Do You Really Need Life Insurance

Life insurance is one of those taboo subjects for normal, casual or friendly conversation. Whenever people, however, develop a life threatening illness, have a close encounter with another vehicle on the highway, or otherwise find themselves in a situation where they are likely to be rated or declined by an insurance company, they suddenly develop a desire for a good life insurance policy. To give credit where credit is due, there are some thoughtfully disciplined people who give their portfolios regular review and make certain they have adequate coverage at all times.

I want so much for all people to think like the disciplined ones. In my career as a life insurance agent I bent backwards to persuade such people to keep their life insurance up to date. I have seen the difference between an adequately insured breadwinner at death, and one who barely had enough life insurance to bury him. The latter situation is quite painful to observe.

I, therefore, think it is imperative that everyone take the time to evaluate and understand what life insurance really can do. Ask yourself this question, “do I need life insurance and why do I need it.”

If someone, be it your wife, your children or your business partner, depend on you in any way that can be seen as a financial dependency, then you do need life insurance. In the case of premature death your family will need money to pay your last expenses, like outstanding bills, funeral expenses, attorney’s fees, medical bills and estate taxes. The businessman will need life insurance to fund a “buy sell” agreement, to pay off outstanding debt, or may be to keep the company afloat while they find a replacement for a deceased valuable employee.

I implore you to look at the following situations which will help you decide whether or not you need life insurance. So just try to relax and objectively as you can evaluate the situation for yourself.

One Parent Only Working

The most devastating situation occurs when one parent works and the other stays at home. Should the working parent die at a time when there are insufficient funds for the survivors to continue living in the manner to which they have become accustomed, then they may have to sell the house. The comforts which they had enjoyed for years would totally change. The minimal requirement is sufficient funds which would allow the survivors to adjust their lifestyle.

The ideal situation is to have sufficient funds which would allow the surviving parent not to work at all, during the formative years of the children. They can live in the same house, they can continue in the same school, and when the time comes to enter college, they go to the college of their choice.

A good insurance policy is an excellent tool that you can use to take care of these things.

Both Parents Working

In todays world, in most families, both parents work and share the expenses. If one parent should prematurely die, would the income earned by the surviving parent be sufficient for the family to live on? Probably not. In anticipation of that possibility a fund could be set up, through an Insurance policy, to replace, totally or in part, the deceased parents income.

Single Parent

In the case of a single parent, all the financial responsibilities for the family may lay on his or her shoulders. If that parents died while the children are still in school, how will the children survive?

Partnership Or Corporation

Let us look at the situation where you own your own business. You have one partner or several partners. One partner dies. Is it not fair that the surviving partners should own the business and the deceased partners family receive full value for his or her stock? Adequate Insurance coverage can take care of this eventuality also.

It may be desirable by all parties concerned that the beneficiary of the deceased partner become a full and active partner, if this is the situation then the funds can be used as a cushion while the new partner or shareholder learns the business and adjusts to his or her new role.

Key Employee

Some employees are difficult to replace. It may take some time to get a replacement up to the production level of your long time, well seasoned and highly efficient employee. If your business depends a great deal on a particular key employee, would it not be wise to insure that employee in case he or she should die suddenly? The company would receive the death benefit in this case, and the money would be used to keep the company afloat, while a replacement is found and trained.

For more than 40 years Donald has been known for his extensive knowledge of the life insurance business. He has studied the work of all of the greats from Ben Feldman and Frank Bettger to Joe Gandolfo. He has represented some of the largest and best life insurance companies in the United States as well as Canada. His advice is invaluable.

Donald website is: http://www.lifeinsurancehub.net

[tags]life insurance, term life insurance, term life insurance policy, life insurance policy[/tags]

How To Get Cheap Whole Life Insurance Quotes

Whole life insurance quotes the most expensive kind of policies that are on the market due the fact of cash value over time. Whole life insurance is permanent life insurance coverage that lasts as long as you live and continue to make on﷓time premium payments. The reason that whole life insurance quotes are so much more expensive is due to the fact that the policy will have to pay out a death benefit when you die.

Whole life insurance quotes are available online from many insurance companies that have an online presence. Online life insurance quotes let you search for the life insurance policy that best suits your needs. When you log onto each site, you can read the information regarding the whole life insurance policies available and request free quotes. You should request at least three quotes so you can compare the different rates.

When you compare the online whole life insurance quotes, the cheapest is not always the best one to choose. They are quite affordable because the payment of premiums stretches out over a longer period of time. When you are comparing the online life insurance quotes you receive, you shouldn’t just think about the amount of the monthly premium but the length of time that you have to pay the premiums.

The death benefit you choose in the whole life insurance policy will never decrease and the premiums will always stay the same. With online life insurance quotes for term insurance, the benefit and the premiums remain the same for the term, but could change dramatically when you renew the policy at an older age.

In order to determine how much of a death benefit you need with whole life insurance, you should sit back and evaluate how much money your family would need to survive without you. You have to look at the fact that the bills still need to be paid and your income will no longer be available. The sum of the death benefit is one of the factors that does determine the price of the whole life insurance quotes you receive. Other factors include your age, occupation and health.

The younger you are when you choose to get whole life insurance, the lower cost it will be to you. In your later years, you won’t have to budget for the premiums, because they will be paid up. You can also borrow against the amount of money you build up in the whole life insurance, but this part of the policy and doesn’t have any effect on the whole life insurance quotes you receive.

When comparing whole life insurance quotes there are quite a few things to think about.

For a website totally devoted to Life Insurance visit Peter’s Website Life Insurance Answers and find out about Online Life Insurance as well as Term Life Insurance and more, including Life Insurance Companies, Life Insurance Quotes and Life Insurance Agents.

[tags]whole life insurance quotes, whole life insurance, Online life insurance quotes[/tags]

Long Term Care Insurance Policy

Most young people ignore the fact that they will grow old one day. It is the wise ones who not only think about it but also provide for their future. Statistics show us that almost one out of two Americans require long term care when they grow old. Due to immobility and illness people become dependant on families and institutions to carry out normal daily activities such as dressing and bathing.

Long-term care refers to a system where this can be taken care of in your own home, a hospital, a home center or an assisted living facility. It could be a reality to many who have led a strong and active life earlier. This is why its importance is growing each day. Most Medicare programs and State Medicaid programs do not provide the necessary facilities for payment. Some only cater to those who fall below the poverty line. Therefore, it is prudent to consider applying for a Long Term Care Insurance policy early in life.

If you have worked all your life and have made a substantial saving, then perhaps you can fund your own long-term care. Unfortunately, not everyone is so lucky and therefore long-term care insurance is very vital to secure a safe future especially for those who have a history of health problem in the family.

Like for any other policy, it is best that you know all the details prior to buying one. Often times, people forget that premiums for life insurance policies increase over time. This makes it difficult to pay especially when there is no enhancement of the financial situation. Thus, policies are cancelled when they are needed most because policyholders cannot continue to pay high premiums. It is easy to get drawn into buying a policy because market savvy sales executives make it sound so easy. But, it is up to the individual and insurance advisors to properly instruct prospective customers.

One sure way of protecting yourself is to be sure of all the terms and conditions given in the long term care insurance policy document. If the insurance sector is not your cup of tea; you could hire an agent or a broker who will act on your behalf. They will be experts on quotes, claims, processes and other issues. You need to also be careful on selecting the right broker at the right cost. Long-term care insurance not only provides security for you, but for the entire family. So you can take their advice before buying a policy. Remember, to choose an insurance company that is reputable and trustworthy. You can take it for granted that sales people will only state the benefits of a policy. They will not tell you the flip side of the story. Do not rely on brochures and other sales oriented literature to make your decision.

To summarize, a long-term care insurance policy can be used for different types of long term care such as skilled nursing, intermediate nursing and custodial care. The kind of care you choose largely depends on your physical health and situation. This kind of insurance is definitely worthwhile and affordable when you think of life beyond 65 years of age.

Robert co-founded Insurance4USA.com, an insurance quote shopping service, in 1999. He has been a licensed insurance agent in New York State since 1990.

[tags]long term care insurance, health insurance online quote, health insurance rates, health insurance qu[/tags]

Home and Contents Insurance - Cute, Cuddly and Costly

Not everyone will remember the road safety campaign aimed at toddlers and small children and called the “Tufty Club”. Tufty’s full name was Tufty Fluffytail and the cute and very sensible squirrel was the logo for the scheme. Road safety scenarios were acted out using roll-out plastic crossings, pedal cars and children acting as “lollipop ladies”. Squashed fruit and flattened footballs demonstrated what would happen should you not obey Tufty’s rules. The club started in the early 1960’s and continued into the 1980’s. By the mid 1970’s it’s understood that there was a membership of 2m youngsters.

One of the main life assurance companies featured a squirrel as its logo too. Presumably he was perceived as cute, friendly and reliable and policies were referred to as “the one with the squirrel on”, when customers were at a loss for the name of the company.

Whether a couple who recently had

Life Insurance Without Life Value Why Young People Are Snubbing Financial Advice

This article is written by a 27 year old female (borderline Generation X / Y) called Rachel. Rachel spent six years at university, has no outstanding debts with the exception of government student loans. Rachel also has no pension plan, no life insurance, savings or property investment. Despite reports of average starting salaries for graduates beginning at

Got Holiday Insurance Be Prepared and Be Protected!

With so many stresses and uncertainties in today’s age, it’s little wonder that folks look forward to their annual holiday with so much passionate enthusiasm. So important is the break away from it all that many people not only use all their hard earned savings to have one, but many go into debt too just to get as far away from it all as they can. But, putting aside the sun, sea, sand, lakes, mountains and forests, how many of us actually think seriously enough about the holiday insurance amid all the excitement?

Unfortunately, with so much focus on the holiday and all the pleasure that goes into planning it, there are a lot of people who overlook the importance of holiday insurance and especially those that plan independently without the assistance of a travel agent. Many save the cost and plough the extra into the vacation, while others take out inadequate cover. There’s also that old feeling that holiday accidents and nightmares are things that only happen to other people.

In the stupidity of my 20’s I went on a 13 month backpacking tour of the world during 1990/91 and I took out absolutely no holiday or travel insurance cover of any description. I was just 26 at the time and felt better, fitter, and more cocksure of myself than at any other time. I jugged across Europe on a real unstable Yugoslavian bus with no windows and small plastic seats, island hopped around the Mediterranean, bummed around India during the monsoon season, and trekked for a month in the Nepalese Himalayas. There was also white water rafting expeditions, unsafe boat trips across the Indonesian archipelago, and lots of jungle treks. I could go on and on, but although I was extremely lucky I could have gotten myself into some very costly and dangerous situations.

I came across a number of fellow travelers during that long journey who got so sick that they had to fly home for treatment as soon as they had the strength to board a plane, and they were the lucky ones. But the fact of the matter is that some people, sometimes, get into accidents and illnesses that run into tens of thousands, and occasionally hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of treatment. Just think about how you would pay for that without an adequate holiday insurance policy!

Luckily, on my trip, I just suffered minor complaints like worms under the skin, gardia (sever dysentery), altitude sickness, dengue fever, and some kind of airborne fungicidal rash which made my body look like and ordinance and survey map of the world. All of the afore mentioned were treated locally and relatively cheaply, but any one of these complaints could have turned the other way and become very complicated.

Whereas I was lucky, there are many thousands each year who are not. People die because they don’t have holiday insurance or the funds for treatment after a fatal accident or illness. Don’t fall pray to a holiday from hell medical disaster and put holiday insurance at the top of your planning list and make sure all your papers are in order before you set off. You deserve your vacation and you deserve to be covered, for peace of mind for both yourself and your loved ones.

On a lighter note, should you get stranded, robbed, lost and not be able to depart when you are scheduled to leave, a good holiday insurance policy will once again come to the rescue and potentially save you a fortune. There’s a holiday insurance policy to suit every type of trip for all eventualities. Happy traveling!

Toby Hicks is a proficient writer and webmaster for Insurance Covered dot com where he writes on such issues as Temporary Health Insurance and Dental Insurance Plans. He also has many other Insurance related pieces on the site.

[tags]holiday, vacation, trip, insurance, cover, policy, back packing, holiday insurance policy[/tags]

The Life Insurance Quote Business is Booming, but is the Insurance Quote Accurate

The life insurance quote business online is booming. Not only are life insurance agents quoting a more diverse portfolio of companies, but consumers are also now able to quote life insurance online for themselves. In this article, I will analyze the impact of the life insurance online quote on the insurance industry, the insurance broker, and the consumer looking for insurance.

In the not so distant past, life insurance was sold, not bought. The typical agent would travel door to door, network locally, and perhaps meet with potential policyholders for dinner at their home. The “debit” agent was also a common profession. These agents would actually go to their clients and collect the premium on a weekly basis. The life insurance quote came from a person back then, not a computer.

These days, consumers can go online for a life insurance quote. The ability to readily compare the cost of life insurance among hundreds of life insurance companies has dramatically changed the environment.

The biggest impact to the insurance industry is the fact that the cost of coverage has decreased significantly. This is good for the client, but is in effect shutting smaller companies down as the claims to revenue ratio is converging.

Another impact is the fact that when consumers get an online life insurance quote, they are rarely coached as to what is the better deal for them. Often times, term life insurance is the only product that they are offered. The customer is not being told about the advantages of whole life insurance or the flexibility of universal life insurancethey are often just given a term life insurance quote as requested. The life insurance agent of past would have talked to the client and done some fact finding before selling them something that may not fit their particular situation.

The online Life Insurance Quote industry has also affected the independent insurance broker. Often times, the local broker is not trusted with the quote because the consumer has gone online and gotten a cheaper quote from an online quote service. Misquotes are usually the result of the lack of fact finding on the part of the online insurance quote companies. Customers would be much better off dealing with a licensed life insurance agent (who can broker any company out there; whatever suits the customer best) for their life insurance quotes.

So the next time you go online looking for the best term life insurance rate, consider that you may be making a mistake by dealing with a “call center”. Consider that the life insurance quote that you are receiving is only from the companies that they carry. Consider calling on an independent life insurance broker for your term, whole life, and universal life insurance needs and information.

By: Ashley Brooks, CLTC

Ashley is the marketing vice president for the Family Life Insurance Brokerage Business and has a background in Health & Financial Underwriting, Insurance Plan Design, and “best deal” shopping. Brokerage Services carries only A rated (or better) companies in their product portfolio and has been serving the needs of Independent Insurance Agents since 1977.

Get a free Life Insurance Quote at my new website - especially for Whole Life Insurance, Term Life Insurance, or Universal Life Insurance!

We are currently seeking Insurance Agents to grant brokerage contracts to. If you are an insurance agent and you would like to work with an Insurance General Agent who cares about you and your clients, please contact us today!

[tags]life insurance quote, whole life insurance, universal life insurance quote, term life insurance[/tags]

Are You Overpaying On Your Home Insurance Policy

For many consumers the cost of daily living is becoming increasingly higher. High gas prices, rising automobile costs and the cost of buying a new home can be very troublesome. The additional cost of homeowners insurance has some consumers wondering why and silently complaining to themselves.

There are lots of reasons why your homeowner’s insurance policy may be costing you more then it should. Just like any other insurance policy or plan - the coverage amounts, deductibles and various other factors determine the rate at which you pay in order to be legally covered with adequate insurance protection. Additional costs arise if you require coverage in the form of flood insurance or fire insurance.

The easiest solution to see if you truly are overpaying on your home insurance plan is to do a search on the Internet for home insurance plans or providers. You will be offered a variety of websites to choose from in order to see if you’re being overcharged. Many of the websites will offer you the chance to receive a free homeowners insurance quote. In most cases you can receive multiple quotes for free, which you can then compare to your current plan to determine if you’re overpaying on your insurance coverage.

Don’t worry about doing this sort of research. The quotes are free and you’re never under any obligation to accept any quote that is offered to you. Additionally the websites will keep all of your personal information private and secure.

By the way you’re not the only person who feels that home insurance rates are rather high. Just recently in the state of Florida lawmakers have asked that a delay be put on any future rate hikes or increases. This was in large part due to some insurance companies wanting increases as high as 28% after a double-digit increase last year on homeowners’ rates. The insurance companies claim the rate increases are needed due to the extensive damage caused by the hurricanes that repeatedly hit Florida last year.

Whether or not you actually feel that you’re overpaying on your home insurance I highly encourage you to do a free rate quote on the Internet just to be sure. The process is very simple and quick and it could save you some money in the long run.

Timothy Gorman is a successful webmaster and publisher of Best-Free-Insurance-Quotes.com. He provides more insurance information and offers discount auto, life and home insurance that you can research in your pajamas on his website.

Other websites operated by Tim

Cellular-Phone-Solutions.com - Free information and resources regarding cell phones and cell phone plans.

Military-Loans-Online.com - Which provides free money saving loan quotes on all of your loan needs to include home equity loan information.
[tags]homeowners,home,house,insurance,policy,expensive,online,free,quote,rate[/tags]

Japanese Overseas Travel Insurance

If you are an expatriate planning on long-term residence in Japan you can, after a one-year stay, become a part of Japan’s national health program. Until that time, however, you’re going to need Japanese overseas travel insurance.

Some of the Japanese overseas travel insurance options include not only trip or annual medical emergency coverage for travel but also disability insurance, personal liability coverage and term life insurance. Japanese overseas travel insurance’s medical coverage with some plans offers full (100 percent) reimbursement for prescription medicine, medical care for diagnostic purposes, hospital stay and even surgery. You’ll also be covered in case of terrorism and an evacuation to your home residence in the event of medical or terrorist emergency.

One firm whose Japanese overseas travel plan we perused offered coverage for those over 80 years old, difficult to find. The minimum coverage time period for this plan is one week (seven days) with a one-year maximum, although it can be renewed for a total of three consecutive years of coverage. Coverage varies according to your age. You must be at least two weeks old for any coverage. If you are under 70 years of age you can choose coverage limits that range from $50,000 to $1 million. Folks between 70 and 79 are excluded from coverage that exceeds $50,000, while those 80 or older can only be covered to a maximum of $10,000.

Let’s look at a couple of quotes to see the variation in cost for age, children, number of travelers, and participation in sports. We’ll also look at the cost for non-U.S. citizens. The first quote is for a single U.S. resident 18-29 years of age traveling along for one year and not wanting the rider for sports coverage. A $1 million ceiling for Japanese overseas travel insurance coverage, with a $250 deductible, is $576. Reducing the ceiling doesn’t seem like nearly as good a deal - the premium is $504, although increasing the deductible to $1000 reduces the cost to $403.20. That same Japanese overseas travel insurance coverage for non-U.S. citizens is several hundred dollars more.

For a couple both 30-39 years old with two children traveling with them, Japanese overseas travel insurance does not come cheap. Assuming U.S. residence and a $500,000 ceiling with $500 deductible the hefty price tag for this coverage is $1814.40. While this may seem excessive, consider the cost of medical coverage for one or more of you, or for emergency evacuation. You’ll probably come to the conclusion that Japanese overseas travel insurance is inexpensive as compared to the alternative.

Steve Cogger is webmaster of the 1 Happy Traveller website. Visit the site today to receive all of the information on travel insurance you could possibly need.

[tags]insurance, travel[/tags]

Rising Interest Rates Can Work to Your Advantage

The news is filled with stories about people having difficulty making payments on their mortgages in the face of steady increases in interest rates. What was once a fabulous deal for them has quickly turned into an albatross, something that could threaten their financial viability. Lost in all of this are those people who not only benefit, but thrive during times of higher interest rates. How about you? Are higher interest rates working to your benefit or not?

If you live on a fixed income, then you have suffered long enough with dismal returns on your savings. Likely, the bulk of your monies are tied up in a safe financial vehicle such as certificates of deposits. If so, then you suffered long enough with returns of 1.25% or so. Today, interest rates are climbing, so much so that a return of 4.5%, 5% or even higher is possible. This has meant an immense relief for people who live on interest income and want their savings to last them for the rest of their lives.

Of course, not every financial institution is paying the higher rates so it is imperative that consumers shop around for the best returns. Places to look include:

Online institutions such as ING Direct, HSBC Direct, and Netbank. Recent rates on CDs show an average of just over five percent on CDs with terms of one year or longer. This rate is above inflation, currently running at about 3 to 4 percent.

Select Credit Unions. Keeping up with online financial institutions, some credit unions are paying higher than industry average rates to attract and retain funds. Their competition is now any bank across the county, indeed throughout the world. Thus, to remain competitive, higher yielding rates are in order.

Bank Specials. To woo new deposits, some fixed base financial institutions are offering limited time specials paying a bonus rate of CDs. There may be some restrictions with these banks that the others don’t have, such as a minimum deposit of $50,000 or a longer term - such as two years - for the CD versus six months or one year with other offers. Still, this is an option worthy of your consideration especially if you wish to see your account grow locally.

Certainly, the options today to earn a better return on your money are in place. Shop around for the best deal and you will be one consumer who has thoroughly taking advantage of rising interest rates.

Joseph is the proud owner of Finance Guide, a website that will
explain everything you need to know about Personal Budgets. We invite you to visit our site today and see what we have to offer.

[tags]money, finance, insurance, homes[/tags]