Insurance World

Auto Insurance - Don’t Pay Too Much

All Auto insurance premiums and costs are based on statistics. These statistics involve analyzing accident rates and theft rates for the different makes and models of automobiles, under differing circumstances. It is for this reason that auto insurance is significantly more expensive for teenagers than it is for adults. But there are many factors that determine the cost of your auto insurance premium.

Lets take a look at the main contributing factors.

A. Deductible. Having a low or zero deductible on your auto insurance will significantly increase the cost of the policy. This is of course a tradeoff, because you are gambling on the fact that you won’t need to make a claim. You can pay up to 10% less on your annual premiums buy increasing the deductible. But a word of warning, if the time arrives to make a claim then you will be digging deeper into your pockets to pay for the larger deductible.

B. Crime Rate . If you are living in an area that statistically has high theft rates for your make and model of vehicle, then you will pay a higher premium. This is because your car has a much higher liklihood of being stolen, vandalized, or involved in an accident. There is not much you can do about this, you shouldn’t move location just to cut your auto insurance costs. Don’t make the mistake of asking one of your family who live in the rural if you can use their address for your auto insurance. If the insurance company discovers this, you may be in trouble when its time to make a claim.

C. Garage Parking. The majority of auto insurance companies will give you to a slight premium reduction because cars parked in a garage are less likely to be stolen, vandalized, or damaged.

D. Mileage. Some companies have a low milage discount if you drive less than a certain number of miles in a year. This is often difficult to become eligible for because you will need to limit your driving in order to qualify.

E. Anti-theft Alarms Most auto insurance companies offer policy discounts if your car is equipped with a safety device or antitheft device

F. Shop around to find the cheapest auto insurance available. Get a quote from every reputable auto insurance company in your town or city. Most reputable insurance companies are on the internet and its easy to get online quotes.

F. Insurance Consolidation. Most insurance companies will give you significant discounts if you have all your insurance policies with the same company.

G. Driving Courses. Most companies are now reducing the policy for people who take a driver education course. This mainly applies to new drivers. Insurance companies like to know that you are driver educated and therefore statistically have less liklihood of an accident.

H. Being Smart Helps. Many car insurance companies are now offering discounts for higher than average grade students.

7. No Claim Bonus. Most insurance companies will reduce the premium every year if you don’t make a claim. Every year your premium will reduce if you do not have an accident.

8. Sports Cars Pay The Price. If you have a high performace sports car then you better dig deep. Sports cars and up market luxurious cars are the most expense to insure. Many times the cost can be double or more than a standard family car.

So finally, to save on your auto insurance premium costs its a matter of keeping the above factors at a level that are in your favor.

Homeowners Insurance is supposed to protect us in case of disasters. That is what we have come to expect from our homeowners insurance over the years. But what if the disaster is the costliest in U.S. History? What if your insurance agent’s home and office were destroyed in the disaster also?

That is what happened to many customers and homeowners insurance agents and companies after Katrina hit the Gulf coast. Many agents’ homes, offices and insurance Companies’ claims centers were in the same situation as their clients due to the storms. So what did they do? They set up “office” in tents and mobile trailers. Then Hurricane Rita blew away these temporary offices and the agents and companies set them up again. These temporary shelters acted as a communications center for all people in the surrounding areas. Local people would come by to ask questions, meet with their claims adjustors and just catch up on the news with their neighbors. Extreme circumstances dictated unconventional responses: some agents even filed claims for their clients without even talking to the clients just so they could get the claim “in the queue.” Allstate allowed customers to submit claims through any agent in the country and set up a priority line to assist. They sent email to agents in the areas surrounding the disaster areas to act as messengers by “word of mouth” to their fellow agents in the effected areas. The larger companies such as State Farm & Allstate that service claims for the national flood Insurance Program even used satellite imagery to determine damage in some neighborhoods that were entirely flooded.
Lessons Learned: Those of us not effected by these disasters can learn a few lessons about coping with future disasters from the thousands of policyholders that are still waiting to get their claims paid. As soon as possible, take steps to prevent further damage to your home if possible: such as covering the roof with a tarp if possible. You can hire a contractor if you can find one, as that would be safer for most of us than climbing on our roofs. Hold off making any repairs until you see or talk to an adjuster first. Plus, keep your receipts, as you’ll need them to prove expenses that can be re-imbursed later.

What Does Homeowners Insurance Cover?

You can generally expect your homeowners insurance to help pay for additional living expenses for up to 12-24 months while your home is being repaired. But, homeowners insurance usually pays only after they verify you have a legitimate claim. After Katrina, many insurers made an exception, automatically distributing enough to cover two weeks’ worth of additional living expense to anyone in an area subject to mandatory evacuation. Some companies even gave small advances on contents under the personal property part of their homeowners insurance policies.
If you have to wait to get your check, it helps to have cash that is easily accessible in a bank account or money market fund. Stashing cash at home isn’t a great idea because if your home burns down and you weren’t able to get to your cash, most homeowners insurance policies only cover $100-$200 in cash whether it is stolen or burned up in a fire. Your goal should be to have an emergency fund available to take care of your family for 2-4 weeks (minimum)if possible. In a disaster it might be hard to even find a local bank to get cash. Debit/credit cards with a statewide or national bank would perhaps be better.
Your biggest problem in getting your claim handled may be in either not having the proper homeowners insurance coverage or not having enough coverage. Most good homeowners insurance policies today cover up to 120% of your dwelling coverage limit. It is important that you review the dwelling limit with your agent every couple of year’s at a minimum. Homeowners insurance policies do not cover Flooding, but you should again see your agent for this coverage.
If your homeowners insurance falls short, you may qualify for money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) or a disaster-assistance loan from the Small Business Administration (SBA). Homeowners can borrow up to $200,000 for rebuilding and $40,000 to replace personal property at very low interest rates for up to 30 years.
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