Archive for the ‘Insurance’ category

Term Life And Whole Life Insurance

February 16th, 2012

Term Life And Whole Life Insurance photoWhich type of policy is best for you, term or whole life? The answer depends on several factors, including:

Your Needs. If you need coverage only until your children graduate from college, for example, you might be better off with a term life policy.

Cash-value insurance is better suited for long term needs, such as planning estate taxes and providing lifetime security for your spouse. Some term policies cannot be renewed past age 70 or 80 and can become costly to renew as you approach that age.

The Cost. If term life insurance is more suited to your budget and you want life time coverage, consider a term life policy which can be converted into a whole life policy. Then you can convert the policy whenever your cash flow or needs dictate. You can also purchase a combination of term life and whole life insurance and gradually shift into whole life insurance over time.

Your Savings and Investment Goals. Whole life insurance can be a good long term investment vehicle, especially because the cash value has the potential to grow tax-deferred. Should you no longer need the insurance but want some extra cash, you may surrender the policy and collect the accumulated cash value. Be sure to discuss the tax consequences with your tax advisor first.

As an alternative, you could purchase term life insurance and invest what you save on premiums on your own. Compare the returns you can expect, and remember to take taxes into consideration if you plan to select taxable investments.

So, Should I Buy Term Life or Whole Life Insurance? Term life and whole life insurance both have advantages including immediate family protection. Deciding which type of policy and which features are right for you takes careful consideration and, most times, a comprehensible look at your financial plan. To discuss your life insurance needs and financial requirements, contact your financial professional.

International Health Insurance

January 30th, 2012

International Health Insurance photoOne single best investment you can give to yourself is personal insurance. May it be health insurance, travel insurance or life insurance, it will still give you enough leverage to confidently do your task everyday anywhere without worrying so much that in any moment, an accident might occur.

However, these types of insurance have limited coverage that is not applicable on a particular situation. The situation I am talking about here is when you decide to live in another country. Sure, you have life insurance or health insurance. But these are only applicable within the boundaries of the United States. So if anything happens to you outside the country, these insurances cannot help you in any way. Same thing goes with travel insurances. Although they can be applicable outside of the country, the claim is only limited up to a certain extent such as medical evacuation, trip cancellation, and trip delays.

The bottom line is, when you travel and decided to live outside the United States, these insurance policies you have invested in your life is no longer useful. Thus, you need a particular policy that would be about to give you the coverage you need for this particular situation. You need an international health insurance.

In some way, international health insurance is just the same with other insurance policies available for you. But why get international health insurance?

For those who have no desire or could not afford to travel internationally, there is no need to purchase international health insurance. But for those who are considering going abroad and staying there, this would come in handy.

Of course there are prices to pay. While personal health insurance (valid locally) can cost you wealth, international health insurance costs even higher. But, the amount you pay is nothing compared to the benefits it will provide.

In most cases, basic international health insurance can give you coverage on things such as hospital accommodation, local ambulances, in-patient or in-hospital care, anesthetists’, physicians’, and surgeons’ charges. Some provide you with radiotherapy, oncology, pathology, and radiology coverage.

For wider coverage, a more upgraded international health insurance can answer primary care and primary consultations for outpatient visits. Therapies such as homeopathy, physiotherapy, acupuncture, osteopathy, and primary care and primary consultations including prescribed medicines are covered. For added options, emergency dentistry and at-home nursing care are available at your desire. Of course, the wider the coverage you ask, the more expensive it would be. Usually, the international health insurance with this broad coverage can cost twice as much as the basic.

The coverage does not end here.

You can get more with higher premiums. If you opt for this, you can add options such as organ transplants, psychiatry, childbirth, rehabilitation, general practitioners consultations, home delivery, and other specializations such as eye, ear, nose, and troth consultations. Other coverage can include visit to specialists such as chiropractors, psychotherapists, dietitians, and osteopaths. Scans, x-rays, lab works, and others can also be included in your coverage along with prescribed medicines.

The bottom line for international health insurance is: if you need any medical attention whether here or abroad, you can always tap your insurance policy. After all, accidents strike at any given time, regardless of your location and situation you are into.