Does Car Insurance Cover a Cracked Windshield?
Every car owner has experienced that one rock flying up and cracking the windshield. What starts as a small star soon explodes into a massive crack across the entire front glass. Depending on your policy and insurance company many times that crack can be fixed for free or replaced for a small charge. If you are wondering if your windshield is covered on your car insurance policy I will explain what is and is not covered and what questions to ask your agent in case you need to file a claim.
In order to have any glass coverage on your auto insurance the policy must include comprehensive coverage which covers most losses beyond running into something. Some car insurance companies offer specific coverage for glass in your car but more on that later. Let’s first look at comprehensive coverage and how it will apply to a broken windshield.
If you have comprehensive coverage on your car insurance policy it will cover a replacement of the entire glass subject to your deductible. Most comprehensive deductibles are between $250 and $750 so if the glass only costs $200 to replace it doesn’t make sense to make a claim. Most insurance companies will not raise your rates due to filing a comprehensive claim since it is not due to an accident. Be sure you know what your comprehensive deductible is and in most situations it makes sense to have a lower deductible like $250. Comprehensive coverage is usually a small portion of the overall cost of your policy so a lower deductible won’t raise your rates by much. Keep the collision deductible above $500 because this is where the majority of your premium is charged especially on a newer vehicle.
In the event your insurance company offers glass coverage as a separate item it is something I would add. This type of coverage is usually $10-40 annually and usually has a $100 deductible for any glass in the car. If you need to replace the windshield or any other glass in the car it is only $100 out of pocket to you. The other nice feature of the glass coverage is free crack repairs. The glass company will fill the crack with epoxy so it will prevent further cracking and hope to extend the life of the glass.
Disability Insurance – Are You Insurance Poor?
With a one in five chance of becoming disabled and unable to work at some point in your life, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, perhaps the first question you should be asking is, “Do I have disability insurance”? Many employees are under the belief that their employers have provided coverage for them if an accident were to occur. While workman’s compensation will cover a job related injury, most accidents occur while you are not at work. By reviewing your current insurance, you can determine whether or not you have adequate coverage. Even employees under union contracts may be surprised at how little coverage they have for short or long term disability.
If group disability insurance is not provided through an employer, or if the coverage is not adequate, an individual disability insurance policy should be considered. This type of insurance can be purchased from the same agents who sell life insurance. Short-term disability insurance normally provides up to 60-70% of your pre-disability salary and generally pays benefits for up to three to six months. Most policies have a maximum monthly benefit and a limit to the amount of time benefits can be received.
Depending on whether you suffer an injury or become ill determines when benefits will start being paid. Benefits may be paid right away in the event of an injury. However, if you become ill, it may take longer for benefits to start because most policies have a longer waiting period for sickness claims.
What happens when the six month short-term disability coverage runs out? Many people are under the assumption that if they cannot work, that Social Security will take over. Social Security benefits are limited to disabilities that are expected to last a year or end in death. Also with Social Security, one cannot engage in any type of work in order to qualify. With a 72% denial rate, can making the assumption of getting coverage through Social Security be worth the risk?
What about long-term disability? Long-term disability picks up where the short-term disability left off. This type of policy also pays a percentage of your salary (usually 50-60%) depending on the policy. Long-term disability benefits can be for as little as one or two years and as great as to age 65.
Understanding disability terminology goes a long way in helping understand the coverages available. Terms such as: elimination period, non-cancellable, and guaranteed renewable policies are just a few of the features to learn about in order to decide the right coverage needed. Going over these options and other features with a qualified insurance agent can make all the difference. These options and features do vary by state and by occupation class.
The odds are that your are more likely to become disabled than to die prematurely. Statistics say that people do not believe that they will become disabled, but the facts are that one is 16 times more likely to go through a mortgage foreclosure due to a disability rather than death. Employers will not continue to pay salaries if an employee cannot work.
So, are you insurance poor? Do you think you don’t need disability insurance? About 90% of all disabling injuries happen outside of work. Do you have the 2 1/2 years of recommended emergency savings to cover your bills that will keep coming even if your paycheck does not?
Suffering through financial hardships can be devastating not only for the injured by hindering recovery time, but for the loved ones as well. Being prepared and knowing that you have the coverage necessary will lead to a stronger sense of financial peace and well being. Many people believe they cannot afford disability insurance. Perhaps it would be better said, “Can you afford not to?”
Educate yourself by talking to an agent that can help determine what your needs are. Do not assume you have coverage and then find out when it is too late that you do not. Do not wait until it is too late to find out that you are insurance poor.
Don’t Give Up
Do you have a dream when you were a kid? Well, everybody does and one of my friends back then; he wish to be an actors. However, as the time goes on his dream fade away and his life is only just the same. He fails in reaching the whole new world. That is what will happen to you if you lose hope. We are living in the different era. In the old days, it is hard to find open casting calls. Basically, only certain people may obtain their chance in a casting call. This is bad and that is why my friend stays in the same world forever.
This is not going to happen to you. It is because in this era there is internet and there are tons of casting calls on the internet. It is not so hard to locate them and that is why it will be really stupid for us to give up our hope just because we cannot locate casting calls. There are many casting calls such as casting calls New York on the internet waiting for you if you decide to keep holding onto your dream. You will be taken to a whole new world if you success.
Individual Disability Insurance Benefits For Federal Government Workers
As a Federal Government worker, it is important that you understand the benefits provided to you by the FERS Disability program. A proper understanding will allow you to effectively assess the income protection you have and make an educated decision of whether or not you should obtain individual Disability insurance as a supplement to what you are already provided.
Without going too far into detail, Federal Government workers are provided Disability insurance benefits through the FERS program once they have completed 18 full months of service. For any injury or illness which restricts you from performing your current job and is expected to last beyond one year, you are eligible to receive 60% of your annual salary during the first 12-months of a disability claim and 40% of your annual salary for each year thereafter.
Something that you may not know is that although you are provided 60% and 40% Disability coverage, you may actually receive a substantially smaller benefit than you expect at claim time. Since FERS Disability benefits are primarily paid for by the Federal government, any benefits you receive during a claim are taxable as ordinary income. Due to this taxation of benefits, along with the reduction from 60% to 40% coverage, Federal government workers are faced with a tremendous shortage in income protection. Thus, Federal workers are able to obtain individual Disability insurance as a supplement to their provided coverage.
Similar to how individuals in the private sector purchase individual Disability insurance to supplement their group Disability insurance, Federal government workers can also obtain individual Disability insurance to supplement their FERS Disability benefits. Amongst the many options that are made available for Federal employees, there are some that are more attractive than others.
As you consider purchasing individual Disability insurance, look for two primary characteristics in a policy. The first is to be sure that you are not restricted to which policy provisions and riders can be added to your policy. If you are going to spend money on obtaining individual coverage to properly and effectively protect your income, be sure that you are not restricted on what you can add to your policy. Secondly, be sure that your individual policy benefits will not offset with Social Security disability benefits. Your FERS Disability benefits will already be off-settable with Social Security Disability. It is bad enough that the majority of your FERS benefits may offset with Social Security benefits but again, if you are spending money in order to properly protect your income, you should be sure that you are not paying for Disability insurance that will be reduced as your FERS benefits are already.
Purchasing individual Disability insurance as a means of supplementing the shortage that exists in your FERS Disability coverage is a responsible and intelligent way of effectively protecting your income, your family and your future. Be sure that you work with someone who is familiar with the details associated with FERS Disability benefits and also the individual options available for Federal workers. For more information relating to your FERS benefits, visit Disability benefits for Federal Government workers.
Acne – Apply Vitamin A Derivatives For Sure Cure
Acne and Vitamin A
Vitamin A is considered a very important anti oxidant vitamin. Use of Vitamin A in the form of Beta-carotene kills free radicals and keeps us young for a long time. How vitamin A is used for treating Acne? Let us find out in detail.
Vitamin A side effects – a boon
Doctors warn that Vitamin A in large quantities can be dangerous. In mild doses, it dries the skin and peels it. This side effect has been used to prepare derivatives of Vitamin A called retinoids. Vitamin a is also called retinol. Its derivatives are called retinoids. Isotretinoin is the most famous derivative. Others are tretinoin, Adapalene, tazarotene.
Acne treatment with Vitamin A derivatives
Topical Vitamin A derivatives dry the skin and peel the upper layers off. This quality is very useful in treating acne. Sebum, the skin oil is the most responsible for causing acne. This sebum becomes infected and forms acne. Vitamin A derivatives dry out this sebum on the site of application. The other main cause of acne formation is blocked sebaceous glands. Once the top layer begins peeling because of Vitamin a derivatives, the pores open. This effectively cures acne.
One should be careful in using Vitamin a derivatives. Many cosmetics contain Vitamin A ingredients such as Retinol, tretinoin etc. Excess use will cause redness. Pregnancy is another major concern. Those who are pregnant or are planning to get pregnant should consult their doctor before using any Vitamin A derivative or Vitamin A itself. Vitamin A derivatives area boon in acne treatment.
To learn more about Retinoids, click here =>Common Topical Retinoids.
This article is only for informative purposes. This article is not intended to be a medical advise and it is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult your doctor for your medical concerns. Please follow any tip given in this article only after consulting your doctor. The author is not liable for any outcome or damage resulting from information obtained from this article.
Hedge Fund 101 – Make Money with Hedge Funds
Investors are always looking for the best investments that will yield the most profit. Any investor who can afford the extra cost should consider investing in Hedge Funds. Hedge Funds were started in 1949 by Alfred Winslow Jones, who pioneered non-traditional investment strategies. Jones innovated this new investment strategy by selling short stocks, while buying other stocks (long stocks). Hedge Funds are very similar to Mutual Funds, except that there are fewer regulations on Hedge Funds. As a result, Hedge Funds usually require a much larger investment.
What Are Hedge Funds?
Hedge Funds can help investors make more money with higher-risk investments. Other techniques used in Hedge Funds include “leverage,” which is borrowed money to trade in addition to the capital provided one’s investors. The usage of Hedge Funds also requires an incentive fee. An incentive fee is a fee based on a portion of the client’s profits as opposed to a fixed percentage of assets. This fee is then invested and ideally will gain the investor more money.
Generally, companies are the owners of Hedge Funds because most people do not have enough money to meet the minimum investment required to have a Hedge Fund. In 2004, Hedge Fund investments passed the $1 trillion dollar mark. In mid-2004 about 39 companies shared the total Hedge Fund values of 1.1 trillion dollars.
Common Techniques for Investing
There are also other techniques for investing with Hedge Funds. One way is to invest in a company just before a major merger. If one gains knowledge of a merger, and buys large amounts of share in a company that is about to merge, the shares go up greatly once the merger occurs. This is, unfortunately, a very high-risk investment strategy because some mergers may not occur.
Other techniques include selling short, which is where one invests in seemingly undervalued securities, trading commodity and FX contracts, and taking advantage of the separation between the current market price and the highest purchase price in events such as mergers.
Why are Hedge Funds Beneficial?
Hedge Funds are also beneficial because of their high level of security. Hedge Funds are private, between individuals, and do not have to be made known to the government or other companies. Currently, Hedge Funds do not need to be registered with the SEC. Hedge Funds are also based in places with less regulations (I.E. The Cayman Islands, The Virgin Islands, etc). However, one drawback of Hedge Fund security is the fact that it looks suspicious to have secretive investments. For this reason, many companies and investors are criticized for being involved with Hedge Funds.
Conclusion
Hedge Funds are a very risky investment, with a large payoff. In order to invest in Hedge Funds, one must be prepared to make a very large investment. Hedge Funds are similar to Mutual Funds, except there are less regulations on Hedge Funds. Less regulations lead many people to be suspicious of investors who invest in Hedge Funds. However, if one is willing to take the risk, Hedge Funds can certainly pay off!




