California Insurance Guru

The agent will need current copies of your registration.  Most insurance companies require that the registration be in your name, some companies will allow the the vehicle registered to someone else.  If your car is registered to someone else there are companies that will insure you.  They will want to either rate that person on your policy or exclude them.

Keep in mind, even though the registered owner is excluded, this does not protect them in case of an accident.  What do I mean?  Well, let’s say you loan your car or you get involved in an accident where you are at fault.  If you have low liability coverage or the claim is more than your insurance affords, the other party will find out who is listed on the registration and try to recover more money from that person.  The registered owner could be sued and possibly lose their business or home.  You need to be aware of the possible ramifications of ownership.

The agent will also need your driver’s license number as well as personal information to underwrite your policy.

If you have any questions contact your agent or this author.

There are different types of home insurance.

•  Homeowners insurance

Homeowners insurance is for your primary home.  This is the home you go to and live in on a daily basis.

• Second home insurance.

This is your secondary home, your vacation home which is not the one you live in on a regular basis.

• Rental home insurance. [Read the rest of this entry…]

Term life insurance is more affordable than any other type of life insurance.  Term life has no cash value.  There is no savings program associated with it.  You can compare it to renting a house.  You own nothing.  If you stop making payments it terminates.  [Read the rest of this entry…]

Term life insurance is more affordable than any other type of life insurance.  Term life has no cash value.  There is no savings program associated with it.  You can compare it to renting a house.  You own nothing.  If you stop making payments it terminates. 

Whole life policies are cash value policies.  There is a savings program associated with it, so, you pay more.  If you stop paying the premiums the cash value will continue the policy until the savings portion dissipates.

Term policies are based on your age, height, weight and medical condition.  If you smoke or are overweight or have medical problems you can expect to pay higher premiums.  If you are aged you can expect to pay higher premiums.  Some life companies will not offer insurance to those who are terminally ill.  If you have a bad driving record, like a dui or more than 2 points on your driving record you can expect to pay a higher premium as well.

There are many life insurance companies out there.  You need to shop for the best premium as companies have different rates for people.  It’s best to talk to an experienced agent who is associated with many different companies to get the lowest rate for your situation.

The agent will talk to you about your history and also help you determine which policy is right for you as well as help you determine how much life insurance is needed.

Remember, the life insurance policy is not for you, but for your surviving family should something happen to you.

If you have any questions contact your agent or this author.

No!

An agent who represents several companies will charge a broker fee.  The broker fee is non-refundable.  Now, don’t get me wrong, if the agent makes a mistake and you need to cancel the policy before it goes into effect, you should get the broker fee returned.  Keep in mind, all agents aren’t going to be this nice, because essentially the agent worked for free and all his time spent was for nothing.  [Read the rest of this entry…]

No!

An agent who represents several companies will charge a broker fee.  The broker fee is non-refundable.  Now, don’t get me wrong, if the agent makes a mistake and you need to cancel the policy before it goes into effect, you should get the broker fee returned.  Keep in mind, all agents aren’t going to be this nice, because essentially the agent worked for free and all his time spent was for nothing. 

The agent’s time has worth just as your time does.

So, if you cancel a policy before it’s issued and expect the broker fee returned, that probably won’t happened unless the agent made a critical error from the start.

The agent who returns a broker fee and admits to an error in underwriting your policy is an agent worth is weight in gold.

If you have any questions contact your agent or this author.

NO.

If you have car insurance in the United States you are covered while driving in any state.  However, You are not covered outside of the United States. [Read the rest of this entry…]

NO.
If you have car insurance in the United States you are covered while driving in any state.  However, You are not covered outside of the United States.

How high should your liability insurance be?  That’s a wide open question, but one that needs to be seriously addressed.

You can’t expect to answer this question without the advise of an insurance professional.  There are many things to take into consideration.

• Identify your assets and liabilities.
• Identify your funds to protect those assets. [Read the rest of this entry…]