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Friday, 24 July 2009
Whole Life Insurance Versus Term Life Insurance

There many different types of life insurance available and over the years different options have become a lot more complicated but the two main types of life insurance are whole life and term life. Each type has its pros and cons and in this blog post we are going to examine those.

Some of the well-known talking heads on television are adamant that people should never get anything other than term life insurance because term life insurance rates are so much cheaper and the amount of money you can save can be invested whereas with whole life insurance the greater expense is not justified by the cash value that the policy builds. People like Suzy Orman and Dave Ramsey will tell you that although whole life insurance builds cash value there are various fees and commissions associated with the investments made through your whole life insurance policy and that you're far better off investing the money yourself and going with a less expensive life insurance policy.

What the television experts say may be accurate for a lot of people but I don't usually like advice that consists of blanket statements that suggest that one solution is right for everybody. Whole life insurance is more expensive than term life insurance but there are advantages that may make it a better choice for some people.

Let's look at some of the pros and cons of whole life insurance. On the plus side, a whole life insurance policy never expires and has a guaranteed death benefit. It will builds cash value over time. It can be borrowed against if you need cash at some point in the future. A whole life policy also has a number of different tax benefits and can be very beneficial in estate planning.

The main drawback of a whole life insurance policy is that it is considerably more expensive than a term life insurance policy so you need to determine what your goals are for the insurance policy and that will help you decide which type of insurance is right for you. For example, if your goal is to make sure that your mortgage gets paid for, then a term life insurance policy would be perfect for this. If you have 15 years remaining on your mortgage you just have to make sure that your term life insurance policy did not expire until after your mortgage is paid off. However, if you have a lot of expensive assets, real estate, maybe a family business etc. the estate planning benefits of a whole life insurance policy may make it a better option for you.

Now let's take a look at the pros and cons of a term life insurance policy. The drawbacks of a term life insurance policy are pretty much the opposite of the pros of a whole life insurance policy. A term life policy has an expiration date, when you reach the end of the term you know longer have life insurance. It does not build cash value and does not have the same tax benefits that a whole life policy does.

The major benefit with a term life policy is the price. It is far less expensive than a whole life insurance policy and as we mentioned earlier the cost savings would allow you to make other investments if that is what you wanted to do.

All of the top life insurance companies will have several different options for you to choose from. In addition to whole and term there are universal life insurance policies, variable life insurance, and various hybrids of the two. Term life insurance is great for a lot of people and a lot of situations but there are circumstances where a whole life insurance policy may be better for some people. It's important to thoroughly investigate the different options you have available and to have a good understanding of your goals so that your insurance policy will do what you need it to do.

After you've decided which type of life insurance is best for you and how much life insurance you need, you should spend some time shopping around to find a company that offers the coverage options you're looking for at the best possible price. You can get whole life insurance quotes, term life insurance quotes, actually any type of life insurance quote online quickly and easily and comparing what the different companies offer and how much they charge for their coverage options will help you get the best possible plan at the most affordable price.


Posted by rprichardson at 7:09 PM EDT
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Sunday, 12 July 2009
Some Important Factors to Consider before You Buy Homeowners Insurance

There are a lot of things for a new homeowner to think about and one of the important things on the list is homeowners insurance. When the thought of home insurance pops into the head of a new homeowner the first question will usually be how much is homeowners insurance? And while price is an important factor there are a lot of other things to consider that are just as important.

We all want cheap home insurance rates but there are some other things we need to take into consideration. In addition to getting the best price, you'll want to do business with a company that is financially strong. If the time comes one day when you need to file a claim, you want to make sure that the company that is insuring your home will have the capital to make good on your claim.

In addition to the financial strength and stability of the company it would be a good idea to check up on the company to make sure that they are in compliance with all of the local laws and to make sure that there are no formal complaints filed against the company.

A lot of information about insurance companies can be obtained by contacting your state's Department of Insurance. Most states will have a website set up for their Department of Insurance that will provide a wealth of information to help you make an informed decision about which insurance company to do business with.

In addition to your state's Department of Insurance there are also private companies that provide homeowners insurance company ratings. Companies like JD power and Associates, Consumer Reports, AM Best Co., and Standard & Poor's will rate insurance companies on factors such as coverage options, price, customer satisfaction, and many others.

Spending the time to do a little research before deciding which insurance company to go with can not only save you a lot of money but can help you to make sure that you are doing business with a reputable company with a good track record when it comes to customer service.


Posted by rprichardson at 4:33 PM EDT
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Saturday, 11 July 2009
Some Tips For Finding Cheap Car Insurance

Car insurance is something that anyone who drives a car is required to have by law. The minimum amount of coverage required by law protects you from being financially responsible if you should happen to cause an accident. More expensive "full coverage" options not only protect you financially if you are at fault but also if someone else is at fault and they do not have insurance.

We're all required to carry automobile coverage but nobody wants to pay too much for it, so is it possible to find cheap online car insurance? The answer to that question is yes, but...

There are a lot of resources online to help you find a good insurance company and get a good price but the best auto insurance is not always the cheapest.

Before you go with a particular company you would want to do a little research to find out if there have been any complaints filed against the company. You can find out about formal complaints being filed against a particular insurance provider by checking with your state's Department of Insurance.

It's also a good idea to check with various consumer reporting companies that rate insurance providers on factors such as price, coverage options, customer satisfaction, and more. It is possible to find very cheap car insurance and it may even be possible to find a great company that offers a very inexpensive price but keep in mind that price should not be the only factor in making your decision about which company to do business with.


Posted by rprichardson at 4:12 PM EDT
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Friday, 10 July 2009
Is It Possible to Get Cheap Car Insurance for Young Drivers?

One of the most exciting times in a teenagers life is when they finally get their license and that feeling of freedom they get from the thought of getting behind the wheel and being able to go wherever they want to whenever they feel like it. That freedom comes with limits and responsibilities however and some of the excitement may wear off when they start shopping for car insurance.

Car insurance is one of those things that you have to have and unfortunately it is considerably more expensive for younger drivers. Auto insurance companies set their prices by assessing risk and statistics show that younger drivers are more likely to be involved in collisions or other incidents which cost the insurance companies money. For young males it's even worse.

There are some things that young drivers can do to help reduce the cost of auto insurance somewhat. If they get on the same policy as their parents, they may be eligible for a multi-policy discount that a lot of insurance companies offer. Maintaining a good grade point average may also make you eligible for discounts because a student that gets good grades is seen as more responsible and less of a risk to the insurance companies.

To make sure you're getting the best price on car insurance it's a good idea to shop around rather than just signing up with the first company listed in the phonebook. The Internet makes it easy to get an auto insurance estimate from a number of different providers in just a few minutes. Being able to quickly compare car insurance rates allows you to find a company that offers the coverage you need at the best possible price very easily.

To get multiple quotes involves filling out a short online form with a little bit of information about yourself and the car you drive as well as how much driving you plan to do. After filling out a short form you press a button and almost instantly have a number of different quotes to choose from. These websites are a huge timesaver and make comparison shopping a simple and efficient process.


Posted by rprichardson at 1:42 AM EDT
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Sunday, 5 July 2009
How Does Whole Life Insurance Work?

The simplest way to answer that question would be that you as a policyholder make payments to an insurance provider. In exchange for these payments, the insurance company would pay benefits to your surviving family members or any other beneficiaries at the time of your death. That brief explanation pretty much is the gist of any life insurance policy but there are many different types of policies available, all with different coverage options.

Although there are lots of different types of life insurance the two main categories would be term life insurance and whole life insurance. Someone looking for an affordable life insurance plan may be more interested in a term life policy because they are considerably cheaper than a whole life policy but whole life insurance does have its benefits.

Whole life insurance, like the name implies, will remain in effect for the rest of your life as long as you make your premium payments. A whole life policy offers permanent coverage, level premiums, a guaranteed death benefit and it is also what is known as cash value life insurance because it builds cash value over time. A portion of your premium payments will be invested in stocks, bonds, and other investments. Whole life insurance policies also have some tax advantages and because of this a whole life policy is popular for people to use in their estate planning.

A lot of experts would argue that a term life insurance policy is better than a whole life policy but it's irresponsible to recommend a one-size-fits-all solution. Everyone is unique and every family has different financial needs and goals so it's important to investigate the difference options available and then make a decision that best suits the needs of your unique situation.

Whole life insurance may be more expensive than a term life insurance policy but it does have its benefits so if you're considering going with a whole life policy it would be a good idea to do some comparison shopping to try to get the best possible price for the coverage you need. Getting whole life insurance quotes from a number of different insurance providers will allow you to quickly and easily compare coverage options and prices. The Internet is a great tool for doing this research and makes the process of comparing companies with fast and efficient.


Posted by rprichardson at 8:28 PM EDT
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Saturday, 4 July 2009
Why Do I Need Car Insurance?

Why do I need car insurance? The simple answer to that question is because it's the law. In most areas the law requires you to have at least a minimum amount of car insurance to protect other drivers if you are at fault in an accident. It's something you did cause an accident should not be the responsibility of other motorists to pay for your mistake.

Another good reason for having car insurance is because in all accident can be financially devastating if you do not have the proper coverage. Automotive repairs, medical bills, legal fees etc. can add up to staggering amounts of money.

If all you need is the minimum amount of coverage, there are many low cost car insurance companies available. A quick search on the Internet can turn up multiple possibilities. When shopping for auto insurance you can get online car insurance quotes to help you quickly find the cheapest price.

If you drive a valuable car you'll probably want to get more than the minimum coverage allowed by law and in this case price is not your only concern. You'll want to also find a quality company that has a good track record of customer service. To find the best auto insurance provider will take a little bit of research. You can check with your state's Department of Insurance to see if their are any formal complaints filed against a particular insurance company. You can also check with private companies like JD Power and Associates or Consumer Reports which will rates insurance companies based on various factors including price, the claims process, coverage options, customer service ratings etc.


Posted by rprichardson at 6:55 PM EDT
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Friday, 3 July 2009
Are You Paying Too Much for Car Insurance?

There's a very good chance that you are paying too much for car insurance. There are so many car insurance companies today and the sheer amount of competition means that it's very likely to be able to find a better price with a different company. You can do a little comparison shopping and quickly find out if you're getting the best price with your current insurance provider. Comparison-shopping is probably the fastest and easiest way to find very cheap car insurance.

In addition to shopping around for a better price there are a number of ways that you can lower your premium payments. One way to lower premiums would be to raise your deductible. The deductible is the amount you would have to pay before your insurance provider begins to pay for a claim. If you increase your deductibles your monthly premium payments will go down.

There are also a number of discounts that most insurance companies make available if you meet certain requirements. Some things you have no control over, such as your age. Car insurance for young people will always be more expensive than than it is for older people. Teenagers are perceived to be more of a risk to the insurance companies and therefore they must pay higher premiums. There's not much you can do to change your age or gender (boys are generally charged more than girls) but there are a number of factors that are completely in your control that can help you to get a better price.

Some discounts may be available for some of the following: people with a good driving record, students with good grades, people with a good credit score, driving a car with good safety features, having an antitheft device for your vehicle, completion of a certified defensive driving course.

There are a lot of possible discounts and there may be discounts available for things you would never even think of so it would be a good idea to contact your insurance agent and ask about any possible discounts. A simple phone call may be enough to save you some money.


Posted by rprichardson at 2:31 PM EDT
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Monday, 8 June 2009
Some things you should know about homeowners insurance

I like to blog about money saving tips, investment strategies, the intelligent use of credit, and things like that and this blog post is going to be about some useful tips for when you buy homeowners insurance.

If you are just purchasing a house for the first time, or if you are moving to a new area, or even if you just suspect you're not getting the best deal with your current homeowners policy, you may be looking to find a new homeowners insurance provider.

Before you select the company that you want to do business with, it would be a good idea to find some homeowners insurance company ratings so that you can get an idea about whether you think a certain company would be a good fit for your needs. One place to get some ratings of homeowners insurance companies would be from your states Department of Insurance. For most states, the Department of Insurance will have a website that you can visit and a quick search in your favorite search engine will allow you to quickly find this website.

The Department of Insurance for your state is a great resource. If there are any complaints filed against a particular company they would be on file with the Department of Insurance. You also be able to tell if an insurance company you are considering going with is in compliance with all of the local laws and ordinances. You may even be able to get an idea of the financial strength of the company which is important because if you need to make a claim at some point in the future it would be nice to know that your chosen homeowners insurance company would be able to pay the claim.

In addition to the Department of Insurance there are also private companies like J.D. Power and AM Best Co. that will raise insurance companies on a number of different factors including coverage options, price, customer satisfaction ratings, and much more. A little time spent doing some research will allow you to find the best homeowners insurance company and is time well spent.


Posted by rprichardson at 3:29 PM EDT
Updated: Monday, 8 June 2009 3:42 PM EDT
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