How to get Cheap Auto Insurance

If you want to get a good auto insurance policy with all the necessary coverage for a fair price then you're in the right place. We have dedicated this site to providing cheap auto insurance offers from the most reliable and well known insurance companies. Our tools will help you find exactly what you are looking for without having to spend much time on browsing through dozens of corporate sites.

Cheap auto insurance is not a myth like most of you may think, but a reality that can help you reduce your expenditures and adjust your spendings to your economical needs. It is believed that auto insurance is a rather costly option and it is impossible to refuse from this type of insurance without breaking the law. But despite common beliefs, cheap auto insurance is reality and all you have to do for getting a good cheap policy is shop around and know exactly what your insurance needs are. Sometimes people get certain types of insurance coverage without knowing what it means and paying for the thing they don't need at all. And if you want to reduce your insurance spendings you'll have to understand the basics of auto insurance.

Our site is here to help you find cheap auto insurance policies from reliable insurance companies as well as learn valuable information about the basics of auto insurance so that you could determine what your needs are. We don't advertise for certain companies, we just work with those that are recommended both by consumers and insurance professionals so that you could get the right degree of service without overpaying for your policy. The tools presented at our site will help you find the policy you need according to your exact specifications in just a few clicks of the mouse. Do not waste your time looking for the right solution browsing through numerous corporate sites. Comparison shopping is the best way to get cheap auto insurance and we have created all the conditions to make this process as easy and comfortable as it can get! So come on in and get the right policy today!

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Different Types of Auto Insurance

In case you are a proud car owner you definitely know how annoying and distracting auto insurance might be, especially when you have high rates to pay. Many people complain about their auto insurance policies being too expensive. But do you know that there are different types of auto insurance policies out there on the market? And some of them are much cheaper than the one you carry! That's why before buying a new policy or switching to another provider we recommend learning all types of insurance policies and selecting the one that suits your needs best :

Fully Comprehensive

Fully comprehensive car insurance policies are the most expensive and probably the most widespread policies in the US. A large part of autos in the US are financed through loans or leased, letting auto insurance dealers and lending companies include additional requirements regarding auto insurance, which they gladly apply. Most lending institution require buying fully comprehensive coverage for the vehicles they finance, so if you are the “lucky” one to use this option, be prepared to pay a lot for your auto insurance.

As you can understand from the name, fully comprehensive policies cover the vehicle in virtually all types of insurance situations, starting with collisions to fire and theft. The best part of it is that it will pay regardless of who's at fault in the accident. Even if you had a crash with an uninsured car owner you still can claim against your company.

The hidden catch, however, is the high price of such policies. Moreover, with most insurance companies your policy will cover only a part of the car's cost, not the entire value. Read your policy careful before signing it, as in most cases it will denote a percentage of value, usually around 80%, your car will be insured against.

Third Party, Fire & Theft

Third party, fire & theft policies are the most appropriate type of auto insurance for those who have already settled their loans for financing the purchase of their vehicle, but still having auto car insurance is a middle of the road car insurance package popular with those who have already paid off their auto loans, but who still have a certain level of additional value with the vehicle.

This type of auto insurance is quite similar to fully comprehensive when it comes to insuring circumstances like fire or theft. However, when it comes to collisions with other cars, third party policies will only pay if you are at fault in the accident. In other cases you insurance company won't pay you anything, regardless of how much insurance coverage the other party carries. The same applies to collisions with walls, fences and simple car damage.

Third Party

Third party is probably the most stripped down type of auto insurance. It will cover only a collision with another car when you were at fault. All other situations and circumstances won't be covered by your company. But because of this, it is the cheapest type of auto insurance available on the market and will best appeal to owners of old cars with reduced value.

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Why do you need Auto Insurance

Insurance is not any different from other product or services. When you are looking for a new TV set, you will probably check a couple of stores before purchasing in order to learn where's the best price and buy it there. When trying to repair a leaking roof you will ask a number of specialists about their rates before selecting the one to do the job. With auto insurance is the same story. Only that you don't go to stores or ask providers, but compare your future auto insurance quotes by using quotes.

Auto insurance quote sites have flooded the Internet, offering users virtually all types of auto insurance solutions from different providers. And while this may be a bit annoying at first, when it comes to paying your insurance premiums, you will probably wish you had a better and cheaper policy. That's exactly what auto insurance quotes are for. Whether looking for a new policy or trying to switch providers, online car insurance quotes give users the most effective way of comparing rates and companies, without the need to leave homes, or even call providers.

So the next time you come across auto insurance quotes, take your time to use them to your advantage. Try getting as many quotes from different providers as you can, because you will have a wider range of options to consider. And that's the best way you can find cheap auto insurance these days. There's no obligation to buy and most auto insurance quote services are free of charge. So take a couple of minutes, analyze your local market and apply with a company you think has the most interesting offer. Only this way you can get a really good policy that will let you save some money while having the right amount of coverage for your car. Yes, it's really that simple and auto insurance quotes are what you need in the first place.

Quotes are similar to price tags you seen in the supper market. The only difference however is that insurance services don't come with fixed prices. There is a wide range of factors that will influence a person's insurance premiums, so each applicant is analyzed individually and given a price estimation based on his particular situation. That's a quote. So every time you fill out a quote form you send your data to the insurance company, where it's analyzed and given a rate according to how much of a risk you are for the insurance provider.

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How to find Cheap Auto Insurance

Many people choose to kick auto insurance altogether, being tired of spending money on things they think they don't need. Of course, not having any accidents on the road can make you believe that you are paying your money in vain. However, no one is safe against traffic accidents, and even the most careful drivers can end up in a serious car crash. That's when you need auto insurance, and not having any means that you will have to pay on your own. Remember about repair and insurance costs? Yes, tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars will have to be paid and it's your pocket you will have to pull out the money from. Thats' why regardless of how good of a driver you think you are, having auto insurance coverage is a must.

Auto insurance rates are on the rise, despite the fact that gas prices have climbed down from their peaks. It's not the price you pay for gas that influences auto insurance rates, but repair and medical costs in the US. And as some of you have already noticed these factors seem to become more and more expensive with each year passing. Auto insurance companies are required to cope with these tendencies in order to keep their profit at the desired level, and it's the customer who pays the difference.

Still, it doesn't necessarily mean that you have to overpay for auto insurance. There are ways you can save some money on auto insurance and here are some of the most effective you have to know about when shopping for a new policy or changing providers:

Drop unnecessary coverage

You policy may contain different coverage types that you simply don't need. This especially applies to those who have purchased their cars through a loan. Lending companies prefer adding more insurance coverage to their requirements, making your insurance policy more costly. Sit down to analyze your policy with an insurance agent and exclude the types of coverage you don't need if they are not required by state laws or contracts.

Take advantage of discounts

Insurance companies aren't very enthusiastic about telling everyone they have discounts, but it never hurts to ask, right? If you are a good driver with a defensive driving course behind your back you may opt for a special discount. Low yearly mileage? Most companies will give you lower rates if your mileage is below 10,000 miles per year. Good students can opt for discounts too, if their average is B and above. Ask your insurance agent or broker about discounts with your provider and make sure to opt for any you can.

Raise your deductible

Deductibles are the amount of money you pay on your own before the policy takes force. The higher is the amount the lower will be your premium. Most policy carry default deductibles of 250$, and by raising them up to 500$ you will gain a 10-15% drop in your premiums. Increase them to 1000$ and you will drop your rates by about 25%. However, make sure you will have the money if an accident takes place.

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Right Auto Insurance Limits

For guidance on limit setting, check with your mechanic to get an idea of repair and replacement costs for your car. Also, check with your insurance company to see if they have any data that will give you the average amounts for claims of various natures in your state. Lastly, make sure the limit you choose looks like one that will cover the bulk of any accident or insurable event and doesn't seem like it will leave you paying out-of-pocket beyond your deductible.

Insurance policies do not supply endless amounts of coverage. In fact, there is a limit to how much all of your insurance policies will pay for an insurable event-including your health insurance, home insurance and auto insurance. These caps are called limits and they protect your insurance company from committing an endless supply of dollars toward the reimbursement of your insurance incidents.

Imagine how difficult it would be to develop auto insurance rates if you had no idea how much you might possibly have to spend on a particular accident. It would be almost impossible. From medical expenses to emotional damages, from property damage to auto damage-there is no end to the amount of money you could be responsible for without limits to your benefit set.

When you get your auto insurance rates and quotes, you are asked to decide what kind of limit you want on your policy. The lower the limit you choose the less the insurance company knows it will have to spend per insurable interest-and that means the lower the rates you are quoted. But if you choose a limit that is too low in your eagerness to get cheap auto insurance rates then you run the risk of hurting yourself. Why? Well what do you think happens if it costs more to fix your car after an accident than the limit in your policy provides? That's right-you have to pay it out of pocket. Any expense that exceeds your limit must be paid by you and if you don't have the funds available then you run the risk of having your car in the shop and unrepaired much longer than you intended.

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Universal Life Insurance

Universal life insurance might sound like a policy that covers more than just your life, but in reality, universal life insurance is simply a life insurance policy that offers a death benefit as well as the option for cash value accumulation. With universal life insurance, you have a varying premium that you can pay. The minimum you need to pay is the cost of insurance. This is the amount that will pay for your death benefit but will not result in any cash value accumulation. You can also pay more than your cost of insurance and that will result in some cash value accumulation.

Cash values accumulate and earn a fixed rate of return in a universal life insurance policy. They are not subject to the volatility of the stock market and there are no sub accounts for you to choose. While the premiums of a universal life insurance policy may be flexible, there is a maximum that you can pay. If you exceed this maximum then you may accumulate cash values too quickly and a modified endowment contract (MEC) may occur. In a modified endowment contract, the value of your cash values rises too close to the value of your death benefit and the policy cash value becomes taxable. One of the great benefits of a universal life insurance policy is the tax-free accrual of cash values and the ability to take tax-free loans, so this is definitely something to avoid.

Unlike a term life insurance policy, universal life insurance policies offer a death benefit that is valid over the entire course of your life as long as you pay your premiums on time and keep the policy in force. There is no need for further underwriting as the years go by and no reason to find additional insurance. In a term policy, since the death benefit only covers you for a pre-determined term (or period of time) you might need further underwriting and could be at risk for a higher premium as your health deteriorates. Like all life insurance policies, riders can be added to the universal life insurance policy in order to increase its value. Souse riders, accidental death riders, child riders and accelerated benefit riders are just some of the choices you have.

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Benefits of Buying Auto Insurance Online

Many years ago, getting quotes were time-consuming since people who are interested to obtain car insurance have to personally visit and transact business with car insurance companies. Some even prefer gathering a number of quotes through phone. Insurance agents are also very irritating and insistent during those days. Good thing they've faced extinction.

The worldwide web has made our lives much easier and with just a simple click, we can have all the information we want. If you like to have many quotes for comparison purposes, just go to the different websites of car insurance companies and accomplish a data form. After which, the quotes you have requested will be delivered within a few seconds.

The biggest advantage of obtaining quotes online is that you will be able to compare the policies and coverage that the insurance companies have in store for you. In this kind of process, you will not be pressured by insurance agents. After you have chosen an insurance provider, just call or email them.

When you prefer gathering quotes online, you have to bear in mind one important thing. Be honest! You have to tell only the truth when you're filling up auto insurance application form online. If, from the start, you gave wrong information, you will, in return, get a wrong quotation. If in case, you'll meet a car accident in the future, your claim will not be granted.

Online application forms of car insurance companies have a space intended for additional information that you want them to know, which might help you get a better deal. Let's say, you were never involved in a car accident for the past 20 years, it would be a nice idea to mention that.

The rates that appear on the auto insurance quotes are dependent on a lot of factors. There's no such thing as standard insurance quotes. There are some car insurance companies that offer a better deal to women because it is assumed that women are more responsible drivers. Higher insurance rates are, however, given to young drivers and to those who have old cars.

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Steps to Filing Your Auto Insurance Claim

Here are some steps to claim insurance :

Evaluate whether or not you should file a claim

Did you know that just when you call your insurance company with a question about possibly filing a claim it is often recorded on your insurance record? It is important to keep your insurance record clean and one way is deciding whether or not you should file a claim. It doesn’t matter if the accident is your fault or not, you should ask yourself first if you can pay for the damage. Simply put, if you can pay for it yourself without financial hardship, don’t file the claim.

Fill out your What to do After an Auto Accident Worksheet

This worksheet, which when you click on the title is provided for print-out, will help you keep track of the information you will need to file your auto insurance claim. It is important to get every detail of the accident documented and to try to find witnesses that would be willing to talk to your insurance company to back-up your story.

File the claim ASAP

You will want to file the claim as soon as possible with your insurance company. Even if it is not your fault, your insurance company will handle the claim process as your advocate.

Prepare for a possible call from the other insurance company

If there is a dispute between the two parties in the accident, you may get a call from the other driver’s insurance company asking for your version of what happened at the accident scene. If this happens make sure you document everything you say and the name of the customer service agent you talked too.

Finally, getting your car fixed

If you had body damage to your vehicle this is when you will finally get it fixed. After your claim is approved, you will likely get a call from your insurance company about sending an insurance adjuster out to assess the damage or asking you to send your car to a pre-approved shop to get it fixed.

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Understanding Health Insurance Terms

When searching for a health insurance plan or after one has already signed up, the plan terms, or descriptions of provisions and coverages can be hard to understand. When one is reviewing the terms they often confusingly say, “What does that mean?”

Help is here! Below is a list of common health insurance coverage terms to help everyone understand more about what their health insurance plan has to offer.
You may also be interested in the Health Insurance Reform Definitions

Deductible
The deductible refers to the amount of money that the insured would need to pay before any benefits from the health insurance policy can be used. This is usually a yearly amount so when the policy starts again, usually after a year, the deductible would be in effect again. Some services, like doctor visits, may be available without meeting the deductible first. Usually there are separate individual deductible amounts and total family deductible amounts.

Co-insurance
This is usually a percentage amount that is the insured's responsibility. A common co-insurance split is 80/20. This means that the insurance company will pay 80% of the procedure and the insured is required to pay the other 20%.

Co-payments
The co-payment is a fixed amount that the insured is required to pay at the time of service. It is usually required for basic doctor visits and when purchasing prescription medications.

Out-of-Pocket
This is the cost one would pay out of their own pocket. An out of pocket expense can refer to how much the co-payment, coinsurance, or deductible is. Also, when the term annual out-of-pocket maximum is used, that is referring to how much the insured would have to pay for the whole year out of their pocket, excluding premiums.

Lifetime Maximum
This is the most amount of money the health insurance policy will pay for the entire life. Pay attention to individual lifetime maximums and family lifetime maximums as they can be different.

Exclusions
The exclusions are the things that the insurance policy will not cover.

Pre-existing Conditions
This is something someone had before obtaining the insurance policy. Some plans will cover pre-existing conditions while others may completely exclude them and, in addition, some health insurance plans will cover pre-existing conditions after a certain time period.

Waiting Period
This is the time one would have to wait until certain health insurance coverages are available.

Coordination of Benefits
If the insured has available two or more sources that would cover payment for certain conditions, such being under a spouse's insurance plan along with their own, the insurance company would not pay double benefits. In this case the health insurance company would coordinate benefits to make sure each plan pays a portion of the service.

Grace Period
This is the amount of time one has to pay their health insurance premium after the original due date and before insurance coverage would be canceled.

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Fixed Annuity Sales Slump Since 2009

Fixed annuity sales in the first half of this year slumped 37 percent compared to the first half of 2009, erasing the meteoric rise in sales amid the flight to safety during the recession, according to LIMRA data released today.

The drop brings FA sales to $40.5 billion in the first half, compared to $64.2 billion in last year’s first half. This year’s first half total is also lower than $47.6 billion in 2008 but still higher than the $34.2 billion in 2007. This performance was the opposite of variable annuity sales, which plummeted during the recession. VA sales went from an all-time high of $89.6 billion in the first half of 2007 to $84.3 billion in 2008 and $62.6 billion in 2009, when VAs sold less than FAs for the first time since 1995.

Since last year, VAs found their footing, growing about 8.5 percent to $67.9 billion this year. Even so, it did not make up for the FA loss and the total market dropped to $108.4 billion, which is down about 17 percent since 2009 and off 21.6 percent compared to 2008, which was the total annuity market’s best first half ever.

“We aren’t surprised by the decrease in fixed annuity sales,” said Catherine Theroux, LIMRA spokeswoman. “In this low-interest rate environment, consumers are reluctant to lock into a long-term fixed annuity.”

The growth in VA sales reflect more confidence in equities markets but also a consumer drive for a return that exceeds CD rates but also the safety of the guaranteed minimum that most VAs now feature. This is the same dynamic that has helped indexed annuity sales boost sales within the fixed annuity segment, according to AnnuitySpecs.com data released on Sunday. Indexed sales were $8.3 billion the second quarter, which represented a 22.8 percent increase over the first quarter. Indexed sales were about where they were in the second quarter of 2009, showing a 0.1 percent drop.

Sheryl J. Moore, president and CEO of AnnuitySpecs.com, said she expects the upward trend to continue throughout this year. “With CD rates at 1 percent and fixed annuities crediting a mere 3.65 percent on average, it is no wonder that this was the second-highest quarter in terms of indexed annuity sales,” Moore said. “It is going to be another record year.”

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Argo International builds Directors and Officers Team

Argo International builds Directors and Officers team with two underwriting appointments.
Argo International, a specialist Lloyd’s insurer and subsidiary of Argo Group International Holdings, Ltd. (NASDAQ: AGII), today announces that it has further added to its Directors and Officers (D&O) team with the appointment of Rita Mistry and Anthony Hope.

Reporting in to Paul Kneafsey, Rita and Anthony join Argo International from Dual Corporate Risks’ D&O division, where they were central to the expansion of the company’s D&O portfolio.

Their appointment follows the recruitment of Andrew Robertson to Argo International’s D&O team. Rita and Anthony will join Andrew to write flexible D&O solutions as part of Argo International’s wider Financial Lines business.

Julian Enoizi, CEO of Argo International, said "As part of the wider expansion of our business, we are building our Liability offering and, with their experience of developing D&O accounts, Rita and Anthony will be integral to the strategic growth of our Financial Lines business.”

Source : Argo Group

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