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.

Insuring Your Fish and Chip Shop

During the 1980's, the insurance industry developed packages specifically for fish and chip shop owners. Given that many retailers were interested in purchasing the most dollar-conscious policies, there became known something called the "bundle" policy. This type of insurance policy puts a number of types of coverage together specific to the takeaway fish and chip shop industry.

The product available is far more attractive to the purchaser and sold at a much more competitive rate. Regardless, the most important factor to consider is that given the inherent potential risk to goods and property on the site of a fish and chip shop, some insurers will only offer limited coverage. The following will therefore provide a breakdown of this particular type of insurance and where one may purchase same.

Specific to a policy for a fish and chip shop is coverage for damages to store materials and property. This damage can come in the form of theft, fire, loss or other accidental damage. The most important item to make sure has substantial coverage attached to it is the deep fast frying fish range. Since fires are most common around these ranges, a significant portion of the policy will focus in on the potential risks of this mechanism. And dependent upon the street value of the frying range, the cost of the policy can swing dramatically higher or lower depending.

Further, your Fish and Chip Shop insurance should include the following specifications:

Coverage for all the contents and stock against potential fire, storm and flood damage;

Coverage should the proprietor experience any sort of business interruption, such as would occur following a valid claim against the policy. One would want to be sure business was not interrupted during this period of time;

Coverage towards any records that could conceivably be lost due to any potential fire, flood or other disaster. The policy should adequately cover for money that is owed you. These records clearly could not be accessed because of this damage.

Coverage against profit loss after the potential loss of an alcohol license for uncontrolled reasons.

Coverage for any damage or injury to the public while on the premises.

After all research has been accomplished as to which insurance policy to purchase, the most important factor is to be assured that the type of policy purchased is one specific to the fish and chip retailer. Although this seems to be an obvious point, it bears repeating. Fish and Chip Shop insurance is a specific package. Standard retail business insurance will simply not suffice. Given the built-in risks to customers and employees both, you will need to be sure to protect everyone and everything on the premises. This will aid in fostering a healthy enterprise for many years to come.

How Do You Settle With Rental Car Damages?

Receiving damage to a car that you have rented can be a very stressful experience. Those who do not have the appropriate collision and liability insurance can find themselves in the middle of a serious financial crisis. When settling rental car damages, there are a number of considerations that one should be aware of to ensure a trouble free resolution.

When you rent a car, you will usually have insurance through your own car insurance policy, or insurance that is available through your credit card, or you will have obtained insurance through the car rental company. It is important to be aware of the limitations that may be attached to a credit card's car rental insurance policy. As well, some rental car insurance policies will include comprehensive coverage, but there may be limits imposed on what and how much they will cover.

The process of submitting a claim requires completing a number of actions as outlined in your insurance policy. The process can vary, but generally, you need to do the following:

1. If your insurance is provided either by your credit card company, rental car insurance company, or your own car insurance company, you will have to contact them directly.

2. Each company will have their own form that you will have to fill out. You will have to send the form and all appropriate documents to the company. Some insurance companies have online forms that can be downloaded and filled out.

3. To claim for loss or damages to the rental car, you will need to provide the following:

• Proof of the rental agreement. (submitting a copy)
• Rental car inspection report prior to renting the car. This includes the walk around report that the car rental companies use to identify any scratches, dents, and other damages before you rented the car.
• A copy of the police report
• A copy of the damage inspection after the car was returned to the rental company
• A copy of the repair invoice or damage estimate from the rental agency. It will include an itemized repair list
• A receipt for repairs

4. To pursue your claim for losses resulting from rental car damage, you will be provided with a contact mailing address where you mail your claim. Once costs and damages have been determined, the insurance company will provide the coverage.

There may possibly be a dispute over repair charges. An insurance company has the right to send a claims adjustor to inspect the damaged car before it is repaired or disposed of. If you don't have insurance, a rental company can make repairs without an inspection.

It is important to be aware that if you are not adequately covered, you may incur some expenses. Some rental car agreements may require that one reimburses for the full value of the car. You should check to make sure you have the appropriate coverage. As well, some agreements require immediate reimbursement for damages, so they may immediately charge your credit card.

There may be other expenses that you are not covered for that can include: administrative fees, towing expenses, storage fees, and inspection and appraisal fees. It is important to read the fine print of your insurance policy to make sure you are comfortable with your coverage.

Purchasing the right insurance for a rental car can make all the difference if you suddenly find yourself in a potentially expensive car accident. When you pick up your car from the car rental company, make sure you inspect the exterior for damage. Being prepared will provide you with peace of mind when you are on the road. In the event of an accident, it will be a lot less stressful if you know exactly what steps have to be taken to settle any damages.

About ULIP

The expensive cover policy.

A few decades back, only money back and endowment policies used to be sold by LIC agents. The enterance of new private insurers marked the regime of new unique policies that suited individual needs. Now-a-days, except for LIC all other companies are busy selling ULIP's. Unit Linked Insurance plans as provide you with a cover along with the benefit of enhanced returns on the principal. Lets have a look at the features of this policy:

1. One can invest a fixed amount monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or annually.

2. Amount saved in a ULIP plan (net of charges) is invested at the applicable Net Asset Value (N.A.V) and denoted in units.

3. Every month a certain amount goes towards charges like the fund management charge or premium allocation charge and so on.

4. The cover provided is generally 5 to 10 times of annual premium.

5. The investor has to choose from a range of sub-options or plans provided by the company. For example a risk averse person can opt for a Protector type fund where 90 to 100 % of the investment is made in Gilts and Money market instruments which are risk free. Similarly an investor with a greater risk appetite can invest in Aggressive fund where 60 to 100% will be invested in equity and equity related instruments.

6. The term of the policy can be between 3 to 60 years with minimum and maximum age at entry and exit differing from policy to policy.

7. Different types of bonuses are declared during the term and on maturity of the policy that either increases the fund value or additional units are added to the policy.

8. You can opt for a single premium or regular premium ULIP plans.

9. In case of death of the investor during the term the company pays out the fund value + bonuses (if applicable) or the Sum Assured (cover) or both. This too differs from policy to policy.

10. Tax benefit u/s 80C for premiums paid upto Rs. 1 lakh p.a. Also surrender value or maturity benefit is exempt from taxes.

11. One can surrender the policy after three years of policy existence and can redeem the fund value as on that date.

Samir Kunvaria