September 15, 2009
They Pinched My Laptop But I had Insurance!
You always think that bad things happen to other people. You never think that you will be the victim of a crime. That is a pretty normal feeling, but also pretty naive and rather silly when you think about it. Anyone can be the victim of a crime, yes, anyone. I am proof of that. I had the extra lock on my apartment, the high tech security system and someone still broke into my home and stole my belongings. Yes, I lost a great deal, but it could have been worse. Luckily, I had laptop Insurance and this saved me a great deal.
On that terrible morning, I went to work as usual. I set my alarm, locked my door and was off. When I returned home hours later, I found my door ajar. I pushed it open oh, so carefully and was met with utter chaos. Everything in my home had been turned upside down. The entire contents of my home had been ransacked and destroyed. My furniture was overturned; books pulled off of the shelves, even the contents of my wastebaskets were strewn across the floor. Someone had broken into my home and had made off with many of my possessions.
I began to take inventory of what was missing. My television, DVD player, jewellery, stereo, I ticked off the items one by one. Then it hit me, my laptop was missing. It felt as if someone had kicked me in the stomach! I have a second job that requires my use of my laptop. It is how I supplement my income from my regular job. Without that laptop I may not even be able to make my rent! Of all my possessions that had been stolen, this hit me the hardest. Then I remembered that I had laptop Insurance uk. What a life saver!
Laptop theft is common. People break into homes, offices and even government building all the time to get the laptops and steal them. I knew that this was true and a very common problem, so when I purchased my laptop I went ahead and got laptop insurance as well. I am so glad that I did! It was well worth the money and it has literally paid for itself. Filing a claim was super easy and I had a replacement in no time at all. I wish the replacement of my other belongings had been so easy and painless.
If you incur the expense to purchase a laptop then you owe it to yourself to have it insured. The cost in minimal and just a drop in the bucket when compared to replacing it in the event it is damaged or stolen. There are two things that you should always do to protect yourself when you are working with a computer. Always back up your hard drive on a CD and keep it in a separate place so that your records aren’t lost, and always keep laptop insurance on your computer. You will be so glad that you did, I know that I am!
Filed under Beyond Random Ramblings by Arjuna
September 10, 2009
Annuities Pros and Cons
If you have retired from full time work and you want to collect payments for a predetermined amount of time where the tax has been deferred then you should look at an annuity. As with any sort of investment, research is essential, particularly when such a potentially large amount of cash is at stake, after all, you do not want to be taken off guard with hidden clauses. For a lot of people, a large amount of their lives is spent in retirement, in fact anything up to a third now that so many are living into their 80’s and beyond.
So what are some of the annuities good and bad points?
Once you’ve invested what you can afford in your 401K, Roth IRA and Traditional IRA, an annuity is another option for tax deferred payments to be made when you retire. It is the possibility of a good level of income from an annuity that are attractive by virtue of the fact that they are also tax deferred. Although, the fees connected to these plans can be high and could wipe out any tax rewards that they ordinarily bring with them. As with all investment plans there are admin costs which can consume the profits but giving up the plan early can also be costly to the annuity holder.
It does not take long for these fees to mount up.
It is vital to be aware of all of these sorts of fees when picking out your annuity.
If you have a home loan you can take out ‘borrowed’ tax free payments when you take out a ‘reverse annuity mortgage’. When considering the annuities good and bad points, this pro can be very appealing. When seniors who have experienced low incomes retire, this facility will address their personal and medical requirements for the remainder of their lives and there’s no tax on this money.
In a reverse mortgage annuity situation however, on the demise of the plan holder, the lender will gain control of their belongings and is something you need to be aware of. Banks do have very strict rules for anyone applying for the reverse annuity mortgage. As there are so many stipulations, particularly when the policy holder of a reverse annuity mortgage dies, it is essential they carefully study the small print in detail.
If you would like to learn more about annuities pros and cons, in an effort to determine if an annuity is the right choice for your retirement financial planning, you should seek the advice of a certified financial planner. A financial planning professional will be able to show you the benefits and possible drawbacks in layman’s terms, with the focus based on your individual needs.
Filed under Beyond Random Ramblings by Arjuna
When I first purchased my laptop, I was very hesitant to take out the laptop insurance. I mean, it sounded pretty pointless to me because what could possible happen? But, I went ahead and got it anyway. My best friend was really pushing me, saying “you never know.” I still wondered just what could possibly happen that would make the insurance of any value to me. Well, it wasn’t long and I learned just what could possible happen with my laptop and boy, was I glad that I had taken out my laptop insurance!
It all started one evening. I had been working on my laptop into the wee morning hours. Exhausted, I removed my glasses, set them on the table, closed my laptop and set it on the floor next to my bed. I promptly fell asleep. Some hours later I awoke and began to get out of bed. As soon as I place my feet on the floor, I realized that something was amiss. I was in water up to my ankles! A pipe had burst while I was asleep and it had flooded my entire apartment. I had six inches of water throughout my house. My furniture, rugs and other belongings were all submerged in water. So was my laptop.
My heart stopped. I picked up my soggy, dripping laptop and opened it. It was ruined. I looked around at my soggy home and felt completely hopeless. My income depends on my laptop and now, with the expense of repairing the pipe as well as cleaning the mess there was no way I could afford another computer, not even a used one! I sank to my bed, still clutching the laptop, completely at a loss as to what to do. My mind was reeling, I felt dizzy. How was I going to work without a computer?
That is when I remembered that I had taken out Student laptop insurance! I retrieved my policy from my dresser drawer and began to review the terms. To my absolute delight I realized that it covered water damage! I have since done extensive research and found that most insurance companies exclude water damage from their policies. Fortunately, my insurance company included it and my laptop was covered. This was very good news in light of such a bad situation. My spirits were lifted and my hopes soared. I had laptop insurance that covered water damage. I would be just fine.
I got the pipe repaired and cleaned up the mess. I did lose some of my belongings, they were ruined beyond repair. I had to incur additional expenses to replace many of those things. My finances were certainly stretched, but the laptop insurance uk made a huge difference. It eased the financial burden a great deal and helped me get back to work sooner. Like I said, I make my money from my laptop, so if it is down, I have no income. Laptop insurance saved me, though. Thank goodness I had it!
Filed under Beyond Random Ramblings by Arjuna