Speak to your original agent. You may already be insured by a pleased friendly auto insurance company. Many of the largest insurers have gay generous policies in place, but you may not know if you’ve never asked. If you look your original auto policy is not gay friendly, you should shop around for a company that is better suited for your needs.
Shop online. Most insurance companies offer quotes online, but be sure to also call and speak to an agent to ensure that you can get the best deal for your personal place.
Gay marriage discount? Some car insurance companies offer a marriage discount. Heterosexual couples who share the same auto insurance policy and live together may achieve up to $350 on their premium when they tie the knot. Gay friendly companies offer this marriage discount to those in same-sex relationships. If you are in a domestic partnership or gay marriage, you may be able to save hundreds each year by switching to a gay friendly auto insurance company.
Employee policies? Many Fortune 500 companies have gay friendly employment policies, including several auto insurance companies. The Human Rights Campaign has assembled an employee policy database for the top happy friendly businesses throughout the US. Visit hrc.org to learn just how jubilant friendly or gay base each company is before making a buying decision. Ecstatic friendly businesses offer life insurance, adoption assistance, GLBT employee support, and medical coverage for transgender procedures. Support these companies by choosing an auto insurer who offers benefits to gay employees.
Remember gay friendly auto insurance is not just for gay, lesbian, and transgender customers. Anyone who supports gay rights can switch to a gay friendly insurer to encourage and reward these companies for their open-minded business practices.
Sources:
HRC.org Human Rights Campaign Employer Search
Bargaineering.com Does Marriage Affect Car Insurance Premiums? by Jim Wang
Filed under Farmers Insurance by on Mar 13th, 2011. Comment. 
Is infant life insurance a boon, or a boondoggle? On the pro side are companies like Gerber Life and Globe Life Insurance that promote infant life insurance as a method of providing financial security to families and, eventually, to the insured children once they have grown. Critics complain that the investment benefits of infant life insurance are overstated. They suggest taking the money that would go into a life insurance policy and investing in something else. Who is right?
Actually, they both are. The question is: Which competing strategy fits a family’s financial goals and, just as importantly, its investment aptitude?
The product at issue is whole life insurance. In addition to insuring the life of the child, a whole life policy builds cash value over time. Cash value is the amount the insurance company will surrender to the insured if the policy is cancelled. The accumulation of cash value is slow but steady.
Critics suggest that the money spent on whole life insurance would be better used investing in something else. They suggest using part of the whole life premiums to pay for a term life insurance policy with the same amount of coverage. That way, the life is still insured. Because term life covers a plot number of years and does not build cash value, the premiums are much lower than they are for whole life. According to this strategy, the money saved on premiums should be invested in the stock market, Treasury bills, bonds, or an Individual Retirement Account (IRA). Over time, the critics say, the return on any of these investments will exceed the return from a whole life policy.
Individual investing has its own drawbacks, however. First and foremost, the plan is difficult to start, both logistically and emotionally. It requires at least twice as noteworthy paperwork to get started-one plot of papers to initiate the term life insurance and another to dwelling up whatever the investment is. The alternate investment requires a great deal thought and research, as well. Which stocks? Which mutual fund? Which bonds?
The emotional factor cannot be ignored, either. The beauty of whole life insurance is that the investment feature diverts attention from the life insurance feature. Parents of a newborn do not want to think about their child dying. With whole life insurance, the focus is on life-building a financial future-not death. Putting term life insurance into the mix strips away the emotional cushion. Parents are forced to confront the possibility of losing their child. Many people refuse to do so, and they slay up doing nothing.
This is the problem with individual investing in general; inertia is difficult to overcome. Everyone should be saving and investing all the time, but they don’t-unless it is so easy to do so that they cannot resist. This is another appeal of whole life insurance. It offers an easy way for parents to invest some money in their child’s future.
Those who have the emotional detachment to take out term life insurance on an infant and the financial aptitude to select their acquire investments should avoid whole life insurance. But those who are turned off by the thought of insuring the life of their newborn and who lack the financial savvy to invest on their fill should consider it. Whole life insurance is better than no investment at all, which is what many people would have without it.
Filed under Types Of Auto Insurance by on Feb 26th, 2011. Comment.
Okay, so I assume we all know by now the importance of saving money as often as possible, from using coupons to the grocery store to buying checks online. But, did you know that you can also find significant savings by shopping around before you purchase your car insurance? There are many insurance companies that allow you to sign up from the convenience of your home, but for those of us who still like to have a local office in which to do business in, you still deserve low price car insurance. It is as simple as calling and getting quotes to compare, or looking online for the best rate, and then popping into your local office to fill out the paperwork. Either way, you don’t have to discontinue with the same old insurance company just because you have been with them forever. Hey, you may even assign enough to retract yourself something nice, you never know until you shop around!
There are some factors that affect your auto insurance costs that you can control, such as your driving record, but others that you cannot, such as the area where you live. Your driving describe is easy to control, just be a focused driver, obey the traffic laws, and watch out for the other drivers around you, in case they are not doing as they should be. The area you live can control your rates if is determined to be a high accident zone, such as a busy urban residence, for example, driving your rates higher as you are more likely to have to file a claim. Insurance rates are also influenced by your age, the type of vehicle you drive, previous insurance claims that you have filed in the past, and how long you have been driving.
When doing your comparison shopping, you want to earn as much coverage as possible, while still at the lowest rate. One big factor that determines your auto insurance costs is the deductible you select. The lower the deductible, the more expensive your rates will be. Most people never use their auto insurance unless they are in a serious accident, and would be fine with choosing one of the higher deductibles. The lower deductibles are good if you are someone that plans to repair every dent or scratch you get on your car, but in the long run, it would tranquil probably be financially better for you to fix those things out of pocket and serene go with the higher deductible.
Another way to save money is to have all of your insurance policies with the same carrier, to acquire group discount rates. For example, a married couple could list both cars and their homeowners/renters insurance and get major discounts. But, make sure that you like your carrier before putting all of your eggs in one basket like that. If you don’t like the coverages offered say for the homeowners, you probably would want to leave you auto with them to get the lowest rate, but win your homeowners elsewhere. It all basically boils down to doing your homework.
One website that many people use for quotes is www.progressive.com. They offer competitive rates and a very detailed, easy to navigate website. They also list the rates of some other insurance companies as well, so you can comparison shop all at one site.
Geico is another insurance company that is well known for low auto insurance rates. You can do all of your policy maintenance thru their site as well. The one downside is that all business with them is basically done either by phone, online, or by mail, as they don’t have any local offices that I am aware of.
Basically, no matter what company you decide to put your auto insurance with, make sure they have a clean record with the Better Business Bureau, and also research online to find out what other consumers have to say. This way you have a good idea of the bonuses and flaws associated with getting those lower rates. By being a savvy shopper and doing your homework, you can still save a bundle. You just have to take the time to look.
Filed under State Farm Auto Insurance by on Feb 21st, 2011. Comment.
With so many major insurance companies and their giant advertising campaigns clamoring for your business, it can be difficult to find which one is right for you and your family.
Two Types
There are two ways to obtain insurance, either through an actual agent or online. More traditional companies such as State Farm, American Family, and Allstate generally have individual agents who service your business and handle your policy exclusively. Companies like Geico and Progressive are more technology based companies that earn and service your business online or over the phone only, with no direct agent. While both are perfectly acceptable ways of obtaining insurance there are some great differences between the two.
Traditional – Single Agent
Traditionally, if you wanted to occupy an auto insurance policy you would call your family agent and set up an appointment to come into the office. The benefit to sticking with this type of insurance agency is that you do receive more personalized service. You get to know your agent, meet with him or her face to face to discuss your needs, and have one specific person to call with any questions or concerns you may have regarding changes to your policy.
While this is definitely helpful in some instances, there are also downfalls. Because agents charge commissions from the actual insurance companies, this is reflected in your payment amount through higher premiums. Also, many people feel that having a notify agent would be an advantage if you are involved in an accident as your agent will just handle the entire process. This is not true. Agents are in the business of selling and servicing policies, not claims. Most companies defer their handling of auto accident claims to adjusters who often work in the corporate office.
Online at By Phone
The newest way of handling your insurance is through the internet or by calling a toll-free phone number. With this type of insurance company, you do not have one specific contact but can contact the corporation directly which usually means not talking to the same person twice. Because a lot of these companies run on a call-center environment, they do not have the same operating costs as those with individual agents do. This difference is often reflected by lower insurance premium rates.
Best of Both Worlds
The little known fact about choosing between an online company or an individual agent is that sometimes you can have the best of both worlds. Some companies, (like Geico) have personal offices in many major metropolitan offices where you can actually go and talk to an agent versus handling everything online. Because they have fewer offices, the do on your rates is still very rude. But, by having only a few tiny offices, these companies can still offer the personalized service most policyholders want.
My Opinion As A Seasoned Insurance Sales Agent/Claims Adjuster
My personal recall, as a former claims professional and insurance agent? Go for the savings. Insurance rates go in cycles, but by sticking to a website or 800-number company the amount you will set aside far outweights speaking to a different person every time. After all, how often do you really talk to your agent? Most companies provide claims service at a corporate level, which means your agent most likely will not handle any accidents you have anyhow.
As always, I advice everyone to check their insurance rates three months before each six month renewal to try to get the best deal. Some years clear companies are the best, other years they are not. But it never hurts to check, and with the invention of internet quoting it is even easier and less time consuming.
Filed under Aaa Auto Insurance by on Feb 19th, 2011. Comment.
Owning an automobile can be expensive. Aside from monthly car payments, automobile owners must be able to afford gasoline, maintenance, and auto insurance. The cost of auto insurance varies for each person. Persons with older vehicles and a good driving record may incur a small expense. On the other hand, if you drive carelessly and have received numerous traffic violations, your monthly auto insurance may exceed $200. Adopting friendly driving habits is necessary for lowering insurance premiums. Yet, some people have not made this connection. Judge the top five reasons that contribute to high monthly premiums.
• Choosing a Crude Deductible: Before an insurance company will mask the cost of an auto accident, the driver must pay a deductible. Deductible amounts vary. On average, drivers can choose either a $250 or $500 deductible. Naturally, drivers are more inclined to choose a policy with a cheaper deductible. However, there are advantages to paying a higher amount. For starters, paying the higher deductible will save you money. If your driving record is atrocious, and you are already paying considerably more for an auto policy, choosing a $500 deductible could establish you $50 to $75 a month.
• Add a Teenager or Current Driver: When a teenager reaches the age of 16 and acquires a driver’s license, many parents consider adding the child to their auto policy. This decision is advantageous for the driver, but does not relieve the parent. If the teenager attempted to receive his or her own policy, they would probably be unable to afford coverage. On average, teenagers and recent drivers receive higher auto insurance quotes. On the flip side, the teenager will save money if insured under their parent’s policy. Yet, parents can expect a monthly increase.
• Buy an Expensive Car: Monthly auto insurance premiums are based on a vehicle’s worth. For this matter, if you purchase an older car, premiums are low. On the other hand, if you settle to take the most expensive vehicle on the lot, with a lot of extra accessories and features, your auto premiums will be higher. Additionally, sports cars have higher premiums because these cars are usually driven at a faster urge, which increases the risk of accidents.
• Multiple Accidents and Traffic Violations: Auto insurance companies recognize that accidents and moving traffic violations will occur. Thus, insurance premiums will not greatly increase from a single mishap. On the contrary, if you have several moving traffic violations or involved in many accidents, your insurance company will likely increase your premium, or refuse to renew the policy. Once dropped from an insurance company, acquiring affordable coverage with another company may be difficult.
• Failing to Shop Around: When shopping for an insurance company, comparing quotes is critical. Each insurance company has different criteria for establishing premiums. Larger companies such as Allstate and Nationwide offer great services, but they also have higher premiums. On the other hand, smaller, privately owned insurance companies offer the same great coverage for a fraction of the cost. Shop around. Whenever possible, request online quotes from multiple companies. Periodically review your driving record and attempt to receive a lower premium.
Filed under State Farm Auto Insurance by on Feb 16th, 2011. Comment.
