There are just areas that are considered “dangerous neighborhoods” so it is not a surprise if the real estate insurance or house insurance in these areas ask for a high premium. It just simply means that if you live in this neighborhood, there is a good chance of your home getting robbed or victimized by malicious mischief. Because of that, your home is considered a potential high risk.

But such is the case in this life. Just look at the infographic below about prison breaks. If there is a high percentage of jailbreaks, you can just imagine the exact numbers of people who get incarcerated this year. And a lot of these crimes done by the perpetrators are in these high risk neighborhoods. So if you still want to risk living in these areas, you gotta pay a high price.

(Click to enlarge)

Source: eLocalLawyers.com

For parents here in the Philippines who are looking for ways to fund their children’s college education, here are a couple of plans from Insular Life that can help get you started and reduce your worries about their future. Times are difficult and sometimes we worry about where to get money when our kids go to university. But if we deal with the issue today, we may be able to reduce our concerns.

College Provider is a 5-pay educational plan that provides a college cash fund for your child at age 17. It also provides a life insurance benefit for your child equivalent to the college fund until he reaches age 21. On top of this, College Provider has a built-in waiver of premium payments, wherein the policy will be considered fully paid should the parents or the payor meet an untimely death or suffers from total and permanent disability. The policy will then provide a pre-college cash allowance equivalent to 10% of the face amount until age 16 to finance for your child’s elementary and high school education.

Meanwhile, Sure Cash for Kids is a 5-pay, 15-year savings and investment plan for your child that offers guaranteed yearly cash payouts and lump sum cash benefit with built-in life insurance protection. Yearly cash payouts equivalent to 10% of the maturity value will be given from the end of the 5th policy year to the end of the 14th policy year amounting to 100% of the maturity value. A lump sum cash benefit equivalent to 100% of the maturity value will also be given at the end of the 15th policy year. Your child is also covered with a life insurance protection for 15 years with the face amount increasing to 200% on the 4th policy year up to the 15th policy year.

The good thing about these offers is that it has life insurance coverage. And if something happens to the payor, the plan will be automatically be considered fully paid, so that the child will still have financial support for his or her education, even though the breadwinner is already incapable of paying for the plan.

Interested parties may call Insular Direct at 878-1818 local 5403 or 892-3171. You may also send them an email at idirect@insular.com.ph or see an agent at an Insular Life branch near you.

Have you heard of somebody dying from running too much? That is exactly what happened to Savannah Hardin, 9, or Birmingham, Alabama when she was punished by her grandmother and step mom. Now I wonder, will they benefit from the death of the little girl? Is there a life insurance policy on little Savannah’s life or did her mother leave her some inheritance that the family can make use of when they file a death claim?

You see, Savannah ate a chocolate bar despite being told not to do so. Then, reportedly, she lied about it. So her irate grandma and step mom punished her and made her run around their yard endlessly. Sure, they did not inflict bodily pain on her by spanking, slapping, or beating, but they made sure that the girl learned her lesson by making her run and run.

The punishment went on until after about three hours, the girl dropped, had seizures, and became unresponsive. It was learned that the child collapsed because of dehydration and the shortage of sodium. This condition is common among people who join marathons.

The suspects were identified as grandmother Joyce Hardin Garrard, 46, and step mom Jessica Mae Hardin, 27. For the harsh discipline that they inflicted on Savannah, the two women were charged were murder and a steep bail was set at $500,000 each.

My guess is that they were thinking of cashing out on a life insurance or death claim. Tsk. Tsk. What a waste!

Many insurance companies are now offering investment opportunities like balanced funds, mutual funds, and equities. It is a good opportunity to invest in reputable companies because they have good finance managers that had been handling their corporate assets and investments, which is the reason why they can give good value to your insurance policies.

If you are going to invest in bonds and funds, then a good place to start is the company where you are insured. You can ask your agent and they can present to you their different investment portfolios. Some are just purely for investments while others have life insurance coverage with them. It really depends on what you want, what you need, and the risks that you are willing to take.

You may also ask your agent regarding what is spread betting all about. You may want to play with some extra money and kinda predict how markets will perform. If your calculations and educated guesses are right, you are sure to make good money from spread betting. And the good thing is, profits from spread betting are free from all kinds of taxes.

Learn more about the investment venues offered by your insurance company. They can help you achieve your financial goals in the short and long term.

Overspeeding and DUI for Knowshon Moreno

Knowshon Moreno, an injured NFL player for the Denver Broncos must be feeling low because of a bad season in his career last year. We don’t know the exact reason but what we know is, Moreno will have higher auto insurance quotes.

Why?

That is because the other day, Moreno was caught drunk driving a Bentley convertible along Interstate 25 in Denver at a speed of 70 mph. But there was a construction going in the area and so the speed limit there now is lowered to 45 mph. And the worst thing is, his licensed plate reads, “SAUCED”. I am pretty sure that did not work well with the highway patrol officers and just spells one thing–DUI. (Read: Sauced = Drunk).

Anyway, it could be remembered that the Denver running back was first rendered ineffective in his team. Then he was benched and was replaced by Willis McGahee. Then, he popularity was shadowed by the football sensation that is Tim Tebow. And the final straw was being taken out of Week 10 because he suffered from a knee injury.

But instead of pulling his life together and improving his game, Moreno, 24, resorted to the comfort that liquor could bring. When he was pulled, the cops gave him a breath test and a field sobriety test.

Moreno was brought to a detox facility and was charged with DUI, failing to have insurance and careless driving. He should really get a Bentley accident insurance on his car because that is a very expensive piece. Moreno will be arraigned on March 2.

Highway pile up in Florida. Photo by Matt Stamey / The Gainesville Sun via AP.

You can never tell when the end of your life will happen, even if you drive safely in a good car complete with auto insurance.

Over the weekend, 10 people died in several crashes that happened overnight because of the fog and smoke that emanated from a wildfire along the Interstate 75 in north Florida. Nine people died on the scene while the last one died later. And 20 more were injured.

Because of the wildfire, drivers could not see anything on the road. As the events were so sudden, five large commercial vehicles and 10 passenger vehicles just piled up on the highway. Everyone kept hitting each other from all sides. That is just one scene photographed above.

If you happen to be in Florida, do avoid the Interstate 75 because all lanes are closed as investigation continues.

These are the basic kinds of insurance policies. Of course, there are far more sub-categories under these and they differ based on the insurance company and the police that you can afford.

1. Life Insurance. This kind of coverage provides the financial payments to your beneficiary or beneficiaries in case you pass away. This is especially helpful to bereaved family members where the insured is the breadwinner. The funds from the policy can help the family pay for the funeral/burial expense and to help them continue with their lives without having to sacrifice their lifestyles (e.g. residence, education, etc.). The amount that the family will receive will just depend on how much was paid or how much was on the face amount of the policy.

2. Health Insurance. The coverage on health has several kinds under it. It really depends on what kind of plan you have, you can get hospitalization benefits, dismemberment, surgery, doctor’s fees (including consultation), medicines, lab tests and even maternity. Some have clauses that include diseases for women, epidemics, or degenerative illnesses like cancer.

3. Automobile Insurance. The auto insurance seeks to provide protection against vehicle damage or financial losses due to vehicular accidents and/or theft. If you have a liability coverage, that means the company will pay for your financial obligations to the other party for property damage or bodily injury that resulted from an accident.

4. Homeowners Insurance. This policy covers property damage and the liability of a homeowner for property damage and injuries to other people. A standard homeowners’ insurance policy provides financial protection for the house and the items found inside it. With the many natural calamities happening all over the world, it would be good to include damages caused by force majeure in the policy, especially if you live in an area that is prone to earthquakes, tornadoes, or floods.

5. Travel Insurance. This would especially be handy to people who re traveling regularly, whether for work, business, or vacation purposes. The policy can cover reimbursement of travel costs in case there are medical emergencies, death, damage to personal property, or losses. It can even included reimbursements for non-refundable airfares, in case there is a medical emergency.

When you are young, you don’t think much about your parents, as life is mostly about you. But as you grow older and eventually become married, you give of yourself more and realize your responsibility.

As newlyweds, your life revolves around your spouse in order that you have fun, that you enjoy your marriage and also to prepare for the coming of your first child…and the next. When the kids come, it will be their education plans that you think about and invest on.

But as parents, we should really consider getting coverage on our lives because as responsible breadwinners, we cannot just settle with providing for the present needs of our children. We should also look out for their future, in case something happens to us.

If you already have a life insurance coverage, then that is good. If not, you may want to contact a trusted name in insurance and ask about their products. Who knows, there may be something there that will fit in your budget.

Don’t take this for granted. Your family will be forever grateful that you did.

In this photo from the Daily Mail, a car was wrecked when a tree fell down on it.

According to Wikipedia:

Force majeure (French; pronounced: [f?rs ma?œr], approximately fors ma-zhur) or vis major (Latin) “superior force”, also known as cas fortuit (French) or casus fortuitus (Latin) “chance occurrence, unavoidable accident”,[1] is a common clause in contracts that essentially frees both parties from liability or obligation when an extraordinary event or circumstance beyond the control of the parties, such as a war, strike, riot, crime, or an event described by the legal term act of God (such as hurricane, flooding, earthquake, volcanic eruption, etc.), prevents one or both parties from fulfilling their obligations under the contract.

With the many calamities happening around us that are destroying lives and property, people are encouraged to include the clause that covers “force majeure” or “acts of God” in their non-life insurance coverage.

If ever you already have or are planning to buy insurance, ask your agent about this, especially if your area is prone to disasters.

In the photo above, gales or strong winds swept across England and Wales. The highest speed was at 100mph, hitting the Pennines. It caused a lot of disruption, especially during the rush hour. And in this house in East London, a tree was uprooted and fell down on a parked car. A family was trapped inside.

A couple from Colorado got involved in a car accident when high winds hit the Northern Rockies in Boulder, Colorado on New Year’s Eve. It is not sure whether they had car insurance but the saddest part was that the husband died not because of a car wreck–he died of impalement.

James Baker-Jarvis, 61, was killed when a three-foot-long tree branch flew through the windshield and went right into his chest. But despite that, his wife said that he was still able to steer the car to safety so that his wife would not get hurt.

Baker-Jarvis drove a Subaru Outback and he steered it over to the roadside before losing consciousness. He died in the hospital.

The strong winds in the Northern Rockies, did not only cause the fatal accident but also the shutdowns of highways and power outages.

In this case, it was not bad driving but just bad timing that the elderly couple were on the road when the strong winds blew. Now, as 2012 is ushered in, Mrs. Baker-Jarvis was left a widow.

Our condolences to the family.