Ads 468x60px

Pages

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Basel Tone Improves - Positive for Canadian Banks

Scotia Capital, 28 July 2010• The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision reached broad agreement July 26, 2010 on the overall design of the capital and liquidity reform package including definition of capital, the treatment of counterparty credit risk, the leverage ratio, and the global liquidity standard.• In general, the agreement seems to provide a more balanced and constructive approach to

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Health Insurance Coverage: The Primer One

For this blog post, I found an interesting and useful article regarding Health Insurance, Health Insurance Coverage...It's the primer one!!!

How health insurance coverage it is???

Please read the article below:

Understanding Health Insurance Coverage: A Primer
by: Peter Lenkefi

Health Insurance Coverage: What are ‘Covered’ Services?
Health insurance coverage is a contract used to determine medical benefits that are covered, or not covered, between you and your insurance provider. The insurance company, based on a fee that you provide them on a regular basis, promises to pay health insurance coverage on certain items or benefits listed in that contract. These are called ‘covered’ services. ‘Covered’ services can include a wide variety of things, such as implements, prescriptions, services (such as massage), checkups, tests and/or research.

Your contract should also list all of the things NOT covered in your health insurance coverage – these are items or services that you will need to pay for out of your own pocket, should you require them.

Health Insurance Coverage: What is a Medical Necessity? How is this Different from Covered Services?
Just as it seems, a medical necessity is something that your health professional has deemed a required service/ item that will affect your health negatively should you decide not to purchase it. However, just because your doctor tells you something is a medical necessity does not mean your health insurance actually offers coverage for it.

Since insurance companies decide what health coverage they will and will not provide, you really have no leeway in this area.

Health Insurance Coverage: What Do I Do?
Most doctors try and keep themselves abreast as to what the major insurance companies do, and do not cover when it comes to health coverage. However, there are a LOT of plans out there, so this just isn’t enough. So how can you avoid any nasty surprises during an emergency?

Read your health insurance coverage. You’re better off knowing what your health insurance company will, and will not provide coverage for right off the bat. Then, if your doctor decides on a treatment plan that isn’t covered, you can ask for alternatives that may be.
If there are questions regarding your health insurance coverage, do not hesitate to contact the insurance company. Questions are good, and they expect them.

Health Insurance Coverage: What Do I Do if Something I Need Isn’t Covered?
The gross majority of what your doctor orders for you will be covered in your health insurance plan. If you do get a treatment or supply that isn’t covered, you can always challenge the health insurance coverage. You may not be the only one who requires the same type of service, benefit or item – so you’ll end up fighting not just for yourself, but for others in the same situation.

Ask your doctor for their side, and use this in your claim. It may not help in the end, but if your doctor is on your side, you may be able to convince the health insurance company that coverage is required.


About the author:
For more more information about health insurance coverage please visit http://www.1health-center.com/articles/Health-Insurance-Coverage.php

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Estate Tax to return in 2011..... Yankees owner....



The Star-Ledger-US Presswire

If former New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner's estate was valued at over $1 billion, the fact that he died while the estate tax is not in effect may have saved his heirs $500 million in taxes.

BIG BILL COMING


Unless Congress acts, the federal estate tax, which was repealed this year, will return in 2011 with a lower exemption and a higher tax rate.



By Sandra Block, USA TODAY

In life, George Steinbrenner beat the Red Sox. In death, he beat the IRS.

Steinbrenner's death on July 13 occurred six months after the federal estate tax expired. Forbes magazine estimates the Yankees owner's net worth was $1.15 billion, so the timing of Steinbrenner's death could save his heirs up to $500 million in federal estate taxes.

But future heirs may not be so lucky. The federal estate tax is scheduled to return with a vengeance on Jan. 1, 2011, imposing a levy of up to 55% on estates valued at more than $1 million. And the same congressional paralysis that allowed the tax to expire in 2010 could thwart efforts to pare it back, estate planning attorneys say.

A $1 million exemption would affect a lot of families that are well out of Steinbrenner's league. "You take a home, an IRA or 401(k) retirement account, some other savings and you get to $1 million pretty easily," says Richard Behrendt, senior estate planner for Robert W. Baird and a former IRS attorney.

ESCAPING ESTATE TAX: Famous folk who have died this year

Families who live in areas with high property values are particularly vulnerable, says Clint Stretch, tax principal for Deloitte Tax who lives outside Washington, D.C. "People in my neighborhood bought a house for $32,000 in the '60s, and now it's worth $1 million," he says. "If they've got anything else, they would be paying an estate tax."

And for truly wealthy families, estate taxes could influence life-or-death decisions. But more on that later.

Congressional inaction

The roots of the estate tax disarray date back to 2001, when Congress voted to gradually raise the estate tax exemption while cutting income tax rates. The phase-out ended in repeal of the tax in 2010. But like the Bush administration's income tax cuts, the reduction in the estate tax is scheduled to expire at the end of this year.

Right up until the end of 2009, most estate tax attorneys expected Congress to step in and reinstate the tax. That didn't happen — raising doubts about whether Congress can agree on a fix that will prevent a more punitive tax from rising from the grave in 2011.

"Nine years ago I would have told you there was no chance we would have a year of repeal and no chance we would go back to the $1 million exemption," says Beth Kaufman, a partner with Caplin & Drysdale in Washington, D.C., and former associate tax legislative counsel for Treasury's Office of Tax Policy. "Now that we've gotten to the year of repeal, it's hard to say that something is impossible anymore."

Historically, wealthy individuals have used a variety of strategies to mitigate estate taxes, including giving away a large portion of their wealth while they're still alive. Individuals can give their children, relatives and others up to $1 million during their lifetimes without incurring federal gift taxes, Kaufman says. In addition, individuals can give away an annual amount without reducing their exemption for gift or estate taxes. In 2010, the annual gift tax exclusion is $13,000 per recipient and individuals can give away that amount to as many people as they want. Many wealthy families also reduce the size of their taxable estates by giving money and other assets to charity.

But those strategies aren't practical for families who have most of their wealth tied up in their primary residences and retirement savings, Kaufman says. "You're not going to give away your house, because you're living in it," she says. Taking withdrawals from retirement plans will trigger income taxes, plus a 10% penalty if the plan owner is under 59½.

Proposed fixes

The Obama administration has proposed returning the estate tax to its 2009 level, with a $3.5 million exemption and a 45% rate on assets that exceed that amount. The House approved the administration's proposal last year, but Republican opponents blocked action in the Senate.

Last week Sens. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., and Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., re-introduced legislation that would exempt up to $5 million from estate taxes and impose a 35% tax rate on assets that exceed that amount.

"In just six short months, American taxpayers will face the largest tax hike in history unless Congress acts," Lincoln said in a statement. "It is estimated that more than a half-million American families will pay the estate tax over the next decade, and the lack of congressional action creates a tremendous amount of uncertainty for these families, small-business owners and farmers."

But political partisanship has made compromise increasingly difficult, says Melissa Montgomery-Fitzsimmons, director of wealth planning for First Western Trust Bank in Denver. "Given the fact that we're in an election year, the most likely thing to happen is that the laws will not change, and we will go back to $1 million of exemption and a 55% rate," she says.

Plus, reinstating the estate tax with a lower exemption would provide lawmakers with a back-door way to raise revenue, says Jason Smolen, an estate tax attorney at SmolenPlevy of Vienna, Va. "If you could do nothing and get more money, it's better than voting to raise taxes to get more money," he says.

Stretch is more optimistic that Congress will resolve the issue before the end of the year. He believes an estate tax with a higher threshold than $1 million — possibly somewhere between the one in the House-passed bill and the one proposed by Kyl and Lincoln — will be included in legislation preventing the middle-class tax cuts from expiring.

That legislation has real urgency, because without it, millions of middle-class Americans will see their taxes go up on Jan. 1, Stretch says. The higher taxes "would come out of people's paychecks almost immediately," he says. "If there's any sanity left in our political system, it will take care of middle-class tax cuts before January and at that moment in time they'll take care of estate tax."

Stretch says there's a good chance the House will extend the middle-class tax cuts and address the estate tax before the midterm elections, possibly as early as this month. But the Senate probably won't take up the issue until after the elections, he says.

Retroactive tax unlikely

In the meantime, the list of wealthy estates that will escape federal estate taxes will no doubt continue to grow. In addition to Steinbrenner, families of real estate magnate Walter Shorenstein, Texas pipeline tycoon Dan Duncan and Taco Bell founder Glen Bell will not have to worry about federal estate taxes. J.D. Salinger's heirs will also get a tax break, although establishing the value of the reclusive author's estate could take years.

"If there's ever a good time to die, 2010 is certainly it for the wealthy individual," Kaufman says.

Shortly after the estate tax expired, there was widespread speculation that Congress would reinstate it and make the tax retroactive to the beginning of 2010. But even if Congress agrees on an estate tax fix, it's unlikely lawmakers will be able to make it retroactive, Behrendt says. Families of billionaires who have died this year have the money and wherewithal to fight the tax all the way to the Supreme Court, he says.

"At some point, it becomes impractical to bring it (estate tax) back," Behrendt says. "George Steinbrenner's death in mid-July really underscores that reality."

Life-or-death tax implications

As repeal of the estate tax loomed at the end of 2009, wealthy families had an incentive to keep ailing parents or grandparents alive until Jan. 1. This year, in what sounds like an episode of Law & Order, heirs stand to benefit if wealthy benefactors die before midnight on Dec. 31. While outright homicide seems unlikely, estate-planning attorneys say they can envision situations in which the prospect of onerous estate taxes influences family members' decision to discontinue a relative's life support.

It could also cause some wealthy people with terminal illnesses to hasten their own demise, Behrendt says. "The fact is that our tax laws are influencing people's decision to live or die."

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Life insurance and annuities: What's the difference?

Although both life insurance and annuities may be appropriate components of your short- and long-term financial strategy, they serve different purposes. Life insurance is designed to help provide financial protection for your beneficiaries, while annuities help provide a hedge against outliving your retirement savings.

Plan and purpose
The main purpose of life insurance is to help your family meet ongoing financial needs previously met by your income. Life insurance can help fill the financial gap left in the event you are no longer there. Common types of life insurance include whole life, term life and universal life. There are many different options and riders with each type.

Annuities are designed to help individuals convert assets into an income stream. In exchange for a purchase payment, or series of payments, the insurance company guarantees to pay a stream of income in the future. Although all guarantees are based upon the claims-paying ability of the issuing company, annuities are designed to help provide income that can last as long as you do.

Do u txt & drv?


In today's 24/7/365 world, staying connected is what it's all about. And text messaging, according to the CTIA, the international association for the wireless telecommunications industry, is increasingly how many people prefer to communicate today.* Maybe it's the allure of the rapid read and respond capability — even from behind the wheel of a moving vehicle.

The wheel in one hand, the phone in the other
In January 2010, the National Safety Council (NSC) released a report that estimates that at least 1.6 million crashes (28 percent of all crashes) are caused each year by drivers talking on cell phones and texting. If you're using your handheld device while driving, try these tips to break your habit:

Turn off the ringer so you won't be tempted to answer while driving. Let your voicemail pick up messages.
Place your handheld device out of reach so you can't use it to talk or text.
For more tips, go to the Department of Transportation's new Web site that aims to reduce distracted driving: http://www.distraction.gov.
Then go to http://txtresponsibly.org/oath/ and take the oath. It may save a life, even your own.

State laws vary
Cell phone use and text messaging laws vary state-by-state as more and more states and municipalities are banning specific distractions. So before you head out on vacation, visit http://www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/cellphone_laws.html for current information on cell phone usage. And let's check your auto coverage soon to see if you're prepared for all those distracted drivers on our roads.

*http://ctia.org/advocacy/research/index.cfm/AID/10323

How secure is your home?


Question: If you locked yourself out of your house, could you easily find a way in? If you answered yes, then a burglar could also answer yes. Many burglaries occur in the summer when people are away on vacation. Read on for a few tips that may help secure your home when you're not there. And you might want to print out the list of additional General Security Tips and keep it for future reference.

Take a security survey. Many local law enforcement agencies will provide a free survey of your property to help identify potential trouble spots. Another strategy is to put yourself into the mindset of a burglar. Walk through and around your home and keep asking yourself this question: If I were going to break in, how would I do it?
Get a dog. Dogs are great companions and even small dogs may make enough noise to help deter burglars.
Burglar alarms. A security alarm system can help keep your home safe from burglars — if you remember to turn it on.
Secure windows and doors. Easily visible locks on windows and doors may deter thieves. Make sure doors, windows and all frames are strong and in good condition.
Outside lighting. Good outdoor lighting is a crucial aspect of your home's security. Lighting can help to deter burglars and eliminate potential hiding spots.
Gardens, gates and fences. Check for weak spots in gates and fences and potential hiding spots provided by shrubs.
Keys. Don't leave a spare key in a convenient hiding place such as under the doormat or in a flowerpot — thieves often look there first.

No matter how secure your residence is, if a professional burglar has targeted your home and is determined to break in, the unthinkable may still happen. Be prepared: Create and maintain a detailed household inventory. And call me: I can give you information that may help you determine if you have adequate insurance coverage on your home and belongings.

General Security Tips1


1.Arrange to have a member of a law enforcement agency do a professional survey.

2.Keep all trees and shrubs pruned and well maintained to prevent anyone from hiding unseen.

3.Make sure that no trees, downpipes or latticework provide easy access to upper floors.

4.If you have skylights, make sure they can't be removed from the outside or easily broken.

5.Don't leave ladders or tools outside; they may assist a potential intruder.

6.Don't hide house keys outside where they're likely to be found.

7.Keep your home well lighted with particular attention to exterior doors.

8.Exterior doors should be at least 1¾ inches thick, made from solid wood or reinforced with metal.

9.All exterior doors should have heavy duty dead bolts and reinforced door jams.

10.Make sure no one can gain easy access through a mail slot, dryer vent or pet entrance.

11.If doors have glass panels, make sure no one can break through and defeat the locking mechanism.

12.Protect all sliding glass doors so they can't be easily lifted out of their frames.

13.Check that all exterior lights and security devices are in good working order.

14.If you have an attached garage, make sure the door leading to the house has a dead bolt.

15.Make sure your overhead door has a working electronic door opener.

16.Make sure your overhead door doesn't have any loose, broken or missing door panels or hardware.

17.Keep the overhead doors closed, and your car locked inside the garage.

18.Make sure all windows have reinforced locking devices that can be secured in the open position.

19.Install reinforced locks on all screens and storm windows.

20.Install guards or grates on all ground level windows.

21.Make sure that basement windows are glass block or protected by grates or security devices.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Top 10 Webistes for "Insurance Jobs"

Are You Finding "Insurance Jobs"?

The following is just the recommended ten websites for review about Insurance Jobs that may help you to find the Insurance Jobs...



1.INSURANCE JOBS .com - claims adjusters sales underwriting ...
Insurance Jobs by Top Insurance Companies and Recruiters! Search Insurance Careers Submit Resume. Claims Jobs and Adjuster Jobs, actuarial, insurance sales, ...

2.GREAT Insurance Jobs! Thousands of high-quality insurance jobs.
Insurance Jobs. Further your insurance career -- Search thousands of high-quality insurance jobs from top insurance companies in the United States and ...

3.Insurance Jobs | Broking & claims jobs | Choose from 923 live ...
Search for your next job from 923 live vacancies, or upload your CV now and let employers find you.

4.Insurance Jobs - Financial Services Jobs - Insurance Recruitment ...
Insurance Jobs, Insurance Recruitment and Financial Services Jobs Portal for the UK. 1000's of insurance jobs / financial jobs from insurance recruitment ...

5.Insurance Jobs | Insurance Job, Insurance Employment, Insurance ...
Ultimate Insurance Jobs specializes in insurance jobs, insurance employment, insurance positions, insurance careers and insurance opportunities.

6.General Insurance jobs, General Insurance careers & Recruitment at ...
Insurance jobs and careers at reed.co.uk. Find vacancies for actuaries, brokers, claims, underwriters, personal lines and other General Insurance roles. ...

7.The Premier Insurance Job Search website - Insurance Workforce
Insurance Workforce. Simply the best insurance job site since 2001, new jobs daily. Insurance Workforce lists 1000s of insurance jobs with free resume ...

8.Insurance Jobs | Indeed.com
Job search for 592543 Insurance Jobs at indeed.com. one search. all jobs.

9.Allstate Careers - Join the Allstate Community - Search Jobs or ...
Search Jobs and Apply - Your Future Awaits You! ... No insurance background or franchise fees required! women with calculator ...

10.Insurance Jobs, Insurance Careers, Insurance Employment and ...
Insurance Jobs and Insurance Careers. Looking for a job in the insurance field, then InsuranceWorks.ca is your source for insurance careers and insurance ...
 

Labels

Sample text

Sample Text

Blog Archive