Archive for May, 2011

Options For Classic Car Insurance?

By Michiel Van Kets

If you have a classic car, one that was manufactured between 1973 and 15 years ago, you may be eligible for classic car insurance. This is a much better option than putting your classic car on your regular auto insurance policy. You can protect the investment of a classic car and have lower premiums.

The criteria that must be met may vary from company to company, but they will all want to know the age of the driver, the mileage on the car, how the car is housed when it is not in use and the age of the vehicle.

There are specialized classic car insurance companies that will cover drivers 21 years or older, but most companies require the driver to be over 25 years. If you car is well protected from thieves or weather, it has a better chance of getting lower premiums.

Another difference between standard auto insurance coverage and classic car coverage is the value of the car along with depreciation. Standard car insurance covers the current value of the car, minus depreciation. The older the car gets, the less it is worth. A classic or vintage car does not depreciate in value over time. If the car is well maintained and rarely driven, the value will increase with time.

This different situation is why there are speciality classic car insurers. Usually, the insurer and the owner will agree on the value of the car. This is called Agreed Value Coverage and may be based on an independent assessment of the value of the classic car. The insurance coverage will include the agreed value of the car which will be stated on the policy, and will add the appreciation value at the time of loss.

Finally, some classic car speciality insurers will exclude deductibles or have very low deductibles for collision and comprehensive coverage. They may even cover spare parts and accessories that your classic car does not have at the time. This is very specific to classic or vintage cars because they are more like art objects than running vehicles and are used very little. Standard auto insurance will not give this kind of special coverage.

For car models over 15 years old that are not driven much and are owned by an older person, classic car insurance is a much cheaper option for car insurance.

About The Author

Michiel Van Kets writes articles for Caravan Insurance Experts, an insurance company. http://www.classic-car-insurance-experts.co.uk/ If you have a caravan, you”ll already be aware that you need a separate insurance policy for the caravan. http://www.professional-indemnity-insurance-experts.co.uk/ Find out about Professional Indemnity Insurance and UK Classic Car Insurance today.

What Is The Best Classic Car Insurance?

By Michiel Van Kets

How do insurance companies define a classic car? Classic cars are defined as having been manufactured between 1973 and 15 years ago. Today, almost 50 percent of the cars on the roads are classic cars. There is a huge difference in technology between cars manufactured over 15 years ago and the ones made today.

Cars manufactured before 1903 are veteran cars, and cars manufactured between 1903 and 1933 are called vintage cars. The insurance for these cars can be very high because they would be almost impossible to replace and very difficult to find the parts for repairs.

What is the best insurance policy for a classic car? Most traditional insurance companies do not offer inexpensive premiums to insure classic cars. For this reason, it is important to compare the coverage and costs of companies that specialize in insuring classic cars. Each car has unique features and some are easier to repair than others. This is why policies need to be custom made, so the owner is not paying for coverage that he will not need.

How to know the value of a classic car? Insurance companies must determine the value of a classic car before they can determine how much coverage it needs. The company may charge a fee for having the value of the car accessed.

How many miles can a classic car be driven in a year? The number of miles a classic car can be driven in a year will also be limited by the insurance company. This reduces the time the car is on the road and susceptible to accidents. It could be as low as 3,000 miles a year. For cars that are still in use on a daily basis, this may not be enough to maintain a normal lifestyle.

How to be sure the classic car coverage protects the investment? The answer to this question depends on how the car is used and housed. If it is rarely driven, parked in a garage or storage area most of the time, the premium will be lower than if it is regularly used.

Classic cars are much more common these days and insurance companies are competing for the business of insuring them. The best plan is to ask traditional companies as well as classic car speciality insurance companies for quotes and compare coverage and cost.

About The Author

Michiel Van Kets writes articles for Caravan Insurance Experts, http://www.classic-car-insurance-experts.co.uk/ a number one Classic Car Insurance and Caravan Insurance UK company that has the knowledge and understanding of what the customers need and want. http://www.caravan-insurance-experts.co.uk/ For first-class caravan insurance and customer service, they are the place for you.

How to Get Cheap Car Insurance if You Are a Senior

By Charles Tetsal

Face it, as we grow older we face a lot of obstacles and not just ones about trying to stay young longer. It seems a lot of things turn against us once we start to age, our bodies, our minds, even different things that we need like insurance, especially car insurance. If you still drive and still good you will still find it difficult to find insurance that is not hiked up because of your age. However; with the proper research you can find some cheaper insurance. Here’’s how.

Believe it or not, there are actually some insurance companies out there that are willing to give senior drivers discounts. So if you don”t know if your current company offers such a thing it is in your best interest to call them up and ask if they have cheaper rates based on your age. You may be able to get a discount especially if you have been with them for a long time. However; you will never know unless you ask because they are not going to offer it to you on their own.

It’’s important that you don”t simply assume that you are going to get a better rate just because you have been with the same company for years. Because that simply may not be the case. So you should check with your company and then after doing that you should call around to other companies and ask them if they give senior discounts and what that might be and then compare it to your company. You may end up finding a company that is willing to charge you less than the company you been loyal to for so many years.

If you are Internet savvy or know someone who is, search the Internet. The Internet can be a wonderful place to help you find a variety of different insurance companies that might be a lot cheaper on your wallet than the company you are currently with.

Sometimes, even though you may have a perfect driving record, insurance companies will offer senior citizen driving classes and if you are willing to take them and do well then they will go ahead and lower your insurance rates. No need to be insulted by this, if it saves you money, then go for it.

You probably don”t drive as much as you use to and this could work in your favor. So it’’s a good idea if you find out if there are any discounts for people based on how much they drive. You might be able to get an insurance package at a discounted price if you drive less than a certain amount indicated on the policy.

Don”t be afraid to use your good driving record to help save you money. There is no reason why you can”t bring up how good of a driving record you have to ask the insurance company to consider lowering your rates as a reward for such a good record. Many companies have rewards like this but simply don”t offer that information unless it is asked for.

You also might be able to get a discount on your insurance if you install a variety of different safety devices if you don”t already have them. You could put in an alarm system or air bags in older cars. Whatever it is that increases the safety of your car you should be able to get a certain amount of discount for doing so.

About The Author

For more free Aging & Health Information download Charles” Free Aging & Health Information Series at http://www.free-aging-info.com and join thousands of other people enjoying their later years in life!

For other free information on a variety of issues please visit http://www.free-info-site.com

A Guide To Classic Car Insurance

By Michiel Van Kets

In the past, the restrictions for classic car insurance included specific qualifications for type, make, model and age of the car. Often specialist insurance brokers were the only companies that insured vintage cars. Today, the larger insurance companies are taking advantage of the large amount of automobiles that come under the previously exclusive parameters.

Classic car insurance was always less expensive than the regular insurance because the cars were so little used. Now that there is so much competition among insurance companies to get customers, the prices are getting even lower.

As with any major investment, it is better to research all options before choosing classic car insurance. There are restrictions for the amount the vehicle can be driven, which may make this type of insurance impossible for some. The amount varies with insurance company, but it can be as little as 3,000 miles per year.

This will not be sufficient for those who commute to work or like to travel distances to visit friends and family. These details and more need to be ascertained before a policy is chosen because often the restrictive conditions don”t become clear until there is an accident and a claim is made. At this point, it is too late to get coverage for damage.

Another aspect of classic car insurance to consider is the lifestyle of the car owner. The premiums are often adjusted according to the age and gender of the owner. Policies for women and older people tend to be less expensive. Insurance companies also vary quotes according to the age of the owner. Some will give classic car insurance to people as young as 21 years, and some will not give unless the owner is over 25 years.

Most old cars do not have very high resale value and do not warrant classic car coverage, even if they qualify under the requirements. For these cars, an ordinary automobile insurance policy would probably be less expensive. Mainstream companies can offer discounts, especially to customers online, and special offers that classic car insurance providers cannot.

Whichever type you choose, be very careful to understand the terms and conditions, so there are no surprises at the time you need to make a claim. A policy that seem good and is inexpensive may not give all the coverage you need. Automobile insurance should serve your needs without being costly.

About The Author

Michiel Van Kets writes articles for Caravan Insurance Experts, an insurance company dedicated to insuring all types of caravan. http://www.classic-car-insurance-experts.co.uk/ If you”re looking for a qualified Cheap Caravan Insurance, Caravan Insurance Experts are the number one choice for you. http://www.caravan-insurance-experts.co.uk/ Find out about their Classic Car Insurance today.

What Very Cheap Car Insurance Entails

By Marlene Sammons

Very cheap car insurance is a function of two parties, the driver, and the insurance company. To illustrate, the latter might be in a position to offer deep discounts unlike other insurers. However, the motorist in the equation might have no previous driving track record (that is, a new driver) or has a tarnished reputation (parking tickets, over speeding, beating the red light, etc.). Likewise, to be taken into consideration is whether he or she has a vehicle devoid of any safety or security features like air bags or a robust anti-theft system. Throw into the equation the fact that the driver has bad credit, and it becomes obvious that this individual stands a rather miniscule chance of getting a preferred insurance premium.

A premium is the amount that the insured needs to pay in order to stay covered by the policy. Ultimately, a lower premium is what a very cheap car insurance seeker is gunning for at the negotiation table. This is one of the two most important considerations in getting the best deal in town. The other Holy Grail is coverage, which in simplest terms is what the individual gets in return for his or her monthly payments. The wider the coverage, the higher the cost that the insured needs to shoulder in case of an unsavory encounter out on a busy road; thus, coverage may be broken down into first party (the driver); second party (the insured); and, a third party (for example, the other motorist involved in the accident).

A third factor called deductible functions like a magic wand that can keep the premium within reasonable levels from the point of view of the insured, but only to a certain extent. This is because underwriters are smart enough to put a cap on just how much deductible the motorist can contribute towards a claim, say up to $500 for a premium paid monthly for $100 instead of $200. While it may sound contrary to common sense for some people that they should be paying more in the event of a car accident settlement, this sacrifice is meant to be leverage for a lower premium. This would be in cases where the man or woman behind the wheel does not have as much bargaining power such as for example, a bad driver with a conundrum of traffic violations in black and white).

While a deductible helps lower the premium to be paid, comprehensive insurance works the opposite way. In return, however, it gives the insured the right to claim for repairs, outright replacement of the vehicle or compensation in case of lost, or damaged property. Also included in such comprehensive package is coverage for fire, theft, acts of God, or vandalism.

In summary, the premium, coverage, deductible, and comprehensive features are the chief factors that impinge on being able to secure very cheap car insurance or not. Obviously, achieving ones ultimate desire is not cast in stone. It not only requires a complete understanding of how all the factors figure in the mix, but excellent negotiation skills as well. It is also rather like a game of cards, where the insured and the insurer are locked in a battle where the advantages are randomly dispersed.

About The Author

Marlene loves to write about all types of insurances. You can visit her car insurance blog over at http://cheapcarinsuranceanswers.com/.

Guide To Touring Caravan Insurance

By Michiel Van Kets

You should determine the type of coverage you need for your caravan before you look at prices. Your caravan could be damaged by weather, vandals, animals or motor accidents. If it has been made inhabitable while it is stored or parked, you can receive payment for alternate accommodation.

Does your caravan sit in one place or do you take it all over the country and abroad? If you go abroad, continental insurance should be part of your coverage. It needs to cover you the whole time you are travelling. The cost of continental coverage can vary greatly from one insurance company to another. This is another reason good online research is essential.

It is much easier with the internet to find reasonable caravan insurance than to search in person. Many companies offer discounts as well as special prices to their online customers. It is also easier to compare company is quotes online as you can have them both right in front of you.

The two main types of caravan insurance coverage are New for Old and Market Value. New for Old is usually for caravans up to five years old. If your caravan is damaged beyond repair, you will get a new caravan of the same model. Caravans older than five years will usually be covered at Market Value. This means you will get the value of the caravan, so you can buy one exactly like it.

Personal effects that are kept in the caravan may or may not be covered by caravan insurance. Most things are excluded, especially jewellery. If these items are not covered in your regular household insurance, you may want to reconsider the types of insurance you have. If your caravan is stolen along with everything in it, you may not get those things back. If there is any valuable furniture or electronic equipment it should be covered by insurance.

It is clear that touring caravans need their own insurance. If this seems like more than you can afford, you can find ways to reduce the cost and still have the peace of mind insurance gives you. If you are a member of a caravan club, you may get discounts on premiums with group policies.

Burglar alarums, tracking devices in case it is stolen and devices that lock the axle so it cannot simply be towed away are the most popular ways to make the touring caravan more secure and reduce insurance premiums.

About The Author

Michiel Van Kets writes articles for Caravan Insurance Experts, http://www.caravan-insurance-experts.co.uk/ a leading Caravan Insurance company that is based in United Kingdom. http://www.classic-car-insurance-experts.co.uk/ Caravan Insurance Experts is committed to insuring all types of caravan at inexpensive prices also offering Classic Car Insurance.

How To Get Accurate Free Health Insurance Quotes

By Phoenix Delray

Have you ever spent a lot of your time getting free health insurance quotes, only to find out that when the time actually came to purchase a plan the actual cost was different than what your quote had said? This may or may not have happened to you before, and either way you need to be aware of what to look out for when you are browsing different plans and companies. You also need to educate yourself on all of the options that are available to you regarding coverage so that you truly are going to get not only free health insurance quotes that are accurate, but also a plan that is affordable and coverage that really does cover your needs.

First of all, you have to make sure that you are inquiring about coverage with a reputable website. There are several small, very good companies that may not be very well known yet, but are re defining the way that providers are reaching out to customers and are also changing the way that consumers are thinking about these companies. It is important that you do not discount a website just because you are not familiar with the company; take the time to investigate a little bit, and you might be surprised at the low free health insurance quotes you might receive.

One thing that you cannot compromise for anything is safety. Internet security is something that people are taking extremely seriously these days. You need to make sure that the owner of every website you visit has taken measures to secure every visitors personal and financial information so that nothing ends up in the wrong hands. This evidence can usually be found with a special security seal or logo that will let you know that the owner considers security as very important. Of course, any website owner who offers free health insurance quotes (or anything else, too) should make sure that his customers are kept safe, and this is no different from safety issues in any on site store at a shopping center or mall.

If you ever do not understand the terminology that is used to explain your free health insurance quotes to you, do not purchase a policy until you get help from someone who can assist you in understanding definitions. There is often a reference section or dictionary of terms that may be found on the best websites, and some of them may also include an option for customers to be able to chat with a representative online. You should always be able to easily find a phone number for any company with a website that offers free health insurance quotes online as well.

About The Author

For more information about Free health insurance quotes, please visit our website at http://betterhealthquotes.com

Title Insurance: More Important Than Ever

By Chris Harmen

No matter where you buy your home, title insurance may seem like an extra expense to the already expensive undertaking of purchasing a home. You”ve already paid escrow funds along with realtor fees and fees for the title search and now you have another expense? But title insurance exists for good reason.

Protection From The Unexpected

When it comes right down to it, title insurance protects you from unforeseen claims arising against your property. These claims may come in the form of liens against the house, probate issues or even old-fashioned forgeries. Although, it seems unlikely, it does happen and perhaps even moreso in times of economic stress. Higher foreclosure rates may also contribute to more and more claims against a property. From a particularly nasty divorce to unpaid contractors, the possibility of claims arising against the property do exist.

Imagine you”ve purchased a home when suddenly, Uh-oh, that contractor who put the new windows in for the previous owner shows up claiming he never got paid. Suddenly you”ve got a claim against the house. Or, suppose the sellers were going through a divorce and one party forges the others” name on the selling documents. The put-upon spouse could come back to you and claim the house was sold under false pretenses and try to get it back from you. Now, in all likelihood, these things won”t happen, but if they do and you are forced to go to court to fight them you”re out big bucks! Not to mention what happens if you lose the case! You could lose the house.

With title insurance you have protection against these claims.

The Process To Get Title Insurance

So where and when do you get title insurance? The insurance is obtained during the process of purchasing a property and paid for at closing. Buyers will need to purchase a separate Owner’’s Policy.

Once you make an offer, put up your escrow funds and it has been accepted by the seller, the title agency will perform a search of the records on the property to ensure it is free and clear of liens. Most obvious liens will be found. So, then, this makes people wonder - do I need title insurance if I get a title search done? The answer is yes. Like every other type of insurance, it protects you against the unexpected. Which, in this case, are unexpected claims against your property. But, unlike other forms of insurance, you only pay for title insurance once and never again.

In the grand scheme of things, the few hundred dollars you”ll spend on the policy may be the best money spent on your property purchase.

About The Author

Chris Harmen writes for Title Junction, a Cape Coral title insurance (http://www.title-junction.com) company. The company serves clients throughout Florida including Fort Myers and Cape Coral. Escrow (http://www.title-junction.com/services/escrow-services.html) and notary services are available.

Beyond the Failure Rate: How Psychology Impacts VSC Claims

By John Kerper

When an administrator develops a new finance and insurance product, the actuary must simultaneously find a price that will be competitive in the marketplace, incentivize production and provide enough funds to settle all the claims.

While all these concerns are critical, it is paramount to ensure that a product generates enough revenue to settle all expected claims. In analyzing a new finance and insurance program, an administrator or actuary may look to similar claims data from other programs to develop an indication of the overall claims costs.

Unfortunately, past experience may not be indicative of future costs if the distribution or marketing of the product changes significantly. In general, we have found that there are two critical elements that are generally outside the realm of historical data that can influence claims:

* How is the product sold and how much did the consumer pay for it?
* What information does the consumer know about the product?

Before we answer these questions, it may be worthwhile to note a simple (if not widely reported) fact: the failure rate on most products is much higher than the claims rate on an associated service contract.

Many potential claims go unreported because either the consumer does not know he or she has a service contract or forgets about it. Additionally, the benefit of fixing or replacing an item may surpass the difficulty of obtaining service.

There is no reliable way to measure these phenomena, as these potential claims remain invisible in our databases. However, we do know that engineering studies of products will indicate higher failure rates than actual service contract claim rates.

How Is the Product Sold and How Is the Consumer Paying for It?

The cost of a service contract to the consumer can range from free to several thousand dollars. Some examples of a free service contract are an extended warranty for a product purchased with a credit card and a road hazard program that is automatically included in the cost of a new tire. A free product will typically have a low awareness rate among consumers. For example, a typical credit card program will not notify you of coverage when you make an eligible purchase.

When a consumer pays for a service contract, there is increased awareness, as he or she made an intentional decision to purchase additional coverage. All else equal, a higher price will create more awareness, which, in turn, will lead to more claims.

A variable with a greater impact on the claims rate than price is self selection, or in insurance lingo, “adverse selection.” For example, recent discussions of health insurance have focused on adverse selection as a continuing issue in the insurance market - the sickest consumers will seek insurance while healthy people may choose to go uninsured.

For service contracts, the price of the product will impact the sales or penetration rate. As the price of the contract moves higher, reasonable consumers will make the trade-off between risking a breakdown and purchasing a service contract.

For example, consider a customer who drives over rough terrain or off-road and who has had tire punctures in the past. This consumer will likely have a higher price point for purchasing a tire and wheel product. So as the price of the product increases, the consumers who purchase the product will be the ones most likely to have claims.

Another example is “refund programs,” which may refund all or part of the service contract price after expiration if there are no claims. One may look at historical data on other programs and find that few consumers held contracts to expiration with no claims, leading to a belief that these types of refunds will be rare. However, with a refund program, consumers will change their behavior and avoid submitting low cost claims in order to qualify for a refund. Historical data on the number of contracts without claims on a non-refund program is of virtually no help in pricing a refund program.

How Much Does the Consumer Know?

A related concept to the impact of price is how much the consumer knows about the product. This is an especially acute problem in the sale of vehicle service contracts long after the purchase date of the vehicle, known as extended eligibility contracts. The consumer is in the best position to know the mechanical condition of the vehicle and will be more likely to purchase a contract if the vehicle has exhibited a history of problems.

Additionally, some consumer will seek to utilize an extended eligibility service contract for existing problems. Even though most vehicle service contracts will have waiting limits and other exclusions, it can clearly be seen that there is a “claims surge” on some extended eligibility products at the beginning of the coverage period.

Claim behavior is an important driver of service contract losses. Even though past experience should be representative of emerging experience on an existing program, when you develop a new program that is similar to an existing program, but differs in an important way - such as a significant change in price or marketing approach - the rate of losses may vary substantially from the original program.

About The Author

John Kerper, FSA, MAAA and Lee Bowron, ACAS, MAAA are partners with Kerper and Bowron LLC which is considered a leading expert on vehicle service contracts and has developed innovative techniques and models for analyzing service contracts. For additional Actuary articles by Lee Bowron and other authors, please visit http://pa-magazine.com/category/actuary/

How to Get Out of a Car Lease When You Absolutely Have To!

By Amy Myer

If you have a leased car you already know that a leased car is one that is bought by a leasing company from the car dealership and then they lease the car out to people like you and me. If you are in the middle of your lease and you no longer want to be leasing the car, you can get out of the lease early. Probably the best thing to do is to find someone that would like to take over the lease for you. You can also sell the car or you can walk away from the lease. However, that would be your worst choice since that would go against your credit report.

If you are considering looking into having someone take over the lease for you, the first thing you will need to do is to call the company that you are leasing the car from. You need to find out if what they call “assumptions” are allowed with your lease.

Once you have done that you will need to find someone that you know that might want to take over the lease of your car. You need to make sure that they are willing to take over the payments completely so that you will no longer be associated with the lease. If you don”t know someone personally you can always check out the website Swapalease.com, this is a site that will help you find someone and it will also help you go through the entire process of a lease takeover.

Before you agree to a lease takeover make sure that you evaluate the condition that your car is in. Your car is in good condition if the tires are balanced and all of them match and they don”t have any uneven wear on them. The paint job has no chips in it, there are no major dings or dent in the body, the interior is clean, it has a current tag on it, it needs to be registered and has no mechanical problems. If you need to, you should have the car detailed and give it a tune-up.

Once all of this is done you can then transfer the lease over to the person who you have chosen for the lease takeover. You will need to go with this person to the leasing company and you will be required to fill out all the necessary transfer documents. You will more than likely have to pay what is called an assumption fee and that is usually around $300.00.

If you decide you want to sell the car to someone to get out of the lease you are going to have to call the leasing company and find out what the buyout price would be for your car. This is the amount of money that the lender is willing to sell the title for.

Then you should look up the true market value of the car so that you will know what you should sell the car for. You will need to adjust your price for the car according to the mileage, the color and the area that you are trying to sell it in. Edmunds.com is a good place to find the true market value of your car.

Take a look at the sale price and compare it with the bank buyout price. If the two prices are close then it should be easy for you to try and find a buyer since you won”t have to do much adjusting if any at all. You may however have to take a loss of a thousand or two on the sale, but if you must get out of the lease and this is the only way you can do it then it’’s a small price to pay. Once you pay the lender their required amount you will then be able to transfer the car over to the new owner.

Note: If you are doing a lease takeover, understand that the person taking over the lease must have their credit approved before they can be eligible to take over the car lease.

About The Author

For more free Personal Finance Information download Amy’’s Free Personal Finance Information Series at http://www.free-finance-info.com and join thousands of other people who are taking control of their Personal Finances.

For other free information on a variety of issues please visit http://www.free-info-site.com