All vehicle owners should have auto insurance. It provides protection when something goes wrong, such as an accident. Whether you make the mistake or your vehicle fails, these types of accidents can be very expensive and hard to overcome financially. However, if you maintain your vehicle properly and take key steps during and before you drive, chances are good you’ll reduce the likelihood of an incident happening. This could, in turn, reduce your auto insurance rates.

What Should You Do to Lower Auto Insurance Rates?

To keep your rates low, reduce the number of claims you file against your insurance. To do that, consider these three tips.

#1: Avoid distracted driving

Distracted driving is one of the most common causes of accidents as well as moving violations. If you are behind the wheel, it’s essential that you avoid distracted driving risks such as:

The use of a mobile phone
Changing the radio station
Looking at other people in the vehicle
Being involved in a heated conversation in the vehicle
Any other instance in which you are not able to focus on driving conditions
When this occurs, you reduce your ability to react fast enough, leading to a higher risk of an accident occurring.

#2: Check your vehicle before leaving

Before leaving any location, take a short walk around your vehicle. Look at the tires, windows, and overall condition of the vehicle. It also pays to check the lights to ensure they work properly. It is also important to consider how much fuel is in the vehicle. Doing this before you leave, ensures your vehicle is in the best working condition possible while on the road.

#3: Secure your vehicle

Finally, keep your vehicle safe both at home and on the road. Consider the installation of a security system on your vehicle. This can help to reduce the risk of theft. Just the presence of a security system often defers would-be thieves from tampering with your vehicle. And, simply, keep your vehicle locked at all times.

The fewer times you are involved in an accident or incident like those mentioned here, the fewer claims you will make to your auto insurance policy. The direct result of this is often times lower insurance rates. To save money on your auto insurance, don’t cut your policy back or reduce claim options. Instead, drive safer.

When it’s time to buy a new car, it pays to be structured in the manner you go about selecting a car. If you just go to the nearest dealership and pick the car you like the most, it could leave you with a high monthly repayment for a car you don’t enjoy driving. Fear not though. Alpha Direct Insurance company has created a 6 step guide to finding the right car for your budget and your heart. You can always get a free insurance quote on your car by visiting our quote request form, or by contacting our call centre at 392 8264

Step 1) Assess Your Needs

While you might love dreaming about what you want in the perfect car, it’s best to think more practically about what your specific needs are. Functionality is the most important aspect. Some practical tips to consider include:

– What type of driving do you do: highway, surface streets, off-road?
– Is fuel economy important to you?
– What safety features are important to you?
– Do you need a big boot?
– Will you be doing any towing?

Step 2) Determine your Budget

Unless you’re paying cash for your car, you’ll need to think about getting a loan from a bank. Determine how much you actually afford for car payment each month? In general, the right amount to allocate is no more than 20 percent of your monthly take-home salary.

Step 3) Decide on a Class of vehicle and check your options in that category

You first need to determine whether you want to go for a new or used vehicle. The advantage is that the same amount of money usually allows you to go for a used vehicle of a higher class than a new vehicle. Consider all your options in both categories.

Step 4) Determine the Total Cost of Ownership of your prefered vehicles

Used cars may be cheaper to acquire, but will attract a higher maintenance cost. Some rare used Japanese import cars may be more expensive to repair and insure in the event of an accident. Some new cars will come with a motor plan, while others will not. Higher end cars, such as some German vehicles may be more expensive to maintain in the future. Remember more expensive vehicles, cars with bigger engines, and hijack prone vehicles may be more expensive to insure.

Step 5) Find cars available for Sale

You can search for new and used vehicles available for sale from most dealership’s web sites, or by making a trip to the dealerships over the weekend. Be sure to test drive the vehicles you like, and which are within your budget and class preference.

Step 6) Buy the car

Before you visit the dealership to buy your car, have your options ready, and inquire with your bank about finance pre-authorization. Make sure you always negotiate with the dealership, and only buy the vehicle if they meet you at a price that you are comfortable with. Otherwise, do not hesitate to walk out and consider the second option vehicle.

Good luck with your vehicle shopping!

You have worked hard to buy a home and fill it with the things important and even vital to your life. It is never easy even if you are rather wealthy or have a steady job to accomplish this. Yet, nearly all homeowners are at risk of loss from one or more of a variety of threats. Whether your home is flooded or a fire starts, having household contents insurance coverage can help to protect your investments. Consider these five reasons you need to maintain household contents insurance on your property.

Your Belongings Are Covered

The most important reason to select household contents insurance is because it ensures your belongings, such as home furnishings, appliances, and personal items, are protected. With this coverage, you may be able to replace items that are lost or damaged due to a covered incident.

The Members of Your Home Are Protected

Not only are your belongings protected as the homeowner, but so are those of those living with you. This may include your immediate family, in-laws, and parents. If the person lives within your residence and his or her items are lost due a covered incident, they are covered.

It Is Affordable

It is a common misconception that household contents insurance is too expensive. In most cases, the premium is quite affordable. More so, just one claim is likely to cover any investment you make. It is possible to find discounts on household contents insurance as well. Defraying your costs is possible, but forgoing this investment isn’t financially savvy.

It Covers Numerous Types of Incidents

Most of these home insurance policies offer coverage that’s comprehensive. You will need to check through the policy to ensure all risks are covered and to see what exclusions apply to your situation. However, most people will have contents insurance that will cover:

– Oil leakage
– Water damage
– Most types of natural events
– Malicious damage
– Burglary
– Theft
– Accidental demolition

There is no other way to protect your home from these risks. No matter how diligent you are in protecting your home from risks, such as keeping it secure and in good shape maintenance-wise, you simply cannot protect it from every instance. Household contents insurance, though, steps in to help you to meet the financial losses suffered if such an incident does occur.

You Have Peace of Mind

Consider what would happen if your home caught on fire. Your house insurance would likely cover the costs of rebuilding or making repairs to the structure. But, what about everything within your home? Your clothing, your electronics, your photos, and anything else you own would be costly to repair or replace. With this type of financial protection in place, you no longer have to worry about being able to protect your family and assets.

If you do not have a comprehensive household contents insurance policy in place, now is the time to do so. You will find it is one of the wisest financial investments to make. It can give you confidence to know all that you’ve worked for hard for is financially protected.

A vehicle is a large investment, one that requires a great deal of your time and attention. While you may take care of it by keeping the engine running well, you also need to protect it from outside risks. Automotive insurance, also known as motor insurance, can minimise many of the risks you face each day that you operate your car. Specifically, comprehensive car cover is perhaps one of the best investment for today’s vehicle owner. It offers a wide range of key advantages to keep you free from a variety of risks.

What Does It Cover?

Each policy is a bit different. However, you can expect automotive car insurance to provide you with ample coverage from the biggest risks you face each day. This is the type of auto insurance that can give you peace of mind each time you take your vehicle out on the road. It can help protect your vehicle from:

Damage caused by hail
Damage caused by fire
Damage from other types of storms and natural events
Protection from theft
Protection from hijacking
Damage from vandalism
Whether it is a natural event that causes the damage to your property or a criminal act, such an incident can create a significant amount of damage that you must repair in order to keep your vehicle in good working order. With this policy in place, you do not have to worry. The insurer helps take care of that risk for you.

What Are the Benefits?

Imagine you find your vehicle stolen. Perhaps you have a loan on that vehicle, too. Now, you not only have to find a new car to purchase, but you must also make payments on the loan. If you have comprehensive motor cover, on the other hand, your risks are much less. As long as you make your premium payments and the act is unintentional and unavoidable, your insurance carrier covers these costs. If your vehicle is found and repaired, or depending on the policy, its value is paid to you or the vehicle is replaced.

Even in smaller incidents, you can appreciate the value of automotive insurance. Hail damage can lead to significant paint and body damage to your vehicle. This can reduce the value of the car as a result. With a comprehensive insurance plan, that damage is also protected and the value of your vehicle is protected.

Though comprehensive car insurance cover does not provide all of the insurance coverage you need, it does give you an added level of protection against risks. Be sure to consider the value of having a complete liability policy as well, which can help protect you from the financial loss brought on by an accident you cause. Additional cover can also help you to reduce these costs as well.

Shopping around for Car insurance can be messy. Most people just go ahead with their broker’s recommendation and rarely ask for a summary of quotes from several underwriters. But there is a conflict of interest here. Your broker is paid a commission by the insurance company which is usually a percentage of the premiums you pay. This means that your broker may be incentivised not to provide you with the best value coverage. As a result, it always pays to shop around for insurance. Here are some things to keep in mind when shopping around:

1 – If you use a broker, insist on multiple quotes from multiple underwriters. Getting multiple quotes allows you to compare prices between different insurance companies, which will allow you to get a better understanding of the various policies on offer.

2 – Contact and compare quotes from direct insurers like Alpha direct to get better value. Direct insurers deal directly with customers without any intermediaries such as brokers. This allows us to offer deeper discounts which traditional insurance companies would not be able to offer since they would have to pay large broker commissions.

3 – Compare Excesses – One policy may have cheaper premiums than another, but may have a significantly higher excess in case of a claim. This means that you will need to pay more out of pocket when you need to make a claim in the future. It also makes it tough to compare the merits of each insurer (like comparing apples to oranges).

4 – Ask about claims procedures – Alpha direct has a 24 hour emergency line for customers to contact in the event of an accident. We also have rapid claims processing procedures and systems. Find out about the claims assistance and processes of each company you may be considering.

5 – Note the underwriting processes – Many insurance companies pool drivers together regardless of risk profile or driving history. Alpha Direct avoids penalising safe drivers for the rash driving of others. That’s why we ensure that each insured driver is insured based on their individual history and risk. That’s fair.

This week we will discuss 9 effective ways to reduce your insurance premiums and save money.

1) Use direct insurance underwriters – Direct Insurers like Alpha Direct allow you to deal directly with them which removes the need to pay broker commissions which can add up to a lot of money.

2) Loyalty has its benefits – It can be a good idea to switch insurers every once in awhile, or to compare quotes with different insurers; but switching companies too often may result in more expensive policies. Some companies give you credit for showing loyalty to a previous insurance carrier.

3) Reduce Hijacking Risks – living in a safe area, and purchasing low hijack risk vehicles can lower your premiums.

4) Bundle policies – If you bundle your policies (eg. homeowners and auto) from the same insurer, you can avail of bundled discounts.

5) Be a safe driver – Safe drivers who have fewer claims on their motor policy generally get no claim bonuses or lower premiums on their policies. They also save money they would have otherwise spent on deductibles.

6) Ask about discounts – Some insurance carriers offer discounts for various low risk traits. For example if you have a college degree, or are over 25 years of age, etc.

7) Choose a higher deductible – Going with a higher deductible reduces your premium but also puts you at a higher risk to pay more out of pocket in the event of a claim

8) Keep your car in a lockable garage – Keeping your car in a locked garage can lower your premiums

9) Purchase cars with easy to source parts – Rare cars, especially with Japanese imports can be expensive to insure if it is difficult to source parts for them. It is always a good idea to purchase more common cars.

Purchasing a new house is one of the most important investments you can make in your lifetime. You should be proud of the ability to buy a home and, even more importantly, you should want to do anything you can to protect your investment. A house owners insurance policy can help you to protect your home from many of the risks it faces.

Every house insurance policy can be different. It is important to read through your policy very carefully to understand what types of protections it provides and what may not be covered. Here are some of the ways your house owners insurance policy can help you.

Loss or Damage to the Building

Many times, the claims filed against an insurance policy relate to the loss or damage to the building itself. There are many reasons for this including:

• Fires
• Lightning
• Bursting, leaking or overflowing water from heating systems or pipes
• Explosion
• Damage from storms, wind, water, hail, and snow
• Theft including damage from forcible or violent entry into the property (Keep in mind limitations exist here as to what, how much and when policies apply)
• Aircraft or other aerial devices dropped onto the property
• Damage from impact of animals, satellite dishes, vehicles, trees, or other items
• Earthquakes

In most cases, this type of insurance covers the loss of the item (or repair) or the repair of the structure as needed. Most policies have a limit as to how much money is available to cover any claim amount. Additionally, the covered incidents must be non-intentional and not related directly to poor maintenance or misuse.

Additional Provisions Many Insurance Policies Offer

Many policies offer additional protections. This is where these types of policies can become incredibly beneficial. Some examples of additional protections may include:

Capital Additions: Many policies offer protection for the capital changes you make to the property. This may include home additions, improvements or alterations, most often up to a specific amount (usually 20% of the value).

Professional and Other Rebuilding Costs: It is important to have an insurance policy that covers your property’s actual value not just the actual value, but the cost to replace the home. In a case such as fire, where the property is significant damaged, it is important that the insurance cover the costs of professionally rebuilding the property.

Other policy options may include coverage for public supply and mains connections, loss of rent, mortgage clauses, and glass or sanitary ware. It may also be possible to add additional types of coverage to your policy to make it fit your unique home’s needs.

Most importantly, home insurance provides you with peace of mind. With it, you know that if something does occur to your home, such as a fire or theft, there is financial back-up to protect your investment. You can feel good about purchasing your home knowing that there is a policy in place to keep you financially protected from any losses covered by the insurance you own.