Author: blogger
Launched in March 2013, the Santander current account has been lauded by experts as the UK’s most generous current account in terms of customer rewards, according to The Daily Mail. If you are considering making the change to the Santander account, here’s what to expect in terms of risks and rewards.
The Santander account offers you cashback on purchases at a tiered system of 1-2-3. For example, the 1 stands for 1 percent cashback you receive when you use the Santander card to pay water and council tax bills. The 2 stands for 2 percent cash back on electricity and gas bills while the 3 percent stands for cashback on bills paid to mobile, home phone, broadband and on-demand television packages. You can set the account up as either a single or joint account based on your and your partner’s unique needs.
The 1-2-3 comes into play in another way. You also earn interest based on the amount of money you keep in the account on a monthly basis. For example, if you keep 1,000 or more in the Santander account, you earn 1 percent interest on this amount. If you carry a balance of 2,000 or more, you will earn 2 percent interest each month. When your funds exceed 20,000, you will earn 3 percent interest for your account balance, which is the maximum interest rate you can earn with the Santander account.
If you are curious if you could benefit from the Santander account, visit the company’s website at Santander.co.uk and go to the 123 Santander page. In the “What You Get” area, there is a cashback calculator. This allows you to put in your typical utility bill information to determine how much money you could get back. You also can view a list of utility providers to ensure your provider is a member of the cashback awards program.
The Fine Print
You must meet a few basic requirements to qualify for the Santander 123 card. For example, you must be older than age 18 and a permanent UK resident. In addition, you must keep a balance of at least 500 in your account and use at least two direct debits per month.
Remember that you will only earn the cashback rewards for the Santander 123 card if you have at least 1,000 in your account. If your balance drops below this amount, you will not get the cashback. To maximize the amount of interest you earn each month, follow this strategy: Keep as much money as you possibly can in your account for as many days as possible. To get the cashback rewards on your utility bills, they must be from direct debits. If you do choose to utilize direct debits, you may wish to set them all for the end of the month to maximize your interest.
You must pay a small fee to receive these benefits. The Santander card costs 2 each month to earn the cashback perks. Unlike some other cashback cards that pay once per year, the Santander card will pay cashback rewards on a monthly basis.
If the Santander 123 account does not appeal to you, but you wish to stay with the Santander company, you can choose its Everyday account, which does not offer cashback or charge a fee for holding the current account.
Making the Switch
Santander is a member of the Current Account Switch Service (CASS) that will switch your bank accounts within seven business days upon your request. The CASS system ensures you can switch your account in a hassle-free manner. If any details of the account do slip through the cracks, such as direct debits from the old account, the responsible bank must cover the costs associated with the error.
Travelers buy travel insurance with a view to make their trip safer and worry free. The common mistake that travelers make is to buy travel insurance without analyzing the coverage that the plan provides. This is not only a waste of money but can put you into serious trouble if you have to depend on the travel insurance plan on your trip. There are some common pitfalls that one must avoid while buying travel insurance. Some of them are:
Dont make false declarations
While buying a travel insurance plan you will have to speak out any existing medical conditions that you may be facing or may have faced in the past. It is very important that you make correct declaration while taking the plan. Making false declarations might save you money for now but could lead to your claim if any being rejected in the future. This is because if the insurer finds out that you were suffering from an ailment which you did not disclose, the insurance contract can be terminated.
Dont wait till the last minute
One common mistake that travelers make is to buy travel Insurance at the last minute. This can turn out to be a disaster move as the policy might not have the coverage that you require. Last minute buying will not give you time to read the fine print of the policy and determine whether it meets all your requirements. Planning your requirements in advance and choosing your travel insurance plan will also save you money. This is because you will get ample time to check and compare premiums of different service providers.
Dont break the law
The golden rule of travelling is to always abide by the laws of the country of your travel. Your travel insurance policy will not serve any purpose in case you enter into any illegal activity. The coverage of your travel insurance plan is limited to legal activities alone. The best thing to do is to check the rules and regulations of the country you are planning to visit before your travel. This will help you have a better understanding of the local rules and will help you abide by them.
Dont enter into adventure sports unless your insurance covers it
Normal travel insurance plans do not cover any hazardous or dangerous activities while on travel. Hence it is very important to plan in advance the kind of activities that you will be taking part in before you travel. If you plan to go for skydiving or paragliding make sure that you buy additional coverage for it along with your regular travel insurance plan. Sufficient coverage would be of great help in case you sustain injuries or meet with an accident while doing such activities.
Dont buy without reading the fine print
This is the most important rule of all. Never buy insurance unless you have gone through the terms and conditions mentioned in the policy. This will give you a clear close idea as to what you are covered and what you are not covered for.
These are some of the important point that can help you avoid the common pitfalls while buying travel insurance. Above all use your commonsense before signing on that dotted line.
Investopedia defines an uninsurable risk as ‘a hazard or condition that either has either a high likelihood of loss, or in which the insurance would be considered against the law.’ Many individuals applying for life insurance have been deemed uninsurable and had their application for cover declined. This article will take a closer look at some of the reasons why a life insurance company would deny an application for life cover.
While it is important to remember that each and every company has different underwriting policies, here are some of the more common reasons for denying an individual life insurance:
Pre-existing medical conditions, for example heart disease, cancer or HIV/AIDS. Note that in some cases insurers might not decline cover but might load premiums or limit cover to accidental death only, or apply a waiting period to the condition.
Age: life cover will not be granted to those under 18 or generally over 65 years of age
An insurer may not insure you if they feel you are over insured (i.e. you already have sufficient cover from other providers) or if they feel you would not be able to afford the premiums
Individuals who earn their money illegally are not considered insurable
Individuals with no so-called ‘contractual capacity’ due to mental illness, i.e. individuals who are legally not allowed to enter into a contract
Lifestyle: an insurer may deny your application for cover if you take part in dangerous sports like base jumping, sky-diving etc
Some insurers wont insure those with hazardous vocations for example policemen or paramedics
Here are a few guidelines if your cover is declined:
Speak to the life insurance company and find out why the cover was declined. Perhaps there is a solution or compromise that you can come to with the life insurance company.
Don’t give up if you are denied cover by one life insurance company. As different companies have different underwriting policies, you might be turned down by one company but granted cover by another.
Remember that certain life insurance companies may insure individuals with serious medical conditions, for example HIV positive individuals or those with Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes.
Lastly, remember that withholding information from a life insurance company when you apply for life cover is not only illegal but it might mean that any claims your family make one day are rejected or reduced. Do not risk a reduced or rejected claim and waste years of premium payments!
An important part of a sound financial plan, life insurance provides a death benefit to your beneficiaries and can replace some of the income you were earning. This can help preserve any investments, savings, or other assets you intended on paying off.
The Benefits Of Term Life Insurance:
Term life insurance is a policy that provides coverage to the insured over a certain length of time. This makes this policy an assset to your overall financial portfolio. One key advantage of level term life insurance is that the monthly premiums remain level for the life of the policy (whether it be 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, or 30 years).
The benefits in the different types of life insurance should not be overlooked. Before you buy a life insurance policy you should evaluate the overall condition of your financial portfolio. Yearly renewable term life insurance has a lower initial premium. However, the premium rises each year. Yearly renewable term life insurance is only cost effective for a few years because of the increasing premiums. If you are looking for term life insurance that runs more than a few years then a level term life insurance policy can cost less.
Buying Term Life Insurance Can Be A Good Decision:
For starters, term life insurance will cost less than permanent insurance. A potential buyer may have serveral dependents at home and he/she has to protect his/her income. They may have bought a house and now have a 30 year mortgage for $300,000. In this scenario you can plainly see a good reason to purchase a level term life insurance policy for $300,000 30 year term to cover their mortgage. If something were to happen to the proposed insured between now or anytime over the next 30 years the insurance company would write a check for the full face amount of the term life insurance policy for the survivor. This would allow the survivor to pay off the mortgage and the balance would be paid to the designated beneficiary.
Term Life Offers Conversion Options:
One nice thing about term life insurance is you can consider conversion options, such as a convertible option. A convertible term life insurance policy means that during a specified time you can convert all or part of the term insurance to a permanent life insurance product. If you chose3 this option you wouldn’t have to prove evidence of insurability since you were already insured. For instance, if you take out a term life insurance policy your need for the amount of coverage may change down the road. You may still need some life insurance but can afford to lower the face amount of the policy, thereby lowering your premiums when you excercise a coversion option. The conversion option on a term life insurance policy simply gives you the option to convert over a certain amount to cover final expenses.
The attraction to term life insurance is that it can be bought at an extremely low price and can be very beneficial to young families. If you lock in a term rate at an early age while you are young and healthy the rate is guaranteed for the full length of time on a guaranteed level term.
It is also possible to combine term life insurance with a permanent life insurance policy. During the earlier years of the policy you’ll have more coverage. As you get older there’s a good chance you may not need as much insurance as you originally applied for. For example, the children may have grown up and the house is paid off. So the need for so much coverage is not there and the term insurance will expire. The client will still have the permanent insurance policy that was put in force at the same time the term insurance was issued. Now the client can use the permanent life insurance to pay off final expenses down the road.
Why You Need Life Insurance:
1. Protect your familys home by allowing them to pay off your mortgage.
2. Allow your family to maintain their standard of living.
3. Give your spouse retirement income and peace of mind.
4. Pay off outstanding debts you have incurred.
5. Save the family business.
Important Benefits Of Term Life Insurance Policies:
1. Term policies are a practical way to receive the most coverage for your dollar amount and can also meet a wide variety of personal and business needs.
2. Term insurance provides protection for a certain period of time (10,15,20,25,30 years) and pays the death benefit to your beneficiary if anything were to happen to you during this time.
3. Many term life insurance policies allow you to convert your policy to a permanent policy within a specific time period.
Looking at buying a long term care insurance policy? Congratulations as youve taken the first important step to attaining financial freedom. Now before you request long term care insurance quotes it would be wise to perform a background check on the insurance companies that you are eyeing.
Nowadays you wont find frauds just roaming the streets. Many of the modern ones hold offices in posh skyscrapers and wear decent clothes. Dont fall prey to their deceitful dialogue about long term care insurance (LTCI) lest you fall into the financial hole.
Only negotiate with leading LTCI companies and they are easy to find via reputable insurance rating companies such as A.M. Best Company, Moodys Investors Service, and Standard & Poors among others.
If youre not sure about which company to request LTCI quotes from, you can get in touch with your insurance agent but if you dont have one you can contact a renowned professional firm which markets LTCI policies from major providers. It is advisable to seek assistance from a company that is affiliated with top LTCI providers as it is more capable of getting you a quote that will match your budget and healthcare requirements.
Simply supply the company with your complete information so that they can gather LTCI quotes that will suit your needs. Its important that you tell them your current age, familys health history, your present health condition preferably supported by documents from your physician, preferred LTC setting, and the budget which you intend to allot for a policy.
If you buy a policy before the age of 50 you can enjoy a low annual premium but then again, there are other determining factors such as the total amount of your benefits, your maximum benefit period, elimination period, inflation protection, and even the manner of receiving your benefits.
Whats in Long Term Care Insurance Quotes?
Your LTCI quote is basically what you want to see on your LTCI policy so once you get hold of it, study it very well before giving your approval.
Consider it as the rough draft of a potential LTCI policy that is why it is necessary to furnish your LTCI representative with factual information; or else you might end up with a policy that you will never get to use.
Your choice of LTC setting will determine your policys maximum benefit amount so if you tell your agent that you want to receive in-home care only, the quote you shall receive shall not be based on the cost of LTC facilities. Should you need care in a nursing home or assisted living facility someday, you have to figure out how to foot your expenses since your benefits wont be sufficient.
Twenty years down the road, the cost of care is projected to quadruple so to be safe request long term care insurance quotes for a comprehensive LTCI policy. This way you will be able to receive extensive coverage whether for in-home care, institutional or community-based care.