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Insurance for High School Graduates

Whether you're graduating from high school or college, this can be one of the most exciting times in your life. But don't allow your enthusiasm for freedom and the future to interrupt your good sense and the process of purchasing the right insurance policies for all of your risks.

Renters Insurance

Whether you are moving into a dorm or an apartment, you need specific protections for property such as your computers, clothes, and furniture as well as protection against potential liabilities. If someone should be injured while visiting your apartment you could be found liable for their injuries and the subsequent medical expenses, damages, and lost wages. A renter’s insurance policy will pay for many of these expenses while also protecting you from the loss of your property after an insurable incident.

Health Insurance

You may be permitted to remain on your parent’s group health insurance policy if you are going to school full-time or are under the age of 26. But don't take for granted that your parent’s policy can still cover you or is even the best option. Instead, talk to an insurance agent to ensure that you are properly covered and to find out if there are any less expensive alternatives available.

Auto Insurance

If you've been on your parent’s auto insurance policy, graduating from high school or college may mark the time when you should look into your own auto insurance coverage. Auto insurance rates can vary based on many factors including the amount of driving you do and the location where you park your car. Talk to your insurance agent to discover the best options for your auto insurance coverage.

Life Insurance

Locking in life insurance rates when you're young and healthy is extremely important. Insurance premiums will only rise as you age, so taking out a first or supplemental policy when you graduate is a good idea. If you take out a whole life policy you may then be able to tap into cash values for tax-free loans in a few years while also guaranteeing your family some benefits for final expenses should you pass away.

We are here to help you get your insurance on track for your new post-graduation life. When you're ready to get started with a Houston Auto Insurance Quote, give us a call at (713) 227-7283.

Long Term Care Insurance Costs

If you are 40 or over, then the time to start shopping for a long-term care (LTC) insurance policy is now. There is no age that marks the starting point for the LTC shopping experience, but the older you get the more expensive your rates will be, which means it's best to shop as early as possible.

Why Age Matters

The younger you are when you buy your LTC policy, the longer the insurance company has to collect premiums from you before you can be expected to start utilizing the benefits. In addition the younger you are the fewer health problems you will have had and since health is a factor in determining your premiums, this could make a substantial difference.

Learn how delaying the purchasing long-term care insurance could increase in cost for you.

If you're 40 or over and you're starting to finalize your retirement planning, you shouldn't hesitate in obtaining long-term care insurance. The only thing you stand to gain by putting the purchasing decision off is a higher premium. Give us a call today at 713-227-7283 for a Houston long term care insurance quote and give you an idea of what your premiums will look like if you delay this important decision.

Updating Your Life Insurance in 2012

The ultimate goal of anyone with a life insurance policy is to ensure that their loved ones are comfortable after they pass away. If you do not update your insurance coverage when changes occur in your life, you could leave your family without the benefits you intended. In order to determine what changes you should make to your life insurance coverage in 2012, consider the following.

 

 

1. Are there any new family additions? If you’ve added people or pets to your family, then your cost of living increased. That means your family will need more in order to continue in the same standard of living after you’re gone.
2. Did you relocate? If you’ve relocated then you have all new expenses, which may be more than those that you originally had when you took out your insurance policy and chose a death benefit.
3. Have you been promoted? If you earn more money now than you did when taking out the policy, then your family will need a larger death benefit to replace that income after you pass away.
4. How are your savings? If you have had trouble meeting your savings goals for emergencies, college tuition and retirement that may indicate that your heirs need even more financial assistance when they no longer have your income to rely on.
5. Has your debt increased? If you’ve purchased a new home, new car, or even new electronic gadgets, then you may have increased the amount of debt your family needs to pay off after you pass away. Increasing your death benefit will allow them to more easily meet these obligations.
6. What is the new cost of living? Inflation can increase the standard cost of living for your family. Consider how much inflation has affected the effectiveness of your current death benefit and make the appropriate increases.
7. Who’s your beneficiary? Are the primary and contingent beneficiaries on your policy still the individuals who should be on your policy? Or, have you got a trust that should now be named on the policy?
8. Will your heirs pay estate taxes? Estate taxes are back in effect. If your family will be expected to pay them based on the size of your estate, then it’s a good idea to increase your policy death benefit. If you’ve made your spouse the beneficiary, consider the fact that your death benefit, should you pass away prior to him or her, will be added to his or her estate later and may prompt estate taxes.

Your death benefit may face several expansions over the course of your life. These may be handled with the issuance of separate term policies or through increases of your main policy death benefit. If you want to discuss your options for gaining complete coverage for your family, give us a call.

Have more life insurance questions? Call Reliable Insurance at 713-227-7283 or get a Texas Life Insurance quote today!

The Value of Accidental Death Coverage

The Value of Accidental Death Coverage

Some deaths are expected. Following months or years of illness, an expected death may even come as a relief that ends the suffering of the now deceased and allows his or her survivors to come together and celebrate the deceased’s life. Other deaths are sudden; the result of an accident that no one could have prepared for. These deaths take life much too soon and leave the deceased person’s family reeling.

An accidental death and dismemberment rider increases your life insurance policy’s death benefit in the event that your death is caused by an accident. This additional benefit can’t stop the pain your family would feel if they lost you suddenly, but it could help them deal with the sudden an unexpected financial loss.

Accidental Death

You have built a life for your family based on the income that you presently make and that you expect to make in the future. Without the means to replace that income after your death, your family may be in deep financial trouble. While your existing life insurance policy can help clear up some of this strain, the additional benefit found in an accidental death rider could ensure that they are able to meet obligations that you did not anticipate when you initially took out the policy and set the death benefit. In addition, it can help them get the grievance counseling they need to move past the emotional strain of your death and the resulting anxiety.

Accidental death riders do have exclusions that you should read. In order to qualify for the payment of benefits, the death must be the result of an accident. Some deaths caused by events such as acts of war, may be excluded.

Dismemberment

AD&D riders provide a percentage of your death benefit to you, rather than your beneficiaries, should you suffer the loss of a limb, your sight, or your hearing (see your policy for exceptions and details). Having access to a portion of your death benefit can be extremely helpful in assisting your family to adjust to this loss and the medical costs it creates. It can also help fill the gap between the date you experience the loss and the waiting period of your disability policy.

If you’re interested in learning more about how an accidental death and dismemberment rider can help you and your family be protected against an early, unexpected loss, give us a call.

At Reliable Insurance, we have been serving Texas since 1996. We specialize in Texas Life Insurance as well as home, business and car insurance in Houston, Katy and surrounding areas in Texas. Contact us today at (713) 227-7283 for questions or to get a free Texas Life Insurance quote.

The Role of the Insurance Adjuster

Insurance has a fairly simple purpose: help make policy holders financially whole, up to the limits of the policy, after losses experienced during an insurable event.

While the goal of insurance is simple, its execution doesn’t always follow the same clean lines. After all, to control insurance costs you have a limit on your policy that spells out the maximum benefit you can receive. You will also have deductibles which are out-of-pocket requirements that you must meet, and finally, there is a process of examination that can follow a claim in order to ensure that everything works accurately and appropriately based on the loss you suffer.

When you submit a claim to an insurance company, your insurer owes it to all of their clients to investigate each claim. They do this for several reasons. First, they want to verify the incidents behind the loss. This helps ensure that the incident was insurable under the policy contract. Next, they want to determine the extent of the damages. This assures your carrier that they’ve awarded you the amount you deserve in order to be made whole after a qualifying insurable incident.

An insurance claims adjuster is the individual who works in the role of investigator. He or she may interview witnesses, review records, and even come out to the location of the incident to explore the damages. This can be an especially helpful exercise as the adjuster may meet with you, at the incidents location, to go over details. This may prompt you to remember items you otherwise would have forgotten...

Contact us at (713) 227-7283 to learn more about Houston auto insurance as well as home, business and car insurance in Houston, Katy and surrounding areas in Texas, or continue reading "The Role of the Insurance Adjuster"

Homeowners Insurance an Issue in Texas Gubernatorial Campaign

August 27, 2010

Former Houston Mayor Bill White, a Democrat campaigning to replace Rick Perry as governor of Texas, says homeowners insurance rates in Texas are too high and should be subject to more regulation.

White says Texans pay an average $626 more than homeowners in other states. According to data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, the average rate paid by Texas homeowners – $1,448 – is second only to that paid by Florida consumers.

White favors prior approval of homeowners insurance rates. Following insurance regulation reforms enacted in 2003 insurance companies have been allowed to file and use rates in the homeowners markets, meaning prior approval of rates is not required. The insurance regulators can, however, disapprove of rate filings after the fact if they find an insurer's rates to be excessive or actuarially unfounded.

Full Story

Houston: A Mecca for College Grads

By Francesca Di Meglio

Take that, New York! For recent college graduates launching a career, Houston is the American city with the best mix of job openings, pay, and affordability. Rounding out the top five in Bloomberg Businessweek's second annual ranking of the best places for new grads are Washington, Dallas, Atlanta, and Austin. The list of 30 cities was culled from more than 3,500 municipalities based on unemployment rates, the number of employers posting on job search website AfterCollege.com, average pay, and the cost of living.

This year, 13 of the top 30 are new, and five of the newcomers are in Texas, reflecting the strength of the oil industry (for the full list: businessweek.com/go/10/newgrad). Several cities near the top of last year's list didn't make the cut, including No. 1 Indianapolis and No. 7 Chicago. Even in cities that fared well, the number of employers in hiring mode fell. In 2009, Phoenix was No. 2, with 190 employers posting jobs on AfterCollege. This year it's No. 19, with 31 companies listing openings. "The classes of 2009 and 2010 are now competing for the same jobs," says AfterCollege Chief Executive Officer Roberto Angulo. "Internships are going to graduates instead of those who are still in school."

Houston companies have created 31,000 positions since January, including 10,800 in May, according to the Greater Houston Partnership, a business advocacy group. That's a result of a new startup culture that's taking hold, says Jeff Moseley, the group's president. "In some parts, it's, 'Who's your daddy?' and 'Where'd you go to school?' " says Moseley. "Here it's, 'What's your idea and how can we make money?' "

In second-place Washington, the federal government's expansion has created both public- and private-sector jobs, and new grads are drawn by the area's diverse population, international atmosphere, and good universities. Over the past decade, the region added almost 300,000 jobs, though growth has slowed in the past year or two, says Jim Dinegar, president of the Greater Washington Board of Trade, a business group. "We're not recession-proof," Dinegar says, "but we're somewhat insulated."

The bottom line: With its low cost of living and 31,000 new jobs added since January, Houston offers recent graduates opportunity on a budget.

Di Meglio is a reporter for Businessweek.com in Fort Lee, N.J.

Source: BusinessWeek.com

Classic car auction spells end for Fort Worth Museum

By CHRIS VAUGHN Posted June 02, 2010

CRESSON -- Forty-plus vehicles from the horse-and-buggy era to the DeLorean of Back to the Future fame, all collected by two businessmen brothers, go up for auction Saturday.

The event, conducted by RM Auctions, one of the world's largest car auction companies, will spell the end of the Pate Museum of Transportation, a small, unfussy place on U.S. 377 that became a must-stop for car nuts after it opened in 1969.

It isn't the most remote or unlikely place RM Auctions has set up, but it's among the top contenders, considering that the company finished an auction a few weeks ago in Monaco, which is very much not like Cresson.

Donnie Gould, a car specialist and partner in the company, said that the Pate collection has several cars "tough to find nowadays" and that bidding should be lively, especially for the 1935 Aston Martin MK II Tourer and a mid-1930s Pierce-Arrow V12, both of which should go for well over $100,000.

Full Story

Classic car auction spells end for Fort Worth Museum

By CHRIS VAUGHN Posted June 02, 2010

CRESSON -- Forty-plus vehicles from the horse-and-buggy era to the DeLorean of Back to the Future fame, all collected by two businessmen brothers, go up for auction Saturday.

The event, conducted by RM Auctions, one of the world's largest car auction companies, will spell the end of the Pate Museum of Transportation, a small, unfussy place on U.S. 377 that became a must-stop for car nuts after it opened in 1969.

It isn't the most remote or unlikely place RM Auctions has set up, but it's among the top contenders, considering that the company finished an auction a few weeks ago in Monaco, which is very much not like Cresson.

Donnie Gould, a car specialist and partner in the company, said that the Pate collection has several cars "tough to find nowadays" and that bidding should be lively, especially for the 1935 Aston Martin MK II Tourer and a mid-1930s Pierce-Arrow V12, both of which should go for well over $100,000.

Full Story

Texas ranked 4th in suspicious auto accident claims

By Patrick Danner - Express-News Posted: 05/11/2010

Texas ranked fourth in the country in the number of insurance claims related to staged auto accidents over the past three years, the National Insurance Crime Bureau reported.

Insurance companies reported 792 suspicious insurance claims in Texas from 2007 to 2009. The number of claims, where insurers suspect fraud, was 308 last year, up 50 percent from 2008 when there were 204 claims.

Florida had the most questionable claims over the three-year period, with 3,006. It was followed by New York, with 1,680 questionable claims, and California with 1,619.

Among cities with the most suspicious claims, Houston ranked fifth with 376 claims over the three-year period. No other Texas cities ranked in the top five. New York City had the most questionable claims with 1,305, followed by Tampa, Miami and Orlando.

Source