Archive for April, 2010
Hello, my name is Chris, and I hate insurance. My father hated insurance before me, and for all I know his father before him. More…Kind of a family tradition I suppose. I have insurance for my home, insurance for my car, insurance for my life, insurance for my boat, insurance for my kids, insurance for my health, insurance for my teeth, insurance for my prescriptions, insurance for my bank loans, and insurance for when I travel. Wow! It’s a wonder, I don’t have insurance for my insurance. Don’t laugh, I’m sure I heard somewhere that there is an insurance company that insures other insurance companies. Someone must be making a killing off of all this. The only insurance I don’t have these days, is pet insurance. Only because we don’t have a pet, and the kids are lobbying hard on that front.
Why Do We Hate Insurance So?
Everyone hates insurance, because it always feels like we never get anything in return for it. Normally, when I buy something, I get to walk out the door with it, or hear it, or see it, or just plain enjoy it. Insurance does none of that. It certainly seems like a pretty one sided deal. “Thank you for the cheque Mr Campbell. Oh, and just to be sure, we’ll be taking a little more next month, and the month after and the month after that. Have a nice day.” Great I think. And do I get to enjoy anything for writing all those cheques. Nope, but don’t worry your very securely insured now. I cringe just thinking about how much I’ve spent on insurance over the years. And, feel even worse when I think how little the insurance companies have actually paid out to me. In hindsight, it seems like just a really bad investment. I feel like I’ve been buying stock in all these crappy companies over the years that just keep going bankrupt. The biggest scam of all, is that most people who buy insurance, are paranoid to actually file an insurance claim, because their rates will skyrocket. Not to mention that all those previously oh-so-friendly insurance company employees treat you like a leper, who just ran over their puppy three times, and stole all their kids halloween candy.
What Is Your Deepest Fear?
We all want guarantees, we all want to know everything is going to be alright. We hope that things remain status quo, and their are no major disruptions in our lives. That’s what insurance buys. Peace of mind. Protection from the unknown. Salvation from disaster. And when it works, that’s great. Insurance is kind of a socialist sort of thing. Everybody chips in a little bit to protect the unfortunate. And that’s good. I do feel better, if I think of my insurance premiums saving someone else from a life altering disaster. And the optimist in me believes that is what truly happens most of the time. It’s when insurance companies refuse to pay out for people that really need it, the irks me the most. Especially when it’s done just to line the pockets of shareholders and greedy CEO’s. That’s really not what insurance is for. So, be smart with your insurance purchases, and remember, we’re all in this together.
Insurance is a wonderful financial instrument through which a person can create back-up plans in case of any unexpected happenings in their lives which may be due to the fault of the insured or otherwise. Insurance is a perfect fall back option for an individual who has only himself to depend on in case they get embroiled in any sort of trouble which could be of a financial nature or otherwise. It is a time tested way of protection provided by the system and is compulsory for every citizen and member of the system in one way or the other.
It is an essential part of any individual’s financial portfolio and and is no longer considered just as an piece of paper. It is looked on as more of an investment. An insurance is snow sold as a product and as an service through the company to the client. The whole scenario of the insurance market has changed when in the beginning their were companies like Life Insurance Corporation of India which for the first few decades had the whole market to itself but after the market opened up new players came into the market like the Reliance General Insurance which was launched by the Reliance Industries limited.
The general insurance market was doing very well but still the licence raj and cartel formation was a big hindrance to the proper growth and evolution of the insurance market in India. The the Government took the step which changed the face of the countries economy and how the things were run in the market. The Indian domestic market were opened to foreign players and thus came many small private players from other countries like the Iffco Tokio General Insurance among a host of other companies which slowly changed the market and encouraged and the fastened the process of the maturity of the Indian market.
Insurance is no joke and and should be taken very seriously. This is a decision which will affect the decision maker for year to come and probably the whole life and thus such decisions should be approached with caution and complete alertness. Get a feel of the company and have extended talk sessions with the company and they will be the one who will help the applicant in deciding which policy would suit best and then recommending that to the applicant. Reliance General Insurance is one the companies which is very good in this department as they have a wide array of products on offer.
The foreign player Iffco Tokio General Insurance also looks after their clients which fall more into the high worth category and thus the services given to them are very specialized and customized according to the requirement of the client and thus very different from the mass insurance sales which other players concentrate on. The market has changed and the one with the information is the king in the market and thus reading up on insurance policies and being aware of the latest happenings in the market will go along way in helping the applicant in getting their premium worth.
Sharm El Sheikh lies on the southern tip of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula to east of the Red Sea. Sharm El Sheikh holidays are very popular with divers in this area where the waters are packed with exotic marine life and a number of wrecked ships on the sea bed.
Sharm El Sheikh holidays will also inevitably appeal to sun-seekers, located as it is in a part of the world where the sun always shines during the day. Cheap flights from the UK can whisk you to Sharm El Sheikh in a flight of around six hours, and you’ll feel like you’re in a different world.
If diving is not for you, then you can still take to the waters – but stay on the surface. Sailing and windsurfing are for the adventurous, pedaloes are for the fun-seekers, and glass-bottomed boats are a must for everyone who’s not actually going under the water, so that you, too, can experience the wonders below.
Holidays in Sharm El Sheikh can give you a taste of Egyptian culture, despite being hundreds of miles from the Pyramids, Cairo and the ancient tombs. At Sharm El Sheikh you can take a camel trek to a Bedouin village or visit Mount Sinai, where Moses is said to have received the Ten Commandments. Here a pre-dawn trek up the mountain can give you a stunning view of a middle-eastern sunrise.
The real attractions of Sharm El Sheikh holidays are undeniably the sun and the diving. However, don’t forget your chance to cool down in the Red Sea and you might even manage a round of golf. In addition there are good shopping facilities, traditional markets, and a number of casinos and dance-spots to keep the evenings and nights very lively. When shopping, you’ll be tempted by Egyptian cotton and perfume, and gold and silver jewellery, but don’t forget to haggle!