Reports Advise How to Make Flood Insurance Affordable
Reports Advise How to Make Flood Insurance Affordable

A new report suggests the federal flood insurance program may want to target mitigation grants to households with high premiums, urge homeowners to select higher deductibles, expand the educational role of insurance agents, and provide mitigation loans to help make flood insurance more affordable.These proposals…
Why your boss may be pushing HSAs and FSAs
Why your boss may be pushing HSAs and FSAs

Never heard of a health savings account HSA)? Or bothered with the flexible spending account FSA) offered by your employer? Chances are you soon will. Both health savings vehicles are moving into the spotlight as corporate America sheds its one-size-fits-all comprehensive health insurance model for…
Should You Bundle Your Insurance Coverage?
Should You Bundle Your Insurance Coverage?

Maybe you saw an ad on TV touting cost savings associated with bundling insurance — purchasing multiple policies, such as for home and auto, through the same company — or your insurance agent suggested it. “Usual discounts are about 5 to 20 percent depending on…
Home Warranties: Thanks and no thanks
Home Warranties: Thanks and no thanks

If you’re buying a home and a realtor or the seller gifts you a home warranty plan, you can say, “thank you very much.” If it’s one of the better plans, it can save you hassles and money on minor home repairs during the life…
Why, and How, to Create a Home Inventory List
Why, and How, to Create a Home Inventory List

Getting robbed, or losing everything you own to a catastrophic event, are scenarios you’d probably rather not think about. Yet many people face these situations as a result of a house fire, tornado or other natural disaster or break-in. Hopefully you have home insurance or…
Best Insurance Moves for April: Spring Cleaning for Your Insurance
Best Insurance Moves for April: Spring Cleaning for Your Insurance

As you’re tackling dust bunnies and cluttered closets in your spring cleaning, don’t forget your insurance policies. They may need to be dusted off and refreshed, too. Reviewing and adjusting your insurance coverage is an important part of overall financial planning. Here’s what to look…
Price Optimization Allegations Challenged, NAIC Investigating Practice
Price Optimization Allegations Challenged, NAIC Investigating Practice

By Don Jergler | December 18, 2014Reaction to industry-wide price optimization allegations from a consumer group known to call out insurers has been somewhat critical yet guarded – however it appears regulators may already be starting to look into the practice.Consumer Federation of America this…
Best Insurance Moves for March
Best Insurance Moves for March

Spring is just around the bend, but that doesn’t mean you’re finished with rough weather. In fact, depending on where you live, snowmelt can create a new hazard — one that’s not covered by standard homeowners insurance. That makes March an ideal time to look…
The 8 insurance coverages that are triggered by a catastrophic fire
The 8 insurance coverages that are triggered by a catastrophic fire

Although a little more than a month has gone by since the Avalon at Edgewater N.J.) fire on Jan. 21, insurance claims and lawsuits are likely to linger, long after the ashes have been swept away. This kind of catastrophe usually involves several insurance carriers,…
TOTALly worth the effort
TOTALly worth the effort

If your car is damaged in an accident to the point where repairs would cost more than the car is worth – it’s a “total loss.” Your, or the other driver’s insurance company, is supposed to offer you the actual cash value of your car.…
Long-Term Care Insurance: Costs Are Up but Vary Widely
Long-Term Care Insurance: Costs Are Up but Vary Widely

By ANN CARRNSRates for long-term care insurance, which can help pay for care in your own house or in a nursing home, rose this year an average of nearly 9 percent, a new industry report finds.Still, rates vary greatly depending on the insurer and the…
Insurance Commissioner notifies insurers to cease illegal pricing
Insurance Commissioner notifies insurers to cease illegal pricing

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones today issued a notice to all property and casualty insurers doing business in California advising them that so-called “price optimization” in ratemaking is unfairly discriminatory and violates the law.Price optimization is used by insurers to set rates based…
The largely unregulated service plan industry is booming in South Carolina
The largely unregulated service plan industry is booming in South Carolina

A new type of junk mail has been showing up in South Carolinians’ mailboxes over the past year. The one thing that makes it stand out from the pile of coupons, scams, and credit card offers? The logo of a public utility company, bought and…
Divorce and auto insurance: Splits boost cost
Divorce and auto insurance: Splits boost cost

If your marriage or domestic partnership ends, get ready for a possible hike in your car insurance premium. People often get discounts of up to 5 percent just for being part of a couple, says Jim Armitage, an insurance agent in Arcadia, Calif. That’s because…
UPwardly Mobile Insurability
UPwardly Mobile Insurability

“Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like a mobile home. But if you want to protect it, you need to have the right insurance.” Dana Dratch • Bankrate.com.  We saw just how true this is at an emergency shelter for San Mateo, California residents who’d been…
Just asking about an insurance claim can make your rate go up
Just asking about an insurance claim can make your rate go up

By: Jonnelle Marte, The Washington PostMost people know that filing frequent insurance claims can lead to a spike in what they pay for coverage.But many probably don’t realize that just asking an insurance agent about a potential claim can also affect rates — even if…
Dallas-area insurers see spike in calls about quake policies
Dallas-area insurers see spike in calls about quake policies

Earthquake insurance isn’t exactly a familiar product to Texas homeowners, unlike their counterparts in quake-prone California. But after a series of earthquakes were recorded in a swarm last week near State Highways 114 and 183 in Irving, insurance companies have started receiving calls from consumers…
Small words big difference
Small words big difference

Most people buy life insurance as soon as they have kids. Far fewer shell out for a disability policy, even people whose income keeps a roof over their family’s head and food in their bellies. To most people (and employers that provide benefits), a disability…