Does your homeowners insurance company have a lot of complaints? Will you have difficulty placing a claim, or have a valid claim delayed or denied? How do you know if your insurance company is any good? Most consumers fail to check the complaint records of their insurance companies. Here I provide complaint information for all the major home insurance companies in Illinois, and rank them, from best to worst, based on their 2010 record of homeowners insurance complaints in Illinois (Accurate 2011 data not available yet). Continue reading
Monthly Archives: March 2012
Term Life Insurance Rates: 21 year old Male Smoker
Term life insurance rates are very inexpensive, but not as inexpensive when you smoke. The rates can be double what a non-smoker in similar health condition will pay. The good news is not all life insurance companies weigh tobacco use the same. If you only chew tobacco, or have the occasional cigar, some life insurance companies may offer you non-smoker rates. However, if you smoke a pack or two a day, you can’t avoid the smoker rating. Although you may have to pay life insurance rates based on your tobacco use, there is a big difference in the rates life insurance companies will charge you, with some companies charging almost twice as much as others. Here are 5 life insurance companies with low prices for a 20 year term life insurance policy for $500,000, for the two health classifications for a 21 year old male smoker. Continue reading
Rental Reimbursement/ Transportation Expense/ Loss of Use Auto Insurance Coverage
An optional auto insurance coverage some people find out they need too late, after they’ve had a claim, is Rental Reimbursement. Some insurance companies call this coverage Loss of Use or Transportation Expense. The benefits of this coverage may be different among insurance companies, and some insurance companies offer more generous coverage, like Liberty Mutual with its Unlimited Rental Coverage, as a way to attract customers.
My blog post today will give you information to help you decide if you need this coverage, what you should consider before buying it, how the coverage can differ among companies, and know the financial consequences of not choosing this coverage option. Continue reading
Illinois Auto Insurance Reviews: Complaint Ratings for 25 Major Companies & the 10 Worst Companies
Does your auto insurance company have a lot of complaints? Will you have difficulty placing a claim, or have a valid claim delayed or denied? How do you know if your company is any good? Most consumers fail to check the complaint records of their insurance companies. Here I provide complaint information for 25 of the largest (by market share in Illinois, based on premium) auto insurance companies and rank them, from best to worst, based on their 2010 record of auto insurance complaints in Illinois (Accurate 2011 data not available yet). I also list 10 other insurance companies, not in the Top 25, but having significant market share in Illinois, with the worst complaint records. Continue reading
Auto Insurance Rates Drop As Your Car Gets Older?
Many car insurance customers are surprised when their rates do not decrease as their car gets older. Everyone knows cars depreciate in value as they get older. Many brand new cars decrease in value by as much as 30% as soon as you drive it off the dealer’s lot. Continue reading