Should We Live in Fear of Natural Disasters?

We live in a great country, which has afforded many people the opportunity to excel and to make goals which have a realistic chance of becoming reality. On the flipside, so to speak, we in live in a country that appears to have more than its share of natural disasters. It seems that every few months, if it's not an avalanche in one of the mountainous regions in the West, it is tornadoes wreaking havoc in the Plains; add to that wildfires out in the West and, somehow without exception, hurricanes hitting the Eastern seaboard, often targeting Florida and the rest the Gulf States. It's almost as if the calendar is set up so that every few months, we get hit with some unpleasant natural phenomena.

How Have We Been Doing?

Perhaps not surprising for a country which prides itself on law and order, as well as statistics, there have been those that have been keeping track of the types of disasters that we have been subject to, how many people been involved in even the economic cost related to them. Everyone recoils in horror when they see on the news the latest information about a hurricane or a tornado. But the numbers are actually quite startling when one starts to compile the big picture, so to speak. Ready?

A Quick Tour through the Last 30 Years

It is worth bearing in mind that sometimes, the damage and suffering caused from events such as hurricanes are not just the initial impact of the winds themselves, which can obviously level entire buildings. The ensuing flooding takes its additional toll that can often be far worse than the initial event itself. One comprehensive study identifies 640 individual events in the last 30 years. Of these, almost 400 of them were related to storms. The next most frequent disasters are floods, which occurred over 130 different times. In third place, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, are wildfires, with only 24 major recorded occurrences. What's really surprising is the fourth-place contestant: earthquakes. Earthquakes? One hardly ever hears about them on the news these days. It would be interesting to know exactly where they are occurring, and who is affected by them.

The Real Cost

Understandably, the main concern is loss of human life. The same study indicates that over 12,000 people were killed by natural disasters during the last three decades, which is a shockingly large number. Perhaps also surprisingly is the number of people affected by these disasters: 27 million! The other metric which many would find relevant is the economic cost to the US economy. Here the numbers really start to jump off the charts, with the total economic impact estimated at over $540 trillion. No wonder we pay ever greater attention to the weather reports: there's real danger lurking out there.

Keeping Your Home Protected

It's worth bearing in mind that a closer look at the statistics above indicate that over 70% of the damage caused over the last 30 years has been related to storms or floods. This is why it is very important that residents in Florida have the very best Florida homeowners insurance coverage possible. Unfortunately, it's not really a question of if, but more of when the next natural disaster will strike. A responsible homeowner will want to make sure that their insurance adequately covers their property and all their possessions at their full replacement value.

In the best case scenario, such an insurance policy will not have to go into effect, but given the statistics, chances are it will at some point. It's better to be prepared than sorry.

Get the Latest Car Insurance Policies from Santam

The automobile was one of the best inventions created by man; however one thing that we as automobile lovers don’t like is the automotive insurance that is required to own one. Depending upon the country you live in you are most likely required to have insurance on your vehicle. The good thing about today’s technology is you are able to get motor insurance quotes online and never have to leave your house looking for them like you used to.

Get a Quote Online

The internet brings many good things and one of those is the ability to find automobile insurance from the comfort of our own home. There are many popular companies out there today with websites and allow you to go online and put in your VIN number and a bit of personal information and they can craft you up a quote within minutes.

What’s even better about this whole process is, is you can not only get a quote but you can purchase the policy directly online and print out temporary insurance cards immediately. You don’t have to wait for them to come in the mail before you can start driving.

Multiple Types of Insurance Policies

Companies provide multiple types of policies and coverage’s and many may give you a discount if you purchase multiple policies through them. Most of the companies offer policies over the following types of property:

• Vehicle
• Boat
• RV
• Home
• Motorcycle

Discounts on Services

As mentioned above many companies may be willing to give you discounts on your rates if you purchase multiple policies on different types of property. However, companies may also have their very own discount programs available if you ask them.

For example some insurance companies provide you a better rate on your children’s coverage if they are making above a 3.0 GPA (Grade Point Average) in school. Other major companies also give you a bonus payment if you don’t have an accident in a certain period of time. One of the most popular discount services out there is a “Plug-N-Play” discount where you plug in a device and you get discounts based on your driving style, and that is pretty neat.

The good thing about capitalism is there are tons of choices for the consumer to pick from. So go online and check out all the companies out there that are competing for your business, and just remember when companies compete like that do, you are the one that gets the best results and best prices.

Why Would Anyone Insure Their Art?

Most of us are accustomed to seeking insurance cover for things such as our homes, our car, travel, and even for our health, but when it comes to insuring fine art work we may well think why bother. There was a time when the so called ordinary person would have perceived the idea of insuring artworks to be something that only the gentry did, but nowadays with people often putting any spare money into a work of art which is likely to appreciate in value, then insuring against loss, theft, or damage should be a reality. 

Insuring Against the Unexpected

Whether you own a small exquisite piece of fine art or are an art dealer with numerous priceless pieces adorning your gallery, insurance is paramount for peace of mind. Aside of the tragic loss of human life which happens when natural disasters like hurricanes or floods wreak havoc around the world, art galleries and swanky offices can sometimes be left assessing the level of damage to irreplaceable pieces of art which were damaged when the area flooded. Naturally they’re also worried about the cost of their insurance premiums rising, but the point here is that at least they did have insurance for when the unexpected happened.

Collections Borne out of Love

Under insurance is another big problem because plenty of people over the years amass large collections of antiques, jewellery, and art but many of them don’t have a real grasp on the true value of their collection. Because collections are invariably built out of love or passion for particular items, insurance isn’t approached in quite the same way as it would be if they were looking to insure their car for example. Often they just insure these valuable collections for the price which they paid for them some years ago.


To counter this problem people should be insuring items in their collections for the retail replacement value, which means getting someone to appraise them on that very basis, every few years or so. This means that they have appraisal reports which they can pass to insurance companies to ensure adequate coverage and it also means they have evidence to back up any future claims.


More insurance companies are starting to employ art consultants and can make their more wealthy clients aware of the importance of valuation and insurance. However, if you’ve got collectibles or art worth a couple of thousand pounds or more, then you may need a specific policy clause to cover your valuables, since most general home policies rarely cover items above that level.


There are plenty of specialist insurance companies such as Catlin Insurance UK who offer coverage for a variety of fine art. The range of inclusions under a fine art insurance policy is wide and includes such things as

• Furniture, lighting and mirrors 
• Historical artefacts 
• Arms and armour 
• Fine wine, bottles and glasses 
• Musical instruments 
• Ceramics, silver and glass 
• Fossils and mineral specimens 
• Textiles 
• Memorabilia 

• Toys and games 

It’s worth shopping around for the best deal but take care to find out just what risks are covered. Check that the policy offers protection against theft, accidental damage, and as in the case of a natural disaster, losses from fire and water damage.

What Should Be Covered by Health Insurance Policy

Many people are confused and puzzled when looking for health insurance policy and repeatedly asking themselves what should be and should not be covered by the policy they are going to buy in order to save and not to misuse the money they worked hard for in an insurance plan. As a result of this, many people always fall in the marketing strategies of professional brokers and unconsciously sign up on a contract that is not very helpful to their needs. 

Health insurance is a type of insurance which minimizes our medical expenses whenever we visit a doctor for regular check up or even when we are hospitalized due to sickness or other unforeseen serious health condition. The efficiency of having this insurance policy is really helpful to a lot of health insurance policy holders and as result of this, it has become one of the important investments that we should acquire in order to protect ourselves, bank accounts and our loved ones. 

Some important coverage of health insurance policy you should see in a deal or contract is listed below and if you don’t see all of these in your contract, better question your insurance agent why this one is not included in your policy. 

Hospital confinement 

Emergency can occur anytime and may unexpectedly happen if you are not conscious about your health condition. If your health condition is not going well, the chances of being hospitalized is higher and if you are not prepared of this possibility, you may suffer from medical expenses due to your poor health condition. 

Reasons for hospital confinement: 

• Patient needs doctor’s observation during recovery procedure 
• Patient needs to utilize medical equipment for recovery 
• Patient needs to undergo medical exams for health condition monitoring 

Medical Operation 

Everyone is aware that having a medical operation is really expensive and we should always have enough savings in order to have operation or otherwise, our health or physical condition will not be treated properly and we may have to continue suffering from this unfortunate condition. 

Types of medical operation: 

• Surgical Procedure 
• Replacement of broken bones 
• internal Organ Replacement 

Therapy and physical rehabilitation 

Another important coverage of health insurance is medication. It will be pain in the neck if we don’t have spare budget to provide the prescription drugs by our doctors to treat the pain and illness that we are experiencing especially if the required medicine to intake is high-priced and in a critical situation like this, we cannot afford to miss any required medicine in order to keep our body taken care of.

 
Having a health insurance policy is really necessary for us and we should not pay attention on our monthly premium and overall cost of our health insurance policy since we can have discounts especially if you have good medical records and in good health condition. We should always keep in mind that the main purpose of health insurance is to save us from unexpected medical expenses that may occur due to accidents, physical injuries and many more. 

Bio: 
Alberta Smith, an avid writer interested in insurance industry, regularly contributes to a number of online resources to help those who are looking for information about insurance services.

Is Private Healthcare Insurance a Good Buy for UK Over 50s?

People living in the UK are entitled to free healthcare from the National Health Service (NHS). This might sound like a great deal, but unfortunately it does have its downsides - most notably, long waiting times if you need any kind of procedure and standards of care that are entirely dependent on where you live. Because of the healthcare lottery, many seniors choose to buy private healthcare insurance policies to enable them to boost their existing NHS healthcare. But are private healthcare insurance policies a good buy for the over 50s, or are you throwing your money away for no good reason? 

How Do Private Healthcare Insurance Policies Work?

Private healthcare insurance is just like any other insurance policy. You pay a monthly premium that entitles you to receive a wide range of medical treatments, including consultations, physiotherapy, medical care in your own home, and surgical procedures in a private hospital. The main thing private healthcare does not cover is treatment in the event of an accident or emergency, and if this type of event occurs, you would need to be treated in an A&E department of an NHS hospital. 

What Are The Advantages Of Private Healthcare Insurance?

One of the main advantages of private healthcare insurance is that you do not need to wait an interminable amount of time to see a consultant or receive treatment for a medical condition. Instead you can make an appointment at a time to suit you and if you require a hospital stay, you can enjoy private, comfortable facilities and one to one nursing care. 

What Are The Disadvantages Of Private Healthcare Insurance For The Over 50s?

Since insurance companies price their products based on the level of risk to them, medical insurance for the older generation is inevitably a lot more expensive than policies aimed at 20 year olds. The older we get, the more likely we are to suffer from health problems and, unfortunately, the more likely it is that these health problems are serious. So the older you are and the more pre-existing medical problems you have, the more likely you are to be charged a small fortune for private healthcare insurance. 

What Are The Options For Private Healthcare Insurance?

There are different levels of private healthcare insurance and several different insurance companies who specialise in the over 50s, so if you are considering buying a private healthcare insurance policy, it is worth spending some time researching the pros and cons of each available policy. 

Is Private Healthcare Insurance Worth The Premium?

This very much depends on whether you want the peace of mind of knowing you don’t have to run the gauntlet of NHS healthcare. Even if you are a healthy 50 year old with no history of illness, insurance companies will still view you as a high risk applicant, so your premiums will be costly. However, if you have are worried about waiting times for non-urgent conditions, the cost may be worth it. Just bear in mind that any pre-existing conditions must be declared at the outset and will not be covered by the policy.

Bio 

Janet writes for a number of blogs aimed at seniors. She decided to buy private healthcare insurance after her sister was diagnosed with hearing problems and needed help from www.yourhearing.co.uk. In the last two years, it has been money well spent and she doesn’t regret the cost.

How Can You Get Low Cost Auto Insurance After a DUI

After being convicted for driving under influence even once, can make getting low cost auto insurance a difficult task. In reality there exist two tiers of auto insurance companies, the big corporations and the standard-policy companies. While the renowned auto insurers would prefer having a long list of clientele with clean records, the non standard would certainly accept a client who has been found guilty with DUI. This primarily because the law states that all cars must be insured. However once a person is convicted, the auto insurance premium is bound to increase. 

Negotiate with you present carrier:

The two threats that circumscribe a car owner after being charged with DUI are: cancellation of policy or refusal for renewal. In order to find coverage, several things are necessary: 1.) making an appointment with the present car insurance agent, 2.) talk with your DUI attorney about your options with car insurance, 3.) after talking with your attorney make an appointment to talk with your insurance broker in depth about the incident. Atlanta DUI attorney, Tom Rowsey, advises his clients on how best to answer questions about an incident with an insurance agent, in the hopes of preventing or delaying an insurance policy cancellation. However, in case the insurance company is not willing to negotiate, it would be best to research options. 

Varying policies of auto insurance company:

Policies of the different auto insurance companies vary. While the niche companies would deny insuring your car, there also exist a large number of non standard company who will readily cover your car at increased premium rates. The rate of increase is totally dependent on your previous record as well as the policy of the particular company. Every case is reviewed by the insurance agents and various factors will be considered like gender, age, profession, driving record before quoting a premium rate. So make sure to get quotes from different companies.

Compare the policy prices:

Search on the internet for auto insurance companies that will cover your car even with DUI. Many sites won’t give you quotes without know more information. Fill out their applications, provide absolutely exact and in depth information on your driving license, accident charges, other driving offenses. Be as thorough as possible, because the insurance company will research all the information for accuracy. This will help you getting precise premium quotes and help you in making a better decision. 

Check for the coverage:

Getting the minimum quotes is not the only thing. You should check whether the coverage is compatible with your requirements or not. Some of the companies might offer you a reasonably lower quote, but the coverage might be very minimal which is definitely undesirable. So read each and every term in the policy carefully before making the final decision. In case you are unsure about a particular statement, contact the agent and make sure you fully understand all of the terms and conditions before signing anything.

An exhaustive search will definitely provide you with cheaper options in auto insurance with a DUI on your record. However, be prepared for the extra premium costs after being convicted for drunk driving. In most cases the rates will reduce as the age of your conviction increases. Furthermore, it is best to avoid driving even after consuming alcohol, to safeguard against increased premium rates. Can you really afford to have that “one more drink for the road”?

Homeowners Insurance and House Guests: What Every Homeowner Should Know

English:  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There are many responsibilities that come with owning your own home. For starters, you need to be sure that everything in your home is in good working order without anything that can be dangerous to you or your guests. You also need to have a good homeowners insurance policy that will cover any damages to your home or its contents should anything happen. Then you must also add in liability for others who visit your home.

 

Why It Is Important to Know Your Policy 

When a person, welcome or not, comes onto your property and becomes injured, you are the one that is responsible for all of their medical treatments as well as their lost wages and anything else that can be associated with their injury. While homeowners insurance will cover some of these costs, there are instances where homeowners insurance may not cover all the costs; it is important that you determine what kind of liability insurance you should keep on your home; most insurance companies recommend liability coverage equal to or greater than the value of your home. 

What Does Liability Insurance Cover? 

Liability insurance on your homeowner's policy covers the medical costs and lost wages due to an injury that happens on your property. The injury that happens on your property can be your fault, an act of nature or even the other party's fault; in any case, the insurance kicks in and covers a predetermined amount. If you do not have enough liability coverage to cover all the associated costs, you can be held liable and taken to court for the remainder of the costs. 

The injuries can be caused by various reasons including faulty construction of the home, a loose railing or any other feature of the home. Additionally, the weather can even create a way for another person to become injured. Ice and snow are often culprits of serious bodily injury during the winter months. This type of weather tends to keep doctors, and insurance companies very busy. 

What Does Liability Insurance Not Cover? 

There are also many circumstances where liability insurance does not cover the injuries or costs; which is when you are likely to be sued in court. These injuries often include floods, an act of God or other specific details in which there is no insurance coverage for. The only time the insurance does not cover an injury on the property is when the initial cause of the injury is not covered. If there is a flood for example and the injured party steps on a nail due to the flood, the insurance will not cover the expenses associated with the flood including both repairs to the home and medical costs to the injured party. This is when it is ideal to ensure that anything that has a chance of happening to your home is covered since if injuries are not going to be covered for a guest, you are wide open to losing everything to pay for their expenses. 

Liability coverage on your homeowner's policy is important because even if you have an unwanted houseguest who gets injured, you can still be held liable for their injuries. When you have this coverage under your homeowner's policy, you will reduce the risk of being sued or having to pay the costs out of your own pocket. The ideal way to get the coverage you need is to go through an independent home insurance agency like Homeinsurance.com. 

Adam Vaught has experience working within the home insurance industry. He enjoys sharing his knowledge and tips with home-owners online via blogging.

Home Warranties: Are They the Same as Home Insurance?

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Both home warranties and homeowners insurance policies can be purchased to protect the home. However, since the coverage of home warranties and homeowners insurance policies do not extend to the same potential outcomes, there is no conflict in purchasing both at the same time. One is used to protect the home's amenities against routine depreciation, while the other is meant to protect the same against emergencies such as burglars and natural disasters. 

Contingencies Covered Under Home Warranties

Home warranties are purchased to cover the cost of either repairing or replacing the home's appliances and systems in case these fail due to the normal depreciation caused through prolonged use. Examples of covered appliances tend to include ceiling fans, dishwashers, oven, and range. For comparison, common examples of covered systems can include the home's ventilation ducts, its heating and cooling systems, plus its electrical system. Bear in mind that appliances and systems covered under home warranties do not include outdoor amenities such as pools and sprinklers. Furthermore, it is important to note that not all home warranties cover the same contingencies, meaning that research is needed to understand their limitations. For example, some home warranties cover refrigerators, while others do not.

Contingencies Covered Under Homeowners Insurance Policies

Homeowners insurance rates are paid so that homeowners insurance policies can be used to protect the home against both man-made and natural disasters. Examples can include fire, floods, burglaries, earthquakes, hurricanes, and even legal liabilities. Although homeowners insurance policies sometimes cover the costs of either repairing or replacing appliances and systems, that damage must be traceable to such disasters. Homeowners insurance policies tend to be similar to home warranties in the sense that not all insurance policies cover the same contingencies and amounts. As a result, consumers must take extra precautions to find out the exact details of homeowners insurance policies under consideration before making their final purchasing decisions. For example, some homeowners might be able to decrease their homeowners insurance rates by eliminating coverage for contingencies that are never going to come up. After all, there is little to no point in purchasing coverage for hurricanes if the individual is living inland, far from the coast.

Reason to Purchase Both Home Warranties and Homeowners Insurance Policies

Since home warranties and homeowners insurance policies do not cover the same contingencies, there is little fear of encountering redundancies. Instead, home warranties and homeowners insurance policies can both be purchased to prove comprehensive coverage for a home and that home's contents. Contingencies that end up being ignored under one protection measure can be handled using the other, meaning that the homeowner is never at a loss for protection.

Conclusion

In the end, it is important for individuals to remember that home warranties and homeowners insurance policies can sometimes prove too expensive to remain worthwhile. Determining the exact point at which the price crosses that line is dependent on both the cost should the covered contingencies come to pass and the chances of those covered contingencies coming to pass. The more expensive the cost and the higher the chance that the covered contingencies may occur, the smarter the choice to purchase home warranties and homeowners insurance policies becomes.


Stephen Catalano is a home insurance consultant with extensive experience in the field. His articles mainly appear on insurance websites.

Benefits of Having Car Hire Excess Protection

English: Rental hire car park, Aberdeen Airport (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

While driving a hired car, you should have car hire excess insurance. If any accident occurs or the car gets damaged or people get injured due to your fault you have to pay a large amount of money. Sometimes you have to pay even if there was not any fault of yours. Car excess protection can help you in these cases. While driving a rental car, you will get protection in any case of accident if you have car hire excess insurance. 

Excess insurance covers you for the expenses occurred due to damages in a car after an accident and it confirms that you don’t have to pay to settle things. When going for such policies it is very important that you must know how much protection you will get while paying for car excess protection insurance. All insurance policies are not the same, some policies would not give you cover against some common damages. For example, some companies do not provide cover against damages to windscreens or tires. So it is very important to know what you will be getting before investing on any type of car hire excess insurance.

Buying car hire excess insurance provides mental peace to the buyers. You will not be responsible for any kind of accident or any damages and you will get protection for any kind of damages to the car. Car excess protection will cover you even in cases of vandalism, theft of the car, or if the car catches fire.

When hiring cars, you will be offered by the company to purchase car hire excess insurance. The cost of those insurance is very low and they don’t protect all types of damages which the car could sustain. Many people are unaware of the fact that far better alternatives are there and they are easily available. It is just you need to research a bit so as to get the best policy for your hired car. It is always a great idea to invest some time on net and search online so as to get good information on the all available options. You can compare the policies and then decide which one to go with as per your need and budget.

Online car hire excess insurance is also beneficial if more than one person is going to drive the hired vehicle. Sometimes few insurance policies charges extra for second driver. But if you decide to purchase your excess insurance online, they might give you cover for any driver and no extra cost might be charged for that.

If you are opting for daily car hire excess insurance, you must check the rental period before purchasing. If you are hiring a vehicle for a longer period of time, it is better to purchase an annual car hire excess insurance which gives some additional facilities.

While hiring a car, it is good to have a car excess protection. Sometimes an accident can cost much more than the premium of insurance thus it would not be a wise idea to ignore excess insurance. If you are going for car hire excess insurance, you will have mental peace while hiring a car when you are out of station. It will help you to save money if you face any kind of accident while driving a rental car.

Author Bio:

This is a great and an informative post by Titli.