March, 2006
Effect of BenefitsWe have previously examined realistic billable hours and the effect of business expenses on your hourly rate. Now we'll look at the effect of benefits.Once upon at time, when we were employed, we received a benefits package from our employer. This usually included health, life and disability insurance. Many firms also had available pension programs, profit sharing, dental and vision coverage. In addition, one-half of your social security was paid by your employer.As self-employed individuals, we have to provide these benefits for ourselves. This means an additional boast to the hourly rate we've calculated so far. For the sake of argument, let's figure a standard benefits package consisting of health, life, disability, pension and profit sharing. Let's figure health insurance costs at $300 per month; life at $50 ...
(ContentDesk) September 27, 2005 -- According to a statistics reported by Keynote Systems, Inc., the internet is the main source for finding auto insurance quotes today. While over 87 percent of consumers were reported to visit sites with the intention of obtaining a car insurance quote, 58 percent of them reported that they were willing to buy their auto insurance online, too. In fact, Keynote Systems showed in two different reports that auto insurance websites that offered comparative car insurance quotes and resources to potential consumers had a significant advantage over sites and companies that did not. Yet, some consumers worry about the safety of the web in a world of hackers and computer savvy thieves. However, almost all insurance broker websites are using security encryption ...
I've decided to wait for the dust to settle before I addressed this issue with you. In part I have had mixed feelings about this bill. Any potential rate increase possibility I would and do fight. I have also seen this type of struggle before with other insurance carriers in other states and witnessed "the closed door maneuvers". It is frustrating to me to see what goes on and that the general public isn't included fully on all facts. So I want to get some issues addressed here and point out some facts to encourage awareness of the good the bad and the ugly. I don't want to sway you with my opinion but rather to expose you to some things much more deeper than what you hear ...
QuoteWright.com, the nation's leading online travel insurance market source announced today a business partnership with HTH Worldwide, a leader in international health insurance and medical assistance services, serving hundreds of thousands of world travelers annually."This relationship strengthens the ability of consumer's all over the USA and Canada to compare and gain access to the very comprehensive HTH Worldwide protection plans," said QuoteWright.com President John Cook. "HTH provides cost effective travel insurance plans. Consumers who visit our site can use our marketplace to do a side by side comparison of available plans and make clear and informed decisions about coverage for their trip."About QuoteWright.comQuoteWright.com is a division of BC Group, LLC. The BC Group is a travel insurance aggregator that was established in 2001 and is headquartered in East ...
Recent statements by the City of London Police Commissioner James Hart that future terrorist attacks in London's financial centre are, "a matter of when, rather than if", will increase already serious concerns over issues of personal and business financial protection. Mr Hart's statement pointed out that, "if you want to hurt the government, hurt people at the same time, and you want to cause maximum disruption...where better to hit than at the financial centre?" Mr Hart also echoed a report by the insurer Axa which warned that just under 50% of small firms do not have a plan in place to ensure that their business could survive should they be hit by an emergency or disaster. Axa highlighted that many businesses, especially in the South East danger zone, ...
With the large number of college students and others traveling away from home this coming week for spring break vacations, it pays to take a minute to think about the protection you have in the event of an accident or illness. Tony Novak, who operates OnlineAdviser service at MedSave.com, offers these suggestions:U.S. health insurance policies typically cover only U.S. residents while in the U.S. Non-U.S. health insurance policies cover only non-U.S. residents while outside the U.S. International travelers usually need supplemental insurance to bridge the gap during periods away from home.If you belong to an HMO, realize that your benefits out of your local area are limited and you may wind up paying most of the cost of a claim yourself. The out-of-network deductible and co-insurance ...
It is often said that less than 2% of patented inventions are ever produced and sold. Probably less than 1% is a more accurate estimate. What kills these would-be "great ideas" can be one or more of any number of unforeseen factors. Consider the Light Visor, a now (nearly) dead invention. Patented in 1996, The Light Visor, a miniature auxiliary sun visor which attaches to a vehicle sun visor, was immediately welcomed by several major manufacturers. And then quickly dropped because of a belief that the newly arriving dual sun visor systems would hinder sales. The original prototype Light Visor had utilized a two inch binder clip that attached to the hinge end of a vehicle sun visor. This awkward metal clip could not be utilized in a dual vehicle sun ...
What is Pet Insurance? Pet insurance is a health plan for your pet to insure against large and small unexpected veterinary bills over the life of your pet. Potential treatments for your pet now rival human treatments both in sophistication and cost. Pet insurance is designed to alleviate much of the financial risk and insecurity that caring for your pet can bring. Pet insurance is common in many European countries. However, it remains rare in the U.S. There are about 130 million pet cats and dogs in the United States, but only a handful of pet owners (fewer than 300,000) take advantage of these policies. Pet insurance has been around for about 20 years, but many pet owners don't know that it exists, or they think the insurance costs are ...
We live in a highly specialized age. New industries and professions spring up as the established sectors break down into smaller categories. Driven by the wealth of detail in an increasingly complex world, employers and clients prefer to hire specialists rather than generalists. That decision is often based on cost-effectiveness. And with so much more to know about everything, it pays to specialize in your areas of interest.This is particularly true in the medical profession. As society becomes more health conscious, the general awareness of cause and effect is bringing health issues into the mainstream of daily life. Medicine no longer happens entirely within the walls of a hospital. Nurses find themselves in other settings, playing the roles of social workers, detectives or attorneys. These new career paths offer an ...
Are you looking to buy a life insurance policy? Well, be careful. Life insurance can be difficult to understand and it's easy to be conned into buying something under false pretenses.Recently a prominent life insurance company together with several of its agents paid a huge fine because it permitted the sale of a life insurance policy disguised as a retirement plan. There was little attention given to what a life insurance policy is truly designed to provide.Life insurance is not an investment for your benefit. It's guaranteed income tax-free cash paid to someone you designate in the event of your death. If you deeply care for someone and want to protect them, then buying a life insurance policy makes sense.As primary bread winner in your family, ...
