I’ve had several people contact me about what insurance is needed
for the lawn business. Here are some explanations.

General Liability- for damage to someone or their property. Government and large businesses require liability insurance of 1 million coverage.

Health- If something happens to you while working, you need to make sure your health insurance will cover you if you can not work.

Workers compensation- Compensates employees for work related injuries and illnesses. Some states don’t require this type of insurance. Where I live (TN), workers comp is not required for less than 5 employees. Cost of workers comp varies by state.

Business Auto- covers company vehicles.

Cost depends on:

* Type

* Size

* Number of vehicles

* How far it’s driven everyday

* What it’s hauling

Business Owners Policy(BOP)- Package insurance which includes:

* General Liability

* Business Interruption Insurance- replaces business income andpays expenses such as equipment, office rent, fire, theft, or other loses. Cost $300- $400 a year.

Surety Bond -Covers the hiring contractors should you default on the job. Occasionally, this may be required for commercial jobs. Once you become established they may waive the bond.

Surety bonds are generally not needed for residential accounts, unless you are applying pesticides or herbicides. Ask your insurance agent.

Unless you have expensive equipment, I would think about not insuring the equipment, but to not insure you must always lock equipment with locks that are fast to open and close. I use the locks with the 3 numbers(Masterlock) or key locks, never do combination. Takes too long to open.

Before I started locking my equipment down, I had equipment stolen from my trailer. Later on, my trailer was stolen even being locked. Lawn equipment is stolen a lot. More than you probably think. How long do you think it takes to drive past a truck and steal a $500 blower? About 5 seconds. Thats a $100 a second.

When looking for insurance there are 2 classifications.

* Insurance agents- Usually represent 1 company

* Insurance brokers- Represent many different companies.

I like working with brokers since they are on your side and shop
several companies for quality and price. Always get 4 or 5 quotes
because prices can vary greatly.

Best of Luck!

Kevin Whiteside is the owner and editor of http://www.LawnForum.com Monthly, an online newsletter and website for lawn and landscape professionals. Get a FREE subscription here LawnForum@aweber.com

He is also the author of “Turn High Grass Into Cold Cash- How to Start the Ultimate Lawn Business” http://www.GrassToCash.com

You can use this article as long as the bylines are included.

Almost anything can be insured these days: breasts, legs, your goldfish, your mental health, physical health, your own life, your child’s life. You can insure against the bad weather, good weather, political events….

This week in Scotland, triathlon competitors were insured for £1 million in case they were injured by the Loch Ness monster according to the BBC….life insurance perhaps? It would seem that recent rumours of Nessie seeking a more exotic meal of wild venison and exploring the loch shores have finally reached the corporate world. ( http://www.lochnesstooth.com/ )

But is Nessie the real monster in this, what other terrible creatures lie hidden in the complexity of insurance documents? The insurance small-print is usually the last thing most people take to bed to induce a soporific state and who could blame those opting for Dick Francis, Gilly Cooper or Joan Collins?

In terms of personal insurance, there are eight general areas of insurance in which the consumer should be interested:

* Buildings insurance

* Contents insurance

* Life insurance or life assurance

* Health insurance

* Family legal protection

* Pet insurance

* Travel insurance

* Car insurance

Buildings insurance covers your property against damage typically caused by fire, flood, subsidence damage, temporary accommodation and the cost of replacing broken or lost keys. External buildings in the vicinity of the insured property may also be covered, such as sheds and garages. The website, yourable.com which provides insurance information for disabled people, makes the statement that building insurance should be the bare minimum people take out, not only to protect the property, but to protect the mortgage.

Alongside buildings insurance, contents insurance should also be considered. Contents insurance is frequently packaged with buildings insurance and covers your furniture, equipment and personal belongings against fire, lightning, flooding, theft or vandalism. Accidental damage can be included, but may be sold as an optional extra.

Yourable.com advises that the three main priorities when taking out building (or content) insurance should be:

* To decide how much cover you want - the more you want covered, the higher the cost.

* To decide what excess you’re prepared to pay - the site advises that in most cases, increasing the excess will reduce the premium

* To identify any particularly expensive single items in your home, including costly adaptations to the home

* To isolate any property which is regularly taken outdoors, as contents insurance may also protect bicycles, money and credit cards etc

Health / medical insurance typically covers private treatment for an operation or illness and may be extended to include specific circumstances or events such as specialist consultations and out-patient treatment like physiotherapy. Family legal protection may provide some financial assistance in the event of involvement in a court case. Such insurance normally covers contract disputes, personal injury claims, employment disputes and jury service. Pet insurance is often widely available for cats and dogs, though sometimes is less common for other animals, the cost of kennel and cattery fees are normally covered in pet insurance policies.

Travel insurance and the importance of shopping around for the best policy, has been widely publicised recently, with consumer website moneynet ( http://www.moneynet.co.uk/ ), in particular, urging consumers to shop around for the best deal, including undertaking some research online. Some of the high street players who offer travel insurance, such as Thomas Cook and Travelcare, levy premiums that are typically twice as expensive as purchasing cover online.

With regard to car insurance, there are three types of policy available: 3rd party, 3rd party (fire and theft) and comprehensive. Third Party is the most basic and will cover damage to third party property, usually with some protection for legal expenses. This compares to comprehensive, where additional protection is available for damage caused by theft, attempted theft, fire, lightning and other adverse weather conditions.

**********************

For further information:

http://www.moneynet.co.uk/insurance/index.shtml (Consumer information on life insurance, motor insurance, travel insurance, household insurance, student insurance and mortgage life insurance)

http://www.lochnesstooth.com/ (Some lighter reading post insurance homework)

http://www.cashzilla.co.uk/ (Some light hearted banter on personal finance issues)

http://www.youreable.com/TwoShare/getPage/09Money/Site/Introduction (Finance information for disabled people)

Rachel writes for the personal finance blog Cashzilla:

http://www.cashzilla.co.uk/

Cashzilla is a personalfinanosaurus and a source of personal finance wonder.

Do you think you have the best auto insurance coverage just because you’re with a “big name” company?

News flash, you’re probably getting less coverage than you think.

But first let’s talk about accident statistics in the U.S.…

The Facts:

There are about 3 million car-related injuries a year
• 2 million permanent injuries
• 40,000 deaths in the U.S. each year

About 40% of car accident fatalities are related to drinking and driving.
• 30% to speeding
• 33% from a car going off the road

Car accidents are currently the number one killer of people ages 1 to 37.
About 1 in 30 young drivers will be injured in an accident each year.
Young drivers are four times more likely to die in car accidents.
• much more prone to speed
• drive recklessly
• not wear their seat belts
• and drink and drive

There are Approximately 6.4 million accidents each year

Approximately 40,000 people die in auto accidents each year.

You may ask yourself what are the odds of me getting into an accident?
There were 48,366 Transportation accidents in 2002.
• One year odds of You getting in an accident are 1 in 5,953.
• Lifetime odds of You getting in an accident are 1 in 77. Are you the 1 in 77 to get into an accident this year?

Did you know?
Midnight to 3 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays proved to be the deadliest 3-hour periods throughout 2003?

In 2004 there was a total of 38,253 Fatal Crashes.
• Over 26,756 Driver crash victims
• 10,304 Passenger Victims
• 4,641 Pedestrian Victims
• 725 Pedacyclist Victims

Let’s move on to Insurance Coverage.

Here are the 7 things your auto insurance company should give you but doesn’t!

1. Full replacement cost paid if your new car is totaled in the first year at no additional cost.

2. Towing and roadside assistance included with your policy at no additional charge and no reimbursement required.

3. Bilingual insurance representatives available 24 hours a day 7 days a week to provide policy service or take claim reports.

4. Extension of your policy coverage and limits when driving in Mexico within 100 miles of the U.S. Border.

5. Discounted rates for qualified members of certain occupational groups.

6. Temporary coverage for student children home on holidays at no additional charge.

7. Waiver of collision deductibles if both parties involved in an accident are customers of the same company.

Want to check you’re car insurance rate coverage plan? Visit this reputable carrier today.
www.InsuranceByState.org Auto insurance specialists.

Jack Roberts is an independent writer for himself who loves nothing more than to have his articles published.

Before you start shopping for your auto insurance St. Louis, you should know what coverage the state of Missouri requires you to purchase. You will need to purchase liability coverage on your auto insurance St. Louis policy for a minimum of $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident, and $10,000 for property damage. Don’t even contemplate purchasing your auto insurance St. Louis and then dropping it, because the Missouri Department of Revenue has begun tracking drivers to make sure they maintain liability coverage. Letting your auto insurance St. Louis lapse could cost you your driver’s license and vehicle registration.

However, liability coverage alone may not be the only auto insurance St. Louis coverage that you want for your vehicle. With the percent of uninsured drivers in Missouri counties ranging from over 11 percent to as low as half a percent, uninsured driver coverage can protect you from costly premium increases and accident repairs should you be involved in an incident with an uninsured driver.

Other coverage to consider for your auto insurance St. Louis coverage includes medical payment coverage, which will reimburse the insured and others for medical or funeral expenses. You may also want rental car reimbursement for your auto insurance St. Louis policy so that you are covered if you need to rent a vehicle while your damaged auto is being repaired. Plus, with so many things that could happen to your car besides a collision or theft, you may want to add comprehensive coverage to your auto insurance St. Louis to protect you in the case of fire, flood, or other disasters.

Want more info on St. Louis auto insurance? Easily find free info and fast insurance quotes here : Auto Insurance St. Louis

We have just had the first year’s anniversary of the flash flooding which occurred at Boscastle in Cornwall. The floods saw some of the worst damage wrought by sudden rainfall in the UK for many years.

The flood was caused by the remains of a hurricane which crossed the Atlantic, collecting vast amounts of water crossing, and was then pushed high above an area inland of the village depositing around 1,500m litres (330m gallons) of water within two hours.

At the time insurance companies were estimating the bill for commercial damage to local businesses, would be as high as £15m.

There is perhaps some comfort for insurers in that it could have been worse. Hurricane Charley, which hit Florida around the same time, cost over an estimated £6bn.

In August this year, just a week after Birmingham was battered by a tornado, residents in Bristol witnessed a twister which was up to 1,000 ft (300metres) long sweeping across the skies over the southern suburbs. The twister swept across a 15-mile area, including the suburbs of Whitchurch, and came close to causing widespread property damage.

Both government organisations and insurers have admitted that with global warming increasing, they have seen an increase in the number of serious weather related incidences.

The Governments environment agency has stated that, “climate predictions also indicate that Britain will be windier. One study suggests 30 percent more gales in Wales and southern England in winter, increasing the risk of another storm like that in 1987, which left £2 billion of damage in its wake.”

According to the environment agency, “current estimates are that peak river flows in Britain could be 20 percent higher by 2080. This could have important implications for the flood zones of rivers - in a review of flood defences last year, the Environment Agency found that a tenth of the population in England and Wales now lives on flood plains… The combination of sea level rise with high tides and changes in winds could increase the frequency of extreme water levelsand hence risk of floodingin some east coast locations by ten, or even, twenty-fold.”

The Association of British Insurers support this view stating in a recent report that, “in the UK, climate change could increase the annual costs of flooding by almost 15-fold by the 2080s under the high emissions scenario, leading to potential total losses from river, coastal and urban flooding of more than $40 bn (£22 bn).”

Some insurers had threatened to start cancelling high risk policies unless the Government invested heavily in providing improved flood defences. As part of cost benefit studies, the Government has introduced new flood planning procedures, which mean that highly-populated flood plains like the Vale of York will receive additional help with defences, but less populated areas may end up with nothing. These measures go some way to helping some of the more highly populated areas against flooding, but do nothing for regions with lower population densities, and provide no protection against other costly emergencies such as hurricanes or acts of terrorism.

A recent report by the insurer Axa warned that fewer than 50% of small firms do not have a plan in place to ensure that their business could survive should they be hit by an emergency or disaster. Axa highlighted that many businesses, especially in the South East, are not covered against environmental risks such as fire and flood, and fewer have any protection against the now high profile terrorism threats.

Following a claim, such as for a fire, or flooding, most household insurance policies will cover the cost of alternative accommodation, if the property is uninhabitable; likewise, many companies have business interruption cover, which will pay the cost of alternative accommodation, however this is not always guaranteed and you need to carefully check the policy wording.

Even if you do have insurance, you need to ensure that it is suitable for your needs. Wherever you obtain your insurance, whether it is from a direct insurer such as Norwich Union, brokers like Endsleigh, or through comparison sites such as Moneynet, it is vitally important to check all your coverage details. Many people in Boscastle believed that they were completely protected, only to discover after the floods that they had become victims to under-insurance. If the level of cover obtained is not adequate, then insurers may only pay a proportion of a claim, taking the view that you have been under-paying on premiums. Several residents in Boscastle faced insurance shortfalls of up to 50 per cent.

Thankfully in the Boscastle flooding, despite fears from the emergency services, there was no loss of life; however as the fire fighters union fears following the London bombings, exclusion clauses placed into life insurance policies could mean that many individuals do not currently have any cover for certain unpredictable emergency events which are out of their control.

The upshot appears to be that the current situation is one of caveat emptor, or “let the buyer beware”. A situation that is likely to get worse with global warming causing increased extreme weather conditions, and rising terrorism threats. At the end of the day, for consumers to ensure they have the correct financial protection, they must actually read all the official cover documents, check the details, and examine all the clauses, when they take out any financial product, if they are not to find themselves out of pocket when a claim needs to be made.

Useful Resources:

Association of British Insurers

Insurance comparisons - Moneynet

Richard lives in Edinburgh, occasionally writing for the personal finance blog Cashzilla, and reciting Vogon poetry.

There are times when you’ll find yourself temporarily without health insurance. You may be between jobs, just starting a new job or a student who is no longer covered on your parent’s health insurance. Temporary health insurance purchased online can help provide gap coverage for those times when regular health insurance isn’t a possibility.

Short term health insurance is one of the easiest types of insurance to purchase online. It is meant to cover major emergency medical expenses for people who are temporarily without other health insurance. Sometimes referred to as catastrophic health insurance, it is not designed to be your primary health insurance. It won’t pay for preventive health care, routine office visits, and prescriptions for pre-existing health conditions like asthma and diabetes, or treatment for pre-existing conditions. Many temporary health insurance policies also have a list of illnesses and injuries for which they limit coverage. Be sure to check the plan you’re considering carefully to be sure that it will cover what you might need it for.

Depending on the deductible you choose, your age and your health condition, temporary health insurance can be very affordable. For instance, $30 to $50 a month will purchase a policy with a $250 deductible for a healthy male in his early twenties.

What will that buy you?

Under the terms of most temporary health insurance policies, if you’re involved in an accident that lands you in the hospital with a $50,000 bill, you’ll pay as little as $1,250 for treatment. Before you pshaw at that, consider this: treatment for a broken leg can easily top $10,000 once X-rays, casts and follow-up visits are factored in.

Short term health insurance is meant to be temporary, so there are limits to the length of time that you can be covered by a temporary health insurance plan. Some companies will allow you to renew your plan once at the end of the term of coverage. Others will make you apply again, but only once.

When you apply for temporary health insurance online, most companies will cover you within 24 hours of your application. Many policies will issue you a policy immediately. You can find many web sites that offer comparison tools and online applications for temporary health insurance. Once you decide on a plan that meets your needs, you can have up to ten quotes for health insurance premiums in minutes, and have health insurance coverage within 24 hours.

To view our recommended health insurance companies: visit,
Recommended Health Insurance Companies.

Carrie Reeder is the owner of eZerk, an informational website, with articles
and the latest news about various topics.