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	<title>My Personal Finance Blog</title>
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		<title>What sex is better behind the wheel?</title>
		<link>http://www.diasmuertos.com/what-sex-is-better-behind-the-wheel</link>
		<comments>http://www.diasmuertos.com/what-sex-is-better-behind-the-wheel#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 07 Mar 2010 13:03:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Analysis Reporting System]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Both Sexes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Circumstances]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Driving Experience]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fars]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fatality Analysis Reporting System]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[God]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Independent Experts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[insurance companies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Insurance Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[National Household Travel Survey]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[National Travel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sex]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Traffic Stats]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Traffic Violation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Traffic Violations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wheel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wives And Girlfriends]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Young Boys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Young Girls]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.diasmuertos.com/what-sex-is-better-behind-the-wheel</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Since God knows men were claiming they are much better drivers than women. This doesn&#8217;t mean this statement has to do anything with reality though. There was no debate around this subject but some men actually did take women&#8217;s side on the matter. They confess their wives and girlfriends are driving more carefully on the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Since God knows men were claiming they are much better drivers than women. This doesn&#8217;t mean this statement has to do anything with reality though. There was no debate around this subject but some men actually did take women&#8217;s side on the matter. They confess their wives and girlfriends are driving more carefully on the road.</p>
<p>So let us analyze the situation and try to point out the traffic violation circumstances and both sexes being involved. Who do you think is more likely to end up with a fine &#8211; men or women?</p>
<p>To clear everything up we addressed this question to the independent experts who happens to be an insurance company worker.</p>
<p>&#8220;Men in general have certain driving habits that could lead them to an accident on the road. Nowadays especially, when teens start driving from the early age of 16, young boys try to make a big impression while on the road. They are not careful enough. Young girls protect themselves more. Insurance companies have to be very thoughtful when quoting rates for young people of 16 to 25. They can create problems for everybody.&#8221; &#8211; the insurance company employee says.</p>
<p>There is a database that we actually did check upon the research. This is what it showed &#8211; in 2008 women resulted having no traffic violations against only 64% of men. The official numbers also provided for us also show that if women ever have any traffic violations on their record it is only as many as one or two, while men usually have more than 3.</p>
<p>Traffic STATS were making their own calculations for AAA statistics back in 2007. This is the information they came up with. It is a fact that men have a higher risk of having a fatal income during their road driving experience. According to the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and the National Household Travel Survey the number of men that died on the road is significantly higher than those of women &#8211; 175,094 for men against 82.371 for women.</p>
<p>Traffic STATS also reports that men are generally more willing to provide risk on the road by making deliberate forbidden stunts and creating risky situations for other drivers involved in the situation.</p>
<p>Age really does matter most of the time for everything. When you are young &#8211; you don&#8217;t want to listen. You think you know better than anyone else around you. You want to prove people wrong by doing some things your own way. This is a very bad attitude to have while your roadway trip. Kids at the age of 16 that just got their license are more likely to die during an accident on the road than those men who are over 25. The same is for women. Young girls that are 18-22 have more road accidents than ladies over 25. It is also true that most things come with the experience.</p>
<p>There is also such opinion that men show much aggression while they are in charge on the road. They express it directly while women can express it indirectly if they decide to.</p>
<p>It is important to remember that <a href="http://www.yourautoinsurancesite.com/what-sex-is-better-behind-the-wheel.html">auto insurance</a> is not just a leaf that you can carry around in case you need it one day. Your attitude towards the car is much more important than anything. There is no guarantee that you will end up in an accident but it is better to be protected. Don&#8217;t think men need <a href="http://www.yourautoinsurancesite.com/">auto insurance</a> more than women. Both do!</p>
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		<title>Health insurance companies hike premiums</title>
		<link>http://www.diasmuertos.com/health-insurance-companies-hike-premiums</link>
		<comments>http://www.diasmuertos.com/health-insurance-companies-hike-premiums#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 07 Mar 2010 13:01:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Alarming Trend]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chief Executive Officer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Department Of Health And Human Resources]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Government Secretary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health Insurance Companies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Healthcare Service]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[insurance industry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Insurance Premiums]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leading Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Management Teams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Percentage Increases]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Policyholders]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Political Situation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Premium Rate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rate Increase]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reform Agenda]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Service Professionals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sibelius]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Two States]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wellpoint]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.diasmuertos.com/health-insurance-companies-hike-premiums</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This February, the Department of Health and Human Resources has issued a report identifying an alarming trend for insurance companies to seek premium rate increases. This is not limited to one or two states. This is not limited to one or two percentage increases in the rates. This is all the leading insurance companies asking [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This February, the Department of Health and Human Resources has issued a report identifying an alarming trend for insurance companies to seek premium rate increases. This is not limited to one or two states. This is not limited to one or two percentage increases in the rates. This is all the leading insurance companies asking for the right to significantly higher premiums: in Michigan hikes of 56%, in California hikes of 39%, and so on. If this only affected small numbers of policyholders, it might have passed unnoticed. But, with millions of policyholders affected across the country, these rate increase requests have attracted the full scrutiny of the federal government. Secretary Sibelius has been leading the attack, using the requests to push the reform agenda forward.</p>
<p>Because of the national anger, some companies have paused. WellPoint had proposed the increases take effect from March 1. Any increases, even if approved by the states, will now be delayed until May at the earliest. This decision is partly in response to the summons of WellPoint&#8217;s chief executive officer to Washington to justify the requested increases. Insurance companies find themselves in a difficult political situation. Their management teams accept a duty to maximize profits for the benefit of the stockholders. They look around at an America seriously affected by the recession. Increasing numbers of people are unable to afford the premiums, some because of unemployment, others because of a squeeze on credit. More worrying from the insurance industry is that more healthy people are deciding not to insure at all. This means the group of people left holding policies has a higher percentage of those with existing health problems. Without more healthy people in the group paying premiums and not claiming, it becomes more expensive to insure those less healthy people who remain. It is also a verified fact that hospitals and healthcare service professionals have also been increasing their fees and charges. The pharmaceutical companies have increased the price of almost all the most commonly used drugs. The insurance industry is under pressure from both sides. As Secretary Sibelius points out, however, this is not a completely accurate picture. Every year, insurance companies are required to submit reports to all the US states in which they are licensed to sell policies. This data shows many companies actually increased the number of policyholders during 2009.</p>
<p>The market in <a href="http://www.hiinetwork.com/health-insurance-companies-hike-premiums.html">health insurance</a> plans is complicated by the political situation. Democrats and Republicans are two armies unable to agree a truce long enough for some reform to be made. As it stands, there is no immediate likelihood that medical costs will be controlled. If the costs continue to rise faster than inflation, insurers will have no choice other than increasing their premiums. If they do not, they will not have enough cash in hand to pay out on all the claims. This means, for the average person, it will become increasingly difficult to find cheap health insurance. For those with a pre-existing condition, group <a href="http://www.hiinetwork.com/">health insurance</a> will be the only option but, for those plans, premiums are rising at their fastest rates. For years, it has been obvious that the healthcare industry is broken. It would be ironic if, having come this close to some meaningful reforms, we not only saw the reform bills lost in Washington, but also found every major insurer imposing massive premium increases. That really would be the final nail in the coffin.</p>
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		<title>Post-accident to-do list</title>
		<link>http://www.diasmuertos.com/post-accident-to-do-list</link>
		<comments>http://www.diasmuertos.com/post-accident-to-do-list#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 05 Mar 2010 11:04:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Accidents]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Advices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Company Person]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Conversations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Deep Breath]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Different Point Of View]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Honesty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Insurance Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Losses]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Medical Assistance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Opportunity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[People]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Point Of View]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Policeman]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Policemen]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Time Of Your Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Weather Conditions]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.diasmuertos.com/post-accident-to-do-list</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The weather conditions should not affect anything. Of course, it is clear to everybody that in winter accidents are more frequent, but you also have to remember that avoiding an accident is much more valuable than knowing how to recover from it. But in case you did end up in an accident please know what [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The weather conditions should not affect anything. Of course, it is clear to everybody that in winter accidents are more frequent, but you also have to remember that avoiding an accident is much more valuable than knowing how to recover from it. But in case you did end up in an accident please know what to do. Let us try to explain everything you will require to understand while finding yourself a victim on the road. Here are a few very strong advices that will definitely help you to get through a difficult time of your life.</p>
<p>We would want you to read these points carefully and if you have an opportunity to print the information given below please do and make sure you keep it not to far away.</p>
<p>First of all it is important to take a deep breath and not to panic. Analyze the situation and determine the equivalent of losses. The damage can be significant or slightly important. In any case you have to consider that it is easy to make the situation even worse than it is. In any case, what you must know is that sometimes medical assistance is what you need to think of in the first place. Smallest details count.</p>
<p>You have to know to report police about any accidents you find yourself in. It has to be legal so there is a way to deal with the situation. Do not try to escape from the scene or arrange anything without police knowing about it. This will get you into more trouble. Police will make a full report of everything that happen and conclude with the verdict.</p>
<p>Do not let anybody get you blinded. Talk only with policemen about the accident. We know sometimes it is difficult to keep it quiet about what happened but take a look at it from a different point of view. While in panic people let themselves go, not realizing what it can get themselves into. Limit all of the conversations about the accident on the road and do not confess anything. The only two people that should know all honesty are the policeman and insurance company person.</p>
<p>Remember to make notes. People are so shocked and nervous after the accident that they forget the most important part &#8211; to write down names, addresses, phone contacts of those who were involved in the car accident with them. But you have to ask your insurance company&#8217;s advice while you are waiting for police to arrive. The insurance company guy will definitely tell you to recollect the name of the insurance company the others are dealing with plus their car&#8217;s identification number.</p>
<p>You should call your insurance company or your insurance agent as soon as you found yourself in the accident. He must know it before anybody. Please inform him about the smallest details and don&#8217;t be afraid to speak the truth even if you were the one responsible for the accident.</p>
<p>You ca also find some <a href="http://www.findcarinsurancequotes.net/">car insurance quotes</a> on different websites and read them before you hit the road. We don&#8217;t mean you have to do it everyday but it is always good to know how to help ay case when it occurs. You can also get <a href="http://www.findcarinsurancequotes.net/post-accident-to-do-list.html">car insurance quotes</a> from the insurance company itself if you have chosen one already. Good luck and be safe!</p>
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		<title>How to insure  your pet</title>
		<link>http://www.diasmuertos.com/how-to-insure-your-pet</link>
		<comments>http://www.diasmuertos.com/how-to-insure-your-pet#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 04 Mar 2010 20:06:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Assets]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Canine Breeds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Different Companies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discrimination]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dog Owners]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family Member]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Guidance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[High Risk]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Home Insurance Companies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Insurance Premium]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Insurer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Liability Coverage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Quotes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Risk Level]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Dogs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Temperament]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.diasmuertos.com/how-to-insure-your-pet</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Depending on the breed of your dog, you may either not qualify to receive insurance from certain companies or you may face a significantly higher home insurance premium. Many insurers believe certain types of dog to be dangerous and therefore high-risk. So although dog owners consider their pet to be as much as family-member as [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Depending on the breed of your dog, you may either not qualify to receive insurance from certain companies or you may face a significantly higher home insurance premium. Many insurers believe certain types of dog to be dangerous and therefore high-risk. So although dog owners consider their pet to be as much as family-member as anybody else, they must also be considered expensive assets in terms of homeowner insurance.</p>
<p>There is a debate raging between dog owners, organizations and home insurance companies around the topic of breed discrimination. As the temperament of dogs can vary greatly even within a breed, it is controversial to consider any one breed more high-risk than another. Never-the-less, dog owners should be aware of whether their particular breed is deemed dangerous by their insurer so they can estimate their liability coverage and the price of their quotes.</p>
<p>The factors and criteria by which homeowner insurance companies determine how dangerous different canine breeds are can vary between companies. Dog owners should be well aware of how dangerous their pet is deemed to be before taking out or renewing their cover.</p>
<p>Because of the varying criteria used by different companies to determine the risk-level of each breed, dog owners should research and compare home insurance extensively before settling for a policy. They should also speak to an agent for guidance but shouldn&#8217;t be surprised if the agent refuses to offer any cover at all or if he/she does, it is at a high rate.</p>
<p>The size of the dog is a key factor in how dogs are evaluated for home insurance. Small dogs are less likely to be a problem as they might be less likely to bite. Larger dogs, however, will always be evaluated by how violent they are, could be or the harm they are capable of inflicting.</p>
<p>The bite is another key factor is determining the risk level. Breeds with a history of inflicting frequent bites to humans are inevitably going to cost more to insure than those without. Unfortunately, the dog owner has to pay the price, fairly or unfairly, for the history of the breed of his dog. However, according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, 4.5 million Americans suffer dog bites every year so it is an important factor that must be carefully considered.</p>
<p>Reputation of the breed is also a key factor. Insurance companies collect reports involving dogs made by authorities such as the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention and use them to judge the risk level of the breed and how dangerous it is to its owner.</p>
<p><strong>Highest risk Canine Breeds according to Homeowner insurers</strong></p>
<p>The following breeds are considered as the most high-risk and those homeowners should avoid:</p>
<ul>
<li>Akita</li>
<li>Alaskan Malamute</li>
<li>Chow Chow</li>
<li>Doberman Pinscher</li>
<li>German Shepherd</li>
<li>Pit Bull</li>
<li>Presa Canario</li>
<li>Rottweiler</li>
<li>Siberian Husky</li>
<li>Staffordshire Bull Terrier</li>
<li>Wolf hybrid</li>
</ul>
<p>Dog owners with any of the above breeds can expect to pay a high <a href="http://www.gethomeownersinsurance.info/">homeowners insurance</a> premium. In some cases, dog owners can consider themselves lucky even to find a <a href="http://www.gethomeownersinsurance.info/insure-your-pet.html">homeowners insurance</a> provider willing to insure them and their beloved pet.</p>
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		<title>Used Car Dealers</title>
		<link>http://www.diasmuertos.com/used-car-dealers</link>
		<comments>http://www.diasmuertos.com/used-car-dealers#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:59:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Info]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Automobile]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bmw]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bmw Car]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Buy Cars]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Buy Ford]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Car Dealers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cars Dealership]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ford]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ford Cars]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mini Cars]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vauxhall]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Volkswagen]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Volkswagen Cars]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Warranty]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Let’s say you’ve decided you’re going to purchase an automobile. You want to do this through used cars dealership because you highly value the warranty that comes with a vehicle bought at such a place. Firstly you have to look for a used car dealers, the perfect one. Then you have to decide what kind [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Let’s say you’ve decided you’re going to purchase an automobile. You want to do this through <a href="http://www.buyyourcar.co.uk/used-car.aspx">used cars</a> dealership because you highly value the warranty that comes with a vehicle bought at such a place. Firstly you have to look for a used car dealers, the perfect one. Then you have to decide what kind of cars you want to buy, like <a href="http://www.buyyourcar.co.uk/used-car/ford.aspx">used ford cars</a>, <a href="http://www.buyyourcar.co.uk/used-car/mini.aspx">used mini</a> cars, <a href="http://www.buyyourcar.co.uk/used-car/volkswagen.aspx">used volkswagen cars</a>, <a href="http://www.buyyourcar.co.uk/used-car/vauxhall.aspx">used vauxhall</a>, and <a href="http://www.buyyourcar.co.uk/used-car/bmw.aspx">used bmw car</a> . Then you must check your used <a href="http://www.buyyourcar.co.uk">cars</a> from the dealer for the safety.</p>
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		<title>What do insurance companies do with the car insurance rates?</title>
		<link>http://www.diasmuertos.com/what-do-insurance-companies-do-with-the-car-insurance-rates</link>
		<comments>http://www.diasmuertos.com/what-do-insurance-companies-do-with-the-car-insurance-rates#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 25 Feb 2010 15:34:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Car Insurance Rates]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Climate Change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Continuum Health Partners]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Drugs Industry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Food On The Table]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Healthcare Service]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hospital Groups]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[insurance companies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Insurance Policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Local Weather]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mail Boxes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Medical Expenses]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Recession]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Serious Money]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Service Suppliers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[traffic accident]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Traffic Accidents]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[United Healthcare]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Weather Patterns]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Winter Ice]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[2009 turns into 2010, the winter ice and snow has been particularly hard this year. It even affected Florida which shows how climate change is related to local weather patterns. Needless to say, the number of traffic accidents has been at an all-time high. No-one is ever ready for ice on the roads. Yet, all [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>2009 turns into 2010, the winter ice and snow has been particularly hard this year. It even affected Florida which shows how climate change is related to local weather patterns. Needless to say, the number of traffic accidents has been at an all-time high. No-one is ever ready for ice on the roads. Yet, all round the country, ice is coming through the mail boxes. The insurance companies are sending out notices chilling our desire to drive &#8211; premium rates are being hiked. And this time, it&#8217;s not just a few percent. In most states, it&#8217;s averaging at around 10%. So we are not talking peanuts. This is serious money while the US is in recession and millions of people are out of work. What&#8217;s the result? If it comes down to a choice between food on the table and an insurance policy, food wins every time. Everyone has to eat and everyone needs a vehicle &#8211; even in the bigger cities, public transport is a joke. So, when push comes to shove, more people will drive uninsured. That&#8217;s bad news for the rest of us. Our premiums will rise with fewer policy holders sharing the rising costs of claims. If only the insurers would hold the premiums steady, more people could pay, and rates would stay lower for longer. If only&#8230;</p>
<p>So why are insurance companies hiking the rates? There are two common issues. The first is the broken healthcare service. Whenever there&#8217;s a more serious traffic accident, most people go to hospital. The obvious injuries are treated. Bodies are examined to ensure there are no other injuries. Except, the moment anyone steps through the door of a hospital or clinic, the medical expenses meter starts to run. Despite the recession, the drugs industry and healthcare service suppliers have been increasing their prices. There have been some high-profile disputes between insurers and hospital groups in CA and CO. The current fight is between the Continuum Health Partners of New York and United Healthcare. The hospitals have agreed pay increases with the labor unions, new technology is expensive to instal and operate. They want more money. The insurer is looking for a reduction in charges of between 7 and 10%. It&#8217;s sad to admit but, in this fight, the insurers are actually protecting us policy holders.</p>
<p>The second problem is equally easy to explain. When we claim, the insurer should have the money to pay. This money comes from cash reserves and all the different state Insurance Departments monitor the amounts held to ensure there&#8217;s always sufficient set aside. It&#8217;s standard for insurers to hold this money on investment so, when the recession came, they were slow to move out of stocks and bonds, and all the larger insurers lost a slice of their capital. Commissioners are offering their local insurers a choice. Either reduce the number of people holding policies or add more to your cash reserves. This forces companies to raise premiums and so, sadly, it&#8217;s getting more difficult to find affordable auto insurance. Even with the use of this site&#8217;s excellent search engine, it&#8217;s difficult to find policies with lower rates. When you get the multiple <a href="http://www.getautoinsurancerates.net/">auto insurance quotes</a>, check through to find those with lower premiums. For good terms, look at the discounts available from these companies. Think about accepting a higher deductible. Using the <a href="http://www.getautoinsurancerates.net/articles/hiking.html">auto insurance quotes</a> as a starting point, negotiate directly with the insurers. Affordable policies are out there. You just have to work harder to find them.</p>
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		<title>Some auto insurance companies blame fraud for premium increases</title>
		<link>http://www.diasmuertos.com/some-auto-insurance-companies-blame-fraud-for-premium-increases</link>
		<comments>http://www.diasmuertos.com/some-auto-insurance-companies-blame-fraud-for-premium-increases#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:07:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Actuaries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Auto Fraud]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Auto Insurance Companies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Capital Reserves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fbi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Frauds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Guesswork]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Household Budgets]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Insurance Fraud]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jail Terms]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Law Enforcement Agencies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[medical evidence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Medical Expenses]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Money Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Recession]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Santa Clara County]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Santa Clara County California]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sting Operations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Traffic Accidents]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Undercover Sting]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.diasmuertos.com/some-auto-insurance-companies-blame-fraud-for-premium-increases</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Let&#8217;s start off with a simple explanation of why fraud costs us all money. Insurance companies employ people called actuaries. They spend their time calculating how many traffic accidents there are likely to be and predicting how much all the claims will be worth in a year. That total is divided among all the policy [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Let&#8217;s start off with a simple explanation of why fraud costs us all money. Insurance companies employ people called actuaries. They spend their time calculating how many traffic accidents there are likely to be and predicting how much all the claims will be worth in a year. That total is divided among all the policy holders as the premium. It&#8217;s all guesswork but they are good guessers. Except that, when thousands of people make false claims, the insurers suddenly find themselves short of money to pay out. What is the result we see? Premium rates go up for all.</p>
<p>How bad is the problem? In New York, the number of suspected cases of fraud has risen by one-third from 2007 through 2009. Across the state, the insurers identified 13,433 probable cases of fraud in 2009 alone. To pay for this, the premium rates rose by an average of 6.3% in 2009. The most common frauds are staging an accident to claim medical expenses. This has caused the average value of each claim to rise to more than double the national average. That&#8217;s millions of dollars paid out and millions of dollars that have to replaced in the capital reserves. This problem is not, of course, unique to New York. It has become a well-recognized way of raising cash as the recession has deepened. So, if people find their household budgets under pressure, they can report their vehicle stolen or become the victim in a phantom hit-and-run.</p>
<p>Ah, but you are saying all this needs support from attorneys and physicians prepared to push claims knowing or suspecting their clients are faking or exaggerating. Well, let&#8217;s keep this real. The FBI and local law enforcement agencies regularly run undercover sting operations to catch the fraudulent. In Philadelphia, for example, a recent operation resulted in long jail terms for an attorney and thirty-four individuals falsely claiming millions based on fake medical evidence. In Santa Clara County, California, the police recently prosecuted more than twenty body shops for supplying false estimates to insurance companies. An undercover officer driving an undamaged Honda Civic explained he had reported the vehicle vandalized to pay for a new paint job. The body shops supplied an estimate under $3,000 &#8211; insurance companies do not inspect damage for &#8220;small&#8221; claims.</p>
<p>The truth is there&#8217;s an epidemic of fraud and it&#8217;s not only established criminals or those on the fringe of legality like street racers. But, sadly, it&#8217;s also becoming a mom-and-pop crime. Why? Because the cost of investigating every claim as possible fraud is too expensive for the insurers. It&#8217;s cheaper to pay out all the smaller claims and absorb the losses. This is one of the main reasons why it&#8217;s getting harder to find <a href="http://www.car-insurance-4u.com/">cheap auto insurance</a>. The volume of fraud is driving up the premium rates for everyone. But there&#8217;s a secondary problem. Outside California, insurance companies still use zip codes in setting rates. Where the levels of fraud are high in some areas, the rates reflect this. So, those who live in the Bronx and Brooklyn pay more than other parts of New York because there are more fake claims. This does not mean it&#8217;s impossible to find <a href="http://www.car-insurance-4u.com/articles/premium-increases.html">cheap car insurance</a>. You just have to work harder, using a site like this, to identify those insurance companies offering good discounts. As another self-help step, you could report all those you know are making false claims. If the police and FBI cannot stem the flood of fraud, it&#8217;s up to every law-abiding citizen to step up to the plate. The result will be lower premiums for all.</p>
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		<title>Which is better: term or permanent life insurance?</title>
		<link>http://www.diasmuertos.com/which-is-better-term-or-permanent-life-insurance</link>
		<comments>http://www.diasmuertos.com/which-is-better-term-or-permanent-life-insurance#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:00:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Borrowings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Buying A Home]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cheap Option]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dependents]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Economic Hardship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Emer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial Decision]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial Hardship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Higher Each Time]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Insurance Premiums]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Interest Dividends]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Returns]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life Expectancy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Permanent Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Permanent Life Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rate Of Return]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sad Day]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sentences]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Term Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Term Life Insurance]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.diasmuertos.com/which-is-better-term-or-permanent-life-insurance</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The biggest financial decision you are likely to make is buying a home, closely followed by less expensive must-haves like a vehicle. But the one deal you should aim to get right is the decision on life insurance. This is the difference between leaving your dependents with an adequate amount of cash to see them [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The biggest financial decision you are likely to make is buying a home, closely followed by less expensive must-haves like a vehicle. But the one deal you should aim to get right is the decision on life insurance. This is the difference between leaving your dependents with an adequate amount of cash to see them through the times of economic hardship after your income is lost, and leaving them with nothing. In this, the decision on term as against permanent insurance is the key. Put the wrong key in the lock and you open a door into real financial hardship. So what&#8217;s wrong with term insurance? Think of this as like a bet. If you die within the term, your dependents are the winners. If you prove healthy and live too long, you lose the premiums you paid and your dependents get nothing. Now, when it comes to permanent insurance, this builds up a cash value. The longer you have the policy in place, the more valuable it comes as the premiums you pay attract investment returns. During your own life, you can take some of this money back or borrow using the fund as collateral. When the sad day finally comes, the benefits are paid out to your dependents less whatever drawings or borrowings you have made.</p>
<p>From these short sentences, you will immediately suspect the other difference between the products. Term life insurance is the cheap option. It gives you security in the amount of the benefits for the number of years you select. If you buy one term policy after another, the premiums are higher each time because your life expectancy is less on each renewal. Permanent insurance premiums are higher because a percentage of what you pay is invested on your behalf to generate the cash value. So your fund receives the benefit of the interest, dividends and other returns the investments generate. This makes the total of the cash value the key factor. Do you want a higher rate of return on the premiums? This can be for your own benefit should there be an emergency during your life. Or it can build up over the years for your dependents. If the answer is yes, you must be prepared to pay more to start off the policy &#8211; the first year&#8217;s premiums often disappear into a black hole representing set-up costs and the selling agent&#8217;s commission. But the amount you pay stays the same throughout the lifetime of the policy. So, with inflation, what starts out a struggle slowly grows easier to pay.</p>
<p>The real problem is the uncertainty of the future. Who knows how inflation may affect different aspects of life. What may be cheap now, may be expensive tomorrow and vice versa. So here are a few simple rules. If all you want is cover over the next few years (no more than ten), get <a href="http://www.lifeinsuranceweb.net/">life insurance quotes</a> for a term policy. Ten years is not a long enough period of time to build up a worthwhile cash value. Estimate what benefits might be needed, e.g. your daughter will need $50,000 to cover her college tuition fees, and the total will set the amount of the insurance. If you are looking at a period of at least twenty years, you should think seriously about permanent insurance. Again, get <a href="http://www.lifeinsuranceweb.net/articles/term-or-permanent-insurance.html">life insurance quotes</a> but you should also take advice on the different types of policy available and create or review your estate plan. Between ten and twenty years is a gray area and whichever way you decide is not going to be wrong.</p>
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		<title>Homeowners insurance: when not to claim</title>
		<link>http://www.diasmuertos.com/homeowners-insurance-when-not-to-claim</link>
		<comments>http://www.diasmuertos.com/homeowners-insurance-when-not-to-claim#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:43:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Clue]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Element]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Estimates From Local Contractors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Homeowners Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Insurance Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Insurance Policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Insurer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Losses]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[National Database]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Injuries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Roof Tiles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seven Years]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sidewalk]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Silence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Step At A Time]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Third Party Liability]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Time Limit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Timely Basis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vandalism]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.diasmuertos.com/homeowners-insurance-when-not-to-claim</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This might sound strange to you if you have spent the money on putting an insurance policy in place, but there are times when you should consider not making a claim. It really can protect you from greater losses if your premium rates suddenly rocket up or, worse, the insurance company decides it would prefer [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This might sound strange to you if you have spent the money on putting an insurance policy in place, but there are times when you should consider not making a claim. It really can protect you from greater losses if your premium rates suddenly rocket up or, worse, the insurance company decides it would prefer you to take your business elsewhere. So let&#8217;s take it one step at a time. Almost every policy imposes a duty on homeowners to make claims either within a set time or a &#8220;reasonable&#8221; time.</p>
<p>If you miss out on a time limit, you have no right to claim. When is a claim made on a &#8220;timely&#8221; basis? You will be expected to notify the insurer of a theft or vandalism within days. Reports of serious damage will be expected within two weeks and certainly never longer than 30 days. This can put you under pressure if the policy requires you to get estimates from local contractors, but no-one ever said a policy was going to be worded in your favor. So, if you have reliable estimates of the amount lost and/or costs of repair, now comes the big decision.</p>
<p>As a general rule, you should only make claims if the amount is greater than the deductible. If you are going to pay out of your own pocket in any event, silence will benefit you in most cases. However, be careful if there is a third party liability element involved. Suppose the wind lifts two or three roof tiles and one blows down into the street, hitting someone on the sidewalk. The cost of repairing the roof may be small but the risk of a major claim for personal injuries cannot be ignored. Always make a claim when you cannot put numbers on a possible third party claim. Now comes the difficult part. Every time you make a claim, it&#8217;s recorded in a national database called the Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange.</p>
<p>If you make multiple smaller claims, or one or two large claims, this will stay in CLUE for seven years and may deter other insurers from writing a policy for you or encourage them only to quote high premiums. You should therefore consider absorbing losses up to $3,000. You may be lucky &#8211; the insurer pays your claim in full and does not raise the premiums. But suppose you have a deductible of $1,000 and the insurer raises your premium for $500 for the next two years. You never know the real costs of the claim until after the event but setting a higher minimum amount for a claim gives you a margin of safety. You should at least break even on the smaller claims.</p>
<p>Dealing with claims shows the <a href="http://www.gethomeownersinsurance.net/shopping-around.html">homeowners insurance</a> companies at their best or worst. The best pay and do not try to recover their losses by increasing your premium. The worst immediately deny your claim and fight you on technicalities. Never forget every state has a Department of Insurance to deal with complaints against insurance companies. If you think your company is unreasonably denying your claim, make a complaint. There are also attorneys who specialize in insurance matters and, if the claim is for a big amount, it may be worth getting formal legal advice on your rights. <a href="http://www.gethomeownersinsurance.net/">Homeowners insurance</a> is not &#8220;cheap&#8221; and you are entitled to fight to recover the costs of repairing or replacing your home so long as the damage falls within the defined perils.</p>
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		<title>What is the deductible?</title>
		<link>http://www.diasmuertos.com/what-is-the-deductible</link>
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		<pubDate>Sun, 21 Feb 2010 14:34:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Accidents]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cash Sum]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Credit Card]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fender]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Imagine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[insurance companies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Insurance Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Insurer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Losses]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lump Sum]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Money]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Parkinson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Smooth Voice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[traffic accident]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.diasmuertos.com/what-is-the-deductible</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This is the word you see most often when insurance companies talk about the best way to get a reduction in your premium rates. All you have to do, the smooth voice says, is increase the deductible and we&#8217;ll give you a 10% discount. And, it&#8217;s a fact. It sounds like a good deal. So [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This is the word you see most often when insurance companies talk about the best way to get a reduction in your premium rates. All you have to do, the smooth voice says, is increase the deductible and we&#8217;ll give you a 10% discount. And, it&#8217;s a fact. It sounds like a good deal. So why are insurance companies so keen for you to increase the deductible? The answer could not be more simple. Whatever deductible you sign up for is the amount you pay if you are involved in a traffic accident or incur a liability of some kind connected with your ownership of a vehicle. That means you pay and not the insurance company. For insurer this is a cool idea. You insure yourself. All the premium pays for is cover in case your losses amount to more than the deductible. This is really great. The insurer collects a premium and you pay the first however many dollars of the claim. Since the majority of claims are for small amounts &#8211; fender benders rarely cost that much to repair &#8211; the insurer is on a winner. In fact, the bigger the deductible you sign up to accept, the better off the insurance company is. OK, the company does give you a discount, but it&#8217;s rarely an adequate amount.</p>
<p>Let&#8217;s see how it works out. Suppose you opt to pay the first $1,000 of every claim and the insurer gives you a 10% discount, are your savings $83 a month? If they are and you are unlucky enough to have an accident at the end of the year, you will have broken even. Your $1,000 in savings just got paid out as a lump sum at the end of the year. Except, of course, there&#8217;s a Parkinson&#8217;s Law of money in operation &#8211; spending wipes out money available. In other words, we usually spend what we have. This leaves you without savings and so that cash sum has to go on your credit card with interest until you can pay it off. In reality, most people end up out of pocket if they have to pay the deductible on one accident. Now imagine the case if your luck is really bad and you have two accidents in the same year. Do you really have $2,000 lying around on the off chance of two insurance claims?</p>
<p>Now before we get all depressed, there are a range of other ways in which you can save money on your premiums without increasing the deductible. Use the online search engine on this site to get <a href="http://www.getautoinsurancerates.net/online-quotes.html">auto insurance quotes</a> from as many companies as possible. Explore the different options. If you have the cash or can borrow, think about changing to a make and model of car that&#8217;s cheaper to insure. If there&#8217;s no chance of trading to a less expensive vehicle, look at the options of driving less, building up a driving record with no moving traffic violations and no claims, bundling your home insurance with the same company, and so on. All the companies offer different discounts and savings. By getting multiple <a href="http://www.getautoinsurancerates.net/">auto insurance quotes</a>, you can judge which discounts will give you the best overall savings. You should only increase the deductible if you can genuinely afford to pay out that initial sum and you are feeling lucky. If there are no other discounts or savings, and you are desperate, then playing with the deductible will reduce your premium. Once committed, it&#8217;s all down to the power of prayer to keep you financially safe.</p>
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