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The International Society of Life Settlement Professionals has announced it will be hosting a series of educational webinars beginning Wednesday October 21. The first of three monthly webinars will serve as a follow-up meeting to discuss the recent Senate Finance Subcommittee hearing about the life settlement industry as well as the recent issues in the media such as life settlement securitization.

"Our webinar sessions will enable participants to perform objective and in-depth analysis of industry developments and expose any conduct that would diminish the value of life settlement (life settlements investment) transactions," said Andreas Hauss, ISLSP founder. "These transactions offer the seller needed liquidity and the investor non-correlated diversification to rebuild their wealth in these difficult economic times."

The recent senate hearing was about misconceptions about the prospective securitization of senior life settlements investment policies despite contrary and verifiable knowledge that life settlements do not pose risks similar to those experiences with mortgage backed securities.

Most importantly, subcommittee member Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) warned the committee to not confuse the Wall Street misbehavior that led to the current economic hardships with an industry that’s "helping people get the full value of their policies."

In the current economy, more people than ever are working from home. While there are many benefits to having a home office, there are also several issues that need to be considered. Getting insurance for home offices is one problem. After all, not only is this your residence, but it’s also your business.

One example is with personal liability. While your home owner insurance might cover you for injuries sustained if a delivery person is injured while dropping off a personal item, it would not cover you if the same delivery person was dropping off business supplies.

In a similar vein, free home insurance quotes would provide you rates for coverage that would replace your personal items. However, these policies likely would not cover your business items such as computers, fax machines and more. This is why it’s a good idea to get a separate business policy if you have a serious home business.

The American Home Insurance Association has launched a new initiative designed to let homeowners know how important it is to take advantage of the many opportunities to get a home owner insurance quote and see for themselves the types of savings that are available on the open market.

“There are too many people making false economies,” said spokesperson Adam Schwartz. “Sure, times are tough and it’s hard to keep up the installments, but too many people are reducing the amount of their coverage to save dollars.”

Instead, the AHIA recommends that instead of cutting back on the amount of coverage afforded by their home insurance policies, homeowners should conduct several free home insurance searches and perform simple tasks to get better policy deals. These steps can make insurance premiums more affordable, even in tough economic times.

You might think that homeowners insurance would include your house and everything on your property. But the truth is that many policies have exclusions that can limit what is covered in your plan. Here are a few of the more common exclusions that you will want to be aware of when getting home insurance quotes.

• Damage to fences and walls: If a tree falls on your house during a storm, you are likely to be covered. But most home insurance policies don’t cover damage to fences, walls and other external areas.
• Damage to unoccupied homes: If a home has been left unoccupied for a month or more, the insurance policy might exclude coverage for damage caused by water or oil leakage. This could also apply to burglary and other malicious acts.

These are just a few examples of why it’s important to read your insurance policy to understand what is or isn’t covered.

As the number of unemployed workers continues to increase every month, people who have lost their jobs find themselves with many questions about unemployment, including what their options are for health insurance now that they are out of work. A quick look at insurance quotes online will show that the premiums on individual insurance policies can be very expensive and financially burdensome to someone who is already struggling to pay rent/mortgage and bills. And an online insurance quote may become even higher when dependents require coverage as well.

For workers who become unemployed, there’s another option: the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, or COBRA. This gives you the right to carry your previous group health insurance coverage from your employer for up to 18 months. Unlike when you were employed, you must pay the full premium, but most workers find that it is less than individual premiums for similar coverage.

According to the Insurance Information Institute, COBRA is available to people who leave their jobs or become unemployed, as well as to widows/widowers of an employee who died while working for the same company for at least three years, divorced spouses/children of an employee who left the company after being employed for at least three years, and children under 23 of employees who left a job. However, the employer must complete the required paperwork within 60 days of leaving his or her job to become eligible for COBRA benefits.

If you were previously enrolled in a health plan through your job, you may be able to avoid the premiums associated with an individual policy. Insurance online quote services may not alert you to the COBRA option, so be sure to investigate it with your previous employer as soon as possible.

Most renters forgo renters’ insurance thinking that the landlord’s insurance will cover losses in the event of a theft or fire. However, most landlords’ policies don’t cover any of their tenants’ personal belongings. This means that all of your valuables, including electronics, computers, clothing, antiques, furniture, jewelry, and others are at stake if the building burns down, suffers water damage, or is vandalized. It also means that you will be liable for all expenses related to any injury that a visitor incurs while in your apartment, including legal expenses.

What does renters’ insurance cover? According to the Insurance Information Institute (III), most policies name certain “perils” against which it will protect the policyholder, including fire or lighting, vandalism/theft, smoke, windstorms, and water damage. Standard policies generally cover cost-of-living expenses as well in case you are displaced by one of the named perils.

When shopping for insurance quotes, be aware that there are two different types of renters’ insurance policies, says the III. An Actual Cash Value policy will cover the value of your possessions (minus a deduction for depreciation) up to the limit of the policy. A Replacement Cost policy will cover the value of your possessions (with no deduction) up to the limit of the policy. In addition, you may want to get an insurance quote for a “floater.” A floater provides coverage for items that exceed the limit of the policy and covers them for accidental loss. If you’re looking on the Internet for renters insurance, online quote services will list a floater as a separate policy. 

A medical emergency can be one of the most terrifying situations you’ll ever experience. Very few of us have been trained on how to handle this type of crisis quickly and efficiently. And if the medical emergency takes place while you’re traveling abroad, the unfamiliar sights, sounds, and languages can make the situation even more frightening—as well as put you at greater risk for failure to receive the care you need when you need it.

In order to reduce this risk, take the following precautions before you start your trip:

• Purchase travel health insurance. The cost of private healthcare abroad may be prohibitively high, and healthcare at local facilities may be inaccessible or unavailable at your time of need. A pre-purchased health insurance plan will give you flexibility and the financial benefits of health insurance. If you are moving to a foreign country, consider international health insurance to protect you while living overseas.
• Contact the local U.S. Embassy to obtain a list of physicians and facilities for Americans who require medical attention abroad. Most travel health insurance plans allow you to see any doctor within a specified coverage area, so it’s a good idea to identify your options beforehand and carry that information with you in the event of an emergency. Get the local embassy’s contact information at http://www.usembassy.gov/.
• Receive the proper vaccinations before traveling. For entry into some countries, vaccinations are required. Getting a physical is also wise to rule out any possible problems that could be exacerbated by the conditions of the country to which you are traveling.
• Pack a medical emergency kit containing any prescriptions, aids, and/or devices that you may need. Be sure to include a medical ID bracelet or identification tag if you have a condition that warrants wearing one. Even if you’re a perfectly healthy 20-year-old and have purchased international student health insurance, the contents of a comprehensive medical emergency kit could provide valuable aid until professional medical attention can be received.

While life settlements provide policyholders with an opportunity to receive cash from their unwanted life insurance policies, they are also beneficial for businesses in need of additional capital during the recession. In order to benefit from this type of collateralization, investors need to designate a certain amount of their investment funds to purchasing life insurance settlements. A senior life settlement portfolio will then produce principle.

According to many senior life settlement brokers, these settlements provide a guaranteed payout. However, just like any other financial investment strategy, there are risks involved. When an investor purchases a life settlement, they are required to pay the premium until the original owner dies. In addition, many investors have been victimized through fraud. It is important to choose a qualified and experienced company to handle such a transaction.  Recent revenue rulings may be the beginning of a new era for life settlements. On May 1, the IRS issued RR 2009-13 and RR2009-14—two revenue rulings that deal with life insurance settlements, Web CPA reports. The former provides guidance to policyholders who sell their life insurance plans, while the later offers guidance to the investors who purchase them. How much guidance will be provided is not clear at this time, however, it may be the answer to making sound life settlements investment options.

For life insurance policy holders that are age 70 or older, life settlements have become a popular option if the policy has a high enough value.  Independent reports have estimated that among this group of seniors, as many as 20% have policies that possess a higher value on the market than they do if the owner were to cash it out with the carrier.  Unfortunately, many policy owners are still unfamiliar with the life settlement options that are available to them.

However, this is apt to change with the attention that the concept is gaining in the media and elsewhere.  A number of prestigious media sources have written about life insurance settlements, including Business Week, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and Time Magazine.  There are also several high-profile proponents who are working to bring the option to the forefront and ensure that more seniors are aware of the value that their policies might hold.  These include former U.S. Representative Bill Gradison and Warren Buffett.

While it used to be that policy holders would only learn about this option if the financial professionals that they worked with chose to mention it, the idea that presenting this option to a client should be standard procedure is gaining popularity with financial experts.  There is a new emphasis by established professionals that clients should be educated on the life settlement process if there is the possibility that they could benefit from it.

When searching for the right dental insurance plan, it is important to go with an experienced benefits carrier, such as Delta Dental. With more than 50 years of experience, the company and its 39 member companies provide coverage to more than 51 million people in the US, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. That is why Dental and Vision 4 U is proud to carry Delta Dental insurance.

Delta Dental focuses on providing quality group, individual, and family dental insurance that is also affordable. With the largest network of dentists in the country, they are able to negotiate low rates and pass them on to customers. Dental benefit programs, such as Delta Dental Premier has more than three out of every four of the country’s dentists participating in their pre-negotiated fees. With such a large number of participating dentists, customers can also benefit from office locations that are closer to home.

Dental and Vision 4 U has made it easy to find the dental insurance plan that is right for you and your family. In addition to offering Delta Dental insurance, we also carry group, family, and individual dental plans from a wide variety of other leading health insurance companies. Customers can compare many plans to find the best possible match. The website offers comprehensive information on plan benefits, highlights, and costs—without any pressure to go with a specific carrier.