Life Insurance Basics: Term vs. Whole Life
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.…
Personal Lines
Life Insurance Basics: Varieties of Whole Life
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,…
Tax Benefits of Life Insurance
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…
Understanding Medicare
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?…
When Prescription Coverage Is Not Good!
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…
Weather and Off-Premises Power Failure
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…
The “Wear & Tear” Exclusion
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…
Roof Hail Damage and Defective Materials
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…
Insurance and Meth Labs
One of the worst scourges of the drug scene involves methamphetamines. Because the drugs are so inexpensive, increasing numbers of teens and others are becoming addicted. Because the drugs are…
