Life Insurance Have your taken your last gasp?

No were not insensitive - were talking about your last gasp of smoke - have you given up smoking?

Most insurance companies say youre entitled to non-smoker premium rates if youve not smoked or otherwise used nicotine products, within the last five years. If youve only just given up smoking youll have to wait for the extra spending money.

But sometimes theres a way of speeding things up. Some insurers have adopted a more relaxed definition of a non-smoker by shortening the 5 year abstinence period to just twelve months. So if youve been fag free for a year, find out whether you can move your life cover to one of these insurers. But you have to be careful. Never cancel your existing policy until youve received written acceptance from your new insurer.

How do you swap insurers? (cheap car insurance)

First of all, to get the best price, you need to go on the Internet and find a life insurance broker that provides help, discounts price and searches the whole insurance market for the lowest prices. If you use a web site that provides an on-screen quote, you wont know whether that insurance company that comes up uses the 5 year or the 12 month smoker definition. Online systems never tell you. To be sure you need to chat on the phone to a life insurance adviser.

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Did you Know?
The concept of medical insurance was proposed in 1694 by Hugh Chamberlen. In the late 19th century, early medical insurance was actually disability insurance, in the sense that it only covered the cost of emergency care for injuries that could lead to disability. This insurance model continued until the early 20th century when patients were expected to pay all other health care costs out of their own pocket under what is known as the fee-for-service business model. Modern medical insurance programs emerged mostly after the 2 nd World War.

Today in the UK, most comprehensive private medical insurance programs cover the cost of routine and planned health care procedures, although emergency care is still largely the province of the National Health Service.

Did you know?
If you cant get home insurance , beware – the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors warns that value of your house could fall by 80%. And its a high flood risk that is most likely to make your house uninsurable. According to a recent report, 6.5 million homes are already at risk from flooding and 1.5 million homes are in areas at high risk. Furthermore, if global warming continues, by 2030 this 1.5 million figure could double. (health insurance)

Did you Know?
When looking for a cheap mortgage youre sure to face the decision between choosing a low interest rate mortgage or a higher rate mortgage but with no, or very low, up front costs.

Weve all seen mortgages with incredibly low interest rates advertised in the national press and on the Internet. Experience shows that its a low interest rate that pulls in the borrowers so lenders bust a gut to publicise low headline rates. The difficulty is that these super low rates force the lenders to recover some of their profits in other ways. A high arrangement fee is a common solution.

An arrangement fee is charged to allegedly cover the cost of administering the mortgage application and reserving the advance. Normally these fees can be added to the mortgage but some lenders require them to be paid in advance. And they can vary enormously, not just between lenders but even between the cheap mortgages offered by the same lender. So keep your eyes skinned!

Did you know?
Over recent years, the cost of moving house has risen at more than twice the rate of house price inflation. The main offender has been stamp duty. (health insurance)

Today, a move from the average semi worth £174,750 to an average detached house costing £293,250, will cost some £12,500. Five years ago the same move would have cost just £4,500. These costs include Land Registry costs, local authority searches, estate agents, solicitors fees, and of course, stamp duty. This means that house moving costs have increased by 176% whilst house prices have themselves risen by 70%.

This increase in home move costs has been greatly influenced by the fact that the average price for a detached house has now burst through the £250,000 level above which stamp duty jumps from 1% to 3%.

For some homeowners, these costs have influenced a decision to stay put and remortgage. Thats one of the reasons why remortgages have become so popular.