Your FAQ to Insurance

Income Protection Insurance

Very few of us are wealthy enough to cope without the security of our weekly or monthly pay check so imagine the hardship you or your family would face if if you were suddenly laid off or illness prevented you from working. Without cash in the bank or income protection insurance life could get very difficult very quickly.

Losing your source of income is a challenge to any sane person, and truly frightening too. In the modern age we don’t have the comfort of knowing we can hunt for food, or that our shelter can be found in a cave, instead we live in towns and cities and even if we own our house, we still need to spend money. Money requires income, so protection insurance becomes very important if we want to maintain our lifestyle.

It’s true that most developed nations have some sort of social security system in place, but of course it tends to be less than minimum wage or pretty close to it. We work because we want a better life, with more earning potential, and the sudden drop from a good income to minimum wage is a shock.

A typical income insurance policy is going to cover your after tax earnings as per the contract you have with your insurer, so depending on tax rates in your state you could receive anywhere from 75% to less than 50% of your earnings, however income protection insurance is not intended to be profitable, only to keep your income more or less constant.

Theoretically, income protection insurance is intended to match the value of your normal income after tax, to allow you to continue to pay your expenses including rent or mortgage payments, and feed your family. If you were already living on a tight budget, income protection insurance payouts won’t improve your situation.

Finding an insurer to offer coverage isn’t difficult, actually most banks, credit unions, credit card providers, and other financial services corporations will have a policy you could take out. Often your health insurance company will also have a policy, but all policies are different, some will only cover income protection from accident or illness, others also cover redundancy. Read more »

Contents Insurance

We understand at FAQ Insurance that taking out contents insurance is an optional insurance policy, however we believe it’s still necessary. In the greater scheme of things it’s a small price to pay when you consider how much you could loose in the event of a disaster.

Tempting fate is one game we don’t like to play, especially when you could possibly loose the contents of your home to theft, fire or storm damage. Contents insurance cover is needed, otherwise you could be faced with a clean up bill that you might not be able to afford. Worse than that you’ll be living in the home with little or no contents, whilst the repairs are being done.

This kind of scenario can be avoided as contents insurance can be affordable if you don’t opt for the most expensive insurance policy. When you take out inexpensive contents insurance your home is protected and your monthly budget is still on track.

Contents insurance usually covers all of your household items, that aren’t considered  part of the actual structure of the home. Items like electrical goods, the clothing you wear, the furniture, and bits and pieces you own, should all be covered under the one policy. Strangely enough it may include the contents of your fridge/freezer.

Tenants you also need to be aware it’s not your responsibility to insure the landlords furniture under your contents insurance policy. If the landlord chooses not to take out contents insurance the consequences are for them to deal with. Always make sure you have a copy of their building insurance policy in case something happens to the property. Read more »

50cc Bike Insurance

Have you ever thought of an alternative way of getting around the city? Small motorbikes are a great way to avoid traffic and make an otherwise long trip bearable. No matter if you’re driving to your office or just going for a ride, a 50cc bike is a fun and safe way to get around if you also take out 50cc bike insurance in case of an accident.

It’s very easy to find a the right insurance for your 50cc motorbike. Unlike searching for other insurances, shopping for insurance for a small bike shouldn’t cause you too much distress as there aren’t so many offers to choose from.

Scooters and mopeds are a great way of avoiding traffic and are much cheaper to purchase. Prices for mopeds start from $1500 and are far more economic to maintain than a car. The size of the vehicle engine of a 50cc bike is obviously quite small and therefore the cost of insuring it will be very reasonable.

Mopeds are usually restricted to 50cc these days, which means they don’t operate at high speeds. Although they’re slower than a car, they still have the advantage that the cost for insurance is far more affordable.

Your moped may not be a rocket, but at a low running speed this makes your ride safer, the insurance and fuel costs are lower and you still get from A to B on otherwise congested roads.

A small car has a relatively high running cost, and it would also be difficult to find a decent second hand one to purchase in the first place. Although you might strike it lucky in finding one, the insurance cover will make you think the whole exercise is rather costly. Read more »

Building Insurance

When the structure of your property has been damaged or your home has been lost to fire or natural disaster, isn’t it safe to say that having building insurance would make life a whole lot easier, especially when it comes time to repair or rebuild the property.

The costs to repair the damage or to reconstruct your property doesn’t need to be a financial burden, if you’ve taken out building insurance. Building insurance cover does differ so it’s important to know if you want to take out current market value insurance or fixed value insurance.

Unfortunately market value can rise or fall depending on the salable value of your property, and because of it’s unfixed nature your building insurance might fall short and this won’t cover the costs to rebuild your property.

By talking to a mortgage lender or insurance company they can discuss with benefits and risks involved depending on the type of  building insurance cover you take out. Taking out 100% insurance cover gives you the peace of mind that no matter if the damage is minor or major it will cover the full replacement costs.

This is why mortgage lenders insist on you having building insurance, because they want their loan to be secure and your asset to be protected. Read more »