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Insurance

Homeowner's insurance is definitely something that every household needs to take seriously!

How many times have you read about some poor family who let their insurance lapse -- only to have their home burn to the ground? Experiencing a home tragedy of any sort can be a guaranteed trip to financial ruin... if you don't have a good homeowners insurance policy in place.

With construction costs continually rising and prices for home furnishings climbing just as fast, do you have enough replacement coverage on your home to replace what might be lost in a fire, flood, or home break-in?

How about personal injury? With medical costs skyrocketing, an old policy with a low coverage ceiling could leave you holding the bag when the neighbor kid gets injured on your property.

And don't forget, flood Insurance is not a normal part of your typical homeowners policy. This video shows how scary rising waters can be after days of heavy rain:

Thankfully, the process of getting an up-to-date home insurance online quote these days is easy... and quick.

Yep, the Internet can lead you to the best deal around without ever leaving your house!

Here are tips for finding home insurance quotes online...

Over the last few years in the health industry, it has become increasingly common for annual increases in premiums.

If you are unfortunate enough to move up "age brackets" that same year, it is possible to get a special birthday gift of 2 premium increases!

This actually happened to myself earlier in the year and I realized it was a good time to evaluate my coverage and determine what could be done to help reduce the monthly premium.

Even with the constant increases in premiums it is still possible to get affordable health coverage, you just have to know what to do and where to look!

When is the last time you had an eye exam? 

Have you been putting off an eye exam because of low funds, or lack of insurance?  If so, then you'll be interested to know that Vision USA provides low-income and uninsured people with basic eye health and vision care for free. 
 

Maybe your employer doesn't provide vision insurance.  Or, maybe you don't qualify because you work part-time.  Vision USA is here to help. .. You'll be matched with a volunteer doctor of optometry.  You'll pay nothing for your eye exam.  And, in some states, you may receive eyeglasses at no cost or for a small fee.  -- Kim Komando

Any time you rent a car, the company renting to you is going to try and get you to purchase the additional insurance. That is a given. But do you really need it?

Well, it depends on your situation.

One thing to keep in mind is that no car rental agency puts all the information regarding their different additional insurance policies on their website. In order to get that information, you will need to call them or visit their office in person.

Before you purchase any additional insurance, it's important that you read any and all information supplied by the car rental company -- or at the very least, have someone explain it to you and get your questions answered before signing and paying for additional car rental insurance.

Here are the pros and cons of buying additional insurance when you rent a car...

Whoopi Goldberg asked on The View: 

If the government can bail out AIG, why aren’t everyone's debts also canceled?

It's a good question, but is it a good idea?

In 2006, there were approximately 47 million uninsured Americans. 

Considering the significant number of lost jobs and the current housing crisis, you can imagine how much that number has grown. 

Among those who have to pay for health insurance on their own, it's not uncommon for the health insurance bill to be ranked very low on the list of monthly bills that have to be paid.  After all, it makes more sense to put the immediate need (to keep a roof over your head) first, as opposed to paying for unforeseen expenses (like hospital or doctor bills). 

If you're self-insured (which means you pay for health care expenses out of your own pocket as they arise; also called "self-pay"), or you're uninsured (which means you haven't gotten around to signing up with a health care provider and paying the bills yourself, rather than your employer paying for health insurance for you), then you are most likely under the assumption that you will be able to cover whatever health care costs might arise -- if and when they occur. 

Here are some reasons to think twice about this strategy...

Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are a relatively new idea. They were started in 2003 by President Bush in an effort to help individuals save for medical expenses on a tax-free basis. 

My family used a Health Savings Account one year. Here are some thoughts about HSAs...