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Guest Author: Mark Decherd

To say that homeowner’s insurance is confusing is an understatement. Take water damage claims for instance. If you leave the faucet on and the sink overflows, your insurance company may very well pick up the tab! Yet, if a storm surge inundates your home, your insurance probably won’t pay a penny. So, what’s covered? What’s not covered?   

Most homeowner’s insurance policies are HO-3 policies. This type of policy has property insurance and personal liability components and provides coverage from the home and structures for all risks other than those that are specifically excluded with earthquakes and floods commonly excluded.   

So, if you have a standard HO-3 policy that specifically excludes earthquakes and floods and you have not purchased supplemental policies for these risks, then guess what? If your home is damaged in an earthquake or flood, you’re on your own. It’s tricky though. What if water poured into your home through a door that was blown off by hurricane force winds? Your insurance company may determine that the high winds caused the water damage.   

The first step in figuring out whether or not damage is covered is to read your policy. What type of policy is it? What exclusions are spelled out? What is your deductible? And is there a separate deductible for certain types of claims?   

It never hurts to check with your insurance agent either. For example, you might feel pretty silly for leaving the faucet on overnight, but you’ll feel even worse when you find out that it will cost over $5000 to replace the hardwood floors and another $5000 to replace the cabinets. If you’re unsure after reading your policy, a quick phone call to your agent can clarify whether or not the water damage is covered. Hint: Water damage from sink and tub overflows is often covered by insurance.   

What if the water soaked through the walls and ruined your $300,000 art collection? Unless you have purchased additional insurance, you’re probably out of luck. Most insurance policies limit coverage on fine art, jewelry, coin collections, and even cash. This makes it critical to understand exactly what your policy covers and what it excludes, preferably before a loss occurs. That way, you can purchase additional insurance coverage for your valuables.   

In many states, particularly those prone to hurricane losses, a separate deductible applies to hurricane damage. You may have a smaller $500 deductible for damages such as theft and broken pipes and a much larger deductible for hurricane or windstorm damage. This means that if a pipe bursts in your home, you’d pay $500 out of pocket, but if a hurricane damages your home, you’d pay a lot more. Imagine living in a $300,000 home subject to a 5 percent hurricane deductible. Under these circumstances, you’d be responsible for $15,000 out of pocket!   

Another confusing area involves the cause of the damage. For example, a leaky roof that is ten years past its prime and simply worn out is not likely going to be replaced by your insurance company. You are responsible for maintaining your home and this example falls under the general home maintenance category. On the other hand, if the roof damage was due to a hailstorm or your neighbor’s tree crashing through it, your insurance company will be involved.   

So, is it covered? No matter what type of loss you have suffered, reviewing your policy and its terms and conditions is step number one. Your insurance company or agent can help you determine if your loss is covered. Another good source of information is your own contractor. Ask your contractor if this type of damage is typically covered by insurance companies. Again, keep in mind your deductible as your home may not have enough damage to justify filing a claim.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/insurance-articles/homeowners-insurance-puzzles-is-this-covered-959729.html

About the Author: For more information and other articles by Mark Decherd go to:

Dryout® Inc.
1415 Colonial Blvd.
Fort Myers, Fl. 33907
 http://www.dryout.net
239-437-7100
 

Dryout Inc. - Emergency water damage restoration, drying, deodorization, decontamination, disinfection, mold removal, water damage repair, restoration and reconstruction of commercial and residential properties damaged by fire, water and other disasters by a network of trained specialists, technicians and restoration professionals across the USA and Canada.

Guest Author: Ricky Lim

You finally have the bike that you want. The next practical step is to get insurance. If you are on a look-out for the cheapest motorcycle insurance, then you have to bring out your directory and call every insurance agent you can get your hands on to know what their insurance companies offer. From there, you can decide which one to get.  

You need to educate yourself on how the insurance companies work. If you want the  cheapest motorcycle insurance, you need to at least make sure that this will cover your bike and your own safety while you are saving money. You have to understand also how the insurance companies will rate you as their client. It’s not only you eyeing the potential partner.  

First of all, insurance companies will rate you based on your bike. If you have the flashiest and latest model, it will be hard for you to get the  cheapest motorcycle insurance  because it will cost you more. Try it out. Ask your fellow bike enthusiasts who have the basic and older motorcycles. You will realize that they have cheap motorcycle insurance.  

Secondly, they also rate you with your age. The older you are, the cheaper your motorcycle insurance will be. If you are new to the whole motorcycle as a hobby and all, you will find yourself in a category that has higher rates. If you gain the experience that you need as a motorcyclist, you can finally have the cheapest motorcycle insurance that you want.  

It may not be obvious but insurance companies also rate you by your address. The high insurance rates are offered to those who live in areas with high accidents and high crimes, as opposed to areas that have lower rates of crimes and accidents.  

Driving history is also a factor for getting the cheapest motorcycle insurance.  Regardless you are new to motorcycles or not, the accidents that you have had in your previous riding experiences can be detrimental for you. Make sure that you have a clean driving record when you apply for insurance. If your slate is clear, then your chance of getting cheap motorcycle insurance is also high.  

Finally, your job can affect the rate of your motorcycle insurance. Insurance companies will look at where you are driving to and where you are parking your bike. If you park your bike near a construction site, the insurance company will charge you with a higher rate because this will mean a higher possibility of your bike being put at risk.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/insurance-articles/how-to-get-the-cheapest-motorcycle-insurance-909126.html

About the Author:
Discover where to find the   cheapest motorcycle insurance   quotes online. Learn more about   BMW motorcycle insurance.

Guest Author: Daisy Wilson

The United States, amongst other countries has laws in place to protect employees in case they become ill or suffer work place injury. In a nutshell this program is known as workers compensation insurance.  

The specific coverage and the eligibility criteria for workers compensation insurance varies from state to state.

Guest Author: Justin Narin

Home insurance; do you know when you’ll need it? Probably not. Unless you plan on getting involved in an insurance scam (which is not recommended), chances are you won’t know exactly when you will need home insurance until after the event has occurred. That’s because home insurance protects you against unforeseen events. But what are these unforeseen events that cause us to need home insurance? The fact of the matter is there are a number of different insurable events that come into play with your home insurance. 

Below are a few events where having home insurance is a very positive thing. They are events that you can’t always plan for and when they occur, can throw you and your home into disorder. 

Fire Fire can destroy your home right before your eyes. All it takes is a spark from a faulty appliance or the lights on the Christmas tree to malfunction and before you know it, you’re home’s going up in flames, along with your personal belongings. Even if you’re very safe about ensuring the integrity of your electrical appliances and are diligent about turning off the oven, the bbq grill, and the coffee pot, fire can still strike. A stray firecracker or lit cigarette butt can land in your yard, ignite dry brush, and start a small fire that can quickly get out of control. In fact, many fires happen when residents aren’t even home; and when they come home, their home is destroyed.  

If you have a homeowner’s insurance policy that covers fire damage, you’re protecting yourself when an unexpected fire breaks out. 

Flood Even if you don’t live near a body of water or in a flood zone, flood damage can affect your home. If a water main busts or the dishwasher malfunctions, you could end up with a house full of water and serious flood damage. Home insurance protects you when water takes over of your home and runs amok on your carpets, walls, and ceilings. If a main water line breaks when you’re not home, and it’s left to flood the house for hours, the damage can be significant. And if you live in an attached condo complex, the damage can seep over into the neighbor’s home.

Having a home insurance policy that covers flooding will protect you, and your attached neighbors, against unexpected flood damage as a result of a broken water line, a malfunctioning dishwasher, or even a popped waterbed. 

Earthquake We all wish we could predict earthquakes. It would allow us time to secure items in our home that could be damaged when the shaking starts. But currently, earthquakes come unannounced. And when they do arrive, they often damage our homes and property. Even if the home is still standing after a significant quake, the structural damage to the home could be so great that it is red tagged and deemed uninhabitable.

Having a home insurance policy that covers earthquake damage will save you the agony of being left with nothing after an earthquake. 

Homeowners insurance is a must for all homeowners. Regardless of where you live and the types of natural disasters your area is prone to, you need to protect yourself from every angle and against any unforeseen events that could happen in the blink of an eye. 

For more articles on Home Insurance visit: http://www.bills.com/reasons-home-insurance-article/

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/insurance-articles/reasons-for-home-insurance-801213.html

About the Author:
Justin has 5 years of experience as a financial adviser; his key areas are loan consolidation, debt relief, mortgages etc. For more free articles and advice visit  http://www.Bills.com.

Guest Author: Levis Bark

Collectible cars can serve as a wondrous treasure, but also as a good investment. As with any investment, an adequate protection in the form of collector car insurance is necessary. Especially since a collectible car is expensive to repair or replace. A collector car insurance policy can protect you financially in case of damage, an accident or theft. 

 A regular insurance policy will not offer the specialized benefits of collector car insurance. Insurers have specific prerequisites that have to be met before a policy can be written. Three of the major requirements are limits on miles driven per year, age and driving record of the owner and the age of the car. There also is an insistence by the insurance provider that the car is garage kept and well secured when not in use. 

Mileage limitations may vary from company to company, generally the limit is 5000 miles per year. However, there are some cases where more miles are permitted. The mileage driven is limited to car, hobby, and show activities for the most part; collector car insurance policies do not permit driving the insured vehicle for commuting or commercial activities. 

Another restriction on collector car insurance is the age of the car. Most insurers have set 15 as the minimum age for a collectible car. A few insurers define a collectible car as being more than 25 years old and in rare circumstances as much as 35 years. 

In order to qualify for collector car insurance, a driver must meet certain qualifications as well. The overwhelming numbers of insurers require a minimum age of 25 with at least 9 years of driving experience. Some providers also require a clean driving record. 

Once the conditions for the collector car insurance is achieved, you and the agent will set an agreed upon value for the vehicle. Unlike a regular car which has its value set by automobile industry standard practices such as a blue book value or fair market value, you are permitted to determine the value of the car at the time of the writing of the policy. The amount you and the insurer agree upon will be the replacement value of the car should it be a total loss. 

You can protect your vehicular masterpiece with collector car insurance from many different insurance providers. However, choosing a company that specializes in collector car insurance will give you the best coverage and maximum benefit

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/insurance-articles/specialized-benefits-of-collector-car-insurance-757172.html

About the Author:
Learn more about  collector car insurance   as well as more about car insurance in general.

Guest Author: Alice Campbell

Everything in this life is about money. The more money you have, the better people will look at you. If you don’t have a lot of money and tight budgets run your life, the lower the costs you pay for the same services, the better you feel about yourself.  This statement is true in any domain. No matter if it is business or pleasure, you always seek to pay less for the same services. However, because of the tight budgets, people overlook some of things they think aren’t necessary at a certain point. 

Guest Author: Daisy Wilson

Guest Author: David Zurich

Guest Author: Carol Bell

Surely planning for any eventuality regarding your health is a wise decision; critical illness insurance might be required someday so is planning for this really strange? This type of coverage is designed to provide your family with peace of mind if anything were to happen whereby you would no longer be able to work and generate an income. Insurance providers, acting on the statistical information they receive from research institutes now offer this type of protection to every one of their customers.

Guest Author: Bryan Burbank

Finding good cheap affordable dental insurance coverage can be a hard task because it seems that most employers do not offer it and if they do the premiums are very high. When you are searching for a insurance plan you need to take a look at your situation and decide what type of insurance you will need. Are you looking for a maintenance plan or are you needing some major work done. 

Guest Author: Mark Decherd

If your home has just suffered through a flood, not only will you need to mop up the mess, dry out the home, and repair the water damage, you’ll have to figure out whether or not your insurance company will pay the bill. Insurance companies do cover some types of water damage while excluding other types making it hard for the average homeowner to figure out who should pay.

Each year we choose our Gay Ghetto Top 10 by cross-analyzing demographics against real estate sales data to discover those especially prized metropolitan areas throughout the USA that are most in vogue with the diverse GLBT community. When the number crunching is over, we usually have 10 distinct winners, individually ranked by virtue of their popularity. But for 2008 we have some unique and special surprises – including three 2-way ties and a 3-way tie. Our top 10 are so outstanding, in other words, that they rate higher than ever.

Guest Author: Christy Myers

The business security is necessary to secure the business owner. To get the security from all types of threats business owners need protection. 

The business insurance is the basic requirement to protect from all types of threats like theft, fire, lawsuit and employee accident. It is better to get the coverage from all the threats through selection of proper insurance policy. The insurance is important part of any business entrepreneurs. You can get protection by insurance. The present local as well global market condition will also affect on the performance of the small business...

Guest Author: Jim Brown

Some people view pet ownership as simply a way of bringing a new member into the family unit. They want the pet to have the best of care in all stages of life just as they would want any family member to have. Obtaining personal insurance policies for pets can be quite complex at times because there are unusual circumstances that might affect the cost of insurance coverage.

Guest Author: Craig Thornburrow

There are many types of insurance out there available to people, from cars to planes to property, death, life, loss of work, health, and everything in between these subjects. Business insurance is just one of many different markets for insurance that are out there, but it is one of the most necessary as it can incorporate any of a number of things. People work hard for their businesses and when unpredictable things happen that take a toll on the livelihood of the business and the people whose living depends on it, times can get hard fast. Business insurance can protect against that type of inevitability and so much more.

Insure Your Livelihood Against the Inevitable

Business insurance can protect against theft, against disaster, against devastatingly slow times, and even from embezzlement. Depending on the type of policy that you buy, an insurance policy for a business can reach a pretty penny of a premium but with good reason. Business insurance of this type is a huge market, and while many insurers are afraid of what it brings, it is a virtual gold mine to those who can reach the right market for subscribers...

By Guest Author Scott Daugherty

Anybody who watches the news this morning (Feb 7) sees about the horrible storms that ripped through the south. They say that this was the worst damage from tornadoes in 23 years. Just 2 ½ years ago, we saw the worst damage of all time on the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina tore up the coastline from Louisiana all the way to Alabama. There are many other events that I am sure that you can think of.

How many people do you think had enough insurance coverage to sustain their losses? The answer, may surprise you. Statistically, only about 57% of American's have any insurance coverage on their home. Whether you are a renter or a homeowner, there is a policy available for you.

Guest Author: Ajeet Khurana

If you are planning on getting insurance, make sure that you are in for the long haul. There are a number of issues that you will have to be aware of while looking for insurance, and it will not help that there are so many varieties in the market. Insurance comes in so many different varieties that you can cover pretty much anything for any eventuality, meaning that there are enough types around for you to take a look at.

Guest Author: J Tillotson

Who needs life insurance? 

Anyone in dangerous jobs and those with large and/or young families, gain more from being insured than anyone else. Young, single folk with no obligations or dependants may not require as much cover, and therefore may decide to wait until they have a family or commitments such as a mortgage.

Why get life insurance? 

Guest Author: Matthew Hick

Having homeowner's insurance isn't just a good idea; it's a necessity. Unless your home is paid in full, your mortgage company will require you to hold enough insurance to pay off your mortgage loan in the event of a catastrophic calamity to your home.  But, even if you own your home free and clear, you'll want coverage to protect your home against...

Thanks to increasing accident rates and rising repair costs, auto insurance costs are going through the roof. But you can still get affordable auto insurance from a reputable company. Here's how ...

State insurance regulators, working together through the State insurance regulators, working together through the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), today announced the details of a regulatory settlement agreement between 36 states, the District of Columbia and United Healthcare Insurance Company over alleged violations of state law involving claims-payment services.

“By working collaboratively, state insurance regulators have proven that we can protect consumers and maintain a strong regulatory system,” said NAIC President and Alabama Insurance Commissioner Walter Bell. “This agreement clearly demonstrates that state insurance regulation, on both a state and national level, is sucessful and effective...”

Living a homosexual lifestyle no longer incurs discrimination from life insurance providers, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) has said.

The industry body remarked that consumers may view being gay as a factor that could affect their application for life insurance, but that this is no longer the case.

"It's possible that there has been a perception that applications were not treated in the same way in the past, but now no longer do people have to disclose.what their sexuality is," said a spokesperson for the organisation.

In October 2005, a new Statement of Best Practice on HIV and Insurance was introduced by the industry, which included guidelines on questions it is "reasonable" to ask to assess an applicant's likelihood of contracting HIV - these questions should not relate to sexuality, the document advised.

"There is government legislation now which means that you don't have to disclose whether you're in a civil partnership, so there can be no way that the insurance company knows what your sexuality is," the industry spokesperson advised.

Meanwhile, Legal & General recently advised people that full disclosure is essential when applying for critical illness cover.

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By Kyung M. Song                                                                                                      Seattle Times health reporter

Scientists have known since 1984 that HIV causes AIDS. But for more than two decades since, the cunning human immunodeficiency virus has foiled all efforts to develop a vaccine.

As nearly a thousand of the world's top vaccine researchers gather in downtown Seattle this week for the four-day AIDS Vaccine 2007 Conference, some of them say the most realistic goal now isn't a vaccine to prevent HIV infection, but rather one that prevents HIV from being passed on.

"The HIV virus is an elusive virus," said Dr. Glenda Gray, a pediatrician and co-founder of the perinatal HIV research unit at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto, South Africa.

"I don't think anyone would have expected that it would take so long to find a vaccine."

At the same time, vaccine hunters remain unshaken in their belief that a vaccine is the only way to eventually eradicate AIDS. That's because it is clear now that it's impossible to completely eliminate the biggest sources of infection: unprotected sex, sharing needles, and childbearing and breastfeeding by infected women.