Reasons for an Insurance Broker

These days there are many different ways to buy insurance, but there are good reasons to consider using an insurance broker’s expertise to help you make the best-informed decisions.

Insurance brokers act as your personal advisor on insurance matters.  They work for you, not the insurance company, to make sure your family; your possessions and your business are properly protected. If you have the misfortune of a loss your insurance broker will guide you through the claims process, helping to ensure a swift and fair settlement by your insurance company, to get you back to where you were before disaster struck.

Brokers provide expert, unbiased advice on your individual insurance needs. Unlike other providers who are focused on selling you something, with a broker your interests come first.  It is this focus on customer needs rather than their own that sets the broker apart from all other insurance options.

Choice
Brokers have access to a wide selection of some of the best insurers in the country, most of whom do not sell directly to the public.  Once a broker has properly assessed your individual insurance needs they do the shopping for you, to find you the right coverage at a competitive price.

Advice
Brokers are licensed professionals.  They bring their experience and judgment to their role as your personal insurance advisor.  Most important, they are free to make impartial recommendations.  Their first and only responsibility is to serve your interests, so it’s advice you can trust.

Flexibility
Most people prefer to have a face-to-face conversation with a broker to discuss coverage, at least at the outset. For most of your dealings with a broker you can communicate in whatever way you are most comfortable with, or that fits into your busy life, such as telephone or email.

Trust
Insurance brokers work to a principle of utmost good faith. Your insurance broker puts your interests first, before those of the insurance companies they deal with. Buying from a broker means you can buy with confidence knowing that the recommended coverage is right for your particular needs.  A broker’s advice is independent of any insurance company, so their recommendations are always in your best interests.

Advocacy
If you have to make a claim, your broker is there to ensure that you receive fair and prompt payment, to get you back to normal.  In the event of a dispute, your broker will act as your advocate with the insurance company.  Experience has shown that a broker’s knowledge and contacts can often help settle a disputed claim.  The disappointment of a refused claim lasts much longer than the satisfaction of having saved a few dollars.

Knowledge
Brokers are a wealth of knowledge on all aspects of insurance and other preparedness.  They know how to ensure that you get all applicable discounts on the insurance you buy.  They are experts at risk assessment and how to properly protect you and your family’s interests with respect to Auto, Home and Business coverage.  Professional education is ongoing and put to use on a daily basis, so you can rest assured that the coverage you receive is the coverage you need.

Transparency
It doesn’t cost you any extra to use the services of a broker.  Brokers are paid a commission by any insurance company they place your business with, there is no financial incentive for them to pick one over another.  What’s more, they are completely open about their transactions and encourage you to ask them about their remuneration.

Responsibility
Brokers act as a local resource centre for safety information and crime prevention. Brokers are part of your community’s emergency response team. They will be among the first to respond to your needs in the event of a catastrophe in your community. Buying from a broker means you are investing in your own community.

Why You Need To Insure Your Car?

It is extremely important that you have car insurance so that you can protect yourself in case you have an accident. It not only protects you, but it also safeguards others that may be riding in your car. In addition, car insurance covers family members that may also drive the car.

Car insurance does not just protect you. If an accident occurs, the insurance covers you, your vehicle, and any other people that may have been involved. There are different policies that you can purchase depending on what amount of coverage you want.

Car insurance possession rates in South Africa have always been extremely low, with less than thirty percent of car owners having an insurance policy. In other countries car insurance is compulsory.

Reasons for drivers not having car insurance include not being able to afford it, the driver thinks because they have never had an accident it is unnecessary, as well as the cost of the insurance over a year being greater of the price of your car.

Having car insurance should be on every car owner’s list immediately after rent, food and utilities.

Here are a few reasons why it is very important to have your car insured:

-If you have an accident that is your fault and you don’t have car insurance you could leave a vulnerable victim without the care they need to recover from what is probably the worst ordeal of their life.

-If you are hit by an uninsured driver and you don’t have car insurance yourself your medical care won’t be covered by any form of personal liability insurance that would have been part of your auto insurance package.  The cost of health care is very expensive.

-Your inability to fund the one off cost of replacing your car if it was stolen or written off might leave you without transport for a considerable period of time.

-.Driving without car insurance could leave you personally liable for significant third party claims in the event of an accident

-Cover damages to your car from unexpected events. You car could be stolen, vandalized, or damaged by weather at any time. Don’t risk the losses that might ensue.

-You can apply for auto car insurance rates on policies that include additional protections, such as a CD player. This will pay for losses in the event that your accessories are stolen.

-One serious collision is sometimes enough to put the uninsured on the brink of bankruptcy. Without insurance, you could lose everything, and that is not worth the risk. The money you would have to spend on medical expenses, lawsuit judgments, and car repairs is well worth the investment in auto car insurance rates.

-Auto car insurance rates on quality policies can help you drive with more peace of mind because you will know that you are protected against whatever may happen to you on the road.

Advantages of Life Insurance

Life Insurance provides the dual benefits of savings and security. The following benefits explain why this investment tool should be an integral part of your financial plans.

Advantages of Life Insurance

    • Risk Cover – Life today is full of uncertainties; in this scenario Life Insurance ensures that your loved ones continue to enjoy a good quality of life against any unforeseen event.
    • Planning for life stage needs – Life Insurance not only provides for financial support in the event of untimely death but also acts as a long term investment. You can meet your goals, be it your children’s education, their marriage, building your dream home or planning a relaxed retired life, according to your life stage and risk appetite. Traditional life insurance policies i.e. traditional endowment plans, offer in-built guarantees and defined maturity benefits through variety of product options such as Money Back, Guaranteed Cash Values, Guaranteed Maturity Values.

    • Protection against rising health expenses – Life Insurers through riders or stand alone health insurance plans offer the benefits of protection against critical diseases and hospitalization expenses. This benefit has assumed critical importance given the increasing incidence of lifestyle diseases and escalating medical costs.

 

  • Builds the habit of thrift – Life Insurance is a long-term contract where as policyholder, you have to pay a fixed amount at a defined periodicity. This builds the habit of long-term savings. Regular savings over a long period ensures that a decent corpus is built to meet financial needs at various life stages.
  • Safe and profitable long-term investment – Life Insurance is a highly regulated sector. IRDA of India, the regulatory body, through various rules and regulations ensures that the safety of the policyholder’s money is the primary responsibility of all stakeholders. Life Insurance being a long-term savings instrument, also ensures that the life insurers focus on returns over a long-term and do not take risky investment decisions for short term gains.
  • Assured income through annuities – Life Insurance is one of the best instruments for retirement planning. The money saved during the earning life span is utilized to provide a steady source of income during the retired phase of life.
  • Protection plus savings over a long term – Since traditional policies are viewed both by the distributors as well as the customers as a long term commitment; these policies help the policyholders meet the dual need of protection and long term wealth creation efficiently.
  • Growth through dividends – Traditional policies offer an opportunity to participate in the economic growth without taking the investment risk. The investment income is distributed among the policyholders through annual announcement of dividends/bonus.
  • Facility of loans without affecting the policy benefits – Policyholders have the option of taking loan against the policy. This helps you meet your unplanned life stage needs without adversely affecting the benefits of the policy they have bought.
  • Tax Benefits-Insurance plans provide attractive tax-benefits for both at the time of entry and exit under most of the plans.
  • Mortgage Redemption- Insurance acts as an effective tool to cover mortgages and loans taken by the policyholders so that, in case of any unforeseen event, the burden of repayment does not fall on the bereaved family.