One of the things we value is certainty and predictability. It would be good if everything stayed the same so that, once we have put everything in place, we could just lie back and let life pass us by. Unfortunately, life has a nasty habit of waking us up. If we are lucky, the plans we laid cover the emergency. If not, it’s a case of picking up the pieces, working through the problems and putting new plans...

Unless you retreat into a cave to sleep through the winter, you cannot have missed one of the most recorded Christmas songs of all time. Every mall in the country plays “Winter Wonderland”, usually the Bing Crosby and not the Ozzy Osbourne version, until you wish it was Spring. The myth of happy white Christmases is completely misleading. Unlike the southern states where the only problem is the dazzling...

As you grow up, you take your parent’s health plan for granted. There always seems to be enough money around to pay for the treatment you need. Then comes the magic birthday. Suddenly you are 18 and you can start making your own decisions. Yet, there seems little incentive. You are fit and healthy. Why bother? Well, if there is no job with a health package thrown in, the earlier you begin paying into a...

In the good old days, the world was a simple place. You went into a store to buy goods, or to an agent or broker to buy services. The price was quoted and you paid it out of the cash in your bank account. If your account was poorly stocked with dollar notes, you had to wait until you had saved enough. In this primitive way, people lived within their means, only buying goods and services when they could afford...

When you are buying either term or whole life, there’s a chance you will be asked to go through a medical exam. It will not be necessary for most young people who are only asking for small amounts of coverage. So, for example, a 30 year old only asking for $50,000 will usually be allowed to self-certify good health. As age and the amount to be covered increases, you will move through a simple paramedical...

One of the more annoying features of modern life is this alphabet soup. You are expected to know what all these letters stand for, iykwim. Even those who are into texting and SMSing can get caught out when it comes to insurance jargon. So here is a simple explanation of the differences between a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) and a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) with guidelines to suggest which...

When dealing with a health insurance plan, whether a new one or the one you have already purchased, the specific language of its contents can be confusing for most people. All these provisions, coverage options and payments make little sense unless you are an insurance expert. And it’s not that rare that a person asks what does their policy provide even after having it for some time. Don’t worry,...

Insurance is a kind of nonstandard business in that all the major regulatory functions are left to the individual US states. Federal government has decided to abandon its normal role as the regulator of business to protect the consumers’ rights. Such regulation as does exist is down to the political climate in each state and the will of the lawmakers to take on the economic power of the insurance industry....

The first and most important piece of advice is: if you are involved in a traffic accident, stay calm. The NRA is proud of the fact it’s lawful for people to carry guns in their vehicles in the majority if US states. No matter how shocked and angry you are, do not automatically reach for your gun. Wait cautiously for a minute. If there is no gunfire from the other vehicles involved, it should be safe to...

For the last year, the US has been focused on healthcare. Politicians of all shades of opinion have been pitching in on how well or badly the insurance industry serves the people when they are injured or fall ill. This has diverted attention away from the other hazards and perils supposedly covered by insurance policies. Go back to 2005 and Hurricane Katrina forced the question of insurance against weather perils...