Insurance World

According to a survey published by Mintel, one in three pets needs an unexpected visit to the vet each year. This means that you are more likely to claim on your pet insurance than on a home & contents policy or even your car insurance.

The word “unexpected” is important here. If you are looking for pet insurance to provide cover for routine treatments such as vaccinations or worming, forget it – policies that do that are as rare as hens’ teeth! And you won’t find cover for elective treatments, such as neutering, either. This means that the most common reasons for visiting the vet are uninsurable.

But don’t forget it’s those unexpected visits that tend to be the expensive ones! Developments in animal care mean that more conditions can be effectively treated and costs of emergency care can be horrendous. A cat that argues with a car could cost Ј700, even more, to treat. After all, a series of X-rays could cost Ј400 and a MRI scan will put you back Ј1,000. If Buster the Bulldog tore a ligament that too can be treated – but the cost? Don’t expect change from Ј1,500! This is serious money!

Having appreciated that most reasons for a visit to the vet are uninsurable, what do we get for our money?

Well, insurance plans largely fall into three types. The first restricts the value of the claim for each condition or event; the second limits the total annual payout and the third and cheapest option, limits the payout per condition and ceases cover after 12 months of treatment. Most will make a payout if you pet dies. And with all policies you will have to pay an excess on any claim, usually between Ј50 and Ј100.

And the cost? That depends on which type of policy you want, the excess you want to pay, the sort of pet you have, its breed, its age and even your post-code (vets charge more in Chelsea). But as a guide, an industry estimate suggests costs between Ј30 and Ј200 per year for a cat and between Ј50 to Ј500 for Buster.

The best advice is start the insurance when your pet is young. Most pets can be insured after they’re 8 weeks old and you can then maintain the insurance over the course of its life. If your pet is in it’s middle age when you want to start the insurance, say eight or nine for a dog, then it may be difficult to get worthwhile cover. This is because treatments for existing health conditions will be excluded from the cover and in any case, a new policy at that age gets expensive.

So how can you lower the premiums? Sometime insurers will give you a discount if you pet has been identity chipped and quantity discounts do prevail! Discounts are widely available for your second and subsequent insured pet.

Then there’s always the Internet. The Internet is taking an increasing share of the insurance market and no wonder – its simple, quick and easy. What’s more it’s probably the cheapest avenue for all your insurance whether it be for your home, your car or pet.

Life settlements also known as life insurance settlements, senior settlements, or senior life settlements have quickly become an important tool for insurance agents, financial planners, estate planners, elder law attorneys, and other financial related professionals.

A life settlement is a financial transaction in which a senior citizen policy owner of an unneeded, underperforming, or unwanted life insurance policy sells the policy to a third party, as opposed to surrendering or lapsing it back to the life insurance company. The senior citizen policy seller receives immediate cash for the policy from the purchaser.

Agents and financial planners are beginning to market life settlements to their current client base and to potential clients. The most current effective methods of marketing life settlements are one-on-one presentations, seminars, and client newsletters. There has also been success with direct mailing either a client base or demographic base fitting the life settlement parameters.

A life settlement broker can assist life settlement agents with marketing material, educational material, and evaluation material. Having the correct knowledge about the life settlement product and material is important for any financial planner or agent meeting with a client or potential client. Each life settlement case is looked at differently, the biggest factors are the age of the insured, health of insured, policy size, premium amount, and current cash value (if any). Most life settlement brokers can provide simple qualification or evaluation forms that will quickly determine if a settlement would be available for that specific individual.

Life settlements are still a new concept for most agents and financial professionals. Many still do not understand the concept or have the right education about life settlements. It is important for these professionals to take the time to learn about life settlements so that in return they can relay this information to their clients. Many policy owners do not understand that there could be a cash settlement available for a life insurance policy that they are going to surrender or lapse. Insurance agents and financial professionals need to take the correct marketing and education steps to reach those clients in need. A life settlement can create added financial benefits for both the client and the financial professional.