Posted by Alexander Murphy on Sep 24, 2011
In tough economic times, drivers look for ways to cut their costs, as many drivers don’t have the income to pay for expensive insurance policies and gasoline bills. Unfortunately, a driver’s financial well-being can have a marked impact on car insurance rates, and in some states, low income drivers end up paying much more for their policies than wealthy drivers. This is due to a new pricing strategy that many auto insurance companies are using. While factors like a driver’s record still have a major impact on rates, some insurance providers are also using credit histories to set their prices.
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Tags: Drivers
Posted by Alexander Murphy on Sep 24, 2011
Payout rates are on the up, so can you and your family afford to go without this vital form of protection?
Can critical illness policyholders be confident their insurers will pay out if push comes to shove?
That is the question many people ask themselves when they are thinking about what kind of protection insurance to buy.
With life insurance, claiming is straightforward and generally the only reason an insurer may refuse to pay out is if the death is the result of gross negligence on the policyholder’s part.
But life insurance, clearly, will only pay out if the very worst happens, whereas serious medical problems for a main earner can leave a family just as desperately short of cash. T
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Tags: Critical Illness, Illness
Posted by Nicholas Adams on Sep 23, 2011
The days of burglars carting off their loot in vans may be gone, as AXA reveals there is £135.5bn in jewellery and small gadgets in British homes.
The small but expensive items means that burglars can make off with a fortune, and need only a rucksack to carry their ill-gotten gains.
According to research from AXA the average house has £5,218 of gadgets, jewellery and portable electrical items, such as the recently invented tablet computers and handheld games consoles.
AXA Insurances Amanda Edwards said that the research highlighted the importance of safely storing jewellery and electronic gadgets to prevent them becoming easy pickings for burglars.
As well as storing consoles and jewellery out of sight, AXA advocates the installation of a burglar alarm and outside lighting, as well as appropriate insurance.
Whilst gadgets have made many things more convenient, they can end up being particularly troublesome if they are stolen.
In July AXA warned drivers not to put their home address into their SatNavs, as (if the car and house keys are kept together) car thieves are then able to instantly drive to and unlock the unfortunate motorists home, adding burglary to car theft.
Tags: Gadgets
Posted by Jeffrey Nelson on Sep 21, 2011
If you have ever had a sick pet and had to make the decision between the money or euthanizing the animal, you can understand the heartache and pain that so many others have had to experience. There is an alternative to costly procedures for your pets and that is to carry pet insurance. Vet bills, even just a visitation can be costly, but breaking it down into a smaller monthly payment towards the insurance carrier can mean the difference between your pet’s health and not being able to afford treatment. There are even some pet insurance policies that go above and beyond in their coverage. Some instances of extra coverage could be boarding fees or even cancelled trips due to a pet problem.
There are several options when it comes to pet insurance so it is imperative that you choose the right kind of coverage for you and your pet. Each pet is different so make sure to read the possible policy very carefully to make certain that your pet is covered for every situation that it might be engaged in. If you are a dog breeder, you may want to look into extended coverage to protect you and your dog. If you have a show dog, then make sure that they are covered while in competition.
Carry liability insurance. This is the type of insurance that will protect you should your animal damage property or brings harm to someone. If you have an animal other than a cat or dog, then you may need to seek out a pet insurance company that offers insurance for exotic animals. These may include ferrets, birds, rabbits, snakes or even llamas. Make certain that you are aware of how long the animal will be covered for. If your pet should have a long-term illness which has been covered by the insurance, yet the policy expires or comes to the end of the pre-determined term, then you could be stuck with paying for medicines and treatments out of pocket.
Age limits are an unfortunate aspect of some pet insurance policies. Not every insurance provider has this limitation, but some do include a limit as to how old your pet can be. What you want to look for is a policy that covers the lifetime of the pet. If your pet travels with you, then also make sure that the policy covers out of town or overseas travel depending on which you most often take part in. Your pet can also be protected against running off and even dognapping. This type of insurance is especially important if you own a high value animal such as a purebred or a special breed as they can be targets for theft.
A good pet insurance policy will not only cover your pet, but it will also give you peace of mind. Knowing that your beloved pet is protected is just another way in which you can give back to the animal that has given you so much in their life.
Tags: Pet, Pet Covered
Posted by Nicholas Adams on Aug 28, 2011
Don’t assume. Jumping to conclusions is a common reaction to a lack of response from a client or less-than-expected return, but you have to fight the urge to decide that customer simply bought from somebody else or that leads just won’t work for you.
Keep asking, keep making contact and keep buying insurance leads until you have a definitive answer.
If a customer raises objections, don’t assume that they’re probably going to walk out your door. People can have genuine questions, even if they do plan on buying.
Hang in there, provide good answers and avoid being defensive. If you can impress the client with what you know and don’t get confrontational, the conversation should continue.
Don’t settle. It may be tempting to keep the number of leads you buy at the same level well beyond the point that your agency has grown and expanded, or to even reduce them after you reach an initial growth goal. That’s shor Read more…
Posted by Alexander Murphy on Aug 26, 2011
Guy Carpenter has published its first Industry Risk Benchmarks report for insurers, which provides risk benchmarks for loss ratios and reserves, by line of business, for coefficient of variation (standard deviation/mean), correlation and cycles.
The benchmarks are based on a database of industry information that includes the reported financial results of hundreds of insurance companies over a thirty-year period.
They can be used to assess the risk parameters used in insurers economic capital models.
Developed in conjunction with Risk Lighthouse, the report is available upon request to clients of Guy Carpenter only.
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Tags: Benchmarks Report, Report, Risk Benchmarks, Risk Benchmarks Report
Posted by Jeffrey Nelson on Aug 26, 2011
While several factors influence buying a new car, the sound of its horn probably isn’t one of them. And while the sound of a car horn may be a small issue for some, it’s a big issue for others—particularly automakers.
Pat Seashore of Ford Motors is one person who takes car horns seriously—it’s what she does for a living.
“Horns are tremendously important,” said Seashore in an interview with USA Today. “The horn is a communication device. You alert someone that something is happening.”
Some countries require a minimum decibel level
Dubbed the “horn czar,” Seashore, an engineering supervisor for Ford, recently spoke to the paper about the factors Ford takes into consideration when determining a car’s noise. And according to Seashore, none is more important than how loud of a sound it makes.
For instance, if a particular model is being sold in Europe, South Korea or Japan, Seashore says the horn has to be at least 93 decibels. Acc Read more…
Tags: Car Horn, Horn
