Insurance is one of the things that so many people think is a waste of time. Most people say that they do not like to waste money on something like insurance, but if they knew the truth, they would see how important insurance really is, and they would go head and find affordable insurance online.

If you do not think that you need insurance, then you will have tot think again, because there must be one type of insurance that you need, and besides, we all need car insurance, because if you do not have it and you get into an accident, you could get fined big time.

It is not legal for you to own a car and not have insurance for that car, you need to have car insurance if you own a car. However that is not the only type of insurance you need, what about medical insurance. If this is something that you have not thought of yet, best you get thinking.

What if one day you are leaving your home and you get mugged. During the mugging you get injured really badly. You need to be taken to hospital, and when you wake up in hospital, what do you think is going to be the first thing on your mind?

That is right; you will try to figure out how you are going to pay for the medical bills. Now, if you have medical insurance, you will not have to think of that, because you would know that it will be sorted out.

You have to remember that you do not have to have all the different type of insurance out there, but it is up to you to figure out which ones you will need in your life, because it is your life you are looking after.

By: Ted Kripps

The seven Principles of insurance state the different groups that are insurable. They are classified both for the sake of organization, and so that insurance companies can decide which area of expertise they would like to specialize in as an organization.

The first of the Principles of insurance is dealing with a large amount of the same type of policy. This is commonly thought of in auto insurance. Over a hundred million drivers in the United States alone carry auto insurance, and they do so because the companies have discovered the way to balance the risk with the proper funds.

Five of the seven principles involve loss categories. Definite loss deals with loss that is a guarantee, such as life insurance. Accidental loss would be associated with renter’s or fire insurance. There is not a guarantee of theft or fire, so each individual case is evaluated before coverage is assigned. Large loss deals with coverages of items that are of great value to the buyer. Great care must be placed in these policies, as the amount of capital needed to replenish these losses may be great.

The fifth loss principle deals with limiting the amount of loss from a catastrophe, such as an act of God. Acts of God include floods, hurricanes, and many other meteorological events. The insurance company takes care to write into the policy that a total amount of capital can be distributed based on the number of policy holders affected. For instance, if a thousand people with the same coverage are hit by a tornado, the company can limit their risk through this principle.

The final principle is the affordable premium. A balance must be struck between the client and the company as to what is a sensible amount to pay for the term of the policy. This is crucial to the success of the company, and is assessed at the outlook of the policy.

These Principles of insurance are the foundation of a healthy insurance group. Using them is the key to offering smart insurance and making a sensible profit.

By: Phil Sims

Insurance is a necessity in any business. Businesses cover themselves against losses such as fire, theft and unexpected natural disasters. It is with the bookkeeping or accounting that owners get it wrong.

On successful insurance claims, a payment is normally made to the insured. My experience has led me to believe that small businesses have no clue, as to how, to account for insurance settlements. Most businesses reflect the payment as income.

Not only would this be deceptive but also violates International Accounting Standards. Since the transaction has everything to do with assets and nothing to do with income, it should be adjusted against assets. Erroneous accounting for assets might prejudice the business further in future, if similar insurance claims are made.

Insurance companies settle claims on assets, on its book value and not its costs. (And yet the asset was insured on its cost at date of purchase). Whereas this principle might vary from country to country, book value is widely accepted as the norm. Since most small businesses fail to maintain proper fixed assets registers, insurance companies perform “desk top valuations”, or make an “estimate”, on the book value, mostly much lower than its “real” book value. Without proper records, the claimant cannot debunk the assessor’s final conclusions.

Before I loose you in a sea of confusion, let me elaborate. If an asset is on your books at least, without the asset register, but you have no purchase date, and this asset is lost due to theft, no accurate wear and tear can be furnished. Furthermore, if a claim is settled, and reflects as “income”, what happens to the asset that was stolen, but still reflects on your books?

Many reading this article could not care a hoot about the number crunching involved, but please stay with me for a minute. You might not care, but an investor, a bank and yes, the insurance company might pick this up on your financial statements when they demand your reports.

The method used to account for insurance claims is the “disposal method”. Any asset subject to an insurance claim should be transferred to a “Disposal Account”. Depreciation on the asset for the relevant period is calculated, and credited to the disposal account with the insurance settlement. The cost, less depreciation equals book value. Any settlement amounts over or under book value, will result in a loss or profit on disposal.

An insurance claim, wrongly entered as “income”, can be adjusted by transferring the amount to the disposal account. After effecting these entries, the disposal account should balance to zero. Your new records would reveal, the loss or profit on claim (income statement), settlement in bank account, fixed assets less the stolen/lost asset, and a lower depreciation estimate for the year.

I acknowledge that this is your accountant’s job, you however have a duty to provide accurate records. But how many businesses continue to pay, the same insurance premiums on the assets, since purchase date, when they, entitled to a lower premium, due to a lower asset value.(prior to any asset losses).

Also, a precarious asset situation in your books, might lead to problems in your tax affairs.
No business can afford a visit from the IRS. Did you know that tax authorities always commence auditing, your assets, before they move on to your income?

By: Sean Goss