Dangerous Dog Breeds And Your Insurance

Rottweiler is a dangerous dog breedIf you have applied for a homeowner’s insurance policy in the last ten years, you may have been surprised when the insurance agent asked you if you have any pets. Specifically, they are looking to see if you have any dog breeds that the insurance company deems to be dangerous. In fact, many insurance companies limit coverage to dog owners, and may deny coverage all together to owners with certain breeds.

Why Insurers Hate Dangerous Dog Breeds

While many consider insurance companies refusing to insure individuals with certain breeds, the fact is that insurance companies have been on the hook for too many lawsuits resulting in damages from these certain breeds. When you get a homeowner’s insurance policy, you also get a personal liability policy that covers the homeowner for a certain amount.  If the homeowner’s dog were to bite someone and cause damage, the victim could sue and the homeowner and their insurance policy would be liable for the damages.  As a result, insurance companies are carefully looking at which breeds pose the most risk, and limiting the insurance provided to homeowners with those breeds.

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Filing Too Many Small Claims Can Hurt You

You purchase home insurance to protect yourself if something major goes wrong such as a pipe that bursts, there is a fire, or some other peril.  In fact, most mortgage companies require you to have homeowner’s insurance if you have a mortgage on your house to protect their stake in your home as well. However, insurance companies are not in business to pay out too many claims. They would quickly find themselves out of business if they did that, and they take a negative view on customers filing too many claims in a short period of time as well. This is considered a red flag, and you can quickly find your insurance premiums going up or worse. What Is Considered … Read more

The Dangers Of 401k Loans And Your Retirement

Dangers Of 401k Loans And Your Retirement

The dangers of 401k loansIf you are in a financial bind, seeing the money sitting in your 401k retirement account can be tempting. It is a tempting source that you may consider tapping in order to help alleviate some of your financial problems. However, your 401k retirement plan is there to be your safety net in retirement. Your 401k is not designed to be your emergency fund now. It may seem like it is not a big deal because you are essentially borrowing the money from yourself with interest, but it does not really work that way.   There are dangers of 401k loans. Here are some dangers of why you should avoid taking a loan from your 401k retirement plan.

You Must Repay Your 401k Loan

When you take out a 401k loan from your retirement plan, you must repay it. Defaulting on the loan can have serious tax consequences that can erode all of your hard work that took years to build up. Your employer is required to treat your 401k loan like any other loan or financial agreement. You must set up a repayment plan that starts immediately after taking the loan. Many 401k retirement plans now prevent future contributions to the 401k until the loan is repaid. This prevents you from continuing to grow your money and can serious degrade your future earnings that you will not be earning on the money you borrowed and on any contributions you are not allowed to make while you repay the loan. If you are lucky, you will still be allowed to contribute money to your 401k plan while repaying the loan. Or, you could consider forgoing contributions in favor of early loan repayment.

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How to Make Preparing to Apply for a Mortgage Go Smoothly

Preparing To Apply For A Mortgage

There are a few things that you can do to make applying for a mortgage go more smoothly and give yourself a better chance of success. By preparing to apply for a mortgage correctly, you can receive the best interest rate that you qualify for and save money on your mortgage. The key is that you should start working early when you decide that you want to apply for a mortgage. Here are a few ways that you should do when preparing to apply for a mortgage. Compare Mortgage Loans The best way to get the best interest rate is to compare different mortgages with each other. Using a mortgage calculator, you can find out how much you can expect … Read more

Not Living At Home? You May Need Vacant Home Insurance

You May Need Vacant Home Insurance

You may need vacant home insuranceI didn’t realize that my wife and I may need vacant home insurance after deciding to become landlords until a family member mentioned it. You are at risk of violating your homeowner’s insurance policy if you move out, no one is living in your home, and you do not have the right insurance coverage.

You run the risk of having a claim denied because you did not keep your insurance company informed of changes to your situation.

What Is Vacant Home Insurance?

Vacant home insurance is just what it sounds like. When you move out of your home and it has been vacant for over 30 days in most cases (60 days with some insurers), you need to have a different type of homeowner’s insurance policy protecting your structure.

Vacant homes are often the target of vandals, thieves, and other criminals. And, vacant homes are also subject to burst pipes, flooding, and possibly fire without you realizing it because you are not there to check on your property.

Vacant home insurance is often a higher cost than your typical homeowner’s insurance that you have been paying while actually living in the home. Do not make the mistake of not informing your insurance company of the change.

Doing so can be grounds for denying a claim if you have to file one. Or, you could even face a cancelation of your homeowner’s insurance policy.

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