One of the most common question I get besides those from People in Real Trouble, are those reguarding Insurance of all types.
The main point with Insurance is to:
1) assess your real needs and not be over sold
2) compare, compare, compare!
I say this because there are huge differences in prices for people with exactly the same age, health and safety ranking depending on what company you ask. The difference can by many many hundreds of dollars. So PLEASE COMPARE!
HEALTH INSURANCE
The Best way to obtain health Insurance is to get it from an employer. This puts you in a large purchasing group thus lowering the rates with a "bulk discount." If you are not working for an employer that offferes it, then try some other group you may be affiliated with.
Examples of Groups with insurance carriers are:
American Association of Retired People:
www.aarp.org
All US states off some sort of health insurance for children of working families and many offer whole family programs.
Check out your state at:
INSURE KIDS NOW!!
http://www.insurekidsnow.gov/
For Adults, or if your income exceeds the ususally low income requirements, then please try searching at these sites which offer comparision of plans available in your state. I checked these out and they all seem to offer different insurance companies, so to get a good comparision try them all. The few minutes of your time can save you a great deal.
Health Insurance Free Quote Comparison sites:
Health Insurance Saving.com
FREE HEALTH INSURANCE QUOTE! From HealthInsuranceSaving.com
EhealthInsurance.com
eHealthInsurance.com for Free Quotes
InsuranceFinder.com
Get a Free Health Insurance Quote from InsuranceFinder.com
LowerMyBills.com
Compare Insurance Costs and Save!
AUTO INSURANCE
Like All other insurance Auto varies from state to state. Buy the minimum you need to stay within your states requirements. If you have an older paid for car --just get Liability Insurance and put the money you save into a savings account in case you need to repair or replace a wrecked car.
If you have a newer car, or one you are making payments on, then get the highest Deductible Comprehensive (Liability and Collision Combined) you think you can risk. To a degree Insurance is a Gamble. You hope you'll never need it, but if you do make sure you can cover the deductible you pick. Most likely you can put the money in a savings account and hope you never need to cover a deductible.
You get usually get the cheapest coverage if you add auto to an existing Home Insurance or Life Insurance plan and get a discount. The second cheapest is from large national carriers like www.allstate.com or www.travelers.com or the gekko.
So check with a major carrier first, and then use then use a comparison site like the ones listed below to get free quotes from many at once. By doing this you'll be sure get the best rate possible.
InsWeb.com
Free Auto Insurance Quotes from InsWeb.com
LowerMyBills.com
Free -Compare Insurance Costs and Save!
Home and Renter's Insurance
Again --and your are probably sick of hearing this compare and save! What I did is compared a couple companies recommended by friends with some of the Multi-Free Quote sites.
LowerMyBills.com
Free -Compare Insurance Costs and Save!
Life Insurance
It makes me feel so bad when people write me to tell of the great deal they got on a mail-in coupon for a mere ten dollars a month they got a mere ten thousand dollars life insurance in case they pass on. This would pay their funeral expenses.. Well yes it would.
Any Healthy person between the ages of 18 and 55 can get $100,000 term life insurance for just ten to 20 dollars a month. A nice chuink of change --for the same payments!!!--- to leave your family if something bad happens.
Please check out:
InsWeb.com
Free Life Insurance Quotes from InsWeb.com
and if you are healthy, non-smoking, and under 55 you should find several carriers in your search. Very reputable companies.
If you are over 50 years old, then check out:
American Association of Retired People
www.aarp.org
They have many benefits at low group rates for older people.
I hope this has helped you on your search to lower those insurance costs! Even a savings of ten dollars a month makes $120 dollars saved a year. So please compare!
For more ideas Check out these Frugal Living Books!
Complete Tightwad Gazzette
The Complete Tightwad Gazzette
Declare Your Finanacial Independence
Declare Your Financial Independence
Complete Cheapskate
Mary Hunt's Complete Cheapskate
Miserly Moms
Miserly Moms
You Can Afford to Stay Home With your Kids
You can Afford to stay Home WIth your Kids
