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Bad credit risk, bad driver?

This is a good year for drivers in California. Way back when in 1988, Proposition 103 received more than enough support from voters to pass. Basically, voters wanted car insurers to set rates based on the driver's record and the number of miles driven. Three years ago, the Commissioner for Insurance introduced new rules prohibiting the use of ZIP codes as the primary factor for determining car insurance rates . These rules came into force July 14. This is one battle won for consumers' rights. The war goes on. Zip codes remain a dominant factor in other states. Similarly, insurers also check out your credit score. Almost every company seems to think that people with low credit score make bad drivers.
So what's going on? Well, it's all about how to define risk. All the factors go into the melting pot. How old you are, where you work, where you live, whether you own or rent your home, whether you own the car outright or have a car loan, what make and model of car, and so on. This personal information is included in your credit history. It gives the companies a snapshot of who you are. Is it fair to look at this information? Unfortunately, yes. Just as a loan company wants to know more about you before making the offer of a loan, car insurance companies want a better idea of whether you take care of your financial affairs before agreeing to pay out if you get in a traffic accident.
The first step in setting the auto insurance rate is whether you qualify for any discounts. For example, most companies offer discounts if you can pay an annual premium rather than by monthly or half-yearly installments. Then comes the math work. There are statistical methods to determine the risk of you getting in an accident. If you're a late payer who gets into trouble with liens and mortgages on your property, if you rent rather than own, you may not take as much care of your property as others. Add in lack of consistency in employment and multiple lines of credit getting close their the maximums, and you're considered a higher risk driver. It may not feel fair. It probably isn't completely fair. But that's the way insurance credit scoring works.
So, before you go online for your next car insurance quotes , check out your credit score and, if necessary, repair the score. The Fair Credit Reporting Act gives you the right to get free copies of your credit reports. Use that right and get your credit score into shape before getting quotes.

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What's red and hot and throbs with promise?

The boring answer to this old riddle is, of course, a red sports car with one of those mufflers that rattles windows at one hundred yards when you rev the engine. Now we've all heard those myths, the stories that people who drive red cars are more likely to get speeding tickets. As you all know, it's because red cars are actually faster than any other car on the road and, until you get used to that hair-trigger gas pedal, you're likely to be burning up the blacktop by accident.

Well, it's a good story but it does beg the question, "What do auto insurance agents think about people who buy these go-faster cars?" The answer you'll get from every traffic cop with a radar gun in his or her hand, and every underwriter ready to set your rates, is that color is irrelevant. And, you'll be pleased to know, there's no evidence to prove either of them wrong. Accident statistics and court records don't show any great risk of fender bending or offenses from those driving red vehicles of any shape or size. There's a more simple cause and effect at work. People who drive at or near the speed limit tend to be safer and less likely to get a ticket than those who have heavy weights glued to their boots.

Yet the myths persist. Some colors like blue are "cool" and "safe", others like red are extravert, dynamic and sexy. Supposedly, people are attracted to buy the colors closest to their psychological type. Whether it's true or not, the car insurance companies don't factor color into their calculations. Check out the online questionnaire you have to fill in to get a quote. There's no question about the color of your car and, unless the company asks you, there's no way it would know. Make and model, yes. Color, no!

So what's the basis of the car insurance company's calculations? Well, all companies employ these math geeks called actuaries who find every last detail of accidents endlessly fascinating. These guys get all fired up by the year of manufacture, the body type and size of engine. They profile the drivers involved by age and gender. And they all exchange their data to produce national statistics that help them predict whether you're a good risk or not in that car (regardless of color). So buy whatever type of car works for you (and drive it safely to avoid tickets and accidents, and keep your rate low).




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What About Explaining Deductibles?

Insurance is a contract between the insurance company and you. Like all contracts, it's give and take. That's what makes a really good deal. In this case, we're talking about an auto insurance policy. So, in return for the premium, you're asking the insurance company to pay whatever costs arise from the traffic accidents you get into. It looks like a bet. The insurer works out what the odds are given the car you drive and your track record - it's called risk assessment - and sets the premium accordingly. But you can also gamble. Suppose you think that, as a good driver, you're never going to get in an accident or, if you do, it's never going to be more than an insignificant accident with nominal damage on both sides.

In a perfect world of free choice, you could decide not to carry insurance at all. You'll always have enough cash in hand to pay out for the minor dinks and dents you cause. Unfortunately, our world is not perfect. All but three states in the union require you to carry car insurance. If you drive any vehicle without having a valid policy, you commit a crime. And it usually takes two to have a traffic accident. You may be the most careful man in the world, but the idiot who rear-ends you while you're parked may lack the same skills. It's also possible that you may overestimate your skills and underestimate the amount of money you may have to pay if there is an accident. Suppose, for example, you hit an imported luxury car and injure the rich lawyer driving, the costs of repairing the car and compensating the lawyer for pain and suffering may be just short of astronomical.

So deductibles are a happy compromise. Most insurance companies allow you to pay the first part of any claim you make. The amounts are usually stepped as $100, $250, $500 or $1,000. So if you cause damage valued at $3,400, the insurer will pay the balance after you have paid your contribution. Yes, payment of the deductible is a precondition of the insurer paying out. So, when you're getting your online car insurance quotes, always remember to opt for the amount of deductible you can afford. That way, your car insurance policy will come with a discount. Remember: The higher the deductible, the bigger the discount!





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Which Life Insurance Company Is Best?

Life insurance usually comes in two major types. Some of us usually wonder which one is the best life insurance, how to stop ourselves from making a mistake of choosing the wrong deal. Let us present you two of those for you to compare and see for yourself.

Term Life Insurance

The Pros:

  • It's very affordable. Term life is the most cheapest life insurance. Its reasonable rates give people a chance to purchase policies with larger face values than they could otherwise afford.
  • It's easy to buy. The most important thing here is to figure out how much you need and how much time u will be needing it ... then shop around a bit to find a good rate.
  • It covers a temporary need. Keep in mind, best life insurance is meant to provide for your dependants as well. So think about them too.

The Cons

  • It expires. There's a dark side to the expiration date of term insurance. The older you are, the stricter the term market is going to be to you: If you're not in good health, you might not be eligible to apply for coverage at all.
  • If you cancel or outlive your policy - you get nothing in return. That means you will have paid thousands of dollars for a policy you didn't ever get to use.

Whole Life Insurance

The Pros:

  • It's permanent. Provided you pay your premiums, year in and year out, whole life policies never expire. Since death is one of the inevitabilities of life, with a whole life policy, you know you'll have something to leave behind for your heirs.
  • It's forced savings. Whole life policies don't come cheap, but that's because whole life policies build up a savings account that grows tax-deferred, and which can be tapped in retirement.

The Cons:

  • It's expensive. Not everyone will be able to afford the premiums required to obtain the amount of coverage they need. People collect their pennies for the first couple of years of a whole life policy only to ultimately find they can no longer afford the bill.
  • Shopping around for the right policy will make your head spin. Whole life policies are very confusing and often sold based on attractive illustrations for how much the company intends to pay in dividends over the lifetime of the policy.

The rest you need to decide for yourself. Make sure you choose the best life insurance plan.







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Financial Services

Life insurance companies like to feed us with promises. Their deals seem perfect and the prices they are offering don't leave us a chance to consider the deal once again. Most of us are frightened by the ideas of an accident in our lives. Of course it is a good reason to pay for life insurance that will give you some peace and the feeling of safety. But on the other hand not all of us understand what we get ourselves into before we start paying hundred after hundred.

The top life insurance companies vary very little from each other in terms of price. There are many other factors that go into the final selection. One extremely important factor is to know which companies are more likely to rate you in a cheaper category, based on your health and life-style factors. The difference in price between companies within a category is small, while the difference between categories can be quite large. It is highly recommended to think all of the options before you "rush into a deal" as some life insurance companies in reality do less than they claim to do when they are trying to "get you" in their deal.

Another important consideration is the length of time it will take to obtain life insurance. Some companies take several months to complete the underwriting process and issue a policy. If you do not qualify for your requested rate category, you will have to decide whether to accept a more expensive category. Some companies are much better in this regard.

Don't be too concerned with this very complicated process. A good independent agent, who works with many companies, will know the ins and outs of each company's underwriting process, and can help you choose the best one. The smartest idea is to research and find the one that people have already worked with so you know for sure he is good. This way you will never lose.

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