Chartered Financial Consultant

Different Ways to Buy Life Insurance

There are so many factors to consider when buying life insurance. What policy to choose? How much coverage is needed? What premium can you qualify for? Making a choice can be complicated and often confusing. The key to making the correct decisions can depend on how and where you buy your life insurance from. A good broker, a comprehensive online provider, the right agent can hold the key to all your questions. Read on to find out the different ways to buy life insurance and which option would suit you best.

1.Through an Agent, Broker or Salesperson
This is the time and tested medium of buying life insurance. Deciding on what kind of insurance and how much to buy becomes easier with the help of a qualified insurance professional. An agent, financial advisor or a broker will analyze your current financial situation and determine your long term needs and goals to help you determine the best insurance for your individual needs. The quality of advice you get will obviously depend on how experienced and trained your agent is. There are certain things you should check up on before finalizing with a particular agent or broker i.e.:

Check the agent’s license from the state they do business in. Check with the licensing agency that there are no pending disciplinary proceedings against the agent. Also check with the Better Business Bureau about any consumer complaints filed against a particular broker or salesperson. Get referrals from people you trust such as family or professional colleagues. Speak to a number of agents or brokers before signing up for anything. Also compare prices and products offered to see which ones best suit your needs. Inquire about your agent’s training and certification. Designations such as Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC), Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Financial Services Specialist (FSS) and Life Underwriter Training Council Fellow (LUTCF) all indicate a professional level of expertise. Find out about which areas your agent specializes in. Some might be experts in long term care insurance whereas others might deal only with life insurance. Check if your agent or broker has tied up with a specific insurance company or product (the odds are that they have). In such cases, be wary of the fact that you might get only a one sided picture of the pros and cons of various products. It is therefore necessary to shop around before buying. If you get too much hard sell, consider someone else.

At the end of the day, a good agent or broker is one who is a good listener and one who takes the time to understand your objectives, help you create a financial plan, and then help you find the best life insurance products for your specific situation.

2. Through Your Workplace
Another option to purchase life insurance may be through your employer. Many employers provide a basic, ‘no cost’ insurance to all their employees (normally not more than one or two times your basic salary). You first need to find out how much you are covered for under this policy and then decide how much more you need to purchase. Since most experts recommend coverage of at least ten to twenty times your net income, your basic work insurance does not count for much. Check if your employer offers you the option to purchase additional coverage through their group plan. However, also keep in mind that if you have group insurance and you leave your job, your insurance is not transferable.

In case your office or workplace only offers life insurance on a voluntary, employee-paid basis, do not write off this option immediately. You might have to pay the full premium but voluntary plans allow you greater coverage more easily than if applied for individually or even through a group plan. Premiums are mostly paid through automatic payroll deduction, which can lessen rates by as much as 10% to 20% as well.

On the whole, life insurance in your workplace should be treated as a supplement to what you purchase on your own. It should never be all the insurance you have. This is mainly because you will not be able to maintain your insurance if you either leave your job or even become disabled or injured and cannot work anymore.

3. Through the Internet
The Internet has made affordable life insurance a possibility for everyone. You can now get instant quotes, apply for, and even purchase policies online. An accredited online insurance provider will offer objective, independent information as they will rarely be owned or controlled by any one insurance company. Opting to purchase your policy online can help you cut to the chase and avoid hours spent on high pressure sales pitches and often confusing advice by agents or brokers. Many sites provide free insurance quotes in minutes that help customers make well informed decisions from hundreds of policies available. Having databases of thousands of products also allows for online sites to find the most affordable options for every client. After considering your health and lifestyle profile, you are then offered the most affordable policies along with various options such as riders, renewability privileges and conversion rights. With the amount of resources available and the availability of trained professional to talk you through your choices and the application process, buying your policy online has now been reduced to a simple painless process and one worth investigating.

4. Through Mail or Over the Phone
Direct buying can also entail direct solicitations through mail or marketing via toll-free numbers. This method is recommended if you have a clear idea of what you want to buy and which product is the best for you. Just be aware of the possible limitations of buying direct which could include limited choices and no advice from qualified insurance professionals.

5. Through the Insurance Company
You can even buy your policy directly from the insurance company once you have decided on what you want. Keep in mind that the cost will be the same but you will not get the benefit of multiple choices or unbiased recommendations.

About AccuQuote:
AccuQuote is a leader in providing term life quotes to people across the United States. In 1986 it began operating with a single goal: to make the process of buying term life insurance as easy as possible for its customers. Their experienced professionals consistently deliver the most affordable term life insurance rates by comparing thousands of life insurance policies from dozens of top-rated carriers.

How to Choose a Life Insurance Agent

You have done your research on the various life insurance products available, and you are now ready to sit with an Insurance Agent or Financial Representative to assess your needs, but where do you start? There are so many agents, offices and firms, how do you know who can help you? Which company do you go with?

First thing first, regardless of which agency or representative you eventually choose, you need to know that they are licensed properly for the insurance products and financial services you seek.

An Insurance Agent starts out by obtaining their “Life, Health and Annuity” license for the state they practice in. This allows them to sell term and whole life insurance, health insurance and fixed annuities.

They agent also needs to obtain their Series 6 (securities) license in order to sell mutual funds, variable life insurance and variable annuities, or any other investment vehicle that houses mutual funds.

It would be safe to say, that most Insurance Agents who are associated with large Insurance Firms or have their own free-standing Insurance Agency, have these two licenses in order to sell the wide variety of products these offices offer to satisfy all your needs.

But you should still do your due diligence and ask if their licenses are up-to-date and that they have not let them expire; as these licenses require a certain amount of additional education and certification every 2 years to keep them current.

It is also good to know if they have earned any additional designations. A person who takes the time to learn and grow within their own industry is a person who has chosen this as their life’s career. And you can feel confident that they will be specialists within the Insurance and Financial field, and will be around for years to come.

Here are the most common designations:

CFP — Certified Financial Planner

CLU — Chartered Life Underwriter

ChFC — Chartered Financial Consultant

As far as which company you choose to go with, is entirely up to you. Some people want the comfort of knowing all their products are with the same company, and that that company has the strength and longevity to stand behind what they sell. The financial representatives and advisors for these large insurance corporations typically sell only the proprietary products, as their pay structures mandate them to do so. The benefit to this is that you know you are getting a solid product backed by a solid company. The down–side is that they are usually not able to offer a wide variety of products for the sake of price comparing.

Others like the idea of a smaller Insurance office because you are able to develop a much more personal relationship with your Agent, and they can cater more to your individual needs. The products and services that they offer are still backed by large insurance corporations, so need to worry about the financial stability of the products you purchase, but an independent financial firm, since they are not associated with any one proprietary company, are able to offer a larger variety of services for the sake of product and price comparison.

When it comes to choosing the right life insurance company, or agency; know the facts. And by knowing a little bit about the professional services that each agent can offer, and knowing what type of business you feel most comfortable with, you will be able to move forward and feel secure with the insurance and financial protection you ultimately choose for you and your family.

*** This article is intended for informational purposes only, and should not replace discussing your individual needs with your local Insurance Agent or Financial Representative.

Chartered Institute of Marketing Workshop

CIM Event – Northampton – 19th November 2009

 Fateful attraction – or how to align employer and personal branding

How do you know that your values match a potential employer’s values?

Organisations are increasingly focusing on employer brand, both as a way of competing effectively in the labour market and also to drive employee loyalty through effective recruitment, engagement and retention practices. Just as marketers seek to understand their customers, HR people benefit from gaining ‘employee insight’ to inform HR strategy, influence the design of internal communication strategies and design effective people management initiatives.

This raises some important questions: do organisations know they are attracting the type of person that fits with their values, culture and purpose? When applying for a job, does an individual know that their values, purpose and motivations fit with those of their prospective employer?

The answer is not as clear cut as a simple yes or no even though a lot of research is probably done on both sides of this equation: yet in instances when one side gets it wrong, a lot of physical and emotional disruption is caused; and that is before the financial cost is counted. If benefits are to be reaped from employer branding, it is crucial that there is collaborative working between HR specialists and colleagues in marketing and internal communications functions.

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a personality profiling tool based on preferences which enable you to assess your psychological type; and some interesting work has been done with MBTI to assess organisations in a similar way.

This workshop explores the MBTI at both an individual and organisational level and links with the notion of employer branding.

Workshop content

* Introduction to the MBTI framework

* Understanding type – personal perspective

* Understanding type – organisational perspective

* Employer branding

The intention of the workshop is to inform, encourage discussion and debate. Participants will be encouraged to share their experience and examples and will be offered a 50% discount on a personal MBTI profiling questionnaire and feedback session which is normally priced at £120 plus VAT.

Workshop delivered by Level Seven (UK) Limited, a Northampton-based talent and leadership development consultancy.

Registration 18:30, this event begins at 19:00 and finishes at 21:00.

To find out more, go to http://www.cim.co.uk/events/eventdetail.aspx?objectid=29068.

To find out more about PR and Marketing Jobs in Leicester, Northampton and the East Midlands, please go to our website. For roles specific to Northampton, Corby and Wellingborough and area, please go to http://www.brandrecruitment.co.uk/pr-and-marketing-jobs-in/Northamptonshire. If you are looking for a Leicester marketing job, or a PR or Marketing job in or around Leicestershire, go to http://www.brandrecruitment.co.uk/pr-and-marketing-jobs-in/Leicestershire

How you can use your financial skills to grow other people’s businesses part time

Now even the people who have great knowledge about the highly advanced technology know that the advent of Internet has completely changed the whole world of working class people. Now you can reside in India and be recruited by someone in Canada and never have seen them personally, it really is too amazing. Due to this advanced facility, one can be appointed as a part time finance director too. Now if you think about the title of a finance director it is apparent that this is a quite impressive title and consequently you may usually experience that these personnel can be a quite costly resource. However the cost is normally measured with regards to their qualifications like that of chartered accountants or equivalent degree holders where it is understood that these financial experts have put in sincere and dedicated efforts to attain this position. But not all companies are able to afford the services of a finance director, regardless of how important they are. This has certainly become apparent in the current economic crisis where companies simply do not have the monetary resources that they used to. Consequently they are hunting for new methods of getting the similar levels of skill for a decreased investment. There is one way of doing this, they could hire a consulting firm to ensure that they are offered a similar service, but eventually this can become very expensive. Additionally, as a buyer you are not the only business that the counselors are focused on, so how can you be sure that they are giving your business the accurate amount of concentration. When one thinks about issues such as this, it is clear that there are some challenges that would have to be addressed before following a service decision such as this. Now while it is necessary to pay attention that these can be mentioned by ensuring that a water tight contract is fixed, again this is liable to incur service fees due to the lawyers that you would probably depend on to prepare the contract. Another option that helps you to fix on the number of hours for which you would be paying your finance director. Now while this may sound slightly odd, compare it to a same condition. We are aware about the bitter reality that due to the economic recession several companies are laying off their employees. A few companies have tried to evade this by decreasing the working week and only functiong on a four day basis. This signifies that you wont lose the job, though your payment will be reduced. It is an excellent solution and one that can be enforced to the job of a finance director also. Remember that the crisis has had a major impact on the financial services sector and many experts in this field have found themselves without a job. They are happy to take on new kinds of working situations in the knowledge that they will carry on to work in the field they are interested. So you could potentially hire a part time financial director for just two days a week. You would learn that during those two days they are attentive exclusively on all matters pertaining to your company. You are free to make any adjustments with regards to number of hours and resourcing. So this is of adnvantage to you and the person is also capable to work for other companies and in so doing will be capable to get a full week’s work. Thus all win by doing so.

Buying a Small Business That Doesn’t Have Proper Financial Information

Buyers of very small businesses are often attracted by the relatively small size of the investment, the potential simplicity of the operation and also the entrepreneurial tenacity involved. 

There are many businesses that operate as â??one person showâ?? where it is essentially the owner, perhaps a small leased premises and some tools, equipment, vehicle and a customer list.  There are countless businesses such as this in the marketplace.  These ventures are attractive to people that are looking to â??buy a jobâ??.

A common issue with such ventures is that the financial information that is available to the buyer is not always in top order.  Sometimes, the owner operates with little more than a shoebox full of receipts, purchase orders and other â??documentationâ?.  As a business buyer, you must be careful about protecting yourself so you know what youâ??re getting yourself into. 

Consulting with an accountant to advise you is still highly recommended.  That being said, what if you are still interested in the small business and the financial information is not in the form of accountant-prepared financial statements?  There are a few things you and your accountant can think about to verify the revenue and earnings.

â??Cash onlyâ? businesses
Businesses where there the revenue is primarily cash and a large portion of it is unclaimed is very difficult to sell â?? and very difficult to verify to a buyer.  The only reasonable way to audit the accuracy of the business financial operation is to sit at the cash register for a reasonable period of time to verify activity.  In a seasonal or cyclical business this may not be as practical though.

Businesses that operate as sole proprietorships
There are a number of businesses that operate as sole proprietorships and the revenue and expenses of the business are intermingled with the ownerâ??s personal expenses or other income sources.  The business may be a simple operation without accountant-prepared financial statements.  In these instances, there likely is an unconventional paper trail that must be sifted through.  Here, a business buyer could examine things like income tax returns, sales receipts, purchases, inventory levels (if there is inventory) and other â??cluesâ?? to verify the income.

The point of this article is that there are many excellent businesses in the market that are run well, have good earnings and are price appropriately â?? but theyâ??re books are not the most organized.   In fact, there are quite a few of these.  As an entrepreneur, you do need to protect yourself, absolutely.  Donâ??t be overly quick to write-off a business for sale simply because it doesnâ??t have audited or review-engagement statements.  There may be a middle ground where you can give the seller the latitude he or she needs while also protecting your interests.  A reputable business broker or chartered accountant that has experience in small business sales can assist you.

Petaquilla Appoints Chief Financial Officer

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA–(Marketwire – Dec. 29, 2009) – Petaquilla Minerals Ltd. (TSX:PTQ)(OTCBB:PTQMF)(FRANKFURT:P7Z) (“Petaquilla” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Julie Van Baarsen as Chief Financial Officer of the Company effective January 1, 2010.

Ms. Van Baarsen joined the Company in January 2009 as Director of Finance and, being both knowledgeable of the Company’s operations and possessing strong accounting and financial expertise, is the Company’s natural choice to fill the Chief Financial Officer role. Ms. Van Baarsen, a Chartered Accountant, brings a wide range of experience to the position having worked in various industries in both public and private companies. She is a former audit manager of Grant Thornton LLP.

Petquilla’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Joao Manuel, commented, “We are delighted to welcome Ms. Van Baarsen as Chief Financial Officer. Her broad spectrum of talents complements our management team and will help guide us through our commercial production phase at our Molejon gold project and exploration programs at our Oro del Norte and other concessions in Panama.”

In her new capacity Ms. Van Baarsen replaces Bassam Moubarak who will remain with the Company as a consultant through January to assist with the transition of the Chief Financial Officer role and with the Plan of Arrangement to spin out Petaquilla Infrastructure Ltd.

Petaquilla’s board of directors and management would like to thank Mr. Moubarak for his dedicated work in assisting the Company in bringing its Molejon gold mine into production and wishes him well in his future endeavors.

About Petaquilla Minerals Ltd. – Petaquilla Minerals Ltd. is a gold producer operating its gold processing plant at its 100% owned Molejon Gold Project in Panama. The plant utilizes three ball mills and a carbon-in-pulp processing facility. Anticipated throughput for the project during the first year of commercial production is estimated to be 2200 tonnes per day. The Molejon mine site is located in the south central area of the Company’s 100% owned 842 square kilometer concession lands, a region known historically for its gold content.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of PETAQUILLA MINERALS LTD.

Joao C. Manuel, President and Chief Executive Officer

No stock exchange has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.

The Financial Sector’s New Nightmare

Banks, mortgage companies, finance companies, payday cash advance companies â?? they’ve all come under recent fire for everything from going bust and having to close their doors to charging outrageous fees for ATM uses. They’ve made some big money in the past few years and part of the reason they’ve pulled it off is because the recession has made us all crazy. Another popular decision many banks made was to allow their customers’ checks to clear â?? with those with the bigger balances to clear first, meaning they could charge NSF fees for several smaller checks if the account funds were low. We’re all, as a collective society, just now beginning to focus on the wake of what’s left behind. Now, the financial sector has a new worst enemy: the well armed consumer who has legal representation. That’s right. Consumers are seeking law firms capable of handling complaints that were falling on deaf ears as recently as a year ago..

With new legislation that was passed recently that protects consumers from all kinds of unfair practices from credit card companies to finance companies, people are gearing up for Round Two. Even those who aren’t necessarily demanding blood spilled on a courtroom floor are at least consulting with financial lawyers who can help them lay the foundation for approaching their financial institutions. A. Harrison Barnes, founder of LawCrossing.com says bank regulators are receiving record numbers of consumer complaints. And the number of banks being sued are on the rise too.

Many are asking if legal representation is really necessary as they face off with one financial institution or another. A. Harrison Barnes says depending on how far your complaint goes, having the right person who specializes in financial law can only help your cause. Because banks are regulated by different agencies, it can quickly become overwhelming when trying to determine who to focus your attention on. In fact, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve oversees state chartered banks and trust companies associated with the Federal Reserve System â?? and often, the strength of a law firm can move mountains, especially if it appears a lawsuit is imminent.

Many firms, including those found with job listings on LawCrossing.com, are bringing in interns for these very reasons. It’s great experience and looks impressive on a legal resume. It’s also an ideal way for a legal firm to put a young lawyer’s skills to the test. Think an internship would be a great advantage for you? Consider applying at LawCrossing.com. You can get help with compiling your resume, take advantage of the article database, enjoy absolutely no advertisements and keep current with thousands of legal jobs across the country â?? all in real time. Who knows? You just might the next one to take on the financial sector in an effort to level the playing field once again â?? either as an intern or an experienced and seasoned attorney ready to tackle the next big project.