QuickQuote Financial - Fair. Honest. Unbiased.

The new QuickQuote website has finally hatched!

It's been a long time coming .... 7 years to be exact. But we've finally cut ties with our old website.

The new website features some incredible technological enhancements resulting in quicker quoting, faster page loading, sharper graphics and images and more.

Here are a few of the new features you will find:

• Enhanced Term Life Quoting System
• More Online Insurance Applications
• Electronic Signature Capabilities
• Multimedia Presentations

New product offerings include:

• Non-Medical Term Life Insurance
• Mortgage Term Life Insurance

We are anxious to show off our 'new digs' ... so please take a look and let us know what you think!

The Highway Loss Data Institute recently released the results of a study that show laws banning cell phone use by drivers in some states have not been effective in reducing auto accidents.

The study examined insurance claims made before and after the laws took effect in California, Connecticut, New York and Washington D.C. According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, twenty states ban texting while driving while seven states ban talking on the phone while driving.

Oddly, no states that we are aware of ban sleeping, eating, reading, watching television, shaving or applying makeup while driving.

One explanation the Institute said is plausible is the results may reflect the use of hands-free devices in those states. The Governors Highway Safety Association considers these devices to be as dangerous as hand-held devices, which may explain the continued high rate of auto accidents. The National Safety Council supports a complete ban on all hand-held and hands-free devices while driving.

A final interesting note to the story, the Transportation Department just recently banned truck and bus drivers from sending text messages on hand-held devices while operation commercial vehicles over 10,000 pounds in weight. Anything under that is a green light to text away?

Stay safe on the roads. It's usually the other guy/gal you have to watch out for.

Paramedical exams are not as bad as some would have you believe (don't let the picture fool you!). In fact, they can be fairly simple, quick and painless ... almost. The following tips will help you achieve paramed nirvana.

1.       Fast for 8-12 hours prior to the exam.  This will help ensure more accurate blood chemistry results.

2.       Avoid exercise or excess activity prior to the exam. This will help keep your blood pressure and heart rate in a range that is typical for you.

3.       Make sure you are well hydrated. This will also help with your blood pressure and heart rate. Plus, it makes for a better urine sample.

4.       Avoid caffeine prior to the exam. A good reason to schedule in the evening!

5.       Schedule during the least stressful time of your day. For some it may be mornings and for others evenings. And for many, there may be no such thing!

6.       Schedule the exam for later in the week. Studies show Wednesday through Saturday tend to be the most stress free days of the week. Mondays, well ...

7.       Avoid alcohol for 24 hours prior to the exam. Alcohol tends to disrupt blood results also.

8.       Take all of your medications as normal and provide a list to the examiner. Make sure the examiner writes them all down, including the dosages.

9.       Reschedule the exam if you are sick. Your body will be out of whack. It's better to wait.

10.   Review the paperwork completely. Accidents can happen. Don't let them happen on your paramed exam. Review all measurements, answers and other information prior to signing.

That's it. Ten simple tips to help you cruise through your paramed exam and on your way to a lower term life insurance premium!

Your health and lifestyle play prominent roles in the life insurance underwriting process and ultimately, the rating class you are approved for. Therefore, we've added a new topic to our blog, appropriately titled 'Lifestyle.' Here you will find information on many health and lifestyle topics. Hopefully you will find the information useful to your overall health and possibly even use it to your benefit when applying for life insurance!

You may be wondering what a list of cholesterol lowering tips has to do with life insurance. Well, a lot actually. Cholesterol is a major factor considered by life insurance companies in determining the rating class and premium you will pay on your policy. Below is one example of the impact overall cholesterol can have.

(Sample information is from a typical life insurance company and is fairly representative of the industry. 45-yr old male, $500,000 coverage, 20-yr term)

Rating Class	Maximum Cholesterol	Annual Premium	Premium Difference
Preferred Plus	220	$640	-
Preferred	250	$805	+26%
Standard Plus	275	$1,050	+64%
Standard	300	$1,240	+94%

 

This table shows that a difference in total cholesterol of 80 points can cost a person 94% or more in premium; $600.00 in this example!

The following tips can help you get your cholesterol under control and hopefully into the Preferred rating class range or better.

1.       Don't Smoke

A no brainer. Smoking decreases levels of HDL (the good cholesterol) in
            the blood.

2.       Avoid Saturated Fat

Think vegetable oil, butter, lard, shortening, red meat, etc. Replace these with foods like canola oil, olive oil, lean meat and fish.

3.       Eat More Fiber

Soluble fiber acts like a sponge to absorb cholesterol. Good sources of soluble fiber include dried beans and oats (oatmeal,). Also add fruits, vegetables and whole grains to your diet.

4.       Exercise Regularly

This shouldn't come as much of a surprise. But what may be surprising is the amount of exercise you need. Some studies have shown as little as 30 minutes of walking a day may increase HDL cholesterol by 10%.

5.       Consider Medication

Medication should not be viewed as a last resort. In cases of very high cholesterol levels medication combined with lifestyle changes are usually recommended.

As always, consult a physician for advice on lowering your cholesterol. Our tips are meant to get you thinking about simple changes you can make, but are by no means a substitute for sound medical advice.

Credits: WebMD

 

Term life insurance rates remain at historic lows. Recent legislative and regulatory changes have caused some life insurance companies to increase rates, but term life remains an outstanding value.

The following are three quick and easy ways you can save even more on your term life insurance policy:

      1.       Choose Your Life Insurance Company Wisely

Use a reputable online life insurance brokerage to comparison shop. There are a few really good ones out there (and one or two 'outstanding' ones!). Find one you like and check rates from all the companies they offer. Don't bother comparing one online broker to another for the same life insurance company. The life insurance company sets the premium rates; therefore, you will pay the same for Company XYZ regardless of which online broker you choose.

2.       Pay Your Premium Annually

This one is simple, but often overlooked. It's in your best interest to spring for the entire premium up front if possible. Here's why:

Example Policy: $500,000 / 10-yr term / Preferred Rating Class / 35 yr-old Female

Payment Mode	Modal Amount	Annual Total	Difference
Annual	$210.00	$210.00	None
Semi-Annual	$107.10	$214.20	+$4.20  or 2%
Quarterly	$54.60	$218.40	+$8.40 or 4%
Monthly	$18.38	$220.56	+$10.56 or 5%

 

You can see that paying in any other mode than annual will cost you more; up to five percent more if you pay monthly. Of course, the life insurance company charges a slight premium for the convenience of spreading your premium out over the course of the year. Keep that in your own pocket by paying annually.

3.       Prepare For Your Paramedical Exam

The paramedical exam (paramed) is really not the big deal many make it out to be. Sure, it's a bit of an inconvenience, but it could save you money in the long run if you prepare for it. If you are completely opposed to the paramed exam, check out Non-Medical Term Life Insurance. Otherwise, read on.

To pull off a stellar paramed exam, consider the following:

·         Fast for 8-12 hours. This will help ensure more accurate blood chemistry results (think cholesterol).

·         Avoid alcohol for 24 hours prior to the exam. This shouldn't require an explanation. But just in case, alcohol does funny things to your liver. Insurance companies want to know the condition of your liver. Give it a brief rest.

·         Avoid exercise or excess activity prior to the exam. The examiner will check your blood pressure and heart rate. You want these to be in the normal range. Intense activity may also cause a temporary elevation of liver enzymes (that darn liver thing again). Don't take chances.

·         Provide the examiner with a list of all medications. And make sure she notes these on the exam paperwork.

·         Review the paperwork completely.  Make sure your height, weight, blood pressure, etc. are all recorded correctly. Resolve any discrepancies before the examiner leaves.  Don't skip this step!

Of course, unexpected things can happen during the underwriting process and there are no guarantees until the life insurance company makes an offer. But if you follow these three simple tips you will be well on your way to saving money on your next term life insurance policy!

What exactly does a 'Free' term life insurance quote mean?

Life insurance quoting websites are ubiquitous today. A typical Google search currently returns over 61 million results including thousands of different quoting websites. Some belong to large companies with hundreds of agents in their call centers, while others are micro-businesses with little more than one or two people and a computer.

Regardless of size, most of these companies promote 'Free' term life insurance quotes on their websites. And we do the same on our website.

But what does free mean in the sense of these quotes? And do they actually come without a cost?
 
This past weekend I came across a banner advertisement on a local news website. The ad was from a large, well-known life insurance company with a solid rating and good reputation. In fact, I'd bet if I asked a group of people to name three life insurance companies for me, this company would be one of those named 90+ percent of the time.

The ad went something like this:

----------------------------------------------

                    REQUEST A FREE, NO OBLIGATION QUOTE NOW
*All Fields are Required

First Name: ________________________
Last Name: ________________________
Address:     ________________________
City, State & Zip: ___________________

Telephone: ________________________
Day or Evening: ____________________

E-mail: ____________________________


                                                GET FREE QUOTES!
                                                                                   

(And finally, at the bottom ... the kicker):

We respect your privacy.

--------------------------------------------

Oh, really? Hmm ... okay.

If the life insurance company respects your privacy so much, why do they feel compelled to 'require' your private and personal contact information just to give you a quote for term life insurance? Does your name influence the premium? Are the rates lower for those using Gmail or Hotmail accounts?

So these quotes are technically free because they don't cost you any money. However, they will cost you your name, address, telephone number, email, etc. That's some fairly valuable information you are providing, don't you think? And even if the company promises not to sell your information, surely they are going to do something with it, right? What do you suppose that is?

If you want a 'Free' quote for term life insurance, find a reputable online company that will provide one without collecting personal contact information from you. We happen to know a good one if you are looking, but I'm sure you can find a few others if you try.

Maybe.

Happy New Year!                    

Okay, I'm a few days late .. but we are all excited here at QuickQuote about the great things we are doing in 2010. Here's a count down of five changes you'll see:

5.  New Life Insurance Companies

We plan to add three new life insurance companies to our marketplace in 2010. While we continuously review our marketplace and consider new companies, we generally do not add many companies at once. We firmly believe in providing the best companies for our customers and quality trumps quantity every time. That being said, the three companies we are considering are all worthy of inclusion and should contribute greatly to the quality of our marketplace.

4.  Addition of Mortgage Life Insurance

Our partnership with RBC/Liberty Life Insurance Company brings this product to QuickQuote. Mortgage life insurance has been around in various forms for years. So while not new to the life insurance world in general, it is a new product for us and we are anxious to make it available.

3.  Expanded Non-Medical Term Life Insurance

This product continues it's incredible popularity and growth into 2010. As a result, we will enhance our offering to include Fidelity Life.

2.  More e-Signature Capabilities

We've already added new e-Signature options for 2010 and are excited about making the announcement. Look for more in a not-too-distant blog and press release.

1.  OUR NEW WEBSITE!

This is the biggie for 2010. Our new site offers streamlined navigation, enriched content and enhanced functionality. We've worked hard to incorporate new technologies and products while maintaining our world-class ease of use and customer service options. We believe the new website will be amazing and we hope you will all agree!

Stay tuned ...

The Life Insurance Marketing and Research Association (LIMRA) recently released some interesting findings about consumers and their preferences for life insurance advice.

Insurance Advice Source	Percentage
Financial Advisor	34
Parents/Family	27
Life Insurance Agent/Broker	15
Human Resources	14
Suze Orman or Clark Howard	10

Interestingly enough, Suze Orman and Clark Howard are both advocates of term life insurance over permanent life insurance products. You can view this Yahoo! Finance article by Suze Orman in which she recommends QuickQuote as a good source for term life insurance comparisons.

And if you haven't listened to The Clark Howard Show on the radio or Internet, you should check it out here. Clark offers useful advice on a host of financial topics including life insurance. He has mentioned QuickQuote as a valuable resource several times on his show and his website.

Transamerica Life Insurance Company recently announced 'relaxed' underwriting rules for survivors of certain types of cancer. Survivors of non-melanoma skin cancers, thyroid, breast, testicular, endometrial and cervical cancers may now qualify for the company's Preferred rating class on term life insurance policies.

Certain rules, such as the length of time the proposed insured has been disease free, still apply. Treatment history is a consideration also.

Please contact one of our licensed life insurance professionals for more information and quotes.

American General Life Insurance Company reduced rates on its AG Select-a-Term life insurance product earlier this month. Lower premiums are now available for most risk categories at select ages.

AG Select-a-Term is one of the industry's most innovative term life insurance products, offering seventeen different term durations (10-year term life and 15-year through 30-year term life). The product provides coverage for people into their 80's and is convertible to fixed, index and variable universal life insurance policies.

Check quotes for the new AG Select-a-Term here and have a Happy Thanksgiving!