In replying to a fellow Gather members remark on Health Care something came to me.
If we recall history when it became law that all should purchase auto insurance I don’t think we heard a lot from the auto insurance companies about loss of business due to this because they merely sat and waited knowing that you would have to near to them. Not only did they realize that Federal and State government would force people to make them rich they as well placed a stipulation in dealing with credit reports to help up the pot a microscopic penalizing all those with a effect on their credit ratings.
As the Health Care Bill is going we haven’t heard much from health insurance companies in opposition to this disaster because in the end when we are forced to purchase health insurance again these companies will region back and wait as they know we will have to come to them. The slider will be if they throw in a credit rating scheme such as the auto insurance companies did this will aid impose who gets the premium health care and who gets a pulse checked and sent home. I’ve read about 430 pages of the Health Care bull and I can honestly say that if I had of supported it I would not have after reading fair this much of it.
Before everyone jumps on the “Obama nation” (why does that sound like one word) support group find a site and read till your heart is affirm instead of taking the government’s word on it. Call your Senator’s and Congressman/woman and ask questions about what you read and see if they can explain it to you after all if they benefit it they should know what is in the pages.
Filed under Auto Insurance Companies by on Feb 27th, 2011. Comment. 
Small Business Insurance Is a MUST. And here’s why…
Any shrimp business, regardless of number of employees, should have at least basic business insurance. Basic business insurance will cover the business from most liabilities. This may not be considered important, but one lawsuit that wins against a runt business could potentially force the business into bankruptcy. Also, potentially if a business does not have insurance, then the owner of the business, may be personal liable for monetary damage or lawsuits. Consider, for example if a puny business sells a product that is foul, and causes physical harm then certainly there is accurate grounds for a lawsuit, even if the small business, was not aware of the despicable product, when purchased by a customer. Many lease companies require any size business, that leases space, have insurance liability. Because the lease company is totally aware of the fact, that if the business was sued, they could be forced to file for bankruptcy, which would make their lease agreement invalid, and the lease company would never get paid. Also, fire or damage cost would be covered in the insurance policy, protecting the leased company from any repair costs or total loss.
Basic insurance for a small business should include property, and liability insurance. Property insurance encompasses the cost of the rent to a leasing company, all property in the business (tables, desks, machinery, heating / air conditioning equipment), coverage against losses from crime (theft, counterfeiting, and forgery), and loss of income from a business interruption. Optional additions to the insurance coverage could include for earthquake, and flood wound. Liability insurance should be a Comprehensive General Liability (CGL), which covers loss to third parties. This includes, fire liability, which is required for renting property from a leasing company, as previously mentioned. This would cover the cost of fire damage for the property owned by the landlord, as a result of negligence of the renter. The CGL would cover medical expenses or medical payments. In the event a customer trips and falls in a business, the coverage would include paying for medical cost from a liability suit, for bodily injury. Also, personal injury, that covers violations of privacy, wrongful eviction, and false imprisonment (example: holding a suspect on false premises for shoplifting) Additional coverage for CGL, would include: products and completed operations and / or personal injury and advertising. The additional coverage depends on the type of service or business provided. Also, coverage for professional liability, malpractice or errors, and omission policy would cover certain type of business or practices, such as dentists, doctors, Realtors, attorney, engineering consultants, or any specialize field.
A Business owner’s Policy (BOP) would include within an insurance package, property, and liability coverage. This would be paid in one premium. This type of policy is only for small, and medium size companies or businesses. Large companies are excluded from this type of policy, because they are considered high risk. The premium amount charged for a BOP considers the following in the calculation: Location of the building, construction material, security of the business, fire hazards, and financial stability of the business or entity.�
If a small business, has employees working on a salary Workers Compensation insurance policy required by law. Especially this applies when an employee is injured or disabled at work. The compensation would pay for the medical cost of the injured worker, based upon the policy. Except the policy would be voided by negligence by the employee.
Other kinds of insurance should be considered for a small business. Coverage could include:
Auto insurance for any damage vehicles the business owns, and health insurance for the employees. Also, having an umbrella policy that would likely cover all the cost for liabilities, above the amount coverage for any insurance policy coverage. Consider that pain, and suffering seems to have almost no limit for compensation.
Small business should consider that most insurance premiums are deductible expenses on a business income tax return. Paying a high deductible would lower the premium on a business insurance policy. Insurance companies, can suggest different approaches to lower premium expenses.
Filed under Automotive Business Insurance by on Feb 24th, 2011. Comment.
As I write this, I’m watching Meet the Press that I recorded earlier. The topic of the day is the potential bailout of the US auto industry and T. Boone Pickens’ energy plan. And I bet I’m not the only one absolutely sick of hearing about corporate bailouts. And plenty of people who know that I am a fairly liberal person are surprised when they hear me say that I don’t approve of the various corporate bailouts.
Here are some of the problems I see. As an individual with a household to remove care of, I need to be responsible with my money and have enough foresight to anticipate potential future problems. There is no one that will bail me out if I effect bad decision after bad decision for years. As a matter of fact, I have watched both my parents deal with the problems created from serial bad-decision making. With benefit from relatives and friends and repeated visits to bankruptcy court, they are no closer to being financially comfortable than in the past. Regardless, in order to survive and thrive, we all need to be financially responsible and adapt to changing markets, job outlooks, and changing needs. The American automotive industry has failed to execute this most basic responsibility. Technology is amazing and has come so far, yet the big 3 have failed to keep up with this technology and give consumers the vehicles they want to capture.
GM claims to have more hybrids and vehicles that get over 30mpg than any other car company. These statistics may be suitable, however, the amount of cars GM has on the market far exceeds that of any other company. In addition, I can’t believe that people will buy the claim that gasoline consumption of 30mpg or more is an accomplishment. For one, check out this article from Mother Earth magazine in 1979 about a car that achieved 75mpg. IN 1979! Furthermore, there was the legendary EV1 produced by GM in the 1990′s that, of course, required no gasoline at all. There is even more information on the history and evolution of electric cars on this page. Here’s the clincher, though. Without taking into account the alternative engines and power sources for vehicles, we were still achieving 30+mpg 15-20 years ago. When I graduated high school, I bought a car that consumed 35mpg and wondered how awesome consumption would be in 10 years, 15 years, etc. Well, it’s been 12 years and we haven’t approach far.
Apt now in the mainstream auto industry, there are only a handful of cars that have achieved anything of note in the consumption department. There is the Toyota Prius, available all over the country, and with an mpg rating of about 48. As a Prius owner, I can say that we have consistently achieved about 50mpg with regular use. There is also the Honda FCX Clarity, a hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle available only in California right now. The previously-available Honda Insight (and set to come back for the 2010 model year, according to Honda’s website) had a spectacular consumption rating of 70mpg. Also notable is the Smart car, with gas mileage of up to 41mpg (and an incredibly cute design), and the Toyota Yaris, with gas mileage of up to 40mpg. Both the Yaris and the Smart car have affordable sticker prices, high gas mileage, and nice feature availability.
The other hybrid models on the market are feel-good cars. They improve gas mileage nominally, making the wealthy feel like they are doing something for the environment and saving money and fuel while still driving the car they want to drive. In fact, most of these vehicles have consumption ratings lower than my 2004 manual Kia Rio, that gets me about 34mpg.
So the cars that are really making a dent in consumption are foreign models (which probably have more American-made components than most “domestic” models – even Harley-Davidson uses a carburetor from Japan made by Keihin Fuel Systems). Obviously, Detroit dropped the ball here and is flailing in it’s attempt to catch up.
There are some companies that are changing the landscape of the auto manufacturing industry. An example of what can be done to achieve 0mpg, while maintaining a sports car look and performance, is the Tesla, with its price tag of over $100,000. This car is beautiful and serves those with lots of money who prefer the like cars. Another well-known company to watch is Aptera. This car is a two-seater on three wheels – basically an enclosed motorcycle. Its hybrid model gets 100mpg, while there is also an electric model that (obviously) uses no gasoline. There are also many new commuter car companies making small (1-2 seats) cars just meant for going short distances on a daily commute, like Commuter Cars Corporation, Motor Development International, and Zap (which stands for Zero Air Pollution).
Why does this all matter? This matters because, no matter what you bear, the oil supply on this planet is finite. The price of gasoline will skyrocket again and we will all be feeling the pain. By buying gasoline in the note, we are funding those we consider to be our enemies. The continued spend of gasoline will continue to pollute the environment and race global climate change.
The cutting edge technology is not coming out of Detroit, and it’s nobody’s fault but their own that they decided to stop being innovative. Our country should not be funding the antiquated businesses and technologies embodied by the traditional American auto industry. GM, Ford, and Chrysler all deserve to lose a whole lot of money, downsize like crazy (if not close) and restructure their entore business models, if they remain in business. If the government wants to invest in jobs for Americans, we need to be financing the new companies with new ideas about fuel and technology. Investing in these companies would keep America on the cutting edge of technology and provide plenty of recent manufacturing and sales jobs as the industry grows. The failure of Detroit to keep up with the changing market and changing world conditions does not constitute an emergency on the section of American taxpayers. Period. Let them take responsibility for their actions.
Filed under Automotive Insurance Jobs by on Feb 22nd, 2011. Comment.
Roadside assistance is becoming more and more popular as people realize the benefits of having such a plan. The chances of having vehicle trouble while driving is high, so having that extra comfort of a roadside assistance plan is something that most people want.
For those that dismiss the importance of roadside assistance, they should ask themselves if they know exactly what the state of their car is. No one can be one hundred percent sure that their vehicle will not break down. Things happen, tires go flat, cars overheat and there is nothing that can be done to prevent it. When this happens it is nice to know that you have someone who is going to respond immediately because you did purchase a roadside assistance plan.
Most people like to purchase roadside assistance especially when they do a lot of night driving. If you have car trouble at night, being stranded on the side of the road at night is not high on people's list of situations that they want to catch themselves in. For those people who have young drivers, it is nice to know that if something should happen that they are not stranded but that the problem will be taken care of immediately.
For those that live in areas with snow, a roadside assistance plan is great to have. When there is snow cars slid off the road and many times get stuck, in addition to the number of people who have a battery go uninteresting due to the intense frigid. When this happens, those with a roadside assistance plan can have a tow or a new battery delivered to them instead of having to wait in the snowy conditions for a friendly person to stop and help.
Roadside assistance is a twenty four hours, seven days a week program, which means that a person is always covered no matter what, even during Holidays.
The cost of the plan is usually covered in the first instance that a person needs roadside assistance. And these plans are offered by many insurance companies as well as independent roadside assistance companies. Those who have newer vehicles may have automatic assistance which is an added perk. It is determined that roadside assistance is a great option to have for any driver to give them the peace of mind that helps them rest better at night.
Source:
“Roadside Assistance: Who Ya Gonna Call? “ Edmunds.com
Lori Todd, “The Basics of Roadside Assistance Programs” Autonation
Filed under Edmunds Insurance by on Feb 20th, 2011. Comment.
Shopping for car insurance can be tedious and time consuming, but it can also keep you hundreds of dollars if you know what to look for. First of all, no two insurance companies are the same. Some are not reputable or noble. It is important to check the company’s AM Best rating before purchasing insurance from that company. A rating of “A” or higher will assure you that the company is reputable and financially stable. If not, there is a chance that your claims may not be paid properly, or that you will not be treated well. Also, check with the BBB to find out about the company’s track portray. You want to peek for a company that has an excellent rating with the BBB. It is also indispensable to check the number of complaints made about that company. If there are more than a handful, that can be a major red flag. Keep an eye out for how the company handles the complaints it receives as well. If the customers were still unsatisfied after the insurance company dealt with their complaint, chances are they are not customer friendly.
When shopping for auto insurance, be sure to compare apples to apples. Decide on the coverage amounts and options you’d like to have, and compare those same options and amounts with the various companies to get an good comparison. When deciding on coverage amounts, you may want to speak to an insurance agent who you can trust to tell you what you need, and also what you don’t need in an insurance policy. The amount of liability insurance you need is related to your income and assets, so there is no such thing as one size fits all insurance coverage. It’s important to find out what your needs are so that your insurance policy protects your assets in the event of a liability claim being filed.
Also check the company’s claims process. Get out if they have a 24 hour claims department. Find out if they have a local claims office. If not, repairs will take longer in the event of an accident. Avoid insurance brokers, because they add on a hefty broker fee of anywhere from $75-$200 to your policy. Look for companies that provide a local agent or representative who will personally handle your claim. Check to ogle if the insurance company will allow repairs to be made at the facility of your choice, or if you will be forced to choose from their approved list of repair centers. Determine if you need to add towing or roadside assistance to your insurance policy, and also if you would need a rental car in the event of a claim. Some companies include these services in the price of the policy, and others charge an extra fee. Be sure that you know what the charges are before selecting a policy.
When it comes to paying your bill, some companies offer a discount for paying the whole term upfront. Some companies may offer discounts for being a good driver, having more than one car, or having another policy such as a homeowner’s policy with the same company. Be sure to find out about all the discounts available to you and which ones you may qualify for to ensure you are getting the best ticket possible. Discounts may also apply if you are employed by clear companies or have a profession such as a teacher, nurse, or law enforcement officer, so be positive to check with your insurance company for a complete list of discounts.
Once you have gathered quotes from several companies, purchase some time to compare your results. Carefully review the coverage, charges, claims procedures, company ratings, etc. After you have reviewed all of the information, you can create an educated choice and pick a company that will save you money and also be trustworthy.
Filed under Car Insurance by on Feb 18th, 2011. Comment.
