Tag Archives: policy

Payment Protection Insurance – The Facts You Need To Know

Payment Protection Insurance cover is a type of cover that is offered with finance such as credit cards, store cards, and loans. Like other types of insurance cover Payment Protection Insurance, or PPI as it is simply known, is designed to provide financial protection under certain circumstances. When you take out finance you may do so under the assumption that you will be able to keep up with repayments throughout the term of the finance. However, this is not always the case, as life does tend to throw a few surprises our way, and this is where PPI can kick in.

PPI is designed to cover your finance repayments for a specified period in the event that you are unable to work and make your repayments due to sickness, accident, or redundancy. The terms and conditions, including the restrictions and exclusions, with this type of policy can be strict, and therefore you do need to carefully check the small print to ensure that the policy is suited to your needs. Not everyone will benefit from PPI – for example, this type of insurance covers your repayments in the event of redundancy, but this is something that you cannot benefit from if you are self employed.

The cost of PPI can be high, but at the same time this form of cover can offer valuable peace of mind, so it can be difficult to decide what to do. Those that do not want the expense of PPI should remember that this is not a compulsory form of cover and there is no obligation to take any PPI cover out at all. For those that do want this protection but don’t want to pay a fortune, it is worth remembering that you are not obligated to take your cover from any particular provider, and therefore you may be able to save money on the cost of cover by shopping around and comparing different PPI plans from a number of providers.

Whether or not you take out PPI with your finance is entirely your choice, although some lenders may make it sound as though this cover is necessary and even make it sound as though taking out PPI will increase your chances of getting finance – this is not the case. PPI, like other types of insurance, provides optional protection to consumers for a price, and you need to weight up the pros and cons before you make a commitment. You should also make sure that you check any policy that you are thinking of taking out carefully to ensure that the cover is suited to your needs and circumstances, otherwise you could end up wasting a large amount of money on insurance that you can never benefit from.

Some insurers however to offer protection schemes specifically designed for self-employed people so they are not paying for benefits which they would not benefit from.

Viaticals- A ‘Dark Alternative’ To Shielding Survivors From Credit Challenges Of Medical Collections & Judgments (Page 1 of 3)

It’s just not enough to face the final phase of life with all the finality that goes with it without dealing with medical bills, collections and possible judgements all tied to the a terminally ill patient. A person may have worked all their lives with purpose and grace only to be run over by terminal illness. If there are loved ones attached to this experience all the pain and suffering may really go beyond the funeral with trailing medical bills, collections and even judgements. With accelerating medical costs the tab can be run up fairly quickly. Any savings or even health insurance may not be even close enough to meet the burden. Home equities can be quickly squeezed and exhausted. The terminal patient (this could be someone severely over weight-family history of heart disease as well-etc.) never intended to leave loved ones holding the ultimate financial bag. It just happens. As thoughts of Ralph Edwards the former host of “This Is Your Life” play out in the brain the mind may race ahead to the final act leaving loved ones to deal with the financial aftermath of this “life”. The obituary might read “He was a great guy/gal, but left his family and loved ones with a ton of unpaid debts.” An alternative for a terminally ill patient (or could be medically challenged and not able to work) may be a “Viatical”. If there is a term life insurance policy or better, such as whole life, universal life, annuity etc., in place or even a paid up policy or one that has monthly payments being made this could quality for the Viatical vehicle.

This then is the ultimate and final use of a handicapper. When life policies are taken out actuaries make a bet when a person is going to die based on their medical history, age, weight, health levels, occupations, smoker, non-smoker, etc. Later on, if the need arises, another handicapper can enter the scene. It is by request only. Viaticals are based on handicapping the rest of a person’s life based on the medical and such to determine by guessing when death might arrive. An investor will bid on a discounted basis on the face amount of the policy to give the insured and beneficiaries cash right now. A terminally ill patient may want to get their financial affairs cleaned up before dying so as not to stick love ones with a financial disaster. This comes home to anyone who in addition is dealing with the terminal illness but may be facing foreclosure from their home, cars repossessed, credit that has long since gone down the drain and a whole new layer of stress in the circle of concerned and effected loved ones. What to do, ride it out and let the chips fall where they may, OR make an effort to get it handled now and bring some peace to everyone by taking care of the financial affairs before death. Yes there will be a substantial reduction in the face value of the policy by taking a cash advance now, but it may save a lot of pain for immediate survivors. This is not for everyone. Obviously, if there is no life insurance policy in place for the terminally ill patient, this will not be an option.