Monday, March 15, 2010

Drunk driving insurance

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?

Get your cheap auto insurance in Arizona

You probably can't help but wonder which the best state to get insured in is. We wonder that too and we researched on the subject enough to give you some numbers and information on vehicle insurance. If you wondering how to figure out the best possible company to deal with on terms of insurance we will not tell you anything you don't know at all. The only right thing to do is to find the companies in the state, make a list, point out your needs and find out if these companies are willing to get you and your car insured on some good financial basis.


Arizona can let you save. From all the states there are in the United States mainly Arizona is famous for the cheapest insurance prices. This fact can't help but make the residents as happy as recently insurance coverage has become one of the major human necessities.


In the year of 2008 a change of 1% was noticed in the auto insurance premiums. Almost all the states have average premiums much higher than Arizona. Arizona has some rules that are very typical for the state. They should be performed on the road all the time. For example, the state allows the average speed limit of 55km per hour plus the average speed on a highway can be 60 km per hour. The blood alcohol percentage limit in Arizona is 0.08. There is a law in the state that is called Open Container law. What is this law about? By the rules of the law neither the driver not the passengers are allowed to consume alcohol while driving. If opened bottles of alcoholic drinks are found in the car the punishment will follow. You can use a hand held phone but you can forget you have a cell phone while on the road. If found on the road with a cell phone you may get your license suspended for as long as 90 days.


If you are looking for cheap auto insurance, you should get ready to take some time with it. Although it is not hard to do and many companies across the state have special offers for the newcomers, it always makes sense not to rush. There are plenty of possibilities with the online searching. Various Arizona auto insurance sites offer clients different rates and quotes. There are also sites that you can find much company information on. Some of them even have a message desk board where people are allowed to send emails to with their comments on provided by the company services. If you are a lazy costumer, the one that should like to go from each company to company and have long talks with car insurance agents, Internet is the solution for you.


The most important thing here is to know why exactly you need your insurance. Is it because everyone has it or because you really have needs? Don't get us wrong - both are fine and even when you are 100% confident on the road it is necessary to stay covered but the acknowledgment is the key. Once you figure this out for yourself it will be easier for you to find what you want. Get into this question and let the rest follow. We wish you a good driving experience in Arizona now and forever!

What insurance a small business may need

Every businessman no matter how big his business is knows that there are numerous risks his enterprise can face every day. And when the business is a small one, the impact these risk can deliver can be more harmful than for a large company. That's why a smart small business should always think about how to minimize and cover these risks before they can harm the business.


In most cases, your business is not obliged to carry insurance by law unless you're using a loan and it's a condition you have to meet. Other circumstances that may induce the purchase of business insurance is having a commercial auto or employees working for you. Still, the fact that insurance is not required by the law doesn't mean that there's no risk of your enterprise facing different negative circumstances that may put it on halt.


Here are some of the most widely used types of small business insurance and a brief description of the purpose each carries. Don't underestimate the risk you enterprise may face as there are countless business owners who have chosen to carry on without any insurance and failed. Don't make part of that list, it's in your own hands.


Business property insurance is used to protect your business's most important assets. It's a very smart form of investment and risk management that can help you minimize the losses arising from things like fires, earthquakes, riots or even production accidents.


Business disability insurance takes force when a disease or injury makes it impossible for you to perform the tasks connected to the business and will replace your income for the needed period. For example you have a long recovery period after a surgery and are unable to do what you have to do. This is what disability insurance is all about and it's especially important for businesses with hazardous production operations or risky activities involved.


Business liability insurance is highly useful for small business owners who put their personal assets at the base of their enterprise. When a small business faces liability and legal action it's quite often that the business owner has to cover the costs with the value of own assets, which of course is not what you want to experience. Liability insurance will protect both your business and your belongings from such risks.


Errors and omissions insurance will be especially useful for businesses that are involved in production or provide services to customers. Errors and malfunctions will always come up no matter how hard you try to minimize them. And in a highly litigious society like the one we live in the consequences of such errors can be very harmful for the enterprise.


Some of you may think that insurance only brings additional costs to your enterprise. But even cheap small business insurance can save your company from serious financial turmoil when facing a serious risk. So invest your time in finding a good cheap small business insurance solution and get the coverage your business really needs.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

HARP and HAMP modify and refinance mortgages

One of the quotes seeming to run forever is, "Never give a sucker an even break." Coming from the movie of the same name, starring and written by W.C. Fields, it's supposed to be a comic line but, first used as an ad-lib by Fields in 1923, it accurately represents the ruthless streak in US business. So, over the last eighteen months or so, banks and finance companies have been playing to packed houses, always trying to portray themselves as caring and sympathetic but, more often than not, coming over as the heartless mortgage-holders in potboiling melodramas who throw the heroine out on the streets when there's six foot of snow on the ground. The evidence for this? Walk through any suburb or exurb and count the empty properties and their weather-beaten "For sale" signs as the foreclosures cut into the neighborhoods. Property values everywhere have been dropping like stones. We were all suckers, it seems, and no bank is ever going to give us an even break.


One of the "systems" supposed to help us navigate through all this negative equity is the joint package of Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) and Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP). These run through http://makinghomeaffordable.gov/ and they help some people either refinance their existing loans or modify the terms to make them more affordable. If you run through the questionnaires, you can find out whether you are eligible. It would be fair to say this pair of programs has been controversial. With the politics so polarized, you hear whichever song you want to hear. From one side comes the attack that the plans are another example of "big government". If folks cannot keep their payments up-to-date, that's their problem. They should not look to the state for handouts. Taxes should not be used to bail out freeloaders. From the other side come the attacks that the programs are drawn up in a way that cuts down the number of eligible people to a minimum. Instead of helping the millions who are underwater with their loans, this is a Band-Aid trying to staunch a major hemorrhage.


In a way, it does not matter which side is right. What matters is whether anyone has been able to get real help. Well, the Bank of America has not been slow in coming forward with numbers. Since HAMP began, it claims to have modified the loans of 700,000 people. So how does this work? The first step is to negotiate and agree a trial modification. If this trial is a success, the bank agrees to make the modification permanent. Obviously, the trials have to run over a period of time to prove the borrowers can afford to pay. That explains why the Bank of America has only made 12,200 modifications permanent. It quickly says it has a further 13,700 loans waiting for the borrowers to sign the permanent agreement. Only 26,000 permanent modifications agreed may not sound many but do not forget the headline that 700,000 were admitted to the trial process. To encourage us, the Bank also says it will negotiate on a second mortgage (2MP). Putting the politics to one side, if you have problems with your home loan and your home is at risk, you should check out whether you are eligible under HARP or HAMP. No-one cares about which side is right about these programs so long as they help you solve your mortgage problems.

Surf your net to get the "goldfish"

Being a human being and living in the 21 century leaves us very little opportunity to have no choice. There is always something we can do about everything and anything at all can be done with only 1% of a chance for a mistake. Nowadays we have plenty of choice and variants to choose from. And when we say "plenty" we do mean plenty. You no longer have to doubt your decision; you can fix everything that goes wrong. At least this is how we see it and want you to feel about it.

Insurance is something people have lots of worries and doubts about. These types of services that are provided by insurance companies are meant to help you relax and pay to get your troubles taken away if they occur. But, before we speak about the actual insurance process it is important to state that it is very important to analyze and doublethink whatever you do.

In the world of today more and more people start to use their computer as the "helping hand" when they need to collect information on any matter. Internet saves your time because you don't have to run around knocking on company's door in order to get quotes. You can do practically everything from you, sitting on your comfortable sofa reading a newspaper or laying in bed watching TV. Most sites that provide people with facts and rates on insurance companies do possess all the necessary details to make a good comparison in order to be able and present it to you in a good decent way. Some independent sites will show you statistics and let you decide for yourself without putting any pressure on your about the choice. At the end of the day it is totally up to you to choose the company or the agent that you want to work with. If you have any requirements you can set them in email letter and specialists will try to offer the best policy that would match your preferences. It is important to know that somebody cares about your problems and wants to help you out when you need a good advice.

When you search for something particular over the internet please try to be as precise about it as you can be. Everything matters. Only when you have attached all the smallest details you can assure yourself to get the advice that will help you further.

You can always count on feedback when you surf the insurance sites. People of America want to participate in different sorts of discussions therefore they will leave comments on company's services and insurance itself. Try to stay cool about it. Rationality is what's important here.

Don't think all the companies want money and nothing else. This is too cynical. There are companies that want to offer you a good piece of advice or help you out. But this costs money. This is how you should look at it.

If you have an opportunity to find a personal home insurance assistant, get one. It is very comfortable to know you have somebody's back on difficulties.

And ... the most important factor - cheap home insurance is what people desire. Internet search is free. It means you can spend much time figuring out what to do and it will cost you nothing.

Act now if you want a cheap home insurance. Log on and choose the site. Your insurance company in only few clicks away.

Estate planning and life insurance coverage

As we all know, life insurance is a very important and effective tool for minimizing risks and assuring your family with the necessary financial power in special circumstances. And of all things, life insurance plays a very important role in a family estate planning as it can affect it in two different ways.

Analyzing your life insurance needs

The most common connection between life insurance and estate planning is probably the actual need for it. Life insurance can assure your family with the necessary income replacement or other immediate costs that can affect mortgage loan payout or even some of your important assets. It also provides emotional comfort and peace of mind, giving you and your family the confidence and security no matter what. And things like that are really important these days.

Analyzing the practical application of your life insurance

The second aspect of life insurance in estate planning is often overlooked but nevertheless is as important as the first one. Life insurance can be used to provide additional asset leverage and security, which is especially useful if you have an unsettled mortgage loan on your property. For example, in cases when IRA or 401k isn't needed to finance your retirement plan you can use them for investing into a life insurance policy. And if the policy belongs to an Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust, then the funds will be transferred to your family excluding income and estate taxes. In contrast, keeping your funds in the IRA or 401k won't free you of the said taxes and this will take out much money from your funds when needed.

However, do not rush with purchasing cheap life insurance just to secure your estate planning. It's a matter of combining your actual insurance needs with additional security requirements, rather than a simple tool to assure your family with a definite mortgage payout. Your life insurance needs should be met without any compromise in the first place, and then you have to think about estate planning application of your policy. Do not sacrifice really important benefits just to get an additional security with the policy as it will cost you too much money and give nothing in return.

If you want to get a policy that will carry all the necessary benefits to you and your family it's always better to consult with an insurance advisor or expert first. It can be your insurance agent or an independent expert that will be able to outline your requirements and find a policy that will suit all of your needs. If you need cheap life insurance, there will be a certain set of options and benefits, and a whole another set of options and benefits for those who can manage to spend more money on life insurance coverage. It's always more effective and much easier to plan and tailor a new insurance policy rather than changing a policy that you have already purchased. So if you need something special from the insurance company define your needs right away or you will have hard time adjusting the coverage to your needs afterwards.

Choosing a life insurance policy

There are so many life insurance options out there that one can spend a lot of time on just choosing what type of life insurance they need. But before you even start thinking about your options, decide whether you need life insurance at all. It's the most important decision concerning this type of insurance, because if you don't really need it then it's better to go without it altogether. But if you feel the need to keep some of your life aspects covered then get ready for a deep investigation of the life insurance market.

How can one determine whether they need life insurance? It's not that hard like you would imagine. This decision depends on your current responsibilities you bear. If you have dependents, a spouse, a mortgage loan or any other aspects that should be secured no matter what, you will definitely find it useful to buy life insurance coverage.

Once you have decided on buying life insurance, it's time to determine how much coverage you actually need. It's important, because the amount of coverage carried by your policy strongly affects the cost of your policy. There are no strict rules and methods of defining the amount of coverage as there are many factors involved (number of dependants, your income, your loans), however you can start with multiplying your annual salary by 5-10 to get an approximate number.

Deciding on the type of insurance you would like to buy is also a complex question that needs detailed analysis. Most insurance experts agree that younger people with no serious obligations and serious health risks should consider term life insurance. Term policies are a real cheap life insurance option, however they do not carry any additional cash value besides providing a death benefit. Whole life insurance policies offer cash value and additional investment options, but are much more expensive, especially in the first couple of years after signing them. So define your real insurance needs and choose the type of insurance that appeals to you the most.

When you have strictly defined what policy you want to get, don't rush getting it from the very first insurance company you can find. Shop around and make sure to get plenty of insurance quotes from reputable companies licensed in your state. You will be surprised to learn that the very same insurance policies with the same coverage amounts can be priced quite differently between companies, and it's a really great way to get cheap life insurance. Some insurance companies will offer discounts to customers that already have other types of insurance policies with them. So if you have homeowners or auto insurance with a company that also provides life coverage, it may be a good option for cheap life insurance in your case.

Remember that the more time you spend considering and comparing your options, the easier it will be for you to find a policy that you will really be happy with. Don't rush with your decision and get the offer you really think will match with your needs without any compromise.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

When getting quotes for health insurance, check for gender discrimination

The lawmakers in Colorado are debating a change in the law to correct the gender discrimination currently requiring women to pay more than men to insure their health. The facts are uncompromising. In some 90% of all private health plans, women have premium rates 60% higher than men. This is so even though the statistics show women enjoy better health than men and make fewer claims. This is so even though the men used for comparative purposes are significantly older. And, if you feel you need any more confirmation of the basic unfairness, even men who smoke pay less than female non-smokers. As one of the women promoting the bill commented: insurers often refuse coverage because the applicant has a pre-existing condition. The way the premiums are loaded, it seems being a woman is a pre-existing condition.

The people who are paid to speak on behalf of the insurance industry usually fall back on the tried and trusted defense that women have medical needs specific to their gender. The most often quoted example is maternity and prenatal care. Ignoring the fact that men also have problems specific to their gender, such as erectile dysfunction, women are still quoted premiums 60% higher on policies excluding reproductive health needs. In other words, the discrimination persists even though the scope of the medical coverage is identical. So what's going on? The answer, in this instance, is slightly complicated. If we start with auto insurance, it's common knowledge that young men are statistically more likely than any other group of drivers to crash into another vehicle or some stationary object. Thus, where the policy discriminates between different groups of drivers, young men pay significantly more than women who tend to drive more safely. Not all auto policies do discriminate. By spreading the risk among a big group of drivers, the good subsidize the bad. But, most auto insurers do set different premium rates for different groups of drivers distinguished by gender and age. In medicine, it's a fact that men fall ill and die, whereas women tend to recover from illnesses. This is one of the reasons why women have a longer life expectancy than men. But it also explains why women cost more. They survive for longer with chronic problems requiring continuing treatment. Thus, if the premium is a reflection of the likely costs of treatment over a person's lifetime, it may appear slightly more reasonable to charge women higher premiums. Except this ignores the general rule that private health insurance stops at 65 as Medicare kicks in. The major long-term costs tend to occur after 65.

Colorado looks as though it may join the one or two other states with equality provisions. There's no evidence from these other states that men now have to pay significantly more. For now, insurers simply make less profit. As a woman, it's particularly important to research exactly what the different companies offer. Because of this, searching for cheap health insurance is a greater challenge. Always refer to the websites of the companies making the best quotes to see if there are additional discounts available or special policies for women. If there seems to be no cheap health insurance available, talk directly with the insurers to see whether the difference between the male and female premium rates can be reduced. Not everyone is lucky enough to live in a state committed to equality. It is for you to protect yourself as best as possible.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

The benefits of term life insurance policies

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.

Disability coverage for your business

Imagine what could happen to your business if you were disabled for a few months or trying to recover after a bad accident. Most small businesses are tightly bound to their owners and if something bad happens to the person running the whole thing it can mean bad news for the enterprise. Not if you have disability insurance.

Disability insurance will cover the costs of the business owner or a worker being disabled and will pay for the lost income during the recovery period. So if your business risks going on halt because a key worker is absent then you should definitely get disability insurance with your policy.

Of course, many of you may think that the government will pay for your losses. Yes, social security and worker's compensation can really help if you manage to get an approval, but still you will have to wait for a long period of time and the coverage you will receive is likely to be less than you really need. And as we all know, time is money and money is time.

One of the most important aspects of disability insurance for an enterprise is deciding how much your business needs and can really afford. First of all you should analyze your liabilities and assets to determine the period your business can sustain without any income. Add up to the additional medical and care costs associated with disability. Of course, personal savings and health insurance can help you for a short time but your business will need financial support for a much longer period. But still don't expect your income to be covered to the full extent. The insurance company is interested in your faster recovery and getting back to your job, so the part of income you will receive will range from 40% to 80% according to the coverage amount you are willing to pay for.

Disability insurance can make part of your cheap small business insurance plan if you take the right steps when shopping for it. First of all makes sure to buy from a reputable company that has strong ratings, otherwise you risk paying less for your premiums but having more additional costs and being unable to receive adequate coverage. Try joining a business association: members of such associations are often given cheap business insurance rates that are lower than for individual buyers. Find a good insurance broker or agent that you can really trust. This is the person that will address all of your questions and make the link between you and the company, so establishing good relations with that person is essential. Besides, if there are any discounts or better insurance offers from other companies, your agent is the person to ask about such things.

Whether your enterprise is aimed at cheap small business insurance or has more money to invest in insurance coverage, having disability insurance will definitely save you from a lot of hassle and problem if anything bad happens. Insurance is about eliminating risks and this type of coverage sure has its purpose.

Always read the insurance policy to understand the coverage

There are many types of policy you can get when insuring your vehicle. Because of the rapidly rising cost of the premiums, many more people are driving either underinsured or uninsured. It's therefore wise to add the relevant coverage. In most clauses you can expect to see a promise to pay the damages for bodily injury or property damage which a covered person can recover from whoever owns or drives an uninsured motor vehicle. For these purposes, a "covered person" is you, a family member or anyone else inside your vehicle when the accident occurs. If you have the right to sue the owner or driver of the other vehicle, your own insurance company will pay the damages you recover. The key consideration is the limit on the amount you can recover. All insurers put a limit on liability. This is usually a maximum and a provision to prevent you from being paid twice. So, if there's another possible claim you could make under a workers' compensation law or something similar, you must use that remedy first and only claim the additional amount from your own insurer.

Many people think the maximum limits on uninsured and other policies are inadequate and so buy an umbrella policy. As in the case of rain, this tops up their personal coverage. This is a two-way street. It can be a financial life-saver if your policy limits will force you to use your own savings to pay some of your medical expenses. Equally, it will protect your assets if a court orders you to pay damages exceeding your conventional policy limits to a person you injured.

This brings us to a new case in Texas where Sandra Gervais Laine sued Farmers. The facts are simple. Ms Laine was driving her mother home when a drunken, uninsured driver crashed into her car and killed her mother. She had an uninsured policy limited to $250,000 and an umbrella policy adding $1 million. A jury awarded Ms Laine damages of $175,000 for the wrongful death claim and exemplary damages of $1.5 million for causing the death of her mother while drunk. You might think this looks good for Farmers making a total payment of $1.25 million. Except that, under Texas law, there's a fixed legal principle. An insured cannot recover from his or her own insurance company the exemplary damages awarded against another driver. So the most Ms Laine could recover was $175,000. The moral of this case is a hard truth. Everyone is assumed to know the law. So even if you read and understand the terms in the different policies offered through the auto insurance quotes, you can still be caught out because you do not know the law of your own state.

For most people, it's not economic to take legal advice on all the different policies before deciding which to buy. Even if you could afford it, just how much of the law of insurance are you supposed to learn before you can make an informed decision? When you receive the auto insurance quotes, read as much as you can. If there's anything looking important you do not understand, ask the insurance company what it means. Before you sign up, the companies are always helpful. Get as much as you can clear before you sign. It's usually too late to ask when a claim is being made.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

What is happening to the weather?

For the last year, the US has been focused on healthcare. Politicians of all shades of opinion have been pitching in on how well or badly the insurance industry serves the people when they are injured or fall ill. This has diverted attention away from the other hazards and perils supposedly covered by insurance policies. Go back to 2005 and Hurricane Katrina forced the question of insurance against weather perils on to the national scene. Katrina was one of the most devastating hurricanes of all time, and it forced Americans to have another more detailed look at who should pay for losses when the weather comes into town. For months, there were headlines about seemingly high-profile cases being fought through the courts on what exactly was covered as storm damage. Then, it all faded away. People may still struggle to find storm and flood insurance depending on where they live, the policies may be written in ways that limit the insurers' liability, but the news media has moved on to other problems. For now, you are on your own.

Why should this matter now? Well, this December, the world is meeting in Copenhagen to discuss what to do about global warming. You might remember Al Gore's documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. No matter what you might think of Al Gore as a politician, there is one clear truth. The rest of the world takes the issue of global warming as a serious problem. The accumulating body of scientific evidence is undeniable and the potential consequences are devastating. For example, if the average temperatures rise by more more than 2C, the world will remain a reasonable place in which to live. But if the temperatures rise by 4C, large parts of the Earth will become uninhabitable. Yes, yes, you say. This is all well and good, but how does it affect me? The answer is that your premium rates are going to rise.

The weather patterns are changing. Storms and floods will become more frequent and severe. As temperatures rise, there will be more rain associated with all storms. Look around. Are federal and state teams actually investing in flood management defenses as a priority? Are sea defenses in low-lying areas being improved to guard against storm surges? Are hillsides being reinforced to reduce the risk of landslides? Are drainage systems being expanded in towns and cities to channel excess surface water away from inhabited areas? The answer, sadly, is no. With budgets in deficit at all levels of government, investing in storm protection programs is not seen as a high priority. So your home insurance premiums are going to rise not just because the risk of losses from the weather is increasing, but also because the insurers will need more capital to pay out on the increasing number of claims when the storms hit. When you get home insurance quotes, make sure the proposed policy will cover you against weather damage in general and flood damage in particular. You are warned that, depending on where you live, cover may either be excluded altogether or hedged by limitations making it very difficult to claim. When you get your home insurance quotes, also ensure your projected rebuilding costs include damage to the foundations and repair to the structure caused by flooding.




Cheap car insurance in Nevada

We doubt there is a person in this world that wants to pay double for nothing. Yes, it is true that people want discount with almost anything. We are programmed to want to economize some money. When you want to cut some of your expenses off you usually make a list. This list includes everything you spend money on during the month. Let's see - house rental payments, vehicle payments, utilities plus your insurance! Could you actually believe anybody if they told you that you could save money on your insurance company services without suffering for it afterwards? We don't think you would believe but you will have to do it as now it is very possible to save on you insurance.

The most important thing that you have to remember is to use Internet. You can't find better options than those presented to you via the Internet. There are plenty of Nevada auto insurance sites and you could easily do yourself a favor by surfing them well.

When you visit agencies and companies they feed you with lots of promises. Some of them never happen. Insurance agents like to have long meaningful conversations with people - some of these conversations do make people their clients but it seems more like hypnosis. If you ask for our opinion we would recommend you to take a cup of tea, lay down with your laptop and search the best offer you can find or the deal that will not give you a discount but also leave you satisfied with the service.

Everything is pricy in Nevada. Some of us have a very mistaken opinion about this state. It is not only about high class cars... don't compare the whole state with Las Vegas - those are different things. Just like in every other US state there are plenty of drivers in Nevada and they all wonder one and the same thing - how to save on the insurance? Believe it or not, but being a good driver with a good driving record always helps. You can easily get yourself a good deal that will not hit your pocket too much. If you are careful on the road you are obliged to some privilege. Let a 10% discount be that thing for you. We are sure you will appreciate it more than words.

You should also know to shop around for Nevada auto insurance quotes before you get yourself into any sort of deal. You should be able to compare the prices for the same services and figure out what is more beneficial to you by yourself. Don't let anyone pressure you in this decision.

If you decided to go to any car insurance company please push the agent towards the discount. You can tell the agent that you were offered something else that you might consider as well and you will see how fast this trick will work.

And the last but not the least, it is the car that matters the most. If you have a good car, get ready to pay more than you would pay for your 1995 old BMW. That is the truth of the insurance company business. So think it over and make sure you know what you are doing.




Why are auto insurance premium rates rising so fast?

Welcome to 2010. Look around the states. Yes, they all have different perils for drivers to face. For some, it's the weather with snow and ice making driving dangerous during winter. In others, it's hurricanes and tornados. But leaving aside all the different types of peril, there's one big problem for everyone with a vehicle on the road. All the major insurers are pressing for rate hikes. State Farm, Allstate and Geico have been leading the charge. And we are not just talking hikes of one or two percent. In Florida, for example, State Farm is raising rates by an average of 9.2%, while Allstate went for a shock-and-awe average of 16%. Even though the recession is slowly easing, the US is facing the highest levels of unemployment seen for decades. Rate increases like these hurt everyone struggling to make ends meet. Is this just gouging by the insurers? Like the Wall Street bankers, are they only interested in their bonuses? Should we think of insurance companies as the new carpetbaggers, using political influence to their own crooked ends? Just why are the insurers making such egregious demands for more money when most of us are down and out?

Lining up the questions like this gives little chance of answers favorable to the insurers. Does that make us biased? Hell, yes! Increases like this when the economy is on the bottom will only lead to more people driving without insurance. As more drop out of the legal framework, the premiums rise for the rest of us. The costs stay the same. They are just divided among fewer insured drivers. Worse, we now have to add additional uninsured and underinsured coverage. It costs more for those who want to stay legal on the road. Are there any justifications for these increases? Well, if you ask a talking-head for the insurance industry, the blame gets spread around. We start off with the rise in the cost of medical treatment. It seems the healthcare services have all been hiking their charges to treat those injured in traffic accidents. Evidence? Well, following very public contract disputes in California and Connecticut, we now have the stand-off between United Healthcare and Continuum Health Partners in New York. The hospitals want increases. The insurer is asking for cuts of between 7 and 10%. In these circumstances, the insurers are actually standing up for their policy holders. If healthcare costs can be reduced or held stable, premiums can also be stabilized.

The really big problem, however, is whether the insurers can pay all the claims we make. The insurers have low capital reserves. Why are the reserves so low? Well, it's back to the recession. When the insurers collect in the premiums, the money is invested until it's needed to pay out the claims. Just as our 401k investments have taken a big hit, the insurers suddenly found their investments had lost value. Now, the state Insurance Departments are insisting the capital be replaced. In some states, the insurers have agreed to reduce the number of people they insure. In the rest, the premiums are to rise. This means, no matter where you live, it's going to be harder to find cheap auto insurance. Harder does not mean impossible. Using the search engine on this site, you can still find cheap car insurance, but you may have to look more carefully at the discounts on offer and accept a higher deductible. This may not all be the fault of the insurers, but it sure feels like it.