Noble Insurance Group

With Noble you can take all of your courses in a comfortable online environment. You can take the classes and the test all from your home computer. After you pay by credit card or check, you can simply look at the course materials online or, alternatively, you can print them out at no cost. After you take the exam online you can print your certificate for free!

Noble Insurance Continuing Education

The real beauty of Noble continuing education courses is in there inherent simplicity. Noble is a very low cost way for students’ to abide by their state’s continuing education requirements. Since everything is done on your own schedule, finding the time to complete this important task could not be easier.

Another reason Noble is so great is because of their “don’t pass, don’t pay” policy. That’s right; if you do not pass the exam with a 70% or better then Noble will offer you a full refund. However, over 98% of students pass the exam on their first try. Also, it is worth mentioning that retakes of the exam are completely free.

Yet another advantage of going with Noble is their vast selection of courses available to you. They offer over 100 courses (even burial insurance), so you are sure to find just the class you need. This is great because you can either take courses that interest you, or you can also just take the one course minimum in order to pass your exam. The choice is totally up to you!

Noble Continuing Education Pricing

With the economy the way it is, getting a low price has never been this important. This is yet another area where Noble excels above the competition. They even offer their wildly successful low price guarantee. Under this guarantee you are allowed a 10% reduction in the price if you are able to find a competing offer that is lower than Noble’s. Talk about a bargain!

Life Insurance No Medical Exam

Since it is a well-known fact that insurance companies share information, it may be wise to skip getting a medical exam before trying to get insurance if you have any doubts about your health. There is a group called the Medical Information Board (http://mib.com) whose sole purpose is to distribute patient medical information, presumably to prevent insurance fraud.

However, in recent years the Medical Information Board has been accused of using patient data files to make it almost impossible for the said patients to get affordable health insurance. Fortunately, this practice will become illegal after the health care reform law of 2010 goes into full effect.

If you are forced to take a physical exam to qualify for insurance before you are covered under the new law, there are a few things you can do to help your chances of a favorable outcome. Scheduling physicals early in the morning or on Sundays are proven to have higher acceptance rates than other times or days. You should also avoid alcohol, sugary foods, and even coffee before your exam. Last but not least, get a full night of sleep and do stress relieving breathing exercises on the way to the doctor’s office.

Viatical Life Insurance

If you already have insurance, but have recently been diagnosed with a terminal illness, a viatical settlement may be right for you. Viatical settlements are a large lump sum of cash that is given to a terminally ill patient. The settlement is given in exchange for the rights to the life insurance policy benefits of the viator (the terminally ill patient).

This sort of arrangement works well for both parties involved. The patient gets cash that they can use to make their final days peaceful and stress free. The investor is satisfied with the right rate of return that is common with these settlements.

However, there are risks to both the viator and the investor. The main risk that the viator faces is not asking for enough money at the time the deal is organized. The risks for the investor are more complicated. These risks include: the viator living too long, the insurance company going bankrupt, and the viator committing fraud on the insurance application (the investor would receive no life insurance benefits).

If you are thinking of selling your life insurance benefits (or burial insurance benefits) or you think that investing in viatical settlements sounds appealing, then remember that this is an unregulated market so you need to do our homework and be careful!

Life Insurance Universal Life

Before you decide on a particular insurance option, proper education is essential (see noble insurance). Universal life is a very popular life insurance option. This policy is based on cash value. In other words, any premium payments that are greater than the cost of insurance are automatically allocated to the cash value. The cash value is then credited to the account each month with interest added as well. The policy premium is then debited out of the account each month if no premium is sent in for that particular month. The advantage of having this sort of policy is that you can pay more each month and if you run into some financial trouble down the road, you will still be able to keep your life insurance because the premiums will be deducted from your cash value.

Auto Insurance Discounts

• Home/auto discount: You can enjoy a 10 to 15% discount if you choose to insure both your home and your car with the insurance discounters. The extra revenue the insurers earn from you in the form of increased premiums (because they are insuring both your home and your car) easily cover the discounts they give you.

• Multi-car discount: You can also get a 10 to 15% discount if you insure two or more cars with the firm. The same reasoning applies in this situation; the firm is doubling, tripling, or even quadrupling the revenue they are earning from you. Giving you a small discount is not going to hurt them at all.

• Security discount: A really easy way to pay less on your car insurance premiums is to protect your vehicle. Think about it, the amount you pay the insurance companies is based on the amount of risk they have to endure. If you reduce their risk of paying to replace your car, you get to pay less. You will also get a discount if you install air bags or anti-lock brakes since they increase the overall safety of your vehicle. As an added benefit of installing these safety advices, you will save money by not having to buy a burial insurance policy!

• Driver’s education discount: Has it been a while since you have taken any classes on driving? Well, if it would save you some money wouldn’t you be willing to go back to the classroom? Drivers that have had driver’s education or have taken a defensive driving course qualify for a discount on their premiums.

• Low mileage discount: If you drive your car very rarely, you may qualify for a low mileage discount. Drivers that travel less than 5,000 miles a year will pay less for insurance because they have practically no wear and tear on their vehicle (also, you have a business and are looking to get the cheapest commercial insurance, be sure to cite the aforementioned points to get  a better rate).

Discount Auto Insurance Online

The most important principle that auto insurance discounters adhere to is keeping their costs at a bare minimum.

One company that seems to have some of the best discount auto insurance quotes around is Esurance. They are able to keep their costs so low because of the fact that their business operations are all internet based. Since everything is done online, they can greatly reduce the number of human resources that they require.

There are other places to find a good discount auto insurance quote; however, I have not found any of their rates to be as lucrative as the aforementioned site’s.

If you feel like doing your own research (which I highly recommend due to the fact that all areas are different), then a simple Google search of “discount auto insurance rates” should make the job of finding the best company for your needs a little easier.

Like with many other expenses (see burial insurance), there is a fine line between getting the coverage you need and getting an affordable premium. While getting cheap commercial insurance will certainly increase your bottom line in the short-run, you may not have enough coverage when you really need it. The implications of this lack of coverage could be catastrophic for the longevity of your business. Purchasing commercial insurance is a very serious matter, and as such, you need to take the appropriate time to properly weigh your options.

Cheap Commercial Liability Insurance

Before you start looking at commercial liability insurance companies, you need to establish clear goals and objectives, with respect to your coverage needs. Some common operations that need to be covered would be employee actions, vehicle fleets, property, and company equipment. While insurance for intangibles such as the actions of your employees is important, physical commercial insurance is of even greater concern. This will cover accidental damage from fire, storms, and floods as well as intentional damage from vandalism, theft, and violence.

In recent years, there has been a truly remarkable influx in the sheer volume of workplace-related injuries that are the result of violence. While the exact source of all this excess violence is debated, one can imagine that stress plays an important role. Commercial liability insurance companies have responded to this trend by offering violence insurance. This will cover the medical costs that result from a workplace shooting or other act of violence that happens within the walls of the business. Since the probability of this even happening are still statistically very low, violence insurance coverage will most likely only add a few dollars  a month to your cheap business insurance.

Cheapest Commercial Insurance

Every smart business out there is constantly trying to keep costs as low as possible, while also operating as efficiently and responsibly as possible. This translates into finding the cheapest commercial insurance that will satisfy all of your needs, while also making sure you are not buying coverage that you do not need. There are two very important steps that you need to keep in mind while trying to maintain this balance, and they both take time and research.

The first step when trying to find a cheap commercial insurance company is to make sure that they create a custom policy that caters to the needs of your business. It is quite obvious that larger insurance companies tend to have better options for larger companies, while smaller insurance companies are better suited for small businesses. When in doubt, talk to your peers. This can be a highly effective way of finding the cheapest small business insurance.

The second step is to ask upper-level management to make a comprehensive list of the most expensive items that your company owns. You should try to get the custom policy to cover only these large items and ignore the less costly and easier to replace items. This step will ensure that you save a substantial amount of money on your premiums. Over a period of years, this added savings will actually cover the costs of the smaller items left out of the policy.

Cheap Commercial Van Insurance

If most of your company dealings involve transporting goods and equipment, then a commercial vehicle insurance policy could be in your best interests (you may also want to look into auto insurance discounters for your fleet to save even more). It is very important to understand exactly what your policy covers. For example, many businesses have coverage for their vehicle fleet, but not for the goods that they are carrying. If the value of the goods being transported is substantial, this lack in coverage could be extremely costly. The last thing to consider with commercial van insurance is to keep your eyes on the future. While you may only have two vans in your feet currently, could this number conceivably change in the future? If the answer is yes, then you need to make sure the appropriate changes are made to your policy.

Main Advantages of a Burial Insurance Policy

We should start our discussion by looking at the three best reasons to purchase funeral insurance:

1. The life insurance coverage will never be terminated, it is permanent.
2. Your final expense insurance premiums will never change.
3. Your life insurance policy has liquidity. In other words, it builds up a cash value over time.

Let us look at each one of these points individually.

Your Funeral Insurance Coverage Is Permanent

One of the key advantages to a final expense life insurance policy is that your coverage is there when you really need it. Many life insurance plans have provisions that allow the insurance companies to terminate your coverage. With a final expense policy, you and your family can rest assured that you WILL be covered when the day comes.

Final Expense Premiums Do Not Change

Unlike traditional life insurance (or no physical term life insurance), final expense insurance premiums do not change over time. The amount that you agree to the day you sign up for your policy is the same amount you will pay for the rest of your life. This helps to eliminate any uncertainty with respect to your monthly insurance obligations.

Your Burial Life Insurance Has Cash Value

This means that your family does not necessarily have to use all the funds for costs related to your burial. Burial life insurance not only protects your family from the costs related to your passing, but it can even help a family member that is in a troublesome financial situation.

What Is The Average Burial Expense?

While burial expenses can range anywhere from about $100 to $10,000, the average burial will cost around $8,000. As you can see, this is quite a large sum of money to be required to come up with when you are grieving the loss of a loved one. This is what makes funeral insurance so important.

Do You Need a Medical Exam To Get Preneed Insurance?

Final expense policies are classified as “simplified issue”. This means that all that is required is a short application form. NO MEDICAL EXAM is required!

What Are Common Funeral Expenses?

Some common expenses related to burial include (but are not limited to):

• Casket
• Headstone
• Minister
• Hearse
• Funeral Service
• Visitation/Viewing
• Cemetery plot

What Are Some Other Costs Related to Final Expenses?

There are some other costs related to final expenses that are sometimes overlooked:

• Doctor Bills
• Legal costs are the time of death such as taxes or probate
• Debts
• Mortgage, credit cards, and car payments

What Is the Best Final Expense Insurance Policy Provider?

Global Life is known as the leading provider for quality coverage and affordable rates. AARP burial insurance is another very popular option.

Burial Insurance Frequently Asked Questions

1. What steps do I need to take to apply for final expense insurance?

The application process is very easy. All that you need to do is fill out a short form. This form is not used to screen you, but rather to help you choose the policy that best fits your needs.

2. Can my burial policy ever be canceled?

No. The only way your policy would ever been canceled is if you commit fraud or your fail to pay your premium on time.

3. Are my family members required to spend the insurance money on my burial costs only?

No. Whoever receives your insurance policy funds will be able to choose how he/she wants to use the said funds. There are no restrictions.

Below is a checklist of things you need to consider before you purchase burial insurance:

• You need to research your own state laws on preneed insurance.
• Before deciding on a burial insurance policy, make sure to discuss all of your options with your lawyer and your family to make sure that it lines up with your estate planning and will.
• Find out what percentage of the total plan value that you will actually received in benefits.
• Make sure to verify the license of everyone that you work with before signing a policy.
• Take advantage of “free look” laws that your state may have that allows you to review your policy before you are locked in.
• Make sure you get a written price list of available goods and services, as required by the Federal Trade Commission.
• Make sure you have a friend or family member with you to help you look through the paperwork.
• Never accept any documents that have been fully filled out and signed while you are not present.
• Just in case you move, make sure that your funeral arrangements can
  be moved to any funeral home.
• Ask if your particular state requires that you be able to cash out your burial benefits at any time.
• Your grave site should already be located by section, row, and plot number.
• The policy should specifically state the type of outer burial container that you have purchases. It will either be a grave liner or a vault. Also, as what it is made out of.
• The policy should also clearly state what kind of marker you purchased including size, material, and style. If you can, get a sketch,
• Find out what recourse you have if the cemetery runs out of cash and then defaults on your policy.
• Ask about what happens if your cemetery runs out of burial plots.
• Make sure you get at least one statement a year that details the status of you account.
• Find out what happens if you cancel your burial insurance. You maybe be reimbursed for products and services, but still be stuck with the burial plot.

Now that you have this information, use it to make sure you get the policy that is best for you.

Since burial costs are still rising, even a $10,000 burial insurance policy purchased today may not pay the entire funeral bill when the time comes. In order to pay the price you may have to use funds from your major life insurance policy. Dean Lambert, the director of marketing for Homesteaders Life Co, says that this trend is becoming more frequent. “When that lump sum goes to the family, they will spend it on whatever they have to. They shouldn’t have to spend it all on the funeral, but that might be the case. If they are grieving, they may not make the most informed choices, perhaps spending more than they should”.

If you take a step back and look at the industry as a whole you will see why the preneed industry is not feeling the effects of the recession. Americans are getting older, the baby boomers are nearing the end of their lives and therefore there is a great demand for funeral related products and services. If you couple this with the fact that prices continue to increase for these goods and services, you can see how easy the industry has it. President of the Life Insurers Council, Bruce Dalzell, says, “More senior citizens have the money today for these expenses, and they are independent. They don’t want to leave this burden on their loved ones”.

An individual’s preferences play a huge role when determining coverage options. Burial insurance is very personal; there is no “one size fits all” option. Instead, you pick and choose the goods and services that you see fit. This leaves the choice up to you and not an insurance agent or funeral director. They are taken out of the decision making process and are just there to write up a policy that covers the things that you want.

Some of the common products and services available for purchase are:

• Grave marker
• Flowers
• The plot
• A casket or urn
• Embalming (not required by law unless there is a public viewing)
• Cremation
• Hearse and other burial vehicles
• Burial vault or grave liner
• Digging and filling the grave
  
  

In the next article in the series we will discuss a checklist that you need to go through before buying burial life insurance.

While these questions may seem a bit morbid they are certainly not unreasonable. There are actually many reasons to preplan and even prepay your final arrangements before you absolutely need to. There is even a product called preened insurance, also known as burial and funeral insurance (which is basically low cost term life insurance) that is intended for the aforementioned purpose.

Burial insurance deviates from other kinds of insurance because it is a matter of “when” instead of a matter of “what if”. With this insurance, you can plan out all your final details and then pay for it in advance.

Kevin Gough of Conning & Co., an insurance research firm, says, “People aren’t buying this for the financial benefit, but rather to lock in and prearrange their funeral their way”. He later mentions, “Whether it’s a velvet-lined casket or a particular type of service, it guarantees they’ll have the funeral they want.”

When looking at burial insurance from its most fundamental level, it seems as though it is a no-brainer purchase. However, a string of funeral insurance scams across the nation (affecting thousands of policy holders) gives a loud warning that you must do your homework when buying burial insurance, maybe even more homework than when trying to decide on other types of insurance. There has been much controversy over elderly people allegedly being tricked into paying more in premiums than they will actually receive in claims (sounds like “Social Security”). In fact, states including Florida have tried to pass legislation that would ban this practice.

Funeral prearrangement is not a new concept. According to the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), more and more people over the last 30 years have decided to look into preplanning. Recent industry wide events have put the focus on prefunding of these ceremonies.

In the past, funerals were normally paid for via trusts (a set amount of money that is set aside to cover final expenses). Trusts are no hard to make, but you have to think about the tax liabilities if you are considering moving out of state. Alternatively, some people set up something called “final life expense” insurance. These are designed to have small coverage limits, around $10,000, and are specifically for covering burial costs.

In the next article in this series we will start off talking about rising funeral costs.

1. Will my burial expenses really be covered by term insurance?

Unfortunately, most burial expenses will not be covered by term insurance. The problem with term policies is that they only cover you for a particular amount time (normally 5 to 15 years). Most people live longer than their term policy and therefore have no benefit once they pass on. Alternatively, burial insurance policies cover you for your entire life.

2. What about “Guaranteed Issue” (aka. “Non-Medical”) life insurance? Is it a good option?

Whenever you hear the phrase “no medical questions” or “guaranteed acceptance”…keep your guard up since its usually a scam. Some life insurance sites say this is the best option, but this is simply contrary to the facts. There is a “deductible” (or waiting period) of 2-3 years before your full benefits start, while full coverage plans offer “immediate” coverage. Unless you are the pinnacle of health…I would not advise you go this route.

3. Who is allowed to receive the death benefits of my policy?

Generally, you can choose a relative, spouse, someone with a vested interest in you (like a business partner), a charity, or even a close friend.

4. What if I get sick after I’m covered. Can companies cancel my policy?

A change in your health will not cancel your policy. However, you must take note of when your premiums are due in order to keep your coverage.

5. Can the benefits that are paid on my burial insurance policy be used for things other than burial expenses?

Yes. The person (or charity) that receives the benefits has the sole discretion on how the funds are to be used. They are generally used only for burial expenses, but they can be used for anything if desired.

6. Is a “Guaranteed Issue” (or “Non-Medical”) plan the only type of burial insurance that is offered?

There is a large selection of products available for your burial needs. Most of them do not have those pesky waiting periods, like guaranteed issue does. Most burial insurance polices have immediate, first day coverage with very few medical questions. Also, many do not require a medical exam.

7. Why is burial insurance more money than term insurance?

This is because of the fact that a burial plan covers you for your whole life. It can also not be canceled if you simply pay your premiums. Term plans cover you for only a certain amount of time. Once that period ends you have absolutely no coverage, they will not pay any benefits after the term has ended. Most individuals live longer than their term policies. You cannot outlive your burial insurance policy. This is why exclusive life insurance leads are so popular, it is by far the better choice.

8. Are you allowed to purchase a life insurance policy on a parent that already has life insurance?

Yes, usually this is fine.

If you are looking for burial insurance for someone in your family that has a critical illness, then you may want to look at critical illness cover insurance instead.