It may be simple to buy insurance, but that doesnt mean the decisions one makes when taking out a policy dont require some amount of thought and research. Rush to take out the first cheap policy you find and you may end up with an insurance portfolio filled with gaps, inefficient policies and more self-insurance risk than you can afford. Here are six tips to help ensure that you get exactly what you need without learning the hard way that you needed it. Watch your deductibles. Many insurance ...

If you drive, you probably own a car, which means you are required by law in most places to carry auto insurance to prove financial responsibility. You likely are aware of the factors used to calculate your insurance rate: the type of car you drive, your driving record, how often you drive, your age, how long youve been driving and where you live. But did you know that in many places the type of job you do is also one of the criteria used to determine your auto insurance rate? Many people f...

The importance of having Battle Creek life insurance simply can’t be overstated. Insuring your life will help your loved ones pay off any outstanding debts if you unexpectedly die. Whether this involves a mortgage or unsecured loans, this fact gives people the peace of mind in knowing that their dependents will be well looked after. Life insurance can also be used to pay funeral costs, as well as leaving the important people in your life a cash sum with which they can rebuild their lives. ...

A number of factors dictate how much you pay for your Battle Creek home insurance policy, and one of them is your history of making claims. If you’re a regular claimant, insurance providers will see you as a significant risk, and they will offset that risk with higher premiums. In some cases, they will withdraw coverage if they believe the risk you and your home pose is simply too great. However, there are some simple actions you can take to secure and maintain your property in order to ke...

Driving in the winter is no simple task when the roads ice over, particularly for drivers who are not used to such conditions. The following is a list of tips and tricks to keep your car drivable throughout the cold winter months: ·         Warm your car: Installing a remote car starter helps your morning go a bit faster. Pre-warming your car makes it easier to scrape off ice and makes the interior more comfortable for your commute. Some of these d...

Doctors aren’t just for treating illness; they’re also key to providing preventive services designed to keep you healthy. Because of this, the Affordable Care Act requires that all new health insurance plans offered by private carriers fully cover certain preventive services at no cost to you—that means no copayments or coinsurance. This applies even if you have not yet met your yearly deductible. So long as these preventive services are administered by in-network physicians, t...

Many individuals are overwhelmed by the decisions involved in purchasing life insurance. How much do I buy? When do I buy? How do I buy? But help is available in the form of an independent insurance agent. These professionals are trained to guide you through the process of selecting an appropriate life insurance policy for the needs of your family. And it’s important to do so because approximately 40 percent of Americans admit that they would experience immediate financial trouble if the p...

It’s estimated that over 50 million Americans are obese, which has caused past problems with obtaining health insurance. Obesity can lead to severe health conditions, such as Type 2 Diabetes and poor cardiovascular health. Many insurers do not consider obesity to be an illness, but they do pay for any resulting illnesses, which means that it costs more for an insurer to keep an obese individual as a customer due to the high risk of developing resulting illnesses. In the past, this meant ex...

Safety involves much more than simply locking up at the end of the day. As a business owner, you must provide a safe environment for both employees and guests, along with protecting the premises from criminals. Try these five tips for keeping your business safer: 1.       Train your employees: In the simplest sense, your employees should be thoroughly trained before operating any non-standard equipment or before using any hazardous materials. However, more comprehe...

Germs and bacteria can flourish in your home, completely out of sight. Knowing about germy hotspots allows you to thoroughly clean those yucky areas so you and your family can live healthier. Check out these five areas that you’ll want to clean right away: 1.       Light switches and door knobs: Every day, you flick on the lights and open doors, leaving behind whatever germs were carried on your hands. Wipe these areas down with a disinfectant at least once a...

The nutrition of your prepared meals doesn’t rely solely on the ingredients you use. The way you cook your food can either boost ingredients’ nutritional value or deplete it. In some cases, heat can break down up to 20 percent of vitamins and other nutrients. In others, heat releases antioxidants and makes them easier for the body to absorb (this applies primarily to carrots, spinach and tomatoes). Let’s take a look at some of the most common cooking methods and how they affect...

With fall right around the corner, many people try to take precautions against coming down with a cold or the flu. Not only is getting sick a nuisance, but catching the flu could have more serious consequences — particularly for children, seniors and pregnant women. How do you prepare your bodys immune system to fight off the viruses that cause these illnesses? Wash your hands: You only get sick if viruses enter your body, which usually occurs when you touch your nose or mouth after...

If you own a mobile catering business, you have a lot of tasks to take care of on a daily basis. One thing that can set your mind at ease is business insurance. We never can tell when the unexpected may happen and if the worst happens, you want to make sure that you have a safeguard in place to take care of your business, your staff and yourself. Whether its bad weather, food poisoning, public liability or theft, you know that your business is protected, and you can focus on other aspects of run...

Only rarely will someone in Michigan pay nothing for their medical care, even with insurance. Though private health insurance can greatly reduce an individual’s out-of-pocket responsibility for care, it almost never makes health care entirely free. Whenever you go to the doctor or use your health insurance, you can reasonably expect to pay a cost. Based on the care you need and the coverage you have, these costs may vary. 1. Premiums Your premium is the amount you pay your insurance com...