Car And Home Insurance Northern Ireland
|
Don't skimp on insurance. This probably doesn't sound like a way to save money. But keep in mind the purpose of insurance is to transfer to an insurance company the financial risk you can't afford to carry yourself. Without formal insurance, you are de facto self-insuring - meaning you'll pay out of your own pocket in the event of a financial disaster such as loss of a home or a serious illness.
For example, many renters don't own renter's insurance, which covers the loss of their personal property (no, the landlord's insurance doesn't cover it). Renter's insurance is very affordable, yet how many times do you read about people who lose everything in an apartment fire and have no insurance?
Buy the insurance you need. Carefully review your insurance needs with your financial adviser. Car, medical and home insurance are probably obvious. But do you have disability insurance in case you lose income due to an illness or injury? Many financial planners recommend clients buy long-term care insurance no later than their late 50s or early 60s to cover the high cost of potential long-term care. Do you have liability coverage beyond standard auto and home insurance in the event you are sued?
Watch out for gaps. People with multiple properties in multiple states, for example, often use multiple insurance agents for their property and casualty coverage, and can easily end up with expensive duplicated coverage - or worse, no coverage at all for some property because it was overlooked or because a policy expired. You may need "riders" or "floaters" to provide extra coverage for such things as jewelry or antiques whose value is limited under the standard policy.
And don't buy what you don't need. You'll probably need life insurance, but not necessarily. Life insurance generally is for people whose death will have a significant financial impact on others - a spouse, children, dependent parents, heirs who might face a hefty estate tax bill. You may not need it if you are young and single. And as you age, you may need coverage for only a limited time or for a smaller amount.
You also probably don't need to spend pounds on insurance for flights, pets, specific diseases, loans and car rentals. Buy the right amount of insurance. While people sometimes buy too much of a particular insurance, more often they are underinsured.
A good example where this is common is life insurance. People frequently base their decision on premium costs, not what death benefits they need. The better approach is to first calculate how much money you will need to replace future lost income necessary for your dependents. Then look at insurance options. Some people might be able to afford to buy adequate death benefits through a whole life policy, which has an investment component. But many others would be better off spending their limited insurance pounds on term life, which has no investment component and which allows you to buy more death benefit coverage for each premium pound.
Shop around. Costs vary significantly among carriers, so carefully compare for like coverage and features. But don't buy on price alone. You'll want to have a carrier that's financially sound so that it's there if you need the benefits.
Consider multiple policies with a single carrier. You often can get a better deal buying multiple policies through a single carrier, such as car, home, and liability. But not all carriers are strong in all lines. They might be good for property and casualty but not life and health, so be sure any savings are worth it.
Help yourself. Staying healthy, putting smoke alarms and security systems in your house, and having a good driving record can keep premiums down.
Increase deductibles and avoid small claims. Choosing larger deductibles will reduce your premium costs (self-insure the deductible through an emergency fund). They also reduce small claims, which have become a sore spot in insurance because companies are increasingly raising premiums or even dropping customers who make multiple small (and large) claims.
George McGonigal
Northern Ireland Insurance Centre
George is webmaster of an online insurance resource for Northern Ireland motorists and homeowners. We bring under one roof insurers who cover Northern Ireland that can offer online quotations to allow our visitors to compare rates in the comfort of their own homes. Car, Motor and Home Insurance Northern Ireland: Competitive insurance quotes online.
|
|
|
Gain An Advantage Over Your Competition By Controlling The Cost Of Your Health Insurance
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 cho...(related: Insurance)
Finding Term Life Insurance Online
What exactly is Term Life Insurance?Term life is a form of life insurance where you're covered for a number of years - the number of years is called the term. Term life insurance policies can be for as long as 30 years or for 20 years, 15, 10 or 5. After those years the policy can either be over or it can be renewed at a higher price based on your age at that time.What's the best way to utilize term life insurance?Term life is very good to have a lot o...(related: Insurance)
Term Life Insurance And Permanent Life Insurance
Term insurance and permanent insurance are two basic types of life insurance. Term life insurance is temporary, and it covers only a specific period of time called the relevant term. Permanent life insurance is the type of insurance where the policy is for the life of the insured and the payout is assured at the end of the policy. Term life insurance builds on cash value while permanent life insurance accrues cash value.Now l...(related: Insurance)
Are Accidents More Likely To Occur Closer To Home?
If you are going to be involved in an accident, chances are it will happen close to your home. Progressive Insurance polled 11,000 of its policyholders who experienced accidents in 2001. They found that 52% were involved in accidents within five miles from there home and 69% were involved in accidents within ten miles from their home. Only 17% of those polled experienced accidents beyond twenty miles from his or her home (Strillacci, 2002).To some people, this is major news and would deter them from driving. I would hope this statistic would not do this to you. I anticipate this article will actually give you confidence in driving short, and long, distances from your home as well as show you the important role insurance plays in our lives.As I already showed statistically, you are lik...(related: Insurance)
Global Warming: Why Consumers And Insurers Are Getting Hot Under The Collar Over Life Insurance.
Global warming may have been lurking on our horizon for a number of years and historical records of terrorists have existed for thousands of years, but we are coming into a new age where we try and financially protect ourselves against such problems and if we're honest ? we're struggling.The recent terrorism attacks in London brought home the fragility of human life to many Brits, who had previously been able to distance themselves from terrorist activity. For the partners and offspring of city workers, the fragility of their finances also became apparent with the potential loss of a loved one alongside the loss of future income and possibly the family home.It is widely agreed that most life insurance policies should cover acts of terrorism, though most websites (including the Association of British Insurers) ...(related: Insurance)
How To Best Handle Health Insurance Plan Changes
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, the...(related: Insurance)
Apply Online For Temporary Health Insurance
There are times when you'll find yourself temporarily without health insurance. You may be between jobs, just starting a new...(related: Insurance)
Is An Hsa A Type Of Insurance?
A Health Savings Account (HSA) is not a type of health insurance. But that's an easy mistake to make!HSAs are closely associated to health insurance, although they do not provide any insurance benefits themselves.Think of an HSA as a special type of savings account. It's a savings account where:You can put money in and get a tax deduction.You can take money out anytime, as long as the money gets used for medical purposes.That's an HSA in a nutshell. But it's worth talking about a few more specifics.You need to get an HSA from a special HSA custodian. Any business that can create an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) can also create an HSA for you. That includes many banks, insurance agents and financial advisors....(related: Insurance)
Apply Online For Temporary Health Insurance
There are times when you'll find yourself temporarily without health insurance. You may be between jobs, just starting a new...(related: Insurance)
Types Of Auto Insurance Coverage Explained
A question you might ask yourself is: why must we carry auto insurance? Hopefully one answer you should hear is to protect yourself and your car. For those same reasons the government also requires you to have car insurance.The state of Florida requires you to carry at least the minimum requirements, which is property damage at ten thousand dollars and personal injury protection at ten thousand dollars. Property damage covers another person's vehicle if you are at fault in an accident. Personal injury protection covers 80 percent of medical expenses and 60 percent of loss wages as well as up to a five thousand dollar death benefit for you...(related: Insurance)
site-map - Copyright © 2006 Insurance | All Rights Reserved. | Insurance