Friday, January 16, 2009

Insurance

By Tom Martens

Insurance is not required by law in South Africa. Given this fact, most South Africans choose to save a little bit of money and go without the insurance. In the long run, however, this has proven to be a very costly mistake.

Financial institutions can teach us much in relation to the importance of insurance. Banks normally ask for motor vehicle insurance before they grant your car loan. They also demand homeowners insurance and at times even life insurance before approving a home loan. This shields the banks from incurring losses in case your property is lost, stolen, or destroyed or if you happen to die. You are also covered because your insurance will help to compensate the bank if you ever happen to be in the above named situations.

Knowing this, doesnt it make sense to protect yourself without the bank requiring you to do it? If youve made the choice not to insure your property, or yourself, take a moment to review the most common types of insurance and their benefits.

A good number of South Africans do not take advantage of all their insurance options, with life insurance being the leader. While many of us know that decreasing term life insurance is linked to things like home loans, it can provide more for you then paying off debt. Life insurance can maintain the standard of living for your family in the event of your passing by providing your beneficiary the payout of the policy. Obtaining the proper life insurance will ensure your family has security.

As a leader in providing excellent life and medical insurance for people suffering from HIV/AIDS, South Africa is now one of only 2 countries in the world where HIV/AIDS patience can purchase medical coverage through there insurance company, thanks to the escalating success rate of the treatment of this particular disease.

When it comes to car insurance, South Africa does not require divers to purchase car insurance to drive, and approximately 65 percent of auto owners do not have any coverage. But one hard look at the risks you take when you drive will convince a responsible driver of the necessity of car insurance cover. Accidents, hijackings and thefts occur every day. If you cannot afford to pay out of your own pocket to repair or replace damaged property, medical expenses or property damage caused by theft or fire, you should have car insurance. A Comprehensive Cover policy will protect you in all of these situations.

If you are a houseowner you most likely have homeowner's insurance.But if you are a tenant,you should think about renter's insurance to safeguard your property in the time of fire, theft or other disaster caused to your belongings.To lessen your premiums for these policies, you may add voluntary surplus money and add safeguard devices.for houseowners, should not add the value of the land your house is existing on when you calculate your house's value.No matter what happens to your home, the place will be there.

You might think that insurance is an unnecessary expense. It may seem so, but what would you do if you had to pay to have your or another person's car replaced following an accident? Just think about how hard it would be for your family to get by if you were to die suddenly. This type of thing happens to people every day, but you and your family don't have to be among them. Don't wait any longer, start looking for the insurance you and your family need to be safe.

Shouldn't you do this to protect yourself, whether your bank says you have to or not? If you don't carry insurance on yourself or your property, you should really take the time to look at these kinds of insurance, and why everyone else has them.

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