You Can Save Money on Insurance By Vincent Richman You are probably paying more than you have to for insurance, and you are probably getting less coverage than you think you are. The average American family spends over $3,000 per year on insurance and could reduce that cost at least a few hundred dollars by seriously evaluating alternatives. Of course, price is not the only factor to consider. Along with the cost of insurance, the quality of service you get when buying insurance, and especially when you need to use it, is a very important consideration. Remember that all that fine legal print in the policy is not there to protect you, but to protect the insurance company. And, also remember that insurance companies make their astounding profits by NOT making claims payments, not by making them easy or generous. Equally important is the financial strength of the insurance company. You definitely want the company to be around to make claims when that time comes. The two most important factors in reducing your insurance costs are to first clearly define exactly what you need, and then shop around. The first factor is important both to make sure you have everything adequately covered, whether you are looking for life insurance, auto insurance, or property insurance, but also to make sure you don't fall prey to a good salesman who will try to talk you into buying insurance you do not need. The second point is probably the most important. If your current insurer claims to reward its customers for loyalty, simply convert that reward into a dollar and cents comparison with the rates offered by their competitors. No matter how friendly the agent, or cute the logo, most insurance companies are multi-billion dollar companies with a keen eye on their bottom line. __________________________________________________________ Protect Yourself From Inflation How To Protect Your Life Savings From Dollar Weakness, Inflation, And Economic Downturns While You Earn A Higher Income Than Ever Before! __________________________________________________________ Shopping around can take many forms. Many states make information available to consumers about the typical rates charged by insurance companies that operate in the state, and they will often provide data on the frequency of complaints made against each company. There are also consumer guides available that provide reasonably objective reviews of competing insurance companies, and several online quote services make it much easier and more reliable to compare insurance products and rates than attempting to get objective information from an agent. You can check the financial rating of the insurance companies you are considering. AM Best and Standard and Poors provide such information and your state insurance department can verify that the companies are licensed to do business in your state. Sometimes you can get a discount if you buy several types of insurance from a single company, but make sure the discount is real. Shop around for each type of insurance separately, and then add up the best prices and compare the total to the discounts offered for multiple policy purchases. If you are eligible for group coverage, check into possible savings through those plans, and be sure you take advantage of all discounts you might be eligible for such as discounts on safety and security features for auto insurance, or discounts for smoke alarms for homeowner insurance. When considering life insurance, be sure to have a clear understanding of insurance as an investment (whole life, universal life) and insurance as just simply insurance. Finally, review all your insurance at least once per year to make sure your needs have not changed and that your policies are still competitive. Taking a few minutes each year to review the basis of this rather large annual cost can make a big difference over a period of only a few years.

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