Wednesday 2 April 2008

10 Tips On Reducing Renters Insurance Costs

Renting a home or office necessitates insurance protection. The insurance protects renters against fire, theft, vandalism, natural disasters or a liability suit. Leading insurance companies offer renter’s insurance policies with varied coverage. Most renters insurance policies cover perils like: fire, storms, explosions, riots, aircraft collisions, vehicle accidents, smoke, mischief, theft, natural disasters, falling objects, floods, electrical or plumbing mishaps, earthquakes, and more.

Be an educated purchaser of renters insurance and make the effort to find out whether the renters policy offers ACV, actual cash value or RCC, replacement cost coverage.

The premium for renters insurance depends on many factors like where you live, the age of the building and so on. There are many ways by which you can aim to reduce renters insurance costs:

1. Buy a policy after making comparisons online and offline. Choose a policy that offers the most at the lowest premium.

2. When choosing a rental home or office think of how the location and age of the building will affect your insurance premiums. Choose a location that is affordable but does not cause a huge increase in insurance costs.

3. Reduce costs by increasing your deductibles. Create a financial plan and make sure you can actually afford the deductible payments.

4. Keep a check list of what will increase renter’s insurance costs. For example do not buy or adopt a dog on an impulse. Many companies are wary about covering owners of certain breeds of dogs and other pets.

5. Maximize safety features in your rental space. Insurance companies offer great discounts when protective devices like fire detectors, smoke alarms, burglar alarms, and fire extinguishers are installed in a rental space.

6. Think about buying a renters insurance policy from the same insurance company that has covered your health and vehicle. When companies know that you are a reliable and responsible citizen they offer what is known as “multi-line discounts.”

7. Read articles and tips on insurance online and determine how you can benefit most.

8. Follow in the rental space the safety regulations recommended by authorities. Take good care of storing inflammables, left over pain thinners, and other hazards.

9. Before buying a renters insurance policy create a list of valuables in your possessions and inform the insurance company about them. Items like art, antiques, diamonds, jewelry, and state-of-art electronics may need additional riders/coverage on the renters policy.

10. Always check online, in magazines and news papers for special offers and discounts being offered by insurance companies.

Being a responsible citizens and having a good credit rating and report is also advantageous and insurance companies offer better deals to individuals who are considered to be low risk.

Get greater renters insurance benefits by planning your life well. Insurance costs have many variables and depend on aspects like your age, insurance coverage, financial standing, debt and more.

The World Wide Web is a thriving marketplace for online renters insurance policies. Insurance bought online is often cheaper than offline. Websites devoted to insurance bring online leading insurance companies and the most affordable options. Customers online can also make use of tools like insurance risk computation, and online quote comparison tools.

Insurance And Why You Should Take Notice

Insurance is one of the most essential financial tools you will need in all aspects of your life, yet it is a topic that many people overlook. Insurance can be boring as well as confusing, but it is important that you get the basics right so that you don’t get caught out.

Always need more

When you are looking at which types of insurance you need, it is easy to overlook some things that you need insuring. If you can afford to insure something or be protected against something then it pays to do so. You usually need more insurance than you think, both in terms of types of insurance and levels of cover.

Don’t pay too much

Although insurance is necessary, you don’t want to pay too much for it. Insurance is only worth it at the right price. Paying too much for insurance will outweigh the advantages that it gives you. Always shop around for your insurance, and consult independent financial advice if you are unsure about which insurance package is right for you.

Look online

If you want information about insurance terms, prices, or lenders then the best place to look is online. Some of the best insurance deals can be had online, and using one website to compare prices is much more convenient than walking round your high street talking to different lenders. If you want to save time then look online for your insurance first.

What insurance do you need?

Obviously the type and amount of insurance you need really depends on your lifestyle and individual needs. However, there are a number of types of insurance that most people should
have or at least consider having. These include:

· Life insurance
· Vehicle insurance
· Property insurance
· Liability insurance
· Travel insurance
· Medical insurance

Obviously there are many other types of insurance, and if you have something that you want to protect then you will probably be able to get insurance for it.

Is insurance worth it?

Many people think that insurance is a waste of time because it costs them money and they never claim. This is a good thing, because you really don’t want to have to claim on your insurance. Good insurance is essential, because it protects the things that we value most. If anything should happen to these items then we know we will be compensated for it or be able to replace it.

Insurance to avoid

As well as good insurance there are plenty of types of insurance that you should avoid. Never pay too much for your insurance or more than you think it is worth, because this defeats the point of the insurance policy. Also, don’t sign anything that has strict limits on what you can claim for, making the policy almost worthless. Try and get a good level of cover at the right price, and before agreeing to anything check that the lender is reputable and that if you need to claim they will be able to compensate you.

Top 10 life insurance shopping tips

1. Who should buy life insurance? If you can answer yes to any of the following questions, then you should consider buying life insurance.

• Does anyone rely on you for financial support? If so, life insurance will help to protect their financial well being.
• Do you have a mortgage, car loan or any other outstanding debts? If so, a life insurance policy can provide a way to take care of these outstanding bills, along with any others like funeral expenses, legal fees, taxes, and medical expenses.
• Do you own a business? If so, you are liable for the debts your business owes. Your personal assets could be liquidated to pay these debts, which could leave little left for your family. Plus, if you have a partner, life insurance could help them buy out your portion of the business.
• Do you want to leave money to a charity? You can use life insurance to leave money to your favourite charity.

2. Who you would like to insure? You can get a policy on your own life, for other members of your family, or a joint one for you and your spouse.

3. What would you like your life insurance policy to achieve?Some of the things a life insurance policy can take care of include: pay funeral expenses, pay outstanding balances on your mortgage and other debts, offset the loss of your income for a period of time, and/or contribute to the future education of your children.

4. How much life insurance do you need? Well that will depend on what you would like your life insurance to accomplish. As a result, there is no one-size fits all answer. However, there are online life insurance calculator tools that can help. Life insurance calculators will help you find out roughly how much life insurance you'll need to have in order to ensure that your family, loved ones and your debts are looked after in the event of your death.

5. How long will you need life insurance for? Again, this is often determined by what you would like your life insurance to achieve. You can estimate the timing of your life insurance needs by asking yourself questions like: When will my mortgage be paid off, when will my children be finished school, and when will I retire? Also, there are online tools that after asking a few short questions will analyze your life insurance needs and offer guidance.

6. What type of life insurance do you need? There are two kinds of life insurance: term and permanent. Term life insurance offers protection for a set period of time, usually 10 to 20 years; while permanent insurance provides a lifetime of protection. Term insurance is more affordable than permanent insurance, offering you an opportunity to get a large amount of coverage at a lower cost. Permanent life insurance on the other hand is more expensive than term, as it offers lifetime coverage along with possible savings and investment options. The good news is if you want a permanent-style policy without the savings or investment options, you can go for a Term to 100 policy which offers coverage until age 100.

7. What medical information will you need to provide to obtain your policy? Typically, the more medical information you provide, the better the price. A life insurance policy that asks few or no medical questions will likely be far more expensive then a policy that asks for your medical information. Plus, depending on the insurer, your age, and the amount of coverage you want, you could be asked to provide blood or urine samples. For these, a nurse will visit, at no cost to you.

8. What are the renewal options and requirements of the policy? Most term policies are renewable until you reach the age of 70 or 75. Questions to ask your broker: will I have to take a medical to renew, is the renewal premium guaranteed, and if not how much can I expect my rate to increase at the time of renewal?

9. What are the conversion options and restrictions of the policy? As your life changes, you may want to convert your life insurance from term to permanent. When you purchase your policy, find out if there are any limitations for conversion, like age or into what type of permanent policy you can convert to – the fewer limitations the better.

10. What will the cost be? Well that depends on the individual. The best way to get the cheapest rate is to shop around. Thanks to the Internet, it is fast, free and easy to go to life insurance shopping comparison websites like Canada’s own www.kanetix.ca, to compare rates. By shopping online, you are sure to find the best deal on life insurance from many of Canada’s best-known life insurance carriers.

8 Reasons To Change Your Car Insurance Company

Auto insurance is not a luxury but a necessity. And in order to get the maximum advantage experts recommend that you should shop around for auto insurance every 2-3 years. As policies change and newer players enter the market there are so many new attractive auto insurance schemes that you could benefit from. You should consider changing your auto insurance when:

• You are availing a huge mortgage to buy property and the bank or institution offers you a lower interest rate on home and auto insurance through their tie –ups.

• You have moved to another state where the auto insurance rules are different and you will make a saving by transferring your insurance to a new car insurance company. Or when your old car insurance company does not offer service in your new state.

• You want to cut costs and are trying to run your life on a budget. Shop around online for competitive auto insurance rates and change the car insurance company to one who offers the best deal.

• You have purchased a new car and the dealer is offering free insurance for three years. New cars have lower insurance rates so it is best for you to do a comparative study and find a car insurance company that offers a great deal. Car insurance rates vary greatly between car brands and types; find out which car insurance company offers the maximum coverage for the lowest rate.

• You are getting married and now will have two cars. Think about cancelling your individual car insurance policies and getting a joint one for both cars. Similarly if your family is growing and you have many cars used by adults as well as kids, ask auto insurance companies about group insurance schemes that will cover all the cars and drivers in your home. Most companies offer great discounted rates for combining car insurance policies.

• You are retired and now a senior citizen. Car insurance companies offer discounts to those who are 55 and above. There are a great many discounts available for a car that has a good insurance claim record, a car that is not driven every day, and a car that is single driver driven and well maintained.

• You are eligible for coverage through your new job. Many large companies have facilities like auto insurance schemes at premium rates lower than the market. If you are working in such a firm then you must consider cancelling your old policy and taking a new one with the car insurance company chosen by your workplace.

• When the rates being paid by you are high and your car insurance company shows no inclination to offer you a competitive rate. If you are paying too much for car insurance its time you changed your car insurance company to one that is offering you great facilities and rates.


Whatever the reason to change your car insurance company, the World Wide Web has sites where you can compare offers as well as quotes. Sites like LowerMyBills.com give quote comparisons in a click. So, read all you can about car insurance and the companies and determine which car insurance company offer will suit you best.

A Look at Life Insurance

Every year, billions of dollars is spent on life insurance. In today’s world, families are buying more life insurance that ever before. The demand for insurance has really made the cost for insurance to skyrocket. Since life insurance is needed by almost every family, the demand for life insurance will continue to increase.

Obviously, to some individuals, live insurance is a priority over other insurance like auto insurance, property insurance, etc. But what surprises me most is that the average insurance holder is not aware of how the insurance policy works. Probably, because insurance policies uses terms that are not familiar to the average person who needs insurance.

This not withstanding, millions of people keep on buying insurance. Many are aware of the importance of life insurance. We all need life insurance because of the uncertainty of life. We can not really predict what will happen in the next moment.

The basic truth about life insurance is that it can not insure a person against death but it can protect dependents of a death person against some economic losses resulting from the death of a bread winner in a family. Life insurance will ensure that the dependents of a dead person don’t suffer much loss.

The term life insurance doesn’t warrant that the insurance will cover one for a life time. Life insurance is similar to car insurance. The usual term policy can be five or ten years or more depending on the choice of an individual. If the insured person dies after the term is up, his family gets nothing