young and healthy people are the lowest risk segment. The low mortality risk is a great incentive for insurance companies to insure you at lower premiums.

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1. Consider an income policy instead of a lump sum

Most people know that life cover pays out a lump sum if you die. But far less know that you can buy cover that pays a regular tax free income instead of a lump sum. It’s official name is Family Income Benefit and is often cheaper than the more common Level Term lump sum payout option. So why would an income be better than a lump sum?

Many people who take out a life insurance policy simply want to provide an income for their family to replace the earnings lost if they died prematurely. But many policies are bought with a lump sum benefit requiring the surviving family to find a suitable savings or investment vehicle to generate an ongoing income. In addition, the interest generated from a lump sum is taxable whereas the income from a family income benefit policy is paid tax free.

For many people not used to managing large amounts of money, suddenly having to find the right savings account or investment can prove an additional burden at an already distressing time. This is where Family Income Benefit can offer the best of both worlds.

2. Consider a reducing policy for mortgage life cover

One of the most common reasons for needing life insurance is to protect a mortgage loan. The type of mortgage you have will largely dictate what form of life insurance you need but this is often one of two types of term life insurance.

If you have an interest only mortgage then you will need level cover as the mortgage debt will remain constant unless you increase or reduce the mortgage loan. However, those with a capital and interest mortgage can opt for a decreasing term policy where the cover reduces in line with the reducing mortgage loan. As the cover reduces over time so does the risk to the insurance company making this type of life insurance cheaper than the level term option.

So if you have a capital and interest mortgage with a level term life insurance policy and only need to cover the mortgage amount, you could save money by switching to a reducing policy. The downside to this is that you will lose any surplus cover provided by a level policy as the mortgage loan reduces but the level insurance benefit stays the same.

3. Stop smoking

All insurance is based on risk and so to cut the cost you have to cut the risk. With life insurance, the risk is based upon your chances of dieing whilst the policy is in force. Insurers measure the risk by assessing your health and medical history.

Anything that increases your risk of dieing prematurely will increase your premiums. These risk factors can include your current state of health, family history, hazardous occupation or hobbies but most commonly being a smoker has the greatest impact.

Now, I know you’re not going to stop smoking to save money on your life insurance but its one more reason in a long list to quit. Not only will you save money on the cigarettes but you can also add a saving of around 40% on your life cover premiums too.

4. Shop around

Life insurance is a very competitive market and prices can vary widely depending upon where you look. The easiest way to compare lots of insurers and policies at once is to use one of the many free online comparison websites. The only caveat to this is to be aware that these sites only compare premiums and not cover, so have a firm idea of what type of cover you need first. This will help you to compare like with like and discover the true bargains.

Alternatively, you can use an insurance broker to do the shopping for you and this route can yield some substantial savings if you use a particular type of insurance broker.

5. Use a discount life insurance broker

If you know which type of cover you need and don’t require any advice, a discount online insurance broker can save you hundreds of pounds in lower premiums.

Due to the low costs and large audiences available via the internet, many life insurance brokers have launched websites offering life insurance quotes with major insurers at discounted premium rates. These brokers are able to discount cover from major insurers by rebating much of the commission they receive from these insurers to reduce your premiums.

Savings vary but can mean genuine reductions of between 10% and as much as 40% over the insurance company’s standard premiums. Many sites provide instant online quotes comparing multiple policies from leading insurance companies.

A simple Google search for discount life insurance will provide a list of most brokers or use an insurance directory like UK Insurance Index which also features customer reviews.


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