Insurance > Critical Illness Insurance And Life Insurance Cover For Better And For Worse.

Critical Illness Insurance And Life Insurance Cover For Better And For Worse.

by: Rachel Lane

There are three main types of insurance cover you can buy to protect yourself and your family: life insurance, private medical insurance and critical illness insurance. If you want your financial health to be completely bionic then you could choose all three types of insurance, but if your family finances are more restricted, it might be better to insure yourself with critical illness insurance and life insurance. Critical illness insurance should not be confused with private medical insurance or even income protection insurance and it?s important that you do a full evaluation of your needs before you pursue the different insurance options.

The purpose of critical illness cover (CIC) is to fill a gap that is left by traditional life insurance policies, which will only provide a pay-out on the death of the policy holder. CIC provides a tax free lump sum following the diagnosis of one of a number of life-threatening illnesses or certain types of surgery. The sorts of situations usually covered include the diagnosis of cancer, a stroke, a heart attack, the loss of a limb and many other serious disabilities.

Critical illness insurance policies are typically sold to cover mortgage repayments and are often sold alongside a life insurance package to ensure the borrower can repay the loan in all circumstances. It is worth noting that if a combined life insurance and critical illness cover package is taken out, then it would not be unusual for an insurer to pay out for only one of the events. Therefore if the policy holder suffers a critical illness and then dies at a later date, there will only be one pay-out ? for the initial illness. It is essential whenever you take out a policy that you make sure it covers all of your needs and those of your family. Don?t estimate how much cover you may actually need. You will additionally need to consider the period for which you want critical illness cover, such as a set number of years to cover the mortgage or no fixed period at all, so you can maintain the policy as long as you need it.

The critical illness insurance market has come under increasing pressure in recent years, as the number of claims has soared, survival rates increased and medical science has made it far easier to detect serious conditions much earlier. These factors have prompted some serious questions about the viability of critical illness cover, particularly guaranteed products.

For the majority of people, the most important benefit of critical illness insurance is to protect their mortgage and most mortgage protection policies allow you to include life insurance and critical illness cover. If you already have life insurance in place, you can buy an additional, separate critical illness insurance policy.

Resources:

http://www.abi.org.uk/ The Association of British Insurers

http://www.moneynet.co.uk/insurance/index.shtml Consumer Insurance Comparison Research

http://www.moneynet.co.uk/home-car-travel-insurance-guide/index.shtml Insurance Guide

Disclaimer:

I am not a financial expert. Read my article, but do your own research. No lawsuits here please.

About The Author

Rachel Lane writes for the personal finance blog Cashzilla ? personalfinanosaurus ? licensed to roar. Rachel spends her not-so-free time researching and writing personal finance articles, but she gets through it with Smarties and Fruit Pastilles. To read more about Rachel and Cashzilla visit http://www.cashzilla.co.uk.

Buying Life Insurance Online ? Is It A Really Good Idea?

by: Michael Challiner

The advent of the internet has opened up the possibility of cheaper life insurance for all.

In years gone by, if you were considering life insurance you would probably have invited an insurance salesman from your favourite insurance company to meet you or alternatively gone to your local insurance broker. But rarely would you have been courageous enough to get competitive quotations. It just wasn?t done. You trusted the salesman to do the best for you and surely you thought, life insurance is somewhat technical and requires specialised knowledge. All very cosy. All very expensive. How life has changed!

People now realise that life insurance is not that complicated. If on a scale of 1 to 10, buying car insurance online rates 9, life insurance must be a 7 or 8. This has opened up the Internet as a prime arena for cut-price life insurance. That?s not to imply that...

Buying Life Insurance Online ? Is It A Really Good Idea?

Insurance > Buying Life Insurance Online ? Is It A Really Good Idea?

Life Insurance ? Why Does The UK Have A ?2.3 Trillion Protection Gap?

by: Michael Challiner

According to Swiss Re, one of the world's largest re-insurance companies, less than half of the UK population has any form of life insurance protection. They then go on to put a figure on the value of this protection gap. Using an average income of ?20,000 and assuming that the value of protection needed ranges between 5 and 10 times income, they put a value on the protection gap at ?2.3 trillion.

But in all probability, whilst the gap is huge, ?2.3 trillion is likely to be somewhat over stated. After all there are people who are disqualified from having life cover due to their age - just over 1 in 5 are under 18 years old, the minimum for life cover, and 1 in 6 are effectively uninsurable as they're over 65. Then there's a raft of persons for whom life insurance is just not necessary. These are people aged between 18 and 65 who do not have dependents...

Life Insurance ? Why Does The UK Have A ?2.3 Trillion Protection Gap?

Insurance > Life Insurance ? Why Does The UK Have A ?2.3 Trillion Protection Gap?

How Much Can You Save On Your Car Insurance?

by: Derek Gardner

It costs a lot to get car insurance. No one would argue on that. Without one it would cost you more to drive if you had an accident. Still, you don't want to pay too much for it. So how can you save money on your car insurance premium?

Check several insurance companies. Don?t fall for the headline that says they got the best insurance deal in town. Find out for yourself by shopping around. It would be to your advantage to compare at least 3 quotes.

Find out how the prospective company is doing financially. Does the company have any complaints against them? What is their reputation for customer service? A good indicator of this could be seen on your initial visit. For example, did they take time to answer your questions or did they try to cut you off fast? Taking note of these things could save you some regrets later on.

Check insurance costs for the car you intend to buy....

How Much Can You Save On Your Car Insurance?

Insurance > How Much Can You Save On Your Car Insurance?

Insurance And Ethics

Insurance And Ethics

by: Joseph Kenny

Insurance contracts are often seen as a form of gambling. That is because they appear as a type of wager that takes place over the lifetime of the policy. Basically the insurance company is willing to bet that you and your property will not suffer the loss insured against. In exchange for making this bet, and taking on the risk, the receive your premium. If they win the bet, they keep the premium, if they lose, they make the payout. In this sense, they are often compared to a type of long term financial casino.

The difference between your premium amount, and the amount the insurance company will have to pay out if the loss occurs, is simply the odds the insurance company is getting for taking on the bet. It?s just like going to the horse races and betting on a horse that pays out 10 to 1.

This view of insurance has led to a number of people and religious communities disapproving of insurance because...

Insurance And Ethics

Insurance > Insurance And Ethics

Key Person Life Insurance

Key Person Life Insurance

by: Ivon T. Hughes

Small businesses help keep our country going. But a small business needs help to keep going after the loss of someone vital to the company. There are options available you need to know about.

KEY PERSON IS ANYONE WHO IS IMPORTANT

In small to medium size businesses, the key person may be the business owner, a top sales rep or the person who does the financing. What would happen to that company if one of these key people were to suddenly die? There may be a rough period of transition until a replacement is found. If the owner was the one to die, that could mean the resulting death of the company. Losing the top sales person may mean losing some of those accounts that kept the business running.

YOU NEED LIFE INSURANCE ON THE KEY PERSON

The key person is someone who is vital to the company; someone who cannot be easily replaced and whose knowledge is key to the company. By not recognizing...

Key Person Life Insurance

Insurance > Key Person Life Insurance

Key Person Life Insurance

Key Person Life Insurance

by: Ivon T. Hughes

Small businesses help keep our country going. But a small business needs help to keep going after the loss of someone vital to the company. There are options available you need to know about.

KEY PERSON IS ANYONE WHO IS IMPORTANT

YOU NEED LIFE INSURANCE ON THE KEY PERSON

The key person is someone who is vital to the company; someone who cannot be easily replaced and whose knowledge is key to the company. By not recognizing...

Key Person Life Insurance

Insurance > Key Person Life Insurance

Online Insurance: The End of the High Street Broker?

by: George McGonigal

Once the insurance salesman visited you, then you visited his office.
Now you pick up your phone or click your mouse. Does the Internet herald the end of the high street insurance broker in Britain? When I was a lad, some 25 years ago, the Insurance Company called to your door every month to collect your life insurance premium. My recollection is of a drab suited man having to run the gauntlet of neighbourhood dogs rather like the postman.

Then through the eighties more and more people found their wages being deposited directly into hastily set up bank accounts; this led to the standing order for paying all sorts of regular bills including insurances and heralded the demise of the door to door representative. An economy quickly realised by big insurance companies in the UK.

Then during the nineties big firms latched on to the idea of ?direct? which is a...

Online Insurance: The End of the High Street Broker?

Insurance > Online Insurance: The End of the High Street Broker?

Car Insurance Pricing Plans

Car Insurance Pricing Plans

by: Joseph Kenny

The law requires liability insurance for all drivers and vehicles. This means that if you are involved in a serious accident, and it turns out that it was your fault, your insurance company will pay out any claims that are made against you. Extra coverage on your own vehicle, called comprehensive insurance, is optional.

Insurance companies based on a number of risk factors will calculate the price you pay for this insurance. Basically how it works is the more they feel you are at risk of crashing, and the more they think the resulting crash will cost them, the higher the premium you?ll pay.

Assessment

Common factors that will be used to assess the premium are the value of the car you?re driving, the safety of that vehicle, the coverage you want, will there be deductibles or limits etc.? How much you?ll drive the car, how your driving record stands, how long you?ve held your license...

Car Insurance Pricing Plans

Insurance > Car Insurance Pricing Plans