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. Having said that, without doubt, there are still many families in the Swiss Re survey that have been correctly identified as desperately needing life insurance.
So if they need life insurance, why do they hold back?
Undeniably there are still many people who have no understanding what life insurance provides and because they don't think about it, they don't care, and nothing ever gets done. After all life insurance isn't a fun buy - there's no enjoyable window-shopping or pleasure in owning it. The chances are that unless financial advisers sit down and talks to these, they'll remain totally uninterested and uninsured.
Newspaper reporting given to the insurance industry also tends not to help. The Sunday papers in particular are regularly full of stories about one family or another that has had a claim turned down. These stories make the headlines, as behind them there's invariably a poignant tale of personal tragedy and distress. It all gives the life industry a tarnished image and creates a feeling that they can't be trusted. In practice, when you read the stories, the reason for the claim being refused often comes down to the fact that the policyholder missed off some relevant information from their application form. Nevertheless, some refusals are clearly wrong and this undoubtedly damaging.
Then there are those people who fully appreciate that they need life insurance but just can't be bothered or say they can't afford the premiums. More realistically, for many ?can't afford? actually means, ?I choose not to afford?. They might be happy to spend ?100 at the pub each month but are unwilling to cut back a little to pay the premium that protects their family's future.
For sure, there is no disputing the fact that some life insurance applicants have found the final quote to be genuinely unaffordable. Whilst for the majority, cover at standard premiums is affordable, over the last seven years we've seen a huge rise in the number of people who have seen the proposed premium substantially increase once the insurer has looked at their application form. It's a result of the life companies making it harder for people to meet the company's definition of ?healthy?. Seven years ago half as many applicants were seeing the price increased as a result of the insurance companies classifying them as an above average health risk.
Even a few years ago it was usually obvious who'd have difficulty getting insured at standard rates ? people with heart or circulatory problems, former cancer suffers and diabetics for example. How the picture has now changed. Application forms are much more detailed and medical problems that were previously acceptable are now only acceptable with a higher premium. Take weight for example ? these days insurers clamp down when they judge an applicant's weight to be a risk to their longer-term health. And it's not just the obviously obese that attract the insurer's notice. Companies are now using the Body Mass Index to identify weight problems. This is your weight divided by the square of your height. Most life companies now want a BMI of no more than 29, whereas previously up to 40 was acceptable. This means that a woman weighing 83 kilos and 1.66 meter tall will now face a higher premium.
The application process can also be put some people off. Whilst about 30% of people will receive an immediate decision, for others the process can become one delay after another. As if a 14-page application were not enough, some people are being asked to complete more forms in addition to medical examinations. The whole process can take up to 9 weeks, sometimes even more, before the applicant finds out precisely how much their premium will be. If that premium works out more that they can afford, the applicant is often too tired of the whole process to start applying again to a new insurance company. The result is yet another family without life insurance.
Despite these problems, the life companies say that thanks to more sophisticated underwriting procedures, prices are lower today that they were a few years ago. The arrival of the Internet has also had a profound affect on prices. Around 10% of life insurance is bought online and discounting has become the norm. This too has helped more families to become insured.
However, in the author's view it will take more than a decade to get people covered by life insurance above the 50% level.
About The Author
Michael Challiner writes for Brokers Online ( http://www.life-assurance-bureau.co.uk ) who offer life assurance and most UK financial services including credit cards ( http://www.life-assurance-bureau.co.uk/credit-card/ ).
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The Five Things You Must Know Before Buying Boat Insurance
The Five Things You Must Know Before Buying Boat Insurance
by: Ian Major
If you own a boat, you definitely need watercraft coverage.
Too often, people don't realize that they need coverage for their boats. Some don't even realize that boat coverage is available. Many know it is available, and they think about it ? they just decide that this type of coverage isn't something that they need. In most cases, they are wrong! You do need boat insurance, and you need to know what you are looking for when you start shopping for the coverage.
Here are five things you must know before buying boat insurance.
1. Many states now require you to carry watercraft liability coverage.
This coverage will should protect you against any damage that you do to other people or other people's property with your boat. The insurance should also cover you for losses due to theft, vandalism, storms, fire, capsizing, stranding, sinking, explosion, and...
The Five Things You Must Know Before Buying Boat Insurance
Insurance > The Five Things You Must Know Before Buying Boat Insurance
Whole Life Insurance Explanation
Whole Life Insurance Explanation
by: Donald Lusan
A whole life insurance explanation should be required reading for anyone about to purchase life insurance. Whole life, in my humble opinion, has in recent years got a bad rap. People tend to buy term life insurance because it is cheaper. Although I believe that a good term insurance can take care of the insurance needs of most people, a good whole life insurance policy is worth looking at.
Guaranteed Death Benefit
The death benefit of a whole life insurance policy is guaranteed to stay level for the duration of the policy. If you think about it, that means a lifetime. That type of guarantee cannot be sneezed at. The premiums of your whole life insurance policy is also guaranteed never to increase. This is also a very important feature. The policy can never be cancelled by the insurance company.
Cash Value Accumulation
A whole life insurance policy has cash values, that cash...
Whole Life Insurance Explanation
Insurance > Whole Life Insurance Explanation
Keeping A Healthy Weight
Keeping A Healthy Weight
by: Joseph Kenny
These days, more and more people are placing importance on keeping physically healthy. This can be seen by the amount of people who are joining gyms and sports clubs, going on diets, and spending on private health insurance. One of the biggest areas of concern in this area for women is keeping a healthy weight, this is because it not only effects their overall level of physical health, but is also recognised as playing an important role in mental and emotional well being, and self perception as well.
Most people know that being both over weight and under weight are not good for you, but health is about far more than just body weight. Things such as your family medical history, your genetic predispositions, how much you drink or smoke, what type of food you eat and how much exercise you get all have a major impact on health. There really is no ideal weight therefore that you should be seeking on purely...
Keeping A Healthy Weight
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Insurance Providers Weather The Storm While Consumers? Claims Flounder
Insurance Providers Weather The Storm While Consumers? Claims Flounder
by: Richard Green
We have just had the first year?s anniversary of the flash flooding which occurred at Boscastle in Cornwall.
The floods saw some of the worst damage wrought by sudden rainfall in the UK for many years.
The flood was caused by the remains of a hurricane which crossed the Atlantic, collecting vast amounts of water crossing, and was then pushed high above an area inland of the village depositing around 1,500m litres (330m gallons) of water within two hours.
At the time insurance companies were estimating the bill for commercial damage to local businesses, would be as high as ?15m.
There is perhaps some comfort for insurers in that it could have been worse. Hurricane Charley, which hit Florida around the same time, cost over an estimated ?6bn.
In August this year, just a week after Birmingham was battered by a tornado, residents...
Insurance Providers Weather The Storm While Consumers? Claims Flounder
Insurance > Insurance Providers Weather The Storm While Consumers? Claims Flounder
10 Ways To Save On Homeonwers Insurance
10 Ways To Save On Homeonwers Insurance
by: Robert Rogers
1. Raise Your Deductible - Save Up To 25%
Deductibles are the amount of money you have to pay toward a loss before your insurance company starts to pay a claim, according to the terms of your policy. The higher your deductible, the more money you can save on your premiums. Nowadays, most insurance companies recommend a deductible of at least $500. If you can afford to raise your deductible to $1,000, you may save as much as 25 percent. Remember, if you live in a disaster-prone area, your insurance policy may have a separate deductible for certain kinds of damage. If you live near the coast in the East, you may have a separate windstorm deductible; if you live in a state vulnerable to hail storms, you may have a separate deductible for hail; and if you live in an earthquake-prone area, your earthquake policy has a deductible.
2. Don?t confuse what you paid for your house with rebuilding...
10 Ways To Save On Homeonwers Insurance
Insurance > 10 Ways To Save On Homeonwers Insurance
Long-Term Care Insurance
Long-Term Care Insurance
by: Joseph Kenny
Are you prepared for retirement and old age? While it may still be a long way off and there are usually a lot more urgent things to take care of, dealing with some of the requirements of old age, either for yourself or for someone you care about, a huge difference can be made by a few simple steps.
While saving for a pension and having good medical insurance are two of the most common steps, there is also the scope for long term care insurance, which may also be of great potential use in certain situations. This type of insurance covers the need for assistance in old age. Old age, as well as mental and physical illness can lead to many people needing assistance with such everyday tasks as eating, bathing and dressing. Simply looking after you can be too much for many people and when they are faced with this situation, assisted living and long term care can be an option.
Long-term care insurance...
Long-Term Care Insurance
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Life Insurance vs Life Assurance
Life Insurance vs Life Assurance
by: Joseph Kenny
People spend a lot of money on complicated financial products and it is sometimes difficult to keep track of what products perform what tasks. Many people are not aware of all the financial products that are available or they only know of them vaguely. They may not know how much they cost or the potential benefits they offer. How can consumers make informed decisions on what products they would be willing to buy if they do not have this basic information? This problem can often lead to consumers buying unsuitable of overpriced products simply because they feel they should have some financial protections available but don?t have the details to make an informed choice.
One of the common questions many consumers have is regarding the difference between insurance policies and assurance policies. Put simply, insurance policies cover the costs of an event that might happen while assurance policies...
Life Insurance vs Life Assurance
Insurance > Life Insurance vs Life Assurance
Loans For Unemployed
Loans For Unemployed
by: Joseph Kenny
It is one of life?s small cruelties that the times when you need credit most badly, are also the times when lenders are least willing to give it to you. When you are finding it hard to meet your obligations, your car payments are behind, your credit cards are all fully loaded, and you?re barely meeting your rent or mortgage payments, your credit score takes a nose dive. Even if you are meeting all your payments, credit reporting companies can show lenders that you are at your limit, that you?re fully extended on all existing lines of credit, and you?ve been searching vigorously for more. This will be looked on very poorly by lenders and make them much less inclined to lend to you.
Between Jobs
One of the periods when you are most likely to be in this sort of situation is when you are between jobs. There are a million reasons why you might lose your job, many of which will not be your fault, and if...
Loans For Unemployed
Insurance > Loans For Unemployed
Insurance Life Insurance ? Why Does The UK Have A ?2.3 Trillion Protection Gap? razr phone
8 Tips To Extend The Life Of Your Carpets
8 Tips To Extend The Life Of Your Carpets
by: John Murray
Carpets are a big investment and you want to make sure they last as long as possible. Follow these 8 tips to extend the life of your carpets.
1. Vacuum
Vacuum, vacuum, and then vacuum some more. It's the easiest and cheapest thing you can do to extend the life of your carpet. That's because vacuuming often removes the fine grit that falls deep into the carpet and causes wear. The more you vacuum...
vacuum cleaners Insurance 8 Tips To Extend The Life Of Your Carpets Life Insurance ? Why Does The UK Have A ?2.3 Trillion Protection Gap?
Insurance > 8 Tips To Extend The Life Of Your Carpets
Insurance Life Insurance ? Why Does The UK Have A ?2.3 Trillion Protection Gap?
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