Friday, July 31, 2009

The Search For Cheap Auto Insurance



The economy's tough, right now. Therefore, it only makes sense to take the steps necessary in finding good and cheap auto insurance. After all, if the right one is found from a reputable agency, the chances of saving hundreds a year are fairly high. As always, though, there are a few things to keep in mind.

One of the first things to remember when it comes to insurance is to always check on whether the firm is actually licensed to do business in the state in which the insurance is being sold. This may seem like it can't be possible for a condition such as this to exist, but insurance agents may not be immediately aware of a company's status in the state because they sell policies from many firms.

Also, always check the company's rating on services they provide. This can be done through the local better business bureau or similar rating agencies. Some insurance companies and the agencies that sell policies for them might charitably be described as "fly by night." And it would be a shame to find this out after an auto accident or after paying out hundreds of dollars in start-up fees.

There is also several good online rating or insurance company locating websites out on the Internet. It would be a good idea to go find one and then take a minute to input the particulars surrounding the need for insurance. What this means is, fill out the online form with deductible desired, miles a year driven, age of the car etc. and see what comes back out.

What surprises many insurance shoppers are the spread in rate costs between the different companies offering the insurance. It'd seem only logical that they be close, but each company evaluates risk differently. So, what might be a high risk factor at one could be a lower risk factor at another.

If a good price on a nice policy is found, take care to get the quote down in writing before giving them any money. And make sure the right level of insurance coverage is being extended. There are minimum coverage requirements in almost all the states, too. Also, check on when coverage starts, as some may have a day or two wait time before coverage kicks in.

When times are tough, most people try to economize. This is so even when it comes to finding good and cheap auto insurance. But just because it's cheap doesn't always mean it's of high quality; just as something that's expensive may not always necessarily mean it's good.

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Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Vehicle Insurance -- Steps To Get It Affordably



You'll save by being loyal to an insurer due to the long term discount and accident forgiveness which they give to long-standing policy holders. Depending on the insurer, you'll be eligible for a discount of 5% once you've stayed with them for between three and five years.

The accident forgiveness discount means that your insurer will not raise your rates if you file just one claim. Insurers offer these as incentives to keep you with them since it serves them better too.

But it will only be right for me to also point out that in spite of these incentives, you might actually gain more if you switch to another insurer.

You'll help reduce your rates if you always ensure you park your car in a safe place. This means that you have to do all within your power to NOT park your car in a red light district. Furthermore, you might even get discounts with your insurer if you show that you have a good garage.

And, lest I forget, if you drive out in the night do your best to have your car parked in a well-lit area. That will deter thieves. .And for no reason should you leave your car in the open street for a whole night.

Have you checked with the associations you belong to if they have discounts from any insurer? Insurers give these associations group discounts in the hope that they will in that one move attract many of their members to buy an auto insurance policy with them. Even though you may not necessarily join an association because you want a group auto insurance discount, it makes sense to take advantage of it if it's offered to any association you already belong to.

Do your best to always drive responsibly. Please, make sure you make it a policy not to drive if you even sip any alcoholic beverage.

Driving with more than the permissible level of alcohol in your blood stream will make you get sky-high rates if you're lucky or be forced to stay without car insurance if you're not so lucky. Even those speeding tickets eventually add up to make you pay higher rates on the long run. For your safety then and lower rates, never violate any traffic law despite how minor you think it is.

If you live in an urban area do your best to use the public transport system as much as possible. This simple action will help you reduce your mileage. As you may already know, if your mileage drops, your rates too will drop. Therefore, don't use your car whenever it makes sense to do so.

By Chimezirim Odimba

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Tips For Cheaper Motor Car Insurance In California



You must take note of several factors while you shop for motor car insurance if what you truly intend to have is the best value. You can get it cheap and expose yourself while another buys it at an inexpensive rate too without reducing the quality of service they are given. These are a few things to make sure are in order before you pay for a policy.

1. Make sure the insurance company you finally go for is licensed to provide auto insurance in California or wherever else if you're not in California. It's necessary to know how legitimate they are, their reputation and, lastly, their standing. Use organisations such as BBB, A.M Best Company, Phelps, Inc., Standard & Poor's Insurance Rating Services, Moody's Investor Services, Inc. and others to check how good their ratings are. You'll have the peace of mind that you are buying your really cheap auto insurance from a solid company.

2. Make calls to your friends, relatives and acquaintances and know what they think of their insurance company. What was their experience with those they used previously and what is their experience with their current agents or insurers? It makes sense to go with their their provider if they speak highly of them.

I must emphasize, though, that you have to be careful with going with only one person's suggestion. They might not have shopped extensively themselves. Get referred to many agents. Take out time to get cheap auto insurance in California quotes from each agent your friends referred you to. Have some time with each of them, note their response, and who has the best value. This is really effective but at the same time very time-consuming.

3. You can bring down your auto insurance premium by getting and comparing quotes from at least five good quotes sites.

4. While shopping for affordable motor car insurance in California it's very important that you don't get carried away by just the cheapest quote. What you want is not merely the cheapest quote but the quote that offers the best value for its price. You can get very low rates that offer you the value you want if you do your shopping extensively. Nevertheless, if you need to pay slightly more for adequate coverage, then pay more.

I say this because some cheap rates could be that low because they don't offer much. In those situations, the cheapest certainly isn't the best but the best for you will be the best deal eventually.

By Chimezirim Odimba

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Calculation for The Waiver Of Depreciation



The first car a person has is probably one of the most exciting events of their life that far, as the world seems to just open up and everything seems to be possible, as long as the car is running. One of the most important things about owning a car is car insurance, which is a subject that can be quite the headache to get to know, especially considering all of the terminology and little rules associated to the insurance industry. Something to know specifically is the waiver of depreciation, which is calculated into a prospective car insurance policy.

What is it? The waiver of depreciation basically states that the insurer will not depreciate the car if something happens, whether it gets totaled or it gets stolen. Normally, this waiver only stands for 2 years (24 months), but after that, the value of the car is on a depreciated basis. There are a total of eight different methods conducted for calculating depreciation, such as the straight line method or accelerated depreciation method, which are the two processes used in the calculation of depreciations. This waiver of depreciation can really aid people, and acts as a savior for those who happen to have something bad happen to their vehicle within this short period of time, allowing them to be reimbursed for the original price of their vehicle.

Calculations, Calculations The waiver of depreciation is one calculated on the actual purchase price of the car and the equipment in the car, the suggested list price the car was sold for, and the total cost of replacing the car with of the same model and make with the same equipment that the initial car was loaded with. This really helps the consumer, especially noting the fact that it comes at a rate that is less than $50 a year, it's a steal! Unfortunately, this is something that many do not know until they are in what could be a traumatic experience.

The waiver of depreciation is calculated into the car insurance policy with other factors, such as driving history and age, and this and other things make up the total car insurance quote. Obviously, the value of the vehicle will make this higher, and with the younger and reckless of a driver, this number can be quite large.

Decisions and Necessity As we know, having a car is something that is essential for getting things done. Unfortunately, this is a world that is full of human error, and accidents do happen, which brings the need for adequate car insurance. With car insurance, people are protected from their errors and others, and the companies can really help a lot of the time with dealing with these experiences. Although sometimes it may be a headache getting adequate help from them, it is important for the car owner to know that it is widely a law to have car insurance, so understanding what they are really up to are something that everyone should get to know intimately.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Calculating Life Insurance Rates

By Amy Nutt

Life insurance provides a benefit in the form of it policy amount to protect against the loss that arises from premature death. It is based on the insurable interest, or the potential that a direct financial hardship will occur due to the death of the insured. The insured is the individual whose life the death benefit is based on and upon whom we rate the risk.

The variables or factors used to determine Life Insurance rates are based on the habits of the individual. A risk is the potential for loss or a reduction in value. The loss of life produces a financial hardship for those left behind and can be assigned a value. Loss is the reduction in value that in life insurance can be loss of future earning potential or expenses incurred for funeral, bereavement, readjustment and moving forward.

The extent to which a reduction in value may occur is the loss exposure. This loss exposure is enhanced by perils that are situations, which cause loss, affected by these hazards:

- Physical hazard, which is some physical characteristic in the environment that presents a peril (i.e. a banana peel on the ground in front of where you are walking); - Moral hazard that is based on an individual characteristic such as dishonesty, theft and fraud; and, - Morale hazard, which is blatant disregard for the law such as driving under the influence of alcohol or driving over the posted speed limit.

The extent to which a person manages risk influences their rates. For example, smoking can be considered a morale hazard because we know that cigarette smoking is a major contributor to lung cancer. Knowing this and still engaging in the habit means that the person understands the risk but does not care. Since we also know that cigarette smokers die sooner than non-smokers, smokers pay higher insurance premiums for life insurance than do non-smokers.

Another factor that is considered when rating life insurance is the person's health. This is a valid risk factor because we know that people who exercise are healthier than those who do not exercise and people who make healthier eating choices live longer than those who eat junk food. These are those morale and physical hazards that are measured by the insurance company and priced, based on the probability of it occurring. The more likely an event occurs, the higher the cost to insure.

Insurance companies are not in the business of paying claims. This statement may seem profound but it is a rational one. It benefits insurers and society as a whole if people live long healthy lives. This helps lowers insurance costs and make it easier to afford. The insurer looks at the rate of death or mortality potential within a classification, such as all 35 year-old males. This is based on the law of large numbers and risk pooling. In order for an insurable risk to be ideal, it must be measurable, produce a financial loss, which is indemnity, be accidental in nature (which is why suicide is excluded), and based on a large group. Lower probabilities occur in larger population groups, such as those ages 25 to 45 and higher probabilities in smaller older populations, age 65 to 85.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Cheap Auto Insurance Is Out There

By Joseph Welusz

There are so many people that have lost their jobs throughout the United States of America and other parts of the world as it seems the economy is under a lot of stress. In this day and age, what everyone needs to do is look into their bills and see where they can save money. Yes, you can save on the telephone bill, electricity bill, cable bill, gas bill and water bill, but did you ever think about the auto insurance bill? What? You don't think you can get cheap auto insurance? The truth is, you and anyone else will be able to get you hands on cheap auto insurance in only a matter of seconds. If you are looking to lower the cost of your auto insurance, then you should continue reading this article as we are going to point some things out to you.

Would you believe it if we told you to get married in order to save on your auto insurance? Car insurance companies offer discounts to married couples. Why exactly to car insurance companies offer cheaper rates to married couples? Simply because studies have shown that married couples are less likely to get into an accident. All auto insurance companies want someone who is less likely to get in an accident.

Do you have a love for cars? For instance, we have a love for Ford Mustangs, we can't turn down a Ford Mustang when it drives past us and we love to show ours off. If you have the same love, then you should look into automobile clubs in your area. For instance, since we enjoy Ford Mustangs, we joined a Mustang club in our area.

Another great way to save on auto insurance would be carpooling. That's right, auto insurance companies really look up to those individuals that carpool and will give them a discount. The simple reason behind this fact is because it reduces the mileage on your car. Anything that brings the mileage down on your car will reduce the cost of your auto insurance.

Today, the world is all about going green and that is perfectly fine. Not only are the car manufacturers all about going green, but there are also insurance companies that are about going green. If you join in on a car pool, then you will be saving on auto insurance.

If you are looking for cheap auto insurance, then you should first do your research. We have discovered that those who do their research and take time to do the research properly end up saving greatly on their auto insurance. So what are you waiting for? Start saving on auto insurance right away.

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Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Car Inusrance

By Tom Martens

The automotive insurance market in South Africa is one of the more difficult ones in which to operate. Since the government does not mandate that all drivers carry car insurance, most drivers end up going without it. Also, drivers there are some of the worst around. In fact, South Africa has often had the dubious honor of being ranked number one in both traffic injuries and fatalities.

This combination of a risky driving environment and the alarming number of uninsured drivers has led to high insurance premiums for responsible drivers looking for auto cover.

Although it is the most costly form of insurance cover, Comprehensive Cover provides the highest form of protection of all the other insurance covers. The cover includes protection not provided by the other two other forms of cover, Third Party and Third Party Fire and Theft. Third Party covers you in case there is damage another persons property in an accident or a person is injured in a mishap that you are responsible for. Third Party Fire and Theft covers you when your vehicle is destroyed by fire or is stolen. Comprehensive Cover on the other hand is an all inclusive cover. It covers damage to your car, medical expenses and replacement of broken glass

This may not mean much to you right now. But when you realize that each time you get behind the wheel, you take the risk of damage to your car, to yourself, and to other people and property into your own hands, driving without insurance is really a frightening idea. Can you afford to repair or replace your car if you are in an accident? If you cause an accident, can you afford to repair or replace someone elses car or property? What if your car is stolen, hijacked or vandalized? If you cant afford to pay for these things out of your pocket, you need insurance.

Now that youre aware of your need for insurance, take some time to learn about the options you have to lower your premiums.

The best way to reduce your car insurance premiums is to maintain a clean driving record. Since every claim that you make on your insurance costs your insurer money, the more claims you have made, the more that they will need to charge you. By the same token, maintaining a clean driving record will lead to lower premiums.

The next driving factor is the type of vehicle youre insuring. High performance vehicles are considered higher risk. High-dollar models are also more expensive to insure because they are more costly to replace or repair.

Adopt safety measures like gear locks or global tracking applications and pay less on your premiums. Excel by exceeding your policy demands and claim discounts on your policy.

As you begin to research your insurance options, youll find comparing quotes and policies easiest online. You can even get a discount for buying your policy online. Keep in mind as youre shopping that the cheapest insurance is not always the best choice. Your goal is to find the insurance that meets your needs at a price you can afford.

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