Posts tagged: insurance

Need Urgent Cash? Try These Tips

need money urgentlyCash in a Flash! Well, How to Generate Funds Quickly, Anyway

Short of robbing a bank (which incidentally, we’d NEVER advocate, just for the record) there’s precious few ways to get our hands on a lump of cash in an instant. Or so you might think. However, there are far more legit ways to fund ourselves, which involve neither masks depicting former Presidents of the United States and/or a job lot of Mini Coopers, if we’re mixing our heist movie metaphors. So, what other avenues can you venture down to put your hands on a shed load of money before you can say “This is a hold up!”

Which of course, it isn’t/won’t be.

Finding ourselves short of cash at times when we need it most in our life is not unheard of. On the contrary, as most of us will experience this feeling at some point in our natural, as it can happen to pretty much anyone. Scenarios which tend to create this sense of dread and subsequent cold sweat/blind panic include unforeseen car problems, unpredicted job losses and/or an undetected illness coming to bear. The question is, who do you turn to for help in your darkest hours?

Many people would suggest that you try a good payday loan lender, and there’s many arguments as to why this would be amongst the best choices you could make when faced with this situation. But then you must also be aware that aside from payday loan lenders there are a number of alternative methods you could look into, all of which might be able to free up some much needed funds here and now. Below we take a quick look at just a few of these.

Cash in Your Life Insurance Policy – Not all of it, obviously. It’s just that should you have been in possession of a whole life insurance plan for so many years; the chances are that you’ll have accumulated a decent amount of equity that you could, hypothetically, borrow against. Understandably, if you exercise this right at this juncture, the upshot is you’ll reduce the amount paid out at a later date, but on the plus side at least you won’t be accountable for any taxes if you choose to cash out (as it were) right now.

Home Equity Loans – Adhering to a similar principle to the one outlined above re: life insurance policies, providing that you’ve paid a decent amount into your existing mortgage plan already, you could be able to borrow against the equity of your property. Reverse mortgages could also be a makeweight at this testing financial time in your life, although they only really come into play for those who own their homes outright. But as a cautionary note, it’s worth remembering that both these types of get out of jail free cards come at a price. That price being both types of short term loans to yourself will need to be repaid further down the line. Failure to do so might put your home in jeopardy.

Consider Visiting a Pawn Shop – Careful how you spell/pronounce this one, but actual pawn shops (the modern, more socially acceptable version of these being the likes of Cash Converters et al) are in the business of giving you no-questions-asked short and medium term loans. And the best bit is, there’s usually no restrictions placed on the arrangement of said loans or how you choose to spend the funds recruited. The flip side is that pawn shops only ever lend you a percentage of your item’s monetary worth, plus they do have a habit of charging significantly high interest rates. Oh, and don’t forget. If you fail to repay the loan, your possessions become the loan providers. So think on, if it’s a family heirloom you’re swapping for some much-need folding stuff. That said, if needs must there are worse ways…..

Cards are a Gift Horse – A recent study revealed that in the region of £300 million worth of gift cards went unused in the past few years, which is a staggering amount of money to be sitting on and not actually doing anything for you. Collectively, that is. There are various ways in which to cash in your unused or wanted gift cards too, where monetary recompense isn’t quite the face value, but nevertheless better than the nothing it’s generating sat in your wallet or purse.

Rent a Room out – Most people are under the wrong impression that Airbnb rentals are all about summer holidays, and homeowners who allow you to rent out their gaff whilst they themselves are away somewhere for varying lengths of time. But this couldn’t be further from the truth, as a growing number of the website’s listings encompass both extra and/or shared room arrangements. So, effectively, you still live in your house but allow other (rent-paying folk) to come and go. Works better of course, if you live in a picturesque area and not next to a cement works or something.

The Risks Of Living Without Insurance

insurance to liveWhen you’re looking for ways to save money, it can be easy to make chops and changes to the things you need in life. There are a lot of expensive areas in life, and the ones at the forefront will usually take precedence over the less important. Of course, though, things like insurance are only less important until you need them. Living without cover for certain areas of your life can be very risky, and to help you understand, this post will be going through some of them. Along with this, it will also be helping you to save some money without cutting them out.

Health And Life

If you’ve ever been to a hospital before, you probably already understand the great costs which can come with it. Even an ambulance ride could set you back several thousand, and this is before you’ve been treated. You can’t avoid these costs, but, with health insurance, you can have someone else pay for it. Along with high hospital bills, a lot of people fail to consider the costs of their funeral and other arrangements when they pass on. To cover this, companies like lifeinsurancequote.co can be used to provide life insurance to those with dependents. It’s always best to start something like life insurance nice and early, as you usually have to save a certain amount before the company will pay anything to your loved ones.

Car

Next, you can start to consider the other important areas in your life. Most people can’t live without a tool like their car. You use it to get to work, and you probably use it for other important parts of life, too. But, if you were to have a crash or had your car stolen, you would be left without until buying a new one. Car insurance can protect you from these sorts of issues. In most places, this sort of cover will be a legal requirement, and you will get in trouble without it. You can use comparison sites to find the best value car insurance, but it’s also worth shopping around yourself, too.

Home And Possessions

With your car sorted out, you can start to think about the other possessions you own. To start with this, it’s best to think about the biggest item you own; your home. In the case of a catastrophic event, like a fire or a storm, you might not be able to afford to repair your home. Along with this, in cases of theft and burglaries, it can be almost impossible to get your hands on the items you’ve lost. Home and contents insurance can cover this sort of area for you, and websites like www.usa.gov can help you to find the best options. It’s important to do plenty of research when you’re choosing cover like this, as a lot of the options you have could be very confusing.

Hopefully, this post will give you a good idea of what can be done when you’re trying to assess the risks of living without insurance. In most cases, it’s best to make sure that you have as much as your life covered as you can. Of course, though, not everyone can afford this sort of expense. So, it could be worth thinking about the most important areas surrounding your life before you choose which options to go for.

Business Senses

business health insuranceThere’s no doubt that the idea of adding to your business costs is rarely a popular idea. When you’re so focused on seeing through each month and generating a profit, it can feel like every debit you have to make to your business accounts is a huge drain. So being told that you need to think about employee healthcare coverage? That’s probably not the most welcome of statements.

The truth is, however, that the health of your employees is vitally important to your business. Without a healthy staff, you’re going to suffer from chronic problems and a huge loss of productivity caused by sick days and absences. Investing in how healthy your employees are is an investment in the future of your business – so if you try and think of it like that, it might be easier to handle the loss to your finances.

Should you make the decision to invest in healthcare coverage, this gives birth to many additional decisions you have to make. What type of coverage should you offer? What is important to prioritize in the coverages? What exclusions can you expect?

All important decisions that are worthy of your time, but for the moment, let’s focus on a more macro level. While general healthcare coverage is great, you’re also going to need to think about using business senses to give your employees the best healthcare they need. And that’s ‘business senses’ in a very literal way…

Sight

A general healthcare policy might not cover employee vision and sight health. Why do you need this area covered?

  • Poor eyesight can cause headaches and fatigue, meaning your employees won’t be at their best.
  • If someone is struggling to see properly, they are less likely to be able to spot errors in fine print – which could cost your business substantially.

So it’s always worthwhile to check out business vision insurance rates if your policy doesn’t cover eye and sight costs as standard.

Hearing

If you have an older workforce, then natural degeneration in hearing is an area you need to focus on. It’s also a priority if you work in an industry that involves employees being exposed to loud noises, such as construction.

  • If you don’t provide the correct sound-blocking technology for employees, then you could be vulnerable to a future lawsuit. Doing this and offering proper healthcare to ensure the measures you have taken are effective is a perfect way of covering yourself for the future.
  • Older employees have a lot to offer in terms of experience. Don’t allow them to be left behind by not being able to hear in meetings or struggling with phone calls.

Try and find a policy that covers not only regular hearing checks, but anything that offers assistance with the cost of a hearing aid.

Taste

If there is anything you can do to ensure your employees are eating a healthy diet, then it’s a great investment. Not only will they be healthier in general, but it also means fewer claims on your company policy.

By focus on the above areas, you can be confident of a comprehensive coverage for your employees health – benefiting your business in the long run as well!

Health Consciousness and Insurance Rates

money invest for healthDid you know that being smarter about your health can directly affect your health care costs? It’s true! Lower health care literacy has been linked to unnecessary over treatment, fewer scheduled preventative services, and higher hospitalization rates, all of which increase your health care costs and put you at greater risk. In the following article, we review the types of behaviors associated with having a high health literacy and how these behaviors save people money on their insurance rates.

They Learn to Advocate for Themselves

Those of us who are health conscious are smart enough to know which treatments and medications we need and which ones are unnecessary. These unnecessary treatments, including over prescribed medications, fall under a term called “overutilization.” Overutilization occurs when health care is provided at a higher volume than necessary or at a higher cost than is appropriate to the treatment. In other words, if patients don’t have high health care literacy, they may not be able to advocate for themselves and refuse excessive or redundant tests or treatments.

In fact, overutilization is such a problem in health care that the Institute of Medicine (IOM), now known as the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), estimates that 30 percent of US health care expenditures are a waste of money. Of that percentage, the IOM estimates $210 billion stems from unnecessary health care services.

They Schedule Regular Doctors Visits and Use ER Sparingly

Those with high health literacies tend to go to the doctor regularly, which helps them understand their current health status better than those with lower health literacies. This helps them avoid the common traps of overutilization, which we see in doctors over-prescribing medications (such as antibiotics for upper respiratory infections), excessive imaging services, unnecessary surgeries, excessive stress tests, and emergency-room visits for symptoms normally seen at a person’s doctor’s office. Many of these instances of overutilization can be avoided if a patient fully understands his or her health status and the full range of treatment options available. For example, rather than visit the ER for suspected strep throat, a health-literate patient would hold off and schedule an appointment with his or her family doctor. Doing so not only helps you save money, but also reduces the overall costs of healthcare for everyone.

They Take Advantage of Preventative Services

Health conscious patients take their health seriously. They schedule physicals with their primary care provider annually, make other appointments when necessary, and live a healthy lifestyle in order to prevent health problems later in life. Unfortunately, even if you’re trying to live a healthy lifestyle, if you’re not keeping your annual doctor’s appointments, you may still be part of the problem that drives up health care costs.

The yearly physical is often included in insurance plans free of charge because it’s such an essential part of keeping insurance rates down. Preventative services like these can spot illnesses and risk factors early, long before they have a chance to develop into life-threatening concerns. Too often, we hear of cancer patients who didn’t know they were sick until they were diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer, and while many cancers do indeed grow quickly, preventative services have a better chance of spotting them before it’s too late for treatment.

As a health-conscious consumer, you should adhere to your doctor’s recommended visits and consider other areas that positively impact your overall health, such as dental, vision, and physical therapy services. Staying on top of these areas of health ensures you save money on health care costs and don’t strain the system.

Keeping Your Insurance Rates Down

The reality is, many Americans don’t spend enough time researching health insurance benefits options before choosing their plan. Those with higher health literacy will compare their options, perform research beyond the packet their employer has provided for them, ask questions to get a clear picture of what’s included in each insurance plan, and get their questions answered by an expert in the field to make sure they are getting the right insurance plan for them. The same can be said for life insurance.

Health IQ celebrates health conscious consumers by extending special rates on life insurance to those who deserve it most. When you’ve spent a lifetime eating right, exercising, keeping up with your annual physicals, and doing your best to stay healthy, statistics say you should live longer than the average American. Naturally, this means enjoying special rates on term life insurance.

If you’re already a health conscious consumer, enlist the help of an expert to find the right insurance plan for you and your family. Our services are particularly beneficial to endurance athletes and strength trainers with low resting heart rates and muscular builds. Muscular builds can mean having an increased body mass index (BMI) that puts you over a weight limit for discounted health insurance rates, but we take these things into account at Health IQ. Simply verify your activity level to qualify.

Being health conscious has many benefits, so why not reap the rewards? Contact Health IQ to see how much you can save.

3 Emergencies That Can Destroy Your Finances

financial emergenciesAn emergency is defined as any serious event that requires immediate attention. Bearing that in mind, what emergencies can occur that end up causing your finances serious harm? Below, you’ll find three big ones that can really hurt your family and your money:

Your House Getting Damaged

Damage to your house is an emergency none of us wants to deal with. The simple fact is there are many ways in which your house can suffer serious damages. What if a bad storm hits and the wind damages your roof or lightning strikes your house. Or, what if someone in your home accidentally starts a fire and your kitchen goes up in flames? When you start to think about it, there are so many things that can happen that lead to your house getting damaged. The worst thing is, in an emergency like this, the repairs to your house will be very costly. There could be serious damages that need fixing and a lot of work that needs to be carried out in your home. In some cases, you may need an entire roof replaced or your house cleared and dried out after water damages. Regardless of how your house gets damaged, the consequences may be very dire for your finances.

A Family Member Getting Arrested

When someone in your family gets arrested, it does count as an emergency. It’s come out of nowhere, it’s a challenging life event, and it requires immediate attention. We’re not talking about someone in your family getting arrested for serious crimes here. We’re talking about if someone is maybe out partying with their friends and they get arrested for drunk and disorderly behaviour. Or, they make a mistake and shoplift. Regardless, someone in your family might make an error of judgement and end up arrested and awaiting bail. This then means you have to go through the effort of contacting a company like Kat Bail Bonds to help you pay the bail and get them out of jail. Depending on the crime, it could cost a lot of money and leave your finances in a very bad position.

A Car Crash

Car crashes are probably the most common emergency out of all three listed here. Also, they’re very damaging to your finances as they can hurt you in multiple ways. With a car crash, you have the financial pain of dealing with a damaged car as well as any medical problems that may occur. You could end up with broken bones or muscle strains that require immediate and expensive medical attention. If you have a good insurance policy, you might be covered for events like this and not have to pay for repairs to your vehicle. Likewise, you could find a lawyer to help you make a personal injury claim and avoid those medical expenses. However, then you end up with a lawyer fee, which can also be costly! No matter where you turn, a car crash can have a detrimental effect on your finances for some time after the event.

If any of these emergencies happen, they need to be dealt with quickly. The problem is, they all require a lot of money to be spent. The best way to handle an emergency is to have an emergency fund set up. This means you’ve got money saved away to help you in case scenarios like these happen.