Personal Lines

Viatical settlements, or accelerated death benefits, were controversial products developed in the 1980s following publicity for the AIDS epidemic. There were touted as a means for terminally ill patients to…

Term insurance policies have always been a popular product. The premiums involved seem to make people feel that it is the ideal solution to their insurance needs. The belief is…

Any general discussion of life insurance should begin with the observation that the life insurance industry in the United States has been transformed over the past 30 years or so.…

Students of insurance are sometimes dismayed to discover that there are no fewer than four basic kinds of whole life insurance: traditional (participating and non-participating), universal, variable, and variable universal,…

Cash-value life insurance has a substantial savings or investment element that can’t be ignored entirely if the tax laws are to operate fairly. So life insurance is subject to special…

With an aging population, do you understand what Medicare is all about if asked by a customer? What does it cover? What does it NOT cover? When can someone enroll?…

Many insureds receive an increase in benefits when a health insurance policy adds prescription coverage to the benefits that had already been granted. Other insureds may be surprised to find…

A 17-store chain of restaurants were shut down recently by Hurricane Charley. Direct property damage was actually minor at all locations; however, an area-wide power outage resulted in several of…

If the volume of “Ask an Expert” questions we get is any indication, the “wear and tear” exclusion in auto and property policies–both personal and commercial lines–is one of the…

A 10-year-old condo association building suffered hail damage during a storm. The adjuster claims that there is minimal damage from the hail and that most of the damage is due…