Insurance and drunk behavior

In most states, car insurance rates are likely to go up for at least 3 years if you are convicted of drunk-driving. You will also become familiar with SR-22.

Different states use different terms for drunk driving: driving under the influence, driving while intoxicated or operating a vehicle while intoxicated. If convicted of any such offense, your insurance rate is likely to go up before you can drive again.

If convicted of impaired driving in any US state, your driver privileges will be suspended for between 30 days and a year.

To get your license and privileges back, you'll need to complete an SR-22 form to prove you have liability insurance. The insurance company will notify the licensing agency if the policy is terminated for any reason.

Premiums could multiply

When you receive your SR-22 form, your car insurance company will automatically consider you to be a high-risk motorist and increase your premiums accordingly. If convicted, you can expect your premiums to double or triple although some companies specialize in high-risk policies.

Not All Companies Offer SR-22 Policies

Some insurers don't offer SR-22 policies. In such cases, if convicted of drunk-driving, your policy will be canceled or not renewed This cancellation on your claims history will count against you when you find another company that does offer SR-22. Because of this and your conviction, your rates are sure to be higher.

It's possible that your insurance company is prohibited from canceling your policy early even if convicted of drink-driving. This is subject to state law.

How long can you expect your rates be higher for?

In most states, a drunk-driving conviction will affect your insurance status for at least 3 years although it does vary. The length of time increases for multiple convictions.

Penalties can vary depending on the circumstances. If somebody was hurt as a result of your drunk-driving, a child was involved, your blood-alcohol level exceeded a certain amount or if you were under 21, your premium can be affected in certain states.

How can increased rates be avoided?

The only way to avoid increased auto insurance rates is to not restore your driver privileges. Some states will allow you to drive a moped without a license otherwise you are restricted to walking or public transport. If you don't own a vehicle but you do wish to restore your driving privileges, you must still buy a non-owner policy to provide a SR-22 form. This means buying insurance (even if it is cheap car insurance) for a car you don't own. It simply isn't worth drinking under the influence of alcohol. The law is designed to treat drink-driving convicts heavily and is fully supported by auto insurance companies.

We want you to know one little thing. The insurance companies are not only there for the money. We do care about each one of you and we want you to be protected. You pay us for services you don't need now but one day, if something occurs, we will be the only people you will expect the help from. Please always stay considerate and wise. We believe you won't let us down.

HMOs or PPOs?

In case you have the possibility to opt for employer-sponsored group health plan there's a really important decision to be taken. Most employers, especially big companies or small businesses within purchasing pools, offer their workers a wide range of plan types, which typically include both HMO and PPO health plans. Being the most popular of all plan types, these two have distinct features, and understanding the difference between them is really important for having adequate insurance coverage for you and your entire family. So let's take a closer look at each to have better knowledge of pros and cons they deliver.

HMOs

Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) is an alliance of medical workers and facilities (doctors and hospitals) that have a contract with the insurance company for providing their services for a fixed price.

HMOs are generally regarded as having many rules and restrictions for their users. The person having an HMO plan is required to choose a single physician who will be responsible for all your healthcare matters. The primary physician should be a member of the HMO network, which means if your current doctor doesn't make part of the association then you will have to find another one who does. In case you have to visit a specific specialist, you will first have to visit your primary doctor for a referral, otherwise you won't get the care you need.

The definite benefit of an HMO plan is its price. It is much cheaper than any other health insurance plan type, having lower rates, premiums and typically free co-payments. This is a very attractive option, however you have to keep in mind that first of all there's not much flexibility involved with HMOs, and doctors participating in them will usually have more visitors because they have to make up the low cost of the plan by servicing more people and get profit from that.

PPOs

Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) are also contractually bound to health insurance companies, but in a less restricted and organized way, giving much more flexibility to participants and users in comparison with HMOs.

Having a PPO plan allows you to see any doctor you wish to, however out-of-network doctors will cost you more to attend and will require more out-of-pocket spendings. PPOs also leave you without having to worry about referrals for seeing a specialist.

From the price perspective, PPOs are more expensive than HMOs. Still many people choose PPOs because their less restrictive nature and wider selection of specialists to attend if compared to HMOs.

You get what you pay for

If your financial situation is not that good it would be better to choose an HMO plan, because it's cheaper and minimizes your out-of-pocket spendings. However, if you want a wider selection of doctors and facilities under your health insurance plan, then you will have to pay more for a PPO plan.

Selecting your physician

The established relationship between you and your family doctor also plays an important role in choosing between different plan types. If you are confident in your current doctor who has been managing your healthcare for years, and the specialist doesn't make part of the HMO network, it will be better to get PPO health coverage. In case you're not that attached to your current physician you can easily choose between PPO and HMO according to your financial situation. In either case, it is much better and wiser than having no insurance at all. So choose carefully.

Decisions as you get older

As you get older, the mortgage is paid off and the kids have grown up and left the nest, there's a temptation to switch off. You feel you have done all the heavy lifting. The pension will be coming soon when you retire... What's wrong with this picture? Well, the majority of people were trading in property and, when the bubble burst, they are looking at negative housing equity and the threat of foreclosure. Even those who stayed in their own homes over the years, often borrowed heavily against them. With the recession, all those investments in the retirement fund have lost their shine. Unemployment is a more real threat to middle and upper class families. Children seem to be staying in the family home for longer. And all this at a time when life expectancy is increasing. Ten years ago, people might have dropped their term life insurance policies and found themselves with more disposable income. Now the decision is more difficult.

With the credit crunch, the pressure is on to keep paying the mortgage, reduce the outstanding household debts and put food on the table. Those of you with permanent or cash-value life insurance policies have a slightly easier path to follow. Premiums will be fixed but, if you stop paying, the policies may remain valid. The decisions are to:

• keep paying, which builds up the investment value and protects the family by maintaining the death benefit;
• stop paying and leave the cash value untouched;
• withdraw or borrow some of the cash value; or
• cancel the policy which usually involves a big tax bill.

If a term life insurance policy is falling due for renewal, here's how the choice looks: if you renew, the premiums will be higher because, suddenly, you're older; but, if you let the policy expire, your family could be hit hard if you die unexpectedly. Many of you may have bought term life cover when you were younger. Perhaps you thought you would convert to permanent policies or simply drop the cover when your children had grown up. Now that retirement funds are shrinking, it's time to take another look at term insurance.

Allowing for inflation, the premiums have actually been falling over the last ten years as life expectancy has been improving. Go back fifty years and only a small percentage of people lived beyond seventy. Now, many people live into their eighties and beyond. This has prompted competition among life insurance companies to attract business from older people. As long as you are physically fit, you are likely to find the rates little changed from the ten, fifteen or twenty year term policy that is due to expire. Naturally, there will be a health exam to ensure you will live a reasonable number of years before a claim arises, but the option to continue a term policy or to convert to a permanent policy are better than you might imagine. This is a good time to start talking to the life insurance companies to see what your options are.

Bizarre Gator Bikes | Alligator Bikes

Have you seen this bizarre motorcycle before?? this might be the most bizarre bike ever. this person used a dead alligator to make this gator bikes. wow how could he used the dead alligator to make this vehicle?? isn't it really scary?? well i think people only used the skin of alligator to make a handbags.. but this person use a whole dead body of alligator to make a great bikes. amazing

Jim Jablon used the skin of a dead alligator to create one of the strangest bikes ever seen on the roads of Florida.

Ironically enough, Jim Jablon’s ‘Gator Bike‘ was created using the skin of an alligator killed by authorities, but it’s now used to raise funds for a wildlife foundation. Alligator are constantly culled, in order to keep their numbers under control, and most of the skins end up pinned up in people’s yards. So Jim thought to put one to good use and get some exposure for his Wildlife Rehabilitation of Hernando (WROH) foundation. That’s basically how the Gator Bike was born.

The Gator Bike took Swedish leather expert Benny Ohrman a full year to complete. The skin and tail come of the bike, but the alligator head is fixed in place and has the speedometer and the rest of the gauges in the back of the head.

Jim Jablon decided to raise money for his foundation by organizing a raffle with the Gator Bike as the prize. A raffle ticket costs $100 and only 1,000 will be sold. The winner of the bike will be selected in May, in Fort Lauderdale.

It’s worth mentioning the Gator Bike comes with a powerful Ultima engine, and over $86,000 to make.






Via : Oddity Central

The secrets of car insurance in California

The more people tend to buy cars the more insurers there will be ready to offer their services. It is not a bad thing as most of us like the idea of a choice. We want to go to look, think it over and take it when we know we need it badly. As there are lots of companies they all want to offer us something better so we don't consider any other insurance company at all. Nowadays there are plenty of benefits that you might want to hold on to. You no longer need to pay for the damage yourself if you are a part of an accident. With the help of a vehicle insurance company your losses will be covered.

It used to be problematic to compare the prices between companies as people had to go to meetings, write down details and come home to figure out the conclusion. Thanks to the Internet none has to do it anymore... unless he wants to. You can sit home, take as much time as you need and conclude. Company's profile could be found via the Internet as well. All the information should be available to each and every one of us. You should be also able to get feedback from different clients to see what they think about the company's services. You don't have to get help - but you can always take an advice to consider it.

California is a good state to drive in. I don't think you can find as many beautiful shiny cars as you can find on the streets of California. That is why California auto insurance companies are as easy to find as a McDonald's restaurant. Car issues are very expensive in California. You may spend more money than you earn on your car fixing process. If you set you mind to get a cheap deal there is no place better than your computer. Cheap auto insurance is a very frequently searched for topic. Drivers from California seek a good deal day and night as usually California car protection services make your wallet feel a little bit empty.

California state law requires one to have at least $15,000 cover for the Injury per person and a total cover that is needed is $30,000 for each accident, along with it $5000 minimum requirement for the damage of the property. This means that the price for services is more expensive than it would be in another state, for example. But you should not say goodbye to the idea of car insurance deal just because you had a thought that it won't be enough to have yourself and car insured from any type of road accidents.

It always makes sense to pay a little extra but to keep your worries away from yourself. Please consider that next time you think and drop the idea of auto insurance. People of California should not be afraid to request quotes and consider getting themselves a car insurance deal. No matter which state you go to, you should stay protected. Being a driver doesn't only mean having a car and driving it everyday, but also being careful and considerate on the road. Your insurance can definitely make the last two happen without a doubt. We care about you therefore we advice you to take your chance with the online insurance.

Health insurance options for small businesses

The costs linked to health insurance are constantly on the rise while most small businesses are looking to minimize their budget spendings these days. Due to this the Congress has provided a new viable option for small businesses to keep their employees covered in the form of has (health savings accounts). What are the benefits of using has in a small business and how it is different from typical group health insurance plans? This article will explain it all.

What's HSA is all about?

In essence, HSA is a newly developed form of individual and group health insurance that combines a high-deductible health insurance plan with a savings account that's free of taxes for medical coverage purposes. HSA are employed to lower the expenses both for business owners and workers in the field of health insurance. And with the current economical situation most small business owners find HSA as a very good alternative to typical group coverage plans.

The Wall Street Journal reports that large enterprises spend about $6,000 per employee each year for health coverage. And with growth rates exceeding 15% early, no wonder that almost half of small businesses in the US do not offer health insurance to their workers at all. Such growth rates can't be explained by the inflation or to increase in wages, because the raise in health insurance costs well exceeds the both.

It's evident that in such a situation more and more business owners will choose not to provide group health coverage to their employees in order to minimize the costs and try to stay on float. What can an HSA bring to the table in such unfavorable conditions?

The benefits of HSA compared to typical health insurance options:

1) High deductible plans are used. This means that the premiums your workers will have to pay will be much lower than with traditional group plans.

2) Tax-free contributions. HSAs use tax-free savings accounts, which means that all contributions are not included into the gross income. A great benefit for those who want to spend more on small business insurance.

3) Healthcare education. Due to the fact that HSAs involve the users into more active participation in their healthcare processes, users become better educated about healthcare in general.

4) Tax-free medical expenses. All the spendings for qualified medical assistance are not tax-deductible, which is definitely a nice feature for small businesses that are on a tight budget.

5) The account is owned by the employee. This means that the coverage will continue no matter what, even if the worker switches between employers or even goes without a job.

6) Roll-overs are possible. With this option the account owner can use it as a retirement plan by accumulating more funds on it every year.

7) Tax-free interest and dividends.

8) Employer contributions are free of taxes. This allows the owners concentrating on their small business insurance needs without having to worry about taxation on health insurance coverage for their employees.

As you can see, HSAs give better flexibility and coverage opportunities to small businesses, which are definitely the most vulnerable group of economical agents. So if you own a small enterprise, think of an HSA as a tool for optimizing your small business insurance accounts.

Child Beauty Pageant

Do you remember our latest post about sneak at the children beauty pageant?? here's another picture of this bizarre contest.

Child beauty pageants encompass all that you would see in a normal beauty pageant. Talent, interview, sportswear, elaborate evening wear, tight and skin bearing clothes and strutting across the stage are all present. The only difference is that all the contestants are under twelve. The pageant industry has grown inclusive; children and even babies are now allowed to compete in areas of beauty, poise, individuality and confidence.

It’s a demanding industry. It requires time, money and fortitude from the children and families involved. While children can benefit from being in pageants at such a young age, there are also disadvantages that lead people to wonder if they are ethical.

Besides the laws that regulate child education, pageants are a relatively lawless program. Although the children put in long hours for makeup, hair, talents, and traveling, and they are given awards and even cash prizes for their efforts, they are not considered ‘working.’ Because of this, pageants are exempt from federal child labor laws. Pageants also have different rules, so it becomes hard to set a law that will cover every pageant. New York, Texas, Massachusetts, Arkansas, California, Vermont and Maine do not have any laws regulating pageants.

A person would be hard pressed to tell if the subjects in these photos are little girls or little women. With all the makeup and high fashion it is very difficult to tell. If you look close enough you will be able to tell what is going on. Well, maybe after a couple looks.