Free From Broke

A Personal Finance Blog for Regular Folks

Insurance

How Age Affects Your Car Insurance Rate and What You Can Do About it

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When car insurance companies look at your risk profile, they take a number of factors into account. From your driving record, to your coverage amounts, to your credit score, an insurance company wants to get an idea of how likely it is that they will have to pay out on a claim on your behalf.

One of the factors that insurance companies look at when setting premium amounts is your age.

If you want to save money on your insurance premiums, it helps to understand how age affects what you pay.  There might not be a lot you can do about it, since you can’t change your age, but you can compensate for your age.

Let’s take a look at how age affects your car insurance and what you can do about it. [Read more…] about How Age Affects Your Car Insurance Rate and What You Can Do About it

Do You Need Disaster Insurance? What Type Should You Get?

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Once again, a natural disaster has brought the attention of many to the possible need for disaster insurance. Hurricane Irene might not have been as fierce as many expected, but there will still probably be plenty of insurance claims from floods and other damage.  Whenever we hear of a hurricane, an earthquake, tornadoes or some other disaster, it often prompts a double-check of the homeowners policy to see if you would be covered in a similar disaster were to befall you.  Do you need disaster insurance?  See the different types available and if you need it.

Types of Disaster Coverage

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Homeowners Insurance Coverage: Are You Truly Covered?

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One of the biggest purchases you make is your home. It is an expensive item to own, and its protection is quite important if you want to maintain financial freedom.  After all, if something happens to your home, it can be quite expensive to fix.  Insurance is purchased to help you afford unexpected problems, and this includes homeowners insurance.  However, it is important to realize that not every situation is always covered by homeowners insurance.

Before you consider that your entire home, and everything in it is covered, it is important to double check what is actually covered by your policy.  You may need to purchase additional insurance coverage if your homeowners policy is lacking.  Here are some of the more common items not covered by some homeowners insurance policies:
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Is a Home Security System Worth the Expense?

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I have a friend whose husband travels frequently for work.  After one of these trips, she mentioned how poorly she had slept because she had been listening for intruders.  I knew that she had a home security system, so I asked the obvious, “Didn’t the security system make you feel better?”

“I don’t use that!” she said in a voice filled with disdain.  “I don’t want to pay $30 a month for that!”  (She and her husband bought the house about five years ago, and the system was already installed.)

I bit my tongue from saying more, but by not using the security system she already has, I think she is making a big mistake.  People have the tendency to think they are safe in their homes and that other people’s houses get broken into, not theirs.  However, it only takes one incident to shake this view.  Still, many want to know — Is a home security system worth the expense? [Read more…] about Is a Home Security System Worth the Expense?

What is Private Mortgage Insurance and Why do you Need it?

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Private mortgage insurance (PMI) is an insurance policy required by a lender that a borrower must purchase if the borrower has less than 20 percent or more in down payment when purchasing a home. The lender is in a safe position against default when the lender’s investment is 80 percent or less of the home value.  Private mortgage insurance is included in the monthly mortgage payments.

How does the borrower benefit from private mortgage insurance?

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