Car Accident Insurance Adjuster's Tricks - Signing a Release

Never sign your name on a piece of paper without knowing what it says. A lot of times, after a car accident, you will be given paperwork from an insurance adjuster that will seek a release of your medical records and even your employment history. This gives the insurance company almost complete knowledge of the most intimate parts of your life.

Why would the insurance company want this information? What do they do with it?

The job of an insurance adjuster is to protect the insurance company from giving you the help you deserve with medical bills or to recover lost wages. If an insurance company has to make a payout, they lose money. That means the person who works for the insurance company is going to comb though every last bit of information to find some way that gets the insurance company off the hook for your medical bills.

Here's an example. You get hurt in a car accident. You hit your head on the steering wheel and something caused a lot of back pain. As everybody knows, medical bills are expensive, and for injuries like these you may end up making payments for a very long time for all sorts of future treatments related to your injury. You may also end up losing wages while you are in the hospital or getting treatment because you couldn't get to work.

By getting your medical records and other similar documents, the insurance company will try to build a case that your injuries in the car accident were not really caused by the accident, but by some other event in your life like a back injury you got playing hockey. By doing this, the insurance company will make the argument that they are not responsible for giving you help to pay your medical bills because 'they claim the pain you are in doesn't relate to the car accident.

This is why it is so important to make sure that you know what to do if you are ever hurt in a car accident. A lot of people simply gloss over papers before signing them. In the hazy aftermath of a car accident, your not going to be in the best mental state. You are surrounded by different people, police, firemen and women, citizens from around just trying to help and some of those people are going to ask you to sign a piece of paper. Make sure before you sign anything you know who is giving you the document and what that paper means.

Always try to stay ahead of the insurance companies by educating yourself with the best legal information written by qualified and experienced attorneys who know how to fight the giant insurance companies and get you help to pay your medical bills. If you are hurt in a car accident, it may be best to contact an injury lawyer before you commit to anything.

Affordable Health Insurance - How Do I Find the Right One, and What Coverage Do I Really Need?

I get questions everyday from people about health insurance, some are just getting out of school, about to get married and start a family, or getting a divorce and losing coverage, they have a need to know what benefits are available to them and how they work.

One of the most frequent questions I hear is "I don't mean to sound stupid but what does deductible mean?" Trust me, there are no stupid questions...if you don't know what someone is talking about ask them to explain it. A deductible is the set amount of money that you are required to pay yourself before the insurance company will pay on specific medical claims (like: hospital expenses, lab work, and x-rays). also, just to be clear your monthly premium does not go towards your deductible, you will always pay a monthly, quarterly or even annual premium, you have a choice when you are setting your plan up.

Shopping for health insurance can be a bit confusing. Another question I hear is "What is co-insurance?" Co-insurance is a percentage of money you will spend after you have paid out your deductible in medical claims for the year, most plans are 80/20,70/30, or 50/50 co-insurance. Let's look at the 80/20 co-insurance plan this means after you have paid your deductible then the insurance company will pay 80% of your on-going claims for the rest of the year, and you will pay 20%. For example a medical bill of $5000.00 would be processed this way. If your deductible is $2000.00 you would pay the first $2000.00 and then the insurance company would pay 80% of the remaining $3000.00 which would be $2400.00 leaving a balance of $600.00 for you to pay.

Most plans being sold today are PPO's which stands for preferred provider organizations. These providers have agreed to charge a set rate for their services. These set rates can give you huge savings in the discounted prices, for example a lab bill of $900.00 when processed by the insurance carrier has a unapproved amount of $600.00 which is like a red tag sale huge discount...now the bill is only $300.00 and the rest of it is a wash, you do not owe it if you used the PPO Network. See the savings.

When you are looking for a health plan you need to ask questions. You will be asked questions as well, like what is your gender, height and weight, zip code, if you or your spouse or girlfriend is pregnant, do you smoke or use tobacco products, do you have any pre-existing conditions? All of these questions will determine what rate you will be given as well as what coverage will be offered to you.

Some questions you need to ask are: What is the waiting period for pre-existing conditions, is maternity covered, what is the lifetime maximum of the policy (the lifetime maximum is the maximum amount of money the insurance plan will pay in medical bills for you as long as you have the policy), which network of providers do you offer? This information is critical to you so that you can make an informed choice of coverage. There are many variables in the health insurance market, and all plans are not created equal.

The plans offered are not going to have everything covered, that is a myth. Dental and vision is not an automatic benefit and neither is maternity. You need to be aware that some pre-existing conditions will not be covered at all, or they could have a waiting period before they are covered. Sometimes, the pre-existing condition will cause you to be declined. If you are declined, don't be discouraged. Just because one insurance company declined you does not mean they all will, keep trying with other carriers. Insurance underwriting is not the same, there are variables with every carrier.

Do you want a Dr. co-pay or a prescription co-pay, be aware not all plans come with these features...and they do drive your premium up.

Most plans do not offer mental health or drug addiction benefits, if they do the benefits are usually limited. It is best to read the limitations and exclusions section of the brochures and policy's to make sure you have a clear understanding of what is covered and what is not.

Rate guarantee's vary as well, and a birthday will cause an adjustment in your rate regardless of the rate guarantee.

I hope that this has been helpful information. Always remember to ask questions, it's how we learn.

Three More Ways to Save on Long Term Care Insurance

There's increased interest in long-term care insurance as a most viable way to protect against the enormous and costly risk of needing long-term care at some point in our lives.

Because long-term care insurance is still a relatively new form of protection, many consumers are unfamiliar with the simple ways to reduce the cost. Here are two additional ways to save.

Married Couples and Partners Can Save 15% to 40% Each Year

Discounts are offered by long-term care insurance companies to married adults and even unmarried adults who are living together. These discounts vary from one insurer to another and typically require that both individuals purchase coverage.

However, some companies will offer a discount when only one couple purchases coverage (sometimes only one individual is insurable). Some companies offer discounts to domestic partners or individuals in committed relationships.

And, here's an important tip for those who are regrettably anticipating a divorce. At the time of writing this article, most insurers will not remove the "marital" discount when a couple gets divorced. But you'll need to buy this coverage while still married.

Adding A "Deductible" Can Save 20% Each Year

You are probably familiar with the concept of deductibles on your car, home and even your health insurance. Simply, you pay some of the cost before your insurance kicks in.

Deductibles on long-term care insurance policies are typically referred to as the Elimination Period. This is the number of days you choose to pay fully until your benefits for qualifying care begin.

The longer your Elimination Period, the lower your annual premium will be. Keep in mind that, generally, your initial need for long-term care will not be as intense or costly as the care you'll need over longer periods of time. Maybe you have family members or community resources you can turn to for those initial days.

A 2008 study by the long-term care insurance trade organization reported sales by Elimination Period:

20-to-30 Days 7% of buyers
31-to-89 Days 7%
90-to-100 Days 83%
100+ Days 3%

A Defined Benefit Period Will Save 16% to 53%

One of the most difficult decisions you'll face when selecting your long-term care insurance is how long should benefits last. No one can predict how long you'll need care.

Why averages are not relevant. Because your chances of needing long-term care are either 0% ... or 100%. Thus, a good way to approach your planning is to look at the value of financial assets you want to protect with long-term care insurance. Then you can back into a daily dollar amount and number of years of coverage.

What can you save? A policy that pays for 5 years will save between 16% and 27% yearly compared to an unlimited (also called a lifetime) benefit. A policy that pays 3 years will save 36% to 39% compared to an unlimited benefit.

And, one of the best ways to save is to work with a knowledgeable long-term care insurance professional who has access to policies from multiple insurance companies. They should be willing to answer your questions and to provide you with no-cost price quotes without any obligation.

Insurance Brokerage Marketing Analysis - Worst States For Marketing Insurance

This is a commentary on the 19 states ranking lowest for insurance brokerage marketing remains. Insider fact revealed - This analysis reveals that in 17 of these 19 states, they appear among the top 25 for highest income ranking. Find out why.

Logic would say, the richest states, should produce the best money making brokerage opportunities. In-depth Research should this is not true. The main factor being the overwhelming presence of career based life insurance agencies, pushing new agents into financial planning. How many agent trainees could be consider efficient financial advisors? This leads to few lasting very long in their insurance career venture. Insurance Brokerage Marketing requires sufficient numbers of semi-independent agents and independent brokers to make endeavors pay off.

DELAWARE, Rating = 32

The very small agent base consists of around 3,000 annuity, life and health producers. This number can be refined further to only about 1,100 who have interest in placing brokerage business. Because of the small numbers of producers, compared to MA, NJ, VA, or CT, it is often an overlooked state. If you eliminate the 2,000 agents not worth bothering with you might land a few good brokerage producers.

MASSACHUSETTS Rating = 33

Compared to the states of Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia, Massachusetts gets a much better recommendation. By no means is it a "poor" state, in fact the average median income in Massachusetts exceeds that of Montana by $16,000! With agent turnover not as drastic as nearby states, it means more agents are progressing into that ideal 4 1/2 year to 12-year range. From this lot come many of the prime annuity, life, and health brokers. Stay out of the metropolitan Boston to area increase your marketing results. The reception of this state (and most New England states) is often cold. The agents tend to turn a cold shoulder to brokerage marketing operations not housed in the northeast region or New England states. The ratio of agents to Mass residents is very good at 3.1 per thousand. With the household income $8,000 above the national average, it is a good state for annuities, and financial/estate planning. Loyalty is the main handicap for outside marketers.

SOUTH DAKOTA, Rating = 34

An overabundance of life health agents reside here. With almost half in the Sioux Falls area, the outlying are full of one and two man multi-line life and property and casualty shops. With the household income $7,000 below the national average, that is not an abundance of wealth. This means small life policies are the standard and the marketing of annuities is very limited. For health insurance products, the market is stronger.

NEW HAMPSHIRE, Rating = 35

As a small Northeastern state, New Hampshire is surprisingly a very strong financial state. The median family income is over $14,000 above the national average. This means the potential recruiting of agents for financial products is inviting. In regards to this, unfortunately it is just too small of a state to draw enough agents to a seminar. In addition, while agents may brokerage with one or two companies, those in New Hampshire are very conservative. Nationwide, the typical broker is likely to represent three or more carriers. However, the New Hampshire agents, those currently brokering, probably will sign at best with one additional carrier in the next 12 months. Making sure this carrier is you, means choosing the right list of proven agents, offering the best opportunity, and mailing at the right time. The "right time", is when he is sitting on the fence. Either the agent needs to add a product like yours right now, or he had had a present carrier let him down.

CONNECTICUT, Rating = 36

Are their more lawyers or more insurance agents in Connecticut? Based on census data and our agent figures, Connecticut has 40% more agents per thousand residents than any of the top brokerage states. Its wealth factor is substantial with some very well off communities. A high percentage of experienced agents have earned credentials like CHfC, LUTCF, CLU, CFP, RFP, and RIA. Your financial products here have to pass a grocery size list of qualifications from skeptical "over-educated" agents that insist on examining, then cross-examining any product they might consider selling. Almost like a lawyer examining the insurance coverage. What is missing is the prime middle ground, producers with 4 to 12 years experience. This causes an adverse condition. Not enough agents, percentage wise, are willing to become independent brokers or personal producing general agents. The best recruiting factor in CT is that agents receive far few insurance recruiting calls or mailings than those in MA, MD, or VA.

VIRGINIA, Ratings = 37

Another "high income" state, the life agents are very likely to have began their career birthing process with a life career subsidy program. It would be nice to separate the experienced 4 to 12 year professionals from the rookies, but in Virginia, it is not easy. As you know mailing the wrong agents = zero results. You should not throw thousand and thousands of unknown agents into our list. Keep concentration refined to the producer that might benefit from your offer.

MARYLAND, Rating = 38

There are many for Washington D.C. agents But most of the successful producers are licensed and reside in Virginia or Maryland. These agents are hit hard with insurance solicitations, especially those belonging to a local association. Moreover, they carry that same career life loyalty factor as Massachusetts agents. With the 4th highest national median family income, there is excellent potential for insurance brokerage marketing by introducing new annuity and variable products.

WASHINGTON, Rating = 39

Washington who be much higher up in the state ratings, but for one thing. Who are the agents of the caliber you are looking for? You certainly will not get this information from the Washington Department of Insurance, as they feel the information is not public information. Data on agents is kept sealed up. A while back, our firm was the last allowed by the insurance department to send in someone with a laptop computer to access records. Beware of obtaining a yellow-page derived list of Washington agents. That will only get you an abundance of highly captive Nationwide, S.F., Farm Bureau, and Allstate agents. Finding a good refined, multi-source compiled list from a reputable firm is your only answer here.

NEW JERSEY, Rating = 40

Surprisingly this is the "richest state", at least certain pockets of it, with $13,000 over the national average. Life agencies in the major cities tend to be extremely large with up to 300 agents each. With high numbers of career agents, also come high agent turnover, about 85% during the first 18 months in the insurance business. The state also has the largest percentage of multi-line agents, both captive and independent. Multi-line insurers are known for their lower turnover rate. A state with a whole lot of good brokerage and personal producing general agents to recruit, but only if you know who's who.

NEW YORK, Rating = 41

Here's a jumbo state. Nevertheless, New York has its own rules and regulations, making it not worthwhile for many companies to be licensed in, and if they do it usually ends in life insurance company of New York. However, some well know life insurance companies with career-orientated agencies are located there. New York regulators feel that the freedom of information act does not apply to agents licensed in their state. They have a significant team of attorneys ready to battle any notion you have on invading their state for agent information. A calculated guess would be 58,000 licensed life and health agents. Here like Washington, the problem lies in obtaining a qualified list of broker names. For smart marketers, here is a tip. New York insurance agents receive less solicitation from your competitors for any large state or any state with half the population.

INDIANA, Rating = 42

Definitely one of the highest agent turnover states in the nation. This is why the agent per thousand residents is slightly over normal About 8 years ago the agent per thousand people was almost exactly double! Like New Mexico, life career agencies shrank, realizing the profit potential here was not very great. Left over are still too many agents having the experience, but still have not taken a big enough step toward independence. If you might enjoy spending unlimited money, time, and patience "teaching an old dog, a new trick", charge ahead. Otherwise move on and concentrate your insurance brokerage marketing on more lucrative states.

ALASKA, Rating = 43

Too few agents for the decent population base. Maybe there are too many occupations that pay far beyond what most of the state's agents earn. Only three other states are a higher median family income. Most of the recruiters that have the state in their territory are based out of Washington or California. In addition, there are nowhere near enough quality brokers to send out a 1,000-piece mailing. Unless it is absolutely necessary, spend your time on easier states to recruit agents in.

WYOMING, Rating = 44

How can you promote your products in a state where the agents are so geographically spread out? Usually direct mail would be the answer, but like Alaska, and a few small states the number of brokers is very limited. Therefore, the proper suggestion is not to bypass Wyoming in your marketing, but tie it in along with Montana or Idaho and mail the best.

VERMONT, Rating = 45

With Vermont being one of the smallest states, it is one of the hardest to judge. There is minor insurance brokerage marketing demand. Along with little feedback on the state, it is hard to place in the overall ranking. Upon analysis it was able possible to compare Vermont to other states in the Northeast. Unlike Maine, or New Hampshire, it lacks the brokerage mentality of those two much higher ranked states. Its agents are not very receptive to product selling opportunity. In addition, the life career agencies have made enough of an impact to hold the agents true to their old school thinking.

RHODE ISLAND, Rating = 46

Rhode Island is a very difficult state to find out what agents write what products. This combined with career agent loyalty, and a small number of total agents means that not too savvy marketers spend their money soliciting all the agents, to find the few that might meet their qualificati

COLORADO, Rating = 47

Banks that offer insurance, definitely take away from the normal base of independent agent flow. So do aggressive mutli-line agencies like Nationwide, S.F., Allstate, etc. After all, a bank offers an agent something a career life agency cannot. This feature is an endless supply of "potential client leads" with full information on their assets. Compare this to the "lead" the life agency commonly gives an agent. It is a policy owner with $1,000 to $25,000 of insurance that 5 previous agents have either unsuccessfully solicited, or have sucked away the policy owner's previous cash value as a source of purchasing a new policy. Usually 50% of "wirehouse" securities brokers have a life insurance license, in Colorado and Arizona they figure is closer to 90%. All this is topped off by an enormous amount of recruiting competition. Either get the right agent list, or be left high and dry.

ARIZONA, Rating = 48

Too hot to handle, but not because of the heat. Insurance Brokerage Marketing firms think this is an easy state. Not just a few of them, but also tremendous floods of them send offers to every single agent in the state. You can easily waste money trying to attract 12,000 of the state's agents that will do little good to you. Thousands of Allstate and Liberty Mutual style agents, and an unusually high amount of rookie agents. Like Colorado, it has the same problem of too many under trained starving rookies, combined with too many stuck in the mud old-timers. In addition, for the marketers that think Arizona is crammed with retirement havens, think again. Its senior population is right in line with the average state.

NEVADA, Rating = 49

Bet you 10 to 1, that the number of professional gamblers making a decent income, outweigh the number of insurance agents earning likewise, by 10 to 1. It seems like every other insurance with this state in their lineup wants to roll out wads of money and gamble on the chance of hitting hot producers here. The problem is that there are so few hot producers, and they have little agent competition. The marketing competition could fill a trash dumpster with their advertisements in no time. Five words: No agents, tons of competition.

HAWAII, Rating =50

Here is a state that is hard to comment on. You have no other states bordering Hawaii. On top of this Hawaii itself, it split up with its various islands. The few number of brokers and geographic distance make it a state better served by an insurance brokerage marketing firm located right in Hawaii.

Right here, in case you are printing out the ranks, are the top ranking 31 states in order. They are Florida, California, Texas, Ohio, Georgia, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Carolina, Michigan, Missouri, Tennessee, Oregon, Alabama, Kentucky, Arkansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Utah holding the 20th position. The next eleven are New Mexico, West Virginia, North Dakota, Montana, Maine, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Montana, Iowa, Idaho, and at #31 is Illinois.

Uncontested Divorce Information

According to Jennifer Baker of the Forest Institute of Professional Psychology in Springfield, Missouri, 50% of all first marriages will end in divorce, 67% of all second marriages will end in divorce, and 74% of all third marriages will end in divorce. Many times people go into marriages for the wrong reasons, and predicting the future many years down the road is quite impossible. Thankfully, in the U.S. it is quite simple to get a divorce, that's if it remains uncontested by the spouse. If the spouse does not agree with all the conditions of the divorce that's when your going to need a lawyer.

When filing for an uncontested divorce it is not required that you have a lawyer. An uncontested divorce is simply a form you file. If both you and your spouse agree that a divorce is the best option, and can agree on the terms of the uncontested divorce, then filing for divorce will be very inexpensive and easy. You can download uncontested divorce kits that help you prepare your own for a mere twenty bucks, or pay a paralegal or attorney to prepare the form for you for about two-hundred bucks. If you both can not agree on how the assets you jointly own can be divided then you will need a lawyer to contest the divorce in court and allow the judge to decide how to split those assets for you. Although, If you both agree on how your jointly owned assets can be divided then you qualify to file for an uncontested divorce, which doesn't require a lawyer.

Understand that once you file and both agree to the uncontested divorce, then the divorce is final. In a contested divorce, which requires a lawyer, the judge will usually do what is called a "trial separation", where couples will separate for awhile to see how life works without each other. Sure if you want to go the expensive route and If the judge put you two on trial separation you could change your mind about divorce before the proceedings are finalized; but this will cost you even more money, plus all the time you wasted just to get to this point.

Now that you have a good idea about the differences between contested divorces and uncontested divorces, let me be clear about uncontested divorces, which is obviously the best route to go. An uncontested divorce means that both parties completely agree that divorce is in their best interest and there is nothing left to argue about, either in terms of the divorce itself or the division of assets. Some couples may have already split their assets and moved out, so filing for divorce for them is almost just a formality.

In an uncontested divorce a divorce lawyer is not necessary. Sometimes people will bring one to the proceeding just in case their spouse begins to argue about the conditions of the divorce. My ideas on bringing a lawyer to the proceeding is that it's not a good idea. They may create argument and you may be in many future trials arguing about the conditions of the divorce for along time to come with your expensive trial lawyer at your side. On the other hand, if your spouse brought a lawyer to the proceeding and is arguing about the conditions of the divorce, then it's probably in your best interest to contact a divorce lawyer immediately.

If you do decide to use a lawyer, research there past trial experience. Did they win, or did they lose most cases? Is your lawyer familiar with the divorce laws in your state?

Going through a divorce can be easy, or it can be pain staking. Find out if your spouse wants a contested divorce or uncontested divorce. Make sure that you are ready to do everything you can to make your divorce go smoothly, and allow yourself to restart your life on the right foot.

Will Filing Bankruptcy Make My Insurance Premiums Go Up in Missouri and Illinois?

When asking yourself, "Should I file bankruptcy?" it is important to focus on the issues that are most important to you. Some wonder if Missouri or Illinois Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy will leave them with huge insurance premiums. But, instead, maybe these folks should be thinking, "How is my current credit score already affecting my insurance premiums?"

It is too hard to say with 100% confidence that anything will definitely make your insurance premiums go up or down. The formula for calculating insurance premiums has been kept secret since the dawn of insurance companies. It is clear, though, that a bad credit score alone will affect your insurance rates. Well, wouldn't a bankruptcy make it worse? Not necessarily. In fact, a Missouri or Illinois bankruptcy probably wouldn't do any more damage than a bad credit score is even doing. Bankruptcy might even help you avoid those devastating insurance bills.

"But James, how could bankruptcy possibly help me with my bad credit?"

By the time you need to file a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy in Missouri or Illinois, your credit is probably already in bad shape. There won't really be much credit for bankruptcy to hurt, most likely. Plus, bankruptcy helps you get such a handle on your debt that you can finally have a fresh start with your credit score. For many, it is only up from there. The continuous downward spiral of your credit score from being behind on all your credit accounts stops and you can get on track to building a better score; and lower insurance premiums.

In the end, it is your choice. You can choose to get protection from foreclosure, credit card debt help, and relief from the harassment of your creditors or you can continue to try to claw your way out of overwhelming amounts of debt. Instead of thinking of all the negative effects bankruptcy can have, think about the negative effects your debt is already having. Many people find that Missouri or Illinois bankruptcy is the right choice for them and their families.

Give a St. Louis, Missouri or Fairview Heights, Illinois bankruptcy attorney a chance to change your life. Learn all you can about the options you and your family have for getting out from under crushing amounts of debt. Look for free information from reputable lawyers in your area like bankruptcy FAQ, articles, blogs, and even free publications.