purchasing insurance the smart method, a guide

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Purchasing Insurance The Smart Method, A Guide Insurance confuses a lot of people because of the complexity of policies and the number of options, types, and choices. However, insurance can be simplified by focusing on a few specific areas. This article provides several tips to make the process of understanding your insurance policies easier by helping you to understand your coverage. When you choose insurance for your car, qualify your insurer first. Besides evaluating coverage, it is also in your best interest to look for reviews on their customer service, claim responsiveness and even rate increases. Knowing who you are dealing with ahead of time can help you set expectations with your insurer. Be sure to have photographic evidence of all of your important belongings. This will ensure that you are able to honestly and accurately claim what you lost from your insurance company. If you did not do this, then check with friends and family for pictures that may include possessions in the background. If you have filed a claim for a major loss, remember it's the insurance company's job to minimize that claim, but it's your job to get back what you lost. You may be fortunate to work with a trustworthy, principled company, but you should understand that you and the company are effectively at cross purposes and that you need to be an advocate for recovering your own loss. When you have found a company to insure you, find out if that company is covered and licensed under the state's guaranty fund. This fund will pay claims in case your insurance company defaults. Check with your state insurance department and they will be able to provide you with more information. Customer service is an important consideration regarding insurance companies as you have to deal with them in emergencies. Find out what others think of your prospective insurer. If you are on the market for home owner insurance you can visit J. D. Power's website where consumers can rate the insurance companies. If you have a smart phone, use it to your advantage to help handle your insurance. Some companies have specialized apps for several aspects of insurance issues. From home inventory assistance to policy management and bill reminders, you can find a program to download to your phone. Check with your carrier to see what they offer, if you can't find something in the app store. Avoid paying high commissions to an agent for your insurance coverage. With all of the different ways to buy insurance these days, don't waste some of your hard earned money paying out a commission. Do your research and purchase directly from the insurance company to get the best deals. Read over insurance policy paperwork several times a year. Look for mistakes, family changes that haven't been reported, and check that discount offers are actually applied. These types of situations can cost you money, so stay on top of things and keep your money in your wallet.

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Page 1: Purchasing Insurance The Smart Method, A Guide

Purchasing Insurance The Smart Method, A Guide

Insurance confuses a lot of people because of the complexity of policies and the number of options,types, and choices. However, insurance can be simplified by focusing on a few specific areas. Thisarticle provides several tips to make the process of understanding your insurance policies easier byhelping you to understand your coverage.

When you choose insurance for your car, qualify your insurer first. Besides evaluating coverage, it isalso in your best interest to look for reviews on their customer service, claim responsiveness andeven rate increases. Knowing who you are dealing with ahead of time can help you set expectationswith your insurer.

Be sure to have photographic evidence of all of your important belongings. This will ensure that youare able to honestly and accurately claim what you lost from your insurance company. If you did notdo this, then check with friends and family for pictures that may include possessions in thebackground.

If you have filed a claim for a major loss, remember it's the insurance company's job to minimize thatclaim, but it's your job to get back what you lost. You may be fortunate to work with a trustworthy,principled company, but you should understand that you and the company are effectively at crosspurposes and that you need to be an advocate for recovering your own loss.

When you have found a company to insure you, find out if that company is covered and licensedunder the state's guaranty fund. This fund will pay claims in case your insurance company defaults.Check with your state insurance department and they will be able to provide you with moreinformation.

Customer service is an important consideration regarding insurance companies as you have to dealwith them in emergencies. Find out what others think of your prospective insurer. If you are on themarket for home owner insurance you can visit J. D. Power's website where consumers can rate theinsurance companies.

If you have a smart phone, use it to your advantage to help handle your insurance. Some companieshave specialized apps for several aspects of insurance issues. From home inventory assistance topolicy management and bill reminders, you can find a program to download to your phone. Checkwith your carrier to see what they offer, if you can't find something in the app store.

Avoid paying high commissions to an agent for your insurance coverage. With all of the differentways to buy insurance these days, don't waste some of your hard earned money paying out acommission. Do your research and purchase directly from the insurance company to get the bestdeals.

Read over insurance policy paperwork several times a year. Look for mistakes, family changes thathaven't been reported, and check that discount offers are actually applied. These types of situationscan cost you money, so stay on top of things and keep your money in your wallet.

Page 2: Purchasing Insurance The Smart Method, A Guide

Get endorsements for your valuables. For example, you will want to take your valuable jewelry to ahttps://twitter.com/hbumbrella jeweler and have an appraisal done on it. You then must provide yourinsurance company with that appraisal. This will prove that you indeed did have the item in questionand how much it was worth so you can be paid for the actual value of the item.

When you tangle with your insurance company over a claim dispute, never forget that the friendlycompany representative who talks to you is not your friend. He or she is a customer serviceprofessional trained to put you at ease - and to look after his or her employer's interests. Respectthem but do not expect them to side with you against their company.

Grouping your insurance policies together is a great way to save money in the long-term. If youcombine your auto, health and home insurance, you should be able to save thousands of dollars overthe life of your policy. Just make sure you're choosing a great company to handle your policy.

To make sure you get the coverage that's right for you, research the various types of coverageavailable. Educating yourself about coverage will make sure you don't pass up on anything you need,and will save you money on the things that you don't. Knowledge is power, and this knowledge givesyou the power to get the perfect insurance plan.

Be completely honest, and disclose everything when getting a life insurance plan. Withholdingcertain information, even if you do not think it is important, can make your life insurance plancompletely useless. Even the most expensive of plans will be void if the providers find that you werewithholding information.

If you get into a car accident make sure to call your auto insurance company right away. Hesitatingcan sometimes make insurance companies flag your account because they suspect that there isfraud involved. Do not waste any time and be sure to call them as soon as you get the first chance.

When shopping for car insurance, be sure to ask about discounts. You may be able to get loweredrates for insuring more than one car, for holding all of your insurance (car, health, home, dental)with one company, for taking a defensive driving course, and for many more specific conditions. Be

Page 3: Purchasing Insurance The Smart Method, A Guide

sure your agent tells you about any condition that might save you money on car insurance.

When shopping insurance, it helps if you're 100% honest with the company you're doing businesswith. If something does happen and the insurance company did not have the right facts in writing,you may not get the compensation that you http://www.cistaxadvice.co.uk/umbrella-tax/ deserve. Beupfront in the beginning, it can help you decide what policy works best.

Be sure you are comparing similar quotes when selecting an insurance policy. Different companiesmay offer different coverages or limits which affect the overall cost of the policy. To truly do acomparison of quotes, the policies should include similar coverages, limits and benefits. If there aresignificant differences in the facets of the quotes, a price comparison may not be adequate.

Ask your doctor to allow you to review your medical records the next time that you are in the officefor a routing checkup, to make sure everything is correct. If the doctor has recorded informationincorrectly or ascribed a family history to you that you don't have, your health insurance premiumsmay be unnecessarily high.

Pay special attention to the dates listed in your insurance policy. Be very aware of the expirationdate. You need to be aware of this date so that you can renew it in time and not have to go throughthe entire process again.

Use the above tips to help you learn aboutvarious kinds of insurance available to you.Whether you need auto insurance for you oryour teen driver, health insurance for youand your family, house insurance, or lifeinsurance, the above tips should point in theright direction for further information abouteach one.