Save up to 45% on UK Car Insurance with Car Insurance Direct

Save on UK motor insurance with names and products such as:

★ Lloyds TSB Car Insurance,
★ Asda Car Insurance,
★ Post Office Car Insurance,
★ RAC Car Insurance,
★ AA Car Insurance,
★ AA European Breakdown Cover
★ Car Insurance for Women ... and more.

Choosing the right Car Insurance

Car insurance, much like anything else, comes in all shapes and sizes, and it's important to ensure you choose the right motor insurance for your vehicle; choosing your car insurance carelessly is a decision you might come to regret.
In fact, according to the Automobile Association, 88% of new AA car insurance customers, taking part in a recent study found their AA car insurance premium was less expensive than the price quoted by their previous motor insurance provider. Of course, cheap doesn't necessarily mean good, and it's no good having a £5 a year car insurance policy if it never actually covers you for anything worth being covered for.
That's why, after a lot of research and obtaining car insurance quotes from dozens of online - and offline - sources, we recommend UK motor insurance only from the following websites: Sure, it's easy to find a cheap insurance quote and purchase your car insurance online, but it's really not of much benefit if, when you really need it - after an accident, for example - you phone your car insurance company and they tell you that you're only covered for the first so many miles, or that your motor insurance doesn't cover you for a particular type of accident; believe it or not, there are many car insurance policies just like that. They look great at the time, and maybe right now even you have had the same policy for a year or two, but when it comes to the crunch (possibly literally) you may well find your car insurance company lacking.

Choosing the right Car Insurance is time consuming ...

If you had to individually check each car insurance company for a free quote, in order to find the best car insurance prices, then you'd probably need to take a few days off work to get the quotes, and then hunker down for another few days to study all the information. It's time consuming, right? But you don't have time for all of that, and so you just send in your renewal form from last year for the same car insurance (just because it's easier than finding another car insurance company) or just click on the first car insurance link that you find on the web because it looks like a good deal (forgetting to realise, of course, that they don't tell you all the things the policy lacks) ...


It's definitely a problem for many people, and that's why, at Car Insurance Direct, we have taken the time to review UK car insurance companies, and their motor insurance policies, in detail. The result is clear, and is what has been obvious to many people for a long time; and that is that many car insurance companies simply do not provide good value for money. It simply isn't right that you can end up in any accident that is not your fault, and yet still end up out-of-pocket because of someone else's carelessness; it's also not right that some car insurance companies - even when your claim is valid, and the insurance company has accepted they are liable - you're then waiting for months on end for your cheque ... and the list goes on. So remember, your car insurance company may often tout some big saving or other, but will rarely be so forthcoming with the limitations of their motor insurance policies. The same is also true for van insurance and motorcycle insurance plans.

What we have done is to take all the legwork out of finding car insurance, endeavouring to save you not only a huge amount of time, but also a considerable amount of money. How do I save money on car insurance, with Car Insurance Direct? First of all, by choosing to use one of the companies we have already screened for their car insurance coverage, you have already saved money by saving your time. However, it is easier to quantify the money you save by comparing your car insurance quote, from any one of the several motor insurance companies we recommend, to the car insurance premiums you paid last year, with your existing car insurance company. That's real money. That's money that actually stays in your bank account that you would otherwise have given to your current car insurance company!

Choosing Car Insurance with Car Insurance Direct

So, rather than spending time and wasting money on car insurance that doesn't provide good insurance coverage, and doesn't put your best interests first, we're sure you'd agree that it makes a lot more sense to choose to buy from a car insurance company that comes pre-approved, researched, and one that does put your car and your wallet first. The companies we recommend are on our list of approved car insurance companies for just one good reason. Because they're good. Although some of the companies we recommend are probably not the first names that spring to mind when researching car insurance, they are, nonetheless, companies that offer all types of car insurance (including van insurance and motorcycle insurance), with above-average service, above-average coverage and benefits, but with below-average prices. We think that these criteria alone make these companies worthy of our Car Insurance Direct approved car insurance list.

We Recommend ...

So, you've already spent more time than you intended to researching motor insurance, and now it's time to choose. Here are the steps we recommend, along with our list of preferred car insurance companies:

• First, bookmark this page, so you can easily find the list of recommended insurance companies again
• Secondly, visit as many of the five companies we recommend as you can
• Choose the insurance cover you need, whether it is Fully Comprehensive, Third Party only or Fire & Theft protection
• At each of the sites, request your free car insurance quote, and save the quote
• After visiting all five sites, and getting insurance quotes from each, simply go with the one that best suits your needs

... and, after that, we hope you'll recommend this page to someone else who you'd like to save money on car insurance.


Remember, these are companies that are pre-researched; we've already done the hard work so that you don't have to. However, definitely check the policies as thoroughly as you want to with each of the companies, but we're confident that, when you purchase car insurance from any one of our recommended list of motor insurance companies, you'll not be disappointed.

Car Insurance Benefits and Features

Here are just some of the features and benefits you'll find with the car insurance providers we have recommended:

* A dedicated UK claimline that is available 24-hours a day, 365 days a year

* Save time with quick and secure online motor insurance quotes

* A courtesy car while your car is being repaired by an approved repairer

* Windscreen and window repairs with no loss of your no-claims discount

* Fast, friendly, expert claims service

* Generous No Claims Discount

* Save on your car insurance by including RAC breakdown service

* Easy monthly payments option

* Optional breakdown cover

* Personal accident cover up to £7,500

* Medical expenses up to £300 per person (£400 if you're an AA member)

* 35% discount off AA Breakdown Cover when you buy with AA car insurance online

* Assistance with overnight accommodation or onward transport following an accident

* Hire car option, should the worst happen, and you become stranded

* Show you car insurance policy features and benefits before you get a quote, so you know what cover you'll get

* Get the best possible car insurance quote from a panel of leading insurers

* Choice of cover, between fully comprehensive or third-party fire and theft

* Get fully comprehensive cover with a truly comprehensive range of policy features and benefits

* Get the best price from dozens of top insurers with a single click

* Quality car insurance you can rely on

UK Car Insurance for Women Like it or not, sexual discrimination within the car insurance business is as rife as anywhere else. The bottom line is that women do not always get a great deal when it comes to car insurance in the UK. If you don't think it's fair that a woman, of the same age, living in the same area, with the exact same driving record, and driving the same vehicle, pays more for her driving insurance than the equivalent male, then nor do we. In fact, it's far from right, and so we set out to find the car insurance company and motor policy that offered women the best deals. So, if you, like us, think that women should be treated equally when it comes to car insurance, then join the club. In fact all of the five companies on our Car Insurance Direct list provide good insurance for both men and women alike, but if one company deserves special mention, then ASDA Car Insurance surely merits it, and consistently makes the grade. Nonetheless, don't think that ASDA car insurance is only for women. It definitely isn't, and men will also reap the rewards when choosing to sign up with ASDA car insurance.

Other Car Insurance Providers

There are, of course, dozens of other car insurance providers (many of them listed below), and these are all the companies that you would otherwise have needed to navigate had you wanted to do all the research yourself. However, our five recommended car insurance providers automatically search dozens of these motor insurance firms to try and obtain the best quote for you.

So, by taking the time to try and ensure that the five Car Insurance Direct "Top 5" companies search as many of these companies as possible, we have not only chosen the best insurance companies for you, but also eliminated the need for you to even visit the others.

A J Insurance Service AA Car Insurance AAMI www.aami.com.au Admiral Car Insurance Adrian Flux Car Insurance AIG Motor Insurance Allianz Cornhill Car Insurance Allied Car Insurance Allied Irish Bank car Insurance Argos Car Insurance Asda Car Insurance Ashbourne Car Insurance Auto Direct Car Insurance AXA Car Insurance Barclays Car Insurance Bell Car Insurance Black Circles Car Insurance BMW Car Insurance BP Car Insurance Budget Car Insurance Central Car Insurance Churchill Car Insurance CIS Car Insurance Co-Op Car Insurance Confused Car Insurance CSMA Car Insurance Dial Direct Car Insurance Diamond Car Insurance Direct Choice Car Insurance Direct Line Car Insurance	easyMoney Car Insurance eCar Insurance Egg Car Insurance Elephant Car Insurance Endsleigh Car Insurance Equity Red Star Car Insurance Esure Car Insurance Firebond Car Insurance First Alternative Car Insurance Fortis Car Insurance Frizzell Car Insurance Geico Car Insurance GSI Car Insurance Halifax Car Insurance Hastings Direct Car Insurance Herts Classic Car Insurance Highway Car Insurance Home Approved HSBC Car Insurance I Buy Eco Car Insurance IFA Auto Car Insurance 4U Car Insurance Insurance.co.uk InsuranceWide.com Car Insurance Insure It All Car Insurance Insure Your Motor Car Insurance Insure.ie www.insure.ie Its 4 Me Car Insurance Kwik-Fit Car Insurance Lady Bird Insurance	Lady Motor Lancaster Insurance Lifesure Motor Insurance Liverpool Victoria Car Insurance Lloyds TSB Car Insurance Markerstudy Car Insurance MasterQuote Car Insurance Mercury Auto Insurance Metlife Auto & Home Mini Cover Car Insurance MissCar Car Insurance MMA Car Insurance More Than Car Insurance My Motor Quote National Farmers Union Car Insurance NIG Car Insurance Norwich Union Direct Car Insurance One Call Car Insurance Performance Direct Car Insurance Post Office Car Insurance Privilege Car Insurance Provident Car Insurance Prudential Car Insurance Quinn-Direct Car Insurance Quote Line Direct Car Insurance Quote Zone QuoteA Car Insurance RAC Car Insurance Response Car Insurance Royal and Sun Alliance Car Insurance	Royal Bank of Scotland Car Insurance Saga Car Insurance Sainsburys Car Insurance Screentrade Car Insurance Shearwater Car Insurance Sheilas Wheels Car Insurance Simple Cover Car Insurance Skoda Insurance Services Southern Rock Car Insurance State Farm Car Insurance Sureterm Direct Car Insurance Swiftcover Car Insurance Swinton Car Insurance Tesco Car Insurance The Green Insurance Company The Insurance Centre Car Insurance The Policy Shop Vauxhall Car Insurance Virgin Car Insurance Western General Insurance Company Yes Car Insurance Yesinsurance.co.uk Young Lady Driver Car Insurance Zenith Car Insurance Zurich Car Insurance

Motor Insurance or Car Insurance ...

Buying insurance can be confusing enough on its own, but let's set one thing straight, and remove at least one confusion. Almost in every instance that you read the term "motor insurance" you can substitute the term "car insurance"; they are, effectively, the same thing. However, in a more general sense, the term motor insurance might be used to include other types of insurance, such as van insurance, commercial vehicle insurance, or motorcycle insurance as well as car insurance. Meanwhile, the term car insurance obviously means just that. However, on saying that, most car insurance companies that provide car insurance, generally provide the other types of insurance too, with the possible exception of commercial vehicle insurance, where it may be necessary to seek a dedicated commercial vehicle insurer. Even so, many UK insurance companies, including some of those on our Car Insurance Direct list, do offer vehicle insurance for the self-employed, etc, or small businesses, such as plumbers, landscape gardeners, and other service professionals.

Car Insurance or Car Assurance ...

This one is easy. It's always called "car insurance" as opposed to being called car assurance. It's easy for some people to confuse the terms though, and especially since many insurance companies do also sell assurance products. However, when referring to assurance, in relation to finance and insurance, then the reference is usually related to life assurance, which is a product many insurance companies offer (besides life insurance, which is another type of product they offer). Nonetheless, for "car assurance" you should instead refer to "car insurance".

Fully Comprehensive, Third Party only or Fire & Theft protection?

The question of whether to choose fully comprehensive car insurance, third party only car insurance, fire & theft car insurance, or third party fire and theft insurance, is more tricky. It also depends on a variety of criteria. Firstly, it depends on what you can afford; if you can only afford third party vehicle insurance, then there's no point in pondering whether you should be getting fully comprehensive vehicle insurance. However, as you might expect, fully comprehensive motor insurance covers you for a whole lot more than simply fire & theft insurance (which covers exactly what it suggests - fire which damages your vehicle, and the theft of your vehicle). Most people that obtain third-party vehicle insurance also obtain fire & theft insurance within the same policy, and that's why you hear people often referring to "third-party, fire and theft;" however, with most types of third-party insurance, you're covered only for accidents which someone else causes; if you should happen to cause an accident yourself, and you don't have fully-comprehensive insurance, then you could be looking at huge bills (not just for your vehicle, and the other person's vehicle, but if they decided to sue you for damages, then ... well, you get the picture).


So, in general, if you can afford to buy fully-comprehensive coverage, then it's almost always a good idea to do so. Some insurance companies, including those we list, allow payment of your car insurance premiums in installments, and so, even if you may not be able to afford to pay for your entire year's premiums all at once, you may be able to pay monthly, in which case you may well be able to afford fully-comprehensive car insurance.

Read More

How to prepare for interviews, auditions and tests

 

Depending on the kind of courses you apply for, your chosen unis and colleges may invite you for an interview or audition – in fact they’re compulsory for some courses, such as teaching and nursing.



They’re a way for both students and course tutors to find out if they’re
mutually suitable. If invited, your chosen uni will make sure you have
all the details so you know where to go and when. The interviewers may
want to see work examples – such as an essay or piece of coursework –
but they’ll let you know this in advance.



Here are some quick tips from us:

1. Plan ahead – check where you’ve got to go, when you’ve got to
   be there and try to sleep well the night before so you’re in the best
   possible position on the day.
    
2. Make a good first impression – show up on time, dress
   appropriately, remember your manners and be in control of your body
   language. Interviewers see hundreds (sometimes thousands) of students so
   make sure you stand out for all the right reasons.
    
3. Try your best to relax – although interviews are a daunting
   experience, try to enjoy it once you’re there. If the unexpected happens
   and they ask a question you’re not prepared for, don’t panic – ask your
   interviewer to rephrase or repeat the question and give it your best
   shot. They won’t be trying to catch you out.
    
4. Read your personal statement – your interviewer will have
   your application fresh in their mind, so make sure you can remember what
   you wrote and be prepared to talk about it.
     
5. Shout about your achievements – well don’t literally shout,
   but be prepared to talk passionately about things you’ve done which
   you’re proud of – for example coursework, charity work or a social event
   you might have organised. If it demonstrates key skills that are linked
   to your chosen course, mention it.
    
6. Ask questions – you need to convince your interviewer that
   you’ve got a real passion for your subject, so come prepared with
   questions to show that you’ve really thought about studying the subject
   at your chosen uni.
     
7. Reflect on it afterwards – when you come out of the interview
   room, allow time to make notes on how it went. If you’ve got more than
   one interview, this will give you something to work on for the next one.

For more interview tips, take a look at our how to prepare for interviews video guide.

Instead of an interview you may be asked to submit a portfolio or take
an admissions test. In this case, the university will let you know what
you need to do and when by. If for any reason you can’t meet their
requirements you must let them know as early as possible.

Read More

7 Reasons Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims

7 Reasons Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims

I hope that you
have never been in the position to have an insurance claim refused.  If you have, it was probably for one of the
following reasons:

1)The claim was
outside the scope of the policy.

                Your policy will only cover the risk specified.  It is important to consider all your risks carefully.  Those you cannot manage or eliminate, you
need to insure.

2) You failed to
comply with the terms of the policy.

                There will be certain conditions you will have to meet in
order for an insurance company to underwrite your risk.  No company is going to insure a building that
has open fires burning in the centre of a warehouse full of flammable
stock.  An extreme example I know but it
is important to know that your policy is not being invalidated by something you
are doing now.

3) Your policy does
not include consequential loss.

               
Make sure your policy covers all the risk of any
incident.  Particularly consider your
ability to continue trading after a major incident.  Your buildings and contents may be insured
but how will you remain in business if you have no means of doing business
anymore?

4)You gave false
statements when you applied for insurance.

                Your insurance company will only insure what is real.  Lie and the policy will be void.

5)You failed to pay
your premium on time.

               
Sounds obvious but you are not insured unless you pay the
insurance premium.  Yes, you may feel
being a few days late does not matter but if you have not paid your premium you
are simply not insured.

6)You take too long
to report the claim.

               
Make the claim as soon as possible. 

7)You failed to
disclose all relevant facts.

               
Over 11 per cent of corporate insurance buyers have had a
claim challenged on non-disclosure grounds in the last two years. Insurance
policies are one of only a few contracts in which uberrima fides “utmost good faith” applies.  It is important you inform your insurance
broker of all relevant information.

I’ll help with any
claims, ensure the paperwork is correct and with the insurance company in good
time.

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Do I need Employers Liability Insurance if I employ my spouse?

Whilst it is not compulsory in the UK for a business to have Public
Liability insurance (which covers the potential legal liability of a
business to members of the public), it is compulsory for a business
operating in the UK and with one or more employees to have in force a
valid insurance covering them against Employers Liability. This is a
requirement of the Employers Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969.



Employers Liability insurance protects the employer against his or her
legal liability for compensation and associated legal costs in the event
of an employee being injured or contracting an illness or diseae in the
course of his employment. 



Minimum Levels of Cover

The Employers Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 requires a
minimum indemnity limit of £5,000,000 although most insurers offer a
limit of £10,000,000 as standard.



If the business is part of a group, a policy covering the whole group
including subsidiary companies may ne taken out, in which case the group
as a whole must have cover of at least £5,000,000. Any associated
companies (for example where the directors of comapny A are also
separately directors of company B, but company B is not a subsidiary
of Company A) must have their own cover each with a minimum of
£5,000,000.



When deciding upon the level of cover appropriate to your own particular
business it should be borne in mind that claims for employees when they
are disabled as a result of an accident at work can add up to a huge
sum when taking into account the cost of lost income, pain and suffering
and the potentially lifelong care cost required. If more than one
employee is injured in a single incident the indemnity limit has to be
sufficient to cover the costs from all the employees injured in the same
incident. Without cover to provide a sufficently high indemnity limit
any such claims could bankrupt an employer.    



Which Firms are Exempt from having to take out Employers Liability cover

The following employers are exempt:

(a) most public organisations including Government departments and
agencies, local authorities, Police authorities and nationalised
industries;

(b) Health service bodies, including National Health trusts, health
authorities, primary care trusts and Scottish health boards; some other
organisations which are financed through public funds, such as passenger
transport executives and magistrates' courst committees;

(c) family businesses where all of the employees are closely related to
the employer. This includes any husband, wife, civil partner, father,
mother, grandfather, grandmother, stepfather ,stepmother, son, daughter,
grandson, granddaughter, brother, sister, half-brother or half-sister.
However, this exemption does not apply to family businesses which are
incorporated as limited companies. This is because a limited company is
regarded as a separate legal entity from its individual directors and
you can't therefore be regarded the son or daughter of a limited
company.

(d) companies employing only their owner where that employee also owns 50% or more of the issued share capital in the company.



What are the Consequences of not having Employers Liability cover?

The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) enforces the law on Employers
Liability insurance and their inspectors will check that you have this
cover with an approved insurer for at least the statutory minimum level
of £5,000,000.



The fines are as follows:



£2,500 for every day which you are without insurance

£1,000 if you do not display the certificate of insurance or refure to make it available to HSE inspectors.



These fines would apply irrespective of whether there had been a claim. 



The insurer providing the cover must be authorized to do so. If they are
not, you may be breaking the law and subject to the above fines. The
Financial Services Authority (FSA) maintains a register of authorized
insurers. You can check whether a company is authorised by searching
their register on http://www.fsa.gov.uk/, or telephoning the FSA on 0207 066 1000.



In addition to the fines of course the business would be exposed to a
potentially disastrous liability in the event of an employee being
injured at work or contracting a disease in the course of their
employment.



Who is an Employee?

The legal requirement for Employers Liability cover is for any business
employing people under a contract of service or apprenticeship. The
contract may be spoken, written or implied. There are a number of
factors to be considered when determining whether a person is
employed under a contract of service. Irrespective of whether you
usually call someone an employee or self-employed or their tax status
the following factors will be taken into consideration:

(a) You deduct National insurance and Income Tac from the money you pay them

(b) You have the right to control where and when they work and how they do it

(c) You supply most of the materials and equipment

(d) You have a right to any profit your workers make although you may
choose to share this with them through commission, performance pay or
shares in the company. Similarly you will be responsible for any losses.

(e) You require that person to deliver the service and they cannot employ a substitute if they are unable to do the work

(f) They are treated in the same way as other employees, for example, if
they do the same work under the same conditions as someone you employ



The following factors may be persuasive in determining that they are not an employee:

(a) They do not work exclusively for you (for example, if they operate as an independent contractor)

(b) They supply most of the equipment and materials they need to do the job

(c) They are clearly in business for personal benefit

(d) They can employ a substitute when they are unable to do the work themselves

(e) You do not deduct Income Tax or National Insurance. However, even if
someone is self employed for tax purposes they may be classed as an
employee for other reasons and you may still need Employers' Liability. 

   

In most cases you will not need Employers' Liability insurance for volunteers of for

(a) students who work for you unpaid

(b) people who are not employed, but taking part in a youth or adult training programme, or

(c) a school student on a work experience programme.



Insurers will generally cover the above as part of their standard
Employers Liability policy, and there is generally no need to inform
your insurer if you take on any of the above. However, you should talk
to your insurers if you take on the above either for long periods, ,or
if they are undertaking any work that is not part of your company's
normal business activities. You should also bear in mind the level of
risk to which they will be exposed when they are working for you and it
may be necessary to carry out a separate risk assessment.  



These are just a few observations regarding Employers Liability cover
and the compulsory nature for emplyers. More observations next week.



In the meantime, if anyone has any queriesor observations regarding any
of the above or their own requirements for Employers Liability for their
own business please do not hesitate to be in touch.

Read More

How to Value an Investor's Stake

I'm currently looking at a draft version of an entrepreneurship course written by, among others, people from Cambridge's Judge Institute, and hosted by Epigeum.
Something that I found particularly helpful was how to decide what
percentage of a company to sell to an investor for the particular amount
of money the company needs. I've summarised it here.

The Value of a Stake

If the company is seeking capital worth c, then the issue is to calculate s, the percentage of the equity that should go to the investor providing that capital.

Firstly, assuming this is venture capital, the investor will look to exit probably within five years. Call this number of years y. Let r be the amortised annual rate of return that they desire, say 45%.

Hence, we can say that when the business is sold after those y years, the investor's stake should be worth w = c(1 + r)^y, as this provides the desired rate of return.

Therefore, the stake is simply the fraction that w is of the selling price (market value), p, of the business. Of course, how does one estimate p?

The
answer lies in using the Price/Earnings (PE) ratio for a similar,
established, company, which details their worth as compared to their
sales. Assuming that we can predict the likely earnings of the company
in y years' time, then we can multiply this by the PE ratio in order to obtain p.

Investors
may well discount the PE ratio, either because they do not believe it
to be realistic, or because of the perceived risk, or because the
expected revenue is uncertain.

As an example, assume a £1 million investment is needed, that r = 45%, and y
= 5. This means that w = £6.4 million. If projected sales in year 5 are
£1 million, with a PE ratio of 15, p = £15 million. Thus, the initial
stake would be 6.4/15 or 43%.

Which is food for thought. It does
very clearly show how VC investors "need" to take very large equity
stakes in order to make the desired rates of return. Hardly surprising,
but it's nice to at least vaguely understand the mathematics behind it
all.

Understanding Dilution

This brings us neatly on to what actually happens when you sell the stake.

Let's
say that an investor offers you the £1 million for 43% of the equity.
That means that the investor is valuing the entire company (prior to the
investment) at £2.33 million, and in particular, valuing the 57% stake
you will be left with at £1.33 million.

Suppose that prior to the
investment the total number of issued shares (all owned by the
founders) is 10,000. This means that the price placed on those shares is
£133/share.

Why is it not the case that the
price is calculated based on £1 million for 43% of 10,000 (giving
£233/share), leaving the founders' 57% stake being worth £1.33 million?

Whilst the ownership percentages would be correct, this is not done because dilution takes place. In other words, the company issues new shares to the investor, rather than re-assigning existing shares.

In
the above example, given a price of £133/share, the investor must be
given £1 million/£133 = 7,518 shares. Post-investment, the company will
be worth a total of £2.33 million, divided into 17,518 shares. The
founders will hold their 10,000 shares (as before), but these are now
only 57% of the company, whilst the investor will hold 43% (17,518
shares), worth a total of £2.33 million * 0.43 = £1 million.

There
you have it: the end result is as proposed, i.e. the investor bought
the agreed percentage for the agreed price. The only somewhat
potentially confusing part is how this is brought about by dilution,
rather than share re-distribution.

Read More

Steve Johnson on Product Management

More notes from another Business of Software 2008 lecture by Steve Johnson from Pragmatic Marketing.
He talks about what product managers' role is, what they actually end
up doing, and what they need to do, in order to be meaningful
representatives of the actual product's users.

• Companies
  tend to start off as technology-driven, then become sales-driven (each
  new sale requires custom development), then become marketing-driven
  (lots of money spent on their brand image).
• Then they cut costs,
  and go full circle to technology-driven, and repeat the cycle. Good
  product management can help to break this cycle.
• Illustration of
  how wills are only executed: you are already dead when the will gets to
  court. So the document needs to be long enough to deal with all
  possible arguments.
• Application specifications have the
  advantage that the specifier is normally still alive when the
  development teams come to implement them!
• But we keep writing
  specification documents (product requirements, marketing requirements,
  functional specifications...) in order to cover all managers'
  worries/requests.
• The right answer is not to create more
  artefacts. Tightening your grip will mean more slips through your
  fingers. Instead it's to have someone who really understands what's
  needed, and can back up their assertions with evidence.
• Many
  companies are like Star Trek (original series): Spock (development)
  logical, trying to be human. Bones (marketing) upset about what he
  hasn't got, or what he's being asked to work with. Kirk (sales) always
  committing the ship to more than it can do. Scotty (product
  manager/sales engineer) lies to Kirk at all times, then says "OK, let's
  go!".
• Agile development crowd wants to improve these
  development/specification processes by having a customer representative
  on hand to try out each iteration on.
• Problem: most of us don't program for individuals. We program for multiple customers!
• Agile/Scrum methods seem to make us more
  introspective. We spend so long in development team meetings that the
  product manager does not go out and talk to the customers!
• Sales
  don't tend to understand why some of their development requests are not
  possible. An interesting idea is to turn this round and ask similarly
  unrealistic questions to sales. Example: "Why can't you give me a
  well-defined feature set by a guaranteed date?" is replied to with "Can
  you tell me what hour of the day and the exact amount that you're going
  to close this contract for?"
• In many cases, the only people who
  talk to customers are technical support. But are they talking to all of
  our users? (Hopefully not!) They're only talking to the people with
  problems, and not even all of them. What comes out of this?
  "Remember the 'L' in (L)user is silent". "Losers" are those who you have
  to teach basic computing to. "Power Losers" are those who are trying to
  use your product in ways that you never intended. But you can't just
  try to market to "smarter" users!
• Biggest contribution that a product manager can make is to be representative of users. That means the PM has to leave the building, and talk with users, and potential users!
• Causing customers to switch is one target, but selling to potential customers is hugely important.
• Three
  groups: current customers, evaluators (people currently shopping: only
  sales talk to them. If they don't buy, then product management analyses
  why), and the untapped potential market. The last group is very
  important.
• Customers tell us what new features they want, but potentials tell us what would convince them to buy. Get evidence for what features are really asked for by customers. That helps choose which of the many ideas that come out of our company are to be implemented.
• Development
  and Sales have different views of product managers should do. Sales
  tend to want people who can demo/explain the product. This is probably
  best done by sales engineers. (See Steve's post on sales people as order takers.)
• Work
  out what areas of the business that are thought of as product
  management are not actually officially assigned to someone at your
  company: they will be happening, but are they happening well, or "just
  being done"?
• Jargon: Inbound marketing is understanding what
  customers want the development team to do (product management). Outbound
  marketing is about actually selling the product (product marketing
  manager).
• The product management triad: executive direction,
  marketing, and technical management. All require different skills. May
  end up splitting into three separate roles.
• Sales people tend to
  think one deal at a time, which is as needed. But when sales comes back
  with a new idea, put it in the list of possible new features, but wait
  and see how many people actually want it, rather than just the one deal
  that that salesperson is currently progressing.

To me, it's
interesting how broad the role of product management can be. It's also a
salutory reminder that when two companies recruit for a position with
the same name, it might well be for totally different roles...

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Do You Need Employers' Liability Insurance?

I'm involved with three companies: N-Sim, a software consultancy, Accuvex, a holding company, and Verieda,
which works on EDA tools. When each of them has been started, the same
question has gone through my head: "do we need to take out employers'
liability insurance?".

Employers' liability insurance, or ELI for
short, is normally required by law in order to protect your employees.
For example, if an employee on a building site falls from some
scaffolding, (hopefully!) the company's ELI will pay out. In the United
Kingdom, the minimum cover is £5 million, and most policies offer cover
of £10 million.

For many companies, the question of "do I employ
anyone?" has an obvious answer. Construction workers are a case in
point. However, when it comes to software companies, it might not be
such an easy question. "Surely", the argument goes, "I don't need ELI if
I don't employ anyone, if all my work is done by contractors?".

Exemptions from ELI

The UK Health & Safety Executive have a guide to ELI for employers, which describes what exemptions there are. In particular the following are exempt:

• Most public organisations (government departments, police...), and health bodies.
• Family businesses where all employees are closely related to the owner (but not when the business is a limited company).
• Companies which only employ their owner, where that owner owns 50% or more of the issued share capital.

I'll
assume that we're dealing with a private limited company, probably
writing software, and hence that the first two exemptions aren't
relevant. The 2004 amendment to the 1969 Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act
allows only for a company with a single employee (who fulfills the 50%
criterion above) to be exempt. Hence, two directors who split the equity
equally and are employees are not exempt.

That's
fine, but what about companies with unequal shareholdings, or more than
two directors, or with contractors? Who counts as an employee?

Who's an Employee?

For
income tax purposes, directors of limited companies are treated as
employees, and hence fill in the "Employment" pages of their
self-assessment tax return. In most cases, this is reasonable, since the
directors are likely to be deriving benefit (salary or dividends) from
their work, and moreover are essential (difficult to replace) in the
company's normal function. They cannot subcontract their
responsibilities, nor (generally) do they provide their own tools for
doing the job. All of these aspects are some of the tests of whether someone is employed by the company, or a self-employed contractor.

On the face of it, then, companies that employ more than one director need ELI.

However, the HSE's guide to ELI for employers
also says that "you may not need [ELI] for people who work for you,
where they do not work exclusively for you". Clearly, this is relevant
when a contractor performs some work for the company, but also carries
out similar work for other entities. It is important to note that the
HSE's definition of who is an employee is distinct from HMRC's (Revenue
& Customs) definition: someone's tax arrangements may mean they are
defined as self-employed, but from an ELI perspective, they may be an
employee. I'm going to assume that this provision does not apply to
part-time employees of your business, who have another job. It's
unclear, though.

Of course, if you're a start-up company, and you
don't pay your directors anything, then they don't count as employees
for ELI (see HSE's guide to ELI for employers
again), but the company can still be held liable in case of a claim for
compensation, so taking out ELI might still be wise. Hence, one
exemption might be to have a director, who owns a majority shareholding,
being an employee, whilst having another person helping you out, who is
unpaid. Bad luck for the unpaid person...

So Who Does Need Employers' Liability Insurance?

If
you're a one-person band (with a majority shareholding), and only use
contractors (who satisfy HSE's tests for not being employees, rather
than just having self-assessment status for tax purposes), you're likely
to be exempt. In any other case, you're not.

Which brings us to
an interesting conclusion: if two friends start-up a limited company
that sells shareware software, both of them being directors with 50%
holdings, and carrying out part-time work for the company for which they
are paid, say, £10 a month (it's a small company!), it seems that they
need ELI. This is despite the fact that they are both directors, working
from home, earning tiny amounts, and would be stupid to sue themselves.
Perhaps this is one reason that such small companies shouldn't bother
incorporating.

Having said that, note that if you have a limited
company that is not paying its directors (e.g. because it's just
starting up, or is dormant), it appears that ELI is not necessary.

(Note
though, that if you're a director, when you want to fill in your tax
return, you'll need an "employer's PAYE reference". This can only obtain
by registering the company as an employer with HMRC. And then not
paying yourself anything to avoid needing ELI. Oh well...)

But ELI Costs Too Much!

It's
definitely worth shopping around: different insurers quoted us wildly
disparate premiums. Policies tend to be based on how large the company's
wage bill is, hence the premium doesn't have to be unmanageable.
Different companies will have different minima for such total wage bills
(one reason for shopping around). At present, N-Sim uses Zurich Insurance, who meet our needs well, though they do include (for free) a public liability insurance that does not cover our main line of business which is selling software consulting services. Nevermind...

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TEN TIPS ON HOW TO GET THE BEST DEAL ON CAR INSURANCE

With the high cost of gasoline nowadays, most new drivers think twice of getting car insurance. Driving without any car insurance is a very big risk. Most drivers might think that car insurance is way too expensive, but in the long run it may save you a lot of money. Take for instance this example, if you are in a car accident it may cost you thrice the amount you might have paid for a car insurance to cover for hospitalization and for buying yet another car. Plus without car insurance you will be paying police fines as well as paying for suspended licenses. A total of 47 states require some kind of insurance for your car. It would be wise to know the basic law covering car insurance. Here are ten tips you can refer to on how you can get the best deal on car insurance. 1. Know the different types of car insurance policy The first thing to know in buying car insurance is to understand the different policies they offer. Choose a policy or policies that would best suit your needs.

 Liability - This policy covers physical injuries and damages to property. This includes paying for hospitalization and other medical expenses. Damage to property includes vehicles and other tangible property that might have been damaged during the accident. Liability also includes expenses for court proceedings if the vehicular accident requires one. Collision – This policy covers any damages if your vehicle is crashed to another vehicle, lamp posts, house or any another objects. Comprehensive – This policy covers damages caused by natural disaster like flood, storm, hail or wind. This also includes damages by theft or vandalism. Medical Coverage – Medical expenses are covered by this policy not considering if the cause is a vehicular accident or not. Personal Injury Protection (PIP) – A personal insurance of the driver. This policy covers for medical expenses and treatment caused by an auto incident. Uninsured Motorist – If by chance you are hit by an uninsured driver, this policy covers the damages done to your vehicle. Underinsured Motorist – This policy will cover the remaining cost for repairing your damaged car if ever the incident is caused by an insured driver with inadequate liability insurance. Rental Reimbursement – In case of a damaged car due to a vehicular accident, this policy will give a daily allowance for rental fee. 2. Know your credit rating: In most states, credit rating has always been the number one factor affecting car insurance rates. Be sure you have a copy of you credit report and check its accuracy and immediately contest any erroneous information. 3. Motor Vehicle Report (MVR) You can get a copy of your Motor Vehicle Report in your respective Department of Driver Services or Department of Public Safety in your state. A three year record may cost you 5$ and a seven year record would cost you 7$. Like credit reports, verify that all information are correct. 4. Accident Reports You can get a copy of your Motor Vehicle Accident Report from the local police department. It may take around six weeks before you can receive the detailed report. You might need to pay a higher car insurance rate if you have reported accidents within the last eighteen months. 5. Scout for a good insurance package There are some insurance companies that are offering multi-vehicle discounts. You would get a lower rate if you have two or more vehicles that you want to get insured. Also, you can get a good deal from one company that packages all their insurance policies, including home and health insurance. 6. Check out various discounts Most insurance company offers a discount to drivers over 55 years of age. It always pays to be a good student; you can get a student discount if you have a3.0 point average or higher. 7. Obtain a Driving Safety Certificate It is common for car insurance companies to give certain discounts to those who finish a safety driving course with a very good standing. 8. Check the model of your car Insurance rates can be different from vehicle to vehicle. A fancy car will obviously have a higher rate than an older model. 9. Take advantage of added features Be sure you are receiving lower rates for safety and security features like antilock brakes and air bags. 10. How much are you willing to pay Choose the option where you can handle the down payment and the monthly paying scheme. Compare other insurances’ prices before purchasing one. You can try calling a toll- free number (1-888-588-5111) where you can ask for car insurance assistance and compare rates

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Risk & Business: Delaware Business Insurance Update by CNC Insurance Associates, "Drones May Be Adjusting Your Claim" 12-7-14

Risk & Business: Delaware Business Insurance Update by CNC Insurance Associates, "Drones May Be Adjusting Your Claim" 12-7-14

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Knowledge About Insurance: different insurance and life insurance

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Make Sure Your Protective Systems Are Operational, or You May Get Hosed

Many policies have an endorsement that is placed on the policy if you
claim that you have a protective safeguard i.e. alarm, fire sprinklers,
etc. The protective safeguard endorsement is way a company can deny your
claim.

For example, a company states on its application that it
has a fire suppressant sprinkler system. The owner benefits by having a
discount on his policy. Unfortunately, the system broke down and the
owner didn't have the time or money to make the repairs. The owner
never got around to telling the agent or the insurance company that the
system wasn't working.

A few months went by and a tenant left a
burning cigarette in a community trash can that started a fire. The
owner is relieved that he has insurance for the $150,000 in damages.
The insurance company finds that for a number of months the fire
suppressant sprinklers were out and to the owners dismay, deny the
claim.

The owner now must pay for the repairs and will get no payment for loss of rents.

Even if you don't own a building, this could apply to your office or even your home.
There is a similar endorsement that has to do with theft and burglary alarms.

Is
your alarm armed every time you leave your office or house? Are you
doing quarterly maintenance on your fire alarm systems? Are fire
extinguishers tested? Are batteries replaced?

The company is
giving a discount due to your protective safeguards, but if your system
isn't operational then your claim could be denied. Make sure to ask
your agent if you have this endorsement on your policy.

This is how the actual form on The Hartford policy reads.
"Exclusion

We will not pay for loss or damage cause by or resulting from fire, if, prior to the fire, you:

a. Knew of any suspension or impairment of any protective system so described in the property choice - schedule of premises and Coverages and failed to notify us of that fact; or

b. Failed to maintain any protective safeguard so described in the Property Choice - Schedule of Premises and Coverages, and over which you had control, in complete working order.

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What Insurance Should a Technology Start-Up Consider?

At different stages of the Start-Up process, you may want to consider different policies. 

In the beginning stages you may want to pick one or two of the following policies because of limited resources. 

Once you procure funding and are trying to attract the best of the best, you may want to purchase all of the policies below.

Here are the policies you may want to consider in no particular order:



•Technology Errors & Omissions (Tech E&O) –
Insurance for failures in your technology service that could cause
customers damages. Tech E&O is most likely your most important
policy because most everything you do would be considered a professional
service and is excluded from the General Liability policy.



•Data Breach/Privacy Coverage – In case you lose
sensitive employee or customer data, this policy pays to notify, monitor
credit, and anything else you need to do in case of a breach.



•Media Coverage – If you are doing any kind of
media/social networking. Some of these coverages are added automatically
to the Personal & Advertising injury section of the General
Liability policy, but are explicitly excluded for companies with a media
focus. Examples of these exposures include: unintentional copyright
violations, libel, slander, etc.



•International Coverage – If you have operations outside the coverage area (US, US Territories, and Canada)



•General Liability Coverage – This is your most basic
insurance that most contracts will require: covers basic trip and fall.
You can also add supplementary auto coverage for rented and non-owned
(including employee) vehicles. If you have company vehicles, you should
consider purchasing a Business Auto Policy.



•Property – Cover your computers, servers, tenant
improvements. In addition, business income is added to this policy; look
for coverage including business income for Denial Of Service attacks,
etc.



•Directors & Officers – Insurance if you have
investors or stakeholders. Directors and Officers can be held personally
liable for decisions of the company, so this coverage can be crucial in
securing high profile board members.



•Disability – Insurance for the owners if they are in an accident and no longer able to work.



•Key Man Life – Insurance policy in case something
happens to your partner. Both partners buy life insurance policies on
each other, so they can buy out the partner’s share. This way you avoid
becoming partners with that person’s significant other.



•Health Insurance – Great way to keep your employees on board and attract great talent.



•Workers’ Compensation – Mandated by CA state law even
if you just have one part time employee. Good news is that rates for
most technology workers are very inexpensive.



•Employee Practices Liability – Protect yourself from employment related lawsuits: wage & hour, wrongful termination, discrimination, etc.



Some of these policies are offered in packages, while others are sold
separately. Most large companies that contract smaller technology
services companies will require you to have General Liability,
Technology E&O, Workers’ Compensation, and Business Auto.



Talk to an independent agent to see which of these coverages would be a best fit for your business.

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Freeway Auto Insurance Quote

Things You Should Know About Freeway Auto Insurance Quotes





Of us in the pitfalls of these large and expensive insurance for us
laymen Many say some technical details, and believe it is the only
option and not get any better deal than that. It's the only mistake we
make. We explore our options we have. Freeway Insurance Company
is an insurance company that offers several choices to get yourself
insured. Even insurance for your car with the best road car insurance
quotes.



Freeway Insurance Company is one of the oldest insurance companies with
more than 20 years of experience in the insurance industry based in
California.





Unlike other insurance companies that offer the same policies at a high
price, this offers 30 options to choose from. Therefore, it is
advisable to choose a safe path, no matter if you need high risk
insurance base. These documents are available at different prices, you
can choose your own price for you. Freeway auto insurance quote is given regardless of driving experience on the roads in the U.S. and your driving record.



Freeway auto insurance quotes
options in all areas that can be added during the creation of his
contract. It offers auto insurance high risk in places like Arizona and
California.



Auto insurance quote Freeway offers basic coverage that pays all
responsibility and coverage so that it is important that the United
States, if you want to drive in those places. It's like paying the
premiums, so when you select the one you choose, choose one with low
premiums. Also choose one with roadside assistance, as a matter of
regulatory policy and choose which is cheaper.



If you are one of the owners of cars in the U.S. to pay high premiums
and fees for car or auto insurance? If you live in California and is
looking for the best auto insurance company car insurance then the
Freeway and get the best car insurance quote freeway.



Freeway Auto Insurance is a customer oriented company that focuses more
on customer satisfaction and long-term relationships rather than their
own benefit.

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Full Coverage Dental Insurance

Complete Data Coverage Dental Insurance

If you had the
dentist lately, you know the full need for dental care. When you need a
dentist, check your policy to see what happens. Some policies will also
cover the higher expenses as mentors or root canal, while others do not
offer coverage. If the policy covers the work, it will only be
responsible for deductibles and co-pays.

Yes, like health insurance, dental insurance
require that you pay at the time to pay your dentist. You will find the
annual deductibles and annual limits. The policy will then work to
prevent further damage to the teeth with preventive dentistry. Almost
all dental insurance covers a full
coverage of regular checks and cleaning. Further work may or may not be
covered by your policy. It is important to read the policy to see what
is covered.

Some people will have their full coverage dental insurance
paid by their employer. Others may have to pay a portion of the monthly
premium. These days, few employers cover the cost of the premiums for
the family of the employee. If you do not have access to coverage
through your employer, several companies offer this insurance through
individual or family policies. While full coverage dental insurance
may seem to be expensive, it is often close to the cost that you would
pay for regular dental checkups. In case of a dental emergency, the
policy may be worth its weight in gold.

If you are researching dental insurance,
you need to know that there are three types of plans in the range of
coverage. Basic coverage pays for health checkups and preventive care.
This type of insurance provides care to prevent future dental problems.
It covers the cost of basic quotes you may have with your dentist,
including cleanings and x-rays.

The next level
of dental care insurance covers minor. Minor dental care is covered at a
percentage less than basic care, but includes fillings and can cover
other services including root canals or plates.

The third
level of coverage is important for dental care. This includes the more
expensive dental care. This coverage may be very limited in most
policies. Fortunately, this coverage is rarely used. In general, dental insurance
is found to be affordable. It provides the necessary care for a bright
smile. Some employers offer a cafeteria plan that allows you to set
aside a portion of the salary of each month to pay the deductible.

Your Complete Dental Insurance Coverage Explanation

What is the full dental insurance coverage?

Definition of full coverage dental insurance

With insurance,
payments are based on raw numbers to use. Full dental coverage, this
means that you not only have insurance for maintenance treatments, but
major surgery or dental procedures. Complete coverage of dental
insurance may cover almost all dental procedures, including surgical.
Find the plan full dental insurance coverage is easy if you use the Internet. You can visit the various websites of insurance companies and make appointments.

So what to do when you focus on obtaining a full dental insurance coverage?

If you are planning to get a complete dental insurance,
then you should take the time to plan properly. Would defeat the
purpose of just getting any pre-packaged full dental insurance coverage
regardless of their personal needs.

This is what we should focus on:

Type of Insurance

There
are several types of dental insurance you can get: Traditional
insurance means that you pay monthly, even weekly, and benefits that
could cover 80 to 100% of your dental expenses.

The next type
of insurance is the repayment plan. Be warned though, normally, the
employer will reimburse only part of the cost, not total spending.

If you have
dental insurance, but your employer can not give you, you can join a
small group in the office and request a volunteer group insurance. The
advantage of a group plan is that rates are generally lower than an
individual plan.

Then there is
the discount dental plan is like a membership club with discounts. There
will be a registration fee, plus monthly service fees.

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15 (Fifteen) Insurance Policies You Don't Need

1. Private Mortgage Insurance

The infamous private mortgage insurance (PMI) is well known to homeowners because it increases the amount of their monthly mortgage payments. PMI is an insurance policy that protects the lender against loss when lending to a higher-risk borrower. The borrower pays for this insurance but derives no benefit. Fortunately, there are several ways to avoid paying for this unnecessary policy. PMI is required if you purchase a home with a down payment of less than 20% of the home's value. The small down payment is viewed as putting you at risk of defaulting on the loan. Put down at least 20% and the PMI requirement goes away. Alternatively, you can put down 10% and take out two loans, one for 80% of the sale price of the property and one for 10%, although interests rates can prevent the economics of this maneuver from working out in the homeowner's favor.

2. Extended Warranties

Extended warranties are available on a host of appliances and electronics. From a consumer's perspective, they are rarely used, particularly on small items such as DVD players and radios. If you purchase a reputable, brand-name product, you can be fairly certain it will work as advertised and that the extended warranty is statistically likely to be unnecessary. If you spend $5,000 on a giant, flat-screen television, the policy is still unlikely to pay off, but might make you feel better. For everything else, forget it.

3. Automobile Collision

Collision insurance is designed to cover the cost of repairs to your vehicle if you are involved in an accident. If you have a loan out on the car, the loan issuer is likely to require that you have collision insurance. If your car is paid off, collision is optional; therefore, if you have enough money in the bank to cover the cost of a new car, collision insurance may be an unnecessary expense. This is particularly true if you are driving an old car, because cars depreciate so quickly that many vehicles are worth only a fraction of their purchase price by the time the loan is paid in full.

4. Rental Car Insurance

Most auto insurance policies offer additional coverage for the cost of car rentals, touting it as a useful feature if your car is ever involved in an accident and needs to spend some time in the repair shop. This may sound like a good idea, but in reality, most people rarely rent a car, and when they do, the cost is relatively low and hardly worth insuring against. Although rental car insurance is relatively inexpensive, amortized over the course of a lifetime you are still likely to spend far more than you will benefit.

5. Car Rental Damage Insurance

Many auto insurance policies already cover rentals, so there's no need to pay for this twice. Check your policy before you pay. Depending on where you rent the vehicle, you may also be able to pay a small fee for insurance on your rental when you pick it up at the rental center. If this fee is less than what you'd pay for a year in your old policy, choose the fee over the policy.

6. Flight Insurance

Flight insurance coverage is completely unnecessary. Despite media portrayal, airline accidents are relatively rare, and your life insurance policy should already provide coverage in the event of a catastrophe.

7. Water Line Coverage

Water companies have made an aggressive push to sell policies that cover the repair of the water line that runs from the street to your house. The odds are in your favor that you will never use this coverage, particularly if you live in a newer home. If you live an average suburban neighborhood and you do need to repair the water line, the distance to the street is short, the likelihood of a problem is low and repair costs are a few thousand dollars or less. The same goes for policies offered by other utility companies.

8. Life Insurance for Children

Life insurance is designed to provide a safety net for your heirs/dependents. Because children don't have heirs to worry about and, statistically speaking, most kids will grow up safe and healthy, most parents should not purchase life insurance for their kids. Instead, use the money that you would have spent on life insurance to fund an education plan or an individual retirement account (IRA).

9. Flood Insurance

Unless you live in a flood plain or an area with a history of water problems, don't even bother buying flood insurance. If none of the homes in the area has ever been flooded, yours is unlikely to be the first.

10. Credit Card Insurance

Purchasing coverage to pay your credit card bill in the event you cannot pay it is a waste of money. A far better idea is to avoid running up your credit cards in the first place, so you won't need to worry about the bills. Not only do you not save on the insurance premiums, you'll also save the interest on your debt.

11. Credit Card Loss Insurance

Federal law limits your liability if your credit card is stolen. Your out-of-pocket costs are limited to $50 per card and not a penny more. In fact, many credit card companies don't even try to collect the $50.

12. Mortgage Life Insurance

Mortgage life insurance pays off your house in the event of your death. Rather than add another policy - and another bill - to your list of insurance plans, it makes more sense to get a term-life policy instead. A good life insurance policy will provide enough money to pay off the mortgage and to cover other expenses as well. After all, the mortgage isn't the only bill your survivors will need to pay.

13. Unemployment Insurance

This coverage makes minimum payments on your bills if you are out of work, which sounds like an attractive proposition. A better plan is to save your money and build up an emergency fund instead. You won't have to cover the cost of the insurance policy and, if you are never out of work, you won't spend any money at all.

14. Disease Insurance

Policies are available to cover cancer, heart disease and other maladies. Instead of trying to identify every possible disease that you may encounter, get a good medical coverage policy instead. This way, your medical bills will be covered regardless of the problem you face.

15. Accidental-Death Insurance

Unless you are extraordinarily accident prone, an accident is unlikely. Major catastrophes such as car wrecks and fires are covered under other policies, as is any harm that comes to you while at work. Accidental-death policies are often fraught with stipulations that make them difficult to collect on, so skip the hassles and get life insurance instead.

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