Commercial General Liability Insurance is Coverage Every Company Needs

The need for having a commercial general liability insurance coverage is paramount if you are running a business or commercial establishment of your own so as to protect you against the many liability claims that you may be subjected to.

Commercial general liability insurance protects you against those liabilities that might be incurred as a result of your business dealings with customers or other individuals or organizations. There are many types of liabilities that could be claimed against you and your business.

These include claims for personal injury or bodily injury suffered by a customer at your place of business or a claim arising out of faulty goods and service delivery. There might be also instances when you might face a worker's compensation claim for injuries suffered at the workplace by your employees.

The most common causes for liability claims are usually slip and fall accidents in which customers are involved and which take place at your place of business as well as accidents that involve your employees during their course of employment with you.

A commercial general liability insurance policy protects you from all these liabilities and many more by paying for the damages or by reimbursing you. In the event that a claim made against you is successful, you stand to lose a lot. A successful claim usually means that you end up paying increased amounts as monthly premium towards your policy. The reason is that you are perceived as high risk by the insurance company with each claim that is successfully made against you.

General liability insurance protects you from various liabilities that you might incur, namely personal injury liability which also includes bodily injury, property liability claims, workmen's compensation claims and also claims arising from advertising injury. Irrespective of whether the claim against you is false or genuine, you stand to gain from the protection given by your coverage instead of having to go in for a million dollar settlement with the plaintiff. The policy protects you and your business from suffering the ill effects of litigation.

A commercial liability insurance policy provides the insurance coverage your company needs. A specialized kind of commercial liability insurance is product liability insurance, protecting your company against defective and improperly used products you sell or manufacture.

Reasons to Consider Commercial Liability Insurance

Commercial liability insurance is designed to protect a company in the event of a lawsuit. If someone is injured while on the company's property or while using the company's products or if a business arrangement falls through, that person has the right to sue that company for compensation or to recoup their losses. Liability insurance will protect the company from large monetary losses if they lose the lawsuit.

Liability insurance can be purchased on its own, but it is most often offered as part of a package deal that includes the company's property insurance. This is usually cheaper than purchasing two separate policies. The amount of coverage a business needs depends on what type of business it is and where they are located.

A retail business that has many customers moving through it on a daily basis is likely to need more coverage than a manufacturer where only employees are present. With every customer that enters their establishment, a retailer runs the risk on them incurring an injury that could lead to a lawsuit. If an employee is injured while on the job, your workers compensation payments will protect your business and will cover most of your expenses.

However, it doesn't really matter what type of a business you have, you need to carry this coverage to ensure you are properly protected in case the unthinkable happens.

Every state has different laws governing the ease with which the injured party can file a lawsuit and how much the plaintiff can be awarded. If your business is located in a state that makes it easy for the injured parties to bring a suit or to be awarded large settlements, then you will need more coverage.

Commercial liability insurance is essential for every business, no matter what its size. Without this coverage, the company runs the risk of losing all of its assets if they lose a lawsuit. This coverage will protect your business and you from bankruptcy.

One type of specialized liability insurance is contractors insurance which is something those in the building industry should consider. Another type of insurance is errors and omissions insurance which is used to cover any errors or mistakes made by business professionals in the normal course of work.

Insurance Marketing Articles - Are Your Headlines Hooks Or Sinkers?

Think back to the last time you went fishing for leads. Was your hook sharp enough? If you didn't catch as many as you'd like, your headline (AKA hook) was probably dull.

Do you know that headlines are 75 percent responsible for response rates? Yes, the promise, the offer and the call to action are important but the sad truth is that none of these will ever be noticed without a sharp hook. In fact, a simple headline change can increase response by 200 percent or more! While there's no magic formula for writing winning headlines, there are a few guidelines. Advertising legend John Caples said that effective headlines fall into the following categories:

1. Self-interest: Directly or indirectly communicates a benefit to the reader. Example: "How One Manufacturer Cut His Workers' Compensation Costs by 50 Percent in Just Six Months."
2. News: Evokes urgency with words such as, "Announcing," "Introducing," and "All New."
3. Curiosity: Compels the reader into the body copy. Example: "What's Wrong in This Picture?"

Effective headlines tap into core emotions - fear, greed, guilt, frustration, pride, desire, etc. And, they're believable. They can even combine the elements of self-interest, news and curiosity. Here are some common headline mistakes:

• Featuring your company as the subject of your headlines - Notice that the headline examples above do not include company names. They also shouldn't include the word, "we." Make it about the reader.
• Focusing on a cute theme instead of benefits - Themes should only be used if they clearly illustrate the benefit you're selling.
• Using an "overview" style headline - Companies spend months writing a brochure and then spend five minutes creating a generic title, such as "About Us." They should spend 75 percent of their time on the headline!

Sean D'Souza, an expert in marketing psychology adds a few more items to the sharp headline checklist. He says that high performance headlines often have at least one of these three psychological triggers:

• They ask a question instead of making a statement. For example, "Do you make these mistakes in English?" D'Souza says, "The very sight of a question mark forces your brain to want to know more."
• They highlight a problem instead of a solution. This belief is a bit controversial because many pundits promote benefit-oriented headlines. D'Souza explains that the brain is fixated with solving problems ... it actively goes in search of potential problems that you may be facing. When it sees one in a headline, it zeroes in.
• They use specificity to elicit curiosity. The previous headline, "Do you make THESE mistakes in English?" would be much less effective if it was written as, "Do you make frequent mistakes in English?" That's because even if the reader doesn't really make mistakes, he starts to wonder if he makes THOSE specific mistakes named. It's a subtle but important difference.

By Heather Sloan. Heather Sloan is the President of InsuranceCopywriting.com. Heather has been helping insurance professionals grow their businesses for more than 15 years. To learn more, visit http://InsuranceCopywriting.com/ - make sure to request your free report, "Ten Marketing Mistakes That Are Costing You Sales Right Now!"

Life Insurance - Have You Been Clear in Establishing Your Need and Amount?

Ask yourself, "Is there anyone in this world who would be affected by your death?" This question is all one needs to ask to establish whether or not life insurance is needed. The answer is, "It is needed".

Getting a life insurance policy is really more an issue of personal responsibility. We all come into this world at the expense and joy of the ones who love us. When we leave this world, we each have had the power and opportunity in life to ensure that in death we can eliminate the financial grief that will come with the pain of losing a loved one.

What do you want to make sure happens in the case of your death? At the very least you ought to take the necessary steps to handle your final expenses, such as possible medical bills and your funeral. In addition to the expenses involved with a person's passing, there are the financial questions concerning those family members who have survived you. In addition to taking care of the ones you care for, there may be some other personal goals and plans you want implemented.

Life insurance is a question of planning to protect your interests in the case of your death.

Life insurance is financial planning as finances are an ongoing entity regardless of ones lifespan or when it ends. One must make plans to take care of their responsibilities in life, this takes money. In death, certain responsibilities continue on until they are resolved.

While alive, it is the responsibility of the individual to establish their financial needs and goals. Then come up with a financial plan to address these issues for your family before you pass on.

Perhaps you are a parent; whether or not you are married or single, you have a responsibility to your dependents. In the case that you are married, then your spouse is another consideration. You should ensure that your spouse will be supported financially so that your children can be taken care of as well. Make sure your spouse will not be suddenly burdened with your debt and also make sure your spouse will not be burdened with the responsibility of compensating for the income you once provided. That is irresponsible for anyone to overlook.

Even if there are no children in the picture, but you are married, you still need to evaluate the needs of your spouse. The cost of the accustomed life style, and how much either partner contributes to this should be evaluated and used in the decision process for how much insurance you may want and need.
Say you are a single individual with no children, you should still make sure that your final expenses will be covered so that you will have the peace of mind that your final wishes will be carried out and the cost will not fall on someone else. Life insurance can also be used as a tool for planning an estate which is something independent of marital status or parental status.

Covering children with a life insurance policy is an unpleasant thought, but it is a step that will offer financial protection. And that in itself is "hugely pleasant". So do it. This is an option that will afford the comfort of knowing that any arrangements and medical costs will be covered by a sum of money outside the regular finances of the household.

As a retired individual, the cost of your final expenses should not come out of your retirement fund. You may have a spouse who is relying on the retirement fund for the rest of their life. In a case like this, both partners should be covered to protect the other from the final costs of their loved one. "Have you done this?

You should estimate this cost at a minimum of your current annual income multiplied by five years to provide a basic level of transitional financial support for the beneficiary. You could estimate this cost at a maximum of your current annual income multiplied by at least ten years to provide a more comprehensive level of transitional financial support for the beneficiary. Make sure to take into account all your financial responsibilities. For example, if you handle the payments for an elderly parent's living costs, the costs of your children's schooling, including college and annual costs of clothing and books; then include an amount that will be sufficient to cover any emergency situations your family survivors may encounter.

With so many things to consider, each individual must take great care to plan out their finances on all fronts during life, so that they and the surviving family is taken care of after their death. You are the only one who can decide what you need taken care when you die. In this light, do not leave anything to chance. Just make sure all your needs are correctly, accurately and sufficiently covered.

Homeowners Insurance

If in the near future you are intending to buy a home, then it is essential for you to know everything about homeowners insurance. A good home insurance policy would not only help you to save your hard earned money, but would also give you a complete peace of mind. There are numerous of things that have to be considered while buying a home insurance. Let's take into account a few important ones.

• Know your home inside out- To get the right home-insurance premium quotation, inspect your home carefully to ascertain the construction material used, age of electrical and plumbing fittings, and so on. If you have a wooden home in a wildfire prone area or if you have a masonry home in an earthquake prone area, then you would have to pay higher premiums.
• Familiarize yourself with the neighborhood- You can claim discounts, if the fire station is near your home or if the emergency vehicles are able to reach your home within a few minutes. Hence, take a look at your neighborhood.
• Take into account the geography- The cost of homeowners insurance also depends upon the geographical location for your home. If your home is located in areas that are prone to earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods or wildfires, the annual premiums automatically increase.
• Install various safety and security gadgets- By installing security gadgets like burglar alarm that is connected to the local police station, and smoke alarms, you can drastically reduce your home insurance premiums.
• Plan for the future- If you intend to expand your home, then before selecting the homeowners insurance, plan for the future. Certain things like wooded frames, swimming pools, trampolines, and so forth can increase your home insurance costs by 10% to 15%.
• Regularly maintain your home- Keep your homeowners insurance for major disasters only. Deal with minor problems on your own. Repairs, replacements and plumbing needs are easy to handle; so, do them on your own. In this way, you would neither jeopardize your insurability nor would you end up paying higher premiums.
• Compare, contrast, look for discounts and shop around- There are lots of options available. To select the best one, conduct in-depth research. Take the help of internet or ask your kith and kin for recommendations. Check the license, credibility, financial ratings, customer service index and complaint records of the insurance company before going for it. Often, insurance companies give about 10% discount to those people who maintain several policies with the same company. Give this option a serious thought and save money.
• About deductibles and replacement cost coverage- Deductible is the amount of money that you need to shell out at the time of any mishap. A high deductible will significantly lower your annual premiums. With time, the value of your home will appreciate significantly and so will the construction costs. Hence, replacement cost coverage is essential. It's an additional coverage that the home insurance company provides besides the insured amount. With this coverage, you can easily re-build your home without worrying about the increased construction costs.
• Keep your records up-to-date- Always be ready to tackle the worst scenario. For this, keep all your home insurance records up-to-date. If you have recently got your home renovated or made any structural changes in it, note down, in detail, the amount of money spend. Also put together the pictures or the video clippings of the changes. Lastly, keep all these record outside your home.

Homeowners insurance has become a necessity because many mortgage companies ask for it before sanctioning you a loan. The above wholesome tips will certainly help you to buy a superlative home insurance policy. Once you get that, you have nothing else to do than to sit back and relax as your dream home is fully insured.