Personal Finance Tips

The insurance industry is one of the most profitable and investors, not surprisingly, want to see those dividends continue. This is not to suggest the insurers were ever charitable in their intentions. Insurance has always been a business in the real sense of the word. The result is the wording of the policies allows the claims adjusters some wriggle room when it comes to deciding which claims to honor. In another article on this site, we note the insurers have grown increasingly reluctant to cover flooding. Most of the coastal areas where high tides combined with strong winds can overcome sea defenses, and all areas formally designated flood plains, are now no-go for private insurers. Yet, you will still see standard terms for wind and water damage. This creates the impression you have some protection while allowing the insurers to argue they are not liable at all should you claim or only liable for a small percentage of your losses.

This is all smoke-and-mirrors. You can see a listing of perils covered which will include wind damage but, when you look at the clause on deductibles, you will probably find there’s a mandatory hurricane deduction. Unlike the auto insurance policies, this is not a fixed amount. These deductibles are a percentage of the value of your home and some insurers pitch the deductible up to 5% of your home’s value, e.g. $15,000 if your value is $300,000. For homeowners to have to find 5% as a lump sum to trigger the payment of the rest of the claim can be a major financial strain.

Now let’s comes to the theme of this article. One of the reasons why the claims process can slow down to a snail’s pace is disagreements over the difference between wind damage and water damage. The majority of policies exclude or restrict water damage. So, as an example, suppose a strong gust of wind removes the roof from your home. That’s clearly wind damage and the cost of rebuilding will usually be covered. Why “usually”? When the wind exposes the timber frame of your home, it can get wet and this can cause the frame to warp. Now the question is whether replacing the frame is responding to the damage by the wind or damage caused by the subsequent rain. You argue that the timber would not have gotten wet had the roof not blown off, so the main cause is the wind. The insurer argues the wind did not cause the timber to twist out of shape. That was the rain.

It would be good if all such arguments could be quickly resolved but, after Katrina, insurers are more defensive faced with large weather events. Worse, they have also been reducing the number of claims adjusters and everything now takes longer. This puts a heavy burden on home insurance policyholders. You’re often forced to take emergency measures to protect your property, e.g. when the roof blows off. Keep a detailed photographic record to show the before and after situation, keep all the invoices and bills for the materials and labor, and make sure you keep a constant stream of updating messages going to the home insurancecompany. It must always have the chance to monitor this work.

As consumers we all want to get the best good or service for the lowest price possible. People are always looking find a cheap way to purchase something they need. And when it comes to such mandatory things as vehicle insurance it’s evident why drivers are constantly looking for ways to save on this service. Sure, it’s really useful for a lot of drivers but having to pay a lot every year just for keeping your car insured is something that a lot of car owners aren’t happy about in the current economy. So, is there anything that can be done in order to get your car insured at an affordable price?

Of course there is! One of the easiest and most effective ways to get a good insurance for a lower price is to explore your discount options. Most insurance companies have different types of discounts to award different groups of low risk drivers and attract new clients. So you can exploit this opportunity and get a discount to gut your rates with. Every company has different discounts and various amounts of them offered. But in general the basic selection of discounts tends to be the same across most providers. So you can look into one of the following:

Multiple car discount

Most insurance providers are really happy when you’re insuring two or more cars with the same policy. This lets cutting down some costs and you can generally get a better overall discount compared to buying separate policies for each car.

Multiple policy discount

Some insurance providers specialize in providing different types of insurance services in the same area. So if your home insurance provider offers auto insurance too you may consider getting a policy from them because in most cases you can opt for a really good discount by doing so. Just ask your provider if they have such discounts for multiple policy owners.

Low mileage discount

Drivers who tend to drive less during the year can also get a good discount. If your yearly mileage is below 10,000 miles then you can opt for a low mileage discount with most insurance providers. Just make sure to check the requirements with your company in order to get this cheap car insurance option.

Security discount

Most car insurance providers encourage the use of additional safety and security options in your vehicle that will reduce the risk of the car being stolen or damaged. So if you install additional alarm devices, seat belts, anti-lock brakes, anti-theft devices to your vehicle you can then opt for a discount with your provider.

Good driver discount

If you are a good driver with a clean driving record and no claims made during the last couple of years you can opt for a good driver discount with your insurance provider in order to get cheap car insurance. Some providers will require you to maintain a good record for a period of 3 to 5 years, but it varies from company to company. Besides, good drivers with no accidents on their records usually get lower insurance rates right from the start.