Friday, November 02, 2007

Here are some tips on saving money on insurance:

  1. Shop around for insurance. Check out the rates of competing companies before renewing your policy each year. Your state's website may have a good starting point for this search. Lower annual premiums could save you several hundred dollars per year.
  2. Raise your deductibles. If you are willing to pay $500 or $1,000 on a claim rather than only $100 to $250, you can reduce your annual premiums by several hundred dollars. However, before you make these changes, be sure that you can afford to pay the higher claims if an accident does occur.
  3. Assess your need for life insurance. You may not need as much life insurance protection if your spouse works and your children are out of the house on their own. Lowering your life insurance amounts can save you hundreds of dollars per year depending on your medical conditions.
  4. Drop credit insurance coverage on installment loans. Many consumers do not need credit insurance because they have enough assets to protect themselves in the event of a death, disability or unemployment. Terminating this coverage reduces your financing costs by three percentage points, which can save you $1,000 on a four year $20,000 loan.