Agriculture's Profit Potential Is Growing Like a Weed

If you're on the hunt for massive gains, consider the fact that agricultural commodity prices have been falling. Falling prices offer buying opportunities! That's the reason why profit potential is growing.

As the global economic slowdown has churned along, economic progress has ceased. The commodity prices reflect the fact that we are bouncing along the bottom of a recessionary cycle.

Demand for most commodities has diminished. Commodity demand will, however, recover when the global economy begins to recover.

Whenever it does recover, agricultural commodity prices will skyrocket.

Many commodity traders are recognizing the opportunity and are now re-entering the market.

Few commodity traders enjoy the fame and respect that has been bestowed upon Jim Rogers. He co-founded the Quantum Fund with George Soros and retired in 1980 at the age of 37 having seen 4,200% growth in only 10 years.

In 1999, Rogers recognized and announced the now-famous "Super-cycle commodity bull market." He speculated on the precious metals when gold was trading near $260 per ounce and silver was trading near $4 per ounce.

With gold now trading over $1,500 per ounce and silver over $25 per ounce, most folks agree that he was right!

Significantly, Rogers believes that this Super-cycle will continue until 2020 to 2025 and that agriculture has lagged behind the other commodities.

He is now focused upon the agricultural commodities and predicts that he will make more from agriculture than he has from anything else in the past.

Coming from this particular billionaire, that's a big endorsement.

Investment and speculation capital tends to flow into sectors that offer the greatest potential rewards. Among commodities, the greatest potential rewards seem to be growing in the agricultural commodities sector.

Again, at some point, the global economy will recover and agricultural commodity prices will skyrocket from their present levels.

By speculating on agricultural commodities while prices are low, you will realize massive gains when the recovery materializes.

Most folks missed out on the major moves made by the precious metals and energy commodities over the last decade. That's because most folks ran away from the falling metals and energy prices of those days.

Falling prices, however, typically indicate buying opportunities for successful traders.

Of course, we should not be stopped by rising prices if proper research and analysis indicate that prices will go even higher. For example, I distinctly recall being told that I was crazy to buy gold when it reached $800 per ounce because it was at "all-time highs."

In this case, however, it is unlikely that you will find anyone claiming that commodity prices are near their highs. Most traders will admit that prices could indeed drift lower. If we are not at the bottom, however, most would agree that it is near.

So, how can you participate? There are a number of Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) that enable the average stock trader to participate in agricultural commodities without purchasing options or futures contracts.

The present state of the global economy indicates that we are seeing extraordinary buying opportunities RIGHT NOW in the agricultural commodities sector.

Consider the global demand for food. It may increase and decrease slightly as people adjust their budgets to economic downturns from time to time, as we are seeing presently. Overall food demand, however, does continue to grow as the population grows.

The world's population has more than doubled from 3 billion in 1960 to now. It is near, if not over, 7 billion people today. The United Nations estimates that the global population will exceed 9 billion mouths to feed, less than 40 years from now.

While the population has been growing, the arable land available for farming has been declining as more former farmland has been developed to meet the residential and commercial real estate needs of a growing population.

Rising food demand and declining availability of farmland equals higher food prices.

Granted, all commodities will see substantial price increases when the global economy begins to recover. Agricultural commodities, however, should see the greatest gains due to the fact that they are so far behind the metals and energy commodities.

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Greek Default Imminent

The Greek elections were confusing on multiple levels and this may be the catalyst that pushes Greece out of the European Union. Aside from the obvious economic issues, which was my primary focus, the confusion created by the press questioning Greece's ability to form a new government left me positively dumbfounded. Here in the U.S. it's a simple matter of counting up the votes and inaugurating the winner. Greece is a parliamentary republic, which means the President is ultimately decided by the 300 member Parliament.

Greece's top vote getter in the election was Antonis Samaras of the New Democracy Party. However, he won less than 20% of the popular vote and his party only secured a third of the Parliamentary seats. The Parliament holds their Presidential vote after the popular vote determines the Parliament's makeup. Thus the Presidential vote should be proportional to the Parliament's popular vote. Typically, Greece's elections are very similar to ours in that there have only been two parties with any real shot at gaining power. The second leading vote getter, Evangelos Venizelos, of the PASOK party, Greece's other dominant political party was able to garner 13% of the popular vote and a mere 41 Parliamentary seats.

The inability of either of the primary parties, who both favor austerity measures, to win a majority of Parliamentary seats further muddies the political waters and this is the cause of the, "Greece has failed to form a government" confusion. Greece is now going through the bargaining process with each candidate trying to win enough Parliamentary votes from the other parties to meet the two third's vote necessary to become President. Currently, neither of the primary parties, New Democracy or Pasok has been able to do it. The anti austerity radical and left wing parties that secured a record proportion of the popular vote have also failed in their turns to corral the necessary votes. This forces a second round of voting, which will require three fifths of the vote to win and will be held next month. Finally, if they are unable to reach a three fifth's majority, the Parliament is dissolved and a new election is held. The new President will be the one who gets the most votes.

The Greek people appear to be ready to default on their debt. The ability of the radical parties to gain such tremendous support, and possibly the Presidency, is a clear illustration that the Greek people are tired of living under German rule. The austerity cuts that we hear about on TV are very different to the Greek people who have seen their pensions cut in half, government payrolls and compensation slashed as well as nearly 10 tax hikes in the last two years.

The outflow of funds from Greek banks is accelerating at an alarming rate. Businesses and private citizens alike are scrambling to pull every Euro they can get their hands on out of their banks and into another country for safekeeping. Corporate and private deposits have fallen by 20% over the last year and more than 30% since 2009. The inability to form a government over the last week has accelerated the withdrawals to the tune of $700 million in the last week alone. That panic has caused the head of the Greek Central Bank to issue a statement suggesting that there is plenty of liquidity within the banking system and that there is no need to withdraw cash. Obviously, he's trying to quell the fears of his countrymen by whistling past the cemetery in the dark.

Greece did repay $556 million in foreign notes due to private investors who refused the 53.5% haircut on the brokered swap agreement. However, the situation is unraveling quickly. The rescue fund administrators have already begun withholding funds because the Greek vote drastically reduces their willingness to adhere to current austerity measures. The next line in the sand comes before the end of June when Greece is due nearly 40 billion Euros. The fear is spreading as Spanish yields are now above 6.5%. We stated 6% as their tipping point and now, even the Italian bonds are above that number. Finally, a Greek default will trigger losses around the world and due to the interwoven nature of swaps and derivatives, we don't really know what that will look like.....no matter what we're being told.

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When Lizards Will Not Eat, They Have to Eat

Like any animal, lizards at times in captivity will need to be force fed. There are situations and conditions which will result in a lizard not eating on their own.

Some diseases lizards can get will result in seizures, or a similar condition. It is imperative not to feed them during an incident like this. They will most likely not be able to swallow the food. It is best to seek the help of a veterinarian at this point. The animal will need to have a tube placed into their stomach to feed. If the animal shows no signs of seizures, they can be fed using a syringe. It is tricky to get their mouth open, but should be possible using the syringe itself.

Using the syringe, squeeze the processed food into the back of the throat, taking great care to avoid the trachea at the back of the tongue. Make sure to only offer as much food as the animal can handle. Larger lizards can obviously handle more food. It may also be possible to force-feed feeder insects. If the lizard is having digestive problems however, the liquid substitute is much easier to digest, as much of the work is already done. Another advantage of liquid feeding is the fact that you control exactly what the lizard is getting into its diet.

For the vegetable part of the liquid diet, vegetable baby food works very well. This food is high in vitamins and can easily be digested by the lizard. Make sure to add in a calcium supplement to the food. Younger lizards need to be fed more often but in smaller quantities, while larger lizards will need to be fed less often, but with higher quantities per feeding. You have to follow the natural way your lizard eats its food, as not to upset their natural metabolism. If your lizard eats both insects and vegetables, you can use a type of cat food (used for sick cats) if they will eat it. You can also try to add insect matter (use fresh insects) into the liquid mix.

When Lizards Will Not Eat, They Have to Eat   Snakes   

Snakes

Well, what is there about them you can say that is positive? How can anybody trust a creature that is born without arms or legs and smells with its tongue? Obviously, you can see I dislike snakes! For me, they just don't seem a part of the natural order of things without the usual appendages. A friend of mine suggested that I write down some of my encounters with snakes I experienced when I was exploring the Amazon basin and the western slopes of the Andes looking for gold and I guess my first brush with mortality from serpents came about as Eddie and I were walking into Puerto Napo from camp one day. The trail bordered the Napo River on the south side and we were making pretty good time on the twelve-mile walk. The ground was slippery as it always was from the continual wetness of the vegetation and we were always in danger of losing our footing. Walking, as it were, consisted of articulating a series of slips and slides and occasional falls. Well, Eddie was in front of me when all of a sudden he fell backwards.

Thinking he tripped, I caught him under his shoulders and helped him to regain his footing, but he instantly fell backwards again and there right in front of him in the middle of the trail was a snake, half coiled and half erect and ready to strike! I had almost pushed Eddie into the snakes' fangs! Close! Eddie shot the snake from a safe distance. We had other encounters with snakes on the eastern slopes, but most of them were on the west side of the Andes. The first occurred when I stooped over to enter a family dwelling in the village of La Concordia on the Cayapas River. We had been canoeing upriver all day and it was time to set up camp for the night. Our guide made arrangements for our accommodations to spend the night for a few cans of Tuna Fish and a pound of coffee. Barter was the preferred method of payment once you were out of civilization. We walked into the house made of Bamboo and a hardwood called "Chonta Duro". I have never been able to translate it into English except for the "Duro" part, which means "Hard". A log of this wood has a very fibrous core that can be burned out to form a pipe of sorts. We were to use it to bring fresh water into our camp for washing and cooking. It can further be split lengthwise to form a very durable flooring. It cannot be cut easily with a machete or axe and resists the saw on crosswise cuts. The blade of an ax will simply skip off of the wood, but I digress.

We sat on the floor eating supper and during the meal I glanced at the rest of the construction. They used the "Chonta Duro" logs as roofing timbers and as I followed one timber from the edge of the roof to the lodge pole, I saw something in the shadows that I couldn't quite make out, so I took out my flashlight and shone it right smack in the face of a fourteen foot Boa Constrictor! Our guide explained that this was a normal household pet to keep down the rat population. That night I slept comfortably in my sleeping bag outside on the ground. Our camp upriver was built on a small plateau on a hillside and was made of Bamboo and Chonta Duro timbers. We built it at ground level, as we were sixty feet above the surface of the river. The walls were only three feet high leaving a wide gap between the wall and the roof for ventilation. One morning, I had just awakened and was getting ready to get up when, BANG! Wally had shot a snake off of the top of the wall not three feet from my head! When I looked over the edge of the wall, the headless body of Beige, Brown and Black four foot Fer-de-Lance Pit Viper was sprawled lifeless on the ground. This snake is one of the most dangerous of all the snakes in South America for it is aggressive and will strike without warning. Thanks Wally! Another time, I was getting ready to walk out of the door of the our "House" and as I was crossing the threshold, I saw a large three foot bright orange snake crawling on the top of the wall. Another Pit Viper! I grabbed a machete and killed it! The last really good story again had Eddie and I as the centerpieces.

It was on a Sunday, and we decided to go fishing. Now in the middle of the jungle, this is not a sporting event for we used sticks of dynamite to do the fishing for us. Those of you that have qualms about this just have never been hungry! We grabbed several sticks of dynamite, caps and fuse and set off in our motor canoe upriver. The Canoe was made from a forty-foot hollowed out tree with wood planks added to the gunwales and a transom add-on for a forty-horsepower Evinrude, which I had had shipped from the States. Balsa logs added to the outside of the canoe at the waterline gave added stability. We named it the Nueva Esperanza or New Hope for good luck! I ran the canoe upriver about half a mile and beached the bow on a sandbar. We had fished this area before with good results. Eddie was sitting on one of the plank seats and getting the Dynamite ready. We were using two sticks as we were over a deep pool of water. Eddie lit the fuse on the first charge and I leaned back on the Evinrude to watch the results. After about a minute, we decided the charge wasn't going to explode and Eddie prepared another while I watched and made rude comments about him not being able to blow himself to Hell! The second charge followed with the same results and I watched as Eddie prepare a third. The rude comments started extending to his family lineage and as I watched, I saw something swimming across the river about two hundred feet away. I thought it might be an Otter and told Eddie what I was looking at when the object lifted its head clear of the water and looked right at us! I still couldn't make it out but it suddenly changed direction and started swimming towards us. I watched for a few seconds and determined it was a large snake about eight feet long and told Eddie about it.

Eddie looked and put the dynamite down and started looking for something to use as a weapon. Meanwhile, the snake was coming directly right at us and as it got closer, I could see the arrogance in its yellow eyes! He swam right up to the canoe and started to work its body onto the Balsa sponson. The Son-of-a-Bitch wanted us for breakfast! Eddie had found a length of broken paddle in the bow and as he was walking back to the stern of the canoe, the snake popped his head over the gunwale! Eddie finally reached where the snake was and smacked him several times on the head, until at last; it succumbed and fell back into the river with his head and about two feet of his length sinking beneath the surface. Dead for sure! Eddie was so nervous that he asked me to fix the third charge, which I did. I lit the fuse and instead of throwing the dynamite, I placed it very gently in the water, alongside the canoe. I had not noticed that the motion of Eddie killing the snake had caused the canoe to shift its position and end up right on top of the unexploded four sticks of dynamite! My subconscious took it into account and that's why I placed the charge alongside the canoe. Well, before I could say "Holy sh-t", we were greeted with a loud, thunderous explosion that lifted the canoe, all forty feet of her, about a foot out of the water, and slammed us back into the river, opening up a crack in the hull running from the bow to the stern, and we started shipping water. The only way to keep us from sinking was to find something to fill in the crack and stop the water from coming in!

Eddie looked at me and I looked at Eddie. All we had were the clothes on our back! It must have been a pretty sight to see two naked men trying to keep from sinking! We finally stabilized the leak and headed back to camp naked, trying to figure out what we would tell the others when we came upon the body of the limp snake. Now, Eddie wanted to bring the snake into the canoe so he could skin it and use the skull for a hat decoration, and I told him in no uncertain terms that he was going to walk home if he brought the snake into the canoe, but I laughed that we could use the snakeskin for some Custom Business Cards. Eddie instead put the paddle under the loop of snake below water and carried the rest of the body on the paddle the rest of the way to camp. I turned the canoe around facing upriver and was preparing to land when two things happened.

First Wally, who was seventy-one, walked down the path to see if we had caught anything, and secondly, Eddie threw the snake in a sweeping motion so that it landed at Wally's feet. The next thing you know, the snake started moving, he had only been stunned! Wally drew his machete and cut its head off. I never saw the old man move so fast! We found out later that the snake was another aggressive Pit Viper called the Bushmaster, also called an "Iki" by the locals. It was over eight feet long and had a diamond shaped gray and brown pattern like a Diamondback rattler and not one, but two sets of needle sharp fangs, one primary set in the front of the mouth and a second spare set in the rear.

And you ask me why I don't like snakes, well, there's several good reasons! I have other snake stories, but none of them are as interesting.

When Lizards Will Not Eat, They Have to Eat   Snakes   

Instructions To Help Mount Your Home Weather Station

Lot of people these days are investing in home weather stations. These typically consist of a receiver, thermometer, barometer, anemometer and rain gauge. The barometer is usually included into the electronic receiver itself but the other three instruments need to mounted in the correct manner so as to obtain the best and most accurate results.

The thermometer is the instrument that measures the ambient temperature so one cannot place it in the direct sunlight because the direct heat will change the readings. The thermometer needs to be mounted in the shade at a few feet above the ground so that you are assured of the readings. Generally people use a Stevenson's Screen in which they mount it. This assembly protects the instrument from the direct sunlight. This also shields it from precipitation and the shade of trees that can alter the readings.

The anemometer is the instrument that measures the speed and the direction of the wind. Any kind of obstructions in the path of the instrument can alter the readings so it is ideal to mount it at a height of at least 33 feet or more, away from any obstructions. This height requirement makes it ideal to put this instrument on most roofs. Care must be taken to make sure nothing will block the wind's path to the instrument at the chosen location.

The rain gauge is for measuring precipitation. So if you mount it in the garage or under a very leafy tree no precipitation will reach it. It should be mounted two feet above the ground and must be placed completely level to the ground. Care must be taken to make sure there is nothing overhead that will block or reroute the rain drops.

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Why You Should Take Camera Insurance

Whether one is a part-time or professional photographer, purchasing camera equipments is very expensive. Not only is the primary outlay very expensive, but for many, obtaining the right equipment and its supplies can be time consuming. However, if you are a proficient photographer, insuring your equipments under home insurance may not present you with adequate coverage. Therefore, if you cannot afford to purchase others, should something happen, it is important to reflect on other insurance routes, particularly camera insurance.

You will also note that light thieves and pickpockets usually target such items due to their small size and high value. This means there is a higher risk of losing your valued possession. However, due the simplicity of these devices, people opt to insure them through the existing home content policy.

According to experts, it is essential to insure the equipment through a specialist provider. Based on how one uses the equipment, be it as a hobby or as a means of income, there are two methods available for insuring the equipments, the amateur and professional camera insurance.

Since there are various packages available, it is imperative to locate cover tailored to ones specific requirements. For example, it is feasible to obtain cover for worldwide usage or public liability. Nonetheless, it is important to carefully go through the details of the policy in order to ascertain that you are paying for the right coverage.

Remember, these covers are offered in different classes. You can therefore take professional or amateur cover depending on what you do with your unit. There are also different packages offered therefore it is possible to find one tailored to meet your needs perfectly. This is usually great for the professionals. The best cover must also include information on how to protect your unit in addition to securing it.

You find that some providers may not cover for damages caused by liquids. This is because they might feel that the damage is too great or could have been avoided. Others may not pay for theft claims if the equipments were not locked away.

So regardless of whether you are a professional or a part-time photographer, you should make sure that you obtain the best camera insurance provider. All this can be possible if you search carefully and compare quotes from the different providers. Remember to read the details of the cover very carefully. This will ensure that you get the right cover and not pay for additional cover which you do not need.

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Know More About PPI Claims

For some people, getting a loan is not priority anymore but a need. Most of the people today are going through a difficult time and balancing their everyday expenses especially along with inflation as well as high living costs. Although many people do not want to get a loan, they just don't have a better option. Payment Protection Insurance is one of the best solutions for solving all your problems. With Payment Protection Insurance, you need to pay a specific amount per month with monthly installments. If for some reason the borrower is not able to repay the loan, then PPI claims cover the money for some time. Loans are covered as well as protected even if there is no collateral.

The PPI mainly helps when some unpredictable accident, unemployment, or critical illness occurs that makes it impossible for the borrower to make monthly payment. A Payment Protection Insurance policy takes care of this inability to make monthly payments of the loan. But how can you make PPI claims? Or can anyone just quickly assume that he or she can apply for the claim if they are not able to make monthly payments anymore? If you want to make PPI claims, you have to clearly state that you are unable to repay the loan due to credible reasons such as unemployment, an accident, or an illness. PPI has different methods of verifying if such misfortune has befallen naturally over the borrower.

To qualify for the PPI claims the borrower must submit all documents required in the process of the claim with the company from which they bought the insurance. However, while purchasing PPI be careful as there are many people whose claims was canceled because of policy exclusions as well as clauses. It is important that everyone must go through the exclusions and clauses properly before purchasing a PPI policy. As mis selling of Payment Protection Insurance is growing nowadays, the FSA has already fined many companies and banks for mis sold PPI.

In the United Kingdom, PPI or Payment Protection Insurance for many years has been fully sold by loan and credit card companies and you can be the one to reclaim the mis sold PPI. PPI is an important policy that helps to cover your payments to credit cards or loans in a situation where you are not able to work due to an accident or sickness. It is even known as a loan protection policy. PPI is not a faulty thing, however due to mis selling of PPI through unethical sales people, it has become bad. If you think that you have been mis sold PPI and want to reclaim your own money, contact the company that issued it.

There are a lot of online help available for the Payment Protection Insurance claims. Getting help from a professional company will increase the chances of your money recovery. The online companies have many experienced professional lawyers who can help you and the fees of these experienced lawyers are quite reasonable.

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Are Party-Appointed Insurance Claim Appraisers Expected To Advocate Their Client's Interests?

Most Appraisers may assume, and probably practice, that there is a legal duty for the appraiser to advocate, to some degree, the appointing party's interests. Furthermore, we can assume that there are many appraisers who may feel obligated to comply to their client's wishes in the capacity of their presentation, valuation, strategy; to ensure that the client approves of any direction the appraiser plans to go in during the appraisal. This all sounds reasonable, as the appointing party nominates the appraiser and pays him/her to resolve the impasse with the best possible results to the appraisal award.

In my opinion, there is a certain degree of confusion, when it comes to the appraiser's obligations as a party-appointed appraiser. Considering the lack of "policy procedure" written on the subject, and the unfortunate fact that many novice individuals are being appointed as appraiser of late, we can generally determine that there is indeed some confusion on the subject.

Now, this article is in no way an evaluation or determination of an appraiser's legal rights and duties, and any professional appraiser should always consult an attorney if there is concern is of the law, however, I do advocate that all professional appraisers should keep them selves up to date with any and all legal issues pertaining to the appraisal process and responsibilities. It this small niche industry, there is a general lack of knowledge on the subject of appraisal; any phone call to an attorney will validate this statement, as most of the time, you need to explain to them what the appraisal clause is. This is not to say that there are no expert appraisal lawyers, because there are, and I happen to know many of them, but just like us, they are of a niche pedigree.

As this article may not directly answer the question posed in the title, it will reflect on the past and my own theories, which hopefully will stimulate thought, and result in some interesting opinions posted by readers of this article. Let's start off by determining what is obviously a requirement of a party appointed appraiser, to do so, we will consult the insurance contract...

-each shall select a competent, independent appraiser- (In New York State)

A whole (7) words! No wonder there is so much confusion, there is one sentence on the requirements of an appraiser in the standard insurance policy, under the "appraisal clause".

Definition of COMPETENT -Merriam Webster-

1: proper or rightly pertinent 2: having requisite or adequate ability or qualities 3: legally qualified or adequate

1) in general, able to act in the circumstances, including the ability to perform a job or occupation, or to reason or make decisions.

Definition of INDEPENDENT Merriam Webster

not dependent: as (1): not subject to control by others: self-governing (2): not affiliated with a larger controlling unit (3): not requiring or relying on something else: not contingent (4): not looking to others for one's opinions or for guidance in conduct (5): not bound by or committed to a political party.

So, we can basically say, unless there is an express contractual provision, the only duty owed by the appraiser, according to the appraisal clause, is a duty to both parties to disclose any issues which may cause them not to be "competent" or "independent".

Arbitration: Appraisal's older cousin

Now, when there is a lack of information on the appraisal Process, I look to the American Arbitration Association for guidance, however, this is only guidance and may not reflect the actual procedure. In 1977, the American Bar Association ABA and the American Arbitration Association agreed on a Code of Ethics for Arbitrators in Commercial Disputes (the "Code"). After years and years of legal precedent, the "Code" determined that party-appointed arbitrators of tripartite panels can and will be non-neutral, and would some type of predisposition for the appointing party. This is of course, is very in line with the current representation of the Appraisal industry. HOWEVER, in 2004, the ABA commission revised the code! They actually got rid of the "non-neutral" identification, and states that the party-appointed arbitrator is neutral, unless the parties agree that they can be "non-neutral".

Going back to pre-2004, there is a very interesting article written by the Harvard Law Review in 1954 by a two very well-respected scholars, Bernard Gold and Helmut Furth. 68 Harv. L. Rev. 293 (1954-1955).

This article summed up the expectation of a party-appointed arbitrator. Quoting their 1954 article "he can expound his party's viewpoint, point out circumstances justifying his position, educe supporting evidence by interrogating the witnesses at the hearing - in short, see to it that the tribunal does not overlook the strong points of his party's case."

Although they probably had no idea what the "appraisal clause" was, although is has been in existence for over a 100 years, (check out 8 S.W. 630, 631 (Tex. 1888) http://www.digitorysolutions.net/.

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The Role Of Liability Insurance In Home Ownership

When you hear people say, You can never be sure of anything these days except death and taxes, well, I disagree. There is one more thing that you can be certain will happen to us all and that is the need for liability insurance. It's a requirement for auto insurance titles and tags in most states, and it's just as important to a mortgage lender. Nobody wants to loan money on a home that is not insured against certain losses. No matter how you're paying for a property, whether you're closing fast or whether you're closing on a conventional mortgage when buying a home, you'll need to arrange for a liability insurance policy before the closing takes place.

So, what are the types of losses that liability insurance on a home will cover? The first thing to know is that liability insurance doesn't cover the loss of your home itself or the loss of your possessions. Those losses are entirely different. Liability insurance covers losses that affect another person inside your home or on your property. Liability insurance protects you and your lender from financial loss when somebody else sues you or is threatening to sue you because they were injured in some way.

Let me give you some examples:

1) Your dog bites the postman in your yard when he's delivering mail to the mailbox on your porch. The postman is hospitalized for several weeks and has a big bill to pay. He can sue you for his hospital bills and your liability insurance coverage will pay them.

2) Your mother's friend slips on the ice on your front walkway when she's getting out of her car to attend a baby shower for your daughter. She has a hip fracture requiring surgery and physical therapy. Her bills are enormous and she could sue you to pay her bills if your insurance company didn't pay her under your liability insurance coverage.

3) A burglar slips and falls from a ladder propped up against your house when he's trying to pry open a window to get inside and steal your TV set. Believe it or not, he can sue you for his medical costs despite the fact that he was in the process of committing a crime. It's truly astonishing, but that is exactly the type of injury that has won jury awards in court, and your liability insurance company knows that so it is more likely to settle a claim against you than take a chance of losing the case in a lawsuit.

So there you have three examples of things that have happened over and over requiring liability insurers to pay claims, protecting homeowners from great financial loss. The insurance companies will always try to settle a claim before going to court, since lawyer's fees and court costs only increase their pay-out.

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Insurance Marketing Strategies Tips To Bring In Leads

Quick tip for your insurance marketing strategies. Stop paying for competing online leads. Get your own exclusive leads for free.

For some of you buying internet leads works very well, but for the majority of insurance agents, buying internet leads just don't work. The negative result is typically caused by a number of things, which are: price, products, follow-up, system and just the burn out after a few months. Typically we spend $6 - $10 for a lead and competing with 4-5 other agents for the business. To me this is not fun! Although it can work with an autoresponder system, which we get into in other blogs, this is not the focus with this blog. I want to give you the idea of how you can get started to produce your own leads for free.

#1 easy and inexpensive idea for your insurance marketing strategies

The #1 goal on what every insurance agent would love to have is free leads coming to their agency every day. Imagine getting 20 leads a day from people that are interested in your product and want a quote. And you don't have to anything to anybody for this. It just takes a little work to get the system in place and then success. I'm sure that you are aware that people get online now days to research and buy their insurance. When these people get online and search, they typically find the same 5-6 insurance agents on the 1st page of Google every time. Well these people are clicking on those 5-6 sites all day long. Now I've noticed that most of those sites don't have anything to really capture the business. Wouldn't it be nice if you could modify your site, get it listed in the first few rankings of Google, and collect names and emails for quoting. And do all this for virtually nothing, except for some set up time at the beginning.

The strategy to do this is pretty simple, but not many people know how to do it. You need to forget about the selling insurance agent and put on your marketing hat. The first step is to modify your website a little bit, so when people go to your site, they will enter their name and email in return for getting something. This can be a free report or just a simple quote. This is the start for the long term sales campaign with these customers. How do you get these leads to your website. The easiest and most effective way is list your agency and website on Google local, and optimizing your website. Anyone can do this, but you need to do it right. It takes very little time, but there are a handful of things that need to be completed. Beyond the SEO basics, you need to link your site to all the other local search directories and get people to write reviews on your agency on Google local. These two items along with proper SEO will rank your site at the top of Google and generate leads to your agency every day. Just remember that your insurance marketing strategies need to be simple but effective.

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FAQs About Long-Term Care Insurance

Long-term care insurance is a relatively new idea in the insurance industry but its necessity ranks up there with disability insurance and life insurance. But since it is such a new product on the insurance scene, there are still many questions that surround long-term care (LTC) insurance and its necessity. Here are some of the more common questions you can expect to be asked about this insurance product along with some great answers to those questions.

Should I consider purchasing a long-term care insurance policy? If you are at least 45 years of age, you should consider purchasing a LTC insurance policy. This should be part of your overall insurance portfolio along with life insurance and other insurance that you need. However, you should evaluate your insurance budget. If you only have a budget that will cover a comprehensive life insurance policy, do that first. Prioritize your insurance needs and don't put yourself or your family into a financial hardship just to purchase a long-term care insurance policy.

Won't Medicare and Medicaid pay for my long-term care? These two programs are designed to help low-income people who are qualified to take advantage of the services. However, both of these programs have limits to coverage and they also require co-payments and other financial requirements. You should not depend on these programs to take care of you on a long-term basis if you want to leave behind any assets for your family or heirs.

Doesn't my medical insurance policy cover long-term care? A medical insurance policy is typically limited to short-term care. If you have an injury or illness that requires medical attention, your medical insurance policy will likely cover it for a certain time. Once you start healing or reaching the maximum payout of your insurance coverage, you may not be able to have the medical services paid for. Medical insurance is designed for treatment with a foreseeable end date. LTC is designed for daily living expenses and medical care that has an indefinite end date.

How much long-term care insurance should I buy? When deciding on a long-term care insurance policy, there are typically two factors to consider. The first factor is the amount that you can afford to pay on your premiums. The second, and possibly more important factor, is determined by the daily rates of where you would want to stay if you ever need to take advantage of your LTC policy. Assisted living facilities charge less than nursing homes but rates are different depending on which facility and the geographic area in which you are staying. You will have to do some research to determine how much long-term insurance care you will need. As an insurance agent, you can help your clients determine the amount of insurance to purchase based on these factors.

These are just a few of the common questions that people often ask about long-term care insurance. By knowing what questions to prepare for, you can equip yourself better for each meeting that you have with a client who is interested in purchasing insurance.

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Prospect for New Clients With Your Own Insurance Blog

Share Your Knowledge and Professional Advice

One of the newest ways to network for qualified prospects is by publishing your own insurance blog on your Facebook and LinkedIn pages. It's not only fast and easy, but it's also free - and it's been proven to work.

Because people really do read the posts you put up on your Facebook and LinkedIn sites.

What's more, they pass them along to all the people in their own network for you.

How to Write Your Own Insurance Blog

Most agents think that writing a blog takes a lot of time and requires good writing skills - but it really doesn't... IF you simply write about what you know in an honest conversational manner. To begin with, your weekly blog needs to be no more than 200 or 300 words. And it can take as little as ten to twenty minutes to write and publish - just once a week.

When writing a blog, write just as you speak. Let if flow on paper as if you were talking with someone in person - face to face. Don't worry about grammar - just write.

Once you do it, you'll be surprised at how easy that really is.

And don't explain various types of coverage in your insurance blog, or use insurance jargon. Don't even use insurance terms or technical references. Write as if you are talking to a friend on the phone, or sitting across a table over a cup of coffee.

Think of your insurance blog as "sharing a thought" with your clients and prospects. And always conclude your blog with some sort of "call to action".

Examples of Insurance Blog Topics:

Biggest Mistake People Make With Their Homeowner's Insurance How Health Care Reform Will Affect You What Alternative Do You Have to Low Interest Rates on Bank CD's Why You Need to Insure Your Monthly Income When it Makes Sense to Compare Rates on Term Life InsuranceExamples of Opening Line Ideas to Get You Started

I was talking with a new client yesterday... (and discovered that she was paying more for her _____ than she should be) I recently helped one of my clients process a claim... (and here's what happened) I read an article last week on how the average person is investing for their retirement... (and was surprised to learn _________ ) Got a call from an old client of mine a few days ago, asking for a quote on his __________ coverage... (and was able to save him $xxx) One of my business clients recently referred me to another small business owner who wasn't happy with her company's employee benefits package... (and wasn't getting much attention from her current agent/broker/advisor)Examples of Insurance Blog "Calls to Action":

Call Me for a Quote on Term Life Insurance Click Here for a report titled "Protecting Your Retirement Income - Guaranteed" Find Out if You Qualify for a Good Driver Discount Get an Assessment of the Gaps in Your Health Coverage Click Here to Watch a Short Five Minute Video Email Me with any Questions You Have Regarding Your Insurance (or Retirement)Set Up Your Insurance Blog

You have many choices (most free) of blogging platforms to choose from. The top 5 I recommend are:

Blogger - a Google owned blog platform that is very quick and easy to setup Tumblr - more of a "micro-blog", which is a cross between a blog and Twitter WordPress - most popular and well established blog platform. Has tons of features and plugins... SquareSpace - commercial blogging platform starting at $8/month Posterous - easy to use "email-to-blog" system. Create new posts by sending emails...Most, if not all of these options, allows you to easily post your blogs to your Facebook and LinkedIn pages. How to Sell Life Insurance Effectively - By Email   Insurance Brokers Ease the Way to Successful Coverage   7 Ways to Find a Reputable Insurance Agent in Florida   Loss Assessor - True Savior of Policyholders   Buying Different Kinds of Insurance Can Be an Important Part of the Investment Plans   

How to Optimize Insurance Agency Video for Effective Insurance Agency Web Marketing

Insurance agency marketing is rapidly transitioning to a more web centric model. Many agencies have created more professional, attractive and interactive insurance agency websites and are attempting to leverage the opportunities available through social media marketing initiatives. However, to optimize web marketing efficacy, Insurance agency web marketing campaigns must also include web-based video. As agencies and brokers introduce insurance web video into their strategy, it is important to properly optimize this new medium for maximum effectiveness. Here are the steps required:

Add Short Video Vignettes to Your Website- This obvious first step cannot be overlooked and must be executed properly. It is recommended that a Video tab or page be established on the website where all videos are posted, developing a content library. Video should also be highlighted on the website home page. This can be achieved by prominently posting a video on the home page with an attractive tile and clear call to action. Once an agency or broker has invested in video, they need to optimize website placement to maximize traffic and website stickiness. You want to make it as easy as possible that everyone who visits your websites, can quickly see your professional website video is readily available.

Post Your Video to YouTube - YouTube has been escalated to a podium position in the world of web marketing. Only Google and Facebook currently see more visitors than YouTube, with YouTube visitors remaining on the video site for long periods of time. This creates an opportunity for agencies to convey expertise and share information with clients and prospects over a very popular and easy to use medium. Posting insurance agency video to YouTube is a simple process that only takes a few minutes. However, the devil is in the details, and you must make sure to integrate your search keywords in the title and tags if you wish for your video to be found. This presupposes that your agency has spent the necessary time researching your keywords through Google AdWords or a more robust fee based solution. As an added bonus, you can consider transcribing all or part of your video for optimum SEO impact.

Post Your Video to Your Blog- It is also recommended that insurance agency marketing videos should be posted to an agency blog. If you don't have a blog yet, this is another good reason to create one, and when combing video into a blog, it is often referred to as a Vlog (video blog). If this blog is external and lives at WordPress.com or other common blog sites, you can often copy and post the embedding code directly from YouTube. This makes a video blog post a very simple task. However, this again must be property titled, tagged and categorized prior to distribution. For those agents who have a blog integrated with your website, it may sound redundant to post videos to your video page and to the blog. But here is why you should do both: your blog entries are automatically sent to your subscribers, and it offers another opportunity for the search engines to find your dynamic content to improve your SEO standings (SERPs - placement on the Search Engine Results Pages). This alerts your clients and prospects about your new video content, making viewing more likely and timely, driving more traffic to your websites.

By following these simple steps, an insurance agency marketing plan will successfully optimize their web video strategy, resulting in a positive web marketing impact in a variety of important ways. If properly implemented, website video offers greater website stickiness, a more current look and feel, Web 2.0 website elements, social media marketing opportunities, blogging and vlogging and improved SEO. Every agent, producer, executive and owner should be giving serious thought about optimizing their website video opportunities.

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Best Car Insurance: Sift Through the Fine Print

Insurance on a car is mandatory, unavoidable and a wise step for all car owners. Car insurance keeps you safe and indemnified against any loss or claim to the extent of the risks covered according to the policy you have taken out and the amount for which you have obtained the policy by paying a suitable yearly premium. So what is the best car insurance? Is it the lowest premium payment or the value you get?

There are car insurance companies and each one claims to offer the best deal. However, when you sift through the fine print you will find exclusions, disclaimers and escape clauses. When it is time to file a claim you might find some insurance companies making excuses or delaying settlement of claims.

Car Insurance covers:

• Policy covers medical expenses and injury to driver and passengers and even funeral expenses.

• Property insurance covers claims for damage to your car or the other person's car and to property due to accident.

• Collision insurance covers liability for damage to either person's car, even if it is your fault and the repairs are footed by the insurance company.

• Bodily injury insurance covers costs of injuries sustained by third parties in an accident as also injuries caused while driving someone else's car.

• Underinsured or uninsured driver coverage is for eventuality where a driver who has been in an accident with you is uninsured or does not have adequate cover.

• A comprehensive policy covers theft, damage to car by fire, falling objects, earthquake, explosion and other liabilities where an accident is not directly involved.

The best car insurance is not judged on the rate of premium alone. It is value for money that determines the best insurance. It will include discount at the time of renewal for safe driving and no claims. It offers maximum coverage for the premium you pay and a good insurance company will expedite all claims settlement with a fair investigation, without any unnecessary obstructions.

As a car driver and owner, it is for you to get full coverage against possibilities of claims on any grounds. No single insurance policy will guarantee all this. It is better to select a mix of policies that will cover all possible eventualities that may arise and having done this, negotiate with a suitable car insurance company for the best car insurance in terms of discount, rate and coverage.The best car insurance rates are only one component of what you need. Value also implies that the company you're going with will give you discounts for driving safely and securing your vehicle, and will be quick to address any concerns you might have.

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Insurance Industry Associations - Seven Reasons Why You Should Become a Member

While there are hundreds of thousands of insurance agents across the country, only a small number of them join professional insurance industry associations. Some agents might not want to pay the monthly dues required to be a member, and others wonder how spending a couple of hours a month with other insurance agents could possibly benefit them. Here are some reasons why you should join an association if you are an insurance agent.

1) Continuing Education -- Most insurance associations offer regular CE classes for their members. Local chapters often have classes monthly on a variety of topics, and the state chapter generally provides opportunities to earn CE credits at its annual convention. In some associations, such as the National Association of Health Underwriters, members can earn a few credits each year just from being a member who attends meetings.

2) Networking -- Insurance is a broad industry with many different niches. Agents can sell group health insurance, individual health insurance, cancer and disability plans, term and whole life insurance, medicare supplements, annuities and long-term care insurance. Property and casualty agents can also sell commercial and general liability insurance, auto and home insurance, worker's compensation insurance and other property lines. Because each market segment is different, most agents specialize in just one or two lines of insurance. By attending membership meetings, you can meet agents who specialize in different lines than you and trade referrals.

3) Compliance -- Beyond just continuing education, association membership will give you access to various different ways to learn about industry regulations and stay compliant in your business. Most associations have a website full of information, such as the latest legislation affecting the industry, upcoming industry events, product and carrier information, and forums where you can talk to other agents. In addition, industry magazines provide news, perspectives and alerts on the ever-changing insurance world.

4) Designations -- When an agent wants to specialize in a certain segment, he might seek out specialized courses where he can further learn about insurance laws and regulations. Taking these courses and passing the related exams earns you an industry designation which you can list after your name and make your clients aware of. Associations often sponsor these classes so that members can have access to them frequently and at reasonable prices

5) Representation -- Most associations have lobbyists that work at the state and even national levels to represent the interests of insurance agents. A portion of the dues you pay go to the efforts of these lobbyists, who are continually in front of your legislature to be sure lawmakers are made aware of your things that affect both you and your clients. In a sense, these dues you pay are a form of career insurance in that your associations is providing someone in Washington to be your voice.

6) Leadership -- Because of the very fact that so few agents bother to join an association, your membership alone makes you a leader among your peers. People who care enough to spend money to further their professional knowledge are generally agents committed to their industry for the longterm. these members become leaders within their association and their field, and you can not long learn from the existing leaders, but over time, you can become one yourself.

7) Mentors & Friendship -- Becoming an insurance agent is a long and arduous process. Few people succeed in the industry past a few years. By joining an insurance industry association, you can find people already in your field who can mentor you through your learning process and be great resources for you. Over time, you will develop lifetime friendships with colleagues that are mutually beneficial and rewarding.

In summary, insurance groups offer a lot of positive things to individual agents. The small price you pay in monthly dues easily delivers a longterm return on your investment by helping you be the most informed and knowledgeable agent that you can be.

How to Sell Life Insurance Effectively - By Email   Insurance Brokers Ease the Way to Successful Coverage   7 Ways to Find a Reputable Insurance Agent in Florida   Loss Assessor - True Savior of Policyholders   Loss Adjuster - Work Done by a Loss Adjuster   Buying Different Kinds of Insurance Can Be an Important Part of the Investment Plans