Insurance World

If you’re like many Americans, you like to provide some kind of entertainment at your home every now and then. Maybe you enjoy preparing big meals and throwing a dinner party once a week. Maybe you have a huge backyard deck or patio and are known for your summertime cook-outs. Whatever the entertainment is, there is one thing all forms of home entertainment have in common – there are guests on your property.

You need adequate homeowner’s insurance.

Providing entertainment at your home for your family members and friends is supposed to be fun – and, it usually is. However, we know accidents can happen anywhere at anytime. One of your dining room chairs might have a wobbly leg, causing Great Aunt Alice to topple to the floor and fracture a hip. One of your deck planks may be loose, causing your neighbor, Bob, to trip, spilling hot dog chili all over his wife’s new blouse and spraining his ankle. Having adequate homeowner’s insurance will help you during these times of entertainment gone wrong.

Homeowner’s insurance isn’t usually required, unless you’ve borrowed money to pay for your home and your lender requires you to purchase homeowner’s insurance. For this reason, many people avoid the extra bill each month by not purchasing homeowner’s insurance. Of course, some of those people regret that choice when, for example, accidents happen during routine entertainment.

Remember, purchasing an adequate homeowner’s insurance policy isn’t a substitute for good home maintenance, especially is you frequently provide entertainment at your home. Check those chair legs. Inspect those deck planks. Make sure there’s nothing dangerous in the yard that the neighbor’s kids can get into. But, as discussed above, accidents can happen anywhere at anytime. Regardless of regular maintenance, an accident could occur. Purchase a homeowner’s insurance policy not as your main line of defense against accidents, but as your back up when all else, such as regular home maintenance, fails.

Are you shopping for health insurance? Are you looking for the best rates? Are you totally confused? There are so many people scrambling for health insurance and are trying their best to compare the rates. This is not easy at first because the health insurance companies have had to come up with creative alternatives in their insurance portfolios. Those creative alternatives can give the average person an insurance headache.

The rising costs of hospital and physician services are always passed on to the consumer. The consumer depends on their insurance company to pay for their medical expenses in exchange for a premium. The medical rates are based on several criteria.

Here are a few:

1. Gender – Male/Female rates differ.

2. Tobacco - Non-Tobacco – Tobacco users are higher

3. Household Status - Single, Parent-child, Parent-children, Husband-Wife, Husband-wife-child, Husband-wife-children

4. Deductible – $500 to $5000 (with some companies)

There are some things that you can do to affect the rate. The most cost savings method is to choose a high deductible plan. The higher the deductible calculates into a lower the rate. Low deductibles no longer justify the premiums paid. This trend toward high deductibles is called self-insuring. You are taking on the financial responsibility for the deductible amount.

The best way to offset and prepare for the out of pocket deductible is to start a health savings account. This is a tax deductible savings plan for medical expenses. It’s the equivalent of a medical IRA. The tax deduction offsets some of the out of pocket expense you incur with the higher deductible. Contact your tax advisor or accountant about starting a health savings account.