Americans who have a down payment of around 20 percent or less may have to get mortgage insurance to qualify for the loan. However, some lenders do not explain what this is, and some borrowers walk away because they don’t believe they should buy mortgage insurance.
Mortgage insurance provides lenders with a guarantee if the
Insurance
You have sustained an injury in a slip and fall accident away from your own property. Who is liable for your medical costs? Are you liable, is the property owner liable, or is there a middle ground?
Slip and fall cases are sometimes complex and hard to predict, since they are regulated at the state
Life insurance has grown in complexity over the years and, as a result, life insurance taxation issues have become equally complex. While you should consult with a tax professional to verify the tax status of any life insurance payout you receive, we can give you some general rules and guidelines to consider.
Pre-Tax or Post-Tax
If you are closing in on retirement age, you are keenly interested in how the three remaining Presidential candidates — Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, and Bernie Sanders — plan to deal with the fiscal challenges of Social Security and Medicare. If you are not close to retirement age, you should be even more interested, as
Retirees fear running out of money, and rightly so. This can happen to you in three ways – you fail to accumulate enough retirement assets, unexpected expenses drain your retirement funds, or you outlive your expected lifespan (and therefore, your money). You can reduce the possibility of the last one by purchasing a deferred-income annuity.
Making a down payment on a house could be your biggest investment you make. Now there is a way to protect that investment.
Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) is a method of protecting lenders from risk if you put down a lower down payment on a home (typically less than 20%). The PMI principle assumes that
Whether you believe it is a good trend or a bad one, the number of households that receive benefits from the Federal Government has almost reached the halfway mark.
Welfare Dependence Keeps Growing According to the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau, 152.9 million out of 308.9 million total Americans received some form
Shopping for life insurance can be confusing if you are not familiar with the terms, and it is not the easiest thing to do even if you are familiar with the lingo. A life insurance agent should be able to explain policies and terms to you in an understandable fashion, and help you to explore
The terms “insurance agents” and “insurance brokers” are often used interchangeably and they may be thought of as the same job, but there are differences. The main difference is in the perspective of each insurance professional.
Is an agent or a broker best for you or your business? To make that decision, you first have
For most kinds of insurance, you have an option of buying through a broker or insurance agent, or buying directly from an insurance carrier. Younger, tech-savvy purchasers have been attracted to the convenience of direct online insurance shopping, but there is still room in the market for your friendly local insurance agent.
If you are
If you find yourself disabled for a short time, your employer may offer short-term disability insurance as part of your benefits package to help you retain some income while you recover. There will be a threshold employment requirement (a certain time of service and employment status) to be eligible. Typically, the range of benefits is
Your kids are growing fast. Before you know it, they will be entering college and looking to you for financial support. Because of the spiraling costs, it is even more important to start your college savings plans and contributions as early as possible.
State 529 plans have become one of the most popular methods for
Disability insurance replaces a portion of your income if you are unable to work due to an accident or prolonged illness. It’s usually broken into short-term insurance (typically one month or less) and long-term (anywhere from a month to a lifetime). Short-term disability insurance usually covers 60-70% of your salary at the time of the
Your car was just inundated in a flash flood, consumed in a fire, blown away by a tornado, or crushed by falling debris. After you make sure that all of your loved ones are okay and your house is intact, you turn your attention to your now-useless car. Does your policy cover natural disasters? If
When shopping for insurance policies, you have two choices: you can either work with an insurance broker (someone who represents a variety of insurance companies), or you can choose to buy directly from a captive insurance agent (someone who represents a single insurance company).
As a consumer, you are most concerned with the cost of
An Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust (ILIT) is a trust set up to hold ownership of your life insurance policies. There are three primary reasons why an ILIT might be right for you.
Avoiding Estate Taxes – Unless you take steps to prevent it, the proceeds of your life insurance policies are included as part of
Got a cracked windshield? You might get it fixed for free if your auto insurance includes glass coverage. If a major storm knocked out your power and everything in your freezer went bad, your homeowners insurance may cover the cost of the spoiled food. And, if the stash of emergency cash in your sock drawer
If you want to file a complaint with Medicare, you are not alone. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMMS), the agency reviews over 100,000 complaints each year. Complaints cover the quality of care, hospital discharges, home health services, nursing homes, and Medicare Advantage programs, among other things.
The Process of Filing
Recent floods in Oregon, Washington State, Texas, South Carolina, California and other states drowned thousands of cars under muddy, polluted water. Once those vehicles are dried-out and cleaned-up, they could show up for sale, and you could be the one who ends up taking a bath.
A flood-damaged engine is difficult or close to impossible
Not so long ago, residents of Mexico were primed for the impact of Hurricane Patricia. At one point, Patricia was the strongest storm ever measured on earth with sustained winds of over 200 miles per hour (mph). Experts predicted the potential for 40-foot waves and dangerous flash flooding along the coast of southwestern Mexico. The
People get married for many different reasons, but we will bet that not one of them is to save money on car insurance. Even so, it would be a valid reason — auto insurers do charge single people more than married couples for their policies.
InsuranceQuotes.com commissioned a recent study on auto insurance rates and
Medicare cost increases are not uncommon, but in 2016, they will have an uncommon effect. Thanks to quirks in the Social Security system, approximately 30% of Medicare beneficiaries are going to experience huge increases in their Medicare part B costs (up to 52%) while others are not affected in the same way.
Medicare has three
If you are a small business owner, it is irresponsible not to have a disaster plan. Not only do you have a personal responsibility, you likely have responsibility for employees as well.
It is impossible to prepare for every contingency, so where do you begin?
Among many online resources for disaster planning, there is an
Workers’ Compensation is a program designed to compensate workers that are injured because of job-related activities or the job environment. The compensation covers several areas of expense.
Medical Treatment – This includes emergency care and follow-up treatment, as well as any required rehabilitation and corresponding transportation costs.
Lost Wages – Compensation for your lost
The pitch is very appealing to fiscally conservative seniors. Earn up to 8% on your investment with a guarantee not to lose money. Sounds too good to pass up, doesn’t it?
Welcome to the world of indexed annuities. These financial vehicles are sold by insurance companies and target the risk-averse investor or retiree. Indexed annuities
Home inventories are one of those things everyone knows they should compile but few people actually end up completing. Creating a home inventory can be a very long and tiresome process, which is why so many people avoid them.
Having an accurate inventory allows you to have some peace of mind should anything terrible ever
“Acts of God”, for insurance purposes, are defined as events that occur through natural causes and could not be avoided through the use of caution and preventative measures. In essence, the phrase “Acts of God” refers to natural disasters.
The phrase generally brings to mind hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, hail, or floods. However, the lines can
It is a hectic and bittersweet time as your children head off to college. There are so many issues to consider that it is easy to forget one important aspect — insurance.
Insurance policies and coverage will generally change once your children are no longer under your roof. However, with some planning, those changes may
Pack your bags and grab the kids. The vacation of your dreams is about to begin. Just make sure you have properly secured your home before you head for the beach/mountains/jungle or you may return to a nasty surprise.
Secure All Windows and Doors –
Keeping your home locked up will deter most potential
You may have saved diligently for retirement and managed your money well, but in the end, long-term care costs can derail your plans and quickly exhaust your savings and other assets. According to LongTermCare.gov, average costs for 2010 were $6,235 and $6,965 per month for semi-private and private rooms in nursing homes, respectively. For how