My Personal Finance Blog

Did you notice that S&P has threatened to downgrade our credit rating on the international scene. If that does happen and the dollar drops, there’s an inevitable conclusion. Suddenly everything we import is going to be that much more expensive. Our recovery from the recession has been slow enough. If everything imported goes up in price, families will not be able to cope. Worse, if the world thinks the US might default on its debt, the country will have to pay more interest on the money it borrows. That will force the banks to raise the interest rates for us. Mortgages and loans will go up. Of course, this is all a horror story and it will never happen because the Democrats and Republicans will agree on how to cut the deficit. . .

Meanwhile that leaves us struggling to make ends meet and trying to find every possible dollar of saving there is to be found. When it comes to insurance, there’s an interesting balancing act going on. The number of people driving uninsured has been rising steadily. In some states, it’s as high as 20% of drivers on the road. Mainly this is forced by the high rates although some ignore the law anyway. The irony of this is the more drivers without insurance, the more the rest of us have to pay. That’s either directly as premiums or indirectly because we take out additional cover against uninsured or underinsured drivers crashing into us. All this is putting the profits of the insurers under pressure. If they keep increasing the premiums, this is a vicious cycle and more people stop buying. So the insurers are now playing games with us. They increase the premiums and then offer us discounts or bonuses. The idea is to keep as many people as possible paying about the same total.

So you have to play the game and shop around to find all the discounts and then check out whether you qualify. Let’s see how it works. Any driver passing into their 50s is one of the safest on the road – statistics never lie. So insurers could lower the premiums automatically, or offer a loyalty bonus if you renew, or offer discounts. Most offer discounts to “mature” drivers. To qualify you usually have to go through a defensive driving course. The AARP’s website has a locator tool telling you where the nearest course is being run. This can give you up to 10% saving. At the other end of the scale, young and inexperienced drivers also qualify for a discount if they go on a safety course approved by their insurer. To qualify, ask your insurer which courses are accepted in your area.

So when you get the first round of car insurance quotes, check which discounts you have. Then run the search again changing, say, the amount of the deductible. Each time you run the search, change a variable so you can work out what discounts are available and how much they are worth. It costs nothing to run the search. If you have more time, telephone the insurer offering what looks the best car insurance quote and ask about what additional discounts are available. The rule is, if you never ask, you cannot receive. Find out how you qualify to save money.

Doesn’t it feel sometimes that when it comes to auto insurance it’s like playing the game no one tells you how to play it right and where the rules are written without your consent? Well, to ease the situation, here are some auto insurance rules most insurance companies won’t tell you about.

1. If your credit rating is good you will have better rates.

Most of the insurance providers, whether big or small, use credit information to determine the rates you will be charged with. That’s because numerous studies have shown that there’s a direct link between a person’s credit rating and the probability that the very same person would file an insurance claim. Those who have poor credit scores tend to file claims more often than drivers with good credit reports. And we know how insurance companies don’t like insurance claims.

Tip: If your credit report is not that good, don’t haste with buying auto insurance. First, make sure you have settled all your debts and closed unused credit lines. After doing this wait for a month and your rates will be much lower than you would expect.

2. The model of your car affects your premiums.

Insurance companies don’t disclose the exact methods they use to calculate their rates, but your car make and model certainly plays an important part in the equation. All insurance providers have charts on all car models and their respective insurance cost based on theft rates, repair costs and overall safety.

Tip: Try purchasing a car with reasonable repair costs, good safety scores and low theft rates in your area in the first place. This will always give you the chance of having cheap car insurance.

3. Bad driving means higher rates.

Most insurance companies will raise your rates up to 40% of the initial premium you’ve paid if you have a single at fault accident. However, not all companies follow this rule.

Tip: There are insurance providers that have higher tolerance for first-time accident drivers. So when you purchase your cheap auto insurance policy or ask the provider if they have such incentives and what are their rules.

4. If your friend borrows your car and ends up in an accident you will still have to pay higher premiums.

It doesn’t matter who was driving the car if it was with your own consent. It will be you who will file the claim and this will eventually lead to increase in your premiums.

Tip: In case you didn’t give consent on using your vehicle your friend will be liable for the accident. However, if he or she doesn’t have own insurance or the damage resulted exceeds the amount of coverage contained with his or her policy the other party may come to you in order to settle additional medical and repair costs.

5. Official cancellation is required when switching providers.

You are free to cancel your policy any time you feel the need to. All that is required is to inform your current provider in written form.

Tip: After you have searched for cheap auto insurance and chosen another provider you can simply contact your insurance agent and inform him that you want to cancel your current policy from a certain day. In most cases the company will send you a filled out form where only your signature will be required.