INSURANCE

I N S U R A N C E

Insurance in broad terms may be described as a method of sharing financial losses of few from  a common fund who are equally exposed to the same loss.

Example

n  Say 1000 motor cars valued @ 300000/- are observed over a period of five years. On an average say per year two are total loss by accident. Then the total annual loss  would be Rs.600000. If the loss is to shared by all the thousand owners then they have to contribute Rs.600/-

n  The loss experience will be established by taking the past experience, geographical area in which the vehicles are used and density of traffic.

What is insurance?

The definition of insurance can be made from two points:

ž  Functional definition.

ž  Contractual definition.

FUNCTIONAL DEFINITION

ž  Insurance is a co-operative device to spread the loss caused by a particular risk over a number of persons who are exposed to it and who agree to insure themselves against the risk.

Contractual Definition

ž  In the words of justice Tindall, “Insurance is a contract in which a sum of money is paid to the assured as consideration of insurer’s incurring the risk of paying a large sum upon a given contingency.”

TYPE OF INSURANCE

LIFE   INSURANCE

   Life insurance is a written contract between the insured and the insurer, that provides for the payment of the insured sum on the date of the maturity of the contract or on the unfortunate death of the insured, whichever occurs earlier.

GENERAL INSURANCE

ž  General insurance or non-life insurance policies, including automobile and homeowners policies, provide payments depending on the loss from a particular financial event. General insurance typically comprises any insurance that is not determined to be life insurance.

UMBRELLA INSURANCE

Umbrella Insurance: Examples of Actual Claims


 Personal umbrella insurance is additional liability insurance, designed to pay out on top of your existing auto and homeowner’s/renter’s insurance policies. For example, you may only have $300,000 in liability coverage on your car insurance. If you are hit with a claim of $1,000,000, you would be on the hook for $700,000 yourself unless you had an adequate umbrella insurance policy.

Few example scenarios:

• You are an car accident with multiple people with serious injuries, and the medical bills are astronomical.
• You are in a car accident on the freeway involving a semi-truck carrying $750,000 of cargo.
• An acquaintance gets injured at your house.
• You are a chaperone on a field trip and one of the kids hurts themselves.
• You host a party, someone else brings alcohol, and someone underage gets hurt or DUIs.
• Your son or daughter borrows a friend’s car, and wrecks the car or injures someone.

The article also presents some good questions to ask about coverage details and possible exclusions, which I will need to follow-up on. Mrs. MMB and I pay about $300 a year for $2 million of umbrella insurance covering two cars and a homeowner’s policy. We find it a good value for the peace of mind it gives.

You can get a third-part insurer to be the umbrella over differing auto and/or homeowner’s insurers, as long as you have the required liability amounts underneath. I wouldn’t fall for the argument that if you don’t have significant assets – especially as compared to your current liability limits – then you don’t need umbrella insurance. If you have $100,000 and are covered for $100,000, what if you are found liable for $200,000? You’d still be completely broke – and how long did it take you to accumulate that in the first place?

INSURANCE

INSURANCE

What Does Insurance Mean?

A contract (policy) in which an individual or entity receives financial protection or reimbursement against losses from an insurance company. The company pools clients' risks to make payments more affordable for the insured.

When shopping around for an insurance policy, look for the best priced package that is right for you - prices can vary from one insurance company to the next. And make sure you know what you want. Some individuals, for example, prefer 24-hour claims service or face-to-face contact with an insurance representative. Also consider the claims settlement process, the amount of the deductible and the extent of the replacement coverage. Insurance companies and the policies they offer are not all the same, so think about more than just the price.

Umbrella Insurance Policy

What Does Umbrella Insurance Policy Mean?
Extra liability insurance coverage that goes beyond the limits of the insured's home, auto or watercraft insurance. It provides an additional layer of security to those who are at risk for being sued for damages to other people's property or injuries caused to others in an accident. It also protects against libel, vandalism, slander and invasion of privacy. An umbrella insurance policy is very helpful when the insurance owner is sued and the dollar limit of the original policy has been exhausted. The added coverage provided by liability insurance is most useful to individuals who own a lot of assets or very expensive assets and are at significant risk for being sued.

The premium for an umbrella insurance policy may be less expensive if the policy is purchased from the same insurer that provided the original auto, home or watercraft insurance. Depending on the provider, the policyholder who wants to add umbrella insurance policy is required to have a base insurance coverage of $150,000 to $250,000 for auto insurance and $250,000 to $300,000 for homeowners insurance. 

Umbrella Personal Liability Policy

What Does Umbrella Personal Liability Policy Mean?
A type of insurance policy that provides excess coverage above and beyond the liability coverage amounts in a standard insurance policy. The umbrella policy provides extra protection in the event that a lawsuit exceeds the basic level of coverage in the standard policy.

An umbrella personal liability policy extends the basic coverage provided in different types of liability coverage, including home, auto, boat and tenant policies. This type of policy provides broad coverage, meaning that some claims that would not be covered by a standard policy may be covered under the umbrella policy. However, an umbrella policy only kicks in once the regular coverage amount is exceeded. Generally, the insured's standard policies must contain minimum levels of liability coverage that are specified by the insurance company in order to add an umbrella policy, and therefore, greater liability coverage.

Liability Insurance

What Does Liability Insurance Mean?
Any type of insurance policy that protects an individual or business from the risk that they may  be sued and held legally liable for something such as malpractice, injury or negligence. Liability insurance policies cover both legal costs and any legal payouts for which the insured would be responsible if found legally liable. Intentional damage and contractual liabilities are typically not covered in these types of policies.

Liability insurance is very important for those who may be held legally liable for the injuries of others, especially medical practitioners and business owners. A product manufacturer may purchase product liability insurance to cover them if a product is faulty and causes damage to the purchasers or any other third party. Business owners may purchase liability insurance that covers them if an employee is injured during business operations.

Professional Liability Insurance

What Does Professional Liability Insurance Mean?
Insurance that protects professionals such as accountants, lawyers and physicians against negligence and other claims initiated by their clients. It is required by professionals who have expertise in a specific area because general liability insurance policies do not offer protection against claims arising out of business or professional practices such as negligence, malpractice or misrepresentation.  

Depending on the profession, professional liability insurance may have different names, such as medical malpractice insurance for the medical profession, and errors & omissions insurance for real estate agents. Professional liability insurance is a specialty coverage that is not provided under homeowners' endorsements, in-home business policies or business-owners' policies. It only covers claims made during the policy period.

Adjuster

What Does Adjuster Mean?
An insurance claims agent. A claims adjuster is charged with evaluating an insurance claim to determine the insurance company's liability under the terms of an owner's policy.

There are different types of adjusters. They may represent the insurance company, they may be hired by the claimant (public adjusters) or they may be independent. The two types of claims most frequently investigated are property claims and liability claims.

Life Insurance

What Does Life Insurance Mean?
A protection against the loss of income that would result if the insured passed away. The named beneficiary receives the proceeds and is thereby safeguarded from the financial impact of the death of the insured.

The goal of life insurance is to provide a measure of financial security for your family after you die. So, before purchasing a life insurance policy, you should consider your financial situation and the standard of living you want to maintain for your dependents or survivors. For example, who will be responsible for your funeral costs and final medical bills? Would your family have to relocate? Will there be adequate funds for future or ongoing expenses such as daycare, mortgage payments and college? It is prudent to re-evaluate your life insurance policies annually or when you experience a major life event like marriage, divorce, the birth or adoption of a child, or purchase of a major item such as a house or business.

Premium

What Does Premium Mean?
1. The total cost of an option.

2. The difference between the higher price paid for a fixed-income security and the security's face amount at issue.

3. The specified amount of payment required periodically by an insurer to provide coverage under a given insurance plan for a defined period of time. The premium is paid by the insured party to the insurer, and primarily compensates the insurer for bearing the risk of a payout should the insurance agreement's coverage be required.

1. The premium of an option is basically the sum of the option's intrinsic and time value. It is important to note that volatility also affects the premium.

2. If a fixed-income security (bond) is purchased at a premium, existing interest rates are lower than the coupon rate. Investors pay a premium for an investment that will return an amount greater than existing interest rates.

3. A common example of an insurance premium comes from auto insurance. A vehicle owner can insure the value of his or her vehicle against loss resulting from accident, theft and other potential problems. The owner usually pays a fixed premium amount in exchange for the insurance company's guarantee to cover any economic losses incurred under the scope of the agreement.

Reinsurance

What Does Reinsurance Mean?
The practice of insurers transferring portions of risk portfolios to other parties by some form of agreement in order to reduce the likelihood of having to pay a large obligation resulting from an insurance claim. The intent of reinsurance is for an insurance company to reduce the risks associated with underwritten policies by spreading risks across alternative institutions.

Also known as "insurance for insurers" or "stop-loss insurance".

Overall, the reinsurance company receives pieces of a larger potential obligation in exchange for some of the money the original insurer received to accept the obligation.

The party that diversifies its insurance portfolio is known as the ceding party. The party that accepts a portion of the potential obligation in exchange for a share of the insurance premium is known as the reinsurer. 

Term Life Insurance

What Does Term Life Insurance Mean?
A policy with a set duration limit on the coverage period. Once the policy is expired, it is up to the policy owner to decide whether to renew the term life insurance policy or to let the coverage end. This type of insurance policy contrasts with permanent life insurance, in which duration extends until the policy owner reaches 100 years of age (i.e. death). 

These types of policies provide a stated benefit upon the death of the policy owner, provided that the death occurs within a specific time period. However, the policy does not provide any returns beyond the stated benefit, unlike permanent life insurance policies, which have a savings component that can be used for wealth accumulation. 

Business Insurance

What Does Business Insurance Mean?
Insurance coverage that protects businesses from losses due to events that may occur during the normal course of business. There are many types of insurance for businesses including coverage for property damage, legal liability and employee-related risks. Companies evaluate their insurance needs based on potential risks, which can vary depending on the type of environment in which the company operates.

It is especially important for small business owners to carefully consider and evaluate their business insurance needs because they may have more personal financial exposure in the event of loss.  If a business owner does not feel he or she has the ability to effectively asses business risk and the need for coverage, he or she should work with a reputable, experienced and licensed insurance broker. You can obtain a list of licensed agents in your state through your state's department of insurance or the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

Business Liability Insurance

What Does Business Liability Insurance Mean?
Insurance that protects a company and/or business owner in the event of a formal lawsuit or other third-party claim. Coverage includes any financial liability incurred in addition to expenses related to the company's legal defense. There are three main types of business liability insurance:  general liability insurance, professional liability insurance and product liability insurance.

If you are a small business owner, your form of ownership - especially a partnership or sole proprietorship - could put your personal finances at risk in the event of a business-related lawsuit.  Even under a limited liability corporation (LLC) you could still be exposed to personal risk. Business liability insurance can provide you with greater insurance protection than is offered by your legal structure.

New or additional insurance policies should contain an exclusions clause to minimize cost by avoiding duplications of coverage provided in other policies and/or to eliminate any unneeded coverage.