The fancy title basically camouflages ‘ways to drive safe’. One does not have the control of anything but oneself. But one can be sensible and take steps to protect oneself on the road by being a defensive, focused driver. Unfortunately, accidents occur every day because of simple mistakes.

Devote oneself to the Road
Multitasking while behind the wheels is a very bad idea. Even if one thinks one can talk on one’s mobile phone and drive just fine, one can’t. The moment one becomes a slight bit distracted or looks away, somebody else might be harmed or make mistakes. For example, one may reach down to turn the radio channel on one’s vehicle. In that moment, a driver may swerve into one’s lane, striking the car. Focus on what is happening on the road all of the time.

Don’t Drive Tired
If one is tired, pull over and get off the highway. The longer one drives in this condition, the more at risk one is. It takes much longer for one to respond to accidents and changes in road conditions if one is tired than if one is under the influence of alcohol (one is in no way promoting drunken driving)

Turn Down the Loud Music
Let’s say one is an aggressive driver and drives with loud music. Without getting into the argument over “aggressive music makes people aggressive,” it makes sense that listening to relaxing music or even a comedy channel on satellite radio will make one less pumped up for action than a driving bass line. Try tuning in to classical or jazz to reduce stress. Either way will also help drown out stressful traffic noise.

Avoid Overtaking or Sudden Lane Shifts
If one needs to move around another driver, do it cautiously. If another driver views one is speeding up and moving in front of them as aggressive, it puts everyone at risk. It is best to remain in one’s lane as long as possible to avoid conflicts and road rage. Get out of the way if someone is tailgating one. Instead of getting angry because they are tailgating or causing them more anger because one is not driving fast enough for their preference, simply move over to let them pass. This will help one remain calm as well as the other driver and diffuse a situation before it has time to develop into a bigger problem.

Always Protect One’s Assets
Finally, there is no way to gain protection against other accidents and incidents on the road all the time. That is why one simply needs to have car insurance in place. It helps to protect one’s assets when other drivers cause accidents or when a liability matter arises. Don’t overlook the importance of quality auto insurance.
Is one a safe driver? One may think so, but unless one is a defensive driver, one that takes steps to minimize risks like these against themselves, one may need to put a bit more effort into the process.

Everybody likes adding an extra charm to their bracelet. Remodeling your house is very similar, adding beauty and charm to the existing structure. If you’re adding an extra room or making some other improvement to your home, you will probably need to update your home insurance policy to cover the addition or improvement. You should also protect yourself from liability by ensuring that the workers performing the renovations have proper insurance coverage.

• Notify your insurance agent about your remodeling plans

Contact your insurance agent before construction begins in order to increase your coverage to reflect the new changes in your home. He or she can help you determine how much additional property coverage you’ll need and can also help you obtain extended liability or other insurance. Keep your agent informed about the progress of the remodeling in case your plans change and a different level of coverage is needed.

• Increase the amount of your coverage

Although some homeowners policies are comprehensive enough to cover most home additions and improvements, other policies make it necessary for you to increase your coverage amount. Remember that your home’s value will increase with the improvements, so you’ll soon have more to protect. Don’t make the mistake of waiting until the remodeling is completed to increase the amount of your home insurance coverage. You should do this before the work starts. If you don’t, and the improvement is damaged or destroyed before it’s completed, you’ll probably have to pay for the loss out of your own pocket–turning your remodeling plan into a very expensive job. Of course, when you purchase more insurance, your premiums will increase.

• What your homeowners insurance should cover

If you’re adding a new room or other structure to your house, you would be wise to specifically name the new addition as a covered item on your homeowner’s policy. Otherwise, if the new structure is damaged, the insurance company might not cover your loss. However, a new roof or modern storm proof windows do not necessarily need to be named as covered items in your policy. In most cases, these improvements will increase the overall value of your house, and you should simply increase your total coverage amount to reflect your home’s greater value. Talk to your agent for details. Keep in mind that you may also need to buy increased coverage for any new furniture or other personal property you purchase.
While your remodeling is being done, you also need to consider protection for the building supplies that your contractor uses to complete the job. If supplies such as carpeting, tiles, or lumber are stolen, your homeowners insurance or the contractor’s business insurance should cover the theft. The time to find out, though, is before a supplier starts delivering these items to your house.

Listen up, virgin landlords! You need to revisit your home owner’s insurance policy now. In all likelihood, your existing policy probably doesn’t cut it anymore. Most cover owner-occupied homes, and yours no longer qualifies.

If you are not living in the property, you may wish to purchase an additional level of coverage. By purchasing an extension or clause for rental income, your house insurance plan will help you to recoup some of the losses associated with the loss of rent payments itself. Though each plan is different, a standard plan will offer loss of rent coverage if the property becomes uninhabitable as the result of a defined event (any of those that are listed above, or others as defined by your policy).
If you are planning to lease your home to one person or a couple or family for a longer period of time, say six months or a year, you will likely need a landlord or rental dwelling policy. Landlord policies generally cost up to 25 percent more than a standard home owner’s policy to pay for increased protections. If you are regularly renting out a vacation home or investment property, this would also require a landlord or rental dwelling policy.
Landlord policies provide property insurance coverage for physical damage to the structure of the home caused by fire, lightning, wind, hail, ice, snow or other covered perils. It also offers coverage for any personal property you may leave on-site for maintenance or tenant use, like appliances and lawnmowers.
The policy also includes liability coverage; if a tenant or one of their guests gets hurt on the property, it would cover legal fees and medical expenses.
Some landlord policies provide coverage for loss of rental income in the event you are not able to rent out the property while it is being repaired or rebuilt due to damage from a covered loss. This coverage is generally provided for a specific period of time.
The amount paid is determined based on how long the individuals must be vacated from the property for the necessary repairs from the damage as well as the annual rent of the building if it is unfurnished or the equivalent rental value.
In short, house insurance for your rental property should include coverage for the building repairs if they are necessary as well as insurance protection from loss of rent should your renters be unable to live there as a result of the cover loss.

It’s important that you have the right cover in place if you ever become a victim of theft, fire or flood damage. You may end up needing to replace a lot, if not all, of your belongings. Contents insurance is designed to protect your belongings. Think to yourself: “If I had to replace everything in my house after a fire, how much would it cost me?” Chances are that the figure is in the tens of thousands. This is where contents insurance would work like a blessing. A contents insurance policy protects your stuff against theft or damage from fire and flooding. This could include things like:

• Furniture – beds, sofas, wardrobes and dining tables.
• Entertainment – DVDs, CDs, video games, books and vinyl.
• Kitchenware – pots, pans, cutlery as well as microwaves, kettles etc.
• Soft furnishings – cushions, curtain and bedding.
• Electrical – TVs, DVD players, laptops, games consoles and digital media.
• Toys, ornaments and antiques.
• Clothes and jewelry.

The list goes on, and you’d be surprised at how much it all adds up to.
Most insurers operate under one of these two types of policy. The first is indemnity – a policy that takes into account wear and tear on items that you claim for. So if your six-year-old rug ruined by leaking water, any payout you’d get for the rug might be reduced because of its age. The other kind is new for old, which pays out the full amount for a shiny new replacement. Because the payouts tend to be higher, new for old policies could have higher premiums than indemnity policies.
It is not compulsory to insure your contents. The buildings insurance may be required by a lender before you can have a mortgage, contents insurance is completely optional, but a very sensible idea.

On this note, one would want to know how much insurance is enough insurance. And the answer is very simple- Insure them for what they’re worth! Ideally you want to have enough cover in place so that you could replace everything you own if something was to happen to your home. “Everything” also includes all the stuff that you would normally forget about, like that exercise bike you threw in the shed after one use. It can seem like a pretty daunting task, but it’ll be worth it to get an accurate idea of how much everything is worth.

An easy way to work out the value of your contents is to go room by room and tot up how much each type of item adds up. Those very expensive contents of yours are what you would want to insure first. These are classed as high-risk because of their value – they’re a more tempting target for burglars, and could be more difficult to replace.
When your house get’s broken into, who do you call? Depending on how long you have lived or have owned your house, it is likely to be filled with things both essential and precious to you. And the only time you realize how many things you own is when they are damaged or stolen. With Alpha Direct’s household contents insurance you can sleep peacefully knowing that you can claim for items stolen or damaged at your home. With this cover we will cover your household contents against theft, intentional damage to your valuables, as well as damage caused by a power surge or a burst geyser.

Even damage to your contents due to fire, lightning storm, hail and flood is covered. This also takes care of your personal liability which covers you if your domestic worker gets injured while on duty or where you may be held responsible for causing death or injury to someone else or damage to their property.

Car insurance is an expense a lot of people would rather do without. Paying regularly for something that you don’t actually see or use on a regular basis – and may never use if you’re lucky – can seem like it’s a money-making scam. The truth is that car insurance is an investment that you are making in protecting yourself and your future from the unexpected. It’s not a scam – and yes, you really do need it.

• It’s the Responsible Thing to Do. The laws in many other countries requiring car insurance exist for a good reason. If an error of judgment on your part causes someone else to be injured or their property damaged, then you are responsible for the cost of making it right. If you broke a friend’s property, you would feel that the right thing to do would be to pay to repair or replace it. Why should it be any different with a stranger?
When it comes to car accidents, the level of financial responsibility is much higher. Damages can and do regularly run into the tens or hundreds of thousands of Pula. What happens without insurance when people are responsible for such damages but can’t pay for them? Extended court battles, financial struggles, wage garnishing and simply a lack of the ability to carry the responsibility for one’s actions.

• Non-accident protection. Car Insurance can also be crucial if your vehicle is stolen or vandalized. That’s one of the reasons why many insurance companies offer a break on insurance if a policyholder regularly parks his or her car off the street and in a covered garage, where the instances of theft and vandalism are much less prevalent. With Alpha Direct, you can be protected from having to pay hundreds of thousands in the event of an Accident by paying a small premium which is a fraction of that amount.

• Protection from Mother Nature. What will you do when there’s a mudslide, hurricane, or earthquake that damages or even totals your vehicle? That can be a time when money is extremely tight, but car insurance provides some protection in those circumstances. Car Insurance covers your loss at the time of a natural disaster or calamity.

• Third party cover. This protects you from claims made by another person. For example, if you hit a BMW worth half a million Pula, you may end up having your wages garnished for years unless you have third party coverage.

• You Can’t Afford Not to Have It. Unless you’re one of the few who is independently wealthy and has a large supply of cash to draw on if you are faced with a claim against you, then car insurance is something you simply can’t afford to be without. Think about it this way: if you can’t afford the car insurance premiums, how will you afford the much, higher cost of paying a claim out of pocket?

Car insurance doesn’t exist to scam people out of their money on a product they may never use. It exists to protect you against the very real risk that you could find yourself financially responsible for some large bills you can’t afford to pay.
It’s true that car insurance is something you pay for largely without using for long periods of time. But when the day comes that you do need it, it can save you from a financial disaster.

Your home is likely your most valuable asset and your single biggest purchase. Mobile and manufactured home insurance coverage is similar to typical home owner’s coverage, however, to ensure that your home is properly covered, check that your policy specifies the type of home you own.
Few home owners’ insurance policies cover everything, but a comprehensive policy should include protection against the most common causes of loss or damage to your mobile or manufactured home. A standard policy covers accidental damage or loss caused by or related to fire, explosion etc.

• What Coverage Includes

Mobile and manufactured home owners insurance typically covers the home itself, any adjoining structures and a portion of your belongings contained within the home. The policy includes replacement or repair costs, as well as related costs such as living expenses if you are forced to find alternative accommodations for a period. In the case of weather or water damage, additional coverage may include removal of debris, fire department services, car rental or medical evacuation. One must read one’s policy documents carefully to familiarize yourself with the provisions of your insurance.

• Personal Liability Option

Most home owner’s insurance policies contain coverage options for personal liability. This is helpful in case of legal responsibility for an accident causing injury to a person outside your household, or damages to property owned by someone else such as a neighbor or visitor. The Personal Liability option covers property damage, medical bills, loss of wages, legal counsel, and reimbursement of costs in the event that you are sued. Your insurance advisor can help you to choose the right coverage for your individual circumstances.

• Claiming Against the Policy

Your home owner’s insurance policy provides details of the methods of submitting a claim and receiving compensation. These vary depending on the options included in your policy, the type of claim you submit, and the state in which you live. Most insurers pay out a percentage of the value of your claim, so check that the value of your policy covers the full repair or replacement costs you can expect in the event of a claim. Your insurance advisor can help you identify the value of your mobile or manufactured home for the purpose of choosing an insured amount.
Evaluate your home owner’s insurance policy on a regular basis to make sure that you are covered for any higher replacements costs resulting from inflation.

• Household Contents Insurance

Depending on how long you have lived in or have owned your house, it is likely to be filled with things both essential and precious to you. And the only time you realize how many things you own is when they are damaged or stolen. With ALPHA DIRECT’S HOUSEHOLD CONTENTS Insurance you can sleep easy knowing that you can claim for items stolen or damaged at your home. With this cover we will cover your household contents against theft, intentional damage to your valuables, as well as damage caused by a power surge or a burst geyser.

Even damage to your contents due to fire, lightning storm, hail and flood is covered. This also takes care of your personal liability which covers you if your domestic worker gets injured while on duty or where you may be held responsible for causing death or injury to someone else or damage to their property.

There are certain must knows of Car Insurance Policy Renewals. Mind you, I mentioned Renewals because the first policy is usually purchased from the car dealer and hardly any thought goes into the same. But if you are buying your first car, you need to look around for the best policies.

It is only from the first renewal that it makes sense to analyse the need and then purchase your policy. Thus it makes sense to choose the best policy that suits your needs keeping the following points in mind.

Compulsory and Voluntary Deductibles
The deductible is the basic minimum amount that needs to be paid for each and every claim. Including deductibles usually reduces premium so that fake or small claims are avoided or at least reduced. The deductible is the amount of an insurance claim you agree to pay out of your pocket before the insurance company pays the remainder of the claim. The deductible represents the amount of financial risk you are willing to assume. If you are willing to assume more financial risk in the form of a higher deductible, your premium cost is lower. In simple words, let’s assume your claim is P10,000; the insurance company would pay an amount of P9,000. The P1000 is the risk you will be taking personally.

Insured Declared Value (IDV) or Sum Insured
Insured Declared Value is the basic amount which is fixed by the insurer for that year’s current market value of the vehicle which is provided in case the vehicle is stolen or total loss of vehicle.

Brokerage commissions
Many policies will include brokerage commissions amounting to a certain percentage of the policy value. Direct insurance companies like Alpha Direct do not levy brokerage commissions as they deal directly with customers.

Claim Procedure
The most important aspect of a “good” motor insurance policy would be easy and efficient claim procedure and hence knowing the same and being aware is a very important factor while shopping for your car insurance renewal policy. Alpha Direct has a superior claims processing system to ensure the industry beating turnaround times on claims.

Like the name suggests, home insurance, protects your house from both man-made and natural disasters. Be it burglary, fire, earthquake or flood, your policy covers your loss, and insures your house. By the end of this article, “Insure Home” is one thing you will definitely add to your check list.

We always want to cut on cost, be it buying shoes on sale, or getting best deals on your favorite book from Amazon! Here are a few ways to save a few bucks and insure your Home.

• Make your home more secure

While calculating your rate, insurance companies look at your home’s resistance to threats like burglary, fires and storms. You can limit risk and potentially qualify for cheaper rates by upgrading outdated systems like plumbing and electrical and by adding features that make your house tougher to beat. We are talking about storm shutters, impact-resistant roofing and deadbolt door, alarm systems, electric fences and window locks.

Certain home improvements won’t be cheap. Check with your insurer in advance to know how much a given discount will save, so you can make sure your spending isn’t out of proportion to the savings. The key is to stay up to date with the systems to save on insuring the house.

• Raise your deductible

Your deductible is the amount insurers subtract from a claim settlement for property damage. Increasing this amount may trigger a rate reduction. Raising your deductible means you will have to take up more of the financial burden in a covered loss. This isn’t a decision to make at the drop of a hat. But if you have enough funds tucked away for emergencies, you might want to take that risk for lower rates.

• Improve your credit history

In many places, companies are permitted to use credit-based records to help predict the likelihood of future claims, and those with poor credit may face higher rates. If you fall into this camp and have poor credit, take steps to shore up your credit, such as paying your bills promptly, paying off card balances that are nearing their limit, or simply reading your credit reports promptly and fixing any errors.

As we live in a competitive world, make sure you get good credit as well (And I thought I would not have to deal having high credits ever after university).

• Reassess your belongings and personal property coverage

It’s wise to periodically examine how much stuff you have and how much it’s worth, to see whether your coverage still lines up. If you recently sold valuable antiques or jewellery, you could cancel any high-limit insurance, called scheduled property endorsements that you took out for such expensive items.

• Don’t under-insure

Insufficient coverage takes money from your pocket, and almost one in 10 who insure their house find themselves in that boat. Every few years, ask your insurer for a customized estimate of your home’s replacement cost. To protect against the surge in the price of materials and labour that can follow a natural disaster.

Reluctant questions that beginners always shy away from asking

Wikipedia tells me insurance is “an arrangement by which a company or the state undertakes to provide a guarantee of compensation for specified loss, damage, illness, or death in return for payment of a specified premium.” As a beginner, being new to the concept of insurance, one cannot help but open the Wikipedia page first, can one? For all you beginners out there, tag along as we peruse through the basics of auto insurance.
• What is auto insurance?
Vehicle insurance purchased for vehicles provides financial protection against physical damage or bodily injury resulting from traffic collision (the meaning of which is another question that I have asked later) and against liability that is the immediate aftermath of an accident or theft. Now that’s the kind of protection/safety I wish my fancy shoes had!

• How much auto insurance do you need?
Third party coverage is mandatory in a few countries and protects you from the cost of damage to third parties (other people). How much liability coverage you need should be based on what you need to protect. Just as how liability coverage takes care of the third party, comprehensive coverage takes care of your car. And let’s be honest, what is more important than your own car?
• What exactly is Collision Coverage?
Collision covers the cost of repairing or replacing your car. If your car is worth more than what you could pay to replace it, it would be important to have collision coverage. If your car is more than a few years old and the loan is paid off, you could opt out of this coverage.

• What is your Deductible?
The deductible is the amount of an insurance claim you agree to pay out of your pocket before the insurance company pays the remainder of the claim. The deductible represents the amount of financial risk you are willing to assume. If you are willing to assume more financial risk in the form of a higher deductible, your premium cost is lower. In simple words, let’s assume your claim is P10,000; the insurance company would pay an amount of P9,000. The P1000 is the risk you will be taking personally.

• Am I a Millennial?

“I’m an amazing driver! Nothing will ever happen to my car.” The Millennial are generally an optimistic and sometimes overconfident group of ‘drivers’, in this case. However, the odds are something will happen to your car – and when it does, you are going to have to pay an unwilling amount.

The bottom line is, if you own a car, lease a car or even drive someone else’s car, auto insurance is a must-have. Not only are certain types of coverage mandatory, but the right type of auto insurance could protect you from a financial disaster if your car is stolen, damaged or, even worse, if you crash and that injures you or others.

Purchasing auto insurance is a decision that should not be made quickly. There are numerous insurance companies and each one of those companies has a number of different policies and policy options to offer to you. Before you make your decision, consider these important details when buying auto insurance. It could define how affordable and comprehensive your plan is.

#1: What type of risks does the policy cover?

In most cases, you will want to protect against liability risks as well as property risks. You need to protect against other people causing accidents and damaging your car and from the damage you cause to your vehicle or the property of other people. Your policy should offer as much protection as possible in these areas.

#2: What exclusions apply?

Most auto insurance policies have exclusions. These are very specific features of the plan that are not covered. For example, your auto insurance plan may exclude claims against flooding damage to the interior of the car. Look at the policy to learn what limitations apply.

#3: What is the claim limit?

One key way to reduce the cost of an auto insurance policy is to reduce the claim limit. This is the amount the policy will protect against at the highest level of loss. If a claim limit is in place, and it is too low, you could suffer financial losses as a result. Ensure your claim limit is high enough to minimize all risks.

#4: What discounts are available?

Security systems on the vehicle, anti-lock brakes, and good driver discounts can save you money. Before you agree to the terms of an auto insurance policy, ask for all discounts and savings opportunities the company can offer to you. Do not assume they will provide every discount.

#5: What is the financial strength of the insurer?

Have you researched the insurance company? They should have a long history of providing high-quality coverage. And, they should be able to provide you with the financial strength to know that you are protected even if a significant event occurs.

The more information you obtain before you buy auto insurance, the better the decision you make is going to be. Invest the time in talking to your agent to discuss all of your options. And, be sure to work with someone you trust and know is going to take every step possible to protect your investment.