My Personal Finance Blog

It’s clear that insuring your home is a must if you are worried about your house and want to protect your property against different situations. Getting your home insured gives you some peace of mind and certainty that is particularly welcome in situations like fires, storms, floods, theft and other unpleasant accidents. However, most insurance buyers don’t quite know what exactly their policy covers, how much coverage they can expect and how to cut their insurance costs if they feel that the policy is too expensive for their wallet.

How much insurance coverage do I really need?

There are two main factors you have to consider when trying to answer this question:

• Replacement costs of your house. This is the amount of money you would need to restore or rebuild your house if it were damaged or destroyed. The best way to learn this is to multiply your square footage over the current local construction costs. Try asking different construction companies to determine the latter.
• Replacement costs of your property. The most effective way to learn the exact replacement costs of your belongings is to make an inventory of all the items in your house with the exact purchase value of each item. This inventory will be particularly useful when filing a claim, so try to make it as accurate and detailed as possible.

What does homeowners insurance cover?

A standard homeowners insurance policy carries coverage against damage delivered in situations like:

• Hail and windstorms
• Explosions
• Firestorms and lightning strikes
• Burglary and acts of vandalism
• Smoke and plumbing leaks

The policy will also pay for the medical costs if someone other than you or your family member is injured on your territory. And it will cover your living expenses if you have to move to another place while your house is being repaired or rebuilt.

Homeowners insurance may provide coverage against other perils such as floods or tornadoes, but you will have to buy a separate policy in order to get this type of coverage for your house.

How to economize on home insurance?

There are different methods you can use in order to cut down your costs:

• Improve your credit rating and try to keep the record as clean as possible. Those who have poor credit scores pay higher premiums for all types of insurance and homeowners insurance is no exception.
• Opt for discounts. It never hurts to ask your insurance provider about discounts, but it may turn out that they are quite easy to obtain. Most insurance companies provide incentives to those who install security features, fire and smoke alarms, or improve the safety of their houses.
• Raise your deductibles to the amount you can afford to pay upfront. Deductible is the amount of money you have to pay out of pocket before insurance coverage kicks in. The higher the amount of deductible the lower is your premiums. However, make sure you can afford to pay the specified deductible if something happens to your house.
• Shop around to get a competitive offer. Insurance rates for the same house can vary dramatically from one company to another. Try to get as any quotes from different providers as possible before purchasing the actual policy. You will be surprised to learn how different the rates may be sometimes.

You want to insure your health and ask your insurance agent to offer you a good policy. You are given quotes and start thinking about buying a certain plan when the inevitable question is asked “What type of plan do you want to purchase?” This question has left many first-time insurance shoppers confused as they didn’t know about any plan types before. Too bad, because by choosing the type of insurance plan you will pay for determines how your coverage will be distributed as well as how your medical services will be provided. And as you may guess this is crucial when it comes to insuring own health.

But do not worry, this article will explain the essence behind each coverage plan type you can get in the US so the next time you will be asked the question of plan types you would choose the perfect plan to meet your requirements.

HMO (Health Maintenance Organization)

HMO plans are the most popular type of managed care distribution these days. They provide a wide spectrum of healthcare services you can receive for a reduced fee or free of charge. But the main catch is that you can receive them only at specific locations and from specific professionals. And you will have to choose a primary care physician (PCP) who will refer you to other professionals when needed. Without your PCP’s affiliations you won’t be able to receive coverage for the services you took. Neither will you be covered for the costs if you address someone outside the network.

PPO (Preferred Provider Organization)

PPO insurance coverage is quite alike to HMO. This type of managed care also requires you to choose a PCP, however you have more options when choosing this doctor. This is especially useful to those who have a good relation with their family doctors who might be outside the insurance company’s network. Moreover, you have fewer restrictions on out-of-network services, still you will eventually pay more for them if compared to in-network services.

POS (Point of Service)

POS health insurance plans also require you to choose a primary car physician. But you aren’t restricted to a network your insurance company has. Still, it will be impossible for you to get individual health insurance coverage if you don’t get a referral from your PCP before visiting any other doctor.

EPO (Exclusive Provider Organization)

EPO health insurance coverage is almost the same as HMO plans. There’s a PCP you have to get a referral from in order to visit a specialist and there’s a network of physicians and facilities you are limited to. The only difference is that you pay only for the services you received, while with HMO plans you have to pay a regular monthly fee.

Fee-for-Service

This type of insurance coverage is the oldest out there and least complicated to understand. You have no restrictions on where to get your care or whom to address. You only pay for the services you receive when needed. However, you get less coverage with such plans and your overall expenses tend to be higher than with managed care plans.

Term insurance: simple and affordable

When it comes to comparing different types of insurance policies for covering your life term insurance policies turn out to be the most simple and inexpensive. If your insurance needs don’t require sustaining a policy for your entire life, you may find it very appealing to get a term policy especially with the price tag being times smaller than of continuous policies.

Why term policies are the cheapest option for life coverage?

Term insurance policies will cover you only for a specific period of time. They also usually have pre-set premiums and fixed amounts of benefits to receive. Term policies can last from one to 30 years, but the most popular options are 10 and 20 year term policies. The vast majority of these policies cannot be renewed and the chances for the insurance company to pay out death benefits on term coverage policy are minimal. In fact, only about 1% of all term insurance policies actually give out a death benefit to their clients. That’s why the insurance company can place a significantly lower price tag on such a product.

Why taking term insurance coverage?

Term insurance policies are aimed at covering certain types of debts in case the policyholder is disabled or dies. Some debts that term insurance coverage may pay for include:

• Consumer credits
• Mortgage loans
• College education for children
• Funeral expenses

That’s why people who get 30-year mortgage deals are looking for 30-ear term life insurance policies. The most widespread options in terms of policy duration are those of 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 years. Short-term policies are also available but they are rarely purchased.

Types of term insurance policies

Decreasing term insurance policies, also referred to as mortgage insurance policies, have a fixed premium over the entire term, however the death benefit is constantly decreasing with the time passing, being often connected to your mortgage debt. And as you pay out your mortgage, your insurance amount is decreased respectively. Insurance experts are not very enthusiastic about this type of policies although it’s a cheap life insurance option. But keeping in mind the low percentage of death benefit payout there’s not much sense in having such a policy.

Other types of term life coverage include:

• Burial insurance: such small insurance are aimed only for covering funeral costs.
• Group term insurance coverage: suitable for enterprises as it is designed to cover more people than standard policies.
• Specified age term insurance: such policies provide coverage only until the policyholder reaches a specified age.
• Return of premium: such policies will reimburse a part or all the premiums you have paid during the term if a claim is not filed. However, the premiums with such policies are usually higher.

Although, term life coverage is a relatively inexpensive compared to other types of insurance, your policy can still cost you much in premiums if you don’t take some time and shop around for a good policy. There are numerous insurance companies providing term insurance policies, and the rates can differ significantly for the same type and amount of coverage. That’s why it really pays off shopping around and getting as much life insurance quotes as you can, in order to find the perfect term insurance policy to purchase. Be smart, and don’t get the first policy you are offered with as there may be numerous offers way better than that.

In case you are caught being drunk behind the wheel your insurance rates will increase and you will most probably learn about a thing known as SR-22 to many. And it doesn’t matter what it’s called in your state – driving while being under influence or intoxicated – the result is the same. Your insurance rates rise dramatically even before you can actually drive a vehicle again.

The laws are different

Different states have different penalties regarding drunk driving, but in all states you will be denied of the right to drive for a period of time (starting with 30 days to 12 months). And in order to get your license back and drive again most states require you to present SR-22 form proving availability of necessary auto coverage. Such form can be presented by the insurance company unless your policy is lapsed, canceled or terminated.

Premiums will rocket sky-high

When time comes for taking the SR-22 form from your insurance company, the company will automatically put you in the “high-risk driver” category, which eventually means that your rates will go up. And by “go up” we mean double or even triple according to state you’re registered in. Of course, you can shop around as there are insurance companies with “high-risk” specialty.

SR-22 policies are not that accessible

Certain companies do not provide SR-22 insurance coverage, and if you’ll require one from them after being convicted in drunk driving, they are likely to cancel your policy. It will require you to address a company that provides SR-22, however your premiums will still be higher because you will already have a history of policy cancellation. However in some states, insurance companies have no right to cancel your policy before its term expires. So check your local laws to know better.

How long will it last?

This also depends on the state you live in, but the usual picture is that you will have to pay higher premiums for at least three years after being convicted. And if you’re caught driving under the influence again there will be more serious penalties.

It also depends on the condition you’ve been in while driving. In most states there are stronger penalties for increased alcohol blood levels, passengers (especially kids) in the car, damage to property or injury to people done and other factors involved.

How to avoid increased rates?

The most drastic measure to keep your auto insurance rates low is not driving at all after being convicted in drunk driving. Even if you were driving a car you don’t own you will still have to present a SR-22 form in order to restore your driver’s license.

Of course, there’s still the most effective way of keeping your auto insurance as it was. Simply don’t drive while being drunk, intoxicated, under the influence or any other altered state of mind. It will not only save you auto insurance but will save your and someone else’s life. If you’re messed up, call a taxi or ask your sober friend to drive. It’s not that hard, isn’t it?

One of the things we value is certainty and predictability. It would be good if everything stayed the same so that, once we have put everything in place, we could just lie back and let life pass us by. Unfortunately, life has a nasty habit of waking us up. If we are lucky, the plans we laid cover the emergency. If not, it’s a case of picking up the pieces, working through the problems and putting new plans in place for the next time. But then there are the problems that creep up on us without any fanfares to announce their arrival. One morning we wake up and, when we look around, we find things are not the same. Welcome to the phenomenon of inflation. This is where the prices of goods and services slowly rise over time. The purchasing power of our weekly or monthly paycheck drops. With some persuasion, our employers reluctantly increase the pay and make up the difference. The result is a steady erosion in the value of the dollar. What was a good sum twenty years ago becomes a pittance today. This represents a subtle threat. Unless you actually think about the adequacy of your insurance coverage, you just drift on paying the instalments. If the worst happens, your dependents then find out there is enough to cover the cost of the funeral and pay the family outgoings only for a month or so.

In a recent survey of financial preparedness, the answers show that about 60% of all adult Americans have coverage representing less than three times their net annual income. In many cases, this amount would not be enough to clear off the outstanding mortgage on the family home let alone provide a lump sum to tide people over until the loss of income can be recovered. But the detail of financial planning is about more than a simple formula. Some industry professionals recommend coverage representing not less than six or seven times the net annual income. But it’s always better to start with the estimated level of debts. We start with the mortgage and any other loans secured on the family home. Although these amounts should slowly fall during your lifetime, many people actually maintain or increase the amount borrowed. This may be to trade up in the quality of the home or to release some of the housing equity as cash. The first priority should be to ensure that the family’s occupation of the home will not be threatened. Now add in the unsecured debts in overdrafts and on credit and store cards. Then what are the longer term plans to pay for your children’s college education? The number of dependents and their needs change during your life so keeping the amount of coverage the same is always an option. But, in most cases, inflation-proofing is the better choice, particularly if the policy has a cash value. This gives you more personal security later in life.

Life insurance planning is all about monitoring the needs of your dependents and assessing how much will be required to replace your earning power. When you are starting off, always get the maximum number of life insurance quotes. It’s also a good idea to take independent professional advice on the strategies to apply over your lifetime to get the most value out of the policy you buy.