UK Car Insurance - Making A Claim

If you are unlucky enough to have an accident in the UK, you will need to know some of the basics ins-and-outs of how to make a claim on your UK car insurance.

Personal Injury

The first thing you should do following a car accident is to check and see if anyone in your car or any of the other cars has been injured. If they have, you should immediately call for medical assistance (ambulance). Once you have done this, keep in mind that you may need to include a medical report as part of the accident claim.

Call the police

Depending on the seriousness of the accident, you may know need to call the police.

24-Hour assistance

By law you should have a copy of your car insurance certificate with you in your car at all times. Included in this will be a 24-hour hotline contact number that you can call if you happen to be involved in an accident. You need to ring this number and ask them what the procedures are you should take. Remember, in the UK you can have one of several different classes of car insurance (for example, third party or fully comprehensive), so the steps you will need to take will vary depending on this and the procedures put in place by your specific car insurance policy provider.

While on the phone with your car insurance company, remember to ask them to send you an accident report form. The accident report form should be fairly self-explanatory, but if you have any problems completing this, then it is a good ideal that you call your insurer and clear up any misunderstandings before you submit this form.

Collect evidence of the accident

Having called your insurance provider and asked for assistance, it is a good idea to collect some evidence about the accident. This can include taking the names of any eye witnesses and/or taking photographs of the accident (mobile phone cameras are useful for this purposes).

Repairs to your car

It is very important that you understand that any costs you incur with respect to your car following an accident are for your own account (i.e. you pay) unless you have agreed these beforehand with your insurance company. As such, it is not a good idea following an accident to just take your car off to a garage and have the repairs done – as you may well find your car insurance company will not agree to reimburse you. Far more sensible is to phone the car insurance company first and ask them if there is any specific garage in your area where you need to take the car for repairs.

Keep receipts for all expenses

Even if you think that it is unlikely you’ll be reimbursed for the cost, if you have an accident and are going to make a claim with your car insurance company then it is vital that you keep a receipt of all the expenses incurred. Keep in mind that if you do not have a record of the expense, it is highly unlikely that your car insurance company is going to reimburse you.

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Model Photo Shoot Tips

For a girl brand new to modeling, getting through the first shoot can be more difficult than it seems. Typically, beginners are much more nervous than necessary. One main reason is not being prepared or knowing what to expect during the time in front of the photographers camera.When preparing for the model photo shoot, you will want to practice poses with various outfits to give you the ability to stand, sit or lie in various positions without feeling uncomfortable. Look through fashion or glamour magazines to see how the professionals look natural and fluid in their posing and expressions.

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Long-Term Care - The Ignored Need

Most Americans fear they'll need long-term care at some point after retirement, but only a small percentage are are doing anything about it, according to a survey conducted for the John Hancock Life Insurance Co.* It states that 85 percent of respondents worry about needing long-term care at some time in their future, an increase from 80 percent a decade ago.

Long term care addresses a wide range of long term care and supportive services for people who may have cognitive impairment or who are unable to accomplish certain activities of daily living over an extended period of time. These can include activities such as bathing, continence, dressing, eating, toileting, and transferring. Long term care services can be provided in a variety of settings, including your home, assisted care facilities or nursing homes; and it can be very expensive.

Many Americans incorrectly believe Medicare and/or Medicaid will help fund their long-term care expenses. This is simply not true. Some feel they will be able to "trick" the system, but this has become much more difficult to do. The Deficit Reduction Act that was signed on February 8, 2006, has caused most states to radically alter Medicaid parameters and long term care programs. The loopholes are being closed.

The study also found that almost 60 percent of the respondents worry about paying for long-term care, but nearly 70 percent of these people said they have done little planning, if any, for long-term care needs. Furthermore, Americans are living longer, care costs are rising, and company pension programs are being cut back. Because the average cost of nursing home care has risen to more than $71,000 a year, the costs for in-home care are also rising and it is apparent the rate of future increases will continue to be high; there is a looming crisis in America. Americans are not facing the realities of what lies ahead, especially the potential need for long-term care.

Right now, Americans seem to be avoiding the issue. According to the survey, more than 60 percent of adults haven't tried to calculate the amount of money they need for retirement. Of those who did the calculation, nearly half didn't factor in long-term care. Of those who did, nearly four in 10 did nothing about it.

One important financial tool possibly being overlooked is Long-Term Care Insurance. Many people do not realize this type of insurance can be tailored to fit a persons budget as well as help with some of the potential costs of long term care. In other words, there are many variables that can be tailored to meet an individual's financial budget as well as help with the cost of future long term care needs. A qualified Long-Term Care Insurance representative should be consulted to help develop an appropriate plan.

* The survey was conducted by Greenwald & Associates.

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How to Lower the Cost of Your Car Insurance

Buying auto insurance is an important part of your overall financial planning. The auto insurance premium rate varies depending on the company and the type of policy coverage you choose to have. Here are some guidelines to lower the cost.

Shop Around- Compare the costs by shopping around at least four to five insurance companies and comparing the quotes. Take the help of your friends, relatives and yellow pages. Your insurance company should offer fair price and posses excellent service records. Check the financial ratings of the company as it indicates the strength and stability of the company.

Ask for higher deductibles- Deductible is the amount of money that you pay before making any claim for an accident. The collision and comprehensive coverage are sold with the deductibles. Higher the deductibles lower will be the premium rate. Increasing the deductible from $200 to $500 may reduce the cost by 15 to 30 percent.

Drop collision and comprehensive Coverage on older cars- If your car is worth less than 10 times your premium in the current market, consider dropping the collision and comprehensive coverage.

Buy auto coverage from your existing insurer- Buy insurance coverage from your existing carrier. This may help you to reduce the cost. Sometimes low rates are available for the longtime customers.

Avoid double health coverage- If you think that you have enough health insurance, and then avoid health coverage with your auto policy. This will help you to reduce the cost.

Maintain a good credit record- Insurers are using the credit history while determining the price of insurance. Statistically, the lower your credit score, the more you are likely to file claims. A person with a good credit score is more likely to settle the accident without the support of the company. Try to maintain a good credit record.

Discounts with low profile car- Cars that are expensive to repair or attractive to thieves will have a higher rate. Consider buying a low profile or average car as it your insurer might come up with discounts for such a car.

Take advantage of the low mileage discount- Obtain some discount on premiums by driving less than the national average mileage recorded per year.

Consult about group discount- Sometimes you can get some discounts on group plans provided by your employer, or a business groups, or other associations. Find out whether such a plan is available.

Seek Car Safety discount- Some insurers offer discount if you keep your car equipped with air bag, anti-lock brakes, anti-theft devices, automatic seat belts. Take advantage of this.

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Pillar of Berkshire empire

Being a big insurer will amount Berkshire Hathaway Inc. dearly back astringent catastrophes strike, but it is a acceptable abode to be in the bosom of an bread-and-butter downturn, Chairman Warren Buffett said.

"We are lucky," said Mr. Buffett, as he addressed bags of shareholders at Berkshire's anniversary affair in his hometown of Omaha, Neb., on Saturday. Insurance, forth with utilities, addition big business for Berkshire, are sectors "relatively artless by the recession," he said.

Berkshire operates almost 80 businesses, including See’s Candies, Fruit of the Loom underwear and bogus homebuilder Clayton Homes, but generates about bisected its after-effects from insurance.

U.S. insurers accept been abominably aged back aftermost year by advance losses, circuitous now by attenuated appeal amidst the bread-and-butter recession.
Among Berkshire's allowance companies are the auto insurer Geico Corp., reinsurer General Re Corp. and band insurer Berkshire Hathaway Assurance.

"The balance ability of (Berkshire's insurance) businesses was not as acceptable aftermost year as normal," Mr. Buffett conceded. "And it won't be as acceptable this year. But best of them will do well, and abounding of them will do exceptionally. Allowance gives us a lot of balance ability that we are activity to access over time."

Mr. Buffett said Berkshire's allowance businesses had a first-quarter underwriting accumulation that was "a little more good than aftermost year," but the recession aching after-effects at abounding added businesses, blame all-embracing operating accumulation bottomward about 12% from a year ago.

Many in Omaha this weekend said their better affair was the broader bread-and-butter turmoil. A almanac 35,000 showed up at the anniversary meeting, area Mr. Buffett and Berkshire Vice Chairman Charlie Munger answered bristles hours of questions on Berkshire, the abridgement and added issues.

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