Travel Insurance

A Guide to Buying and Using Travel Insurance By John M. Bartanus

Is Travel Insurance Really Necessary?

Travel is already expensive enough, isn't it? The cost of air fare, cruises, hotels, ground transportation, food and activities and entertainment are already high enough. I don't know about you, but I work hard for my money, and when I travel, I want to keep as much of my money in MY pocket as possible. Is travel insurance a necessity or a luxury? Why not cut a few corners here and there. Why buy something if it's not really needed?

My personal answer is, of course, that I am not independently wealthy and can't withstand the potential financial losses I would incur if I require medical care while I'm traveling. Not being independently wealthy also means that I'm in the market for adequate but cheap travel insurance. I suspect that you are in the same position, so you, too need cheap travel insurance. If you're still not sure about that, consider the following.

Did you know that if you get sick or are injured while traveling abroad, your medical plan may not cover all the expenses you will incur? If the costs of treatment are higher than the maximums of your medical plan, you will be responsible for the difference, unless you have already purchased travel insurance. In fact, you may not even be admitted into hospitals in some countries without proof that you have health or medical insurance.

This is true for everyone, regardless of age or length of time abroad. Suppose you fall ill just a few hours after arriving at your destination. Or suppose you make a day-trip to another country, and you are injured in a traffic accident. Or suppose one of your children is part of a group making a class visit abroad, gets food poisoning and requires hospitalization. In all cases, without adequate travel health insurance, you will be responsible for the costs above and beyond the limitations of your existing medical plan.

Therefore, before going abroad, you need to make sure that you are adequately covered by travel medical insurance that won't break your budget. You should check to see if appropriate coverage is already available to you through your medical plan, employee benefits, or even through a credit card. If the coverage is sufficient for your needs, then you can enjoy your trip without incurring the extra expense of travel insurance. However, if you are not sure of your coverage, or if your coverage is inadequate or non-existent, then your next step should be to research and purchase the travel insurance coverage you need.

How Much Can You Expect To Pay?

When I bought my first plane ticket to China a few years ago it cost around $2000 round-trip, and my travel insurance cost me over $500 because I didn't shop around for cheap travel insurance online.

A few years later, a little bit older and wiser, and my travel insurance for another trip to China cost me much less--about $300 for roughly the same coverage. The difference? Before buying my travel insurance for the second trip, I shopped around online and got the coverage I needed, at the right price. If I'd have purchased my travel insurance for this latest trip from my travel agent, it would've cost me about $600 for the trip, and my plane tickets only cost $1,500! Not exactly the smart way to go.

So how much will it cost you? Not as much money as it will cost you if you get sick or injured abroad and you don't have any travel insurance coverage! That's the obvious answer to the question.

In fact, how much travel insurance costs will depend on your age and the type of coverage you choose. Basic policies cost as little as $5.50 USD per $1000 of coverage. On the other hand, you can expect a full coverage policy to cost you from 7 to 10% of the cost of your trip, depending on your age. The older you are, the more you will pay. No matter what the cost of the policy, however, it's sure to be much less than the cost of medical evacuation!

The good news is that you can easily, conveniently and quickly research and locate excellent but cheap online travel insurance and reduce the costs while making an informed purchase. This is much better than taking what you are offered at the travel agency because you can choose from hundreds of travel insurance companies and polices and save yourself a lot of money in the process. One place you can start your search is at Travel Insurance Central, [http://www.travel-insurance-central.com]

What You Should Consider When Buying Travel Insurance

To assist you in your research, here are some suggestions to help you make an informed purchase.

1. Consider the worst-case scenario. If you can financially withstand the worst-case scenario then maybe you don't need travel insurance or maybe you don't need a comprehensive policy.

2. Make sure the policy you are considering provides adequate medical/dental coverage, including medical evacuation coverage just in case you need medical care in a place where the best treatment available is below the standards you are accustomed to in your country. This can happen if you fall ill in a developing country or even on a cruise ship.

3. Check your existing insurance policies for possible coverage. There is no sense in paying more for what you already have in your homeowner or tenant policy, such as theft and loss coverage.

4. If you are a frequent traveler, you should consider annual or year-round travel insurance policies. Sometimes they are called multi-trip travel insurance policies. Whatever the name, these policies can be relatively cheap when compared to single-trip travel insurance policies.

5. Know what you are buying, so read the fine print. Make sure that you understand what the company considers to be a legitimate reason for cancellation or interruption. If the list is too restrictive, maybe you should consider another policy.

6. Don't restrict yourself to buying only from your travel agent. He/She will probably only have one company's product(s) available, and it's there for your convenience, but that convenience can be quite costly!

7. Ask lots of questions about the coverage. Play the "what if" game. Ask for clear explanations of terminology. Make sure that you and the travel insurance company are speaking the same language.

8. Don't buy the insurance through your transportation provider. If the airline goes bankrupt, how adequate will your insurance coverage be?

Once You’ve Bought Your Travel Insurance

Remember that your travel insurance policy covers you between certain specific dates, so don't start your trip early or extend your trip without first changing the dates of coverage on your travel insurance policy. Of course, this might cost you extra, but that's cheaper than finding yourself without coverage when you need it the most.

Also, it almost goes without saying that you should bring your travel insurance policy with you when you go abroad. You can't consult the policy if it's sitting on your desk at home. You should also carry your travel insurance company's toll-free assistance phone number and other contact information with you wherever you go. It does you no good if you get ill or hurt and the necessary policy information is sitting in your hotel room. It's also a good idea to bring your regular medical coverage cards and info with you.

I hope these tips will help you by the best travel insurance for you. Then take your trip with the peace of mind that comes from knowing that you are insured by the right travel insurance policy at the right price. Bon voyage!

Life Insurance

Life Insurance Policies Explained By Matt McWilliams

Six Basic Kinds of Life Insurance

Regardless of how fancy the policy title or sales presentation might appear, all life insurance policies contain benefits derived from one or more of the three basic kinds shown below. Some policies due combine more than one kind of life insurance and can be confusing.

Term Life Insurance

Endowment Life Insurance

Whole Life Insurance

Variable Life Insurance

Universal Life Insurance

Variable Universal Life Insurance

Term Life Insurance

Term life insurance is death protection for a term of one or more years. Some companies are offering policies with terms up to thirty years. Premiums on term insurance remain level during the life of the policy. Term Life Insurance has no cash value account. Death benefits will be paid only if you die within that term of years. Term insurance generally provides the largest immediate death protection for your premium dollar.

Some term life insurance policies are renewable for one or more additional terms even if your health has changed. Each time you renew the policy for a new term, premiums will be higher. You should check the premiums at older ages and the length of time the policy can be continued.

Some term insurance policies are also convertible. This means that before the end of the conversion period, you may trade the term policy for a whole life or endowment insurance policy even if you are not in good health. Premiums for the new policy will be higher than you have been paying for the term insurance.

Life Insurance "Endowment"

An endowment insurance policy pays a sum or income to you, the policyholder, if you live to a certain age. If you were to die before then, the death benefit would be paid to your beneficiary. Premiums and cash values for endowment insurance are higher than for the same amount of whole life insurance. Thus endowment insurance gives you the least amount of death protection for your premium dollar.

Whole Life Insurance

Whole life insurance gives death protection for as long as you live. The most common type is called straight life or ordinary life insurance, for which you pay the same premiums for as long as you live. These premiums can be several times higher than you would pay initially for the same amount of term insurance. But they are smaller than the premiums you would eventually pay if you were to keep renewing a term insurance policy until your later years.

Some whole life policies let you pay premiums for a shorter period such as 20 years, or until age 65. Premiums for these policies are higher than for ordinary life insurance since the premium payments are squeezed into a shorter period.

Although you pay higher premiums, to begin with, for whole life insurance than for term insurance, whole life insurance policies develop cash values which you may have if you stop paying premiums. You can generally either take the cash, or use it to buy some continuing insurance protection. Technically speaking, these values are called nonforfeiture benefits. This refers to benefits you do not lose or forfeit when you stop paying premiums. The amount of these benefits depends on the kind of policy you have, its size, and how long you have owned it.

A policy with cash values may also be used as collateral for a loan. If you borrow from the life insurance company, the rate of interest is shown in your policy. Any money which you owe on a policy loan would be deducted from the benefits if you were to die, or from the cash value if you were to stop paying premiums.

Variable Life Insurance

Variable life insurance, provides permanent protection for you and death benefits to your beneficiary upon your death. The value of the death benefits may fluctuate up or down depending on the performance of the investment portion of the policy. Most variable life insurance policies guarantee that the death benefit will not fall below a specified minimum, however, a minimum cash value is seldom guaranteed. Variable is a form of whole life insurance and because of investment risks it is also considered a securities contract and is regulated as securities under the Federal Securities Laws and must be sold with a prospectus.

Universal Life Insurance

Universal Life insurance is a variation of Whole Life. The insurance part of the policy is separated from the investment portion of the policy. The investment portion is invested in bonds and mortgages, the investment portion of Universal Life is invested in money market funds. The cash value portion of the policy is set up as an accumulation fund. Investment income is credited to the accumulation fund. The death benefit portion is paid for out of the accumulation fund. Unlike Whole Life Insurance, the cash value of Universal Life Insurance grows at a variable rate. Normally, there is a guaranteed minimum interest rate applied to the policy. No matter how badly the investments go by the insurance company, you are guaranteed a certain minimal return on the cash portion. If the insurance company does well with its investments, the interest return on the cash portion will increase.

Variable-Universal Life

Variable universal life insurance pays your beneficiary a death benefit. The amount of the benefit is dependant on the success of your investments. If the investments fail, there is a guaranteed minimum death benefit paid to your beneficiary upon your death. Variable universal gives you more control of the cash value account portion of your policy than any other insurance type. A form of whole life insurance, it has elements of both life insurance and a securities contract. Because the policy owner assumes investment risks, variable universal products are regulated as securities under the Federal Securities Laws and must be sold with a prospectus.

Rates and coverage vary form state to state. Shop around on your own and talk to an independent insurance agent to make sure you get a plan that's right for you. It's amazing how much rates may vary from company to company for the same coverage.

World Travel Insurance

Worldwide Travel Insurance Covers You No Matter What Country You Travel To By James Patrick Mahon

You have been planning to have your dream vacation for months. You also want to know that should the unexpected occur so far away from home, you have help close at hand. Some insurance policies are only available to those who are traveling to Europe but worldwide insurance is for those interested in traveling all around the world. Getting the best travel insurance is always a good choice before you travel. In common also with most insurance policies, worldwide insurance is qualified by restrictions and limitations. While you are planning for your vacation, you should also consider getting extra money for you to enjoy the trip.

As a wise traveler, one should always be prepared before going on a vacation. A lot of people ask if worldwide travel insurance is important and the answer is yes. Always bear in mind that worldwide insurance cover gives you all the financial protection you need in times of travel accidents. In order for you to survive an tiresome and dangerous travel, then you will need to have the support of your travel insurance. There are just many unfortunate events that could go beyond our control such as flight delay, lost baggage and accidents.

World travel insurance is indeed something that you should get when you are traveling so that you can receive monetary service. No one ever wants to think of anything going wrong, but the reality is that there is always risk involved when you are on the road. Whenever you are planning for a long trip, then you need to get worldwide travel insurance so you can get the best financial support should you need it. It simply stands that with worldwide insurance cover, you can go on with pleasurable feeling, leaving you a stress-free and worry-free vacation.

Insurance Companies

100 Top National Insurance Companies Serving Employee Group Benefit Brokers By Donald Yerke

Although this data is not 100% accurate, it is probably the most precise info available. Employee group benefit brokers need to know where to find the plans to fit their client needs. It is a well established fact that employers cannot handle the entire burden of providing a grocery list of benefits that their workers would like to have. As a result brokers are working with both the employee and his workforce. The worker is being given options of having additional coverages available with the convenience of premiums taken right from their paycheck. This is a win-win-win situation for the employer, the worker, and the agent.

Here you will find the top national insurance companies in this market, along with others marketing in most states. For brokers selling products with only one insurance company, it seems impractical and virtually impossible. I carry around a Swiss army knife, which although useful, often is incapable of performing the job correctly. Therefore, in my experience, I have found most agents selling plans more than occasionally, represent more than one insurance company. Like the Swiss army knife, no one insurance company can serve all situations. According to my records, the average broker involved in frequent sales represents 3 national insurance companies for this employee market.

For your convenience, there are two lists prepared alphabetically. The first are the carriers licensed to sell their employee benefit plans in all 50 states. The second listing is of states selling in a minimum of at least 40 states. All should have websites to receive fast additional information. With 100 top national insurance companies listed, maybe it is time to check out a couple more.

TOP NATIONAL INSURANCE COMPANIES & Carriers Licensed in all 50 states

1. ACI Specialty Benefits

2. Advantica Eyecare

3. AFLAC

4. AIG Employee Benefit Solutions

5. Allstate Workplace Division

6. American Sentinel Insurance Company

7. Ameritas Group

8. Assurant Employee Benefits

9. Avesis

10. BCS Insurance Company

11. Beta Health Association, Inc.

12. Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company

13. CIGNA

14. Combined Insurance Worksite Solutions

15. CCG- Cost Containment Group

16. Davis Vision

17. Delta Dental

18. Dentali Dental and Vision

19. Dental Select

20. EyeMed Vision Care

21. EZ Meds USA

22. GPM Life

23. Great American Insurance of NY

24. Great American Supplemental Benefits Group of TX

25. Guardian Life Insurance Company

26. Hartford Life

27. HM Insurance Group

28. Humana

29. Independent Health

30. ING Employee Benefits

31. Liberty Mutual Group Benefits

32. Lincoln Financial Group

33. Madison Life Insurance Company

34. Magnum Dental & Vision

35. Majestic Underwriters

36. MedAmerica Insurance Company

37. Medico Insurance Company

38. MESVision

39. Metropolitan Life Insurance Company

40. Minnesota Life Insurance Company

41. Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company

42. Nationwide Financial

43. Patriot Health, Inc.

44. Petersen International Underwriters

45. PPO USA

46. Principal Financial Group

47. Prudential Company of America

48. Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company

49. SecureCare Dental

50. Security Life Insurance Company of America

51. Security Mutual Life Insurance Company of NY

52. Spirit Dental Life and Vision

53. Standard Insurance Company

54. Standard Life Insurance Company of NY

55. Sun Life Financial

56. Super Vision Services

57. Symetra Financial

58. Transamerica Affinity Services in MD

59. Transamerica Worksite Marketing

60. Trustmark Voluntary Benefits Solutions

61. UNIFI Companies Retirement Plans

62. United American Insurance Company

63. United Concordia Companies

64. United Health Programs of America

65. Unum

66. VSP Vision Care

TOP MULTI-STATE INSURANCE COMPANIES Licensed in 40 or more states.

1. American Fidelity Assurance Company, minus NY

2. American Public Life Insurance Company, -NY

3. American United Life Insurance Company, -NY

4. ArmadaCare, -7 states

5. Assurity Life Insurance Company, -NY

6. BasicPlus Insurance Services, -10 states

7. Block Vision, -9 states

8. Brokers National Assurance Company, -6 states

9. Colonial Life, -2 states

10. Colorado Bankers Life Insurance Company, -2 states

11. Companion Life Insurance Company, -4 states

12. Conseco Insurance Companies, - 2 states

13. Continental American Insurance Company, -NY

14. Dominion Dental Services, Inc., -4 states

15. EMC National Life Company, - 2 states

16. First Dearborn Life Insurance Company, -NY

17. HealthPartners, -2 states

18. Illinois Mutual, -4 states

19. John Hancock, -2 states

20. Kansas City Life Group, -2 states

21. Minnesota Life Insurance Company, -2 states

22. Mutual Trust Financial Group, -2 states

23. Ohio National Financial Services, -3 states

24. Oxford Life Insurance Company, - 5 states

25. Penn Treaty Network America, -7 states

26. Renaissance Life and Health Insurance Company, -NY

27. Securian Dental Plans, -6 states

28. Significa Insurance Group, Inc., -5 states

29. Standard Life and Accident Insurance Company, -5 states

30. Starmark, -10 states

31. Texas Life Insurance Company, -NY

32. Transamerica Life Insurance Company, -5 states

33. Trustmark Life Insurance Company, -9 states

34. Western Reserve Life, -NY

Other insurer organizations and insurance companies

These cover most of the United States. They are American Continental Insurance Company, American Specialty Health Insurance Company, Best Life, Catholic Family Life, Columbian Mutual Life, Continental American Insurance, Eastern Life & Health Insurance Company, Equitable Life & Casualty, Guaranty Income Life Insurance Company, Kemper Investors, Pro Financial Services, and William Penn Association.

Shenandoah Life Insurance Company is not listed, as it is undergoing some difficulties. Apologies are in order to any companies catering to this market segment that were missed.

Well published author, Don Yerke likes to concentrate on what you don't know or what no one else dares to print. Tell it like it is.

Watch for his new paperback book debuting on Amazon early this summer. It is loaded with great insurance marketing and recruiting information.

Auto Insurance

What Should You Look For in an Auto Insurance Company? By Simon Goodman

What is a car insurance? What will an auto insurance cover?
Auto insurance companies cover you and your passengers in the event of an accident. But it is up to you to decide the level of cover you will get.

Will the damages to your property be covered by the company? Will all the passengers be covered or only your family? What if your daughter was driving your car?

What questions should you ask your auto insurance company when it comes to auto insurance? This article help you choose between the various insurance policies.

Types of auto insurance

Liability insurance, or third party insurance.

This is general the lowest form of insurance offered by an auto insurance company. This is the basic insurance, if you are involved in an accident, and it is proven to be your fault, the auto insurance company will pay damages to the other party.

The cover offered by the auto insurance company is usually set beforehand. These are the maximum amount the auto insurance company will pay in case of accident

For example the agent will agree on a $10000 coverage per person, (bodily injury) and/or $40000 coverage in bodily injury and/or $10000 in property damage per accident

You need to confirm with your auto insurance company what they will cover and what are the limits.
You might be offered a very low premium by some auto insurance company only to realize that your cover is minimal and unrealistic.

Collision and comprehensive coverage, comprehensive insurance and full comprehensive insurance

An auto insurance company will also offer you a comprehensive insurance, as the name indicates, you will be comprehensively covered.

In simple terms it means that if you are responsible for a collision the insurance company will pay for the repair of the vehicle.

But it is not so simple, an auto insurance company will almost always have the final say on what amount will be paid out, so if it is cheaper to give you market value for the car, then they will.

You might think that your car is worth $1000.00 but the real market value might be $500.00. This is not an uncommon scenario. So if the repair of your car are more than $500.00 then the auto insurance company will simply pay the book value of the car.

You must make sure that the insurance company is not in control of the market value of the car, normally organisations like the AA will give an impartial market value.

As with the third party insurance, the auto insurance company will almost certainly limit the amount that will be paid out, but in general terms, a comprehensive insurance will have higher limits.

Recreation Vehicle

A recreation vehicle needs its own insurance, a Recreation vehicle insurance is not the same as auto insurance.
You should not assume that because your car is comprehensively insured, so is your recreation vehicle.

Other Types of auto insurance

Medical (MedPay), Persona Injury protection (PIP) and no fault cover

This insurance will cover you and your passengers medical expenses in the event of a collision.
The no fault cover means that the auto insurance company will pay regardless of who is at fault. This give you the piece of mind that, at the very least, your family and friends are covered.

PIP is often a minimum requirement in some countries or states, ask your auto insurance company what the requirements are.

Uninsured/Underinsured motorists' coverage

This cover, (also sometimes a minimum requirement in some states), will cover you if the person at fault is not insured or is underinsured.

You must ask your auto insurance company what you will be charged in case of such a situation. Normally the auto insurance company should not charge you some extra premiums.

Rental reimbursement, towing and labour

Those 'extras' often given with a comprehensive insurance is often use by auto insurance companies as specials.

So in case your car is damaged the auto insurance company will pay for rental costs, (sometimes only for a few days).

The auto insurance company might also offer to pay for the towing of your vehicle, (not always included).
As always you should ask your auto insurance company what is included in the cover.

The legal requirements.

Most states, and most countries will require a certain level of cover, from full comprehensive car insurance to third party auto insurance.

In most cases it is up to you, the driver, to ensure that your auto insurance company offers you the minimum required. In most cases the insurance company, (the auto insurance company), is under no obligation to instruct you of the requirements.

But of course, a good auto insurance company will, (should?), try its outmost to advise you on the best deal for you.

Find out more about Auto Insurance company [http://www.insurance-owl.com/other/car_co.php] on our website.

Insurance Owl [http://www.insurance-owl.com] gives simple, clear information about insurance. Everything, ranging from health insurance to indemnity claims, including Auto, Travel and life insurance.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Simon_Goodman

 

Insurance Companies

Best Term Life Insurance Rate   By Paul Lilley

With a tougher economy people are looking for more ways to save money on the things they have to buy to protect their family. One area to look at is to find the best term life insurance rate they can. Term insurance rates are actually the cheapest form of life insurance, but there are different rates for different peoples. Some of the factors that influence your term life insurance rate are: Tobacco users are twice as likely to die as non tobacco users while they are insured. Life insurance companies take this into account when they set their premium and cash benefits levels. In the case of heart disease, you will get a policy but your rates will be high. If you work in a risky occupation, such as working on a ship that carries gas, this will put you into a higher bracket when it comes to getting rates for term insurance. You will have to shop around to compare term life insurance quotes if you are in any of these categories. Your health, job, and habits are the biggest factors in what you will pay in term life insurance rates.

Other factors that decide the best term insurance rates will be the size of the policy. One question most people have is what size policy do I need? Most experts agree that buying a term life insurance policy which amounts to 7 to 10 times your yearly income is about right. Subtract from that amount any social security benefits and assets you have and that will be a good indicator what size policy you should consider. Some would wonder why waiting is not a good way to save money also. The biggest issue with waiting any longer is what ways you can become uninsurable. If you are in good health, now is the time to buy. The moment you receive a diagnoses that would determine your life could be shortened by a sickness or condition you no longer own the right to buy this much needed benefit at a cheap rate or maybe not at all.

Remember many people do not know that the rates for life insurance have declined a great deal over the last decade with better medical services being put into play. Everyone is living longer on and average but that is no guarantee you will. Do not be fooled by having a term life insurance policy as part of the benefits at your job. Sometimes those rates are higher then what you would normally pay because it is a group policy covering smokers and people with lower levels of insurability due to health issues. They win with getting coverage, you lose on the rate you are paying. Another thing to remember is if you change jobs or are laid-off that does not stop your obligations. Having term life insurance rate policy already in place makes sure you have the coverage you need and the cheapest rate available so you don't have to drop the policy if your income is lowered for a period of time.

Term life insurance is where real value is in life insurance but the next question is where do you save the most in shopping for the best term life insurance rate? There is a possibility down the road that there will be increases in policy rates. This is a contradiction to what I wrote earlier but the reason for this is financial strength of the companies offering insurance not a decline in health. So now is the time to save the most. Remember a one year term policy is the cheapest rate in the short run but buy the coverage for the correct time length and you will save the most. You could consider your local big famous insurance company agent for the quotes on a term life insurance policy but remember they are usually a captive agent. This means they have a limited amount of flexibility in products they offer and they have to offer the policy of the company they work for first. That's the company that pays their bills and it may not be the best one for you or the cheapest.

You could also look to a so called "independent agent" but sometimes this agent is controlled by the size of the commission offered by a company rather then what is best for you. These are not always the case in both the above scenarios but how much time and effort do they take from you if they occur. There are people who have spent years in the wrong policy spending more then they should dealing with the wrong person. The only option that is the most comprehensive in scope and the most comfortable in nature for you the consumer is getting your term life insurance quotes online. Today in the privacy of your home without having to deal with a sales pitch you can choose the right policy for your needs. The best way to find the best term life insurance rate is through a web site that offers you privacy and choices and from there you can make the best financial decisions for the financial protection your family deserves.