With This Divorce Insurance, I Thee Wed!

Can marriage insurance cure society’s ills? Divorce is an epidemic that can destabilize families, cut off financial support to dependent spouses and children, and often seem like the “easy way out” for couples who shirk the time and effort a marriage requires to work things out.
The aptly named WedLock is a new form of casualty insurance that has an engaging offer for newlyweds for after the honeymoon is over. For around $16 per month for every $1,250 worth of coverage, couples can build a just-in-case, exit agreement into their marriage.
The longer the marriage lasts the more value the policy accumulates.  After 10 years, a departing couple who has accumulated 10 units and paid in $19,188 would receive a payout of about $27,500.  That’s almost  enough to cover a divorce lawyer’s fees. To avoid a financial incentive to get divorced at the drop of a hat, policyholders must ante up for at least four years before the policy will pay out.
There is a healthier alternative, of course. Learn how to find happiness in your own marriage by taking The High Road…in Life, Love and Divorce, a new anti Divorce book comes with a Social Marriage v. Divorce Facebook app you can try on like a shoe to find a better fit.
But if  it takes building an insurance policy together to build a happy marriage, so be it. Whatever works!

Permanent Life Insurance Owners Feeling More Satisfied

Would you feel more satisfied with a decision to go with Permanent Life Insurance, such as a Whole Life policy, compared to the more widespread Term Life coverage?
A recent poll asked a cross-section of Americans that very question. The results?  A 5-point difference in the findings was shown between those who feel “extremely” or “very” comfortable with their permanent life insurance coverage (49 percent) and those who feel the same way about their term life insurance coverage (44 percent).  Consumer satisfaction levels were highest for whole life (60 percent), followed by term (55 percent), universal life (53 percent) and variable life (50 percent).
Term life insurance remains the go-to product for many consumers, being owned by 45 percent of middle-class families. But people who own term life policies have felt  less comfortable with their coverage than those who own whole life and other permanent products.   After years of following the conventional wisdom to ‘buy term and invest the difference, observers say that consumers are now seeing how a market downturn can threaten a seemingly sound financial strategy.
Regardless of product type, Americans clearly recognize the value of maintaining life insurance in this recessionary environment. Just four percent of Americans report making changes to their personal life insurance coverage as a result of the economy.
For a free life insurance quote comparing several companies, products and options, Efinancial is dedicated to giving insurance shopping consumers a choice! A satisfied insurance holder is a our very best spokesperon!

“Life insurance at an all-time low! Your best bet is the Internet, where you can search for and compare policies.” – J. Chatzky

Jean Chatzky, the award-winning journalist, author and financial editor for NBC’s “Today” has some timely advice for consumers: “If you’ve been putting off purchasing a term life policy, now’s the time to buy!”
Chatzky’s reporting found that in 1994, the lowest rate in the country for a 40-year-old male who wanted a $500,000, 20-year-level term policy was about $995 a year. Today, that same 40-year-old, in perfect health, could buy the same policy for well under $400 a year. A dramatic difference!
Experts surmise that the market has settled and that premiums are more likely to rise at this point then they are to continue to fall, particularly if interest rates stay low.
When the question is where to buy, Chatzky has a definite opinion there too! “Your best bet is the Internet, where you can search for and compare policies,” says Jean.
Should you buy a 10, 20 or 30 year policy?  Chatzky writes, “If your kids are teenagers, and you just want coverage until they graduate, you’re probably fine with 10 years. If they’re younger, or your spouse is dependent on your income as well, you want a 20- or even 30-year policy. If you truly want coverage until you die — and not just in case of an early or sudden death — then you probably want a permanent policy. But keep in mind that the premiums can be more expensive.
The right time? Right now. The right place? Let Efinancial’s Life Insurance Rate Finder generate a free term life insurance rate quote for your family.

“Wall Street” Director Oliver Stone A Lot Less Flashy With His Own Money

The director of Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, the sequel to the story of financier Gordon Gekko and his “Greed is Good” philosophy, is a lot less flashy than the corporate marauders portrayed in his movies.
Oliver Stone, 64, who directed both Wall Street motion pictures, said that people should avoid “flashy” financial advisers.
Stone commented that he has been with the same broker for 25 years and that these days everyone’s bombarded with advice on what to do with their money.
The Academy Awards winning director also revealed that during the course of filming the follow-up to Wall Street he rebalanced his portfolio to be more conservative and also got more aggressive in Asia and Europe.
“I’m still in the dollar,” the New York Post quoted him as quickly emphasizing.
For a sensible financial solution to shopping for the best life insurance premiums, Efinancial gives you so many choices, you’ll feel like you’re talking to a friend of the family.

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The Art of Insurance: Like a Rate Quote from Efinancial, a Work of Art!

In the nineteenth century, elaborate engravings, called vignettes, were created for U.S. financial notes, insurance policies and securities. The variety and intricacy of the vignette subjects exploded with some of the most elaborate designs ever seen on legal tender. The works of art then disappeared after U.S. Government paper currency was introduced in 1861.
The images below come from the British Museum Prints Database. The image of the winged wand with snakes, known as Caduceus, is often associated with medicine but was the symbol of merchants and trade.
At Efinancial, we create insurance coverage that is a work of art, creativity and excellence. For the state-of-the-art in better insurance rates and terms, ask us for free rate quote.

Flood Insurance Bill Signed by President in Nick of Time

In case you were wondering whether America’s federal flood insurance program was about to dry up as the page on the monthly calendar turned to October, you can sleep a little easier tonight, and for the year ahead.
President Obama has signed into law S. 3814, a bill that will extend the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) until Sept. 30, 2011. Without the measure, the program would have expired last night. Talk about a leaky bill. Congress had allowed the protection to lapse three times this year.
The signing comes as a relief for millions of Americans who could be affected by floods or simply wish to buy or sell a home. However, the extension only maintains the program ‘as is.’ A simple extension such as this one will not help make the program either self-sufficient or sustainable.
Those threatened by the potential disaster of flood waters hope that this one year extension will provide much needed stability and security.  What is truly needed, most claim, is an increase in maximum coverage limits and the addition of optional business interruption insurance.
For a flood of life insurance value that acts like an umbrella of protection for your entire family, we invites you to compare your current life insurance premium with a competitive quote in less than five minutes.  How much will you save?  Start with the quote request box on the right and let Efinancial protect your liquid assets.

Younger Women’s Salaries Are Exceeding Men’s. Are You Both Covered?

The results of a growing trend in education and workforce demand are being felt in homes across America. In most areas of the country, unmarried women between the ages of 22 and 30 without kids are making 8 percent more than men are in the same demographic. Data gathered by the U.S. Census Bureau indicates that at this point in time, young women are 1.5 times more likely to earn college degrees than their male counterparts.
Make no mistake, The survey does not conclude that a woman in the same job makes more than a man. Overall, women make 80 percent of what men make. But the results do show that the recent recession, combined with a surge in education, means women are increasingly becoming the breadwinners in younger families.
For nearly two decades, women have outnumbered men going to college. This is particularly pronounced among minority groups and at historically black colleges, where women outnumber men 2 to 1. Another factor is that male-dominated industries like manufacturing were hit harder by the recession. There are more women in managerial jobs now than men.
Are You Insured?
The danger is that when it comes to protecting both breadwinner’s incomes, many families only have the right amount of life insurance for one of the spouses and that is typically the man.
That needs to change and change fast since, according to experts, when the economy rebounds, this new generation of women will be better poised to make more money.
A preview of the post-recession economy suggests that women are well-poised to be earning the higher incomes in certain fields and jobs, and will play a decisive, new role in reshaping the markets.
In today’s economy,  two incomes are better than one. Make sure both earners in your family are protected with a fast, free affordable life insurance quote

Health Reform Mandate Upheld in Federal Court

The mandate for individuals to obtain health insurance is constitutional, a federal judge in Michigan has ruled in the first court decision on the merits of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
An individual’s decision not to have health insurance has the same effect as a delberate decision to pay for medical care out of pocket, said U.S. District Court Judge George C. Steeh in a 20-page decision. It meets the standard of “activities that substantially affect interstate commerce” that the U.S. Supreme Court has set for compliance with the Commerce Clause of the Constitution.
According to the finding, “The health care market is unlike other markets. No one can guarantee his or her health, or ensure that he or she will never participate in the health care market. Indeed, the opposite is nearly always true. The question is how participants in the health care market pay for medical expenses — through insurance, or through an attempt to pay out of pocket with a backstop of uncompensated care funded by third parties. This phenomenon of cost-shifting is what makes the health care market unique.”
The challenge was brought by the Thomas More Law Center, a conservative Christian legal group, and several Michigan residents. Other decisions on the law are still pending.  In August, a federal judge in Virginia ruled that the  challenge to the individual mandate based on a Virginia state law could proceed. In Florida, U.S. District Court Judge Roger Vinson is considering the merits of oral arguments before returning his decision on whether to throw out the case or let it progress. That case includes challenges from an array of states to the mandate to obtain health insurance or face the penalty of a fee .

Top 10 Hazardous Health “Signals” for Life Insurers

This week, BankRate.com published its analysis of  the Top 10 Costliest Life Insurance Health Conditions that will affect the premiun of a life insurance policy, and, in some cases, may determine whether the applicant can obtain life insurance in the first place.
Which health conditions are most likely to affect your life insurance rate class?
1. High Blood Pressure. “If your blood pressure has never remotely approached 120 over 80, an underwriter will wonder why.” If it’s under control the underwriter will consider it.
2. Diabetes. Type 2 (or adult onset) diabetes presents a challenge to underwriters because of the toll it takes on the body’s vascular system. It can lead to coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disease, renal failure and blindness.
3. Sleep Apnea. Are you getting enough rest? Sleep apnea is a potentially life-threatening sleeping disorder characterized by repeated pauses in breathing during sleep.
4. Heart Disease. Given your family history, there is a chance that with some companies this could keep you out of the preferred class.
5. Asthma –  An underwriter’s concern about asthma would likely rise in relation to the severity of the condition and how well it is managed.
6. Cancer – Although the word “cancer” will flag any life insurance underwrite, its ultimate effect on an applicant’s rate class can vary from negligible to substantial.