Insurance

Should You Hire a Workers’ Comp Attorney?

Written by adminOctober 4, 2019

Filing for workers’ comp benefits can be a difficult task. The laws in most states make it tough on purpose. If you’ve been injured, you should know going in automatically that the pendulum is not swinging in your favor. Most likely it will side with your employer.

Many states are more business-friendly. That means that the laws often side with the business and not the employee. If you get injured, you have a lot of work ahead to win a case. You’ll need to hire a great attorney who knows the laws. They can represent you in a way that gives you the advantage over the employer.

Here are three reasons why you should hire a workmans’ comp attorney:

Reason #1: You Don’t Pick the Doctor, the Insurance Company Does

One way in which your employer has the upper hand is that the insurance company picks the doctor that you see, not you. You can have a doctor telling you A, but if they are doctor disagrees, then you’re out of luck. Your diagnosis is important to the process as it will determine if you qualify.

The doctors in most cases side with the employer. Their only goal is to get you back to work so that the employer doesn’t have to pay for benefits. They’ve been known to cover up underlying issues for the sole purpose of dampening your diagnosis. They want to get you back to work much quicker. When the entire process is skewed in their favor from the beginning, that’s a reason to hire a lawyer to take care of it for you.

Reason #2: Workers’ Comp Makes It Tougher on Attorneys

Imagine being in employer-friendly state. You want to pass laws that do everything possible to give businesses the upper hand. Not only do they get to choose the doctor, new laws have made it even more difficult for worker’s comp lawyers to get paid for representing clients. It’s done so that they are not paid from the clients themselves, but through the same insurance company who chooses the doctors.

It can take months for a case to wrap up. Attorneys aren’t getting paid until months after the whole investigation started. This is making it more difficult to find a lawyer who will take on a workers’ comp case.

Reason #3: Your Eligibility is Limited

As was stated earlier, the system doesn’t care about you at all. When he cares about is getting you back to work right away. When the doctor makes the decision to send you back to work, that’s it. You go back to work. It doesn’t matter if you’re still injured. Once the doctor decides, the money stops. And if you want to keep your job, you are forced to return.

Even if you make through these three steps, there’s no guarantee that your job will be ready and waiting for you once you get back. The State of Florida offers no guarantees or protection to the injured worker that they will be able to get back to work, so even bringing you back is at the employer’s discretion.

For these reasons, you need a workers’ comp attorney on your side to help guide you through the system and overcome the unfair laws that care little for the worker.

Written by adminAugust 20, 2019

Insurance

The goal of most people is to one day own a home and fill it with all their favorite heirlooms and possessions. But what do you do when you’re someone who rents? There are millions of Americans out there who rent either an apartment or a home. This place doesn’t belong to them, they are still responsible for their stuff.

According to the Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, the two biggest fears that renters have are theft and fire. They conducted a survey of over 1000 renters and this is what they found. 24% of those surveyed said that they would grab their laptop is the first object out the door, even over any family heirlooms.

The surprising fact about the survey is that it revealed that 56% of them said that they had no renter’s insurance. Of course, you’re going to be worried about theft or a fire if you have no insurance to help cover the claims. But there are several myths that are being perpetuated out there about what is actually covered or not in the event that something bad happens.

Let’s take a look at five of those myths:

1) You’re Covered by the Landlord

You might think that you and your possessions will be covered by the landlord. Most likely, the landlord does have insurance, but that insurance will only cover damage to their building or property. It will not cover damage or loss of your property. In the event of a fire, the landlord would be able to make repairs to the building through his insurance policy. His policy doesn’t cover any of your stuff.

You would be responsible for replacing all of your furniture and possessions. You would also probably have to find a new place to live until the repairs are completed. By having renter’s insurance, your possessions would be covered and you might have a policy that allows temporary lodging while repairs are being made.

2) It’s Too Expensive

One of the main reasons why people don’t get renters insurance is that they believe it’s too expensive. But that only means that they’ve never really looked into it or that they compare it to car insurance which is often hundreds of dollars. The average cost of renter’s insurance is $20 a month. It’s not very expensive at all and many insurance companies will offer a discount.

3) Accidents Aren’t Covered

Would say your friends get together and have a little bit of a party. Would your renter’s insurance cover any damage? What about other accidents or injuries? The amount of coverage you receive will be different compared to the package you choose and what you pay. You may be surprised about what’s covered.

4) Renter’s Insurance Doesn’t Cover Theft

This is a myth that’s simply untrue. You’re not just covered for theft, but also for any damage that occurs to your property during the process of the theft.

5) You’re Not Covered for Natural Disasters

A natural disaster that damages the building would be covered by the landlord’s insurance. But your stuff is still covered, depending on the type of plan you get. Things like floods and earthquakes are only available in areas that are more prone to getting hit by those things. In most instances, it’s storm damage, lightning, fire, wind, and hail.

Written by adminJuly 3, 2019

Insurance

If you’re young to middle aged, you might be worried about the stories coming from Washington. You’re not sure if you’ll ever get the chance to retire when you want to. They keep talking about how social security is quickly running out of money. Yet, you keep plugging away, saving as much as you can for when the time comes.

It’s said that social security is set to run out of money by 2034. That’s not really a long time away, especially or most of us who still have another 10-30 years before we retire. When we do, can we expect there to be no money for us? Well, it appears as if government finally has a plan.

There’s currently a bi-partisan plan supported by both parties. It’s called the Social Securities 2100 Act. Many people are excited about this legislation for several reasons. The main reason is, it fixed the problem and ensures there’s still money in social security for all of us when we finally retire.

“Assuming enactment of the proposal, we estimate that the combined Social Security Trust Fund would be fully solvent (able to pay all scheduled benefits in full on a timely basis) throughout the 75-year projection period under the intermediate assumptions of the 2018 Trustees Report,” said the current Social Security Administration head Stephen Goss.

Details of the Plan

You might think that extending the life of Social Security means cutting people’s benefits. But you’d be wrong. The bill wants to keep all the different benefits the program offers, but even offer more to people. That’s right, the bill aims to increase Social Security benefits by about 2%. Consider that a cost-of-living increase as life becomes more expensive.

But, as you might’ve guessed, in order to keep Social Security alive and pay for the benefit increases, it will require upping the tax. It’s actually not a giant leap. The bill would increase the Social Security payroll tax from 6.2% to 7.4% for both the employer and employee. Before getting frustrated over this increase in the tax, consider these facts.

First, the 1.2% increase is spread out over 24 years and it would increase your benefits by 2%. Any given year, that increase would be about .05%, so you won’t really feel any hurt in your paycheck. It’s a very minimal tax that you will barely see that ensures that Social Security is alive and well when it’s time to retire.

Most people would be okay with this law, which is why it’s popular in both the House and the Senate. Thankfully the government can agree on something during this time of gridlock. It benefits all Americans and is a program we will all need in the decades to come.

Written by adminJuly 2, 2019

Insurance

When it comes to filing and obtaining workers compensation benefits, the laws in many states make it difficult to file for worker’s comp. So, if you’ve been injured, you should know going in automatically that the pendulum is not swinging in your favor. Most likely it will side with your employer.

Many states are very business-friendly, that means that the laws often side with the business and not the employee. If you get injured, you have a lot of work ahead of you to win your case. You’ll need to hire a great attorney who knows the laws and can represent you in a way that gives you the advantage over the employer.

Here are three reasons why you should hire a workman’s comp attorney:

Reason #1: You Don’t Pick the Doctor, the Insurance Company Does

One way in which your employer has the upper hand is that the insurance company connected to the employer’s workers comp insurance is the one who chooses the doctor that you see, not you. You can have a doctor telling you A, but if their doctor disagrees, then you’re out of luck. Your diagnosis is important to the process as it will determine if you qualify and how much you should get on the law.

The doctors in most cases side with the employer. Their only goal is to get you back to work so that the employer doesn’t have to pay for benefits. They’ve been known to cover up underlying issues for the sole purpose of dampening your diagnosis in getting you back to work much quicker. When the entire process is skewed in their favor from the beginning, that’s a reason to hire a lawyer to take care of it for you.

Reason #2: They Make It Tougher on Attorneys

Imagine being in employer-friendly state. You want to pass laws that do everything possible to give businesses the upper hand. Not only do they get to choose the doctor, new laws have made it even more difficult for worker’s comp lawyers to get paid for representing clients. It’s done so that they are not paid from the clients themselves but through the same insurance company who chooses the doctors.

Because some of these cases take many months to wrap up, attorneys aren’t getting paid until months after the whole investigation started. This is making it more difficult to find a lawyer who will take on a workman’s comp. case.

Reason #3: Your Eligibility is Limited

Even if you make through these three steps, there’s no guarantee that your job will be ready and waiting for you once you get back. States offer no guarantees or protection to the injured worker that they will be able to get back to work, so even bringing you back is at the employer’s discretion.

For these reasons, you need a workman’s comp attorney on your side to help guide you through the system and overcome the unfair laws that care little for the worker. If you find yourself in this type of situation, going at it alone is the worst thing you can do. The system is not designed for you to win, but to protect businesses.

Written by adminMay 22, 2019

Insurance

There is perhaps no greater investment you’ll ever make in your life than the one you put into your home. It’s where you’ll live out the rest of your days, build memories with your family, and take part in an amazing community. But what steps do you take to make sure your house and possessions are protected from damage and/or theft?

This isn’t just about home insurance. Most buyers already have that. But what about title insurance? At first glance, you might not even realize what title insurance does or how it can help keep you safe, but it’s an important aspect of ensuring nothing goes wrong, leaving you with a massive mess to clean up.

What is Title Insurance?

When you buy a house, there’s a lot of paperwork that goes with it. You’ll have to draw up and file legal documents, sign a mortgage, ensure all your information and data is correct (or correctly added), and so on. But what happens if there’s a mistake? What if the wrong information was added in or something was incorrectly filed?

The reality is, mistakes happen! Humans are imperfect beings and no matter how hard we try, sometimes we make mistakes. Something gets faxed wrong, we make a typo, we mistake one number for another, and so on. It happens literally every day! So why not protect yourself? Here are four reasons why you need title insurance:

Reason #1: To Protect Your Space

Yeah, your house is protected, as well as your possessions with insurance, but what happens if there’s a border dispute? Maybe someone’s tree fell on a neighbor’s house and that person claimed the tree was on your property. How do you handle the situation? You can get a survey, but the results are often different every time.

Where title insurance will help you is it will determine exactly where your property ends and where it begins. If anyone tries to challenge or dispute it, then they’re out of luck. The title insurance is your way of protecting your borders.

Reason #2: Protection from Fraud

Sometimes people are just crooked. They’re out to make a quick buck and don’t care about anyone else. Sometimes mortgage fraud happens. A ‘seller’ can create a fake deed and gets it notarized. In that case, you’d be sore out of luck because the deed would’ve been an authorized document.

People fake signatures all the time. Maybe an angry wife forges her husband’s signature to get rid of his house and you buy it. What then? Title insurance will protect you from any fraud that might pop up. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Reason #3: Liens

Even when you do all the research you can on a home, there still might be a certain amount of unknown history hiding somewhere. This is especially true if you plan on buying a home that’s been foreclosed upon. You have no idea who might have a lien against them, which means the bank gets to take your new home. Protect yourself with an insured title and you’ll be set.

Reason #4: All the Errors

This was mentioned in the beginning, but it’s true. People make mistakes all the time. All it takes is one mishap, one little typo, and it can count against you. It doesn’t even have to be your fault. It can be the realtor, the seller, the bank, etc. The only real way to keep yourself from losing out a ton of money is insuring that title.

Buying a home can be both an exciting and trying time. As with any major (or even minor) investment, it’s always best to protect it every way you can. Not doing so can leave you in a world of hurt. Hope for the best, but be prepared for the worst.

The Importance of Living Wills

Written by adminJanuary 19, 2018

Insurance

The one thing we can all agree on about life is how unpredictable it is. And one day, it will all end. As we move towards our undeniable fate, there may be plenty of ways you’ve begun to prepare, such as drawing up your last will and testament, having enough life insurance to cover any last expenses, and making sure all your debts are paid.

Thinking about our passing is always a difficult subject, but it’s something we must all do as we come to grips about our mortality. There’s still one major area of concern we often gloss over when it comes to our health during the final days, weeks, and even months of our life. While we all know the importance of our last will and testament, have you taken the time to consider a living will?

There might come a time in your life where you find yourself in an incapacitated state. It doesn’t necessarily have to happen towards the end of your life either, as a living will deals with your care while you’re still alive. For example, if you’ve been in a severe car accident and find yourself in a coma. How would you like your family to proceed?

A Difficult Choice

This can be a truly heart-wrenching decision for any family member to have to make, especially if they’re unsure of your wishes and how you desire the situation to be handled. Should they take you off life support? Keep you going a while longer? And not to forget the whole Terri Schiavo case where family members had very different opinions on what should happen next.

Everyone from lawyers and estate planners to the majority medical professionals have advocated for the need for a living will. But it’s important not to confuse a living will with your typical will, which deals with how you’re going to divide your property amongst family and friends. A living will is strictly about making an advance directive while you’re still alive.

Despite the insistence by top professionals to obtain a living will, only a small number of people have made sure they have one. Hiring a lawyer (if you haven’t already) can be useful if you want to get advice on how to plan your living will. While it’s recommended to hire one, you can set it up on your own without one by obtaining the forms online. Many hospitals also have the correct forms to fill out.

It’s also important to discuss with your loved ones your plan in the event of an emergency. It can go a long way to helping them know how to handle a potential tragedy. You can also assign someone as your power of attorney and let everyone know who you chose to make decisions on your behalf.

And finally, file your living will with your doctor’s office, as well as with your attorney, and your power of attorney. The whole process only requires a few steps, including getting your living will notarized. Once you have it taken care of, you will be prepared. Whatever happens, you and your family will be taken care of.

Written by adminJanuary 4, 2017

Car Insurance , Insurance

If you own a car, then you almost certainly need to purchase auto insurance. Every state requires proof of financial responsibility, and for most vehicle owners, this means you have to satisfy the requirements that the state sets of liability insurance. If you’re still making payments on your auto loan, you’ll also need to satisfy your lender’s requirements for collision and comprehensive coverage. Liability insurance is the kind of coverage that pays for damage to the other guy, but comprehensive and collision insurance protect your vehicle.

These are some quick facts about U.S. auto insurance:

The average cost of car insurance in the United States was a little over $900 in 2014.
The cost of coverage has increased in most states in the past year between one and five percent.
Averages aren’t that useful because they could include various kinds of coverage, and premiums vary quite a bit in different states and cities.

5 Ways to Buy Cheaper Auto Insurance

If you have to pay auto insurance premiums each month, it makes sense to take some time to learn a little bit about how this kind of coverage works. Consider these five tips to curb your premiums:

Some cars are cheaper to insure than others: If you’re planning on buying a new or used car, you should get quotes on that make and model before you decide which one to buy. For many, premiums are a big part of the cost of ownership. You might think that older or cheaper vehicles are always cheaper to insure, but that isn’t always true. In general, safer cars are less expensive to cover.
You could change your driving habits: If your current insurer has just raised your rates, you might consider commuting by bus or rail and leaving your vehicle at home during the week. Many insurers offer discounts for low-mileage drivers, and you’ll also help save wear on your car, gas money, and the environment. You might be surprised to find that it actually works out cheaper to buy a bus or rail pass.
You might consider increasing your deductible: Increasing your deductible from $250 to $1,000 could save you hundreds of dollars each year in premiums. You just need to be sure that you know there’s a risk of paying more out of your pocket if you do have a claim. It’s a good idea to set some of that money inside just in case, but if you don’t have a wreck, you’ll get to keep it.
Look for an insurer with the right discounts: Many large insurers offer discounts for things you might already be doing or could easily do. For example, you might save money if you bundle policies with the same company, take a defensive driving course, or make sure any teen drivers in your family maintain at least a B average in school.
Shop around for the cheapest auto insurance premiums: Some companies are better for some drivers than others. For example, the insurer that offered you low rates might not be the one who will write your your teenaged driver in for an affordable price. Even great drivers won’t get the best rates from some companies if they have low credit scores.

This may seem like a lot to keep in mind, and it’s only a portion of the help that you can get with FinancialHelpers.com. You might need to buy auto insurance, but you don’t need to overpay.

Reason #1: You Don’t Pick the Doctor, the Insurance Company Does

Reason #2: Workers’ Comp Makes It Tougher on Attorneys

Reason #3: Your Eligibility is Limited

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