A good insurance agent is the primary ingredient in a bullet-proof program. An agent is a great bargain in at least 5 important ways.

• He has the tools and expertise to help you choose appropriate coverage limits in each crucial loss area.
• He helps you to balance your coverage in those key loss areas, helps you avoid conflicting coverage.
• He takes the time to analyse your life deeply enough to recognize those risks that your current insurance may leave out.
• He then applies his expertise to help you accurately shore-up your policies with supplemental coverage you that fills in those gaps. A good agent also helps you adjust your coverages as the risks in your life change.
• When you must file a claim, he will apply his expertise in coaching you on how to correctly document your claim so that you get everything that you’re owed with the least amount of hassle or delay. If your claim is unjustly underpaid or denied, he cares enough (and has enough expertise) to convince the claims department to alter its position and pay you all you rightfully deserve.

The consequences of having an inept agent can be severe. Getting more talent may only cost you a dime (for the telephone call). Insurance agents, from the best to the worst, get paid the very same commission.

Permanent, or “whole life” insurance, due to its cash value element and complexity, requires additional expertise in choosing among assorted products, and is available almost solely from insurance agents. Permanent insurance should only be purchased from a top agent. Term insurance is an entirely different issue. Unlike other kinds of insurance, term insurance is a commodity.

Term policies are the least complex insurance policies you can buy. The policy is simple. If you die, your beneficiary gets paid. Unlike most other insurance policies, there aren’t limitations, hidden exclusions, and other dangers. Buying term life direct, without an agent, is less risky than pruchasing any other policy direct. Still, an agent won’t cost you any more, and can help you choose a financially secure company that will survive. And, if your application is rejected because of weight, health, or other problems, a dedicated agent can help you find a company that will insure you.

While rounding up your life insurance quotes, you may feel a lot of pressure to buy permanent life insurance when all you’re interested in is term life insurance. The significantly higher commission that agents earn from permanent insurance policies compared to term insurance may be the reason. If the agent who’s “helping” you is overly insistent on permanent insurance when your need isn’t permanent, thank him for his time and get another quote. There are however, some hard-working pros who honestly believe that permanent insurance is the best way to go. After all, permanent life insurance is always going to be there for you and your family, as long as the premiums get paid. Still, permanent life is not considered by most financial planners as a good investment product.

Two types of life insurance salesmen fit into the general financial planner category:

• Money managers who mainly dispense investment advice but who are also licensed to sell life insurance
• Career life insurance agents who also deal with investments

The main difference between the two is that money managers more often recommend buying term life insurance with your investments separate, whereas a career life agent will often recommend a permanent life policy with its cash value as part of your investment plan. If you’re debating buying a life policy from a financial planner, term insurance for your non-permanent needs is probably your better choice.

Many agents who sell home and auto insurance also have life insurance licenses. But most of those don’t know much about life insurance or even actively market it. And perhaps only 20% are very knowledgeable about the subject. If you’re satisfied with your current homeowner’s and auto agent, but he’s not expert on life insurance, ask for a referral to a life specialist. If your agent is skilled at his specialty, chances are good that the agent he refers you to will also be an expert. If your current agent is experienced with life insurance, working with him will be to your advantage. Having one agent for all your insurance needs simplifies your life.

Life insurance agents who have earned professional designations and taken advanced classes, such as the Certified Life Underwriter (CLU), are your best bets. The washout rate for life insurance agents is close to 90% in the first two years. Many states license a person to sell life insurance after just a week of schooling. When getting life insurance quotes, ask the agents you contact how long they’ve been licensed.

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Unsecured loans are considered a greater risk and so the interest rates on these loans will be higher than on secured loans. Since this type of loan is not secured by any valuable property but only a “promise” of repayment, the borrower would be required to have a good credit history. Credit history is provided by a credit report, and reflected by a credit score known as a “FICO”.

You may be shopping for a bad credit loan:

• If you have a history of late payments
• If you have missed payments
• If you have ever defaulted on a payment

Payday Loans do an enormous business in poor, lower income, and even middle income neighborhoods. Often seen behind neon lights and barred windows – looking like pawn shops with an adjacent liquor store, they may also cash checks for a percentage. A payday loan provides the borrower instant cash with the understanding that he will pay back the amount on his next payday. These loans, also known as costly cash, are not secured.

Other types of financial assistance include debt consolidation loans that help forestall forclosure and bankruptcy, student loans, and student loan consolidation

For businesses, assistance is essential in starting the company, purchasing inventory, or investing in capital equipment. The government doesn’t back private lenders, such as Mr. Luciano, so your credit history is very important when being considered for a personal loan. If your credit history is bad or non-existent, you will undoubtedly be charged a higher interest rate.

Remember, you can always get a personal loan with a co-signer, and by making timely payments, you’re credit history will improve. As your FICO score rises, you can lower your interest rate, stop worrying about your kneecaps, and find plenty of legitimate lenders.

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Credit reports list your credit accounts including auto loans, credit cards, home mortgages, student loans, and other lending activities. Credit reports are used by creditors and lenders to decide whether to grant you credit, to insurance companies to decide whether to provide you an insurance policy, to landlords to decide whether to rent you a house or an apartment, to current or prospective employers, and to companies that mail unsolicited offers of credit known as inquiries.

You can request your free credit reports at www.annualcreditreport.com or by writing to Annual Credit Report Request Service, PO Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281. When a lender orders your credit report, ask to see it (they usually get your credit score also).

If you discover an error on your credit report, write to the credit bureau and explain why the entry is incorrect. This won’t affect your score, as long as you order your credit report directly from the credit reporting agency or FICO. The errors might include someone else’s credit history (similar name), an entry that was never updated or should be removed, or a bill you challenge.

The FICO score counts inquiries or requests a lender makes for your credit report or score when you apply for credit. Inquiries usually carry the most weight if you have a limited credit history or if there are other existing issues such as late payments or high debt. One credit inquiry will usually take less than five points off a score. Some scoring systems consider the source of credit that a consumer uses, and consumers who rely on finance companies and other subprime lenders may receive lower credit scores. By comparing this data to hundreds of thousands of other credit reports, credit reporting agencies calculate a number that can be used to determine a level of credit risk. An agency’s credit score should also include its scoring scale and how scores are derived.

Only inaccurate information may be eliminated from your credit report. If accurate, negative information remains on your credit report as long as governing laws allow. Credit reporting agencies must investigate your contention within 30 to 45 days, usually by contacting the reporting entity to verify the information. They will then notify you that they have corrected your report, or that they believe the entry to be accurate. If you are successful in challenging information in your credit report, you should notify whomever you’re dealing with (bank, credit card company, collection agency, insurance company, court clerk, etc.) in writing.

You may request a “freeze” from the credit bureaus. A security freeze prohibits, with explicit exceptions, the credit reporting agencies from releasing the consumer’s credit report or any specifics from it without the expressed authorization of the consumer. The credit reporting agency may charge up to $10 for each placing, removing or temporary lifting of a security freeze.

To place a freeze, you must write to each of the three credit bureaus ( Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) using this example: Date Equifax Security Freeze P.O. Box 105788 Atlanta, GA 30348 Dear Equifax: I would like to place a security freeze on my credit file. Within 10 business days after receiving your letter to “freeze” your account, the agencies that compile the credit reports will send you a confirmation letter containing a unique PIN (personal identification number) or password.

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• HO-1. This homeowners policy offers the basic coverage, insuring against personal liability, lightning, windstorm, fire, hail, theft, damage from vehicles and aircraft, vandalism, glass breakage, smoke, explosions, riots or civil commotion, and volcanic eruptions. It covers your home’s contents as long as you have made a list of each item.
• HO-2. Called broad coverage, this policy includes everything in Ho-1, and adds other hazards such as rupture of steam or hot water heating systems, building collapse, freezing or discharge of water or steam from plumbing, heating, or air-conditioning systems, damage from the weight of ice, snow, or sleet, and falling objects.
• HO-3. Your insurance agent may refer to this as “all risk” coverage, and it offers the most coverage (it also costs the most). Instead of listing specific hazards that it insures, as the policies above do, it lists only what it excludes, such as and earthquakes and floods. You can, however, purchase riders that will cover most excluded hazards. If you want flood insurance, you can get it from the government. Because it provides the broadest coverage, most homeowners purchase an Ho-3 policy.
• HO-6. This policy is designed for co-op and condominium owners. It covers personal liability, the contents of your home, and can fill in gaps not insured by your or co-op’s or condo association’s insurance policy.
• HO-8. This policy is devised for older homes whose old-fashioned building materials, such as and slate roofs and plaster walls can be more expensive to replace if the home is destroyed or damaged. This policy will insure your home’s market value, if replacing your home costs more. Modified replacement insurance will replace old-fashioned materials with modern counterparts such as dry wall instead of plaster, etc.

Before you decide on a homeowners policy, shop around, and get several quotes to find the most coverage for the lowest cost. Make sure you’re insuring for a sufficient amount. Pay close attention to your policy’s limits. These limits, which appear on your policy’s declarations page, sets the maximum that you’ll receive if your home is damaged or destroyed. For instance, you insure your two-bath, three-bedroom home for $200,000 (the price you paid for it). Several years later, fire destroys the home. Building costs have risen, and a now a new home with and two baths and three bedrooms costs $250,000. Your policy limit is $200,000, so your homeowners policy won’t pay more than that. You will have to make up the difference or settle for less when you replace your home. Ask your insurance agent about per square foot building costs to be sure you’re purcasing enough coverage to replace your home.

Insure the structure for guaranteed or extended replacement cost. If a fire destroys your home, these options make sure that you can rebuild a house that’s equivalent even if building costs have gone up. Extended replacement insurance covers the house’s insured value plus the actual building costs and covers a certain amount above the policy’s limit (generally 120 or 125 percent). Guaranteed replacement insurance is comparable but without a cap. These options increase the cost of your policy above ordinary replacement policies, but if your house is destroyed, you won’t find yourself living in a lesser home than what you had.

Insure your personal possessions for replacement cost. Most homeowners policies cover your personal possessions, generally for up to 40% of your home’s value. If your house is insured for $200,000, the insurance covers your possessions for up to $80,000. This coverage is typically actual value coverage, which factors depreciation into account. For example, if you bought a computer for $1,500 a few years ago and the computer is now worth $300, your insurance covers the computer’s loss for $300. For a bit more money, however, you can insure your personal possessions for replacement cost. With this type of policy, if something you own is stolen or damaged, the policy pays the cost to replace the article at current prices with no depreciation.

Be aware of exactly what items are covered. Although most homeowners policies cover the structure and contents of your house in case of damage from explosion, theft, fire, hail, and wind, the standard homeowners policy doesn’t protect against earthquake or flooding. If you need that type of coverage, you’ll need to bolster your standard policy with an addition (called a rider), which will cost you extra. Consider a high deductible. An insurance policy’s deductible amount is the money you must pay out of pocket first when you file a claim. You must pay the deductible before the insurance company pays. Increasing the amount of the deductible will lower your insurance premiums because it lowers the insurance company’s risk. Of course, choosing a higher deductible represents a risk. If calamity strikes and you file a claim, you’ll pay the higher deductible. However, for many homeowners, the savings through years of lower premium costs makes that gamble justifiable. If you choose a high deductible, check with your lender. Many banks limit the amount of the deductible.

Reduce the risk to your home. Install a security system, and smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Perhaps you can talk the seller into doing this as a term of the sale. If not, take care of these improvements after you move into your home, then present your insurer with proff that you’ve done so. Be a good shopper. All insurance companies are not created equal. Once you settle on your insurance needs, check with at least 3 companies about the policies they provide and go for the best value. Bundle your policies. Many companies offer significant discounts if you carry more than one policy with them. If a company offers both car insurance as well as homeowners insurance, see if they will give you the better deal.

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Homeowners insurance has two primary components:

• Hazard insurance covers physical damage to your property, such as from wind or fire. It also covers your personal possessions if, for example, they’re damaged in a fire or stolen.
• Liability insurance covers you if someone is injured on your property by anything from falling down slippery steps to being bitten by a pet (or rabid in-law).

The homeowners policy you purchase must meet your lenders basic requirements for hazard insurance. What the lender desires, of course, is protection for its investment in your mortgage. Your home is the mortgage loan’s collateral, and if some catastrophe lays waste that collateral, your lender will be out the money. Your home is of course more than just an investment to you, and hazard insurance will protectsyou, too. Its in your best interest to buy an insurance policy that’s affordable, and that offers the coverage you need if the unexpected happens. Hazard insurance covers both the contents and the structure of a home. If an electrical fire breaks out in the kitchen, for example, the insurance company pays to fix the fire and smoke damage. If a neighbor kid’s homerun breaks a window, you’re covered. If thieves steal your Bose stereo, you’ll get money to replace it. Most policies will also cover personal property that you temporarily carry from the home, like an iPod or laptop computer that’s stolen from your car.

You may need supplemental coverage for certain items:

• Fixtures and structures that aren’t part of your house, such as a separate shed or garage, workshops or barns, the driveway, fences, and walk–ways.
• Landscaping, including shrubs, trees, and other plants.
• Loss of use, which pays for your meals and lodging (beyond a “normal” cost) if your home is so damaged that you have to vacate while it is being repaired or rebuilt. Standard policies cover loss of use for 1 year. You can purchase 2 year coverage. Two year coverage can be a good idea if you find yourself rebuilding from the ground up.
• Some policies require a list of all personal property you want covered, such as computers, jewelry, and artwork, property related to a home business, such as inventory and office equipment. These items are covered to an established amount. If you want higher limits, you can buy additional coverage.

Standard homeowner’s policies don’t cover some “Acts of God”. Damages from these causes are typically excluded:

• Earthquakes
• Floods
• Mudslides
• War or police activity
• Power outages
• Dry rot
• Poor maintenance
• Sewer back-ups
• Vermin
• Vacancy of 60 days or longer

You may be able to buy supplemental riders for some of these situations, but they can
Be expensive, and some insurance companies don’t offer it.

Standard homeowners insurance doesn’t cover damage from flooding. Instead, you buy federal flood insurance from the governments National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Information on NFIP’s residential coverage policies is available at www.floodsmart.gov. If you’re in a designated flood zone, your lender will require you to purchase flood insurance. But, no matter where you live, you may want to buy a policy anyway. Even areas that aren’t normally at risk of flooding can itself underwater when a deep snow cover melts quickly, a nearby river overflows, or several days of heavy rainfall. NFIP will cover up to $250,000 for damage to the house and $100,000 for personal property damage. If you want additional coverage, contact an independent insurance agent who can help you locate a private company that offers supplemental flood coverage. Not sure whether or not your home is at risk of flooding? Go to the federal “Floodsmart” site and fill in the simple profile form. You’ll get an assessment of your property’s risk, insurance agents in your area, and estimated annual premiums.

Earthquake damage is excluded from the typical homeowners policy, so if you live in an earthquake prone area, buy coverage. You can buy a separate policy or add a rider to your standard policy. To evaluate the chances that an earthquake will rock your world, check out FEMA’s earthquake risk table, or the U.S. Geological Surveys earthquake maps .

When you become a homeowner, you become responsible for what occurs on your property. Liability insurance is twofold, insuring you if someone is injured on your property or by someone in your family.

• Medical pays the medical bills of other people (that is, people who don’t live in your household) if they’re injured on your property. It also pays other peoples medical bills if a member of your household (including most pets) injures someone while not on your property. Policies cap medical liability at a certain amount, usually $100,000. With medical costs skyrocketing, it’s a good idea to buy additional coverage. Aim for at least $1,000,000.
• Personal liability covers you if someone sues you for personal injury or propery damage. This covers any damages you have to pay as well as legal fees, up to an established limit. The policy includes events that happen on or off your property caused by any person of your household.

The situations below require additional supplemental liability coverage.

• Injuries caused while driving (this is covered by your car insurance policy, not your homeowners)
• Liability concerning a home business that you operate
• Injuries to domestic help, such as a nanny or a housekeeper
• Injuries to tenants

Liability related to pets is a thorny issue. Insurers in some states can refuse to cover pets or can charge higher premium rates for certain breeds of dogs and exotic pets. Other states don’t permit homeowners insurance to refuse coverage based on a dog breeds, but only if an individual dog has a history of causing damage or injury.

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In general, there are two basic types of insurance to choose from: term life insurance, and universal or “whole life”.

Term insurance provides protection for a specific period of time. It pays a benefit only if you die during the term. Some term insurance policies can be renewed when you reach the end of the term — which can be from one to 30 years. The premium rates increase at each renewal date. Many policies require that you present evidence of insurability at renewal to qualify for the lower rates.

Whole Life premiums generally remain constant over the life of the policy and offer a “cash value” (savings) component.

A basic way to calculate how much discount life insurance you need is to consider your annual income before-taxes, and estimate how many years left until retirement. There is no federal income tax on life insurance benefits.

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• You, your family or even your travel companions, that become sick or injured and prevented from traveling.
• You become ill or injured abroad and need medical assistance.
• You are injured during your trip and need to be medically evacuated.
• Terrorism protection if you cancel your trip due to a terrorist incident.
• Unannounced Strike which causes complete cessation of services of your common carrier for at least 48consecutive hours.
• Weather which causes complete cessation of services of your common carrier for at least 48consecutive hours.
• Burglary of you or your traveling companions primary residence within 10 days of departure or during your trip.
• Felonious assault of you or your traveling companion within 10 days of departure or during Your trip. Your luggage is lost or damaged.
• Your plane is delayed and you end up paying additional expenses./li>

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Technorati Tags: Automobile Insurance Policy, Travelers Insurance, Travelers Insurance Company

Online real estate training is becoming more and more popular and may be a convenient option for you. For example, USA Real Estate License offers Virtual Tutor System computer based training and licensing, with 51 separate real estate schools designed for each of the 50 states, and the District of Columbia.

Each course provides you both national and state real estate license exam questions, answers and explanations covering all aspects of your specific state’s real estate license exam. You either pass the Real Estate License exam using the Virtual Tutor System, or don’t pay. Supposedly, the Virtual Tutor System NEVER expires and you will never have to pay another fee.

You install the exam prep system software for the Virtual Tutor Real Estate License on your computer, with free license exam question updates. No need to attend far away real estate school classes or worry about a server being down.

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Enjoy the laid-back lifestyle of Del Mar or the excitement of America’s 6th largest city San Diego, home to the Chargers and the Padres. San Diego County has an economy bigger than some countries. You’ll find Del Mar a perfect place to live, retire, do business, or visit. A mild year-round climate combined with its beaches, outdoor activities, and nearby historic attractions create an almost irresistible combination. Whether it’s the breathtaking sunrises over the mountains to the east or the glorious Pacific sunsets, Del Mar is a constant pleasure.

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The Steinhatchee River languidly winds its way between its namesake on one side and the little town of Jena on the other. The river is in fact the Main Street of both towns. The river empties into the Gulf of Mexico about 4 miles from town, or as one local puts it, “only a blunt and a 40 away”. This part of the Gulf delivers some of the nation’s best fishing — snapper, trout, grouper and more. In July and August, during scalloping season, visitors with nets, flippers and snorkels descend on Steinhatchee, all determined to get their share of the abundant catch.

When the town got a 911 emergency calling system a few years ago, everyone had to finally name their streets. Other than that, Steinhatchee’s oceanfront real estate is pretty quiet.

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